[ANTI-HAUL] Vol. 5

Halloween is around the corner and soon or later, it will be Christmas. There are already Christmas sets being sold at Sephora. This can be a good thing or bad thing – Good thing if you like to get your gifts in advance and value sets that have a great value of content inside. Bad thing because it could potentially hurt your wallet. I know Christmas time is when I spend the most because of all the gifts I have to buy for family and friends. Alright, let’s hop in the list of products I will not be buying.

SUNDAY RILEY – ICE CERAMIDE CREAM 

I don’t get their prices and the sudden hype over ceramide. You do realize you can buy ceramide creams with minimal and fewer filler ingredients for a fraction of the cost? Cerave moisturizing cream, anyone? I mean, the ingredients are so-so in my eyes and 83 Canadian dollars for 50 ml? The Cerave moisturizing cream has 400 ml of product and it’s only 15 Canadian dollars. Goes to show you how crazy brands mark up their prices for eh/mediocre products. Yeah, I don’t think so. Next.

SUMMER FRIDAYS CC ME SERUM

Summer Fridays appear to become a really popular brand within a short period of time, they’re very well known for their jet lag mask. For me, during the time when I tried it, it wasn’t the best mask nor the worst – it was just okay and there are essential oils in it in case you are sensitive to that. The key ingredients look so good then when you look at the price, you’re almost shocked how expensive it is. This is very much like drunk elephant’s c-firma sister except with a heck lot of fragrance. If you’re interested in a really good brightening product, get the rohto melano cc, it works like a charm and it’s available on yesstyle & amazon.

There’s this whole crazy clean beauty movement going on and I’m not here for it. Yeah, that’s great you’ve found natural products that work for you but it doesn’t necessarily mean it’s good for the skin; Not for all skin types at least. I would say my skin was pretty content with fragrance and essential oils in the past but I’ll tell you what – my skin has become very heavily sensitized after using essential oils for a long period of time. I used an all-natural essential oil-based brand for an entire month and it damaged my skin so badly, I was afraid that there was no way for me to repair my skin. My skin is currently alright as I am transitioning into an essential oil-free routine.

TOO FACED GINGERBREAD BRONZED & KISSED SET

I love cute stuff so much however, I never purchase Christmas collabs because they are not timeless pieces and will eventually lose their relevance. They’re for the short term and make great gifts. Of course, I find this adorable but at the same time, I’m not going to bomb 49 Canadian dollars to make this happen in my collection. There are so much better makeup pieces out there that have more worth in my collection and this one isn’t it for me. Too faced as a brand makes a lot of cute products but they’re not timeless and often seen as fast-beauty, like fast-fashion – pieces are not timeless and often go out of style. I love their eyeshadow palettes such as the chocolate series, especially bonbons but this one is no for me.

SEPHORA EYE SHADOW PALETTES IN GENERAL

Honestly… who buys these? I cannot take their palettes seriously because they truly look like children’s makeup, it looks like something you could find at Claire’s. I mean, if this works for you, great. I’ve had a few of their single eyeshadows and man, they were so powdery, it was an unfortunate scene. I’m really particular and picky with my eyeshadows, I prefer them to have a dense, rich, almost creamy formula and I find that the ABH ones are one of the best eyeshadows I have tried. I also really like the urban decay eyeshadows as well – both naked palettes and also their single + moondust eyeshadows.

That’s it for now, friends. Until next time – in the next Anti-Haul.

[ANTI-HAUL] Vol. 4

Hi! I feel like I should do one of these each month because there’s always such a high volume of new products in the market being released pretty much every week.

Beauty Blenders – In General

 

There’s better out there for a fraction of the cost. Now, before you @ me, I’ve purchased a large sum of beauty blenders in my life and to be quite frank with you all – it’s nice but it’s quite ridiculous when you hear the keywords “$20, beauty sponge”. Like, why? Listen, if you love the beauty blender and have the budget for it – continue to buy them. I’ve tried a handful of great dupes from the Sephora collection ones (specifically the pink pear one), Miss A sponges and also a Canadian brand called QUO makes great sponges. I did not like real technique sponges and I find the quality has definitely gone down throughout the years. As for the Eco Tools sponges, they’re alright, they absorb quite a bit of product.

Farsali – Lip Mask

I’m sure most of you know this brand for its iconic jelly highlighters and primer serums. I would never purchase anything from this brand simply because they’re stuff looks extremely gimmicky, not to mention the number of influencers on Instagram doing some cringey looking makeup videos with it. I don’t find any of the ingredients beneficial to my skin’s needs let alone how expensive their products are. It’s a big no or me.

Tarte brushes – In general

I don’t get it, I’ve owned a few of their brush sets in the past and to be quite frank with you all, Aliexpress and Yesstyle have the same quality as theirs for a fraction of the cost. They’re really overpriced and often tacky looking. I mean, if you enjoy this kind of style- by all means, continue to get them. I just wanted to share that there are a lot more affordable options out there and you can buy them in bunches if you want. I own quite a few brushes from Aliexpress and Yesstyle and they work perfectly fine and I’ve had them for years.

Nude Palettes – In general

They’re boring and how many do you already have? The next time you see another nude palette release, look at your collection first to see if you already have something like it or similar. Dodge these palettes if you own so many because they can quickly become excessive and it’s hoarding. If you love nudes and you use them every single day then go for it. I’m a person who does not wear eye makeup and sometimes even foundation every day because I’ve become lazy and also comfortable with my own skin so I don’t really invest my time applying makeup as I use to. However, that being said, I always wear SPF because it’s important to.

 

Sulwhasoo – In General

I love luxurious products if they’re worth my money. There’s a lot of unnecessary filler ingredients and fragrance in their products and that really turns me off about their products. I’ve tried a handful of their samples and they all smell really strong for my preference. I do prefer my skincare to be fragrance-free, simple and affordable. There’s a lot of hype on this brand too so I was iffy to share this or not but I did and I’m glad I did because we all have our preferences in what we want in our products and these just don’t fall into what I look for in skincare.

Be sure to check out my previous blog post:

Anti Haul Vol. 3
How To: Shop Online Smart
How To: Save Money

Well, that’s for now, friends. Until next time! Save your money for products you really want rather than just falling into the hype.

 

[Lesson] Cleaning & Declutter

I recently went on a mass declutter and actually took out my drawers and got rid of more makeup that I imagined to get rid of. During the process, I found myself quite eager to get rid of the products. I assumed I would be uncomfortable and sad from it but guess not. It was about time to declutter anyway. As a small beauty influencer, I still do receive quite a bit of PR and that quickly can accumulate a lot of space. So what I did for myself was, I kept products that were new aside so I can pass it forward to family and friends. I threw away old, expired makeup because no one wants to use that! Some products were only used once, which sucks!

What I learned from this declutter:

• (For influencers) – Do not accept PR that you do not care for.
• Do not purchase products that are not something I would use for the long-term – a lot of my purchases were for short-term use and that’s extremely wasteful.
• Just because products with pretty packaging are pretty to look, doesn’t mean you need it.
• If you already own that shade or a similar shade, do not get it. No one would notice the difference.
• If there’s a sale, doesn’t mean you should buy anything from that sale. There’s always going to be a sale. Use up what you have first then considered buying more later.
• Just because someone owns something nice, doesn’t mean you need to go out and purchase it. You are an adult now, understand and remember that you have priorities and bills to pay.

What I should be asking myself before I make any beauty purchase:

• How many uses can I get out of this?
• How long is the shelf life on this and does it make sense to own it now or later?
• Will room temperature changes affect the product or not?
• Am I allergic or sensitive to any of the ingredients listed?
• Is this the correct shade for me? Have I swatched it at the store/read the colour description carefully?
• How much product do I have left for my _____? example: foundation, lipstick and etc.
• Is it a necessity or a want? Can it wait?

For those of you who are social media on a regular daily basis or with friends who are shopaholics, I know how hard it can be at times to not give in but just remember that if it does not spark joy or something you will use for the long term for yourself, why buy it? I’m always on social media because it’s part of what I do. I sometimes fall into the trap of buying things I don’t need because I saw it on my feed. I follow a big mix of different beauty accounts; some are drugstore, affordable beauty and some are boujee/high-end accounts. The high-end ones always get me because either the packaging looks great or it’s super popular on social media where you would see it at least once a day.

I hope you found this helpful in some shape or form, I thought I might shed some light on a topic that people do not normally talk about.

Anti Haul: Chapter 2

Hello friends! Happy New Year ~ It’s been a while since I have been on here!

It’s that time again, time to anti haul some products I have been seeing on sale sections. I’ve learned one thing this year and that is not to buy things JUST because they’re on sale. I end up wasting money and I could have spent that money on something else.. Something I actually really want. I have a lot of enabler friends and they would give me excuses to buy stuff I don’t necessarily need. I never turn to their opinion anymore, I ask myself is this practical? Will I get use out of this? How many uses will I get out from this?

Tarte Life Of a Party Blush Palette: This palette looks kinda cute but tacky for the most part because who would travel with this? It’s too much to look at. As much as I love tarte blushers, I don’t see myself picking this up at all and the pans are narrow set so you have to have percise blush swiping to not hit the other pans.

Touch in Sold Metallist High Shine Cream Palette: No way in heck this palette is a cream formula. I’ve swatched this at multiple stores and it was this weird dry, play doh-like formula with no pigmentation. The glitters in it are chunky and just sad. I’m very disappointed with this product and was hoping for more pigmentation. Goes to show you that appearance of things can be quite deceiving.

I know, it looks like I’m a rampage about blush palettes and I really am. Initially, this was a palette I wanted prior to the launch because of trendmood. I love anything that has geometric, stained glass like designers however I own 2 narssist blush palettes and I do not use them. If I buy this one, this will be the 3rd one I am not reaching for. These don’t go cheap either so… thank you, next.

Silicone Sponges

Remember that crazy phase where the internet blew up with these things? I always laughed at them and thought they were ridiculous. There’s a whole bunch of brands that launched these such as sephora, milk, makeup revolution and etc. I remember seeing videos where people said there were more hygienic and easy to blend out makeup. I thought it was all a marketing scam and guess what? they still are in my eyes.

Welp, that’s it for now friends! Til next time 😉

Tips&Tricks – How To Save Money

I’m pretty sure many of you find this amusing that I’m making a post like this but I figured it would be something helpful and hopefully gives some of you motivation to save money. I’m one of those girls who loves retail therapy and I will spend for the most stupidest reasons. Two examples I do at-least once a week is: 1) I don’t like what I’m having for lunch and I want fresh, hot food so I will order out. 2) I am sad/stressed/upset and I need to buy something to cheer myself up. Do these examples apply to you or you can relate? Let a girl know.

I think what is important is to not restrict ourselves because that will create more resistance and temptation later on. There should be a focus on an objective of some sort, whether it’s a handbag you wanted for so long, a property, vacation or etc. You should start off with an objective and it should be something you are passionate about, not something you want for temporary because we tend to lose track of the goal if it is.

Tip #1: Have a piggy bank

I always put my loose change, 5 dollar bills and lucky pocket money in my piggy bank. I got my piggy bank last year and he’s become very heavy now. I was tempted to open him up quite a handful of times but I quickly stopped myself because my objective is to fill him so full, that I can no longer put anything more in him then I will open him up and cash him at the bank. You will notice a significant difference how much a piggy bank can change your saving game. Cashing in hundreds, maybe even thousands of bucks?! How rewarding does that sound?

Tip #2: Skip out on buying coffee and make your own coffee at home

Wake up earlier in the morning and prepare yourself some coffee. Buying coffee every morning before work does add up. Think about it…

Let’s say you get 1 large cup of coffee every morning on a weekday…
$5 x 5 days = $25
For 1 month (30 days length) without weekends:
$5 x 22 days = $110
For 1 year (365 days length) without weekends:
$5 x 283 = $1415
That’s A LOT of money!

Currently minimum wage in Ontario is $14-$15
$14 x 80 work hours = $1120
$15 x 80 work hours = $1200
^ These are BEFORE deductions. Usually when you hit the 1k mark, you get deducted about 200 dollars per pay cheque.

We don’t realize the damage we are doing to our wallets when we buy little things here and there. I am an avid coffee drinker, I feel a significant difference in my overall behavior and awareness with and without it. I am gradually teaching myself to build tolerance to live without coffee. Some days I will give in and buy but I came from buying coffee every single day to drinking coffee maybe.. once or a twice a week?

Tip #3: Have a budget

Again, going back to what I said about restricting yourself. Never restrict yourself but make sure to budget your money out wisely.
Here is an example:
Say you make 3K a month and live away from your parents…
You spend (every month)…

$200 on groceries
$60 on phone bill
$80 for utilities
$50 internet bill
$150 for bus fare/gas
$200 on misc lunch/dinner occasions
$1200 for rent

What you have left…
$1060

Varying how big your objective is and how close you want to get to close to it. The remaining money you have left per month, you should at-least try to save 50%-60% of it. Have a Tax-Free Saving Account and just continuously save each month and you will start to notice the numbers growing bigger and bigger.

That is all for today, friends.
If you’re interested in more tips, please feel free to reach out to me and let me know you’re interested in these kinds of posts.