Otherwise known as, the items that entered my collection. And there were many.

In yesterday’s post I’d made it to 59 items leaving my collection over what entered this year so far. This total is going to be reduced greatly. There were a couple factors. First, the hair event, I knew I had a number of things I would pick up during the hair event. Then, I had finished or almost finished some items I needed to replace, and in doing so, I also ended up with a goody bag of samples.

And then there was the shopping trip. The first big one since the stores have opened up a bit. And in fact, it wasn’t meant to be as large a trip as it was. The goal had simply been to go to a store to return some clothing that didn’t fit, purchased during the stores closed to the public portion of the pandemic. Miss Butterfly and I had decided to go early in the morning in order to stay away from the crowds. We’d double checked store hours, but when we arrived, there were signs on the window indicating a late start. We were more than an hour and a half early. We should have just gone home. But, she checked the other stores in that chain, some of them indicating a late start, one did not, so we drove all the way out to THAT store. Guess what? It, too, had a late start, even though the web was not updated.

There was a farmer’s market there, we wandered through but saw little. We wandered through the shopping center, all outdoors. Nothing was open. We got in the car and headed back to the first complex. Then we hit up Target and Ulta while waiting for the store we wanted to be at to open up.

And honestly, my ability to slow my spending roll was really low that day I think. I purchased at both ulta and Target and honestly, I didn’t need any of it. But here we are.

First photo:

I am getting close to being done with my retinoid product, soI wanted to get some new. It was cheaper to purchase two at a time, so I did. I finished up a cleansing balm and Clean It Zero was on sale and something I’ve always wanted to try. I picked that up. The Ordinary glycolic acid toner I picked up as I am almost done with my current container. I finished our cerave facial cleanser this month, and it was buy one get one half off, so I picked up the night cream I enjoy using as well. Elf’s jelly collection is back for a limited time, and I’d heard good things about that cleanser too, so I picked up one of those. And, we are close to being done with our shower gel that everyone uses, so I picked up a new shower gel too.

Now we are back down to 51 items leaving my collection this  year over what entered. But wait, it’ll go way down in the next photo as well.

Here we have the 3 hair products I intended to pick up in order to get me through to the next hair event. I also seemed to be unable to resist trying a couple of the tiny elf eyeshadow palettes I’ve been seeing everywhere lately. I had heard good things about the elf jellypop primer as well, figured I’d give that a try. And, I missed having maybelline age rewind concealer so I got one of those.

The rest of the items are from the samples I was sent. A Belif aqua bomb you KNOW I’ll use, I love the stuff. A cerave moisturizing lotion, again nothing wrong with that! There’s a la roche posay cleanser I am eager to try as well as a dermalogica spf. There’s a shiseido toner and a mario badescu facial spray. All of these items I’ll use happily. There was also a face mask, but I didn’t want it, I already moved it to Miss Butterfly’s collection.

So that brings me back down to 38 items leaving my collection over what entered. AND, it leaves me desirous of another low buy time period. From here through mid-August, replacements ONLY. I just do not need anything, and this was a rather massive restock.

This will be a post in two parts. Today is empties, tomorrow will be purchases. This is because there are too many empties and purchases to combine this into one post.

In May, I had 44 items leaving my collection over what came in. Here’s what I finished up and decluttered this month:

At the very top there is a food container. This held, for the past 2 years, a full container of coconut oil which Mr. Ink decided he didn’t need in his kitchen. I then spent 2 years incorporating it into my routine for makeup removal. Not every day, as it’s a bit heavy. But, as regularly as I could get away with. You bet your booty I am counting this as an empty.

Then there’s a couple large items. Our regular Cerave cleanser that I keep in our shower, this is used by Miss Butterfly and me. There are two redken hair products, one is a thickening lotion and the other a spray mousse. Neither of which I’ll repurchase but I am happy to have used them. Then a full container of dry shampoo that I am giving to Miss Butterfly.

That’s 49 items out over what came in. Second photo. Yep, there’s more:

There’s sample size of supergoop sunscreen, it doesn’t count. But it smelled great!

I have a sample size it cosmetics mascara, I just opened it, remembered how much I hate it and how much it transfers on my browbone, and gave it to Miss Butterfly.

There’s a tiny pan of highlighter-it was a highlighter I created, and called my frankenhighlight. This was back in 2018. This is the second of 3 pans of it, and I finished it.

Then there’s a beauty blender cleanser solid that I finished. I wouldn’t repurchase.

I have a L’oreal brow stylist. I couldn’t get any more product out of it so I removed the stopper. That was a mistake, as then it was so goopy I couldn’t use it on my brows and I could see how discolored it was from being used for so long. That’s enough, it’s done. I might repurchase this.

I have a clinique hydrating jelly moisturizer and I liked it so much more than I imagined. I  rolled my eyes when this item showed up on the market. It looked gross to me, and I “knew” it would be sticky. I was incorrect, it’s a lovely moisturizer, one I’d be happy to own at some point.

I finished up two of my perfume samples, black opium and Ralph Lauren for Women, both of which I liked quite a lot.

I am tossing my lash glue. It is all goopy and gross, it no longer works. If I ever want to wear fake lash pieces again, I’ll buy new glue. But, I think that’s probably over with my wedding, I haven’t had a moment’s urge to do so since.

And, the final two items. A clinique take the day off balm which I LOVE, and a pretty vulgar powder I finally finished up.

Now that’s 59 items out over what entered this year. Here’s a spoiler, I purchased a lot this month and I’ll end up all the way down below where I started in tomorrow’s post.

The second month of pan those eyeshadows roulette style comes with some new rules. Previously I mentioned that I could roll out a shadow that I’ve hit pan on or used 35 times in 3 months. I am changing the rules a bit. I can roll out a project I’ve hit pan on or used 30 times total, whichever comes first.

Here’s what I had in my little project:

This photo above is from last month, I’ll post a current photo below. I’ve got a Nyx happy birthday palette, the color I got was a green. A single shadow from Sydney Grace called Token, Heron Chic and Nevermore from Bye Bye Birdie palette by Colourpop, Violet Voss Sugar Crystals palette-color sugar crystals, and not shown is a color from my Too Faced christmas palette called Make a Wish. I hadn’t used it enough to grab a photo.

And here’s my usage breakdown:

1. Nyx green-16 uses this month for a total of 24 uses. (I feel certain I will roll this out next month.)
2. Too Faced Christmas Make a wish used once for a total usage of twice.
3. Sydney Grace Token used 18 times for a total use of 30-time to roll it out!
4. Birdie Heron Chic used 6 times for a total of 10 uses.
5. Birdie Nevermore used 3 times for a total of 6 uses.
6. Sugar Crystals used 8 times for a total of 16 uses.

So, I got to roll in a new shadow, which turned out to be a shadow in my Revlon Maverick palette. It’s a matte colored orangey brown, which I think could pair well with the nyx green and maybe even the Too Faced color I haven’t used much at all.

Here’s my update photo for this month. No new pans anywhere, though I’d hoped to get surprise pan on another nyx color. It could happen by next month though. The Sydney Grace single will be leaving the project, and I’ve added in the little maverick palette.

Here are the swatches of the colors for this upcoming month:

I am trusting that new brown matte shadow to look good with the Nyx green and the Too Faced color I’ve barely worn right above it. It might even work with the bye bye birdie shimmer. The best part is that I’ll get to play around with it this month and see how it works for me.

As for what I’ll concentrate on, it’ll be finishing the 30 uses of the nyx green. I’ve only got 6 more uses left, and I am positive I’ll manage that. I will be so pleased to roll that one out! It’s an underperforming shadow at best, and I always need some sort of shadow topper to make it look good. Beyond that I am not sure, but likely I’ll keep chipping away at the violet voss shadow and the colourpop heron chic shadow.

While I am not using much else in my collection so that I can concentrate on this challenge I’ve given myself, I am fully enjoying the challenge. It’s fun to create looks across palettes and it’s also fun to just concentrate on a few palettes and colors.

Nothing finished this month, but I am hopeful for next month.

Last month:

This month:

Just steady progress all across the board.

I think my plan this month is to really concentrate on the elemis enzyme peel facemask. I plan to use it in lieu of a regular resurfacing serum to finally work through it. I am not certain what I’ll roll in after, but it would be nice to have this one finished up and out of my collection.

Not the most interesting update, in fact, I don’t really have anything to say about these items individually. Just slow and steady progress.