Decluttering my Makeup Basket

I have this basket on top of my beauty chest of drawers, and it's supposed to hold my most used makeup (with the rest going in the top drawer). This just makes things easier to find and saves time in the morning. However, over time, more and more products are added to it, making it a cluttered mess! If I buy a new product, it'll end up in the basket. If I take something out of the top drawer, it'll end up in the basket. And yes, even hair ties end up in the basket.  So, after being strict with myself and having a good sort out, what has made the cut? 

No lip products have because they live in a lipstick container next to the basket. 

My MUA Cover & Conceal Concealer has, as well as a tube of Collection's Lasting Perfection Concealer for blemishes. On a side note, how rubbish is the packaging of this? It's a new tube, and yet the black writing has already rubbed off! 

My chosen powder is The Body Shop's All-in-One Face Base in 02 because it gives a little coverage and a silky, matte finish. 

Moving on to cheek products (I'm going through this in the order I do my makeup!). I've decided to have NYX's Cream Blush in Natural in there, as well as two Dainty Doll Powder Blushes in You Are My Sunshine and Money Talks. You Are My Sunshine is a pinky peach with golden shimmer (it looks nothing like it does in the photo), and Money Talks is a cool toned brown. It's shimmery, so I don't use it as a bronzer, but it's a nice alternative shade for blush. 

ELF's Studio Eyebrow Kit in Light has also made the cut, which is no surprise! It's all I use on my brows. 

For lining my lower lash line, I've chosen a few products. NYX's Jumbo Eye Pencil in Iced Mocha is very well loved, as you can see! And I've also chosen Maybelline's Colour Tattoos in On & On Bronze and Permanent Taupe. Permanent Taupe is matte, so I use this when I'm not in the mood for shimmer. 

I've chosen Rimmel's Scandaleyes Eyeliner in Nude for when I wish to line my waterline. I don't do this every day because it hasn't lasted well the last few times I've used it, but it's supposed to make your eyes appear bigger and brighter, and I'm all for that! 

Then, when I have the patience, I'll use L'Oreal's Perfect Slim Super Liner. I'm too lazy to use it on a day to day basis, though! 

Lastly, Maybelline's The Rocket Mascara is my current everyday mascara. I think I ended up with 6 in my basket! And although I used them all, I've decided to use one up at a time.

Do you keep your everyday makeup separate from the rest? If so, do you slowly add other products to the mix so it gradually becomes cluttered like mine?

Models Own Utopia

Models Own Utopia is the first bottle of Models Own nail polish that I've actually paid full price for! My others have come from sales, be it ones of the blog or ASOS variety. As I said in my previous post, I'm going through a phase at the moment, and am really loving these muted, off white, lilac toned shades. I'm still getting used to how they look on my nails, though! It's weird not seeing them painted with a bright coral or turquoise. Utopia is difficult to describe... if a lilac, grey, white, and a touch of nude all came together, this is what it'd look like. It took two coats to become opaque and I had no problems with the formula, so it gets high marks from me. I'm tempted to add some nail art to it because it's the perfect base for doing so, but don't want to ruin it!

What do you think of Utopia? Do you like shades like this?

Current Nail Polish Phase

Essie Go Ginza, Models Own Utopia, Barry M Matte Vanilla

These are the last three polishes I've purchased, and I can't help but notice a theme! Light, muted, muddy tones of lilac (especially the last two). I just think they're understated, feminine, chic, and make great bases for nail art or glitter. These opinions are relatively new, though. I would have stayed far away from the likes of Utopia and Vanilla before this month. I actually remember thinking Utopia looked a little like cement a year or two ago. You see, I normally prefer shades that fit nicely into a colour category, instead of in between, can't-quite-describe shades like the above. I liked lilacs, and I liked nudes, but would never have bought these shades. I've already swatched Go Ginza here, and will be painting my nails with either Utopia or Vanilla this weekend. 

Do you go through nail polish phases? I was all about different shades of red not long back, be it corals or berries. I'm really liking the feminine, off white shades at the moment, though, and am desperate to get my hands on Sinful Colours' Easy Going!

Stocking Up on Essentials

My essentials were running low, so thought I'd stock up while some of them were on offer! I either use TRESemme or Alberto Balsam Shampoo & Conditioner, with my favourite being the Strawberries and Cream scent. I couldn't find it on the shelves anywhere, though, so when I found it online at Chemist Direct, I bought 4 bottles (98p-£1.04). I did want to buy 8, but restrained myself. To make up for the postage cost, I also bought the Pomegranate, and Mandarin & Papaya, shampoos and conditioners, which are also difficult to find in stores. From Superdrug, I bought another tube of the Superdrug Vitamin E Hot Cloth Cleanser because it was just £3.32! With this, I bought two more packs of Simple's 80 Baby Moisturising Wipes for 99p each (they're normally £1.99) and MUA's Cover & Conceal Concealer for £1.50. A few days later, I noticed that Maybelline's The Rocket Mascara was £3 off and buy one get one half price, so I bought two for just £3.74 each! It's one of my favourite mascaras, so I was pretty chuffed with that. Lastly, from eBay, I bought ELF's Studio Eyebrow Kit in Light for £5.99. It's normally £3.75 on ELF's website, but the postage makes it more expensive, and I didn't want to buy anything else, so bought it from eBay to save a little bit of money. I've been using the Medium shade of this kit for years because I thought Light would be too... light! But it actually suits my eyebrows more.

Do you stock up on your essentials? Or wait until you've finished them before repurchasing?

Essie Go Ginza

(Instagram photo)

I'm not happy with my application of this, but I just had to show you the shade because I have nothing like it in my collection! As you can see, it's so much lighter than my other lilacs. I found myself looking at swatches of Go Ginza on Thursday, and then found it in the ASOS sale for £5, so it was meant to be. I was a little apprehensive about paying that, though, because I'm used to Fragrance Direct's £1.99 price tag, but once I found a student discount code (making the polish £4.50) and realised they were giving me free next day delivery (worth £5.95), I couldn't resist. The formula was good, taking just two coats. The first coat was streaky, but a second evened everything out. For such a light shade, I was expecting to have more issues. I really like it, and think it would look even better paired with a light coloured glitter!

What do you think? Are you a fan of lilacs? I personally love them, and deep berry shades, but tend to stay away from the purples in between.

How much is my face worth?

I did this tag two and half years ago, with my total being £38.95. I thought it'd be interesting to do it again and see how much my face is worth now! If you're unfamiliar with this tag, you simply gather all the cosmetics you use on a daily basis and add up their prices. So, here goes:

MUA Cover & Conceal Concealer in Fair - £1.50

The Body Shop All-in-One Face Base in 02 - £14

NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Natural - £5.50

ELF Studio Eyebrow Kit in Light - £3.75

Maybelline Colour Tattoo Cream Eyeshadow in On & On Bronze - £4.99

Maybelline The Rocket Mascara in Very Black - £7.99

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey - £7.99

Total = £45.72

Not too bad! I thought it'd be more than that. I'd also like to point out that I've given the full prices of items, but I rarely pay this. For example, I only paid £8 for The Body Shop All-in-One Face Base because I used a code, and the Maybelline and Revlon products were bought with my 10% off student discount. Also, the products I use day to day do vary a little, but the ones above are my most used. My blush and lip colour change often, but I use products around the same value. I also wear liquid eyeliner when I can be bothered!

How much is your face worth?

New Favourites

In order to write 'monthly favourites', you need to be trying new products (unless you wish to feature the same products every month!). My favourites usually stay favourites, and I don't buy that many new products, so had a hard time keeping them up! So I started writing 'new favourites' and realised earlier that I hadn't written one in a while. The products above are products that haven't been featured much on Affordable Treats, but I've been using them a lot recently, so thought I'd talk a bit more about them.

A couple months ago, I wanted a face powder with a little coverage, so purchased The Body Shop's All-in-One Face Base in 02. It's £14 full price, but I paid around £8 with a code. The Body Shop always has a great offer on, so you'll never have to pay full price for something! It gives me a little coverage and a soft, matte finish. For areas which need more coverage/mattifying than others, I pat the product on with my finger. I use this technique around my eyes the most because they tend to get quite oily and red. You can apparently apply it wet for even more coverage, too.

Sticking with The Body Shop, I've been loving the Mango Body Mist. I've loved this for months, and am running very low! £7.50 full price, but I've never paid that for my mists (I also have the coconut and berry varieties, which are also great). My sister also loves this and has about 4 bottles stored away!

Another fragrance I've been loving is Marc Jacobs Daisy Eau So Fresh Sunshine Edition. I was gifted this from the people at Fragrance Direct, wrote a post about it, and have been wearing it ever since. I've been wearing it even more than usual recently, though, which is odd for me because I'm more of a body mist kind of girl. I've been pairing this with the Mango Body Mist, actually. The light floral and fruity scents go well together. It's a nice, happy medium of the both.

I bought the Organic Surge Blissful Daily and Super Intensive Moisturisers during their sale for just over £2 each, and I'm so glad I did! They're both very moisturising, but light at the same time, and sink into the skin quickly. Even the intense one is suitable for the day, and I have combination skin! It has a light scent of rose, and the daily variety smells of lemon. They're £8.49-£8.99 full price, which is very reasonable, and I'd be happy to pay that.

I use ELF's Small Angled Brush to fill in my eyebrows, but find it too thick to apply eyeliner with eyeshadow. Enter MUA's £1.50 Eyebrow Brush. It's very thin and dense, making it perfect for eyeliner. 

Do you use any of these products? What products have you been loving recently?