Clutter stresses me out and so I’ve really been trying to pare down all material things in my life. The one area that is just bursting with stuff is my beauty products arsenal. I have too much and continue to buy more even when I’m satisfied with what I’m using because what if there is something better? When I first discovered green beauty I had finally found the perfect foundation, concealer, blush, contour, etc…after years of trial and error, only to start over. I just went through my vanity to get rid of a few makeup items that I don’t love or use and were taking up prime real estate.
Number one is the majority of my Bite Beauty products. Bite Beauty have an incredible line of lip products, every finish, formula and colour you can imagine. However I am sensitive to fragrance and the smell of Bite products just make my stomach turn. I don’t know what it is and I wish it wasn’t so. It clearly didn’t stop me from buying them but after realizing I feel ill almost immediately after applying them I decided they would be the first to go. Of course everyone is different and I know there are many people who absolutely love Bite and are not bothered by their smell. These were all purchased within the past few months and so I know they haven’t gone bad and it’s just me being sensitive. Here are some swatches of the colours in case anyone is interested in the shades.
From top to bottom:
Luminous Creme Lipstick in Palomino, Luminous Creme Lipstick in Violet, Luminous Creme Lipstick in Kir Royale, BB For Lips in Flush and Luminous Creme Lipstick in Fig
Next was a quick one over of the rest of my products. The following are items past their expiry or that didn’t work for me.
- Lily Lolo mascara: I wanted to love this but it was too clumpy. Even after meticulously combing my lashes after my first use. I always curl before mascara and this would completely straighten out my lashes. This didn’t irritate my eyes, flake or smudge though which is a miracle so if you have sensitive eyes and your lashes stay curled you may love this.
- 100% Pure Black Tea Mascara: This smells incredible (like blueberries!) and makes my lashes look full and long. It doesn’t flake but it definitely smudges. Even so I have purchased this multiple times because it doesn’t irritate my eyes and I can deal with smudging.
- Vapour Organic Beauty Illusionist concealer in 000: I’m quite pale and if you are too I’m sure you’re familiar with conventional makeup never being light enough. I’m pleased to say I have tried many green beauty shades that are too light for me which never happened before. This is one of them. I honestly forgot I had this and it has expired but was way too light for me anyway. The formula seemed nice and creamy I might try it in the future in a more suitable shade.
- Jane Iredale Bitty Brow Kit in Brunette: I admittedly bought this after seeing how great it looked on Britanie Faith – look at her brows! This was too warm toned for me and just sat in my drawer. My hair is dark brown but my eyebrows are naturally jet black. Frida by EcoBrow is my perfect shade.
- Crazy Cat Lady Eye of the Tiger Feliner in Black Cougar: To be honest I was turned off by this brand before I received this. The shipping to Canada is $20 USD which is insane. I emailed the company asking if it was possible to order direct through them with more reasonable shipping cost. (Their website takes you to an online store that carries the brand.) They never wrote back. I ordered anyway because Sarita Cohen raved about it and I was looking for an eyeliner for my wedding. Long story short the formula wasn’t for me, it was too dry and would flake as I applied it.
- Ilia Polka Dot and Moonbeams highlighter stick: This is very similar to the RMS Living Luminizer but with a drier texture. I would repurchase but at the moment am loving the Kjaer Weis Radiance which is slightly warmer.
- Jane Iredale Pure Brow Gel in Brunette: As with the Brow powder this was too light for me. Nice formula but I think the brush is too big. I use Glossier Boy Brow right now.
- Mineral Fusion Concealer Duo in Cool: This was my second purchase of this concealer. The salmon shade on the bottom is great for brightening up the eye area. The lighter top colour is way too light for me. I will repurchase again. Can anyone tell me how this compares to the Jane Iredale Circle Delete?
- Mineral Fusion Liquid Lip in Enlighten: This is a quite oily lip gloss but feels incredible and hydrating on the lips. The colour doesn’t come through but obviously gives the lips a nice sheen. I would repurchase.
Next up is going though my skin and hair products and piles of samples! Anyone else doing spring cleaning? What are you tossing and what are you making room for?
xo Yumi Rae
yumi rae 