Forgotten Gems

Most people have been attempting 'dry January' this new year to cut down on their drinking habits, but for a makeup junkie like me I've dedicated myself to a makeup buying ban (eek!) for as long as I can last and boy has it been hard! I've been cutting way back on all my expenses to save money for training courses (exciting blog posts will follow this exciting new venture) and partly down to the fact I have no more space for any more makeup! I had a huge clear out at the beginning of the year and chucked a lot of junk I was hoarding - hideous shades of lipstick I'l never be seen dead in, eye shadows with awful colour pay off and even some empty bottles rattling around! Any makeup addict will agree that even throwing out crappy makeup is painful, but it helped me re-discover some long forgotten gems that had been lost to the depths of my drawers and boxes and replaced with newer purchases. Here's some amazing products that I've dusted off and rekindled my love for...

I love ardell lashes - the wispies and demi wispies are my daily staple - so when the ombre trend was at an all time high last year I picked up these ombre lashes at my local Sally's. The subtle purple tips would make eyes really pop, I think these would look great with a bold, creative look so I'm going to try and create a tutorial for you guys with these lashes.

Ugh just look at the gorgeous baked berry tones in this blusher! It's just simply delicious. Makeup Revolution have been a major player in drugstore makeup recently and this baked blush is the perfect winter shade. When I rediscovered this blush I forgot how strongly pigmented it was so I ended up with rosy clown cheeks so remember a very gentle hand is needed! The various cranberry shades create a beautiful wintery flush to the face - baked is best.

After buying and testing a bunch of other highlighters and losing this e.l.f. shimmering facial whip to the bottom of my makeup bag, I'm really wondering why did I ever try replacing this one? This liquid highlighter may look tiny to match the tiny price tag but a little goes a long way! The shade 'lilac petal' is perfect for my pale complexion and mixed into my normal foundation gives my lacklustre skin (thanks winter weather) a gorgeous glow.

I honestly have no idea where this eye shadow came from, if it was purchased, gifted or magically appeared but either way I'm happy, this natural collection single shadow is a beautiful golden colour that looks nice alone but can completely transform other colours when layered - definitely one to experiment with.

One of the two Sugarpill products I own that I bought at IMATS (to see my full IMATS haul look here) 'Kitten Parade' is a pinky-peach colour with a lot of gold reflects and is one of the colours in Sugarpill's latest palette Sparkle Baby. Similar to the natural collection gold, Kitten Parade looks great alone but even greater layered.

Although Soap & Glory started with skincare, their makeup range is amazing - reminds me of benefit makeup but cheaper. and nicer. The 'Thick & Fast' mascara comes in 3 formulas: original, HD and flash extensions. I loved the original but the brush on the HD formula is perfect, especially on days when I don't want to wear false lashes so my natural stubby lashes need help. The shorter side is good for lower lashes and getting right into the base of the lashes for maximum volume. The longer bristles help separate, lengthen and define lashes - What more could one mascara possibly do?!

Another makeup revolution product, shock. I stopped wearing this lipstick because it's such a statement colour and as autumn and winter rolled in, I switched my fun vibrant colours for deep reds and berry toned lips. Such a strong blue-toned lilac is hard to pull and I need to find a good lip liner to match so my lilac lips are perfect.

Another IMATS purchase I've neglected in the colder seasons... Matte lips have been my go to every day over the winter months, mainly because glossy lips combined with crazy wind and long hair can only end badly... Nevertheless I still love my lip tars and I want to expand my collection with some more neutral shades.

Using old forgotten/neglected products instead of just buying new ones has helped me become more creative with my makeup looks and use products in a different way. Are you a makeup hoarder like me? Dig deep into your makeup collection and see what you can find!