Review - How To Declutter Your Cosmetics

Make-up companies are always creating new products or modifying existing ones.  This is good for their cash flow/profit, but can sometimes be bad for us make-up addicts who can't resist buying more products. Before you realise it, you will either run out of storage space  or end up with more products than you can use, or both.

Let's be real here, one of the most difficult things to do is control the urge to buy make-up.  If you haven't found a way to cope or you find your resolve wavering, click here for some tips from Pacific Daily News.

I already have more than enough make-up, plus I have no more space to put anything else. Not to mention that I have products that I hardly use or have never used, so buying more would be a waste of money and make-up.  Am I still tempted? Of course I am! I try to avoid going into the make-up stores, I try to buy only what I need and I try not to stray from my shopping list/budget.  Does this always work? Nope, not 100% but the majority of the time.

Life is to short to waste money or make-up!

Related Posts:
Review - e.l.f Essential Super Glossy Lip Shine
Time To Say Goodbye
More Make-up Minis Please
Beautiful & Unspoilt Supports a Worthy Cause

"...because your should always enhance." - Nakita Squires

Review - e.l.f Essential Super Glossy Lip Shine

I was checking out the e.l.f products in Kmart's beauty aisle.  I purchased the Essential Super Glossy Lip Shine - Angel and a few other products. I didn't open it, I didn't even swatch it or smell it.  I was waiting until I had finished either of the 2 lipglosses that I was using at that time.  I wasn't going to open the new lipgloss just to satisfy my curiosty and risk it's expiration before I was ready to really put it to use. (CLICK HERE for makeup expiration tips).

The day I had been waiting for had finally come - approximately 1 year had passed, and I was so excited. Who wouldn't be, after seeing a product description like this:

Product Description:
This Super Glossy formula leaves your lips with a healthy glossy glow. The delicious flavor and sweet scent will leave you licking your lips in delight. The perfect on-the-go tube that is mess-proof for easy application anywhere and anytime. Wear alone or layered over your favorite lipsticks for gorgeous, glossy lips!


The first thing I noticed while applying the lipgloss was the smell.  It smelt old and musty.  Next was the consistency, it was unusually thick and wasn't spreading easily. I thought nothing of this since I was not familiar with the product.  Soon after, I was gazing at my lips in the mirror when my lips started to tingle slightly.  I checked the ingredients for menthol but even if it had in menthol in it, this was a different kind of tingle.

Well bearing in mind my current lip strategy (CLICK HERE for the details ), I wiped it off immediately and threw away the gloss.  I was not taking any chances.

I have a low tolerance right now when it comes to lip products.  This was the first e.l.f Lipgloss that I had used.  The price was right so I bought it to give it a try.  I wanted to see if it would give the more expensive glosses some competition, but it didn't.

So what if it only costs $2 on e.l.f.'s website?  A product's price is not always a true indicator of it's quality (CLICK HERE to read about that ). I don't even think that I will buy another one to try.  There are too many lip products out there that I haven't tried yet.  Plus, buying that e.l.f lipgloss was a waste of my money which is a huge "no-no".

I'm not sure what went wrong because the lipgloss has some good reviews on e.l'f's website.  Also, I've never had a problem with any of the other e.l.f products I have used before (CLICK HERE and here for the reviews).  Nor have I ever had a problem with the lip products from other brands that were not opened for a long time after they were purchased.

This is strike one for e.l.f, but since this is the first offence after a good track record, I won't hold it against you.

"...because your make-up should always BE (Blend and Enhance)." - Nakita Squires

Beautiful & Unspoilt Supports a Worthy Cause

Beautiful & Unspoilt stepped out of its comfort zone on April 20, 2013.  

It all happened at the Jabez House fundraiser held in Independence Square, Bridgetown, Barbados. Beautiful & Unspoilt made its first public appearance  and donated its expertise to this worthy cause. 

Jabez House is a registered charity founded by Mrs. Shamelle Rice to "empower female commercial sex workers through educational and vocational training so that they could have an alternative source of income to support themselves financially."

Initially, I had told Mrs. Rice that I could not participate because I did not have any business cards or display materials, nor could I afford to buy any.  I believed that I would not have been taken seriously without these things and I really wanted to make a good impression.

I voiced my concerns to Mrs. Rice who encouraged me to get creative, make the most of what I had  and to stop focusing on what I didn't have.  Armed with this advice and help from my 'critique committee' (my mum and best-friend); I prepared for the big day.  Something inside of me did not want to miss this opportunity and I knew the information that I had to share was very important.

I chose the theme was 'Make-up Hygiene? What's That?' which focused on protecting your skin, make up and brushes/sponges from germs, bacteria and infections.  

Make-up hygiene is a very important aspect of make-up but it is often overlooked.  It is all about Keeping It Clean (K.I.C - pronounced kick) which involves -

1. Washing/sanitising your hands before applying your make-up
2. Cleansing your face before applying your make-up
3. Washing your brushes weekly
4. Replacing your sponges/puffs as needed
5. Throwing away expired make-up (it was not made to last forever)
6. Not blowing on your make-up or brushes because the air you blow will contain saliva
7. Not using someone else's make-up
8. Not lending someone your make-up
9. Using a cosmetic sanitizer - a popular brand is Beauty So Clean
10. Removing make-up from your face before going to bed

My mum agreed to accompany me when I asked her to come.  Somehow we ended up wearing the same colour.  We only realized when we came out of our rooms and we joked about it the whole day.  Her presence was a much needed source of support and she also helped me with the layout of my display.  

I must confess that I was very nervous leading up to the event.  This was my first time behind the table answering questions and thankfully everything went better than I could have imagined.  

I enjoyed interacting with those who came armed with their questions and I helped them to solve various make-up issues that they were having.  The lone gentleman who stopped by the table realized that skin care was important for men too.  He realized that the make-up hygiene tips (which were not relevant to him) would benefit his female friends and family.  

It truly was a special day.  I hope that you will K.I.C everyday to keep the germs, bacteria and infections far away.

"...because your make-up should always BE (Blend and Enhance)." - Nakita Squires