How much makeup can you finish in a year?

Its no secret that I'm a makeup addict, Charlotte Tilbury, MAC, NARS, Bobbi Brown, are all my drugs of choice and we all know addictions don't come cheap. 

Last year I finally got my dream job, working on a magazine and I'm now in the position where I can get makeup for free through my job, something I'm sure Natwest are incredibly relieved about. 

As I stopped buying so much makeup, I started to realise just how much stuff I had, sitting in drawers going unused and it made me feel pretty guilty. At the end of last year I decided to make a conscious effort to downsize my makeup collection by using up the products that I had. 

Rather than using different products every day, I tried to use the same product until it was finished. Slightly boring from a blogging point of view, but it actually meant I used stuff up.

I kept all my makeup empties in a bag (Sephora of course) and have been saving them for a whole year, since last November. I also kept a note of how much everything I finished cost, just for that added shame value.

So, this is what a year of used of makeup looks like.

Primers

Diorskin Nude Glow Natural Glow Complexion Enhancer £28.50

Adds radiance to your face, without any shimmer. Not amazing and now discontinued.

Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray £21.00

This stuff genuinely works, although I do prefer the De Slick version.

Cover FX Illuminating Primer £29.00

Pricey, not particularly illuminating and didn't make any difference to the wear time of my makeup.

MAC Prep & Prime Skin Base £21.00

Slightly thicker primer but keeps your makeup on like glue. I used this on my Sister for her wedding makeup and it lasted all day in the summer heat.  

Foundation

Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup £27.00

This foundation photographs beautifully, I often use it for Wedding makeup and wore it myself when I was a bridesmaid for my Sisters wedding.

Diorskin Star Foundation £32.00

One of my favourite foundations of the year, lightweight and very natural looking.

Giorgio Armani Lasting Silk UV Foundation £36.50

A long lasting foundation, that looks natural and doesn't suck the moisture out of your skin. Worth the hefty price tag.

MAC Studio Fix Fluid £21.50

This was probably the oldest foundation in my collection. High coverage, smells like paint, not for me.

No7 Instant Radiance Foundation £12.50

My favourite summer foundation, gives you a glow that rivals Jennifer Lopez without feeling like you are wearing foundation. I would definitely buy this again.

MAC Studio Sculpt Foundation £25.50

Not the best for oily skins but on normal to dry skin this gives some serious glow.

BB/CC Creams/Tinted Moisturisers

Diorskin Nude BB Creme £30.00

This was a godsend after months of wearing MAC Studio Fix Fluid. The perfect BB Cream for oilier skin types.

Rachel K Original CC Cream £26.00

A traditional CC cream from Korea, nothing like the westernised tinted moisturisers we have. Brightening, mattifying and actually worked really well as a primer.

Origins VitaZing £29.00

Not really a makeup item, more of a moisturiser with a hint of tint, no coverage at all.

Concealers/Correctors

MAC Prep & Prime Highlight in 'Light Boost' £19.00

This pale yellow colour makes for a great under eye highlight. This is the 3rd of 4th tube I have gone through.

MAC Prep & Prime Highlight in 'Light Boost' £19.00

A peachy tone for correcting dark circles under the eyes. Light Boost is better.

Bobbi Brown Corrector in 'Light Bisque' £19.00

An under eye miracle, if you suffer from dark circles make this your BFF.

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer £17.00

Amazing concealer that you only need the tiniest amount of. Annoying packaging that pumps out too much.

Dior Hydra Life BB Eye Creme £30.00

Cannot put into words how average this is and I spent thirty bloody pounds on it.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer £17.50

My BAE, my ride or die, my angel. So much better than the NARS Radiant Creamy concealer.

L'Oreal Lumi Magique Concealer £8.49

A bit blah compared to the Lumi Magique foundation which I love.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer £4.19

Believe the hype.

Giorgio Armani Master Corrector £26.00

Not a patch on the Bobbi Brown Corrector.

Josie Maran Argan Creamy Concealer Crayon £13.00

I miss having this in my makeup bag. It was the one thing that would instantly pick me up if I was going straight out from work and had no time to re-do my makeup.

Powder

Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Powder £33.00

The most expensive, but nicest powder I have ever used. Feels like velvet and genuinely does make your skin look flawless (I have another two in my drawer, ssshhh)

Too Faced Primed & Poreless Pressed Powder £24.00

Buy this if you want your skin to look ashy AF. Just buy Rimmel Stay Matte instead please.

MAC Prep & Prime CC Compact in 'Neutralize' £20.50

A yellow toned powder designed to brighten the face. Actually works really well but its so hard, its near impossible to pick any powder up with your brush.

MAC Blot Powder Pressed £20.50

Proof that you can't always trust the reviews on Makeupalley. I thought this was the secret to an oil free face…..spoiler, it wasn't

Bronzer

Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel £32.00

The infamous cream bronzer, difficult to apply but worth persevering with if you like that bronzed look.  

MAC Alluring Aquatic Bronzer in 'Aphrodite's Shell' £24.00

Limited edition from one of MAC's summer collections. I really liked the sheen this gave my skin.

Highlighter

Kevyn Aucoin The Celestial Powder in 'Candlelight' £34.00

It was a sad day when I finally finished my beloved. This is my all time favourite highlighter and its taking all my will power not to run out and buy it again.

NARS Illuminator in 'Copacabana' £23.00

Mix a blob of this in with your foundation for some serious glow. 

Eyebrow Pencils

Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil in 'Soft Brunette' £ 26.00 each

My favourite brow pencil.

Bobbi Brown Perfectly Defined Long Wear Brow Pencil in 'Taupe' and 'Grey' £29.50 each

Very similar to the Hourglass pencils, but not as good I'm afraid.

Smashbox Browtech Gloss Stick in 'Brunette' £16.50

Glossy brows might sound a bit weird but I kind of love this pencil and would definitely buy another.

Soap & Glory Archery in 'Brownie Points' £10.00

The best eyebrow pencil on the high street.

Eyeshadow

By Terry Ombre Blackstar's in 'Misty Rock' and 'Frozen Quartz' £29.00 each

My all time favourite cream eyeshadows. I wouldn't buy Frozen Quartz again but Misty Rock is the bomb dot com and I can guarantee anytime I wear this someone will ask what eyeshadow I'm wearing.

Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon in 'Champagne Diamonds £19.00

I prefer the formula of the By Terry sticks to these, but the Charlotte Tilbury have some serious glitter in them, perfect for a quick night out eye.

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick in 'Golden Pink' £20.00

This is basically MAC's All That Glitters in cream eyeshadow form <3

Luna Twilight Bella Palette £19.00

I have zero shame in admitting this is a Twilight makeup palette. I'm all about the warm tones and you can't get much more warm toned than New Moon. 

Eyeliner

MAC Technakohl Liner in 'Brownborder' £14.00

Creamy but also prone to smudging, get their eye kohl in 'Teddy' instead.

Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner in 'Grenat' £19.00

I loved this russet shade, which was a limited edition from their Christmas collection a couple of years ago.

Mascara

Tarte Lights Camera Flashes Mascara £15.00 each

Possibly my all time favourite mascara…of course you can't buy it in the UK though :(

Bobbi Brown Smoky Eye Mascara £23.00

Never judge a book by its cover, this mascara is bloody amazing. Volume, length and zero smudging or flaking. One of my favourite discoveries of the year.

Clinique High Impact Mascara £8.00

A bit underwhelming.

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara £4.00

Lengthening, but not volumising. In hindsight maybe not as good as I originally thought.

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara £13.00

Sounds completely unnecessary but if you struggle to find a mascara that doesn't smudge on your bottom lashes, its completely necessary.

Lip Balm

Shell Lip Balm £14.99

If you have been into the world of beauty blogging/YouTube for a few years you will recognise these!

EOS Honeysuckle Lip Balm £5.95

Yes, that is what an empty EOS looks like. What does it say about my life if this is one of my proudest achievements?

Korres Lip Butter in 'Jasmine' £8.00

Highly moisturising and I love the range of colours.

Lipsticks

Revlon Lip Butter in 'Berry Smoothie' £7.99

Loved the colour, didn't love the fact it transferred to my teeth every day, without fail.

MAC Lipstick in 'Cosmo' £15.50

I didn't just buy this for the name I promise. My favourite kind of nude.

MAC Lipstick in 'Hug Me' £15.50

A brown toned nude, one that you can slap on without a mirror.

MAC Lipstick in 'Lustering' £15.50

Made me realise I hate MAC's lustre finish lipsticks. They have zero lasting time and really dry your lips out. 

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in 'Boy' £25.00

A pretty everyday nude, but nothing particularly special.

Urban Decay Sheer Revolution Lipstick in 'Liar' £15.50

Love this lipstick and how full it made my lips look. Will definitely repurchase at some point.

NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in 'Montego Bay' £19.50

Another favourite and one that I have to keep stopping myself buying. 

Total used up makeup = £1,250.61p

BRB, just off to do some recycling

Project Pan - Update 7

At the end of last year I decided to make a conscious effort to use up my makeup. I felt like I had too much and wasn't using what I had before buying something new. Rather than having a big clear out, I wanted to finish the products I had spent my money on and trust me its a lot more satisfying.

I still have way too much makeup but what can I say, its my hobby! 

Last month I only managed to finish three things which is a bit rubbish, but this month I've already got through 5 things.

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara £19.00

Oh this mascara, I don't even know where to start. At first I hated it, I detested it, as far as I was concerned it was the worst mascara I had ever used. After a couple of hours it flaked all down my face it was dreadful, but after a few weeks the flaking stopped and I could appreciate the amazing volume it gave. This gives you huge, black, voluminous lashes in seconds but I'm still on the fence whether I could go through all that flaking again.

Giorgio Armani Master Corrector £26.00

With the Bobbi Brown corrector I notice an instant difference and I don't even need to use a separate concealer. With this I didn't really notice a difference, so still needed a separate concealer. This doesn't come close to the Bobbi Brown so for that reason I wouldn't buy it again.

Urban Decay Sheer Revolution Lipstick in 'Liar' £15.50

I loved this lipstick and I miss it already. It was a pinky brown nude with a glossy finish that made my lips look a lot fuller than they really are. This is the first Urban Decay lipstick I have tried and it definitely won't be the last. I really want to try the matte version of these lipsticks now.

Total used up makeup = £60.50

Project Pan - Update 6

I'm a bit disappointed that I've only managed to use up three items of makeup this month, but I have been using a lot of new products which are going to take me longer to finish.

For the past eight months, I have been making a conscious effort to use up my makeup. The initial goal was to downsize my makeup collection, but I'm starting to think that will never happen!

Too Faced Primed and Poreless Pressed Powder £24.00

I really wasn't a massive fan of this powder. It does control oil and shine but it made my skin look really ashy and dull. For £24.00 I expect a lot, and it's not like I even have a particularly dark skin tone. 

I will happily shell out on a powder like the Charlotte Tilbury one if its amazing but the Rimmel Stay Matte powder is better than this and that's about £3.00! 

By Terry Ombre Blackstar in "Frozen Quartz"£29.00

I really love these By Terry cream eyeshadow pencils and this is the second one I have finished.

 Frozen Quartz is a frosted light pink, which looks really pretty on the eyes. I love these because they look beautiful on the eyes with a real high shine, but take minimal effort to apply. 

I will definitely have to restock on these pencils soon.

Bobbi Brown Perfectly Defined Long-Wear Brow Pencil in "Taupe" £29.50

This is also the second one of these I have finished. The first one I had in the colour "Grey" which obviously wasn't the best colour match, but worked surprisingly well. "Taupe" was a better match for me and I do like these eyebrow pencils. The angle of the pencil makes it really quick and easy to fill your brows in and the brush on the end is genuinely useful, but overall I just prefer my Hourglass pencil. I find the Hourglass lasts a lot longer, whereas I can finish one of these Bobbi Brown pencils in a month and I wouldn't want to spend £30 every month on an eyebrow pencil.

Total used up makeup = £82.50

My empty makeup bag is really starting to fill up now!

Project Pan Update 1

Project Pan Update 2

Project Pan Update 3

Project Pan Update 4

Project Pan Update 5

Project Pan - Update 5

This year I am making a conscious effort to use up as much of my makeup as I can. I have been saving all my makeup empties and sharing what I manage to finish each month. I started this as a way of downsizing my ridiculous makeup collection and also making use of what I have. 

Last month I managed to get through quite a few things, especially base products. There were some things that I loved and others not so much.

Diorskin Nude Glow Natural Glow Complexion Enhancer £28.50

I used this underneath my foundation, both as a primer and a radiance booster. This doesn't have any shimmer in it but the bright apricot colour really does give your skin a healthy glow. I enjoyed using this but it wasn't special enough for me to purchase again.

Diorskin Nude BB Creme £30.00

Now this I really loved. This has been hanging around my makeup collection a while and I had used it a few times but didn't think much of it. After using up my MAC Studio Fix Fluid I was craving something lighter so reached for this and didn't look back. This doesn't look or feel like you are wearing makeup but evens your skin tone out and takes away any redness. When I was wearing this someone commented that my skin looked really good, not my foundation but my skin. I don't think you can get a better compliment than that. 

This is also a great BB cream if you have oilier skin, as it has a slight powdery finish. I will definitely buy this again at some point.

Origins VitaZing £29.00

I hesitate to call this a tinted moisturiser because it doesn't provide any coverage at all, it really is just a moisturiser with a hint of tint. I used this as my base and it worked ok with a slightly heavier concealer but I did find my makeup moved around, as it is quite moisturising. 

This would be a great gym staple, or for that Sunday no makeup look. 

MAC Pro Longwear Concealer £17.00

This is looking a little battered because I had to take the pliers to it. It stopped pumping out concealer but I could see there was still loads in there, so with a bit of DIY from yours truly, I managed to scrape everything out. 

This is a great heavy duty concealer, which works equally well under the eyes and on the rest of the face.

MAC Lipstick in 'Lustering' £15.50

This lipstick made me realise that I hate MAC's 'lustre' finish lipsticks. They are too glossy and wear off really quickly, they don't leave behind a stain either which means you have to reapply constantly and to top it off, they are quite drying. Lustering is a pretty pink colour but I will be avoiding all lustre finishes from now on.

Chanel Stylo Yeux Waterproof Long Lasting Eyeliner in 'Grenat' £19.00

I got this eyeliner as a Christmas present a couple of years ago and I love the colour. It was a rusty burgundy shade, really unique and great for blue or green eyes. I have to say this eyeliner was really long lasting and didn't smudge at all. In this case I would say the price was worth it for such a unique colour.

Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon in 'Champagne Diamonds' £19.00

I used up every single bit of this pencil, I could still sharpen it but the bottom bit was actually a wax and there was none of the pencil left. This was a super glittery champagne colour which was really easy to apply. I love cream shadow sticks as you only need one colour, they last all day and require minimal effort. I would definitely buy this again.

Total used up makeup = £158.00

Project Pan Update 4 - Halfway Point

So I'm halfway through my year of use up as much makeup as I can, and this is my pile of makeup empties from the past six months. 

I explained my reasoning's for this little challenge in this blog post and I'm pretty proud of my progress so far. On average I have been managing to finish about 5 items a month which isn't bad, but that is with consistent daily use. I have found this is making me get a bit boring with my makeup and I have definitely been doing less experimenting, so we will see how the next six months go.

Overall I am still really enjoying this little project pan challenge and project pan videos are my new YouTube addiction! I just find it so satisfying to actually finish something and get my moneys worth from it. I'm not going to go through everything now, as I will save that until the end, but I did add up how much all this used up makeup is worth and so far my total is £641.66! 

Here's what I managed to finish in April.

Tarte Lights Camera Flashes Mascara £15.00

This mascara is the bomb.com I bloody love it, I just wish you could buy it in England! This gives me really dramatic lashes and I love that it volumes and lengthens. I intend to buy as many tubes as I can the next time I'm in a Sephora.

MAC Cosmo Lipstick £15.50

I actually bought this lipstick before I started working at Cosmo but the name does mean it will always have a special place in my heart. Cosmo is my kind of rosy brown nude, a great MLBB (my lips but better) shade.

MAC Alluring Aquatic Bronzer in Aphrodite's Shell £24.00

OMG this took forever to finish, pretty much a whole year! This was limited edition from MAC's summer collection last year and they have just released their new Summer collection for this year. Lovely bronzer and the packaging is amazing but happy to have finally finished it.

Clinique High Impact Mascara £8.00

I got this in a Clinique Black Honey set for Christmas but I completely forgot there was a mascara in the set until I found it in my drawer. This is a decent mascara, nothing amazing though and it did smudge on me, which meant it got regulated to the Sunday mascara. FYI Sundays were made for not caring!

Bobbi Brown Perfectly Defined Long-Wear Brow Pencil in Grey £29.50

I am very torn with these new eyebrow pencils from Bobbi Brown. They have the same design as my holy grail Hourglass pencil, so of course I love them for that and the colour range is really good but I finished this in one month! At £29.50 these don't come cheap, so once I've used up my other one I will be going back to Hourglass.

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara £13.00

I know to the average non crazy makeup person, a mascara dedicated solely to your bottom lashes seems ridiculous, but if like me every bloody mascara smudges on you, this is a revelation.

Total used up makeup = £105.00 

Project Pan Update 3

I managed to get through quite a few products this month. Some, I feel like I have been using forever, others I really am quite sad to see go. 

MAC Studio Fix Fluid £21.50

I can see why this foundation is so popular as it gives you flawless coverage, but for me its just too heavy. It smells of paint and makes it very obvious that you are wearing makeup. 

If you like your foundation long lasting and heavy duty you will love this, but if you prefer lighter, more natural coverage like me, I would avoid. 

NARS Illuminator in Copacabana £23.00

I love this illuminator, its super, super shimmery and mixed with your foundation just gives the most beautiful glow. Definitely something I would repurchase in the future.

Bobbi Brown Corrector £19.00

This stuff is amazing for dark under eye circles. You can really see a visible difference after applying this, a difference that concealer alone couldn't make. I have a couple of other correctors that I need to use up first, but I will definitely be going back to this in the future. Oh, and if you are wondering about shade selection, I use light bisque. 

Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick in Golden Pink £20.00

I do love a good cream shadow and shadow sticks are my favourite, because they are so quick and easy. This was a beautiful golden pink shade (funnily enough) and was a great everyday colour. I prefer the finish of the By Terry sticks, but Bobbi Brown has a bigger colour range. 

Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil in Soft Brunette £26.00

This is one of my all time favourite make up discoveries and I have lost count of how many I've used up. I like my eyebrows to look natural but full. This does just that and the wide angled tip allows me to fill them in, in seconds. By far the best brow product I have ever tried.

Rachel K Original CC Cream £26.00

This is unlike any western BB or CC cream I have tried. Rachel K is a Korean brand and this CC cream isn't just a fancy tinted moisturiser. I liked to use this as a primer before my makeup. Its very light and did a great job of cancelling out redness before you even apply foundation and concealer. It also smoothed out the texture of my skin without that horrible silicone feeling. 

This is hard to come across, I think I purchased my tube on eBay, but if I happened to stumble across this again in the future I would definitely repurchase it. 

MAC Technakohl Liner in Brownborder £14.00

This eye liner was really creamy but unless I smudged it out, I found that it would smudge on my eyes quite easily. I much prefer MAC's eye kohl in Teddy to this. 

Total used up makeup = £149.50

As you can see my bag of makeup empties is really starting to grow! I'm excited to see just how much makeup I will have managed to finish by the end of the year. 

Project Pan Update 2

I mentioned in this post that I was going to make a conscious effort to buy less makeup and use up more of what I own. 

I have to admit that at this point I am struggling with this challenge! I love playing around with my makeup so using the same products day in, day out is really difficult for me and boredom has most definitely set in now! The struggle is real :'(

I am persevering through and have managed to use up another six makeup products this month. 

Every time I finish something, it gives me the motivation I need to carry on!

Here is everything I used up this month, its pretty scary how quickly it adds up!

MAC Prep & Prime CC Compact £20.50

I had a love/hate relationship with this powder. It kept me shine free all day and I liked how it looked on my skin but the formula was so hard that I really had to scrub my brush in it, to pick up any powder. Not one I would repurchase. 

Dior Hydra Life BB Eye Creme £30.00

This is one of my biggest makeup disappointments ever. Its not a bad under eye concealer, it just doesn't do much of anything. Doesn't provide much coverage, doesn't highlight and just disappears into the skin. Really not worth the £30.00 price tag. 

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer £4.19

From a £30.00 concealer that I hated, to a £4.19 one that I loved. This concealer is amazing, definitely worth all the hype it gets. It gives great coverage and lasting power, all for under a fiver.

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in 'Boy' £25.00

My only Chanel lipstick would you believe! This is a lovely sheer, natural colour. Its nothing revolutionary and there are definitely dupes out there but there is something special about a Chanel lipstick. 

By Terry Ombre Blackstar in 'Misty Rock' £29.00

Possibly my favourite ever cream shadow. These Ombre Blackstar's are pricey but well worth the money in my opinion. They are super shimmery but in a sophisticated way and I love how they look almost glossy on the lids. They are also so easy to use, just colour in your whole eyelid and blend out. Looks like you made an effort, when you really haven't! I will definitely add this back into my makeup collection in the future.

Luna Twilight Bella Palette £19.00

No, really this is a Bella from Twilight themed makeup palette! I have mentioned before that I get quite obsessed with actresses makeup in films and could literally spend hours researching exactly what the makeup artists used. New Moon is by far my favourite Twilight film and one of the reasons was Bella's hair and makeup. Everything was so warm toned and glowy (Jacobs influence!)

All jokes aside, I actually loved this little palette and all the colours were so wearable which never happens! Don't tell anyone but I actually have a back up ;)

Total used up makeup = £127.69!

Ahh the satisfaction I get from looking at this bag of used up makeup! 

Downsizing my Makeup Collection

'You can never have too much of a good thing'

I am a self confessed makeup addict. I've studied it, have a blog dedicated to it and spend many a waking hour thinking about it. Our love affair started young. When I was 14 I got my first job mopping the floors in a Bakery after school (the glamour!) I used to save my weekly pay cheques to buy these Versace lip glosses (a line that has long been discontinued). I think I had almost every colour and they were my pride and joy. 

Every morning I do my makeup, its my favourite and most relaxing part of my day. I think about the look I want to achieve and the colours I want to use and then I get to work. Its my safety blanket and my war paint.

However, this addiction has resulted in a makeup collection that is frankly embarrassing! Its difficult having a blog dedicated to makeup because there's always this pressure to buy and review the latest products. I have found some holy grail products through blogging but what happens to the products that were just ok, they sit in my drawer gathering dust. 

I still love makeup as much as ever but for the last few years makeup was my crutch. I feel like I'm starting a new chapter in my life, there is so much I want to do this year and girl just can't be spending all her money on makeup no more!

Downsizing my makeup collection has been something I have been considering doing for a while. Seeking inspiration I turned to YouTube and have discovered some amazing ladies who are also on a similar mission. 

Pinksofoxy - I have been watching Pinksofoxy's videos for over a year and she is a PRO at decluttering. She has gradually reduced her makeup and belongings over the last two years and documented it along the way.

PrettyPistol86 - Is my current fave and the Queen of 'Project Panning'. Project panning is a blogger term, where you pick a certain number of products to finish or 'hit pan' on before you allow yourself to buy anything new. 'Hitting pan' refers to that satisfying moment you see the silver bottom of your makeup packaging peeking through. PrettyPistol86 just completed a project 20 pan and I think her latest project is to finish 7 items by Spring. I've said it before but I honestly think using up a piece of makeup is just as satisfying as buying one, so I am addicted to her videos and they really make me motivated to use up my makeup.

Amber F - Although I wasn't new to the concept of 'Project Panning' I had never heard of 'Pan that Palette' until I watched Ambers video. Pan that Palette is a new tag with loads of lovely ladies who are trying to completely use up an entire eyeshadow palette over the space of one year. Amber completely finished her Urban Decay Naked palette last year and the video she made when she finished it, is just brilliant. I haven't decided if I'm going to join in with this challenge just yet but it is definitely something I want to do at some point.

After too many hours procrastinating on YouTube, I was feeling thoroughly inspired and started by taking an inventory of all my makeup. I categorised and counted everything and not gonna lie....pretty much filled up an entire notebook! Seeing the numbers written down is pretty embarrassing, lets just say no one needs 106 lipsticks! 

After I had thoroughly shamed myself, I decided I was putting myself on a makeup ban and I am very proud to say that for the whole of January I haven't bought any makeup (A real First World achievement I know!) I have to give a shout out to my friend Lucy though who hooked me up with some freebies from work to test and try. I don't know how I would have got through January without her!

Now I'm kind of umming and ahhing whether to keep up a strict ban or just reduce it to a 'low buy' meaning I can only buy one makeup item a month or something. Realistically I know I wont be able to buy no makeup at all and I don't want to set myself up to fail, so I'm pretty sure I'm going to go with the low buy option. At the moment though, I have to admit that I'm really enjoying using up my makeup so don't really have an urge to buy any! 

I am giving myself two exceptions where I can purchase makeup without self judgement and that is, if they do a beauty sale at work and hopefully when I go to American in October. These two events are monumental for me and no, I wont give them up! 

As well as dramatically reducing the amount of makeup I buy, I'm also making a conscious effort to use up the makeup I have. I have a little clear acrylic drawer unit on top of my makeup storage that I keep the products I use everyday in. The only thing I am changing on a daily basis is my eyeshadow, everything else stays the same until I finish it and replace it with something different from my collection.

Since November last year I have been keeping all the makeup I have finished in a bag (Sephora of course!) When we get to November this year I am going to count up everything up and see how much makeup I managed to use up in a whole year. I will also update my makeup inventory and pray that its dramatically reduced! 

As January is now over, I thought I would share the items I managed to use up this month and I think I might do this each month going forward to spur me on!

Dior Star Foundation £32.00

I really grew to love this foundation and its definitely one I would repurchase, once I get through the other 14 foundations I own! This gives a medium coverage but with a very natural finish. It doesn't feel heavy or look cakey on the skin and really does look like your skin but better.

Revlon Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie £7.99

A few years ago I was obsessed with these Revlon Lip Butters and I think I own almost every shade! Whilst I love this colour, the consistency is horrible and nothing like any of the other lip butters in the range. For some reason this particular shade is really thick and almost gloopy. Every time I applied it, someone would tell me I had lipstick on my teeth or I would smear a bit on my chin. For that reason I would not buy this again and I'm so happy its finally finished!

NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in Montego Bay £19.50

I LOVE this lipstick and I was so close to putting it in my 14 Makeup Favourites of 2014. Firstly its matte, which is my favourite finish. Secondly, although its matte it doesn't feel at all drying on the lips and thirdly the rose pink shade is just a beautiful everyday colour. 

I miss it already.

Shell Lip Balm £14.99

If you have been watching YouTube videos for a while, I'm sure you will remember these shell lip balms! Housed in a real sea shell, these organic lip balms are really pretty and the lip balm isn't bad either!

Total used up makeup = £74.48!

It's pretty scary how quickly that adds up, I plan on adding up everything I have used at the end of the year so god knows how much that will be! I have to say I am really, really enjoying using up the makeup I have and its definitely becoming a bit of an addiction. I think February will be good because I have a lot of products that I'm really close to finishing!

If you are in a similar position to me and thinking of downsizing your makeup collection let me know and we can support one another!