Clean up Makeup

Yesterday, my sister and I finally had the chance to hang out together after a long, long while. She has been working full time 4-5 days a week since the fall semester ended while my jobless butt stays put at home.

We were actually suppose to fly out to Arizona yesterday to surprise welcome home our "brother" Ron who came in this morning (2 a.m.) back from his duty in Iraq, we support our troops! My sister changed her mind about going and i just could not cough up the money (in a short notice) to fly out for the weekend. We miss Ron a lot out here and i am sure his family and friends out here do also. He is stationed out in Arizona and can't leave the base to visit the bay area, so my brother flew out there. He's pretty much family, my parents love Ron and think of him as his own son. There is so much love and admiration for Ron, coming from where he has been, doing what he has done, being independent-- i believe he has undergone a huge transformation that many people his age have not yet achieved, he's doing something real good with his life and we are all proud of him. I am grateful Ron is back home, safe, and in one piece. We hope to see him soon.

Back to the topic.
My sister is an amateur when it comes to makeup and I am just an advance version of what she is, i am still learning bits and bits here and there and i pass my wisdom on to her until she gets the hang of it.
My old roommate, Kayla, was a makeup junkie and she loved to use me as her template and i always loved the outcome, it really takes talent (love and dedication) to put makeup on another person; kudos to all you makeup artists out there! Before i met Kayla I've always admired makeup, but i just never knew how to put it on and whenever i applied makeup i would do so to the best of my ability and effort. I was also inspired by 2 of my beautiful and talented second cousins Jasmine and Kaycee who both love makeup, I will get their permission to post their names on my blog soon. Currently i am unemployed, I like to think of myself as a tight budget and bargain shopper, i tend to search the affordable makeup while making note of the quality of the makeup (after all it's usually about quality, not quantity). I also didn't have the right tools (i still don't) i was a finger applicator but now i have a few brushes and i try to work with what i have. I don't wear makeup on a daily basis, like all natural things in life i believe my skin has to breathe and i want to keep my natural beauty intact.

So, yesterday, my sister and i headed to Ulta to replace our old (some really old) makeup. We like watching TLC's "What not to Wear" and love seeing the makeup bit with Carmindy, we admire her simple approach to bringing out natural beauty. We found the Carmindy line (affiliated with Sally Hansen Beauty products) and purchased her foundation, loose powder, and primer. I also made a new lip gloss purchase at Ulta:
Rimmel London Kiss and Stay lip gloss in Hot (something), i ripped it open when i got into the car. The lip gloss is a 2-in-1 double ended packaging: one end is the lip gloss and the other end is the finishing touch gloss.

Here is a short review:
Price: Suggested price $7.99 + (store stocking and price varies)
Promises: 10 hours of glossy color with crystal shine effect.
Pros: An assortment of radiant colors to choose from. 2-in-1 convenient packaging, great for throw-in-the-purse and travel. A really nice fragrance in the lip color. Easy lip application, the color stays, and you get that crystal shine it promises (i love the shine!).
Cons: The gloss finish feels highly concentrated creating a sticky texture on the lips, it is quite obvious you have it on; it is not messy, rather sticky (think after eating something really sweet, gooey, caramely, and your lips stick together.) Does leave a mark and the sticky gloss prevents you from wanting to touch your lips.
Overall Outcome: This will be my only purchase and I will be using it from time to time.

My sister's old make up consist of pass downs from me to her and are a little over a year old. Her foundation was starting to develop a funky aroma and her mascara was just as clumpy and dry as her pressed foundation was. Everyone wants to have a fresh start for the new year and thought it would be a good idea to clean out my stash of makeup that i have accumulated over the year(s). I don't necessarily follow the rules and guidelines for when to discard makeup (i.e., mascara should be discarded after 6-8 months of opening, etc.) and i didn't even know makeup had an expiration date (well, i knew i just never acknowledged the fact.) Here is a website i found useful, it provides a list of makeup products to keep and which to toss: Clean up your Makeup Drawer
I am going to clean mine out. Good luck to you and happy cleaning!