update to makeup use-up challenge.

hello human world. i realize now that i had completely forgotten about updating my makeup use-up challenge here on my blog. which is normal. i am a forgetful sod. forgive me. but fear not, i have been very (read: kinda) diligent with using up, panning and destashing my current makeup stuff so that i am closer towards achieving a well-loved collection. 

it's been a long journey, and man it's kind of exhausting to actively try to use stuff up. some days i think to myself, is this torture worth it? then i realize how #firstworldproblem this is and how much of an idiot i am and all is well. 

to be honest, i didn't follow the rules that i had first set up for myself in my previous post. here's a breakdown of what happened:

1. duration of low-buy: 1 may 2016 to 31st july 2016. REALITY: i did actually go on a low-buy for a while, but i of course broke it. it was horrible, tears were shed. this was an epic EPIC fail. 
2. budget of RM100 per month for makeup. REALITY: nope nope nope. in the beginning it was fantastic, i didn't buy much apart from some stuff here and there, but as time went on my itch for buying makeup increased, and i relapsed. i'm hoping it'll be better for next year (2017) as i can only improve from here onwards right? right? 
3. the money allocated towards a particular month, if unspent, can be carried forward to the next month. REALITY: NOPE.
4. impulse purchases are not allowed! REALITY: i have been loads better with my purchases. most of them are carefully researched, some impulse purchases still happened but they're all drugstore. 
5. i am allowed to destash items that are in my makeup use-up challenge provided that i've made a lot of effort to try and make them work. REALITY: yes to this! omg i had so many shit that i hated but still tried to make them work for me. that bareminerals foundation? tossed it!
6. i need to use up at least 20 items from my makeup use-up list. i can add items into the use-up list, but i cannot take an item out of the list. REALITY: hooo boy, this is where i excelled. you won't believe this. i actually used up/panned/destashed 37 products from my collection! amazing! fantastic! woo back pat! some stuff i thought i'd use up are still goin' strong, like the stila setting powder. sometimes i hit ninja pan, where i didn't anticipate hitting pan so early, like my stila eyeshadow in sunset and a topshop cream blush. overall i am super proud of myself, and i'm still trying to use up some stuff so i hit the 40 mark. go me! 

lemme break it down further mmkay?

makeup use-up challenge: rulezzzz.

a few days after posting my plans for the makeup use-up challenge 2016, i realized several things simultaneously. first of all, i think i am being waaaay too confident in my abilities to not shop during a sale, lololol. i also realize that i didn't have any rules to my challenge and no-buy which i have to adhere to. i've been reading a lot of posts from reddit's makeuprehab, and have since realized that there's a low-buy (where i buy some stuff occassionally), no-buy (where i buy nothing at all), and a replacement only no-buy (where i can only repurchase stuff that i've run out of). there's also something called a planned purchase, where you can only buy items from a carefully thought out and well-researched list of products (your wishlist).

i think i'm first going to do a low-buy, so that means i buy makeup occasionally, but i am putting a stronger emphasis on just buying stuff that i've run out of...which in the case of my makeup, i don't think i'm going to run out of anything except for lip primers and mascaras...oh and eyeliners for the waterline (as i currently only have 1 that i can use on my waterline now). now if this low-buy is successful, i am going to 

so, after thinking about it extensively, i think these will be my rules for this challenge:

• duration of low-buy: i want to start slow so for now it's from 1 may 2016 to 31st july 2016. 
• rather than cutting out my makeup spending entirely, it's better if i set a strict budget for myself to spend on makeup items every month. right now i think i'm gonna set it at rm100 per month. i am doing this because although i don't have any items that i feel like buying now, i think this is bound to change as my enthusiasm slowly wanes haha. 
• the money allocated towards a particular month, if unspent, can be carried forward to the next month. so if i only spent rm20 for may, then for june i will have a budget of rm180. i hope this can cultivate a careful spending habit for the future.
• impulse purchases are not allowed! buyers' remorse is a bich (misspelling intentional)
• i am allowed to destash items that are in my makeup use-up challenge provided that i've made a lot of effort to try and make them work. (i'm thinking of you bare minerals ready foundation, you little arse)
• i need to use up at least 20 items from my makeup use-up list. i can add items into the use-up list, but i cannot take an item out of the list. honestly though, i can't think of an occasion where i'd take something out of the list haha. i will however celebrate the shit out of using up a product not within the list because yo, using up makeup takes determination ok.

erm, i think is all of the rules? maybe if i get through this one i can do the challenge differently and make it more difficult. there's a one in, one out rule where i have to use or destash something from within my collection before i can replace it with something else. there's also one where if you use a product up, you will get a certain amount of money added into your budget, i.e. if i used up one  full-sized foundation, then rm10 is added to my budget, rm5 for deluxe sized items, and so on. there's so many ways of doing this honestly.

okayyyy, that's it from me. i think i might make another post, just cos i'm bored and trying to delay having to sidai kain lollllz. bye!

the makeup use-up challenge 2016.

as i promised yesterday, here is a more detailed post on my current seemingly fruitless endeavor, which is the makeup use-up challenge. i first saw this challenge on youtube being done by a bunch of people, and i think it was started by the youtuber elle is for living? it seemed like an interesting challenge, and knowing that i really needed to focus on using products from my existing stash, i decided that i wanted to join the challenge informally. 

so for the past 4 months or so, i have selected a bunch of makeup items that i either want to use up, use more of, or give another chance before i throw them out. all of these items are honestly quite old items that i want to use up before they go bad, some of them i really do like and some of them not so much. 

now, i've looked at the list that i made last night, and have decided that i actually need to put in more lipstick products in there, since there were only 4 lip products and i already used 1 up yesterday haha. and seeing as how i dubbed 2016 as my "year of the lipstick" i think i kind of need to use up more of my lipsticks and slim down my stash. 

so here's the new list of items that i would like to finish/hit pan/get rid of (but only if i really can't make it work for me). this is A LOT of flippin' makeup to go through haha. here they are according to their categories:

this post is so much makeup i can't even right now.

*deep breaths*

okay, let's do this. so...hi internet hoomans. i am anis. i have a bit of an obsession with makeup, so much so i feel like i need to just take a step back and chill for a bit y'know? in the 4 months of 2016, i have managed to spend more than a thousand bucks on makeup alone. i know. i am ashamed of myself and of my inability to have self-control. this is becoming a problem, but hey, the first step is to admit that you have a problem right?

however, though i regret the amount of money i've spent on makeup (read: hugely regret and omg i feel so guilty aaah) i can't seem to muster the same hate for the products that i've purchased. like, i ain't gonna lie, i love my makeup. this isn't some kind of self-revelation moment where i realize that i'm actually not into makeup that much, or that i'm very pretty already and don't need all this much makeup. no. i love makeup. lol. i am happy with a majority of the things that i have, and i want to use them up. my problem is that i have zero amount of self-discipline and i always want to try out new shades. but baby steps, girl, baby steps, and my first step towards makeup rehab is to STOP BUYING MAKEUP. 

this is gonna be so difficult, but i hope that posting this online holds me in some sort of sacred internet vow where i will be pelted with rotting vegetables when i walk outside, side-eyed by men with thick sideburns, and spat at by old ladies from romania should i fail. so, starting may 2016, i am on a makeup no-buy. a makeup no-buy is exactly that, you don't buy makeup. i am starting with just 2-3 months from now, and will see if my spirits have waned or not by then. i want to say that i won't be purchasing makeup EVER but i want to set a low, realistic goal for myself so that i don't feel overwhelmed and get frustrated. i know this will be hard for me, but i sure as hell hope that i will persevere. i can do this! 

okay, so that means a no-buy from may to july 2016. save that date jarvis. neeeext, i have also joined a challenge called the makeup use-up challenge for 2016. this is where i try to use up or at least hit pan on makeup products that i already have in my collection. i've been doing this since the start of this year anyways, and at first my goal was to finish/pan 10 makeup products. howeverrrr, since i am a makeup whore and continued buying shit even when i was trying to use up shit, i have amassed a LOT of new products this year alone, especially lipsticks. LIPSTICKS ARE SO ADDICTIVE YO. i have discovered that 2016 is my "year of the lipstick" because i've realized that no, actually lipsticks don't look bad on my face. (long story which i will tell in another post) 

so after careful consideration, i've decided that i need to use-up at least 20 items by 2016. doesn't matter what product it is, but i do have a list of items that i'm focusing on to pan or finish first. i also ended up throwing out a bunch of products which have dried out or just don't work for me at all, like seriously no amount of tears or blending can fix that. some of these items i have included in this challenge, simply because they were in my list of things that i wanted to use-up and kinda died while i was trying to use them up. sounds a bit cheaty, but honestly i'm not stopping just at 20 products yo so chill. 

so. here's the list of my items that i want to use up. note that i have more than 20 just so i can rotate them throughout the year as i please, it makes this challenge less stressful that way. (p/s: it annoys me that these are not categorized according to their use i.e. eyeliners, lipsticks etc, but i'll make another post on this i swear)

1. stila hydrating finishing powder
2. topshop skin glow
3. clinique chubby stick - whole lotta honey
4. the balm stainiac - beauty queen (finished this today woo!)
5. loving minerals blush - apricot
6. laura mercier eye pencil - black extreme
7. mac mineralize skinfinish natural - medium deep
8. marc jacobs re(marc)able concealer - 4 glow
9. elf matte bronzer
10. stila eyeshadow - sunset (from the in the light palette)
11. laura mercier hydrating primer
12. topshop waterproof eyeliner - burnished
13. revlon new complexion foundation - 05 medium beige
14. bare minerals ready foundation - r250
15. topshop cream blush - neon rose
16. benefit that gal primer (deluxe size)
17. benefit porefessional primer (deluxe size)
18. laura mercier tinted moisturiser - natural
19. loving minerals blush - terracotta
20. the balm batter up cream eyeshadow - grand slam pam
21. maybelline colour tattoo - inked in pink
22. guerlain kiss kiss lipgloss  - 462 violine
23. mac prep + prime highlighter - light boost
24. pupa diva's rouge lipstick - rossetto
25. mac studio finish concealer spf 35 - nw30
26. inglot precision eyeliner - 40
27. make up forever hd primer - green (old packaging)
28. nyx above and beyond full coverage concealer - yellow
29. loving minerals blush - wild rose
30. bourjois duochrome eyeliner - 59 violet rose
31. nyx slide on eyeliner - esmeralda 
32. collection lasting perfection concealer - 3 medium
33. bare minerals round the clock waterproof eyeliner - 7pm
34. estee lauder artist's eye pencil - 08 slate writer
35. d'herbs celak arab...lol that's it, that's the name. 
36. too faced air-buffed bb creme - cream glow
37. bourjois contour clubbing waterproof - bleu neon

so that's the list so far, phew! i tossed the loving minerals apricot blush and the bare minerals foundation because they did not work for mah face at all. AT ALL. i actually hate both of those with a passion haha. the topshop eyeliner i did like and use up which i'm very happy about. The stainiac i liked also, but honestly it wasn't anything special. 

i am so close to hitting pan or finishing some of these products i.e. the mac msfn and the laura mercier and inglot eyeliners. i am going to dedicate myself to using up these products and enjoying them. in the event where i can't make it work even after fruitless attempts, i will just toss them out. because seriously, i know it be a waste of money and all, but life is too short for me to be frustrated with something that i really should enjoy, right?

sorry about the shitty quality man.

so here's the layout of the products which i will be hopefully panning or using up by 2016. banyaknyeeee....i think i'm gonna make a separate post with more details on each product and how i feel about them. some of these have been in my past project pan...which failed. haha. but i'm a bit more confident and driven this time, fear not! 

that's all folks!

where are you now?

first of all, woah justin bieber song reference. lol. so, like, hi internet. *shyly waves* i know i know, i've been awol. i tend to do that a lot. but i'm here now, just have some free time on my hands so i thought to myself "hey, it's been a while since i've ranted out my innermost desires and opinions onto the web." so here i am.

i won't bother with life updates, just because life hasn't been too kin...no scratch that, i haven't been too kind to myself these past few years. suffice to say, the past 5 years were probably the hardest time of my life. no lie. i got sick, i got emotional, i got demotivated, i felt like hell.

buuuuuut...those things are over now. i hope. so now rather than reflect sadly upon the past (which i sadly cannot change anyway) i will now focus on bettering myself and enjoying the time that Allah has given to me. i will take the failures and experiences that i've had in the past and remember to never do them again in the future, insyaAllah. i honestly think that i've become a better person now, so there's at least that right? *so much vagueness sorry, these experiences are still very embarrassing and traumatizing for me*

so anyways, this is just a new post to celebrate the new me. i'm gonna write another post after this about makeup. okay i have been OBSESSED with makeup as of late, more so than usual pulak tu. help me i need makeup rehab. gah!