My Stash: Lipsticks Part 1, Revlon

Revlon is my go-to brand for lip products.  Their Super Lustrous line has so many colors and finishes to choose a perfect shade.  The formulas are rich and pigmented, with many that are able to cover my two-tone lips.  My collection is the culmination of a year of obsessing over building a varied lipstick collection.  I've tried many more Revlon lipsticks than these, and I'm glad that US drugstores have a generous return policy!

From left:  026 Abstract Orange, 028 Cherry Blossom (Fall 2012 LE), 465 Plumalicious, 473 Mauvy Night, 477 Black Cherry, 640 Blackberry, 660 Berry Haute, 671 Mink, 745 Raspberry Bite, 

750 Kiss Me Coral.

From top, left to right:  Cherry Blossom, Raspberry Bite, Blackberry, Abstract Orange, Black Cherry, Kiss Me Coral, Mauvy Night, Plumalicious, Berry Haute, Mink

I also fell completely into the hype that the Revlon lip butters caused last year.  New product + retail therapy = this:

From left:  010 Raspberry Pie, 020 Brown Sugar, 030 Fig Jam, 040 Red Velvet, 050 Berry Smoothie, 070 Cherry Tart, 085 Sugar Plum

The hype for these is all real for me.  I love the consistency and feel that it is perfect for my lips.  Lipstick tends to dry out my lips, so I do not wear them everyday.  I'm able to wear these everyday with no problems.  I also like to alternate between a lipstick and a lip butter of a similar color during the same day to minimize dryness. 

I have ten Revlon lipsticks.  This is enough for me, especially since I can't tolerate everyday lipstick wearing.  As for the lip butters, seven seems like a lot, but they are a staple and I use them constantly.  I've used up two completely and my Cherry Tart is running low as well.  Therefore, I won't set a limit for myself on these.  In fact, I'm on the hunt for the new colors!

My Stash: Lip Glosses

Now I must chronicle one of the most numbered parts of my stash: my lip products.

 

I have so many that I have to break this up into several posts.  First up, lip glosses!

My Stash: Lip Balms

If there is one thing that I absolutely cannot stand, it's being ashy, especially on my lips!  To that end, I'm constantly on the lookout for lip balms to keep the flakes and tightness away.   Here's what I have currently:

From left:  Chapstick Orange Cream Burst, Nivea Kiss of Recovery and Mint & Minerals; Chapstick Chocolate Rush.  Front:  Nivea Milk & Honey, Lip Smacker Berry Peach.

Simply Lip Balm in Vanilla and Citrus

Altogether, I have eight seven lip balms.  (I used up the Lip Smacker recently.)  Normally, I only open one at a time, so I have enough to last a long while.  I plan to use these up or give them away before buying any more.

My Stash: Foundations

They are a necessary evil for me.

Since I've gotten really obsessive with makeup, I've been on the hunt for the perfect foundation.  I need it to be easy to apply (preferably with fingers), be a good color match, provide a demi-matte finish, blur imperfections without looking like a mask, and cost less than 20 bucks.

Am I asking for too much?

Well, at this point I am at a good working place.  I have foundations that work well for me, but not perfectly.  There's always something a bit off!

First, the liquids:

 

From Left:  Revlon Colorstay for Combination/Oily Skin in 360 Rich Ginger and 400 Caramel, Maybelline Mineral Power Foundation in Dark 2 Caramel (discontinued), Revlon Colorstay Whipped in Caramel, Covergirl Natureluxe in 365 Chestnut and 360 Nutmeg (discontinued).

Revlon Colorstay: It's a classic and my go-to for weddings and other all-day events. It wears all day and only requires minimal blotting.  I mix Rich Ginger and Caramel in different ratios to match my skintone throughout the year.  It works well, though I'm discovering that both shades are a little too pink/red for my skintone.

Revlon Colorstay Whipped: This also wears well, but not as well as the original. I love the texture! This would be a good foundation if I had a better color match.  Caramel is a little too dark and red, and Rich Ginger (which I tried, then swapped away) was waaaaay too light.  Maybe Revlon will come out with a shade between Rich Ginger and Caramel that would be a good match for me.

Maybelline Mineral Power: foundation is a good color match, but its silicone-y finish transfers easily.  Even if it was an awesome foundation, it's discontinued, so I still need an alternative.

Covergirl Natureluxe: This foundation met my finish requirements. It is easy to apply with fingers and dries to a semi-matte finish.  The undertones were just right, too; most foundations are too red for me.  However, I could not find a perfect skintone match. 


I also have liquid foundations:

Clockwise from left:  Avon Ideal Shade Cream-to-Powder Foundation in H304 Earth (discontinued), L'Oreal True Match Powder Foundation in c7 Nut Brown, Black Radiance Pressed Powder in Creamy Beige, Black Opal Oil Absorbing Pressed Powder.

Avon Ideal Shade: Maybe once upon a time this was a good match, but now it's a shade too dark and the undertones are too red.  I haven't used this in a while, but I remember it applying well, looking good, and not breaking me out.

L'Oreal True Match: This powder is the best match to my skin right now.  It evens out my skintone well and blurs imperfections.  This is my everyday go-to for a natural, everyday look. The only thing this doesn't do is control oil, and I have my Black Opal powder for that.   I've already repurchased this for when I run out.

Black Radiance Pressed Powder: I achieved a natural look effortlessly with this powder, but Creamy Beige is too red a shade for me.  I wish that the colors were easier to tell apart in the store.

Black Opal:  This is not a foundation, but it completes my collection of pressed face powders.  I talk about it here.

So I have seven foundations, some in more than one shade, which makes for nine foundations in my stash.  In my opinion, this is too many.   I only want three to four at the most: one or two powder foundations, a lighter liquid foundation for everyday wear, and a medium to full coverage foundation for a more flawless look.  To achieve this goal, I will purge what isn't working for me and throw away the expiring foundations.  I'll stay on the hunt to fufill my foundation, but resist the temptation to become a foundation junkie.

My Stash: Primers

We have primers for the paint on our walls, why not have them for the paint on our faces?

I love them and have managed to accumulate quite a few:

From right, counterclockwise: NYX Eyeshadow Base in White, Hourglass Mineral Veil primer (trial size and Sephora 100 pt size), Hourglass No. 28 Primer Serum, Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Wet 'n' Wild Fergie Take on the Day Eyeshadow Primer, Urban Decay Primer Potion, L'Oreal Magic Perfecting Base.

I love a good eyeshadow primer!  I like all three featured here.  The Wet 'n' Wild primer was a surprise hit and I'm glad I tried it.  It works just as well as my mid-end counterparts and is a good deal for the budget-minded.

On the other hand, I don't perceive any added benefits in using a face primer.   I tried the Hourglass primer after reading the Beauty Reductionista's raves for it here.  It feels good going on my face, and doesn't make me break out.  Unfortunately, my makeup doesn't act any different when using this or just my Olay sunscreen moisturizer, so I won't be repurchasing.  I've already swapped away all my other face primers as of this post.

My plans for this stash is to hold off on buying any more primers until my remaining ones are used up. I love to try them, but I really don't need more than one at a time.

My Stash: Brow Liners

I came into my brow obsession in stages.

In high school I only got my eyebrows shaped once, for a special event.  (Prom?  I don't remember.)  My brows were beautiful and perfect as they were, thank you very much.

In college,  I decided that maybe I should keep up my eyebrows on the regular.  I visited the same barber shop as my boyfriend at the time.  The guy there used a razor, and the results were awesome.  If I still lived in my college town,  I'd still be visiting that guy.

After college, threading was my choice for brow grooming.  Never mind that I never got used to it and left the store every time crying from the pain while admiring the handiwork.

In time, the ecomomy got tough and I tired of driving across town just for eyebrows.  I found a wonderful lady around the corner from me, and I've been a loyal and regular customer for several years.  I thought I had this brow thing handled until seven months ago. I renewed my driver's license and noticed that I had no eyebrows on my picture.

Then and only then did I understand the point of brow products.  Since then, I have acquired a few:

From left, all from Maybelline:  Expert Eyes Twin Brow and Eye Pencils in Dark Brown and Velvet Black; Expert Eyes Retractable Eye Pencil in Velvet Black;  Eyestudio Mastershape Brow Pencil in Dark Brown.

My favorite product is the Twin Brow pencil in Velvet Black.  It is a soft black that provides a natural look to my black brows on my caramel skin.  The Dark Brown Twin Brow pencil was too red.  The retractable pencil lost its point too quickly.  The Mastershape pencil is useable, but high-maintenance. I also use Revlon matte eye shadow in Rich Sable on my eyebrows, and I like it a lot.  I mentioned it here.

[I just went to the Maybelline website to search for the correct names for my products, and I found out that my Expert Eyes pencils have been discontinued!  What am I gonna do now?  I was ready to sit and be satisfied with what I had! Aww, whatamIgonnado? /end rant]

Well, I have five (Rich Sable included) brow products.  Despite my qualms over Maybelline's discontinuing of my favorite brow pencil, I'm set for a while.  To streamline this stash, I'm purging all but my Revlon shadow and my Velvet Black pencil.  If I see these pencils in the store, I'll buy a back up to hold me over until I find a replacement.

This actually isn't an area where I had a hoarding problem, so I'm okay with my stash in this category.

My Stash: False Lashes

I don't even know why I have these.   I've never worn any in my entire life.

Falsies!!!

From Left:  Ardell Glamour Starter Kit with #105 Lashes, Ardell Fashion Lashes #116, NYX Fabulous Lashes #210.

This is what happens when you are hit by the duo of awesome Youtube makeup tutorials and clearance sales. 

At least I only have three pairs, right!  I'm all about using my stash, so I'll be trying these soon.

My Stash: Mascaras

Oooh....mascaras!  My favorite cosmetic.  I just love what they do to my eyes!  I can pretend that I was born with long, lush lashes instead of the ones I really have, which are average in every possible way.  Even when I wasn't a makeup connoisseur, I was a mascara junkie, trying all the new ones as soon as they hit the shelves. 

I just purged a bunch of mascaras; I talked about it here and here.  Here's what I have left:

 

Front, left to right: Urban Decay Supercurl Curling, UD Lush Lash.  Back row, left to right:  LA Splash Mascara Primer, Maybelline Full 'n' Soft, Estée Lauder Sumptuous, Maybelline Volum' Express the Falsies, Tarte Lights, Camera, Lashes! Mascara.

Maybelline is my favorite brand for mascara!  Full 'n' Soft and the Falsies are staples.  I haven't tried any of these other mascaras yet.

I gather my mascaras, take pictures, and then find another one!

 Clinique High Impact Mascara.

So....seven mascaras and a primer in my possession.  This is plenty, but not excessive by any means.  I religiously throw out mascara after three months, and I often have two or three mascaras open at a time.  At the moment, I just have one mascara open, which is a rarity.  I plan to open one mascara a month.  If I keep to my three-month limit, I shouldn't have but three mascaras open in any given month.  Assuming that I use them all and none of them suck, I'd be completely through this stash in ten months!

I have no immediate plans to purchase any more mascaras.  As my stash dwindles, I'll go back to my old habits of buying my Maybelline staples and trying a new mascara here or there.  I generally stick to the drugstore for my mascaras because throwing away a $15+ mascara just hurts my heart.  However, I love trying mid- and high-end minis, and I love that they normally cost around $10 even more.

Edited to add:  I actually found another mascara!  I also have Covergirl Natureluxe in Very Black, raising my mascara total to eight.

My Stash: Eyeliners

Since I first became interested in makeup in my teenage years, I've always felt the need for eyeliner. It and mascara was a must for the eyes. Eyeliner was crucial for my transformation from squinty-eyed kid to doe-eyed beauty queen (in my eyes, anyway!). Even when I wasn't makeup obsessed, my stash always included a black liner. Now I have plenty, in a rainbow of colors to create all the cool liner looks I see around. At first glance, I don't think I have too many, but I must evaluate all parts of my stash to make sure of it.

 

From upper left to lower right:  Covergirl Liquilineblast in Brown Blaze, Revlon Grow Luscious Lashliner in Onyx, Covergirl Liquiline Blast in Violet Voltage, Tarina Taratino Eye Dream Highlight Hyperliner in Cute Robot, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Ransom, Covergirl Queen Vivid Impact Eyeliner in Cabernet, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Whiskey, Covergirl Liquiline Blast in Blue Boom, Milani Liquif'Eye Metallic Eye Liner Pencil in Black, Revlon Grow Luscious Lashliner in Graphite, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero, Revlon Grow Luscious Lashliner in Emerald, Rimmel Special Eyes Precision Eye Liner Pencil in Burgundy.

Of course, later I find another eyeliner hidden away!  Here pictured is Covergirl Queen Vivid Impact Eyeliner in Amethyst, all by its lonesome.

I also love my big eye pencils!  

 

 On left: Sephora Collection Jumbo Liner in Black.  From top to bottom: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Pencil in Rehab, Avon Big Color Eye Pencil in Eggplant, Sephora Collection Jumbo Liner in Taupe* and White Glitter, Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Shadow Pencil in Delinquent, Sephora Collection Jumbo Liner in Kaki and Purple Glitter, Avon Spectra Define Eye Liner in Navy.  

*I've managed to swap this away by post time!  Guess I'm on my way to leaving my beauty hoarding ways behind!

I haven't mastered liquid liners, but I've been trying.  Here's my collection:

From left:  Palladio Liquid Eyeliner in Black, Jordana FabuLiner in Black, Black Radiance Fine Line Liquid Eyeliner in Black.

I find the Jordana liner's pen-style applicator easy to use. With patience, I can make a decent cat-eye with it.

I have fourteen skinny pencils, eight thick pencils, and three liquid liners for a total of twenty-five eyeliners. Is this too many? Sort of.  I like having different colors of eyeliner for a easy swipe of color to liven up my looks, so I'm okay with the number in and of itself.  My problem lies in my buying the same colors over and over again.  I don't need five black and two navy liners, but I certainly have them! 

My next step involves getting rid of any liners that are not being used.  I also will not buy another black or navy pencil until I've used up what I have.  Beyond that, my buying of additional eyeliner pencils will be restricted to those with superior formulas, unique colors, and reasonable prices. 

As for liquid liners, all but the Jordana are probably expired and I need to throw them away.  I feel satisfied with just one right now.  I'm just not good enough at using them to want to hoard them. 

Gel liners remain an unexplored frontier, so I'll let myself buy one within my low-buy parameters, if I ever become interested in them.

I'm confident that I will not have twenty-five eyeliners the next time I take an inventory.

My Stash: Black Radiance Artisian Color Baked Blushes and Bronzer Swatches

Everyone should know about these blushes!

Yummy.

From top left:  Raspberry, Toasted Almond, Plum Sorbet, Gingersnap, Warm Berry

Raspberry

Toasted Almond

Plum Sorbet

Gingersnap

Warm Berry

Black Radiance products are manufactured by Markwins, Inc., the same company that produces Wet 'n' Wild Cosmetics.  Like its sister company, Black Radiance's blushes are amazingly pigmented and smoothly milled.  The packaging is bulky, but adequate; these blushes are not prone to easy shattering like their wet 'n' wild sisters.

Heavy finger swatches, without and with flash:

 

 

From left:  Warm Berry, Plum Sorbet, Raspberry, Toasted Almond, Gingersnap.

• Warm Berry is a dark reddish pink with a satin finish and fine silver glitter.  I love to pair this with my red lipsticks.
• Plum Sorbet is a pinky plum blush with pale pink, deep plum, and violet veining.  It has a shimmery finish.  I love this color with plum, berry, or even blue-toned red lips.
• Raspberry is a rich deep magenta with a satin finish.  Due to its richness, I often pair this with my-lips-but-better colors.
• Toasted Almond is a deep pinky brown with a matte finish.  It goes well with any lip color.
• Gingersnap is a light bronze with gold veining and a hint of pink.  It has a shimmery finish.  This color cannot serve as a contour for anyone due to the shimmer;  I use it as a highlight or a barely-there blush.  It also goes well with any lip color.

A few months ago, I also purchased the bronzers in Blackberry and Rum Spice.  Rum Spice is lighter than Gingersnap and showed up almost champagne on me.  Blackberry is a deep cool purple with gold veining.  If it wasn't for the shimmer, it would be the perfect contour color for dark-skinned, neutral- to cool-toned faces.  I could find no use for them, so I returned them to the store.

These blushes are best approached lightly lest you end up with clown cheeks.  Even so, they are a joy to use because they are not excessively powdery.  I find that these blushes last on me all day until I wash my face, whether or not I am wearing foundation.

These blushes and bronzers can be found at select drugstores (read: stores that serve a Black population),  drugstore.com, and walgreens.com.  Blackradiancebeauty.com has a store locator to help you find nearby stores that carry these products.  They usually retail at $4.99, but I've seen $1.00 off coupons included on the packaging every once in a while.

I highly recommend all who love blushes to give these a try.  I enjoy every color I own.

My Stash Part 2: Blushes (and One Bronzer)

I heart blushes.

Once upon a time, I didn't wear blush.

"I got plenty of color in my face!  Why do I need it?"

My thoughts were so, so foolish back then.

My discovery of blush eighteen months ago was like that of a infant discovering his toes for the first time.

Now I have these:

Ahh, lovely.

 From bottom left, clockwise:  Milani Mai Tai, Wet 'n' Wild Berry Shimmer, WNW Heather Silk, Black Radiance Raspberry, BR Warm Berry, BR Plum Sorbet, WNW Mellow Wine, BR Toasted Almond, BR Bronzer in Gingersnap.

Middle, from top:  Jordana Coral Sandy Beach,  La Femme Golden Sunset, Jordana Blush Powder in Blushing Rose, Redwood, and Terracotta

Total: 13 blushes, 1 bronzer.

I don't need or want more.....except for the Sleek MakeUP ones I plan to haul.  I alluded to that here. Then I will be done.

My Stash Part 1: Eyeshadows

Part of my mission to limit my stash involves documenting what is in it.  I believe that if I can see what I have, I will be better able to resist the temptation to add more items.  First up is my eyeshadow collection.

Neutral Singles

From far left, clockwise:  Revlon Platinum Glimmer, Revlon Rich Sable, Sephora Collection Cocoa Powder, Sephora Collection Coffee Brown, Wet 'n' Wild Nutty, Urban Decay Toasted, Urban Decay Smog, Sephora Collection Cafe Latte, Wet 'n' Wild Brule, Wet 'n' Wild Penny.

Middle:  Wet 'n' Wild Panther, Mark Magic

Not a bad one in the bunch!  I enjoy all these shadows, particularly the Soft Sable to fill in my eyebrows. 

Colorful Singles

From bottom left, clockwise:  Wet 'n' Wild Envy, Urban Decay Shattered, Haight, Dashiki;  Wet 'n' Wild Lagoon, Urban Decay Psychedelic Sister and Ecstasy;  Smashbox Cabernet, Laura Mercier Kir Royal.

Middle:  Mark Pool, Urban Decay AC/DC.

I really want ALL the blues, greens, and purples, but I think this is plenty to play with for now.

Color Tattoos and Infallibles

From top, left to right:  L'Oreal Infallible in Eternal Black, Maybelline Color Tattoo in Rich Mahogany,  Infallibles in Perpetual Purple and Bronzed Taupe, Color Tattoos in Tough as Taupe and  Pomegranate Punk, Infallible in Midnight Blue, and Color Tattoos in Tenacious Teal and Audacious Asphalt.

Now that the craze over these has subsided, a few comments:

1. These are all worth a try.
2. I think I got sucked into the hype a bit.  If I could go back, I would not have acquired the Eternal Black.  I suck at making it look good.   
3. Rich Mahogany, and all the other Fall 2012 Limited Edition Color Tattoos, should be made permanent. 
4. Rich Mahogany + Bronzed Taupe = go-to neutral eye look.

Palettes

 Clockwise from top left:  Wet 'n' Wild Vanity, Urban Decay Rollergirl, Wet 'n' Wild Lust, Wet 'n' Wild Pride, Wet 'n' Knock on Wood, Black Radiance Downtown Browns, Wet 'n' Wild I Got Good Jeans, Wet 'n' Wild Comfort Zone, MUA Makeup Academy Undressed

 

The Rollergirl palette is my favorite, favorite, favorite!  Oddly, the Lust and Pride palettes are not all that awesome.


I own a total of 23 single powder eyeshadows, 5 creams, 4 Infallibles, and 10 palettes with 64 shadows among them.  This makes a grand total of 96 shadows.  Ninety-six isn't THAT bad, is it?  Well, I plan on maintaining my stash right here.  I'd like to consolidate my single shadows and a few of the palettes into a couple of freeform palettes, getting rid of some of the Wet 'n' Wild duds in the process.  I haven't played with the Milani palette at all, but I plan to keep it to satisfy the bright eyeshadow urge.  

By the way, 96 is a multiple of 3 which is my favorite number!  I'm such a nerd.