Weekly Makeup for October 07

I bought this nifty little makeup holder for a couple of dollars on eBay so I'd have something specific to hold my weekly makeup. I've also decided to use only one palette this week, as it's one I bought on eBay months ago and have never used, nor even swatched. I also have chosen a tinted moisturiser and a powder that are almost finished, so I have some back ups of those in case I run out during the week.

Face: 

• Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF20 in Nude
• MAC MSF Natural in Medium
• Wet n Wild Color Icon Bronzer SPF15 in Reserve Your Cabana (actually a subtle highlighter rather than a bronzer)
•  Jordana Blush Powder in 27 Sunlit Bronze
• Jordana Blush Powder in 32 Rose Silk

Back ups: 

•  Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream in Medium
• Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in 005 Silky Beige

Eyes: 

• 88 Color Palette in Metal
• Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Eyeshadow Primer 
• Milani Shadow Eyez 12 HR Wear Eyeshadow in 10 Almond Cream
• Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Pencil in 004 Taupe
• Milani Liquif'eye Metallic Eye Liner Pencil in 05 Brown
• Maybelline Master Liner in Black
• Rimmel Glam'eyes Mascara in 001 Black

Lips: 

•  NYX Retractable Lip Liner in 18 Peony
• Jordana Easyliner for Lips in Rock'n Rose
• Rimmel Apocalips in 201 Solstice
• NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in 164 Nude Pink

Nails: 

• Wet n Wild Megalast Salon Nail Color in On A Trip

Weekly Makeup for September 23

If you're anything like me, you probably know that feeling of being completely overwhelmed in the morning trying to decide which makeup to wear. If it's a week day I will usually end up gravitating towards the same super basic things and on weekends if I'm not planning on going out anywhere I'll mess about with some weird and whacky stuff, but there's a whole ton of product in between those extremes that just gets ignored.

I decided to start hauling out what I'm going to use for the week and keep it in the bathroom, so everything eventually gets a run. I figure that will also be a good way to properly test things I haven't really used much and see what I like and what I don't like. I know I stole the gist of this idea from someone, but I don't remember who, so my apologies for not crediting.

For my first week I'm starting off gently, with face products I know I like already, and mostly neutral, quick to apply eye and lip makeup. If I go well in the first week I'll branch out a bit more adventurously in subsequent weeks, with more brightly coloured eyeshadows and such. There are also certain things I use pretty much every day and they are already in a drawer in the bathroom - things like contour (NYX Taupe), highlighter (Face of Australia), eyebrows (NYX Cake Powder in Ash), primer (Face of Australia Face Base), and so on. I might mix those up if I use up a product - the FOA Face Base is nearly done, for example. But while they're in action, they're pretty much my go to products.

So here's everything for the week starting Monday, September 23.

Face (blushes not pictured because I forgot them):

• Wet n Wild Coverall Cream Foundation in 817 Light
• Palladio Rice Powder in RP02 Translucent
• Milani Minerals Blush in Luminous
• elf HD Blush in Headliner
• Simplicity Cosmetics Blush in Peony

Eyes: 

• Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Eyeshadow Primer
• Maybelline Color Tattoo in 15 Audacious Asphalt
• NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in 611 Yoghurt
• Benefit They're Real! Mascara in Black
• Milani Shadow Wear Quad in Exotic Berries
• Clinique Color Surge Eye Shadow Duo in Strawberry Fudge
• Sigma Eye Shadow in Indian Girl
• L'Oreal Infallible 24 Hour Eyeshadow in 890 Bronzed Taupe
• L'Oreal Infallible 24 Hour Eyeshadow in 033 Tender Caramel

Lips: 

• Rimmel Apocalips in 101 Celestial
• Rimmel Apocalips in 201 Solstice
• Covergirl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in 3103
• Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Airy Fairy
• Prescriptives Lipstick in Azalea
• Lacura Beauty Lipstick in 108 Soft Rose
• NYX Lipliner Pencil in 858 Nude Pink
• NYX Lipliner Pencil in 810 Natural

Nails: 

• Wet n Wild Megalast Salon Nail Color in Haze of Love

Hmmm. In swatching these I realise I've chosen a lot of very similar colours, so let's see how that goes. 

Things I'm Currently Loving

Bath and Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar Fine Fragrance Mist
This was on my last favourites list, but I'm still loving it to death. It's the best kind of vanilla, warm and delicious. Om nom nom. I have taken to occasionally spraying it on my pillow a couple of hours before I go to bed so I can wallow in it.

MAC MSF Natural in Medium
Again, this was on my last list, and again, still loving it. I use it almost every day - either to add a bit of oomph to tinted moisturisers, or to set under eye concealer.

Queen Helene Grape Seed Extract Peel Off Masque
I love peel off masks generally, but this one is especially good - it leaves my face feeling soft and non-wrinkly at least for a while after. And it's as cheap as chips, less than $4US on iHerb.

The Garden Bath Fresh Roses Perfume Oil
A true rose scent with a touch of a sharp green note in the background. So pretty and girly, I just love it.

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough as Taupe and Bad to the Bronze
I've been doing the old swipe-and-go on the eyes a fair bit of late, and these two colours are just fool proof. I wear one or the other depending on whether I feel like matte or a bit of shimmer. The only problem I have with them is that I have to apply them exactly where I want them to be because they dry almost immediately, making them virtually impossible to blend.

Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Eyeshadow Primer
I have never really been a fan of UDPP, so when I finally used up all the little freebies that come with palettes I had lying around, I went looking for something else, and decided to try this one and the NYX HD primer. The NYX is pretty much a dupe for UDPP, which I guess is okay from a cost point of view, because it's way cheaper, but for keeping my eyeshadow in place all day, this Coastal Scents one has it in spades. Love it.

Real Techniques Brow Brush
When I first bought the Real Techniques eye brush set, I thought this one was kind of rubbish - it seemed way too thick to be a good brow brush, and nowhere near as stiff and precise as my beloved company-that-shall-no-longer-be-mentioned-due-to-hideous-unapologetic-racism one, but I have found that it is actually perfect for filling in brows and making them look really natural rather than 'done'. It's also super super quick to use.

NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Taupe/Ash
This is a little set that comes with two brow powders and a wax, as well as an application brush and a spoolie. The application brush is a bit useless, though I do occasionally use the little spoolie. I don't really use the wax either as it's quite soft - I much prefer NYX's Eyebrow Shaper. However, the lighter of the two powders is perfect for me - a lightish medium brown with absolutely no red in it. I use the Real Techniques brush to apply and only takes a few seconds.

Also....

Etsy
I have been Etsy bingeing of late, though in my defence, it's mostly samples. Perfume oils, loose eyeshadows, skincare products, lip balms, etc. I just love Etsy, and the 99.9% of good experiences I've had far outweigh the one or two bad ones. I love that I can buy something from a creative person doing their own thing. Mind you, I feel like they are getting a bit lax in their definition of 'handmade'. I was looking for bracelets for Noodles recently and there are a hell of a lot of mass-produced little crap things coming out of Hong Kong and China on there. Not cool, Etsy. That's what eBay is for.

The Because Show
This is a podcast that I only heard about very recently, and it's three women who are probably in their mid to late 30s. There are elements of their cast that don't grab me (a tendency to chat a bit too much about farting - I'm not a 12 year old boy and that really doesn't interest me), but on the other hand, there's enough there that I do like and I've been listening to their back catalogue most of the weekend. They talk about loads of things, including makeup and books. MAKEUP AND BOOKS. Yay for chicks!

Parks and Recreation
I've loved this show for lo these many years (and again, this is the second time in a row it's been on my favourites list), but it has come up in conversation more often of late because I FINALLY have some other people to talk to about it. Natalie has been a fan for quite a while, but fairly recently we managed to cajole Jessica into watching, and now she is up to Season 4 and thoroughly hooked. Hurrah! I've just converted a bunch of episodes to MP4 and put them on my phone so I can just watch them randomly whenever I feel the need for a P&R fix. Oh, and a girl I work with texted me yesterday to say she had just watched all of Season 1 (which is only 6 episodes) and loved it. The word is getting out there!

Nacho Saturday
This kind of speaks for itself. It involves eating nachos. On a Saturday. And it's awesome.

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!