bourjois

Best of 2015 discoveries

~ stashy ~ 49 Comments

I posted my list of beauty discoveries in 2014 when I started this blog so I thought I’d continue the tradition this year. I consider something a “discovery” if it’s new to me, not necessarily something that was launched that year. Since I was on a No-Buy all year, I was either using up items in my stash or opening up unopened products that I had hoarded. I decided on the Top 15 since I saw it on Classic Maggie’s blog (I suppose next year I’ll need to list 16 items?)  I’ll differentiate the Rediscoveries with (R) and New discoveries with (N) on my list.
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Where available, I’ve linked to blog posts where I’ve either reviewed or mentioned the products. In no particular order:

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Blogmas Day 18: Christmas Tree makeup

~ stashy ~ 32 Comments

I blame Kaily for this one. She came up with this topic and both Sharon and I scratched our collective heads as to how to interpret this.  What the heck IS Christmas Tree makeup? So I’m taking the cheater creative approach and doing a gold theme makeup look, because hey, some people have an all gold Christmas tree, ok:
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This gold and diamond Christmas tree was worth $500k with five pounds of solid 18K gold and a 4.52 carat diamond set in a platinum star at the top – in 2007 it was the most valuable Christmas tree in existence (Source).

That’s how I roll. 😛

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Blogmas Day 3: Gift Ideas

~ stashy ~ 39 Comments

This isn’t just any ol’ gift ideas post – I’ll focus on gift ideas for the beauty addict – because that’s what I know best! 😛  There are 2 schools of thought on gift giving for beauty items: buy practical things that you know the person uses up and would want a replenishment.  Or, buy things which perhaps are a little frivolous and the person might not buy for herself.  I don’t see any issues with either of those strategies, you can even give a mix from each categories – so here are my gift ideas divided into: Sensible and Sensational. 😉

I’m not a fan of pre-packaged gift sets – I think it’s more thoughtful to pick items and package them together yourself.  I’m going to keep the gift ideas capped to below $100 so it’s realistic!

Sensible

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Shiseido Facial Cotton x6 ($11 each = $66)
I’d be pleased as punch if I received enough Shisedo cotton for an entire year!

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Trash Stash: November 2015

~ stashy ~ 39 Comments

With last month’s epic Trash Stash, this month yielded a much smaller amount of empties.
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I’m most proud of finishing up that little pot of Laura Mercier powder!

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Evening cleansing routine

~ stashy ~ 46 Comments

I take cleansing quite seriously.  In the morning, it’s not as much of a focus for me, since my skin is mainly covered with skincare that I applied the night before, and any sebum from my skin from sleeping.  However, by nighttime, my skin has gone through a full day of external elements including skincare, makeup, sebum and any environmental pollutants / dust that have coated my face for 16+ hours. I need to remove all of this thoroughly before applying my evening skincare.
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I use 4 key cleansing products:
• Oil cleanser
• Eye makeup remover
• Micellar water
• Toner

Here’s a more in-depth look at what I’m currently using.

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Foundation mixology

~ stashy ~ 74 Comments

Since I’m guilty of buying new foundations instead of using up my current open bottle(s), typically I have at least 12 different ones on the go.  Some of them are better suited for the summer, while others are only used during the winter months.  My skin tone often straddle between light and medium shades, so I typically mix 2 different shades to get a suitable colour match.   In addition, mixing different foundation formulas helps to get a finish that works better for my combination skin type.
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Typically, I like to mix foundations to both colour match and improve on the formulations to my liking.

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Back-up Worthy Items

~ stashy ~ 46 Comments

After being burned one too many times with discontinued or limited edition items that I LOVE, I decided to take matters into my own hands and purchased back-ups of certain products for insurance purposes.  Here are some items I have unopened in my stash:
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Anna Sui Dolly Girl Lipstick in Natasha 003 – $25
I’ve already used up an entire tube of this – this is my second tube, plus I have another unopened one in my stash. It’s a gorgeous sheer coral shade with tiny shimmers that’s very hydrating. I use this as a tinted lip balm and it goes with any makeup I’m wearing.  The pretty packaging and bullet design are just added bonus!  This was a limited edition item from 2011.

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Blush stash

~ stashy ~ 75 Comments

Blushes make me SO happy! They’re like candy for my face! 😆

According to my inventory count, I currently have 155 blushes in my collection.  And yet I still wish I had more…! 😛  The highest brands on my wish list are Sleek and Colour Pop – I can only order them online so it’s a case of hard to get = want them even more.

I store the bulk of my blushes in the same clear drawers as my eye shadows, but in the wider format:
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This is a picture heavy post (20+ pics)