New Make Up For Ever $2 refillable palettes (artist face color refillable case) S & XL review

Hi guys, this is going to be a quick post, I wanted to show the new Make Up For Ever $2 palettes. These palettes are designed to be refillable cases for the artist face color range, but I picked up two to use as travel palettes for other depotted makeup. At $2 each (without having to buy the MUFE blushes/bronzer/highlight pans!) they are a great deal.

Small palette / empty single size (magnetic area ~2 1/4 in long x 1 3/8 in wide)

Thoughts on decluttering, reusing makeup containers, and *actually* using samples

Hello friends! I have talked about my decluttering / simplifying / no-buy journey several times on my blog (see here, here, and here), but today I want to share how it's going and talk about finding creative ways to use what you have.

First up: an update on my decluttering progress & no buy. I pretty much stopped decluttering / simplifying my collection within the last three months because I was satisfied with the state of my collection. Everything I own is something I use and enjoy. Some items only come out to play  seasonally or in certain moods, but that's a-okay by me.

I went about a year-ish on a very minimal purchase streak (an informal no-buy if you will) but I feel like that phase is also over. I no longer think about trying to force myself not to buy or limiting my urge to purchase, I am more naturally skeptical and inclined to ask myself if I *really* *actually* want it. I have purchased a few things lately that I have loved - a sunscreen replacement, a few eyeshadow singles from Essence, a new mascara - but nothing over the top.

I'm on my second year of not making Sephora VIB or Ulta platinum - it felt nice to pass the anniversary of not making the cut. I have also been continuing to reform my social media habits - I don't follow any beauty related stuff on snapchat, pretty much quit instagram, and have continued reforming my youtube subscriptions. I am down to two nail polishes plus a top coat, my favorite red and my favorite nude, which is a HUGE improvement from my previous collection of ~25 polishes. I have also been nurturing my reading and baking habits. I am pleased to announce my currant almond scone habit is still going strong :)

Let's talk about reusing what you have - quite a few of my everyday favorites are items with recycled packaging. If you love a product's packaging, keep on using it, even if you declutter the product inside. Some examples:

My top 3 favorite colorless beauty products

I usually focus on color products on this blog, but I thought I would do a post honoring my favorite colorless products. Colorless cosmetics are easy to overlook, but each of these three are absolute must haves in my collection. Plus, each of these cost under $5.

Without further ado, my favorite three colorless products: the NYX Matte Blotting Paper ($3.99), Essence All About Matt Fixing Compact Powder ($3.99), and adhesive magnetic tape (about $5).

Makeup Forever HD powder DIY dupe? TKB Trading Silica Microspheres & 30g Jar review

I was really curious about translucent HD powders, but I wasn't ready to shell out $34 for Makeup Forever's Microfinish HD powder. Instead, I bought generic silica microspheres and an empty 30 gram jar from TKB trading to see if HD powders are worth the hype. I bought 1 ounce of silica microspheres for $4.95 and a 30 gram jar with sifter for $.90.

HD Powders
HD powders are very fine powders that are supposed to be invisible on the skin. Many on the market, like the ever popular Makeup Forever HD and the elf studio HD, are silica based and translucent. Loose HD powders are great for applying a thin layer of powder over the face before applying foundation (a la Wayne Goss), setting foundation without adding extra coverage, and touching up during the day. Silica powders are notoriously bad for flash photography, so I recommend staying away from them for special events.

The Makeup Forever HD powder ($34) is comprised of silica microspheres and the elf studio HD powder ($6) is comprised of silica microspheres and fillers. I would like to note that not all silica microspheres are created equal - as with all powders, there are different particle sizes and some are more finely milled than others.

Easy DIY Project Idea: Makeup Brush Roll

I admit, I'm not an accomplished seamstress, but I was motivated to make my own brush roll out of leftover fabric scraps from my bag when I saw how expensive branded brush rolls are. All of these pieces were from my scrap bag, so I'm not sure how much fabric I used in all. You can use any amount of fabric you like, because you can scale this brush roll to work for your brush collection!

Storing makeup brushes in a brush roll can be a great way to keep the dust off and is also a compact storage solution. I made my brush roll for traveling to ensure my brushes don't lose their shape or get dirty in my makeup bag. Pro tip: brush rolls are also a great place to store eyeliners, lipliners, and other makeup items when you travel!