Makeup Declutter Archives - Let's talk beauty

During 2016 I began to notice I was reaching for my nail polish collection less, I wasn’t excited about buying new colours or taking the time to even paint my nails. I have never been into nail art or trying out super fancy things with my nails, I’m pretty low maintenance in this department so I thought it was about time I downsized my collection even more (I did have a minor clear out of polishes that were past their best in the Summer)

Part of the reason I have been using my collection less is, I have found a lovely nail salon in my village and the ladies in there are so good and use really nice polishes, I never get gels only a manicure and polish which is only £10. So for the few times, I need my nails painting I have been going there to have them done professionally and its a nice pampering thing to do, a little me time.

I realised that I don’t need 4 polishes of a similar colour & that they were not getting used enough so I have managed to half my collection & my friends will be excited to get some new polishes. I love passing products on to people & one of my goals this year is not to hoard things that I know I won’t use, no matter how beautiful they are.

I condensed my collection down from 60+ polishes to under 30 and I’m very pleased with that number. Although after taking the photo of the colours I kept, I took 3 more colours out of the box to pass on. I have no desire to add anymore polishes to this and think I have a very good selection of shades, everything from bright oranges to black & a couple of glitters and duo chrome effects too. I think I have covered all bases.

I have kept quite a few of the Mavala Polishes as I really like that their bottles are smaller, I never finish a polish and their formula is so easy to apply and it dries quickly too.

I also enjoy the Nails Inc range and have a few colours, most of them have come free with Glamour magazine. I like how long these wear on me and the brush is a really nice one for applying in a hurry but not making a complete mess.

BarryM – always going to be a firm favourite and I think they have to be the best budget friendly nail polish brand. Their colour selection is huge and I have never been disappointed with the formula or application of their polishes.

I have tried to keep a good spectrum of colours and a few colours that I wear on my toes too. I love pinks and turquoise blues but I have a habit of wearing more nude shades most of the time. Glitter polishes are my pet peeve, I love how pretty they look on your nails but I detest removing them so I am only keeping two, one gold and one red option.

Although I am sad to let some of these colours go, how many blue polishes does one lady need? I fell out of love with Models Own as their formula seems to be quite thin and I only get 2 – 3 days wear without chipping. So I have parted with quite a few of them & some lovely colours too.

The NARS polishes although I really wanted to keep these I wasn’tusing them at all and I have similar colours in other brands that I prefer more and I know a couple of people that will love to have these in their life.

I am passing on many glitter polishes as I just can’t deal with the hassle of removing them.

So there you have it, I have started 2017 as I mean to go on. More organised and only keeping products I 100% love, even if they have sentimental value or cost me a fortune to buy. Its another step on my journey to living more consciously and more minimal.

Let me know how many polishes you own & how many you actually use.

I’m trying to get my makeup collection down to a more manageable size. It is a slow process but I’m organising everything so my collection feels more manageable. I started last week by clearing out my Liquid Eyeliners, throwing away any old ones which were past their best & this week I’m doing the same with my concealers. After I have finished going through each section I will show you what products I’m left with & do a bit of a makeup collection post. So on to the concealers, these again are all quite old & past their best,

Yves Rocher Radiant Youth Corrector Pen*

I have had this for a while and I absolutely loved using it, you don’t hear too many people talk about this brand but they do fantastic sales & their makeup and skincare are very good quality. This is quite like the YSL Touche Eclat & it works to brighten rather than conceal, it’s a subtle salmon pink shade so is perfect to neutralise and brighten darkness and shadows on the face. I like to apply this under my eyes and on my chin before going in with my concealer and it helps give more coverage and lessen those darker problem areas. It has a light creamy texture, is easy to blend and doesn’t cake and sink in to fine lines. I would 100% repurchase this.

Miss Sporty Liquid Concealer

This is one of the better budget concealers I have tried over the years. It has a slight yellow undertone to it which makes it good at covering redness. I use this mostly around my nose & a little on my cheeks to counteract the redness in those areas & it works well. The formula is quite thin so it might take a few applications to build up depending upon how full you want the coverage. I like to try more affordable options & I was impressed by this Miss Sporty offering. One product I do LOVE from this brand is their Mineral Earth Eyeshadow, it is well worth picking up & its only £2.99

Primark PS Love Concealer

This is from the Primark Beauty range & it’s not great. It’s a little too oily and doesn’t stay in place for very long at all. I do like the neutral shade and it worked well to add a little more coverage to problem areas, like blemishes. This was very affordable and might work a little better if your skin isn’t oily like mine.

L’Oreal Lumi Magique Touch of Light Highlighter

This is a similar product to the Yves Rocher. I find its very good at brightening under my eyes and for adding a subtle cheek / nose highlight. It catches the light beautifully without and sparkle, it looks natural and radiant. I like to have at least one of these pen style highlighters in my makeup stash because they are subtle but can instantly brighten any look.

Seventeen Stay Time Concealer

LOVE this concealer & I’m gutted that it ran out, this is my 3rd tube and will be a forever repurchase. Its affordable, fantastic quality and as the name suggests very long wearing. It’s a nice light creamy beige and I use this everywhere & anywhere. It works well under my eyes as a concealer and it is also very good at covering marks & blemishes. If you take the time to blend this in, it will stay in place for hours. Out of all the concealers mentioned this one is great for not sinking in to fine lines, its light texture means its hydrating but still provides a nice medium coverage! Add this to your ‘To Try’ list.

I’m now left with 4 concealers in my collection, which is a much more manageable number but I would repurchase the Yves Rocher, Seventeen Stay Time and the Miss Sporty one too.

Let me know what your favourite concealers are right now & also if your makeup stash is overdue a clear out.

*PR Sample

Let's talk beauty

Unbiased beauty product reviews & tips

Makeup Declutter

Nail Polish Clearout 2017

Like this: