Shopping My Stash: Recently Rediscovered Favorites

To counteract the low from my previous post on all the products I don't want to be using anymore, I thought I'd share some of my recently rediscovered favorites from the depths of my make-up stash. To be honest with you, with both the Project Make A Dent and the Project 10 Pan going on at the same time, I often need to force myself not to completely neglect the rest of my collection. I've been so focused on making some progress in the lip products chosen for these challenges, for example, that I honestly don't remember the last time I wore something else on my lips, unless it was specifically for testing and reviewing on the blog. That's a bit sad - I guess I'm maybe a wee bit too driven to do well in my panning projects, lol.

I still think it's very important to keep rotating the products in your routine, either by means of a weekly/ bi-weekly make-up basket or tray, or just switching them ad hoc out once in a while, or maybe even seasonally, when you want to pull in some specific shades to keep you inspired. It's good to know what you own, and it's good to check once in a while if the products you loved in the past are still favorites - and if it turns out they're not anymore, just pass them on to someone more appreciative.

Anyway, here are a couple things I've been enjoying lately. Since I don't have any bronzers in either of my panning projects, I've been making an effort to switch out between the four I own on a monthly basis, usually in the order of their depth (as my skin gets to its darkest shade - by which I mean about NW15 - by the end of the summer/ early fall). Now that it's September, I've been using theBalm Bahama Mama Bronzing Powder, which is a beautiful matte bronzer, but so dark on my fair skintone that I have to be very careful with how I use it. For that reason, I've paired it with my EcoTools Fan Brush, which gives me a lot of control in terms of placement, as well as a sheerer application. If you have a pretty dark bronzer in your stash that you're scared to use, definitely try applying it with a fan brush; it makes a big difference!

On my cheeks, I've gone back to using Tarte's 12-Hour Amazonian Clay Blush in Dazzled (reviewed here), which is the perfect early fall blush shade with just a hint of plum. I have to say that I'm not absolutely swooned by the Amazonian Clay formula - it's a bit hard in the pan, and requires multiple layers and lots of blending to show up on my cheeks. But once I get it on, it's really beautiful, so I keep reaching for it again and again.

I've also been rotating through my powder eyeshadows regularly (mostly in pre-made palettes and my Z-Palettes), but haven't really been loving anything in particular. One thing I discovered while playing with my eyeshadow pans is that Surratt's Eyeshadow in Scintillante (reviewed and swatched here) makes for a fabulous highlighter on the face as well. Its delicate, refined sheen looks gorgeous on the top of the cheekbones, and it's just the right amount of glow for everyday.

See that giant crack? The other Benefit Creaseless Cream I have in the original packaging doesn't seem to dry out like that - this crack started to appear just a couple months after I've purchased No Pressure :( It's still creamy though.

I also gave my overworked Maybelline Bad to the Bronze Color Tattoo a short rest just before our holiday break, since I knew I would be using it all the time while in Tuscany, and in the meantime, I played around a bit with the Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow in No Pressure (reviewed here). You know, I do think I slightly prefer the Benefit's cream eyeshadow formula over the Maybelline - it's just softer and easier to blend out. The bronzy taupey shade of No Pressure, even though it looks very similar to Bad to the Bronze at first glance, somehow looks a bit prettier once it's on the eyes; it's a bit smoother (doesn't pick up on the texture of the skin on my lids) and the added gold microglitters give it a bit more interest, either when worn alone or paired with a powder eyeshadow over the top.

For the lips, I've been mostly focusing on all the products in my Projects, but I will tell you this - after my bad run with some lip glosses I've been testing recently, I have an even greater appreciation for my Buxom Full-on Lip Polish (I have the shade Dolly, reviewed here) and the Full-on Lip Cream (Cherry Flip, reviewed here). These are just some damn fine glosses, people. My mini tube of Dolly is very nearly finished *sad face*, and you know what, once I use up Cherry Flip, I will be buying another one of these Buxom glosses, or maybe I'll even get one of the Holiday kits with the different minis (probably next year - I don't think Cherry Flip could be all finished before November).

Wearing all my rediscovered favorites on the face; base is Estee Lauder Double Wear Light, brows Shu Uemura Seal Brown, lashes Mally Beauty Volumizing Mascara.

And that's it! I hope this post inspires you to go digging in your stash :) Which products have you been loving lately? Have you already started to pull out some fall-appropriate shades?