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'.

Face of Australia Budge Proof Eyeshadow

I was in Priceline checking out a Covergirl sale the other day when I happened across these Face of Australia Budge Proof Eyeshadows. Now, I'm not regularly in Priceline, nor am a huge fan of Face of Australia generally (except for their primer, which is the bomb), so I have no idea how long these have been around. I haven't heard any of the seagulls pimping them though, so I'm going to assume they are pretty new. You can't tell from their website, because it doesn't seem to be all that up to date.

These are obviously FOA's crack at the Maybelline Color Tattoo popularity. I think there were 8 shades - the two I have, as well as a bronze, a teal, a darker blue, a dark purple, a gold and a light pink. I wanted to buy some just to check them out, but to be honest I struggled to find colours I really liked that much. The pink was nice enough, but too similar to Inked in Pink, a Color Tattoo I already have. Same with the bronze and the gold - too similar to Bad to the Bronze and Bold Gold. I wouldn't wear navy or teal eyeshadows so they were out. That left the green, the purple and the taupe. I wanted the purple at first, which was a lovely shade in the jar, but the swatch was pretty muddy - it looked kind of dirty brown rather than what the jar promised. I wasn't super impressed with the swatches of the green or the taupe either, but I had to buy SOMETHING, so I went with those. At $8.95 each, it was a risk I was okay with.

The colours I got were Poison Ivy and Tip Top Taupe. In the jar, Poison Ivy is a dark hunter green, but again it went muddy when applied. Tip Top Taupe was... eh. It's a taupe. Unlike Maybelline's Tough as Taupe, this one has some shimmer and sparkle in it. The consistency of these is very smooth - almost weirdly so. They apply sheerly, but they are buildable, and layering seems to make the colour come out better. The colour never does appear as you'd think from the jar though, which is disappointing. That muddiness never quite goes away.

These swatches are layered a couple of times, and you can see that even then they're not super opaque, or super clear colours.

Are they budge proof? Not really. They creased and faded a bit on me by the end of the day, and I wonder if that is also because of how many layers I had to apply to get the colours to show properly. I imagine these would be okay for people with dry eyelids - perhaps those who find the Color Tattoos too drying - but I have oilyish eyelids, and these didn't last the distance of the Color Tattoos or Benefit Creaseless Creams.

These are the hand swatches after about 6 hours, with several washing of hands and a lot of general cleaning and wiping going on, so I guess in that sense they are budge proof because although they fade, they do stain. I cleaned them off eventually with my L'Oreal Micellar Water and that removed them well enough, though I did find that when I used the green on my eyes I was still convinced I could see a greenish tinge on my crease even after I'd used makeup remover.

In summary, I found these to be pretty meh. I'd like them if the colours were clearer, brighter and more true, but for now I'd say if you have similar shades in Color Tattoos already, don't bother busting out to get these.

Current Favourites

L'oreal Paris Skin Perfection Cleansing Oil and Micellar Cleansing Water
I talked about these before so I won't say too much except that I'm loving them sick. I use the micellar water on my eyes and the cleansing oil on my face, then follow up with a cream cleanser as a double cleanse (I have several on the go). Noodles uses the micellar water on her eyes and face and loves it.

L'Oreal Revitalift Laser x 3 Anti-Ageing Power Moisturiser
I'm not generally a fan of moisturisers in jars but I really like this one. If I use it at night my skin feels smooth and soft the next morning, and it also makes a nice base under makeup. I was sent this for review from Beauty Heaven and I'm definitely going to buy another jar when it's finished.

Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer Neutraliser
This is the yellowish one, and I don't know if you can get it here - I've never seen it. I use it under my eyes and around my nose to reduce redness and dark circles before I put foundation or tinted moisturiser on and it works really well.

Maybelline Age Rewind Foundation in Nude
I didn't think much of this when I first bought it - it's an oddly dry formula and I didn't find it gave great coverage or lasted that well. However, I've found that with a decent primer underneath it does the job and I've been using it a lot lately because it's pretty much weightless and I hate the feeling of heavy foundations on my face.

Maybelline Super Stay 10 Hour Stain Gloss in Mauve Dream, Ruby Indulgence and Pink Plush
I stopped using bright coloured lip products a year or two ago because my teeth have been shifting (apparently I bite down on them and push them out when I sleep, and whatever it will cost to fix that is too expensive at the moment) and creating gaps so I was really conscious of not drawing attention to my mouth. But you know... fuck it. It is what it is. I like coloured lips and I've started wearing them again. These are awesome - they go on like a lip gloss but dry like a stain. I don't find them verydrying (a tinchy bit but not much) and they last for a few hours - though definitely not 10, that's a blatant fib. Again, I've never seen them here - what is up with that?

Prescriptives Lipstick in Azalea
An old lipstick I hauled out - another bright one. I was complimented by some random chick at work who I don't know when I wore this the other day. Noice! It's a really easy to wear reddish coral, and I'm glad it's back in my rotation.

Benefit It's Potent Eye Cream
Another one sent to me by Beauty Heaven. To be honest, I would never have bought this - Benefit is not a brand I particularly like with the exception of one or two products, and I would not think to go there for skin care products. However, I like this a lot - it doesn't really do anything other than have an aesthetic effect in smoothing the skin under the eye while it's on, but it's light and absorbs easily and make the area where it's applied feel soft and smooth. I think I'd actually repurchase this.

Face of Australia Mineral Therapy Illuminator in Angel Mist
Jacquie gave me some of hers, which is why it's in a jar - these things come in massive size packages that would take years to get through, which is actually a bit weird. Anyway, I use a dab right on the top of my cheekbone with a cotton bud and then blend it in with a Real Techniques stippling brush. I apply it before I put any foundation or tinted moisturiser on and it just leaves a really nice, subtle glow without that crazy I'M WEARING HIGHLIGHTER look. I have one of the darker ones of this range that I bought ages ago but I hardly ever wear it.

Revlon ColorStay 12 Hour Eyeshadow Quad in Lavender Meadow
I'm not a big fan of these eyeshadows generally - I don't think they have a lot of pigment and they're not easy to blend. However, I'm a sucker for a purple shadow so when I saw this for $5 at a chemist I had to grab it. There's a really pretty green, a dark purple and two lighter purple/lavender colours. Surprisingly they are quite pigmented and not at all chalky, though still a bit of a palaver to blend. I'm all about purple eyes at the moment so I'm making good use of this.

Silk Naturals Blush in Petal
I have a feeling this is a dupe for something MAC, but I can't remember exactly. I'm trying to use up face samples at the moment - blush, bronzer/contour, highlighter, etc. I've used this a few times lately and I really like it. It's a super pretty light pink matte that just leaves a nice flush without making it look like I have COLOUR on my face. And I've just looked it up. It's a clone of Benefit Dandelion. I really, really want a full size of this, but I have so many blushes I don't know if I can justify it. But I really, really want it...

NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Taupe/Ash
This is all I've been using on my eyebrows for months. I use the lighter colour, and I love it because it has no red in it. I never use the darker one or the wax, so I wish I could just buy that lighter colour on its own. Still, it's lasting forever so I'm getting my money's worth out of it. I apply it with the Real Techniques angled brush and it takes seconds. Lerve. <3

Empties and Chuckers (and culling 30 Day Challenge)

Okay, I'm giving up the 30 Day Challenge. The questions are kind of lamo and I can't be bothered. Let's just talk about empties! I don't have that many because I haven't used many products or worn much makeup in the past few months - I go super basic in hot weather.

Maybelline Express Care Eye & Lip Makeup Remover
A regular purchase for me - it does the job it's supposed to and it's cheap. I've got another one on the go already.

Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Daily Regenerating Serum
I don't think this is available on Australia - I got it on Strawberrynet. It's okay, but it's nothing special and it's not really a serum - it's more of a light moisturiser. I wouldn't bother repurchasing.

Physician's Formula Concealer Twins Light/Green
Old school Physician's Formula! This is about the third one of these I've owned and I really like it - the light for under eyes (not so much for concealing as brightening) and a dab of the green on my cheeks when they're a bit red. I don't even know if these are still made, but I have a million concealers at the moment, so I wouldn't repurchase this one again for a long time regardless. Good stuff, though.

Twyla Perfumes & Apothecary Cannabis & Jasmine Face Cream - dry skin
This was a sample I got a while back and it was 10ml so I got a good couple of weeks out of it. I really like this cream - it doesn't do anything miraculous, but what moisturiser does. I don't think it's really for very dry skin - it's not rich enough. I'm normal/combo though so it was perfect for me. It absorbs nicely and my skin felt beautifully soft the next morning. It goes nicely under makeup too. The smell is a bit medicinal/herby but it doesn't hang around anyway. I will definitely buy a full size of this, but I have some other stuff to use up first.

Hawaiian Butterfly Organics Hibiscus Sugar Lip Scrub
I wanted to like this because it was cute and it smelled nice but it was just too much of a mess. The two different oils didn't really mesh together that well - sometimes it would be runny and goopy and other times it would be solid on top but as soon as you scooped some out you'd get the messy goopy stuff oozing over the top. I wouldn't repurchase this. I just use a smidge of brown sugar now. 

Garnier Fructis Thermo-Active Spray Sleek & Shine
This is really Lily's though I used it a couple of times because it's quite light. The problem is that after a few uses the squirty thing stopped working and I could never fix it, so it's just been sitting around. I guess I could put it in another bottle, but meh. There's no shortage of hair products in this house, so I'm chucking it.

Face of Australia Impact Curl Extreme Volume & Curl Mascara
I really liked the effect this had for the first few weeks and then it went all gluggy and started to clump my lashes together and start smudging. The brush is one of those bendy rubber ones I constantly poke myself in the eye with too. I wouldn't repurchase this.

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...