illamasqua

Massive Purge

~ stashy ~ 82 Comments

You may recall that the primary objective of this blog originally was to reduce my beauty stash. ^^’ I had a three-pronged plan:
A) Stop buying more (No-Buy / Low-Buy)
B) Use up what I have (empties aka Trash Stash)
C) Get rid of items that I no longer use (Purges / declutters)

This post is focused on plan of attack C!  I’ve been meaning to post this since early 2017 for “Spring cleaning”, but never got my act together to gather all of the items.  No time like now, right?  😉 This post will mainly consist of photos and product names listed out. It would take too long to provide a description of every single item with an explanation why it is being decluttered. Just look:

I had to stand on a step ladder to take this photo! 😆

Hold onto your hats!

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Trash Stash: November to December 2017

~ stashy ~ 57 Comments

Here’s a combined Trash Stash post for the last 2 months of 2017:

I forgot to take a group shot and was too lazy to take the items out of the bag for recycling. 😛

I initially felt that my steam dwindled a bit toward the end of the year to finish up products but once I started to list them out, I found that I did finish quite a few items in the last 2 months.  I decided to do a big post instead of separating into 2 posts, so grab a cup of hot tea. ☕

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My Current Holy Grail Beauty Products

~ stashy ~ 96 Comments

Happy New Year! ❤

This post idea came up last year when I posted my yearly favourite discoveries.  I did discover some gems in 2017 but I thought it would be more useful for me to list out all my Holy Grail (HG) items instead.

I’m going to force myself to just name ONE item for each category.  I feel like embarking on this project is like choosing a favourite child. I love you all equally! ❤ Continue reading →

Foundation Application Methods (+ Tools)

~ stashy ~ 56 Comments

It’s been nice reading everyone’s festive holiday posts but this year I just don’t seem to have anything Christmas-y to contribute. I feel like I’ve covered all the Christmas topics in years past – if you’re wanting some festive posts from me, have a read through my Blogmas posts from 2016 and 2015. 🙂 🎄🎁

When I get the question, “How do you apply your foundation?”  I answer, “It depends.”   I’m not trying to be difficult, because it really depends! 😛  It depends on the foundation that I’m using. It depends on what kind of finish I might be looking for, or the level of coverage I want that particular day.  Here’s an overview of methods and tools that I employ to apply foundation.

I’ll also name some foundations that work well with each method.

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Trash Stash: August to October-ish 2017: Part 1 (Skincare and Sample / Travel Sizes)

~ stashy ~ 59 Comments

You guys, I have 3 months’ worth of Trash Stash to share with you! I wanted to post this last week but we were in the middle of refurnishing our place and we didn’t even have dinning room table / chairs or a couch. But there’s no excuse that I left this for 3 months… I have no one to blame but myself! 😳

I didn’t even bother trying to fit everything in this shot. 😛

I understand if you may want to go for a coffee break while reading this post. I’d just be happy if you read the beginning and the ending like I used to do with each chapter of Harlequin Romance novels! 😉 I’ve broken my Trash Stash into 2 posts to reduce the length – here goes:

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Favourites Lately: Early 2017

~ stashy ~ 81 Comments

This is my first quarterly favourites post for 2017. I’ve been taking down notes on various items that I’ve enjoyed between January and March:

I try to have a balance of items but it looks like this is more heavy on the makeup front. 😛

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PP12: MAC Powder Blush in Cubic

~ stashy ~ 69 Comments

I have to first apologize, but this blush is discontinued as of last year. I was as shocked as anyone else when this was announced. I had MAC MUAs tell me they didn’t know what they’ll use now for weddings – it was their staple shade. They were stocking up on this shade themselves.
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Blushes are one of my favourite makeup items, behind eye shadows and nail polish. I own over 150 blushes… 😮 But MAC Cubic is one that I holds a special place in my heart.
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PP12: NYX Powder Blush in Taupe PB11

~ stashy ~ 60 Comments

Happy Halloween! I hope you get sufficiently spooked today and also eat enough candies for a nice sugar high. 😛
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Today’s Project Pan item is the NYX Powder Blush in Taupe #PB11:
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It was not by accident that this item is featured today – if you’re in a pinch for ghoulish looking hollowed out cheeks for a costume, perhaps a contouring shade like this could help! 😉

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PP12: The Body Shop Fresh Nude Foundation in 020 Bali Vanilla

~ stashy ~ 54 Comments

I’m all caught up now! Back in synch with the rest of the Project Pan crew! 😀 And it’s also the half way point to our 12 week project.
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Today we’re looking at the still relatively new Body Shop Fresh Nude Foundation in 020 Bali Vanilla:
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I bought this foundation on a whim back in March when this was newly launched. This costs C$25 for 30ml.

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Nuworld Botanicals Cold-pressed Organic Sea buckthorn & Jojoba oil

~ stashy ~ 31 Comments

In late August, I received a few items from Nuworld Botanicals to try:

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I showed this in my August accountability post.

I did not select the specific items – I described a few of my likes and dislikes, along with my skin type and concerns – and left it up to Nuworld Botanicals to surprise me! 😀 Today I’m reviewing the first item that I’ve been testing for the past month, the Cold-pressed Organic Sea buckthorn & Jojoba oil:
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If you’ve been a reader of this blog, you’ll know that I love oils for all sorts of beautifying aspects: cleansing, hydrating and protecting. So how does this oil from Nuword Botanical stack up against other oils I’ve tried?

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