THE MAKE-UP MIX UP: SEPTEMBER

I change my makeup like I change my clothing: daily. Sometimes I'll even change twice. With that habit though, I've come to find that a lot of my products simply get used for a little bit whilst they're new and then they get tossed to one side to sit forlornly in my stash whilst, like a floozy, I move onto my my next favourite thing.
It occurred to me the other day that in my lifetime, certainly since I began blogging, I've amassed a substantial amount of products that I've never fully used up. I hit pan on my first powder the other day and, I'm slightly ashamed to say, it's one I've had languishing in my collection for years now. It got me thinking about how many other products I've opened, used and then simply ignored more or less straight afterwards. I don't even want to think about the amount of eye shadow palettes or lipsticks I've literally only swatched and then not bothered with afterwards. Besides it being a gigantic waste of money it's also taking up valuable space that I could use for other things and it's not particularly hygienic. Whilst I fly through base products and felt tip liners these are the only things I've ever used up with regularity.  It's time for a makeup shake-up.
I've made myself a makeup wardrobe out of the products that I already own. It's a small selection - it all fits into my makeup bag - and the idea is that these are the products I'm going to use for the month. There's plenty of choice but they're all items I've been neglecting or haven't been reaching for as often as I should have been. As it's autumn and I like darker colours I've selected the things that I feel fit with my transition from summer to autumn. The idea is that I'll use some of them up completely over the next month or, at the very least, give them the attention that they rightly deserve. It's a bit like shopping the stash but over a longer period of time.

PRIMERS/FOUNDATIONS/CONCEALERS/POWDERS
I only have one face primer in my possession at the moment: Rimmel Fix and Perfect Pro Primer. I need this to make sure that my foundations don't crease as in the cooler months I find that my bases crease a lot more although I'm not entirely sure why. As I'm more into eye shadows than ever before this Helen E Cosmetics Stage Eye Shadow Primer stops everything from creasing but I want to test it further before I do a full review of it. Both foundation choices, Vichy Dermablend Fluid Corrective Foundation and Helen E Cosmetics Stage Foundation Ultimate Liquid Performance Makeup, are medium-full coverage but easy to blend and good colour matches for me. I've included the Helen E foundation to use it a lot more as it was a PR sample that I haven't really gotten around to bothering with much whilst the weather was warmer so expect a review on that to come soon. I'm almost through my Soap and Glory Kick Ass Concealer so in a bid to finally use it all up I've put it forward for this month's picks and whilst my Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer is a new addition I just can't live without it at the moment. As far as powders go I've been chipping away at the Estee Lauder Lucidity Powder in 'Translucent' for over 2 years now; even though I wear it most days I'm only half way through using it up. I've finally hit pan on my Natural Collection Pressed Powder so I'm going to continue using it just to see if I can get through it all in break-neck speed. It's great for really mattifying blemishes so that they look less obvious. BLUSH/BRONZER I have more blushes than I know what to do with but I've been favoring a couple of cream blushes over summer and neglecting my powders completely. Not only that, I've noticed that some of my FashionistA blushes have only ever been swatched before which, considering how much I love this brand's blushes, is ridiculous. I love FashionistA 'Crimson' for a flushed look - it's comparable to MAC's 'Frankly Scarlet' and you only need a touch of it because it really is highly pigmented. I've used FashionistA 'Butterscotch' a couple of times but not enough. As for FashionistA 'Blushing' and FashionistA 'Rose Shine'? They're among the shades that have never been used at all. I know - naughty me. For bronzer I thought it was best to keep it really light so I'm sticking with The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder for now.  BROWS/EYE SHADOW/MASCARA Starting with the brows, these two products are new to me but I just wanted to give my battered adored Look Beauty Brow Perfect Palette a rest and see what the wonders of pencil were. The Maybelline Master Shape Brow Pencil is something I'm currently getting to grips with whilst the Maybelline Brow Drama Sculpting Brow Mascara is providing a love-hate response at present and I want to decide either way how I truly feel about it. I've had the Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette since Christmas and it comes and goes from my favor. I at very least need to hit pan on one of the shades to make keeping it worthwhile. I'm loving these L'Oreal 24hr Infallible Eye Shadows in 'Amber Rush' and 'Bronzed Taupe' so, whilst they're not going to used up any time soon, I still want to show them a lot of love. Mascaras don't get much better than Benefit 'They're Real' but I have two of these minatures and I really need to either use them or throw them away before they dry up. I want to try other drugstore mascaras after thinking so highly of the Maybelline The Falsies Big Eyes Waterproof Mascara but I've promised myself I won't spend any more money on mascara until I've used this one up. My eyes wouldn't be complete without some form of liner so I've gone for the Rimmel Scandaleyes Precision Micro Eyeliner to wean myself off thick lines in favor of more natural thinner ones. For the days when I need some brightness added to my eyes I've chosen the Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Nude. I've had this eyeliner for the longest time and simply haven't bothered to use it with regularity. BALM/LINER/LIPSTICK/GLOSS I'm addicted to using The Body Shop Shea Lip Butter so I couldn't not include it but I'm yet to actually fully use up a lip balm of any description - maybe this could be the first? Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm For Lips is one of the best lip products on the market but somehow it's been left lurking an old handbag. I've fished it out and have already started using it again. Not only is it a balm but it can double as a clear gloss too. The one and only lip liner in this month's choices is the Max Factor Colour Elixir Lip Liner in Red Rush - I don't use it nearly as much as I should. It's last outing was before the start of 2013. Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 'Crush' is a great berry shade but sadly got disregarded in favor of 'Honey' when I bought them together. Now onto the lipsticks... A wearable pink is definitely a necessity in any makeup bag so I've plumped for MAC Amplified Cremesheen Lipstick 'Chatterbox' purely because it needs to be used and abused to make it worth the absurd price tag. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in 'Cherries In The Snow' was a gift from the gorgeous Islay that I've occasionally picked up but haven't really worn as much as I could have done. MUA Matte Lipstick in 'Wild Berry' hasn't left my lips since the moment I bought it and I know I'll fly through it quickly. Another red, but this time in a matte finish, is the Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Moss Lipstick in 107 - it's a real favourite of mine but was left to collect dust over summer. Another MAC product I really should get my money's worth out of is MAC Lipglass in 'Magnetique' - I've been reluctant to use it as I can't find the colour on the MAC website any more but I don't want it to go off or turn gloopy as I've had it for over a year now. The one gloss I'm allowing myself is the MUA Intense Kisses Lipgloss in 'Sealed With A Kiss' because it's a pretty pink-toned nude that I can use when my eye makeup is dramatic. I own all of the shades from the MUA Intense Kisses Lipgloss range and I don't use them at all.  So that's going to be my makeup 'capsule wardrobe' for the month. Just 32 products to mix and match, play around with and try to create as many looks from as possible. I'll let you know how I get on...  Could you cope with only wearing a select few items and shades every day? Or do you need your whole stash to swap and change about in? Let me know below!