If You HAD To....

What if you HAD to pare down your stash. Your stash of ANYthing. What do you collect? For me, it's makeup. I find all makeup that I own extremely hard to part with. Whether it be because of the packaging, colors... I can justify why I absolutely NEED to keep it. Some people are like this with shoes, clothes, purses, stamps...(?) - for me.... I get a MAJOR thrill when I can haul some new makeup.

You may hate it when MAC has 4 collections a month, but for me, that is FOUR new hauls. It's a drug, and it's addicting.

Currently, I'm far from a hoarder. Financially I can't afford to be. If funding were unlimited, we'd have a problem.

This weekend I challenged myself. What if I HAD to pare down my makeup? What the heck would I do? Surprisingly, it wasn't as hard to choose as what I thought.

I ended up with my usual HG items as well as a few surprises.




FACE:
L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base
MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer NW25
MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation NW25
Lancome Duel Finish Powder in Matte Bisque II
MAC Stereo Rose MSF
Chanel Nude Joues Contraste Blush
Dior DiorBlush in Rosebud 939

The biggest surprise for me out of the face products was the Dior blush. The tester was given to me by a friend and it's quickly become one that I reach for daily. Initially it was WAY to dark, but when I started to dab it on and blend it came out beautifully... my perfect fall cheek color! I use the Stereo Rose a lot more in the Summer and the Chanel Nude JC just matches everything, so I use it quite a bit too. You may notice the Chanel blush is also a tester. I bought that off of ebay for $20 as opposed to the $42 it costs at the counter. Plus now it's discontinued (yes I do have a backup!) so imagine how much people would want for it?!

EYES:
Urban Decay Naked Palette
Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in RSVP
MAC Groundwork Paint Pot
Urban Decay Primer Potion
MUFE Aqua Eyes 24L
MAC Teddy Eye Kohl
MAC Orpheus Kohl Power
Dior Waterproof Eye Pencil in Black
Dior DiorShow Brow Styler
MAC Clear Brow Gel
MAC Plushlash Mascara in PlushBlack

Obviously the UD Naked Palette is the perfect pick. You can go neutral and light or dark and smoky. It's so versitile there is no wonder they can't keep it in stock! The Benefit RSVP was a surprise. It came in a 500pt Sephora perk. It's totally a fav. MAC Bare Study is similar and when the Benefit runs out I'll probably purchase the MAC dupe. MAC Groundwork, you can literally sweep this on your lids and go. It's perfect for when you need to RUN out the door. Mom's are you hearing me? You need this. You can put it on with your finger. Perfect. I have 4 liners on there. Couldn't decide what to part with. The MUFE is awesome for those quick days. It's a light taupe so hard to mess up but it REALLY makes your eyes look big and bright. MAC Teddy has and always will be my HG liner. MAC Orpheus is perfect for those days that you need a blackish eye liner with your look, but don't want the harshness of a true black. The Dior was the surprise. I got it in my Diva gift and I reach for it at least twice a week. Never before have I loved a true black liner like this. It's super smooth and LASTS. The Dior brow styler actually tones itself toward your hair color, so it's a near perfect match for everyone. Extremely easy to use and doesn't need sharpened. I'm sold and already have a backup waiting in the wings. MAC Plushlash has been a love of mine for quite sometime. FINALLY I find a mascara to love that does everything I need it to do. Dior Extase is a close second, but because of cost I opted for the Plushlash.

LIPS:
MAC Brave New Bronze Lipstick
MAC Dressmaker, Dressmaker Lipstick
MAC Patisserie Lipstick
MAC Bendel Girl Lipglass
MAC Frankly Fresh Lipglass
NARS Dolce Vita Lipglass
MAC Subculture Lipliner

The lippies are all LE. Of course. I do have a backup of Brave New Bronze. Dressmaker I tend to reach for mostly for Spring/Summer so I'll be ok there for awhile. Patisserie was a surprise. I absolutely adore it and it's getting LOW. No backup. Come on MAC.... bring that one back for me! The MAC Lipglasses are also LE. Bendel Girl is my absolute all time favorite. I use it sparingly because it was LE for Henri Bendel stores ONLY. UGH! MAC Light That Fire! is a close dupe, so I do have that on stand by. NARS Dolce Vita was a HUGE surprise. NARS and I have a love/hate relationship. All of these items that they say "work for everyone" never work for me. (Such as Orgasm blush, Dolce Vita Lipstick...) I got this gloss as a sample with a NARS order and it's been in my makeup bag ever since. I will definately buy the full size once it runs out, which will probably be soon. MAC Subculture lipliner has been a staple for YEARS and was one of the first MAC items I ever bought. It is a nice match for my lips and pretty much goes with everything.

Since doing this... it's really making me rethink things. Do I REALLY need all of this (see pics below)? (underneath those blushes are 2 MAC Palettes of e/s plus a lot of blush and more shadows on the sides there lol PLUS 2 UD palettes, AIW and BOS III)





I could totally sell it on LJ and make a nice little bundle. It'd be so much easier to get ready in the morning. Just grab a makeup bag and head for the mirror instead of opening that huge, deep, tiered case and agonizing over the perfect color.

Who am I kidding... I'd take that nice little bundle and totally buy more makeup.