Everyday Makeup Products

If you're reading my weekly makeup posts you might be wondering where some things are, like concealer, eyebrow products, primer, etc. The reason I don't include things like that is because I use pretty much the same product every day for these. I might occasionally branch out and use a different one, but these are my every day, go to items for when I don't want to have to think about it.

Face: 

• Face of Australia Face Base 3 in 1 Primer with SPF15
• L'Oreal Nude Magique CC Cream Anti-Redness
• NYX Powder Blush in Taupe (used as contour)
• Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser in Neutralizer
• Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer (not sure what shade)
• Face of Australia Mineral Therapy Illuminator in Angel Mist (in the jar)

Eyes: 

• John Plunkett Advanced Anti-Ageing Instant Wrinkle Filler (I use this under eyes before applying concealer - it really helps it not to crease or go into fine lines)
• elf High Definition Undereye Setting Powder
• Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in 005 Nude
• NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Taupe/Ash

Lips: 

• Firebird Chocolate Chai Lip Balm

 

September Empties and Chuckers

EMPTIES

L'Oreal Skin Perfection 15 Second Miracle Cleansing Oil
I've already raved about this. Love it, have another bottle on the go already and I think it might be a holy grail makeup remover. I wonder if they will ever bring it out here?

Cutex Nourishing Nail Polish Remover
It's a nail polish remover. Does what it's meant to do and I'm sure I'll buy it again many more times.

Paula's Choice Earth Sourced Purely Natural Refreshing Toner
I didn't love this. I'm a fan of Paula's products and especially a fan of her toners, but this one has a weird gel-like consistency that made it annoying to apply. I wouldn't buy it again, but I have a couple of her other ones on the go.

Maybelline City Rescue Total Clean Express Eye & Lip Makeup Remover
I don't like the new formula of this stuff - I preferred the old blue one. However, it's handy for when I accidentally buy waterproof mascara (which I did recently), because my usual favourite eye makeup remover doesn't cut it in that department. I have another one in the cupboard for such occasions.

Face of Australia Face Base Primer
My holy grail primer. I have a couple of things to use up first (including the version of this with SPF) but then I will definitely be buying another one. No matter what other primers I try I always come back to this.

CHUCKERS

Nude by Nature Soft Focus Illuminator
As with most of this month's chuckers, this is going because a) it's a couple of years old, and b) I never use it. I'm not even entirely sure what it's supposed to be for. And it smells weird.

Maybelline Fit Me Foundations #220 and #120
God, I hate these. I was given the #220, which was too dark, so I bought the #120 during a Priceline sale to see if mixing the two would help. Colour-wise it did, but then I realised I hated the formula. I have tried on and off over the last couple of years to make this stuff work, but life's too short and I have other foundations I actually enjoy using so I'm binning these.

Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Rosy Nude
I bought this online before this range of lipsticks was released here, so it's quite old, and it was not the colour I was expecting. I've always found it a bit too much on the brown side, and I've rarely used it.

NYX Round Lipsticks in various shades
I've had these for years, and I don't think I've worn a single one of them in the last 12 months. They still look okay and smell okay, but given their age and the fact that they are about $2 each, I think I can safely give them up. I tend to buy lipsticks in similar shades anyway, so I'm sure I would have dupes of most of these.

OPI Nail Lacquer in Chic From Ears to Tail
Right. So. I'm just going to come out and say OPI is one of the most over-rated beauty brands there is. Their formulas are inconsistent, they are way over-priced (here in Australia, anyway), and they are responsible for this ridiculously annoying punny naming trend. This nail polish in particular is shit. It's streaky and uneven and no matter how many coats I apply it never smooths out. I did not pay for this, and I'm glad I didn't - I would never spend another cent on OPI.

OPI Start to Finish Base & Top Coat
I did pay for this - two in fact, because Noodles has one. The lid is jammed on and I've tried everything I can to remove it (don't give me tips - I've tried them all and I'm over it). Out it goes, and goodbye to you and your shitty products, OPI.

Maybelline Great Lash Mascara in Very Black
Every few years I buy this, and I always regret it. But you know how it always comes up in 'best of' and 'model's favourite' lists and beauty editor must have articles and whatever? So I think, "Huh - what did I not like about it? Maybe I misjudged it". Then I buy one and try it and think, 'Nope, this is shit. What was I thinking? And why does everyone go on about how great this is? Is it some kind of conspiracy?". Then I keep it around for a few months and throw it out eventually. I want to say I won't buy this again, but in two or three years, I'll be reading a magazine...

Blueberry Muffin lip balm
This is just old - it's from some Etsy shop, and it's not a great formula, and it's been sitting around for a couple of years so I'm throwing it out.

elf Shimmering Facial Whip in Toasted
The formula of this is weirdly separated, and it was like that when I got it. I've tried shaking it up madly but it's never quite right, and it's just a little cheap thing so I don't care about it. I wouldn't buy these again - there are much nicer drugstore brand highlighters out there. This one is kind of '80s shiny'.

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. 

Empties and Chuckers August 2013

The charger for my laptop died this week and I am currently using Noodles' old school laptop, which is about the size of a matchbox and has a teeny tiny keyboard that my stubby Simpsons fingers are really struggling with. It is also mega slow and has hardly any useful software on it, so I feel like I'm back in 1998.

I don't know why this picture is sideways. I rotated it and saved it on the ancient Paint but it didn't seem to work for some reason. 

Empties:

Palmolive Naturals Ultra Moisture Milk & Shea Butter Shower Milk
This is a staple - it's pretty much in every second empties post. Definite repurchase.

Garnier Body Intensive 7 Days Hydrating Lotion
This is not a particularly interesting body lotion - there's no WOW scent or anything. It does a great job though, and both Noodles and I use it regularly. Definite repurchase.

L'Oreal Revitalift Laser X3
Despite being in a jar, I love this moisturiser. It's rich enough to make me think my wrinkles are going away (they're not really), but light enough that I can use it during the day under makeup. I have some other things to use up first but this will be a definite repurchase. Might wait for a sale though- paying $45ish for a drugstore moisturiser makes me wince.

Chuckers:

MorroccanOil Intense Hydrating Mask
This has been in my shower for a couple of years and I noticed the other day that it was about 6 months past its use by date, so ewwww out it goes. It still smelled and looked okay, but considering long it's been around and it's still about 1/3 full, obviously we are not getting much use out of it. I wouldn't repurchase it - it's okay but nothing amazing.

Nivea In-Shower Rich Body Lotion for very dry skin
I cannot say enough about how much I absolutely hate this stuff. It's greasy, it leaves a gross filmy feel on the skin, it STINKS - it smells like diesel. It's no less cumbersome than putting lotion on after a shower. It's disgusting and stupid and pointless and I don't think I have ever hated anything as much as I hate this shit. I will never, ever repurchase this.

I had a pencil clear out because I found a pencil I don't ever remember even buying and that clued me in that maybe I had too many, which is crazy because I don't even use liners that often.

Out because they're too hard:
Mirenesse Magic Point Eye Highlighter Duet
Lime Lily Waterproof Eye Pencil in Jet
Essence Kajal Pencil in #19 All I Want

Out because they're old:
Milani Easybrow in Natural Taupe

Out because they are crap:
ELF Lip Definer and Shaper in Nude
ELF Eyebrow Lifter and Filler in Ash

Out because they are a colour I'd never wear:
Mirenesse Tight Liner Hydra Gel Eye Liner in Saphire (sic) Blue

Rocktober Empties and Chuckers

Apologies for the blurry picture - I really must get 'my' camera back from Ben one of these days.

I haven't done an empties post for a while, and not because I haven't had any - I've actually been ploughing through stuff. I just couldn't be arsed, to be honest. 

EMPTIES

Silk Naturals Oatmeal Serum, Super Serum, Apricot Cleansing Oil x 2, AHA Toner

These have been floating around for a while and all were almost used up but still a bit leftover, so I made the effort to finish them all and get them out of the cupboard. I really like Silk Naturals skin care products, and I used them faithfully for quite a few months, but no matter how much I like something I just get bored with it after a while and I want to go off and try something else. I'd definitely repurchase any or all of these in the future though, when I'm done sowing my skin care oats. 

Palmer's Gentle Daily Cleanser

I bought several Palmer's face care products a while ago when they were 30% off in a supermarket, and I HATED them. They're really thick, but not at all moisturising, which is very strange. The others were moisturisers, and I detested them so much I just threw them out. This one I threw in the shower to use in the mornings. It was really thick and hard to get out of the packaging, but the product itself wasn't too bad - a nice, creamy, semi-lathering cleanser that didn't dry out my face. I wouldn't buy it again though. 

Nivea Soft Hand Cream

Meh. As usual I bought a cheap hand cream on the fly and it didn't do much of anything. I'll probably buy it again some time just because that's what I seem to do. 

Maybelline Express Care Eye Makeup Remover

This is a staple - it's cheap and it does the job. I haven't replaced it as yet because I wanted to try a Garnier one that was on special (it's crap), but I'll definitely go back to this when the Garnier is done. 

Elixia Night Renew Complex

Worst. Packaging. Ever. This has a pump thing on top of a jar, so you have to press it down and the product comes out of a hole in the top and just sort of sits there - you have to swipe it off with your finger or a brush or a spatula. It's unbelievably stupid and all sorts of unhygienic. The product itself is nothing special, and certainly not worth the hefty price tag. I would not repurchase it. 

Lancome Genifique Youth Activivating Concentrate

This was a trial size that came in a set of serums from Adore Beauty. I've used this serum before and I find it pretty meh. According to Paula Begoun, it's almost identical to one of the L'Oreal ones - Youth Code, maybe? Same company, so that makes sense. Anyway, not worth the price tag and I would not buy a full size.

CHUCKERS

L'Oreal VolumeMillion Lashes Mascara

L'Oreal mascaras always smudge on me, which is annoying enough, but this one also had a rubber brush, and I was continually poking myself in the eye with it. The formula was wet and made my lashes clumpy, so I had to always comb through with a lash comb after. In short, I hated it. I lasted about a month and couldn't stand it any longer. 

Essence Clear Brow Gel

This is looking really gungy so it's going. It was cheap - maybe $3 - and I bought it along with a handful of other Essence things when they first made an appearance in Target just to see what the brand was like. I wasn't really impressed with any of it, and this was the only thing I've really used regularly. It doesn't do much - you could do a better job with a bit of hair spray on a spoolie, which I'll be going back to doing now. I just used it for the sake of using it, really. Definitely not a repurchase. 

ELF Eyelash Curler

A lot of people rave about this, and for the price it's a bargain ($1.25US from Nonpareil), but I didn't find it anything special. The little black thing died and I can't remember if it came with any spares, and if it did I don't know where they are, so I'm chucking it. I wouldn't bother repurchasing this.

Everyday Minerals Flat Top Brush

The handle broke off and the brush started to shed dramatically, so I think the glue has died. I'm a bit sad about this, as I love my EDM face brushes. I considered buying another one immediately as I use this several times a week with my MAC MSF Natural, but I have one of those Crown Flat Bronzer brushes that does the same thing, so I resisted. I might buy another one one of these days.

Inventory 2012: Eyeliners and Brows

I rarely use eyliners, because I'm lazy and because I just don't seem to have a knack for it. I used to - when I was in my late teens and obsessed with Doris Day and Grace Kelly I was a dab hand with the black liquid liner. These days I just can't seem to get it right. I could probably improve again with practice, but you know... there's TV and Twitter and Cracked.com. It's a busy time, man.

Top to bottom:

• essence kajal pencil #19 All I Want (this is pants, not soft enough)
• Milani Liquif'eye Metallic Eye Liner Pencil #05 Brown
• Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Liner Pencil #040 Purple Passion
• Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Liner Pencil #061 Jet Black
• Mirenesse Tight Liner Saphire (sic!) Blue
• Bourjois Liner Feutre #11 Noir
• Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliner #07 Fearless Teal
• Prestige Total Intensity Eyeliner #06 Powerful Purple
• NYX Slide On Eyeliner #08 Platinum
• Mirenesse Magic Point Eye Highlighter Duo
• (not pictured) Wet'n'Wild Color Icon Brow and Eye Liner Black (I have 4 of these as they came with the eyeshadows that J from Just Peachy sent me with the Naked 2 Palette)
• (not pictured) Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil mini Zero (also from J with the Naked 2 palette)

Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Charcoal and Aubergine. Jade gave me these, and I've actually been a bit keen to get into them, but I'm holding off until I know I'm going to use them, rather than just open them, poke around a bit and then throw them into a drawer where they will be neglected and dry up and die.

Elf Cream Eyeliner Black. I do use this one occasionally and it's one of Elf's better products. A good cheapie. 

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencils in Yoghurt, Pots & Pans, Slate, French Fries, Milk. I have a bit of a like/hate relationship with these. I think they're totally over-rated (even Milk), but they can be good as a base if they're used properly. They crease like a mofo, which is annoying. They're cheap, which is good. I often use Slate in lieu of eyeliner (hence its size compared to the others).

Clockwise from top left:

• NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder Taupe/Ash
• Silk Naturals Brow Powder Medium Ash
• Silk Naturals Brow Cream Medium Ash
• Silk Naturals Brow Powder Light Brunette
• Milani Easybrow Automatic Pencil Natural Taupe
• NARS Eyebrow Pencil Ipanema
• essence lash and brow gel mascara

Okay, I probably have too many black eyeliners for someone who doesn't wear a lot of eyeliner, but I don't think that's too outlandish a stash, is it? Is it....?

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!

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!