Thursday 3 January 2013

The Merry-Go-Round Make Up Challenge! (My reasoning and first attempt)

The problem is simple people. Do you own more blushes then you own cheeks? Do you have so many lipsticks and eyeshadows that everyday feels like a candy shop? And do you still find yourself using the same/similar products all the time DESPITE this crazy range?

I do have this problem, I always go with what's simple and what I'm used to and comfortable with using on a daily basis. Even for days/nights where I go out, I usually go with the same types of look and products which I know work together. Despite having enough make up for a few girls to use comfortable for a year, I still rely on the same products day in and out! Now there's nothing wrong with having favourites, the staple make up products you will repurchase and which work wonderfully with you for a variety of occasions. I have staples which I cannot imagine life without but I do not need to use them every single day to look and feel good. :)

This challenge will force you to experiment with make up which you already own but may not have given consideration to after you bought it, swatched it, worn a few times at most, and left it in your drawer "just-in-case".  *yay*

About 60% of my collection. I don't have a problem, I can stop anytime I want, okay? ;)
Now my collection is large in my opinion but it's nothing compared to some girls which own so much make up that there's absolutely no chance that they'd use most of the products (hence, a lot of expired cosmetics) and they borderline a hoarding disorder.

The only times it is acceptable to own hundreds of lipsticks is if you either received them all as gifts (or get them super discounted from work), have accumulated them over a long time, or you work as a make up artist! In which case you will receiving a profit margin for buying that many products. If not, maybe re-assess that empty void in your chest and find something more purposeful to fill it up with, okay? I love make up but I'm very careful that this obsession isn't hiding something darker - which believe it or not, is a very common problem (and doesn't always involve make up, it can be anything).


The Challenge

My first attempt - it feel weird not having such a large selection!

Taking a bag or box or anything really, choose a bunch of beauty products which you will use for 1-2 weeks straight. You can only use these products during that time which will force you to be creative with your looks. You may discover some hidden gems in your collection whilst trying out this challenge! ;)

I will be doing this challenge every two weeks because I believe that's enough time to use each of these products enough times to form an accurate opinion of them.

NOTE: For the purpose of this challenge, I am not going to include moisturiser, beauty tools (such as brushes, eyelash curlers, etc.), sunscreen, deodorant, etc! For obvious reasons, they're just the basic items everyone should really have and be using. I also didn't include brow products since we use a variety of products for our brows (e.g. pencil, wax, powder, brow gel, etc.)!


The Tools

Something to store everything in: I'm using a large clear make up bag. Use anything! 
I'm allowing TWO PRIMERS - ONE for your face and ONE for your eyes! :)
Make up setting spray: I need to have one in my life! Some people may not need/own/use this product so feel free to substitute it with anything that you would rather use! There's no set concrete way to do this challenge, the point is for you to enjoy and try out new products which you already own. :)
ONE base product: it can be a foundation, a BB cream, a CC cream, a tinted moisturiser, whatever you want! :)
I'm allowing myself TWO concealer products: One for under-eyes and one for blemishes.
ONE powder for setting your make up! :)
ONE BLUSH COLOUR! I suppose you can cheat and use a blush/lip stain but I decided to use this powder which I rarely touch nowadays.
ONE highlighter/illuminiser - This Milani illuminating powder is rosy tinted so it'd be good to layer over blush or for light looks. It's a beautiful product and I rarely use it! :(
ONE BRONZER - can be any type you wish. This is the NUDE by Nature mineral bronzer which I have yet to use once!
THREE LIP PRODUCTS: ONE liner, ONE gloss, and ONE lip colour (can be a lipstick, stain, tint, etc).
I'm allowing myself TWO mascaras: for layering - one for volume and one for length.
I have noticed that on a daily basis, I use mostly products by Benefit cosmetics. As you can see, this mascara will be the only product from Benefit which I will be using for the next two weeks. This is really forcing me out of my comfort zone and letting me explore new things.

Of course I don't expect you or anyone to be opening a new bottle of mascara every two weeks (or one week) for this challenge, so out of all these products, I imagine the mascara will be the most stable (rarely changing). :)
ONE eyeliner - this can be cream, gel, liquid, pencil, whatever you prefer. If you're really adventurous, choose a liner colour which you normally wouldn't wear! :) Just make sure it's appropriate for the occasion you're attending!
TWO EYE PRODUCTS: ONE base colour (my cream shadow), and ONE palette which you hardly touch! You can choose a bunch of single shadows which you don't use often as well! It looks like my Urban Decay and TheBalm Palettes will get a little holiday for the next two weeks! :)
ONE MISCELLANEOUS PRODUCT!
Now this miscellaneous product can be anything spontaneous. It can be blotting paper you never use, it can be a nail polish colour which you haven't touched since buying it, it can be a body lotion, hair treatment; be creative! Just grab something random which you own and haven't used (much) since buying it. Try it out, see how it goes!
Time for a new fragrance? ;) 
Try out a new perfume, see how the scent changes as you wear it over a long period of time! See how it mixes with the natural scents which you have and see if maybe, just maybe, it may become your new favourite! I got this perfume for Christmas and whilst I don't like the scent in the bottle, when sprayed onto my skin, it changes into something wonderful. It's very light which is perfect since I don't like very strong, heavy scents for everyday occasions. :)

This is another product which I don't imagine would change a lot. I usually wear a scent for about 2-3 months at a time before changing to another one. I use different perfumes for special events as well, depending on my mood and the occasion! :)

All packed up and on my dresser table! 
I'm very excited to be trying out this challenge and I strongly encourage any of my readers to try this out with me as well and let me know how they went. This will really help any of you bloggers or vloggers out there as it will allow you to make more in-depth reviews of your products after using them more often.

This challenge doesn't have to end either! You can just keep going after the 1-2 weeks is up and choose another batch of products (which is what I'm planning on doing)!

Thank you once again for reading this entry, please subscribe/follow/bookmark or favourite if you found this interesting! :) I changed from blogging every Monday, Wednesday and Friday to 3 times a week! I went out last night and didn't get home till 3am in the morning the next day - unexpected things happen so blogging on specific days is becoming difficult!

Stay Beautiful and Good Luck for this Challenge! xx

2 comments:

  1. This is such a great post with a very good meaning behind it too "that empty void in your chest".
    I wanna try this challenge but so scared it will be too much of a challenge!
    Really looking forward to your results, and maybe some FOTDs :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. Sorry it was Nirvana again - I really need to write my name before I publish comments! xx

    ReplyDelete

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