Out of the Archives

There's something great about checking out a blog and seeing a brand new, pristine product. A never-before-touched item takes a fabulous picture, and can definitely make someone want to run out and try it for themselves! However, as a true makeup junkie, I think that there's something equally if not more special about a well used, clearly loved item! It's nice to check out what people are actually using among their collection instead of merely documenting, and seeing some "more senior" items makes me nostalgic for the particular time in my life in which I procured them. The that end, in a fit of weeding through my makeup, I came upon some of my old, dear products and thought I'd share!

Stila Double Duty Peach Palette
This palette has to be 5 years old (and I half-heartedly apologize to all of the beauty magazine editors who exclaim that we should toss makeup items after a year or so) but is still one of the best, most versatile palettes ever made in my opinion. It contains shadows in Buff, Brick, Twig and Amber, and blushes in Persimmon and Tint. These are the older Stila single eye shadows that had an amazingly smooth, creamy texture and were uber-pigmented. Stila single blushes were THE blushes to have before NARS came about and every time I use these I remember why--they're subtle but gorgeously color the cheek and brighten the face. The palette features a huge mirror, perfect for travel to boot. After all of these years, the products haven't changed texture or given any indication that they've gone 'off' and so it will remain well-loved in my collection until it's used up!

Calvin Klein Cosmetics Eye Shadow Palette
While there have been three incarnations of Calvin Klein Cosmetics, all of which rode off into the makeup sunset, it is the second venture that I greatly loved and sorely miss. I believe that it was only at Nordstrom and Sephora, and featured a sophisticated neutral palette of products housed in chic lucite compacts. In addition to your traditional makeup items such as powder eye shadows and lipsticks, Calvin Klein has these unbelievable sheer washes of eye shadow, cream blush, sueded lip tints and mousse highlighters. Everything was wearable and flattering, and I cannot fathom why it was discontinued, and why it was relaunched several years down the line with a teenybopper flair. This eye shadow palette has served me well over the years, as has the high quality included brush, and contains colors I still haven't been able to exactly dupe (Aubergine, Granite, Almondine, Espresso and Khaki). Almondine is a flattering shimmery base, Espresso is the ideal bittersweet liner, and Khaki is super in the crease.
Chanel Glossimer Extreme in Emotion
I am completely embarrassed at how old this is, but I just cannot beat to get rid of it. I believe these debuted in 2004 or so but in my defense, the product doesn't seem to have gone bad at all. I honestly might even consider using it if it was bad, I love it so much (which is why it's still around--it's use gets rationed quite strictly and it only comes out on special occasions). The Glossimer Extremes debuted to a giant thud and bad reviews. In fact, I may be the only person who actually liked them! I think the problem was that people heard the name and expected a smooth, creamy gloss and these have no relation to their Glossimer cousins in anything but name and tube. The Extremes are dry-textured creams that apply with a doe-foot and remain soft on the lips but last forever. There really is no other product on the market like them and I find the way they feel totally addictive. They're weightless and saturated and not the kind of thing your hair will ever get stuck in. And the color. The color! Hands down the best peachy pink with holographic shimmer ever produced. From time to time I break Emotion out, head over to a beauty floor and seek a suitable alternative, but I've always left empty handed as nothing compares. I've thought about sending it to Three Custom Color Specialists for duplication but I know that there's no way they could replicate the texture and since they're my last hope for the color, if they couldn't get it quite right, I'd be despondent (okay not really, but I'd be super bummed). For now, I'll press my luck, continue to use it, and hope for the best. Chanel, bring these back!!!

So what's in your beauty archive? What favorites have you kept around for years and still enjoy? Do you like seeing old favorites on display, or do you prefer to see only pristine items?