I've been struggling to beat a nasty head cold lately and just as I started feeling human again a migraine hit. But life goes on and I had places to be and things to do and this face made me feel so much better... ah the power of makeup.

Even while using my MAC palette I knew that my NARS shadows would be next. I’d been looking forward to finally using the Earth Angel duo and it didn’t disappoint.

Here’s how I put these together:

Pregnancy messed with my hips and back quite alot and about 18 months after my first son was born, I was still suffering from sciatica. Finding that all the good intentions in the world did nothing to motivate me to exercise at home, I joined a gym as I figured that if I was paying for it, I would actually use it. I hate wasting money that could be spent elsewhere so thankfully this was the push I needed. I not only gained core strength which helped out my back but I also lost the majority of my pregnancy weight.

 

Skip forward a few more years and my third pregnancy saw my hips and pelvis so far out of whack that I couldn't walk without pain, a condition that didn't settle until bubs was almost 6 months old. Plus now my weight is back where I started. All of this I accept as a part of growing another beautiful little baby and while I know the numbers are bigger than they should be, I rarely look in a mirror so its been easy to ignore.

 

And then I tried to go shopping and none of the styles seem to suit and nothing fit right and I finally got to really look at my reflection and I don't know why I was so surprised but it brought me to tears standing there in that changeroom. There I was, 39 with three great kids and a hubby who loves me for all of me, and I hated what I saw.

I passed a stand of these lippy's at Priceline a few months ago when they first came out and though I'm not normally a fan of Revlon, I swatched one thinking that with the cheap looking packaging these will be crap. I'm not ashamed to admit I was wrong but at the time I couldn't justify buying another lipstick I really didn't need. Instead I made a mental note to keep an eye out for a sale and about a month later Chemist Warehouse had a 50% off all Revlon sale and these 4 came home with me.

This use it or lose it is from back in May but I thought it might be interesting to post it anyway.

After the success of my first shadow challenge, I was really keen to keep going. My MAC palette is kind of a cheat because I know there are many combinations that I’m happy to wear but it still feels restrictive to limit myself to just one set of shadows.

These are the combos I put together:

I finally have my lappy back up and running. Lots to do and write about. Better get a move on...

April

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.