Inventory 2012: Primers

Primers, eh? Some people love them, some people think they're a giant scam. Then there's the search for the exact right one for you. Me, I'm on the fence. I use them, but I don't really love them. My favourite is Face of Australia Face Base, but it doesn't do a lot to extend the life of my makeup, it just feels nice and adds a smooth base so my face doesn't feel tight during the day. As for eye primers, I'm one of those who thinks good old UDPP is highly over-rated. It does nothing to combat oily eyelids and creasing for me - in fact, I prefer my $7 NYX eye primer, and even that's not so great. I haven't tried TFSI, which I'm told is the bomb. It's on my wishlist - I intend to get some this year. Lately I've been having some luck with Coastal Scents Shadow Worx - it's way better than UDPP for me, and seems to stay the distance pretty well.

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector Daily All-in-One BB Cream: I hated this stuff when I first used it, BB cream my arse. I thought I'd thrown it out, and when Anita did a post about how she used it for primer with great success, I was all, "Awwww, missed opportunity. Sad face." But then I found it in a drawer (it was the medium one I gave away - early Alzheimer's alert!) - it really is a miracle! It does make a nice enough primer. Terrible, terrible BB Cream, though. Terrible even for a tinted moisturiser, which is exactly what it is.

Face of Australia Face Base 3 in 1: I love the original so I had high hopes for this version with sunscreen included. It's very sunscreeny. That's all I have to say about it. I do use it in summer, though - every little bit counts. (Oh, and by the way - Miracle Skin Perfector - no sunscreen!)

Face of Australia Face Base Primer with Vitamin E and Chamomile: Aaaaah, my old favourite. I've been using this for a few years, ever since a lovely girl on the Beauty Heaven forums (who seems to have disappeared, as I did from there when it kept getting too dramariffic) recommended it. Cheap as chips and gives me a nice base to work over. As I said above though, does nowt to increase the longevity of one's face. On me, anyway.

Benefit The Porefessional: Meh. Super expensive product that in my opinion isn't worth the price. It does initially do some smoothening (it's a word - I made it one ages ago) of the pores and wrinkly bits, but it makes my face feel greasy after a while, no matter how tiny an amount I use. And it certainly doesn't keep my makeup on all day. I use it occasionally around my t-zone and that's about it.

L'Oreal Base Magique Transforming Smoothing Primer: I was sent this to trial by Beauty Heaven, and I find it has similar issues to The Porefessional. I also really dislike the jar packaging - I hate sticking my fingers in primers and things. It should at least come with a wee spatula like the Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch (which this is very similar to) does. No likey.

NYX HD High Definition Eye Shadow Base: Looks, feels and acts exactly like UDPP, but on me lasts a bit better. Not fantastic, but good enough for most normal days.

Urban Decay Primer Potion: Along with Clarins Beauty Flash Balm and Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair, one of those cult products that everyone loves but does pretty much nothing for me. I always seem to have at least one around because they come free with palettes and stuff, but I've never bought one.

Coastal Scents Shadow Worx: Surprisingly good! I'm not a fan of Coastal Scents in general, but they knocked one out of the park here. And you only need a teeny bit so it will last FOREVER. I think they come in different formulations (matte, shimmer, etc), but I just have a bog standard one. Definitely my most used.

Detrivore Cosmetics Eye Primer: Not really a "primer" primer as such - more of a base. I still need to have UDPP or Shadow Worx or something under it as it does nothing to stop creasing, but it's great for making colours brighter. I use it with any loose shadows as it helps them to stick as well. 

NYX Eyeshadow Base White: Again, a base rather than a primer, and does nothing to stop creasing or fading. It does make colours brighter though, pretty much a pot version of the NYX Milk Jumbo Eye Pencil, but not as thick. I usually use it for swatching and not much else.

So that's it, again pretty much a reasonably sized collection. Don't worry, folks - Crazy Town is definitely on the itinerary. We'll get there soon!

Inventory 2012: Foundations and Powders

I don't tend to go too crazy with foundations - mostly because I have a holy grail that I mostly stick with (Chanel Mat Lumiere), and because it galls me to pay the price we do here for drugstore foundations. Of the drugstore ones I have, 3 were given to me and two were bought during a "3 for $30" sale in Priceline.

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream SPF42+++ Light Beige: I kind of hate this - it's very grey and though it's meant to adapt to skin colour I don't feel that it does entirely. It also feels quite heavy. I'm going to try adding some tinted moisturiser to see if I can make it work any better for me.
Chanel Mat Lumiere in Cendre: My holy grail, sliiiiightly too yellow but the next one down is way too light for me.
Maybelline Fit Me in #220 (too dark/yellow) and #120 (too light/pink): Mixed together they are a good colour for me; I want to try to get hold of a pump bottle so I can mix a good amount instead of having to do a teeny bit every time (I always end up with too much and then it gets wasted).
Maybelline Age Rewind Eraser Treatment Makeup #190 Nude: Again a bit too yellow but I can get away with it, and as drugstore foundations go, I really like this one.
Face of Australia Photo Finish Compact Foundation Ivory: I don't know in what world this could be considered Ivory. I have light (though not pale) skin, and I generally use the 2nd or 3rd colour in a range. Anything called Ivory is usually a bit too light for me. This one is way too dark. I don't like the feel of it either - it feels very masky. However, I have found that it makes a nice, super subtle contour colour so I keep it around.
Random sidenote: I have recently noticed a great similarity between David Jones makeup and FOA makeup. I have a suspicion the same place makes both brands, so might be worth checking out if one or the other is cheaper. 
Face of Australia Stick Foundation Outback Beige: I have a secret love of stick foundations (you couldn't prise me away from my Max Factor Pan Stik in the early 90s), so I really wanted to love this but it's too heavy, too thick and too yellow. It's also too dark, but again works well as an almost imperceptible contour (got that idea from a YouTuber, by the way - either Wayne Goss or Pixiwoo, can't remember).
Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser SPF20 Nude: LOVE. This is absolutely the best tinted moisturiser I have ever used, and worth every cent. It gives nice coverage without feeling heavy or greasy, and it lasts a good while. Holy grail.

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural Medium: I'm not that big a fan of MAC so I only discovered this fairly recently - maybe a couple of months ago. I LOVE IT. I use it with the Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser and it provides the perfect hot weather coverage - lasts most of the day, doesn't feel heavy and doesn't look cakey. I buff it in with my Everyday Minerals flat top kabuki.

Chanel Poudre Douce #50 Mimosa: I never use this anymore - it's several years old and looking a bit mank, but I can't bring myself to throw it out. It's Chanel!
DMK Cosmetics Pro-Set Loose Powder HD Clear: I think Jade sent me this, and I've only used it a couple of times, but when I did I quite liked it because it's super finely milled and doesn't sit heavily on the skin. It's very similar to the ELF High Definition powder, which is itself a dupe of MUFE HD powder, so I'm assuming this is DMK's version of those kinds of things. 
Palladio Rice Powder Translucent: This was so cheap - $5US from Makeupgeek. I don't really use powder all that often as I don't much like it, but when I do, this tends to be the one I reach for most often. It's just a very finely milled translucent powder. Nothing fancy, does the job.

There you go - not too bad, eh? With this and the mascara post, I think I'm coming off as a pretty regular type of chick. Which is why I'm saving the eyeshadows until last...

Skin 79 BB Cream Miniature Set

A couple of months ago Wayne Goss did a video about BB creams, where he just announced that they were all pretty much a scam and not to bother with them. After people quickly pointed out that there was a huge difference between Asian BB creams and Western BB creams, he wrote a disclaimer in the video notes stating that he had been talking about Western BB creams. Considering that Asian BB creams make up about 90% of the market, and he hadn't stated in the video he was talking specifically about Western BB creams, he made himself look like a dickhead. And there is no point to me telling this story other than to say, do your research before you shoot your mouth off, lest you look foolish in front of your audience.

Having said that, it is true that there is a difference, and that Western BB creams are - by and large - not really BB creams, but tinted moisturisers (looking at you, Garnier). Asian BB creams are hardcore.

I heard about these ones in a video that Kat from Beauty by Kitty did recently. Honestly, BB creams are not really my thing - I've tried a few and wasn't overly jazzed with them, but I had a look at the My BB Cream website while I was watching the video and found that they had a trial kit of 4 different creams for $18, so I figured it wasn't much of a loss to have a go.

Shipping was about $6 and it arrived really quickly - from memory I ordered it on a weekend and got it on the Tuesday. It comes in a little box, and there were several sachet samples thrown in as well. I think it would have been better to include samples of different products from the ones I was actually buying, but oh well - a freebie's a freebie, amirite?

Now this is going to be a mega post, so I'm cutting it. Click the linkie if you wish to continue!

Inventory 2012: Mascara

This is a blatant attempt to redeem myself after last week's blush debacle. This is my mascara inventory. One open and one back up. Like a normal person would have.

 

I AM A NORMAL PERSON.

Elf Cream Eyeshadow in Eggplant

Like so many other low end drugstore brands (Milani, NYX, etc), ELF has been fancifying itself of late. This means that newer products are not in the same price range as their previous offerings, but it also means that that quality is far, far better. If you've ever had any experience with those rubbishy $1 cream eyeshadow duos they have, you'll know what I mean.

I was only vaguely aware of the newer cream eyeshadows and didn't have much interest in them, as I'd pretty much written ELF off as a brand I wasn't going to dally with anymore. They do have some good products, but they are so hit and miss that you have to sift through a lot of duds to find that occasional gem. However, when I was hauling in the recent Crush Cosmetics sale, I happened across them and figured why not just go totally random and try some things I'd never tried before? I wanted the bronze coloured one but it was sold out, so I got Eggplant instead.

The packaging is quite bulky - as you can see it takes up a good piece of real estate on my chunky paw. I imagine these would be a bit of a pain in the butt for storage and travel if you had a collection of them, and since the product itself doesn't take up much space inside, the packaging seems unnecessarily over the top. The container is plastic, but it's quite solid and has a nice, hefty feel. I don't feel like the lid is all that tight and secure though, so I do wonder how long these will last without drying out.

It takes a bit of work to smooth this out - not much, but if you just do a quick swipe it's a bit uneven, and you have to come back and smooth it over. For the price, that's not a deal breaker for me. It's quite opaque and the colour I chose is lovely - it reminds me a lot of NARS Ondine, and in fact I intend to try layering that over the ELF sometime this week and see how they look together.

Swatch in natural (overcast) light.
 

Swatch under Tungsten light.

I tried out this eyeshadow yesterday when it was 35 degrees here in Adelaide (I stayed inside but don't have air con), and it lasted all day without creasing. I have oily eyelids, so I was mightily impressed with that, I can tell you. I had such low expectations of this, and I was amazed when I went to take my face off after dinner and the shadow was all still there!

In short, for a drugstore cream eyeshadow, this is a performer. The only downside is the bulky (and possibly not completely air tight) packaging and the fact that the shade range doesn't seem all that great, though that might just be what's available to us Aussies. You can get ELF from Crush Cosmetics (currently 25% off at $7.50AUD) or the Australian ELF website ($9.99AUD). The cream eyeshadows don't seem to be available from the other Aussie-accessible source, Nonpareil.  Bummer.

Yesterday I spent the day wearing a lot of weird, random products on my face because I was testing out various things and I knew I wasn't going anywhere for most of the day. There was a bit of a Baby Jane thing going on - I'm pretty sure I freaked Noodles' BFF's mum out a bit when she came to pick up her kid in the late afternoon. Anyway, one of the first things I applied was this eyeshadow, because I wanted to get it on early and see how long it lasted. The first thing that struck me is how nice it is for green eyes. Observe:

And no, there will be no subsequent Baby Jane pictures.

Tell me if you have any of these and what you think of them. I want more, but I am trying to resist, as my inventory is freaking me out a bit. Luckily there aren't any other super exciting colours available that I would be itching to get my hands on!

Inventory 2012: Blush

After nail polish and bronzer, the beauty product I have the least interest in is blush. I have naturally red cheeks and spend a lot of time and effort concealing them, so to then pile on a ton of colour on top of that seems silly to me. I like a smidgeon of a sheer, low pigmentation blush just to make myself look alive and that's pretty much it. For quite a few years I had two blushes - a peachy-pink matte one and a brownish one with a tiny bit of shimmer. And despite those being my only ones I never got through them - I ended up throwing them out when they looked scuzzy. That's how little blush I would generally use.

So what went wrong...

The interesting thing about doing this inventory is how deluded I am about what I own. In Liz's blush inventory post, I commented that I thought I had about 15-20 blushes, and even when I was writing that comment I distinctly remember thinking it was probably closer to 15, and possibly not even that many. So how many do I have? 31. Yes you read that correctly.

In my defence, with the exception of one MAC blush and one Joey New York blush, they are all drugstore brands. Given my general disinterest in these things, I would never consider paying for a luxury brand blush. I know lots of people do and adore them, and more power to them. I've seen many that look absolutely gorgeous, but I know that I would never give them the appreciation they deserve.

Also, I have only acquired the Beauty UK and the NYX Stick Blushes in the last week, so at the time I commented to Liz, I wasn't as far off on my estimate as I am now. Okay, I'm reaching. DON'T JUDGE ME.

Beauty UK Peaches and Cream and Wild Berry, MAC Honour, Milani Luminoso, Rose D'Oro, Luminous

iNuovi blushes Aura, Chiffon, Whisper, Entice

NYX Angel, Natural, Peach, Taupe

ELF Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder Duo, ELF Glow, Innocence, Shy

Face of Australia Pressed Powder Bronze (technically a bronzer but mega shimmery so I use it as blush), Revlon Matte Rose Rapture, Wet'n'Wild Color Icon Pearlescent Pink, Sleek Rose Gold, Joey New York Faith, some random from unknown brand that came in one of those monthly boxes

NYX Cream Blush Boho Chic, Rose Petal, Maybelline Dream Mousse Peach Satin, Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush Fresh Pink, NYX Stick Blush in Hibiscus, Orchid, Tulip

Let me know if you want swatches, and tell me how many you have (unless you only have 5, in which case I hate you). I'll be in my shame closet thinking about what I've done.

Crush Cosmetics Sale Haul

I don't normally pay much attention to Crush Cosmetics, because most of the time the stuff I would want from there I can get cheaper from Nonpareil or Cherry Culture, even when shipping is taken into account. The only advantage to buying from Crush is that you get the package within a couple of days, and since I'm used to buying online from overseas, the waiting part doesn't faze me. I'm on their mailing list but I usually bin their emails without even looking at them.

However, recently they had a sale with 20% off everything, and sent out an email saying, "Only a few hours to go! Hurry up, everyone!" and for some reason, I clicked those links at 10pm at night and there I was. Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that they now carry Beauty UK products, I probably wouldn't have bothered with anything else. But I am a GRADE A SUCKER for UK drugstore brands so I was reeled in. And of course, once I'd bought a couple of products from that brand I had to throw in a few other things to make the shipping worthwhile, and then I hit a certain level where I qualified for free shipping, so hey - in that case why not grab a couple more things? Yeah, you all know the online shopping freefall.

I took these pictures close to dusk so the colour definition isn't great, but I was itching to get the photos done so I could start sticking my fingers in things.

Brush Guards: A whim, one of the things I added once I hit free shipping. I have some fluffy eye and face brushes that have gotten a bit splayed (bloody Sigma) so I'm curious to see if these help get them back into shape.

ELF Eyelash Curler: I had been wanting a Tweezerman curler for years and I finally lashed out (ha, see what I did there!) and got some at Christmas after my old drugstore ones had kicked the bucket and I HATE them. I don't know if one of my eyes is a weird shape or what but they pinch the lid of my left eye, and if I position them so they don't, only half my lashes get curled. Total bummer. So many people rave about the ELF ones (and emilynoel83 is always singing their praises), so I figured for a few dollars it couldn't hurt to give them a go.

Sleek Pout Paint in Milkshake: One of those things I was vaguely curious to try one of these days and a sale seemed as good a time as any. The colour selection didn't look all that great on the website - after Googling for swatches this was the only one I liked out of the shades available. It's quite bright but I think I can make it work. It's a stayer - Noodles was complaining several days and at least two showers later that the stain was still on her hand.

ELF Cream Eyeshadow in Eggplant: I don't know a lot about these and I'm not sure whether they're not widely talked about because they're crappy or because not that many people know about them. I wanted Bronzed but it was sold out so I went for a purply one. It's a pretty colour - I will swatch it over the weekend some time.

Beauty UK Baked Blushers in Peaches and Cream and Wild Berry: I know nothing about these. As I said above, I'm just all over any chance to try UK drugstore brands so here they are! The packaging is flimsy and cheap and a bit rubbish, but the colours are pretty so I'm looking forward to trying them out.

Beauty UK Eyeshadow Palette in Earth Child: Again, know nothing about these. I've swatched a couple of shades and the pigmentation is good. It looks a lot like the 88 palettes so I'm assuming it comes from the same mysterious Chinese factory that they come out of. I soooo don't need another neutral palette (or, let's face it - any palette ever again), but I can't resist one that has greens in it.

Wet'n'Wild Color Icon Trio in Walking on Eggshells: I owned this for a while after buying it on Nonpareil, but it sat unopened in my drawer so I ended up getting rid of it in a blog sale. I always half regretted it though, especially after I saw emilynoel83's MAC dupe video where she compared this to some MAC shadows whose names escape me at this moment. So I bought it again. And this time I opened it (yet to use it, though).

They also sent a free Wet'n'Wild lipstick, but I'm not keen on that particular WnW lipstick and it's a yukky brown colour so I'll probably just bin it.

If you want reviews or swatches of any of this gear let me know - happy to oblige!

Inventory 2012: Lipsticks

I've mentioned before that Liz's blog is one of my favourites, not least because she posts regular inventories of her stash, and the only thing better than poking around someone's makeup collection is virtually poking around someone's makeup collection.

I could have sworn I did a makeup collection post a couple of years ago, but I can't find it, so maybe that just happened in my mind. Anyway, I've decided to steal Liz's idea and take inventory of what I have, since my attempts to curb my frittering this year have been pretty pathetic - the last couple of weeks alone I've done online shopping on eBay, Crush Cosmetics, Darling Girl, My BB Cream, Echolife (shampoo - legit purchase) and the Livejournal BPAL community. Then there was a rummage through a clearance bin in a random chemist where I picked up 4 lipsticks and a couple of eyeshadows. I'm like a bloody magpie.

The picture above is my current collection of lipsticks, which I keep in a box in my fridge. I actually think that isn't a bad number - over the past year or so I've sold, given away or thrown out probably about 50 lipsticks, and this is what I have left (including the 4 chemist ones from the other day). The problem really is that there are so many similar ones - several nude-ish pinks that are almost the same, for example. I definitely have a colour preference when it comes to lipsticks.

Anyway, this is what I have right now. I've probably swatched and/or reviewed quite a few of these, but if there's anything you'd like to have a closer look at, let me know and I'll do my best to oblige.

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipsticks Luminous Cocoa, Mochachino, Bronzed, Warm Latte, Barely Brown, Nearly There

NYX Darling, CoverGirl TruShine Petal Shine, NYX Thalia, Maybelline Color Sensational Luminous Lilac, Ice Tea, Beige Rose

Maybelline Color Sensational Mauve Diamond, Rosy Dream, Stila High Shine Natasha, CoverGirl TruShine Lilac Shine, Face of Australia Mineral Lip Shine Fairy Floss

Rimmel Airy Fairy, NYX Black Label Diva, Heiress, Dusty Rose, Maybelline Color Sensational Born With It, Lacura #108 Soft Rose

L'Oreal Colour Riche Belladonna Mauve, Maybelline Color Sensational Pink Quartz, Pink Me Up, Revlon Colorburst Carnation, MAC Syrup, Rimmel Vintage Pink

Back row: Wet'n'Wild Mega Last 904B Rose Bud, 903C Just Peachy, NYX Matte Angel, Perfect Red. Front row: Prescriptives Azalea, Revlon Colorburst Peach, Stila High Shine Sarah, NYX Watermelon

Back row: Maybelline Color Sensational Warm Me Up, Plum Riche, Maybelline Rose Metal, Lacura #100 (can't remember the name), NYX B52. Front row: NYX Peony, NYX Heather, Wet'n'Wild Mega Shield Ring Around The Rosy, Revlon Colorburst Rosy Nude

I am hoping that recording all of this will encourage me to shop my stash more and resist the urge to buy all the things. But it's SO HARD. Just now I went to Nonpareil to find out the name of one of the Wet'n'Wild lipsticks and they have a sale on new NYX products. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

And for reference, here's Liz's last lipstick inventory post. Now where's yours?

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer

Jiminy Crickets, that's a mouthful. As is always the case, these concealers have been available in the US for ages, probably a year or so. We only had them released in January. I was sent some by Jade when she had a destash and forwarded a TON of her unloved wares to moi, because she's fab.

Although I'd been itching to get my mitts on these since forever, at first they just sat there, pristine and unopened, because concealers are something of a weakness of mine, and I already had about a dozen on the go. "No," I said to myself firmly. "I am not opening these until I've used up at least a couple of the ones I already have going." That lasted about 2 weeks and I couldn't stand it anymore so I ripped into one of them. Jade sent me a light and a medium, and after studying them carefully I decided to try the medium first, figuring the light was probably best left until winter.

The packaging is a glass bottle with a sponge at the top and you twist it to make the product come out of the little sponge holes (sidenote: I have a friend who has a phobia of little holes - you should see her freak out over lotus boob*). There's a part of me that loves this, because I am a sucker for a gadget, but there's another part of me that wonders how hygienic it is to be directly applying that sponge to your face over and over. I imagine that would put a lot of people off this product.

I did take before and after pictures, but I don't think they really conveyed how well this stuff conceals. It applies really smoothly and feels very light. You need to blend it quickly as it sets pretty fast, but once it sets it stays there for a good long while, and you don't need powder to set it (I never, ever set concealer with powder anyway - it just instantly falls into the lines and makes me look about 100 years old).

Before

After

I can't tell you exactly how much this is because Maybelline's useless Australian website as usual hasn't been updated and doesn't list it at all. According to random Googling, it's about $19.

In conclusion, I love this concealer - it doesn't cover all of my under eye horrors (only a smear of cement could do that), but it does enough to keep me happy. It doesn't feel dry, cakey or heavy and it sets beautifully. If you're not squeamish about the sponge applicator, I'd recommend trying it.

*DO NOT Google lotus boob if you are at work or of delicate constitution.

Everyday Minerals Brushes

Long time readers will know I haven't much time for Sigma brushes, thanks to this and this. The eye brushes are not bad, but the face brushes - in my experience - are pretty craptacular. However, I had been considering the Sigmax brushes, as even people who had previously disliked their standard brushes said these were good.

While cleaning out a drawer the other day I found some Everyday Minerals face brushes I had forgotten about, and they seem like a pretty close dupe of the Sigmax ones (well actually, these are pre-Sigmax, so technically the Sigma ones are the dupes). I used to buy a lot of things from EDM, but it's one of those indie companies that seemed to be endlessly surrounded by drama, and the owner's habit of putting pictures of herself EVERYWHERE irked me no end. With every order there would be 2 or 3 postcards featuring photographs of her, and when you go to the website there she is again. I don't know why it bugs me, but it REALLY bugs me. Anyway, the point is I drifted away and kind of forgot about them, but I have to give credit where it's due - the brushes are really nice. These are the ones I have.

concealer brush, pencil/smudge brush, flat shader brush, angled fluffy brush

Although EDM is primarily powder products and presumably that's what these brushes are meant for, the concealer brush in particular is great for cream products. It has a bit of a pointy end so you can get right into the corners. I don't use the pencil/smudge brush much, but it would be good for someone who puts a bit of eyeshadow under the eyes (I don't - it would draw attention to the dark circles and the lines). Again, the flat shader brush is good for cream eyeshadows, and powders of course. I've never really used the angled fluffy brush much - it's very soft and I've never quite figured out how to use it effectively. Something to work on this year, I suppose.

eye kabukis and junior eye kabukis

I think I first heard about these from Anissa. I bought one of the eye kabukis and loved it so much that I bought another one. The junior eye kabukis both came with eyeshadow kits. The eye kabukis are soft and very dense, and fantastic for blending and softening shadows - if you've been a bit heavy-handed in the crease these are great for toning it down. Because of their density they're not great for precise blending as they do tend to remove some of the eyeshadow if you go crazy with them. I use the junior eye kabukis for applying a highlight to the inner corners, and also for blending concealers and cream highlighters like Touche Éclat. Of all my EDM brushes, these ones get the most use and are in constant rotation where I'm using one while waiting to wash the other one.

flat top kabuki, round top kabuki, angled kabuki

These look like Sigmax brushes, don't they? Not sure what's going on with the shiny shininess there - they don't look like that in person. It's very overcast here today so my flash might just be going nutso. These are suuuuper soft and dense and lovely for applying either powder or cream products. I use the flat top kabuki for cream foundation, the round top for a light brush of powder when necessary (I hate powder, so I only use it if I have to and with a really light hand), and the angled brush with both cream and powder blushes.

All of these brushes are very soft, very dense and very sturdy. The handles are made from bamboo. I've had most of these for several years, but most of them are still available and range between $6US-$12US.

January Empties and Chuckers Part 2

I already did a January Empties post in the middle of the month because things were starting to pile up. The second half of the month was slower, so there weren't that many more after all.

EMPTIES

Cetaphil Oily Skin Cleanser
This belongs to Noodle Arms, though I used it a few times. I'm undecided about whether to repurchase - at the moment she's using Silk Naturals cleansers, and after reading the ingredients on the back of this I'm not overly impressed with its contents, so I'd say probably not.

Nature's Goodness Olive Leave Mouthwash
I talked about this in my Echolife haul post, so I won't say any more about it except that it's a definite repurchase once I finish the Listerine Zero bottle I'm working through.

Garnier Clean Sensitive Gentle Eye Makeup Remover
I found I had to do a bit of pulling and rubbing to get eye makeup off entirely with this, so I wouldn't repurchase it.

Silk Naturals Pore Refining Toner
This is the third bottle Noodles and I have gone through - it's a really lovely hydrating, moisturising toner. It's really annoying that it only comes in 60ml bottles, though. Definite repurchase.

Silk Naturals Awesomesauce 5ml sample
Another of Silk Naturals' many serums. I liked it, and I'd probably buy a full bottle at some point, but I've got the Vitamin C one still going at the moment.

CHUCKERS

Apologies for the hair there - gross! I'm afraid my bathroom always has stray hairs around no matter how diligently I clean it, because I shed like a mofo.

Maybelline Lash Stylist Mascara
I'm pretty sure this was discontinued a couple of years ago - I picked it up a while ago for $5 in a Chemist Warehouse clearance bin. In theory I love mascaras with a comb instead of a brush, because I hate clumpy lashes and they do a good job of separating them. Unfortunately, in practice I got sick of poking myself in the eye at least 4 times a week, so it's going.

Bioeffects EGF Serum 3ml sample
This was some high-falutin' serum sample that came in one of those monthly boxes and I was using it under my eyes because I didn't really know what else to do with it. However, after reading this article that Sarah posted on Twitter, I stopped immediately, and frankly I wish I'd never touched it now. :-/

Random Things I Have Been Enjoying Lately

1. Coconut Water
Coconut is the buzz word in the world of healthifying these days - everyone and his dog is preaching the miracle properties of coconut water and coconut oil. I'm not sold on the supposed benefits of coconut oil but that's a rant for another day. However, coconut water is my new favourite thing. I've only tried a few brands and this one is really the only one I enjoy so far - the others are tetra paks and have some weird aftertaste. I haven't tried a fresh one as yet - it's on my to do list.

2. Watching Dead podcast
I'm years behind everyone with the podcast thing, for several reasons. Firstly, I absolutely detest radio - it makes me super ragey and one of the things that drives me nuts at work is people who have radios on their desks. IT'S 2012, GET A DAMN IPOD. I have always put podcasts in the same basket as radio and therefore never bothered with them much aside from Ricky Gervais, who can do no wrong. However, lately I've been checking out some movie and TV podcasts. Most of them are kind of crap - it's like radio where no one is getting paid. A couple of people who fancy themselves as comedians sit around cacking themselves at their own crappy jokes. I have a rule of 3 minutes. If it's 3 minutes into the podcast and the hosts are still making stupid jokes and talking random garbage that no one cares about like what what they did on the weekend I'm out.

I stumbled across Watching Dead accidentally when I was just looking for general TV podcasts, and loved it immediately. It's hosted by two guys who like The Walking Dead but are not total fanboys, so they are quite critical of a lot of elements. I don't necessarily agree with all of their criticisms, but I think it's refreshing to hear honest points of view rather than just OMG YOU GUYS THIS SHOW IS SO AWESOME, as is inclined to happen when people who obsessively love a particular show start doing a podcast about it. They are entertaining and quite funny at times, though it's organic rather than the 'how can I squeeze a joke in here?' sort of forced humour. I'm a bit confused though - they talk about being from Indiana but they have Southern accents - one of them in particular quite a heavy one. Isn't Indiana in the mid-West? Or am I showing my complete ignorance of American geography? Anyway, this podcast has inspired me to go back and rewatch The Walking Dead (just in time for when it comes back in a week or so - woo!), and I'm picking up quite a few things I missed the first time around.




3. aLoveTart on YouTube
Mary is rapidly becoming my favourite YouTuber for reviews and comparisons. She is pleasant and easy to listen to, with good lighting so you can see the products clearly, and a confident manner in front of a camera. Unlike some of the more well-known reviewers she isn't snarky or dismissive and doesn't spend the first five minutes banging on about how she came to be in front of a camera that day. Her reviews are really informative and thorough. Well worth checking out if you're the type to be watching beauty vloggers.




4. Ron Swanson
If you've seen Parks and Recreation this needs no eplanation. And if you haven't seen it, you're missing out on comedy gold.

5. Perfume oils
This is an old picture and I no longer have many of these, but I still have enough perfume oils to keep me smelling nice for quite some time. I went off them for a while, preferring the ease of a quick spritz of a commercial fragrance, but I've recently come back to my little brown and green bottles of deliciousness, especially since I finally whittled down my stash to the ones I really liked and got rid of everything else. A lot of these have been sorely neglected so I'm doing a bit of a 'use it or lose it' project with them at the moment.

So that's me. What are you enjoying lately?