Things I Probably Shouldn't Have Brought... - The Make-Up Edition

Hello!

So yesterday I did a post on Skincare that I probably shouldn't have brought and now I'm showing you all the make-up that I shouldn't have brought. I haven't included any eyeshadow dupes as that would add WAY too many pictures to this post (also I regret nothing! It's nice to have dupes for my Naked palette so that I can use it for special occasions....justification 101 right there!) Again, this isn't necessarily a judgement on the products, just things I personally don't use and haven't really used at all....(also I've realised that I forgot to include Hair Care in my list of things I shouldn't have brought, so that one will be coming up after make-up and nail stuff....)

• ELF Mineral Concealer in Fair - I got this during one of the 50% off sales so I could try it. Now then.....I use a LOT of make-up.....but I don't use concealer at all. I know this might seem unbelievable to some of you, but I just don't use it. This doesn't mean that I don't need it but I've just never really felt the actual need to use it (if you know what I mean?) This does have an SPF of 15 in it, which is pretty handy too. Anyway, I'm horrendously pale so I got this in the shade "Fair" but I found that this was just a bit too light for me really. I like the consistency though...but I just don't wear concealer....
• ELF Tone Correcting Concealer - Again, got this during the 50% off sale.....I still don't use concealer.....This one is in Apricot Beige which is a nice tone for pale lasses like me. I'm also a bit funny with this one as it has a "sugar orange" scent to it and I'm really funny about putting scented make-up on my face because a) I have sensitive skin and b) I'm not 9 anymore....(reasons why I didn't put Hervana or Coralista on my face when I was working for Benefit.) Anyway, I don't wear concealer so this was a complete waste of money despite the fact that the consistency of this product is really nice.
• 17 Even Tone Correcting Stick - Now then, I used to use this religiously to "correct" the red tone I have on my cheeks and round my nose...until I realised this was a ridiculously unnecessary step to my routine. It does correct red tones but my redness isn't severe enough to need correcting and therefore this just ends up looking a bit cakey on me. Epic buying fail on my part.
• ELF Tinted Moisturiser SPF15 in Rosy Beige - I used to use this when I was first venturing into putting a bit of colour/coverage onto my face but again, it's scented......big turn off for me. I don't want that scent permeating into my skin really. I generally find that scented things can dry my skin out so quickly. I like the colour of this and a tiny bit goes a super long way but the coverage isn't too great, which you kind of expect from a tinted moisturiser really. It's quite a nice product and in the 50% off sale it was only 75p, which isn't a huge loss really.....but still....I could've brought some apples for that! (and by apples....I mean sweets. I mean apples are great but who am I kidding right??)
• ELF Corrective Concealer - I don't know how many times I have to say this to myself but I DON'T WEAR CONCEALER!!! This is a lovely handy little set with pretty much everything you need to correct and conceal anything you might need to sort out but seriously, I just can't be bothered with all that. I occasionally use a 17 under eye brightener but even with that I'm pretty lazy. This was again on the 50% off (seeing a theme here? Buy some stuff to try.....and never use it again! Classic consumerism....) I've literally used this twice and now it's just going to sit and gather dust as I feel like I can't just get rid of it.....I'm thinking that I might give a lot of this stuff to the "Give and Makeup" charity, as it's something that just feels like a good cause to me and it's better than just letting the make-up sit there.

• 17 Blush and Glow in Strawberry Swirl - Now then, this was a free gift when I brought anything else by 17 and, as I was repurchasing one of my favourite nail polishes, I went for the free gift (obviously...) OK, so some of you might know that I'm on the hunt for a new powder highlighter as my 17 one is on it's way out. I got this Blush and Glow AGES ago and it's just sat in my make-up box just unopened and unloved. I was kinda of thinking that I would either sell it or give it away....but instead I caved and opened it. Man, I really wish I hadn't. I hate the blush colour (with added glitter) and the highlighter is no where near what I'm after. It's really cream coloured and highly noticeable. Not at all the subtle glow I'm after at all. Also if you try and use them together in one sweep...well....the result is pretty hilarious. The line is really prominent. Basically this is in no way what I was after in any way, shape or form.
• ELF Natural Radiance Blusher in Flushed - Another 50% off purchase....when I first got this I found it SO difficult to open. The product itself is really pigmented and a lovely colour but there isn't a lot of room for error. It is pretty chalky though which is quite annoying. Anyway, the colour isn't really for me and therefore it really isn't a go to blusher at all. I will give this a try tomorrow though and see if I can work it at all ("work it"?! Haha! I can't pull off a phrase like that!)
• ELF Blush in Fuchsia Fusion - This blush is a lovely bright pink colour so nice to use over the top of a subtle blusher for a pop of colour. HOWEVER....it has (forgive the phrase) shit-loads of glitter in it. I'm not a girl who can pull off glitter on her face without looking like a 5 year old gone wild at a glitter glue factory (this may possibly be one of my childhood dreams....I aimed high clearly...) Anyway, I can not wear this at all.....so again, it just sits in my make-up case, just hanging out with my other neglected items, thus making me feel bad.

• Revlon 3D Extreme Mascara in Blackest Black - I got this in Boots in their little clearance section for something like £2 roughly. It is the worst mascara I've ever tried. It's got a tiny weird brush wand that has tiny bristles and is super clumpy. This was an absolute waste of money because I already have mascaras to use up and this one is terrible.
• Miss Sporty Studio Lash Black Matrix Mascara in Carbon Black - Now then, this is a beautiful mascara that I got in the 99p store. It's got a really nice comb wand and it's really good at separating my lashes. HOWEVER, as I've already mentioned, I have loads of mascaras to use up so I really shouldn't have brought this. It may be a good mascara but I just really didn't need it. I have about 7 different mascaras open at the moment so this was a really unnecessary purchase.
• ELF Eyebrow Treat and Tame in Medium - Another 50% off sale item that I picked up a while back. I got this when I wasn't really sure what I should use to fill my eyebrows a little bit, and to be honest, this is not the product for me. I used it once and it a) isn't dark enough for my eyebrows and b) I didn't like the overall look. It's very similar to the Benefit Speed Brow and I just don't like the look. I brought the ELF Eyebrow Kit at the same time and I really like the look of the powder and gel so this one just isn't for me.
• ELF Lip Stain in Heartbreaker - Yet another 50% off item that I picked up to try it out. I wish I'd been brave and picked this up in a bolder colour as I really like the idea of lip stains but this colour looks like nothing on my lips. The consistency of this is also quite chalky which makes my lips feel a bit weird. I think the gloss helps with this but I'm not a lip gloss kind of girl so this was an epic fail on my part really.

• ELF Mineral Lipstick in Beautiful Berry - I have quite a few ELF lipsticks and I really like the consistency and staying power but this colour just doe not suit me at all. It's got brown undertones to it and it's just too dark for me. I wish I could pull of this sort of sultry colour but it just doesn't work on me.  
• GOSH Lipstick in Ice Pink - I brought this for £1 in the Superdrug bargain bin (which always has crap loads of GOSH stuff in it. I'm surprised there's anything left on the actual GOSH stand!) This was a bit of a hit or miss kind of thing and unfortunately this is a massive miss for me. Not only is this a bright pink with a huge amount of glitter in it, but someone before me had clearly wound the stick up so it's a little mashed into the lid. Sad times. So yet another pound wasted really.
• MUA Lipstick in Shade 8 - I went on a little splurge about 8 months ago when I first discovered the MUA stand in my local Superdrug and I brought £10 worth of stuff as a treat to myself after an epically bad day at work. I picked up 3 different lipsticks and I chose this one based on the bottom bit which shows the colour....and it's a lovely deep red....but god damn, the glitter element again! Glitter does not suit me and yet I'm just drawn to it. The consistency is nice and creamy but the staying power isn't amazing...but for £1 I'm not complaining really. I just really don't need the glitter in it. I got a beautiful deep red that I have been looking for for ages from this splurge though so I really can't be too upset! (The lipstick in question is Shade 1 and I love it! I may well do a post on it soon)
• MUA Lipstick in Shade 2 - I picked this up as I love pink lipsticks but my god......I look like I've time travelled from the 80s. It's got a slight shimmer to it, which I don't mind, but because it's got blue undertones to it, it just really makes me look incredibly 80s. I guess this'll help if I ever have an 80s themed party to go to....
• Natural Collection Lipstick in Sweet Pea - I got this lipstick a while back and, again, the shimmer in it just makes me look a bit 80s. It's not as bad as the MUA one but it's just not for me.

• ELF Plumping Lip Glaze in Wink Pink - Ok.....so another 50% item but I don't know what I was thinking. I don't like lip gloss and I sure as hell don't like "plumping" glosses. I hate the tingling feeling as I know most of these work by irritating your lips to make you pout more. I don't feel like I really need that at all. I'm not a big fan of the light pink colour either. Fail on all counts.
• Barry M Limited Edition Lip Gloss - I got this for a pound in Boots....but I only got it because it was free with an Impulse spray that I wanted for work (it's a nice vanilla scent and is handy to refresh myself after lunch) So I've used this a few times but seriously, I really don't like lip gloss!! This one isn't as bad as others as it isn't very sticky at all and, over the top of lipstick , it looks quite nice as it gives a bit of a shimmer without being over the top. But still......I'm not a lip gloss girl so this is going to last years (I used it with a red lipstick so it's not ok to give away unfortunately)
• ELF Lip Definer and Shaper - This is only a half bad purchase. The shaper is really nice in my cupids bow to give my lips a bit of...well....shape. However, the definer is really dark and kind of brown toned so it looks really ridiculous on me. Again, it was 50% off so the fact that it's only a 50% bad decision, I'm not as angry with myself! Haha!
• ELF Feather Proof-Mosturizing Lipliner in Natural Blush - I've used this once but I just don't use lipliner. It's a bit like the concealer thing - I don't feel like it makes any difference and I'm quite lazy/forgetful so I just don't use it. The colour is good though, it blends really nicely too.

So those are my make-up mis-purchases. I clearly have quite a few and have been very good recently with picking stuff up, wanting to buy it and then thinking "Right, Robyn.....do you really NEED this?" The answer usually is  a resounding "No. No I do not. I really want it though....but no I don't NEED it......" and then I debate the issue with myself for 5 more minutes before concluding that I already have something similar that I don't use so I probably won't use this one either! (This doesn't make me look quite as mental in the middle of Boots as it sounds like it would! Haha!) It really helps to stop and think "Do you really NEED this?" and it's helped me cut down on my spending. For instance - I really WANT the new Barry M Chameleon nail polishes....but I don't NEED them and as I always put a top coat on anyway, I can see these being a very quick fad nail technique for me before it sits collecting dust in a box. However, I do NEED a new powder highlighter, so when I find one I like, it's ok to buy it. It's a weird logic I know (I mean who really NEEDS a powder highlighter?!) but it works for me at the moment and has cut down my spending in high street stores (I'll work out how to cut my online spending when people stop accepting Paypal as payment....)

So looking at your make-up collections, are there any bits that you are just holding on to because you feel like you should or are you pretty good at keeping it to the stuff you know you're going to use? Let me know in the comments!

Until next time,

xoxo