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?

Idun Minerals Marleen lip gloss

It's been a while since my last post and I'm very sorry for abandoning this blog, especially after getting so many new followers (thank you!). I took too many shifts this month at work, so every time I come home, I'm so exhausted that all I want to do is to sleep or watch another tv-show :/ I'll have much more time in December, so hopefully many new posts are coming.

Despite tough schedule, I managed to go on one day cruise to Stockholm, Sweden, where I bought Idun Minerals lip gloss in Marleen. Idun Minerals is Swedish brand which produces mineral cosmetics and is sold at local pharmacies (I got mine at Aptotekat Korpen in Old Town area). I haven't contacted them myself, but according to this post they seem to be cruelty free. They have variety of lip glosses, blushes, mascaras, eye shadows... everything has very pretty and feminine package, especially powder products.

Idun Minerals lip gloss in Marleen has beautiful strawberry pink color (reddish pink?). It contains no shimmer at all and its finish is something between opaque and translucent. Longevity of Marleen is about 2-3 hours (if you don't eat or drink it will last longer), but you can easily re-apply with its very convenient lip brush. It has smell of rose, but it doesn't bother me at all and as you know, I'm very sensitive to strong smells. I received so many compliments on how good I look since I've started using this lip gloss, so definitely worth cheking out if you're in Sweden. :D