Shopping My Stash: The Fall Eyeshadow Palette

I've been feeling pretty uninspired lately, both on the daily make-up front and post ideas. It's simply more challenging to find exciting products to use and talk about when you're on a very limited shopping allowance - which in turn leads to an increased itch to buy new products. In the past, I would have probably thrown in the towel at this point, making the excuse that I 'need' new stuff to blog about, and with that mental gateway, I would somehow feel less guilty about another redundant purchase.

But I'm not about that life anymore. So instead, I decided to burrow deep into my stash and play with some beautiful, fall-appropriate eyeshadows. Some of these I've been already using regularly in my everyday eye looks, but most I frankly forgot about, having them conveniently stored out of the way in various freeform palettes. One lazy afternoon, I sat down at my vanity and slowly picked out ten eyeshadows in warm coppers, bronzes, taupes, olive greens and muted purples across many different brands, low and high-end, mainstream and indie. The unexpected result of my swatching session was that I found myself genuinely surprised at how some of these shadows looked on my skin; I did not remember the different undertones at all! It just goes to show that I'm really not all that aware of the products I've kept in my collection even after various declutters, and that all of my eyeshadows deserve to be pulled out once in a while to jog my memory - or to help me make the decision whether to keep or donate them.

Let's start with the warm brown/ copper/ rosy taupe group. Left to right: Wet n'Wild metallic rosy copper from a Limited Edition Dancing In The Clouds trio, Too Faced Honey Pot from the Natural Eye palette, Fyrinnae Witchy Woodland Creatues (pressed in the tiny round pan), Stila Whim from In the Moment palette, Burberry Midnight Brown (old formula).

L-R: Wet n'Wild Dancing In The Clouds, Too Faced Honey Pot, Fyrinnae Witchy Woodland Creatures, Stila Whim, Burberry Midnight Brown

Now for some golden olives and cool-toned silvery and purple shades. Left to right: Fyrinnae Newcastle (pressed in the tiny round pan), Rouge Bunny Rouge Aged Bronze from the Chronos palette, Stila Diamond Lil', Rouge Bunny Rouge Eclipse Eagle, Stila Captivate from the In The Moment palette.

All shadows were packed on with a flat shader brush over Fyrinnae Pixie Epoxy, which for some reason - maybe I've had mine for too long - caused the pigments NOT to adhere well to the skin, giving my swatches a slightly patchy appearance (especially on the olive shades on the left). I wasn't happy about that, and decided to say farewell to that eyeshadow base. See, I'm downsizing any chance I get :)

Angled to show shimmer: Fyrinnae Newcastle, Rouge Bunny Rouge Aged Bronze

Stila Diamond Lil, Rouge Bunny Rouge Eclipse Eagle, Stila Captivate

Big thank you to Resident Witch, who inspired me to have fun with all the fall-themed shades in my stash - go check her post out! If you've also been feeling the itch to get some new shadows (Is it because of the new limited edition Holiday releases? 'Tis the least wonderful time of the year for anyone trying to curb their shopping habit...), I encourage you to take a good look at all the different singles, duos and palettes that you already own and have a nice leisurely session swatching anything and everything that looks interesting. It's a great exercise in enjoying the beautiful products we have, and you'll be surprised at how many shades are nothing like what you remember them being. Here's to rediscovering new fall favorites!