Use it or lose it

I never thought I would be able to justify the cost but I've quickly come around to accepting the high price tag of high end makeup. But in saying that I can't bring myself to simply spend if I won't genuinly use a product and if I'm honest there's alot of makeup I already own that doesn't get much of a look-in. So I've been trying to rotate products on a weekly basis, like my blush and lipstick, and with my eyeshadows I'm taking it a step further.

Inspired by my sister who shops her stash and focuses on a different eye palette every week, I've started doing something similar. In my case I'm focusing on brands rather than just palettes so I can also get use out of my singles and duos which are being neglected. And since I can go days without wearing any makeup, I'm going to attempt to stick to a palette/brand for 5 days of wear instead so I don't conveniently avoid wearing makeup for the week where I've chosen shadows to wear that are out of my comfort zone.

 

First up has been my Urban Decay Naked palette which I love the look of but haven't really used that much since getting it a few years ago. I'm quite impressed with how I'm stretching myself to get creative to use the colours or finishes I would normally shy away from. For instance Half Baked. Beloved by many but a shade I avoid due to the bright metalic punch of shimmer it delivers which does absolutely no favours for my not so fine lines and makes me feel self concious that my eye look is over the top for mere school drop offs. But if I mix it with some of the more subdued colours, like Naked, Smog or Toasted I find its much more wearable. Also mixing it with Sidecar tones down the colour but I still need to be careful with the shimmer factor since they're both quite frosty.

This 'week' I've worn the following combinations:

* Sidecar mixed with Half Baked on the lids with Smog on the outer V and Naked and Buck mixed in the crease

* Half Baked and Toasted mixed on the lid with Hustle and Darkhorse mixed in the outer V and Buck in the crease

* Toasted mixed with Gunmetal on the lid with Creep smudged along the lashline and Naked in the crease

I particularly love how Gunmetal gives Toasted an almost pewter look. I liked this combination so much I wore it two days running.

*Sidecar mixed with Smog on the lid with Naked and Buck mixed in the crease, and a black liner along the lashline smudged out with Darkhorse.

After a 'week' of just one palette I'm eager to wear some of my other shadows but this wasn't as boring as I thought it would be. Next up I'm planning on doing the same with my MAC palette as I recently bought a few new shadows including Greensmoke which I haven't even touched yet.