The Challenge: 2013

I have decided that each year I am going to set myself a beauty related challenge.  Its a little similar to the resolutions but with the challenge there is a definite end point.  The challenge is to see how fast I can do it (if at all).

A big reason i started this blog is because I wanted to discuss my love all of things makeup, skincare, perfume and bath oriented.  This love also means that I have a bad habit of purchasing things faster than I use them up. I have tried to do project pans and spending bans but I don't have the will power to go cold turkey. So I think this challenge may suit me a little more.  I'm not banned from buying products (which is lucky for the British economy) but I need to keep it controlled.

The Challenge for 2013 is: To Have A Manageable Beauty Collection

I will see this as achieved when I am able to fit all of my makeup into the following things:

- My Muji drawers will hold my everyday makeup
- My ALEX drawers will hold the rest of my makeup, skincare, body care, haircare and my nail polish.

I will also be allowed a container of samples which I keep for travel purposes and one suitcase for spares and back ups.  The only other place that any of my beauty products will be is in the bathroom (those that are currently being used) and on my bedside table (my nightly routine).

I know this might sound excessive but for me that would be feasible but would also involve me significantly downsizing my collection.

So over the course of the year you should expect to see some of the following posts:
- My daily makeup
- Depotting (to save on makeup storage real estate)
- How I organize my ALEX
- Some rather brutal culling sessions
- Lots of collections posts
- How I store my makeup

Now it is going to get rather picture heavy now (so maybe go make a cup of tea) as I am going to show you all the places that my makeup is currently overflowing into.  Also in addition to the places shown in the pictures I have a few items in the bathroom and 7 or 8 large boxes under my bed filled with backups and other things such as Lush bath bombs.

Nail varnishes and hair masks lurking downstairs after a pamper session.

The brushes that I don't use on a daily basis.

All my orange nail varnishes on yet another downstairs bookcase.

My little MUJI unit which has all my daily makeup.

My wonderful ALEX unit

My bedside table(chair) with my nightly bits and bobs.

Baskets of products I am desperate to use up.

Some haircare stuff that gets knicked if it is kept in the bathroom.

Why do you wear makeup? TAG

This month's Tuesday Tag was created by the wonderful Sprinkleofglitter and Beautycrush, you can watch their responses here.  It is basically about finding out your makeup history and is called 'Why do you wear makeup?'.

When did you begin wearing makeup?

I didn't have much of an interest in makeup as a young child.  My mum almost never wears makeup and I am the eldest girl so I never really saw people putting makeup on.  One thing I really got into was body products and nail varnishes.  The thing that got me into these was The Body Shop.  When I was about nine years old I was taken my great aunt to The Body Shop and was in awe of what was there and in fact spent all of my holiday money in there (which I slightly regretted when we then went into The Disney Store).  The range I was particularly in love with was the Oceanus scent, to this day the smell of it brings back memories of that trip.

I started experimenting with makeup when I was about 13 or 14, sadly this was mainly involving blue eyeshadow.  In my defense I didn't know any better.  At college I would wear mascara and tinted lip balm on a daily basis with eyeliner making a guest appearance every now and again.  When I started working on my gap year I started wearing makeup on work days in order to feel more 'put together'.  Then university rolled around and my attitude to makeup changed again.  I could never be bothered in the morning as a few extra minutes of sleep seemed more important than putting on makeup for lectures.  However I also started going out properly in the evenings.  This is why I started playing around with foundation and other makeup items which I had never really bothered with before.  Now I love having makeup as something fun to wear for a night out and if I have the time or the inclination I sometimes I put it on in the morning before I head off to uni.


How do you feel without makeup?

It depends if I was popping to the supermarket I wouldn't bother to put makeup on.  For university I almost never wear makeup, but if I do it is just a quick bit of mascara and lip stain.  If I am going to the pub or going out for lunch or dinner I will wear the same and maybe a bit of powder foundation.  For a night out I will normally go all out on the makeup front.

During the day if I wasn't wearing makeup I think that I would honestly feel fine as I don't wear it often anyway.  If I wasn't to put makeup on before going out in the evening I would feel fine but maybe not quite as confident as I would like.  I have gone out clubbing before whilst being barefaced and I'll admit it did feel a little strange.  I did feel as if people were looking at me strangely but that was probably paranoia.  After a while I started to forget about it and I had a lovely night anyway.  I think overall it just depends on the situation and who I am with.  I dislike being with a group of beautifully made up girls when I have no makeup on, somehow it makes me feel as if I am lazy for not making that effort.


What do you like about makeup?

I like the way makeup can help me feel like a different person.  I used to have my 'work' makeup and it turned me into 'work Rosie'.  She wasn't afraid of stroppy customers and was always infinitely patient.  It can improve my confidence for when I happen to bump into that guy that I have a crush on or even more importantly the dreaded ex-sighting.

Another thing I adore about makeup is that you can use it to express the way you are feeling.  Smokey eyes are for when I am feeling flirty.  Red lips is sexy and vintage.  Thick eyeliner is for when I am angry about something and want to channel my grungy teenage years.  I used to change my hair colour to suit my mood but makeup has taken over that duty.  It is my way of communicating with the world how I am feeling that day without saying a single thing.


What are three of your Holy Grail items?

First would have to be Benefit's Hello Flawless powder foundation
Second is The Body Shop's Lip Stain
Thirdly is a bit of a cheat because it is my Urban Decay Naked Palette.

Hallelujah - I have an ALEX

This weekend has been fairly exciting.  Me and a friend made the journey to IKEA in Southampton (only getting lost once).  I had forgotten how hectic Ikea can be on a summer holiday Saturday and also how heavy flat-pack furniture is.  The reason for this trip was to purchase a certain well known set of drawers that are often seen on blogs as a beauty storage system.

So without further ado...meet ALEX

This bad boy is an absolute god send.  Although I had looked on thousands of blogs whilst I was deciding between the this and the, equally well known, HELMER I was surprised by it.  It was thinner than I expected and slightly taller.  However I am totally in love with it and am very glad that I can start organizing my makeup and beauty products in a way that works for me.

I spent most of today putting it together (the lack of the right tools and my ridiculously short attention span meant it took me longer than most normal people).  My friends offered to help but I was adamant that I wanted to do it myself.  Although I hugely regretted this half way through I am so proud that I can stand back and know that I managed to put it together myself.

I haven't put things in it yet but once I do I will post photos so you can see the way in which I am using it.

How do you all store your makeup?  Any good tips for me?

So much stuff, So little space

I have recently come to the terrifying realization that I have too much stuff.  More specifically I have too much make up and beauty stuff.  It is taking over my bedroom, my living room and my bank account.  I have decided to 'Shop the stash' and use up some of the products that I already own.  I will be posting reviews of the things that I use up as motivation...and hopefully because someone out there will find it useful. Wish me luck x