On a “No Buy & Use Up Challenge”!

Today, I was going through my stash, taking pics of how I store things, and just my collection in general, and I am officially not going to buy anything new. I am absolutely full up on all things makeup, bath, body, hair, and nails related.

So as of today, I am not going to buy anything until something needs to be replaced. If I get the urge to go shopping or get a lemming for a particular item, I’m going to shop my stash. I am going to weed out the items that I am not using and either swap them on MUA or sell them on LiveJournal, and I am going to challenge myself to use up items that I am using.

I am going to continue to photograph my stash, and document any progress I make.

If you love Target…

Target footless tights

… then definately check out your local Goodwill store. Part of Target’s charitable donations include merchandise that is donate directely to Goodwill Industries, most times with the tags still attatched. I’ve found everything from cosmetics to clothes to housewares brand new for insanely low prices. Target’s already great, but Goodwill is better The photo above is an example of one of the SIX pairs of super cute Halloween socks and hosiery that I picked up this last trip.

Halloween Part One (of many, probably!)

Skelly hand pins

For me, Halloween/Autumn is the best in terms of shopping. Skulls, spider webs, and all sorts of ghouls are much more accessible and widely stocked, making my life much easier. I’m not saying that my house is full of coffins and such, but I can’t deny what I like! Here are some preliminary results of some crafty times.

The pendant is made of cardstock

 

Earrings were made, Skelly charm was reworked, as was the necklace.

I am hoping to make some more trips around before all the great halloween stuff is gone! The creative bug has hit me pretty hard lately. I foresee some felt ghoulies in my future, as well as more jewelry.

How do you…?

I get asked a LOT of questions regarding the stuff I’m passionate about. I frequent http://www.makeupalley.com (aka MUA), and there is nothing I love more than seeing pics of other beauty stashes. Eventually, that gets me motivated to take pics of my own collection, which is by my own admission just a tiny bit erm, large. Hehe. I figured I would share with you guys how I keep my fabled Eyeshadow Collection managable.

That’s they key word in fact, is managable. If I simply can’t manage with how big the collection is, I always look for new ways to “make it work”. The obvious problem is how do I keep track of all of my shadows without having to dig through them? Easy — I just swatched them all and have them posted to my wall!

MAC Face Chart paper is the best

The colors are true to life and vibrant

 

Duochromes are hard to capture

 

Having them all visible at a glance is priceless!

I obsessively depot all of my MAC eyeshadows (because who can resist turning in the empties for more makeup?), which got me to thinking about depotting all of my other shadows. But this lead to an interesting problem, because my MAC 15 pans are full to capacity I’ve had to pry the tops off of them to fit more shadows in there. I don’t mind this at all, because getting to my nearest MAC store is a huge pain, and the 15 pans aren’t exactly cheap, anyway. I’ve taken to using empty tins for storage. It’s really easy because you don’t have to worry about magnetizing the bottom of the container like you do with empty CD or DVD cases, they’re a cheap solution, and if you’re lucky they’re cute as well as functional. With mine, this is not the case, LOL!

Brown and Blue Palette

Green Palette

Black White Grey & Brow Highlight Palette

Pink Orange & Yellow Palette

Purple Mauve & Maroon Palette

The Trusty Tin <3

 

I keep my makeup stored in Sterlite 3 drawer desktop containers in my bedroom far away from light, heat and moisture sources. So.. there you have it!

Making and remaking…

I’m a big DIY’er, mostly because it’s really hard to fit things that fit my strange personal style. I thrift shop a lot, and often times I’ll find things that need some work, but definately have the potential to become something unique and stylish. Here’s some pics of 3 necklaces that I have made for myself from a singular source, displayed on a nifty necklace display that I made myself also. It was super easy, I literally had EVERYTHING you needed lying around the house! Here’s the link to the tutorial :

http://www.home-jewelry-business-success-tips.com/necklace-display.html

For instance, I found a really cute pink pearl belt at the Goodwill, not really sure what I would use it for  but made the purchase anyway. About a week later I ended up taking it apart and looking at my charms for inspiration. In the end, I made 3 necklaces and a bracelet (not yet pictured) from it!

The bulk of the belt was used to make this necklace

I used the remaining leftovers to make this...

As well as this one!

It’s very satisfying to find something that someone has given away because it’s useless and give it some new life.

Dishin’ on Freebies

just an example of the free samples I have lying around currently

 

I, like many of you out there, have a budget that I need to stick to, and it seems like that gets more important every day. Gas alone is killing me! Anyway, I figured I should talk about something I’m really passionate about – scoring free stuff.

Unfortunately for us, not all places even have testers for makeup, let alone give out free samples, but some places are taking notice and making with the schwag. In terms of stores, I know that Walgreen’s has tons of free samples of products at their cosmetics check out. Most managers frown upon just having the samples laying out in baskets (booooooo), but I just head to the counter or beauty aisle, find their beauty advisor, and see what they have. I’ve found that they have some pretty varied and generous samples. I know that MAC is very generous when it comes to handing out a sample if you ask, and most department stores beauty counters are usually more than willing to let you sample something you’re interested in.

But if you’re lazy like me, the internet is a veritable treasure trove of truly free samples. Walmart’s site has a free samples section, and they often have some great beauty related items. I also have a few free sample blogs that I frequent. There are tons out there, so just a quick word. If a website is claiming that you can get something really awesome, like a full sized product for free, there’s almost always a catch – usually that you fulfill certain critera before you can get your prize. These criteria range from comsumer surveys to actually having to purchase other products or services.], which I find pretty shady and would advise against.  With that being said, I’ve got a  couple of links that I like to check out – the samples arrive and I’m not getting tons of spam in my email.

http://www.freesamplesdirect.com/blog/

http://www.heyitsfree.net

http://www.shop4freebies.com

http://walmart.triaddigital.com/In-Stores-Now-Free-Samples.aspx

Almost an afterthought really, but, I feel compelled to mention that I have been getting subscriptions to an array of different beauty and fashion related magazines from Coke. They have a Rewards Points program, and there are a TON of different publications to choose from, like Cosmo, W, Bazzaar, Teen Vogue, etc. If you already drink coke or can collect the caps at work or whatever, it’s definately worth your while.

http://www.mycokerewards.com