• My New Beauty Budget | 2019

    December 19, 2018

    Hi Everyone!

    Today, I’m going to share with you my new beauty budget for 2019 that I’ve calculated for myself. After reviewing, my 2017 and 2018 beauty expenses. I’ve spent about the same amount each year (about $2000). I’m going to aim for $1800 for beauty expenses for 2019. If I get to the end of the year under $1800, then that’s even better! I’ve looked up how much the average woman spends on makeup and skincare each year and most articles said about $3000-5000. I think those numbers include things like manicures, haircuts, waxing and other treatments. I usually only get my haircut once a year and I rarely get manicures.

    If you read my posts on my 2017 and 2018 beauty expenses, you’ll know that I spent $2000 (give or take). I am aiming to cut it down by $200 and hopefully as the years progress, I can get my beauty expenses down to $1000! One thing I want to change about my spending is WHERE I spend it. In 2017 and 2018, I bought a lot of products from drugstores and Winners. Discount prices from Winners are great, but they tend to be impulse buys. Also, if I don’t like the product, I can’t return it and although it’s cheaper than a high end product, it still adds up. When I make purchases from Sephora, I can easily return things. A lot of my impulse purchases are ones I’ve regretted (read my post on Products I Regret Buying).

    Right now, my expenses are high because I’m trying out different products to find what I like and what works for me. I’ve found a few products that have become favourites, but obviously, your favourites can change and you find new products you love even more.

    I’ve created a breakdown of how I think I will spend the $1800 budget. This is a rough estimate of what the different categories might cost. I think giving myself an overall budget for beauty is easier than doing the $25/month for my monthly blog allowance. I feel like I end up blogging about most of my products anyway.

    • Skincare products – $600
      • This category gets the most because I need acne products, eye creams, day/night products and toners
    • Primers – $120
      • Most primers that I buy are about $40-50, I should probably be good until June for primers
    • Foundations/Powders – $120
      • If anything, I will need to get a powder. I already bought a bunch of foundations last year
    • Concealer – $100
    • Eyeliners – $60
    • Brows – $100
      • It takes me a while to finish a brow pencil, so this budget is probably more for my brow gel
    • Mascara – $100
      • I only buy drugstore mascaras and I replace them every 3 months
    • Miscellaneous – $600
      • Makeup brushes and sponges
      • Products to review for the blog
      • Products that I don’t necessarily NEED, but WANT, i.e. a new lipstick or eyeshadow palette

    I didn’t include a section for eyeshadows, lip products, blushes, bronzers, nail polish or hair because I already have a lot of things that I should finish before buying new products in those categories. I didn’t include a perfume category, but whenever I need to buy one, I could probably include it in the miscellaneous section. Usually, I only have one or two at a time and I just bought one last year at the MAC Warehouse Sale.

    Do you have a beauty budget?

    Love,

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  • September 2018 Faves

    September 28, 2018

    Hi Everyone!

    Here are September’s favourites!!

    OPI Nail Lacquer in Step Right UP! – This is a beautiful sheer pink. Perfect for a bride/bridesmaids.

    Diorshow Bold Brow in 002 Dark (read my review)- I really enjoyed this tinted brow gel. You get a bigger tube than Benefit Gimme Brow, but there’s only three shades to choose from and the darkest one is a bit gray (cool toned). If they come out with a shade that’s closer to my brows, I would definitely repurchase it. Until then, I’m trying out other brow gels.

    Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil Ultra Fine Shape & Define in 6 (read my review) – This has become one of my favourites since I received it from Topbox Circle. A good drugstore dupe for it is the NYX Micro Brow Pencil.

    Pixi By Petra + Aspyn Ovard Glow-y Powder in Santorini Sunset – I spotted this at Winners and it’s a beautiful champagne highlighter. Unfortunately, since it’s a collaboration, it’s not available any more.

    What were your favourites this month?

    Love,

    jen

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  • Decluttered | August 2018

    August 29, 2018

    Hi Everyone!

    I decluttered a lot of makeup because I’m sort of just using a lot of products just to finish them. I’d rather be using ones that I enjoy and want to be using. I also decluttered a lot of nail polishes because they’re old. This declutter brings me closer to streamlining my makeup collection! Yay for progress! → Check out my makeup goals

    I finished quite a few products too, check out my empties post.

    Bobbi Brown Smokey Eye Mascara – I really liked this mascara, but it’s way too expensive.

    Repurchase? No.

    L’Oréal Voluminous Original Mascara in Blackest Black – This was a mascara I originally picked up in high school and I still love it.

    Repurchase? YES!

    Life Brand Clear Action Medicated Acne Gel (with 5% Benzoyl Peroxide) – I bought this to try as a spot treatment. I would use this before bed and every single time I woke up, I would wake up with red, puffy skin where I applied it (and the surrounding area). My face would be itchy for the rest of the day and part of the next day. I’ve found that anything stronger than salicylic acid will anger my skin. I can use benzoyl peroxide cleansers because you cleanse the skin and then wipe it off, but I’ve tried different percentages of benzoyl peroxide gels, and they’ve all made my face red and/or itchy.

    Repurchase? ABSOLUTELY NOT!

    Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer – I got a deluxe sample of this from Sephora. I had to declutter this because the cocoa smell was starting to smell off. I never reached for it as my bronzer anyway because it was too dark for me. I would use it as an eyeshadow more than a bronzer.

    Repurchase? No.

    Smashbox Photo Filter Powder Foundation in Shade 1 – This powder was way too light. I don’t know what I was thinking when I chose shade 1. I couldn’t even tell if it was any good because I just looked like a ghost.

    Repurchase? It was velvety smooth, I would consider trying the right shade.

    Milani Bronzer XL All Over Glow in 01 Bronze Glow – I had to declutter this because I think the fragrance in it was causing breakouts. Plus, it was too orange for me – if I didn’t blend it out really well, I would look splotchy.

    Repurchase? No.

    I know there’s two Milani products in this list that I wouldn’t repurchase, but I do love other products from the brand → Check out my haul!

    L’Oréal Infallible Le Rouge Lipstick in 337 Refined Ruby – This is a really nice vampy red shade. Now that I have two MAC ones, I decided to declutter this one because it’s a bit too dark on me.

    Repurchase? I’d consider buying another shade in the infallible lipstick line.

    Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Eye Crayon Eyeliner in Blacquer 42 – I assume I had the shade Blacquer because it was the black shade. Apparently the full-sized crayons don’t dry out as quickly? I saw in a YouTube video (can’t remember who it was) and the YouTuber said she loved the full-sized ones, but the deluxe sample sized ones dried out faster.

    Repurchase? Probably not.

    I decluttered 14 nail polishes. I will just list them below instead of describing each one and saying if I’d repurchase. I wouldn’t repurchase any of the ones listed below. The only brand I would purchase again is OPI. Revlon’s brush was flat and thick which I liked. The Maybelline Color Show and Wet N Wild ones were super thin and round which I find useless because my nails end up streaky and it takes a long time to paint.

    I was going to show swatches of them, but they’re all so old that I don’t think they even sell them anymore.

    • Revlon Colorstay 120 Red Carpet (not pictured because I accidentally threw it out before taking the pictures)
    • Wet n Wild Wildshine C485D Black Crème
    • Wet n Wild Wildshine C488B Who is Ultraviolet?
    • Quo by Orly Mega Silver 59397
    • Claire’s Glitter 46813 Click Your Heels
    • Maybelline Color Show Paint the Town 260
    • GOSH 600 Matt Effect Top Coat
    • OPI Louvre Me Louvre Me Not (OPI collection de France)
    • OPI On Her Majesty’s Secret Service (Holiday 2012- skyfall collection)
    • OPI Ski Teal We Drop (Fall 2010- swiss collection)
    • Formula X Need for Speed
    • Formula X Racy
    • Formula X Indelible
    • Formula X Flashy

    Love,

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  • Celebrate Canada Day with What’s Up Nails

    June 13, 2018

    Hi Everyone!

    Canada Day is coming up in a few weeks and you can celebrate with a set of Canada Day nail vinyls!

    JC titles for blog.png

    I made a cute little temporary wrist tattoo using the stencil.

    They have 8 smaller flag stickers and 12 larger ones.

    Nail Polish Canada sent me a pair of Canada Day vinyls by What’s Up Nails and they’re offering these vinyls to 10 of my readers! You will receive a FREE set of the What’s Up Nails Canada Day vinyls. Use the code X7DMOSJ9II2. Click here to get your free vinyls!

    Love,

    jen

    *I was sent these Nail Vinyls to share a blog post and a coupon code for 10 readers to receive free Canada Day vinyls.

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  • coastal scents eclipse palette

    March 2018 Faves

    April 2, 2018

    Hi Everyone!

    Oh my goodness, this year is going by way too fast! How is it 1/4 of the way through 2018 already? Someone needs to tell Mother Nature though, it’s still quite chilly.

    Untitled design.png

    This Coastal Scents Eclipse palette is well-loved (read my review). This palette has been great for using as a concealer obviously, but also contouring, colour correcting and highlighting. It’s perfectly creamy and blends easily. I only wish shipping didn’t cost so much to Canada.

    untitled-design1.pngLOVE OPI XOXO Mini Nail Lacquer 10 Pack – I have twelve minis in total, and ten are from the LOVE OPI XOXO Mini Nail Lacquer 10 Pack I got from Winners for $19.99. I haven’t tried all the shades in the 10-pack, but I love Tickle My France-y (pictured above) and Eurso Euro. OPI brushes are one of my faves and I love minis because they don’t dry out as quickly as regular-sized bottles.

    20180320_211547Dove Advanced Hair Series Regenerative Nourishment Serum-in-Oil smells great (read my review), made my hair feel smooth and it’s from the drugstore, need I say more?

    What were your faves last month?

    Love,

    jen

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