How has my make up bag changed this year

Well, it has changed. A LOT. Make up was my biggest obsession this year. I've started reading a lot of beauty bloggers and wanted to try almost all famous products. Now I have three eye shadow palettes (I used to have only one), more than 6 blushes, uncountable amount of lipsticks and empty wallet. Did I need all these things? No. I believe every woman can survive with only two lipsticks in her bag. But every time I felt sad or stressed I wanted to treat myself. Unfortunately, illusion of happiness of having new thing doesn't last too long and you find yourself constantly looking for something another to buy. In the end this shopaholic mania left me feeling guilty about spending too much. Next year I want to learn how to control my expenses.

In order to do so, I'm going to follow simple rules:

• I'll buy new make up products only in case if I run out of something. I have plenty of products to play with already. Got tired of your usual eye shadow palette? Try to create looks with shades that you don't use on regular basis (and don't lie that you don't have such shades - everyone has one or two that they don't use at all). Experiment with things that you already own.
• Focus on skincare and hair products that are affordable (of course only cruelty free and possibly vegan). Brands worth checking out: Urtekram (shampoos & conditioners), Sukin Organics (skincare, hair care), Natio (skincare), natural oils like Macadamia Oil, Avocado Oil, Coconut Oil, etc (for hair treatment).
• Avoid sales and impulsive buys. Ask yourself "Do I really need this?" all the time.
• Have budget for every month.
• Remember that not material things will make you happy, but people and interesting experiences.

The biggest step this year was learning about ugly side of beauty industry i.e. animal testing and trying to buy only from cruelty free companies. Next year I'll also try to cut my spending on brands that have non cruelty free parent companies, if 100% cruelty brands offer much better deals. In other words, next time my Urban Decay eye primer potion runs out, I'm buying shadow insurance primer from Too Faced, because hey, it's the same size as UD but much cheaper on beautybay.com (and beauty bloggers reviews tell me that quality doesn't differ much + Too Faced is 100% cruelty free).

Another big step was starting using sunscreens. Yeah, I know. I didn't used it even when I lived in Japan (and I tell you, Japanese sun is a killer for skin, especially during summer) :S Now I'm using it 365 days a year, because sun in the primary case of skin ageing and may lead to cancer.

What are yours beauty resolutions for next year?

November favorites

Nars Orgasm Blush is the most famous Nars blush and I don't believe there's anyone out there who hasn't heard about it once or twice. Early this year I followed the crowd and decided that I need "Orgasm" in my life too. After purchasing it I've been using it daily, but in summer I got Illamasqua Hussy to play with, so Orgasm was lost in the pile of cosmetics I own. But in November I got tired of bright makeup and wanted to create more natural looks, so here I am, loving Orgasm blush more than ever. In case you don't know, it's peachy pink with golden shimmer. It tends to look more pink than peachy on my skin. The pigmentation isn't very intense, so if you want the blush to show up on your cheeks you need to built the color up, but I don't see it as disadvantage, because one or two swipes will give you natural, healthy glow to your face (and I like to use it this way).

Urban Decay Naked Revolution Lipstick is a new acquisition to my makeup collection which I grabbed during sale on feelunique.com for €15. To tell the truth, I'm not fan of nude lipsticks, but I usually eat/drink a lot when I'm out with friends and bright lipsticks tend to leave marks on boyfriend's face + UD Revolution Lipstick in Naked was recommended as "perfect Autumn lipstick" by many bloggers on my bloglovin' feed, so I thought, why not to try something new? 

 Naked is warm pink nude color with opaque finish - it's like my own lip color, but better. It lasts about 4 hours and is very moisturizing which is a big plus during cold winter months. The package also looks very expensive and elegant - I love it! Urban Decay has always been like "eye shadow brand" for me, but I must admit they did quite a nice job on lipsticks too. Can't get enough of Naked ;)

Please note that both Nars and Urban Decay are cruelty free, but owned by parent companies who test on animals. Orgasm blush isn't suitable for vegans, since it contains lanolin, but Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick range is completely vegan. You can buy Nars blushes from here and UD lipsticks here.

What did you love in November?

Hurraw! Lip Balms in Chocolate & Vanilla Bean

Last week I got parcel from iherb.com with these two babies and I need to say that I'm totally in love! I have very dry, chapped lips which become only worse during cold weather (we have -12°C here at the moment, hello) and lip balm is essential tool for me to survive winter. 

Hurraw! lip balms are 100% cruelty free, vegan and made from "premium raw, organic and fair trade ingredients" (c). On each package you can also find the Leaping Bunny logo which confirms that no animals were harmed during production of these products. Speaking of the package, I like lip balms in tubes much more than in tins due to hygienic reasons. 

At iherb.com there are 21 different flavors to choose from - I bought classical Vanilla Bean and Chocolate lip balms. Both of them smell deliciously, especially Vanilla Bean one, it reminds me of vanilla ice-cream. But what most important that they provide really good moisture to my dry lips! I can stay without reapplying product for 2-3 hours - personally I find it as quite good result, because previously I used Badger Balm and it didn't help at all (my lips got dehydrated after 30 minutes).

Now I'm thinking about getting another flavors like Coconut, Chai spice and Tinted Black Cherry Balm, because hey, it's never enough of lip balms ;)

 

Have you ever tried Hurraw! lip balms? What do you think?