On using up and recycling make-up

In this age of "hauls" and trends with new products being launched every week it's hard to not spend no? And with online shopping and wretched COD it's become only too easy. Sigh. Remember the good ol days when all we had in our vanity was a kajal and one lipgloss?

The other day when I was pondering over the meaning on life and universe (yes, i'm very deep that way) I also thought about all the make up lying in my stash that I hadn't used more than a couple of times, things that I bought on impulse, only to be relegated to the far, dark corners of my wardrobe. Its only become worse with online shopping coz you buy something going by the online swatches and when it arrives it looks like a long lost twin of something you already have. So what do you do? Gift it to your sis? Keep it, thinking you can never have too much of a good thing?!

Ok now that I've managed to make online shopping sound depressing enough let me balance things out by talking about the stuff that I have used up, to the last drop. Stuff that I've rubbed down to the stump and squeezed out every last drop. Makes you feel good about spending no? I really wish make up came in smaller sample sizes. That way you'd have more variety and it'd cost lesser too! Win win no? So which are the products that get much love from me? The items that I've repurchased over and over again and are staples in my make up routine?

Maybelline Colossal Kajal

Kajal pencil: I like my kajal pencils retractable coz I don't like to mess around with sharpeners. I also like them jet black and non smudging. I used lotus kajal in the past and recently shifted to maybelline colossal kajal. Both are decent performing but nothing to rave about. And inexpensive too. Now my maybelline one is over and I decided to try chambor. This is really dark black and truly long wearing.

Compact powder: well, can't do without this one. I've used MAC fix, MAC sheer pressed powder and l'oreal in the past and am now on a budget option- the maybelline whitening uv compact. Not quite happy with it though. It's too sheer, goes on powdery and lasts only about 2 hours. Good only for college students who are on a strict budget. Might look at Inglot or Maxfactor next.

Lip product: I think the only lip product I've ever repurchased is the Lakme aquashine in Fig. Love the shade, the packaging and the moisturizing texture. Staying power isn't great but I like reapplying it. :)

Lip balm: Another staple. I've gone through I don't know how many tubes of Vaseline lip balms and more recently am trying out various options from Maybelline to Nutrogena and Oriflame lip spa.

Foundation: I like stick foundations coz they cover my large pores and mattify my oily skin without looking too dry. Used up about 5 tubes of the l'oreal one but they discontinued it! Damn! Now using the Maxfactor one. Its not as creamy but does the job well.

Blush/Cheek Tint: I loooved the lakme Just Kissed Cheek and Lip Tint. It was a nice formula that turned a natural pink on my cheeks and lasted all day on my oily skin. Too bad its been discontinued! Should have stocked up. Damn! Now my last tube is getting over and I'm looking at The Body Shop's cheek tint next.

Umm.. These are all I can think of now that I've used up completely in the past and repurchased over and over again.

But recently during mindless research-related browsing I came across some articles on how to melt your lipsticks into pots and I thought it was genius. So here's how I give it my own spin- the stuff that's sitting in my makeup bag is going to get recycled. Yup! Gonna take the lippies that don't work for my skin tone and melt them down, mix them up with other shades and create new shades. Plus I love potted lip products. And I'm gonna take the glitter and pure pigments lying untouched in my stash and mix them in clear nail polish and create my own sparkly nail paints. Muhahahaha. What? All geniuses must have an evil eccentric laugh right? Gives em character. *tosses hair back and gets mixing*