Recently, as I was reviewing and decluttering my makeup collection, I came to a couple of realizations.   First, there was a theme to some of the products I was decluttering and second, I have quite a bit of makeup in my collection that I’ve either changed my mind about liking or have too much of.  Because I’ve been so big on being more selective and taking a…minimal approach to minimalism (is that a thing?  I’m making it a thing) I figured it was worth a post so, let’s get into it:

Warm eyeshadow palettes

Despite being adamantly against the warm eyeshadow trend when it first emerged a few years ago, I somehow find myself with a handful of them in my collection. ? The last one I acquired (Too Faced’s Gingerbread Spice palette) made me realize a) I’m sick of warm palettes b) super warm shadows don’t look great on me c) I have enough of them to last me a lifetime and d) I’m sick of warm palettes (just wanted to reiterate that).  I definitely think my preference lies in palettes that have a mix of warm, neutral and cool shades or just lean more neutral/cool all over.  Ultimately I‘m scaling back on my eyeshadow purchases this year anyway, so this realization of mine is both timely and convenient.

Dark lipsticks

Now that I work from home, my preferences surrounding makeup have really changed.  I still put on makeup every day but I prefer things that are lower maintenance and that includes lip products.  Most darker lip shades work best in a matte or liquid lipstick formula which I can’t, nor have any interest in wearing, due to my chronically dry lips.  That’s why lately I’ve been sticking with nudes or mid-toned pinks/mauves for not only everyday wear but on the rare occasions we go out as well.  It’s also why I decluttered a bunch of darker lip products from my collection. It’s just so much easier not to have to worry about my lipstick getting on my teeth or around my mouth!

Pencil eyeliner

Sticking with the low-maintenance theme I have going, the next item on my list is pencil eyeliners.  Why?  Well first, I have super sensitive eyes that are often watery or itchy so I find pencil liners always smudge and give me racoon eyes by the end of the day.  Secondly, I find them a huge hassle to sharpen – somehow I always end up with shavings on my tile floor which I step in and smear around the bathroom (MR. PRL really loves this).  I’ve been using liquid liner for years so now if I’m going out, it’s what I use because it stays put and doesn’t smudge or run.  On days I don’t use a liquid liner (which is most days), I simply use a dark eyeshadow and a liner brush and it works great –  it’s easier to apply and I find it lasts longer than a pencil anyway.

Matte foundations

I feel like every year I get older, my skin gets drier – which really makes me miss my combination skin.  I’m sad that I can’t use some of the foundations I used to love and I’ve come to the determination that I need to stick to glowy/moisturizing foundations.  On the bright side, I feel like my skin always looks so much healthier with those types of foundations anyway so it’s really no love lost! ??‍♀️

Rollerball fragrances

I always used to pick up rollerball perfumes to travel with – until I realized how much they suck.  I’ve never had a fragrance applied with a rollerball last on my skin and I personally feel like smell completely different from when they’re applied with a spray nozzle as well.  Since I discovered the Travalo, I haven’t looked back and I never plan on purchasing another perfume in rollerball form!

Is there a product that you’ve stopped purchasing recently?  Let me know below!