The $25 Monthly Makeup Challenge

Some of my bloggy friends and I have decided to link up and do a new series called The $25 Monthly Makeup Challenge.  Let me explain a little about the challenge and then I'll get right into it!

The challenge: $25 each month (for a year) of quality beauty products to build or create a makeup starter kit. If the total is under the $25 allotted I'll be able to save that 'leftover' and put it towards other purchases. 

This challenge is based on the desire to build (or add to) your makeup arsenal.  Although, I am always one for a good deal and the most 'bang for your buck' I do believe in splurging and one of my favorite things to spend money on is beauty! For this challenge the products you purchase aren't necessarily the cheapest (this isn't going to show off how much makeup I can get for $25) but these are products I have been wanting to purchase, try or add to my makeup collection.  Each month I will be sharing my purchase, why I chose that item, tips and if I have an regrets etc. 

I'm really excited about sharing some of my favorites- some will be high end and others you'll be able to find in your local drugstore.  Regardless of price- I'm going to focus on quality and there are certain drugstore items I find as good (or better) than other higher priced options.

This month I wanted to buy a 'fun' item and keep the cost a little lower (so I can put the extra towards another purchase in the up coming months).  I decided on a lip product.  Truth be told, I used to ignore my lips almost entirely.  I played up my eyes so much in my younger years I thought I wasn't supposed to do my lips too.  Also, my lips are on the smaller side, not no-existent but certainly not full.  With age has come wisdom and I now realize I can use lipsticks and lip products to enhance what I'm working with naturally.

I purchased Benefit Silky Finish Lipstick in Breathless.  I chose this because I prefer a dewy look on my lips (Benefit has a Full Finish Lipstick, too) and this product looks like gloss but it's not sticky at all.  It gives a subtle hint of color without drawing too much attention. It's a buildable color too, so if I wanted, I could apply more coats to get a deeper berry color (although it's described as a grape color I think it's much more of a berry).

The price of this product is $18.  The size is large, the color choices are gorgeous and the quality is amazing.  You can find this at Ulta, Sephora and other similar stores or online (Amazon).

TOTAL this month: $19.67
Leftover: $5.33
Next Month's Budget: $30.33