my makeup collection

My makeup collection is the smallest it has been since I started getting into makeup around 7 years ago and yet I am the happiest I have ever been with it. Nigel was actually surprised with how small it was a few days ago when he caught sight of it as I have been slowly paring it down and only keeping what I love and what I want to use.

As I talked about in my post about going Cruelty Free, I have been working on making my makeup collection entirely Cruelty Free and that has been going really well. I still have a few products left over that are not (these are shown with masking tape around them) but they are products that I love, so I am not going to find a replacement for them until they are gone.

It has become very important for me to not have too many duplicates. I only have one face and many products I don’t need more than one or two versions of, so I have gotten rid of many of my eyeshadows, blushes, and bronzers. I have also made it my mission to not replace the ones I have until they are used up. This both ensures that I am not spending tons of money on makeup I don’t need, but I am also putting in a lot of research into a product before I buy it.

So with all that in mind and without further ado here is my current makeup collection:

FACE PRODUCTS

1. Primer: As someone with oily skin, a primer is essential for me to keep my face looking good all day. I recently finally finished my non-cruelty free primer which I had been using for years and have switched to this Becca Primer that I picked up at Sephora. As I just started using it I don’t have too much to say, but I am liking it so far.

2. Foundation: This foundation has been my absolute favourite since I bought it for my wedding in 2016. It is the Tarte Amazonian Clay Foundation in Fair Sand. I am currently applying it with the ELF version of the Beauty Blender which is really working for me.

3. Concealer: A new cruelty-free switch for me has been this NYX concealer and while I think I bought a shade that is one too dark it is working perfectly for me and pretty reasonably priced which I love.

4. Powder: I love translucent powder and recently had to switch from my all time favourite as it wasn’t cruelty free. This was one product I had to do a lot of research into as this was one thing I didn’t want to spend a lot of money on (post coming at some point on what I buy drugstore vs. more high end). I ended up going with this NYX translucent powder which has been working so far, but we will have to see how it does when warmer weather hits.

5. Eyebrows: I have a few different products that I use for my eyebrows. All of them are from the brand Essence, which is super affordable and works really well. When I have a bit more time, I use this eyebrow pencil and clear brow gel and when I am in a bit more of a rush I use this tinted eyebrow gel as it is super fast and easy.

6. Blush: Looking through my blushes I realized that I only have one brand, Tarte, and they really are the best blushes that I have ever used. I have two individuals ones, Birthday Suit which was the Sephora birthday gift last year, and this blush/bronzer combo that was part of a set I got a while ago. The final item is a blush palatte that I got at Christmastime in 2017 and still barely looks used. There are colours for every occasion and with this set I don’t feel like I need anything else for a long time.

7. Bronzer: For bronzer I either use the bronzer included in the Tarte set shown earlier, a Colourpop bronzer that is no longer sold or a mini cream bronzer by the brand Milk which I got in a set last year. I can be picky with bronzers as they can look quite orange on me and I do not like anything with shimmer or glitter, but these ones all work really well for me.

8. Highlighter: I have two minds about what type of highlighter I like to use. I either go very glittery and shimmery with this Hourglass palatte that I have had for years, or this cream highlight from Colourpop that is also no longer sold. It really depends on that day what I use and these two options really work for me.

9. Eyeshadow Primer: There is only one option in my mind for this and it is the Urban Decay Primer Potion. I have been using this ever since I started getting into makeup. It works so well and a little tube lasts forever. I can get oily eyelids and this makes it so that my eye makeup looks as good at the end of the day as it did at the beginning.

10: Eyeshadow: As you can see from looking at my eyeshadows I really love neutral colours. I have had my Naked palatte and the Naked2 Basics forever (and I have a replacement for that one ready to go), and the Naked Ultimate Basics were a Christmas present a few years ago from Nigel. A newer acquisition is this mini Huda Beauty palatte that has been helping me branch into some red/mauve shades which I have been loving.

11: Eyeliner: Eyeliner is the one place I still have quite a few non Cruelty-free products as they seem to last forever before running out. I have a black liquid liner and brown eyeliner that I will be looking to replace in the future, but also a black and purple eyeliner that work well. I am not really picky with my eyeliner as long as it works.

12: Mascara: Mascara is also something that I am not picky with at all. Currently I am rotating between different Essence mascaras as they are super cheap and seem to work well for me.

13: Lipstick/Liquid Lipstick: Lip products are definitely the thing I have the most of. I personally love the Ultra Matte liquid lipsticks from Colourpop as they last all day long and don’t make my already dry lips worse. I also like these Bite lip pencils that I got a few years ago.

So that is my makeup collection. While it may look really large for some people, this is working really well for me. I feel like I use everything and I am really happy with how it is at the moment.