Project Use Up

Being a bit of a beauty junkie comes with 2 main downsides the first one being storage, my ever growing collection seems to be taking up more and more space, and the second being that it's not exactly kind on the old purse strings! As I'll soon be moving house I need to tighten up my spending and the less stuff I have to pack and move the better.

So enter my solution, Project Use Up. It's pretty self explanatory really, these are the products that I need to use up before I'm allowed to buy anything similar. These are all products that for some reason or the other have been sitting around for a while feeling a bit neglected, I don't love them, but I wouldn't go as far as to say I hate them either. They just need to be used up to make room for an alternative I will love! 

First up is No7 Beautiful Skin Day Cream Dry/Very Dry Skin SPF15. I bought this last winter when my skin was going though a really dehydrated and sensitive phase in an attempt to get it back to normal. Unfortunately my skin was so sensitive at the time that when I put this on my face it just felt like it was burning! Long story short I managed to sort my skin out in the end by using  something else and this one got shoved away somewhere and was soon forgotten. It has quite a thick consistency so I think less is definitely more with this one, I'll try it out on my face again because my skin isn't at all sensitive any more but if I don't get on well with it I'll just use it on my elbows!

Next up is MAC Pro Longwear Foundation in NC45, there's nothing I dislike about this foundation, it just ends up getting neglected because I have other foundations that I like more. Seeing as there are some foundations that I'd like to try I thought I'd use this up to make room. This one might take a while as I still have more than half the bottle left! 

MAC Studio Fix Powder, I've had this one quite a while and it's served me well, but now that I favour a more natural looking complexion as apposed to my previous love of a matte complexion, this has started to feel a bit heavy. I haven't got a huge amount of this left so it won't take me long to get through it, plus it will be another empty for my back to MAC* stash. 

I find mascaras to be very much a personal preference thing, I like a wide closely packed bristle brush as apposed to a narrow plastic one like the Avon SuperExtend Extreme Mascara. I find that on me it tends to stick lashes together rather that creating a separated look. That said, it's nothing a quick comb through with a lash comb can't fix! 

I usually love everything from Soap & Glory, in fact when it comes to bath and body care, they're probably my favourite brand (alongside The Body Shop of course!). Unfortunately their Smoothie Star Deep Moisture Body Milk is an exception, I just don't like the smell at all. It has a very artificial almond smell which I think you either love or hate. I was also quite surprised and disappointed to see that it contains mineral oil, unlike their other body lotions/butters I've tried. None the less, I'll try and get though it as I have way too many body lotions on the go!

I mentioned the Ted Baker Hand Cream a few days ago in my Bedtime Beauty Post, it smells lovely but doesn't seem to really do much. As soon as a couple of hours have passed or I've washed my hands they just feel really dry again. I'll be going for something that works a bit better next time.

I don't use primers everyday, just when I need my makeup to last well or if the weather is humid. That said, I have tried quite a few and the L'Oreal Studio Secrets Smoothing Resurfacing Primer is probably my least favourite, it has quite a thick consistency compared to others and takes a bit more working into the skin. As well as that the pot is a bit difficult to use as you have to really dig your finger in to get any out! It does work though so I'll be putting in the extra effort from now on.

The last of the bunch is another foundation, it's The Body Shop Extra Virgin Minerals Cream Compact Foundation in 408 Rose Caramel. I actually really like this foundation but as the name would suggest it is very creamy so it's best suited for dry skin days. It's great for sensitive skin and so I used it constantly last winter. There isn't much left in it but I'll definitely be using it up when the weather gets colder and my skin gets drier.

* Back to MAC - Save up the containers/bottles of empty MAC products, take them all to a counter and you can exchange them for a free MAC lipstick of your choice!