#laurageller – Forty, Flirty & Fabulous

10 in 2020 — Rolling Project Pan First Check In

Hi all! I hope you’re doing well and staying safe!

This year I started with 10 makeup products. My rule this year is once I use one up, I’ll replace it with someone else. In the case of pressed powder products, I will probably keep them to see how far I can pan them this year. Here are the products I first started out with:

I have close up photos of the powders and stick products. I can’t really tell how much of the liquid products I have, but I’d say they are all half to 3/4 full.

Here’s a group photo of what I am using now:

So, the three glosses are gone! I used up two of them, the Bite Beauty and Buxom in White Russian. I gave away the Dose of Colors gloss. I just don’t like the formula of that lip gloss. It’s very sticky and full coverage. I like a sheer hydrating gloss.

I replaced them with two Buxom glosses, Dolly Lip Polish and Hot Toddy Lip Creme. And a new product, the Becca Cosmetics Under Eye Brightening Corrector. I started using this pretty much right after I started my project pan, after I got rid of the Dose of Colors gloss. Here’s the photos how it was in the beginning and how it is now:

I had already hit pan, but I made a huge dent in it! I am hoping to use it up by my end of June check in. If not, for sure in my September check in.

And I am so proud of hitting pan on my butter bronzer! I’ve had this for almost two years and have finally hit pan! I’m hoping to make that pan much bigger by next check in.

I have not used this a lot. Swirled together, the shade is darker than I am now. I will be using it more in Summer.

I have used this almost all up! I’m still scraping in the container, but I should be done with this soon!

I have been using this eyebrow pencil almost everyday. I can’t believe it’s not used up yet! I’m going to keep going and hopefully use it up by next check in.

For my other products, I’m about halfway through the beautyblender Selfie Shield primer. I have been using it more. I had to cut open the Leveler primer (in the back) because it wasn’t coming out. I have about an eighth of it left so am almost done with it.

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I think my Project Pan is going pretty well. I used up three products and should use up a few more by the next check in. I will replace them with other items since this is a rolling project pan.

Are you doing a Project Pan this year? How’s it going if you are?

10 in 2020 — Rolling Project Pan

Hi all! I’m back with my first Project Pan in a year! I took a year off, but have decided it’s time to use up some makeup.

The Project Pans I did in 2019 were mostly skincare. This year I’m starting with 10 makeup products and once I use one up, I’ll replace it with someone else. In the case of pressed powder products, I will probably keep them to see how far I can pan them this year. Here’s what I’ve chosen to start off with:

I have close up photos of the powders and stick products. I can’t really tell how much of the liquid products I have, but I’d say they are all half to 3/4 full.

Here’s the starting photo of my Butter Bronzer. I’ve had this for a year and a half. I use it consistently, and it’s crazy that I haven’t hit pan! I’m hoping to make a big dent in it this year!

I’ve had this powder foundation for a couple of years. It’s starting to get a little dry, but it still works well. I’m hopefully going to pan it this year and at the end of the year (or sooner), I’ll decide if I want to keep it.

I purchased this last spring and used it a lot in the spring and summer. I haven’t used it for a few months, but I wore it today and remembered how amazing it makes my skin look! I’m sure I will use it up this year.

I have been using this pencil since fall, but I thought I had more left in it! It shouldn’t take me long to use this up.

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I’m excited to see how this project pan goes! Hopefully I’ll use up some of my products this year. Also, check out my monthly Shop My Stash results to see my mostly skincare empties.

Are you doing a project pan this year?

Shop My Stash October 2019 Results and Monthly Empties

Hi All! I’m back with my October Shop My Stash results! I enjoy dipping into my collection and using products I haven’t used in a long time, or just haven’t given much of a chance.

My rule with this is if I don’t like the item after the month, I will move it out of my collection to make some room and let someone else enjoy it! You can check out my first Shop My Stash post for October.

Unfortunately, I was sick for the last two weeks or so, so I didn’t wear makeup all month,

My most used products were the eyeshadow palettes and the essence highlighter. I used each palette a few times, the same with the highlighter.

The essence highlighter is so gorgeous! It can be worn sheer for a soft glow or built up to really shine!

I already let go of the Laura Geller blush. It was too dark for my skin tone, and it’s too old. And I have to say that I’m not really a fan of the Colourpop lipsticks, especially the Blur formula. It is pretty drying on my lips and the Creme formula isn’t much better.

Here’s photos with the eye shadow palettes open:

I really do love this Natasha Denona palette. I created a pretty pumpkin spice look with the orange and yellow shades a few times and also really love the red and purple shades. I am definitely keeping this beauty!

I love this Huda Beauty Smoky Obsessions palette, too! I create really pretty everyday looks with the brown mattes and the lighter shimmers. And the black and silver made a fun Halloween smoky eye! I love the quality of these shades and will be keeping it!

I think this is the first month this year that I’m getting rid of more than one item! I guess that’s good because my collection has really grown this year!

Now on to my empties:

As usual, my empties are mostly skincare, but I do have two makeup items. I’ve had my Tarte Shape Tape for over a year, and it’s finally empty. I might purchase it again in the future. It’s a nice concealer, but I have a few I’m using now and probably won’t need to purchase a new concealer well into next year! The Flower Beauty Seal the Deal matte spray is okay, but smells like perfume, so I won’t purchase it again.

I used up two cleansers. Skin & Co Whipped Cleansing Cream and Dr. Brandt Yogurt Cleanser. The Skin & Co cleanser is amazing at removing makeup and it so hydrating. I would purchase it again. The Dr. Brandt one was okay. I got it in a BoxyCharm. It’s expensive so I wouldn’t purchase again.

For the rest of the skin care, The Skin & Co Truffle Toner is amazing — so cleansing and hydrating. I would purchase again (and if you want to purchase from https://skinandcoroma.com/ and use code LORENA20, you’ll get 20% off your order!).

The StriVectin Neck Cream is lovely and so is the Mamonde eye cream!

October was quite a month. Since I was sick for over half of the month, I’m glad it’s over and I’m looking forward to November. Bring it on!

Shop My Stash — October 2019

Hi all! It’s time for my October Shop My Stash! I am looking forward to cooler weather and Halloween!

I’m always excited to play with new (again to me) color cosmetics that I either haven’t used in a while or haven’t used much at all! My goal is to get more use out of the products I have and to see if they are something I want to keep.

This month I have chosen products that will scream fall to me! The eye shadows I chose are dramatic and smokey and are perfect for this time of year. I think the rest of the products will compliment them well.

Natasha Denona Sunrise Eyeshadow Palette — I purchased this as a birthday gift for myself in June. I think this will be so pretty for fall (and Halloween)! The shimmers in this are stunning and the mattes are s pigmented! I haven’t used it a lot, so I’m looking forward to playing with it!

I purchased this Huda Beauty Smokey Obsessions palette s an add on in my March 2019 Ipsy Glam Bag Plus. I’ve swatched it, but I haven’t used it yet. I am going to try it out this month. It’s so pretty that I think I’ll love it!

I’ve had both of these products in my collection for a couple of years and haven’t used them for a bit. They are the Laura Geller Baked Blush and Brighten in Cherry Truffle and the Essence Pure Nude Highlighter. I am going to test these out to see if I still like them (and if they’re still good and not too old)!

These are the only two Colourpop bullet lipsticks I own. The left one is Hey Mr. DJ (soft petal pink), a Blur Lux Lipstick and Appy (warm pinky beige), a Creme Lux Lipstick. I’ve only worn them each a few times and I want to test them out more to see if I like the formula.

I’m excited to gets some use out of these products this month. Do you do a Shop your Stash? What are you including this month?

Shop My Stash March 2019 Results and Monthly Empties

Hi All! Can you believe it’s almost April? It’s a nice, warmer day today (yesterday it snowed in Kansas City), and Easter is in a few weeks!

I’m here with the results of my March Shop my Stash. I had a fun time using products that I haven’t either used in a while or it’s newer to my collection and I want to give it a go. If I don’t like the item after the month, I will move it out of my collection to make some room!

My most used item from my stash was the Dose of Colors Desi x Katy Friendcation Eyeshadow Palette. I used the mattes in the palette all month long! Like I suspected, the metallics are too glittery for me. When I use them, all I see is glitter! And that’s not my everyday look. I am going to keep it, though, because the neutral mattes are so nice!

I used the tarte Rainforest of the Sea highlighting eyeshadow palette vol. III’s shimmer shades with my Friendcation palette. They are very pretty, but kind of boring. All the shades are so similar. I might end up passing this one on to my daughter.

The Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator Palette is so pretty, but the shades are a bit dark for my skin. I might keep it and try again in the summer if I tan, or pass it along.

I am not a fan of the Becca Glow Gloss in Malibu Soleil. The shade isn’t very flattering on me. I probably won’t keep it.

The Julep Eyeshadow 101 in Champagne Shimmer is so pretty! I haven’t really given it a chance before. It’s nice for the inner corner, under the brow or even all over the lid. I paired it with the Friendcation palette and used it all over my lid — it was gorgeous!

Here are my empties for February and March:

I just have four empties for the last two months. I didn’t post empties in February because I only had the Smashbox spray then. I have been trying lots of new skincare, so I haven’t used up a lot. I’m almost out of a few more skincare items, so I should have more next month!

This month I used up the Derma E Firming DMAE Eye Lift, The Smashbox Photo Finish So Chill Coconut Primer Water, Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe Chamomile and Lavender and Derma E Purifying Daily Detox Scrub.

The Derma E eye cream is amazing! It really smooths my eye area. I also really love the Derma E scrub. It makes my skin so soft! The two sprays were also so nice. Especially the Smashbox So Chill Coconut. I’m sad that it was a limited edition.

This was a fun month. I found a couple of products I will continue to use and a few I’ll move out of my collection and let someone else love them!

I will be posting my April Shop My Stash tomorrow. Do you like to shop your stash?

Shop My Stash — March 2019

Hi All! It’s time for my March Shop My Stash! I’m ready to dive into a different set of products I want to play with.

I’m so excited about all of these. Some are very new to me and some I purchased last year.

Here are closes-ups of each item:

This is the Dose of Colors Desi x Katy Friendcation Eyeshadow Palette. I purchase this on sale in December. It is usually $55, it was on sale for $27.50, plus I had a 20% coupon! It’s a nice palette, but I have to say I only purchased it because it got such great reviews. I have yet to review this on my blog, but I will this month. I’m looking forward to trying it out. I’ve only used it a couple of times, but the shimmery shades are sooooo glittery (not my fave). I am going to pair the mattes with the next palette.

I received this tarte Rainforest of the Sea ™ highlighting eyeshadow palette vol. III in my January BoxyCharm. I have to be honest, I’ve swatched this, but haven’t tried it yet. It’s all shimmers and one matte. These swatch really nicely, so I’m going to pair this with the Friendcation palette. I think it will look nice with the neutral mattes in the palette.

This is probably my oldest product in this Shop My Stash. I’ve had the Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator Palette for about a year and a half. I bought it at Ulta’s 21 Days of beauty. You can see that haul here. I don’t really use this. I think the shades are just a bit dark for me, but I’m going to give all three of them a good go this month. And if I don’t enjoy them, I’ll pass it on.

I haven’t really tried this Becca Glow Gloss in Malibu Soleil which is a mauvy rose. I got this in the BoxyCharm Charm Room last fall. This is a little darker than I usually wear, but I thought I would give it a shot!

I was a Julep Maven since 2012, until they shut down the subscription in February. That is so sad! So I thought I would pay homage to Julep by including one of their products this month. This is the Eyeshadow 101 in Champagne Shimmer. When apply it lasts all day! I swatched it below and I wiped all of the other swatches off, but it would not budge.

This is so nice on the inner corner of the eye or all over the lid.

Here are some swatches:

From Left to Right — The highlighers in Ballerina, Gilded Honey and Peach Glow. Next to them are the Becca Gloss and the Julep cream shadow.

So these are the products in my March Shop My Stash. I think they will be fun to play with this month!

Have you used any of these products? What do you think of them?

BoxyCharm Subscription Box Review -September 2018

Hi all! I received my September BoxyCharm this week. I wasn’t as excited as I usually am. I don’t know if you’ve heard that they have released a larger box called BoxyLuxe. On the day it released, I got up early and tried for 5 hours to subscribe. I didn’t get it and am on the waiting list for December’s BoxyLuxe (it’s quarterly). So, I’m a bit salty towards BoxyCharm right now and am trying to decide if I want to keep the subscription.

Boxycharm is just $21 a month for 5-6 beauty items, most of them full-sized. It is a nice way to try new makeup and beauty tools.

This month I received:

I just want to say that I’m not going to swatch any of these because I will be giving most of it away to friends…

This Laura Geller baked blush is in the shade Tropic Hues. It’s a pretty shimmery coral/pink. I think this would be really pretty in the spring/summer seasons. I have tried Laura Geller blushes before and they are very nice — light and shimmery.

I love LORAC lip glosses. They are so comfortable and not sticky at all. I haven’t tried their liquid lips. I wear nudes and pinks, so this isn’t for me, but I have a friend who will love it!

The eyeliner has a tiny pizza cutter like roller on the applicator. This is to roll it on your eyelids. I am not an eyeliner expert, but I tried this and it’s really hard to use! I’ll see if my daughter can figure it out.

This is the Pretty Vulgar Nightingale palette. It’s a cool toned, smoky palette. I think this will be really nice for fall and winter! I have these types of shades, so I will be passing it on, but it’s pretty and the packaging is fun!

This is the one item I’m keeping out of the September box. I LOVE theses brushes! The green handles are fun and the brushes work really well. I have already used these. I really enjoy getting quality eye brushes!

So, I think this is a nice box. The items will make great gifts. I think I may be on product overload, though. I think I’m going to keep BoxyCharm until December to see if I get the next BoxyLuxe.

Do you get BoxyCharm or did you get BoxyLuxe this month (lucky)? What did you think of the September box?

Ulta 21 Days of Beauty Haul!

Hi all! I wanted to share a few things I picked up during Ulta’s recent 21 Days of Beauty. I didn’t go crazy, which is good. I picked up a couple of things I needed and a couple of impulse buys as well!

I actually shopped in the last couple of days of the sale. I had been tempted buy other items, but I waited for the one main item I wanted to get, Laura Geller’s Balance-n-Brighten Baked Color Correcting Foundation!

I bought this last year in Fair and loved it! I used it up in a few months and hadn’t purchased it since. I have been using other liquid and powder foundations, but this one has been on my mind.

It is so silky and glides across the skin. And I love that it doesn’t settle into my pores. The regular price is $32, but it was on sale for $16.50. Amazing! That’s all I was going to get that day, but then I saw this:

So pretty! I love Laura Geller’s packaging!

Laura Geller’s Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator Palette! This is normally $32 and was on sale for $19.50. (I love it so much when prestige makeup brands go on sale!)

I’ve been wanting to try these for a while and they are so pretty. I think my favorite is Gilded Honey, it will be perfect for Fall, but Ballerina surprised me. It’s really pretty on. I usually wear more ivory highlighters, so these are a nice change! (swatches below)

I ended up also visiting Ulta on the last day of the sale for this mascara!

Benefit Cosmetics Roller Lash Super Curling & Lifting Mascara. This is $24 and was on sale for $12. This was on sale earlier in the 21 Days, but they added it for the last day.

I’ve been wanting to try this for a while and it did not disappoint. The brush grabs all my lashes and curls and extends them. It also adds so much volume! I think I may have found one to rival my current faves — IT Cosmetics Superhero and L’Oreal Lash Paradise!

I had also seen in the add that this was going to be on sale — but I had the hardest time choosing a shade!

butter LONDON Glazen Eye Gloss in Oil Slick. Normally $24, it was on sale for $12. This was the darkest color in the bunch. I loved that the color shifts in the light. I have swatched it below so you can see.

The texture of this is so weird! It’s like a slimy mousse. I apply it with my finger onto my eye lid. It dries very quickly, so if I want a more dramatic look, I have to layer it.

This was a total impulse buy!

Benefit Cosmetics ka-BROW! Cream-Gel Eyebrow Color With Brush. This is also $24 and was on sale for $12.

I have dark, thick brows. The most I usually do with them is tweeze and use clear brow gel. But as I get older, my brows are becoming sparser, so a little color probably should be used. I got shade 4, which is medium to dark brown with a neutral undertone. If I use black brow products, it’s way to dark on my fair skin, so this is very nice. It looks natural on and it easy to use with the brush.

Here are my swatches:

The top row is the Laura Geller Swirled palette in Ballerina, Gilded Honey and Peach Glow. The bottom row is the eyebrow and the Glazen shadow. The first is two layers and the second is one sheer layer.

Did you shop Ulta’s 21 days of Beauty? What did you get?