Empties and Chuckers

These are not really July empties and chuckers, as I'm sure it's been a couple of months since I last did one of these posts, and I don't tend to use up all that much stuff within a month. But let's just get on, shall we?

EMPTIES

Couleur Caramel Short Eyelashes Mascara in Black
This was a Christmas gift from the ever thoughtful Sabine of Echolife, who very kindly sent one for me and one for Noodles. Noodles is a one-at-a-timer with mascara and ploughed through hers within a couple of months. I try to be a one-at-a-timer, but in the past few months I also acquired various mascaras from clearance bins and online sales, so it's taken me a while to get through this. I find it adds a lot of length and volume, but the formula is quite wet and never feels completely dry on the lashes. This is great for not getting the crispies, but not so great for someone like me who has a tendency to rub my eyes. That's the only reason I wouldn't repurchase it, because otherwise I found it to be a lovely mascara.

Al'chemy Avocado & Calendula Conditioner for dry and long hair
You've seen me talk about Al'chemy shampoo and conditioner before. I like them. I will probably repurchase this at some point when I've worked my way through all the other shampoos and conditioners in the house. I'm being strong and using what I have. Go me!

Maybelline Express Care Eye & Lip Makeup Remover
This has recently been repackaged and I swear they have reformulated it as well because this stuff was ace, and the new version is shite. I'm slightly disappointed as it was a staple in my bathroom for a long time, but luckily I now have L'Oreal Skin Perfection Micellar, so you can suck it, Maybelline.

Garnier Hand Intensive 7 Days Protecting Hand Cream Aloe Vera
Eh. It's a cheap hand cream. Slightly better than a most cheap hand creams, but still a cheap hand cream. On my hands it didn't do a lot. I actually sometimes use the body lotion version of this stuff on my hands and it works a lot better. I doubt I'd repurchase it.

Michael Todd True Organics Pearl and Silk Facial Mask
Remember when Michael Todd was a makeup brand that no one other than scroungy beauty vloggers who got everything for nowt ever talked about? When did they become a skin care company? Anyway, this was okay - I can't really remember anything about it so I don't think I'll be rushing out to buy a full size.

Paula's Choice Resist Optimal Results Hydrating Cleanser x 2
I love Paula's Choice products, with the exception of most of the moisturisers - not so jazzed with those. This is a lovely cleanser that doesn't make my skin feel tight afterwards. It's on my wishlist, but I have a ton of cleansers on the go at the moment (including a couple of other Paula's Choice ones), so although I probably will get a full size, it won't be for a while.

Paula's Choice Weekly Resurfacing Treatment 10% AHA x 2
I got a couple of samples of this to try after my friend Jade raved about it on Twitter and her blog. I nearly lost all of the first sample I opened because I expected it to be a creamy lotion and it's actually a liquid, like a toner. However, crisis averted and I saved enough of it to get on my face. This stuff is freakin' AMAZING. It makes my skin feel ridiculously smooth and soft the next morning (I put it on and left it overnight), and I am sure it toned down redness as well. I've just ordered a full bottle while Paula's Choice has a 50% off sale going.

Poison Apple Potions Body Butter sample in Garden of Graves
This is a pretty funereal floral with a touch of dirt - I do like those kinds of scents but I already have at least a couple of them in perfumes. I'd buy this in a perfume (though it's discontinued so I think I've missed my chance), but I'm not in love with PAP's body butter formula - I find it doesn't absorb that easily.

Love by Kilian Don't Be Shy perfume sample
This is a gorgeous, sweet gourmand fragrance that reminds me of a more grown up MOR Marshmallow. It was sent to me by Su ages ago but went astray in my perfume drawer (not hard) and I forgot about it until it turned up while I was looking for something else. I loved this so much that I wore it for several days in a row and used it up. Now I want more but I think it's discontinued. SAD FACE.

Solstice Scents Quiet Night perfume sample
I reviewed this a while back on my perfume blog, and although I don't wear it as a daytime scent, I love it at night because I think it helps me stay asleep longer. I just got a full size last week so that's already a repurchase.

CHUCKERS

Benefit The POREfessional 
I have had this primer for at least a couple of years and I bought in on Strawberrynet so who knows how old it is. It still smells and feels okay but I was sent another one a couple of months ago for review, so I decided to just chuck this one.

B Collections by Bloom Prep and Prime Primer
I got this free when I spent a certain amount at one of those discount perfume and cosmetic shops. I never even opened it, and the expiry date is July 2013 so out it goes.

Bourjois Flower Perfection Foundation in Light Vanilla
Jacquie bought this and hated it, so she gave it to me to try. I hate it too - it goes into every pore so I look like I have tiny white dots all over my face. I find that happens to me a lot with Bourjois foundations - I've never found one I liked much.

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream in Light 
Erg, why on earth have I been holding on to this for so long? It was given to me so it's not even like I lose money for tossing it. I have hated it since day one, but for some reason I keep trying periodically to make it work. I give up now. It's going in the bin. And good riddance.

Poison Apple Potions Body Butter sample in Red Queen's Rage
As I said above, I'm not jazzed with the formula of these, and I really don't like the smell of this one. It's like a rose that's had pepper poured all over it. I have used most of it so I don't feel bad about turfing the wee bit that's left.

Benefit Erase Paste
This is another thing that's just been around for too long - at least two years, maybe longer. There's not much left because I really did like it for a long time, but I've since moved on to other concealers and I just never come back to this so it's going.

Pixi Eye Bright Kit #1 and #2
These are little concealer/highlighter quads that I never really did get much use out of. The formula of the product was too sheer and greasy - they didn't give any coverage and the highlighter colours just faded away really quickly. They're a bit useless and they're out.

May Empties - only three weeks late

Beauty Without Cruelty Vitamin C Facial Cleanser
This is just a foaming facial cleanser I got from iHerb to use in the shower in the mornings. It doesn't do anything exciting, but unlike a lot of foaming cleansers it doesn't dry my skin out or make it feel tight, so I quite like it. And it's cheap. I'd probably buy it again if I were in need of a cleanser and doing an iHerb shop.

Sunsilk Addictive Brilliant Shine Shampoo and Conditioner
I am currently working my way through all the half used hair products in the house and these are two of them. I buy Sunsilk for Lily because she really likes it, but I don't use it all that often myself. It's okay for a supermarket shampoo but nothing special. I'll probably get it again for Lil if she still wants it when we've used everything else.

Palmolive Aromatherapy Shower Gel Anti-Stress
Didn't think much of this - I like the moisturising kind of body washes because I'm lazy. This one was a bit drying and I probably wouldn't buy it again.

Garnier Nutritioniste Skin Renew Post-Treatment Regenerating Moisturiser
This came in a duo with a scrub, and it's nothing special. It wasn't overly moisturising and I wouldn't bother with it again.

MAC Brush Cleanser
Good stuff, but I'm thinking of trying out some of the cheaper ones to see what they are like. I go through this really quickly because I'm a bit fussy about cleaning my brushes.

Beauty Without Cruelty Balancing Facial Toner
Bog standard toner - doesn't do anything special but I do like a toner and this one was cheap. Again, if I needed a toner and I was doing an iHerb haul I'd probably buy this again.

Al'chemy Ginkgo & Jojoba Intensive Moisture Vitamin Masque
Part of a birthday gift from Sabine at Echolife last year - I really liked this. Because my hair is so thin - and thinning - most hair masks are too heavy for it, but this one was light and fresh and didn't weigh my hair down. I used it about once a fortnight as my hair doesn't need any more than that. I'd buy it again for sure.

John Plunkett Essentials Anti-Ageing Multi-Vitamin Moisturiser
Very thick, reminded me of those old school kind of moisturisers like Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream. It didn't make my skin feel especially moisturised though. I wouldn't buy it again.

Lancome Advanced Genefique Youth Activating Concentrate
I feel that there's more than a whiff of the emperor's new clothes about Lancome. People rave about their skincare but I've been unimpressed with everything I've tried. I was sent this to try and I'm glad I didn't pay for it - it was a nice enough serum but it did pretty much nothing.

Pantene Clinicare Fullness-charge Revitalising Conditioner
How on earth do they come up with these names? Another one I was just using up - I think it came in a travel set free with a magazine. Meh. It's a conditioner. It doesn't do anything exciting and I doubt I'd buy it.

Paula's Choice Earth Sourced Purely Natural Toner, Cleanser, Moisturiser samples
I used to be all over Paula's Choice skincare a few years ago but then I moved on to natural stuff and got into Silk Naturals and using Echolife Rosehip Oil and whatnot. However, lately people have been raving about PC products again and I did like them a lot so I decided to get a few things when I'd run down enough existing products. I wanted to try the Earth Sourced range because Paula is famously dismissive of natural skincare and hates many plant-based ingredients, claiming they are little more than irritants. Reading the ingredient list, nothing sounds 'natural' in the sense that I understand it, but nonetheless, these are really nice products. I bought a few full size things as well as samples, but I think next time I'm going to go for the full sizes of these ones.

Ava Luxe Love's True Bluish Light
This is a perfume sample that Su sent me ages ago and I loved it so much I've been stingily ekeing it out forever. I finally got down to the very last drops and there's nothing more there so I think I am going to have to splash out on a full size. It's a gorgeous warm, creamy vanilla musk - nothing really unique, but a beautiful example of a very simple blend. Love it, love it, love it.

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.

Empties March 2013

It's been a while since I did an empties post, because in the summer I rarely use up anything - in fact, most of that time I only use the very basics - soap, shampoo, deodorant. I don't even wear moisturiser on my face most days when it's hot. So this is not a month's worth of empties - it's more like 3 or 4 months, or from whenever I did my last empties post. I did have a bunch of chuckers as well as I had a bit of a clean up, but I forgot to keep them aside and actually chucked them. Now you will never know what they are. Try not to let it eat at you.

Coles Nail Polish Remover
Eh, it's nail polish remover. It does what it's supposed to do. Weirdly I think they have tried to make it smell nice - it's a strange toxic vanilla scent. Don't bother, Coles - no one expects nail polish remover to smell good. I'd buy it again - it's cheap, it does the job.

Puretopia Whisk Away Creamy Face Cleanser
This is my second tube, and I like it a lot. I don't think it's any better or worse than most other cream cleansers I've tried, but I'd buy it again.

Garnier Clean Sensitive 2 in 1 Gentle Makeup Remover and Gentle Eye Makeup Remover
I hated these at first, left them in the cupboard for ages, then pulled them out again when I had run out of everything else and quite liked them. However, by the time I got to the end of them I hated them again. They don't remove anything but the lightest amount of makeup - think tinted moisturiser and cream blush. The eye one is bloody useless with any kind of mascara. I don't know why I liked them at all, and I definitely won't buy either of them again.

Beauty Without Cruelty Facial Cleanser 3% AHA Complex
Just another foaming facial cleanser - I like to have one in the shower for cleaning my face in the morning. It's non-drying and doesn't do much of anything except refresh. I like it and it's cheap (I got it from iHerb - and no I'm not telling you my iHerb code), so I'd probably buy it again when I was doing an iHerb order.

Hugo Naturals Shower Gel Vanilla & Sweet Orange
I threw this in with my last iHerb order just to get to a certain amount where the shipping would be cheaper. It smells nice but it's not moisturising or anything, and since I'm too lazy to bother moisturising my body most of the time despite having a large collection of body butters and lotions, that's a necessity for me in a shower gel. I wouldn't buy it again.

Dove Triple Moisturising Deeply Nourishing Body Wash
See, now we're talking. This one is moisturising and I buy it pretty regularly - whenever it's on special. It's full of those nasties that hippies hate, but I don't care - one less step and count me in!

Imperial Leather Foamburst Foaming Shower Gel Passionflower & Jojoba
I bought this because people on YouTube and blogs rave about it all the time. It's shit. It's like washing yourself with shaving cream - super drying and not very foamy. I ended up using it to shave my legs because I couldn't stand it as a soap.

Al'chemy Ylang Ylang Colour Care Shampoo
I don't have coloured hair at the moment but I think this one was sent to me from Echolife. I like all the Al'chemy shampoos and I nearly always have one on the go (though at the moment I'm trying out one from iHerb). I'd buy any of them again, and probably will in the near future.

endota spa organic hand cream lavender & alpine pepper
This had a horrible smell - really herby and medicinal. It did bugger all as a moisturiser too. I can't remember whether someone gave me this or if it came in a monthly samples box, but I know I didn't buy it. And I wouldn't - it's craptacular.

Swisse Hand Cream with Vitamin F and Pomegranate
Another annoyingly non-moisturisy moisturiser. I think Jacquie gave me this from one of her monthly sample boxes. Again, crap - wouldn't buy it.

Ayelet Naturals Firming Organic Under Eye Nourishing Cream with Primrose
Every now and then I get into this healthifying kick where I start buying only natural products and swearing off parabens and chemicals and blah blah. Then I realise that pretty much everything in life has something in it that will kill you and there's not much point getting freaked out about it so I go running back to my nasties-laden commercial products. This was purchased during one of my organic greenie natural phases from an Etsy store called Ayelet Naturals. I liked it. It didn't do anything amazing but it was a nice eye cream. I'm not sure I'd buy it again, but I'd certainly not be averse to trying other products from the store.

Bourjois Liner Feutre Felt Tip Eyeliner
Sadly I didn't put the lid back on properly and this dried up. I would buy it again if I didn't already have eleventy million black eyeliners - I like the texta kind, as this one is.

2012 Favourites

Although I did use a lot of old tried-and-true stuff in 2012, I wanted to narrow this end of year post into just the favourites I discovered this year. It was a good year for new products, especially drugstore, so there are a few things that I suspect will crop up on pretty much everyone's list.

Real Techniques Brushes
There's not much to say about these - everyone has them, everyone loves them. I just grabbed the two cleanest ones for my picture but honestly I love almost all the ones I have (there are a couple of eye ones I don't really use much but they came in a set). These brushes seem to have (rightly) overshadowed the ubiquitous and highly over-rated Sigma somewhat this year. More power to them.

MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Light Medium
I think this cropped up in my last 3 or so monthly favourites. It's been my go to powder for months now and I just love it. It doesn't cake, it doesn't feel dry, it doesn't look 'powdery'. Awesome stuff.

Revlon Lip Butters
Again, I just grabbed a couple out of the fridge but if I had to pin down favourite colours I'd probably say Berry Smoothie and Pink Truffle. These are probably my all time favourite lip products - so easy to wear, nice colour without being OTT, moisturising. LOVE.

Garnier BB Cream Miracle Skin Perfector for Oily to Combination Skin
I've said many times I hated the original version of this with a passion, but this one is fan-freakin'-tastic. It's not a BB Cream - we all know that. But it's good stuff, and I love it teamed with the MAC MSF for a quick and easy face.

Echolife Rose Hip Oil
I use it as a night moisturiser 4 or 5 times a week and it makes my skin soft and smooth, and tones down any redness I might have gotten from messing about with too many products. Love this stuff. I still have about half a bottle left and I've been using it for months so a teeny bit really goes a long way.

Maybelline Color Tattoos
Oh, Maybelline. You really pulled a rabbit out of a hat with these! Fantastic cream shadows that I use both as a base for powder shadows or on their own if I'm being lazy and still want to look like I made a bit of an effort. I can't get enough of them. My most used is probably Tough as Taupe, but that would be closely followed by Bad to the Bronze.

Stuff I Love At The Moment

COSMETICAL WOTSITS

Garnier BB Cream in Light, or Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser in Nude, set with MAC MSF Natural Medium.
I absolutely detested the original Garnier 'BB cream' (it's not - it's a tinted moisturiser, and not a very good one), but this one (also not really a BB cream) is awesome. It gives a nice coverage and smooths out general redness and uneven tones. It doesn't disappear in minutes like the original one, either. My only complaint about it is that it's very thin so it's hard to get out of the tube without getting way too much. My other favourite face coverage at the moment is the Laura Mercier tinted moisturiser, which actually reminds me a lot of the Garnier one but is thicker. Regardless of which one I use, I set it with MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural buffed in with one of those soft Coastal Scents brushes (since my Everyday Minerals flat kabuki carked it recently). The MSF holds it all in place without looking cakey or powdery.

MAC Studio Finish concealer in NW20
I'm not a big MAC fan, so it's odd that two of my current favourite things are theirs. I bought this yonks ago, didn't like it, threw it in a drawer and forgot about it. I hauled it out a couple of weeks ago and decided to give it a go, and I really like it now. I use it under the eyes very lightly, as it's really thick, and around the nose and any other small red areas, then smooth out with an Everyday Minerals Eye Kabuki brush. I set it with a bit of MSF and I'm good to go.

Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in Blush and Petal
Weird confession time - over the past couple of years, my teeth have shifted a lot. They used to be pretty tightly together, and now they are gappy and the top ones are starting to protrude. I'm not gonna lie - it's heading towards hillbilly territory. Apparently it's something to do with my bite pushing them out, but I can't afford whatever it would cost to fix them at the moment so I tend to concentrate on making sure Noodles' teeth are looked after and ignore my own. It's made me self-conscious though, I've always had slightly crooked teeth and I kind of liked them, but these are just not a good look. Anyway, as a consequence, I have been steering clear of any bright lipsticks or glosses that will draw attention to my mouth. I wouldn't wear any lip colours at all except that I don't think faces look quite finished unless there's something on the lips. Enter Blush, a nude beige, and Petal, a nude pink. These are both very unassuming, easy to wear colours and I've been using them almost exclusively for the last few weeks.

Bath and Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar Fragrance Mist
Jacquie brought this back from the US for me and I love it to death - it's one of those wintery vanillas that smells really foodie and delicious (in contrast, Dreamy Vanilla Woods, which I bought on eBay, smells like toilet spray). It doesn't have huge staying power, but I'm going to decant some into a smaller bottle (the one she brought back was huge) so I can carry it around with me and respray regularly. I don't even care that it's more of a cold weather perfume - I'm wearing it anyway.

NON-COSMETICAL WOTSITS

Bean and Asparagus Salad
Asparagus is my favourite vegetable, so I love it when Spring rolls around (Ha! See what I did there?) and it's everywhere. I make this salad at least a couple of times a week at this time of year, and I never tire of it. It's not even really a recipe, you're just assembling a couple of ingredients.
 

1. Top and tail some fresh stringless green beans, and chop the bottoms off some asparagus (I like the thin stalks, but you can use whatever you like).  
2. In a big pot of rapidly boiling water, blanche the vegetables for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then fish them out with a spider and plunge them into a big bowl of iced water.
3. Drain well and spread them out in a shallow bowl. Drizzle over a really good quality olive oil (use your best for this, as the TV chefs would say), fresh cracked black pepper, and fancy salt flakes or fresh ground salt. Toss a little bit with tongs to get it all coated and then eat. SO GOOD.

The Walking Dead/Watching Dead
It's that time of the year again! Haters to the left, I love this show, and I don't care about the dodgy writing or bad accents, or the supposed realism or otherwise of what people would or wouldn't do in a zombie apocalypse (Seriously? It's a ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE). I've read all the comics, so I have a fair idea of where everything is headed, even though the show deviates considerably at times. And then a couple of days after each episode I listen to The Watching Dead podcast for an entertaining recap, discussion on each episode, and audience feedback. If you're a fan of The Walking Dead, I highly recommend this podcast as a side dish. The two guys are big fans, but not above critiquing the show when it needs it, and they are both funny and entertaining without trying to sound like morning radio DJs, as podcasters are often wont to do. 

Nashville
My newest obsession, which has sparked off several other new obsessions, as listed below. This TV show is not on Australian TV yet (WHY?), but the US is about 4 episodes into it. Set in Nashville (der). it's about a fading country superstar (Connie Britton) and an up and coming pop/country crossover starlet (Hayden Panettiere) battling it out. There's also political intrigue going on with Connie's dad, a dodgy business man, trying to make her sort-of-useless husband the new Mayor of Nashville, and a bit of a bone thrown to those who just want to hear gorgeous love songs sung by ridiculously pretty people in a side plot about two plucky young'uns being discovered. It's glitzy and fun and has some awesome music, as well as Connie Britton's hair. Which leads me to...

Sam Palladio and Clare Bowen
The previously mentioned ridiculously pretty people singing gorgeous love songs. Like this one. 

And this one.

 

And that leads me to...

The Civil Wars
Apparently I'm the only person in the world who had not heard this band. This is what happens when you don't have a radio or television and you work with people who are mostly middle-aged. I thought it was Jessica who introduced me as she mentioned them on Twitter, and when I looked them up I found that they had written one of the above duets, but as it turns out, Natalie had pimped them to me in an email a couple of weeks ago, AND I had written them on my 'to download' list on my phone. I just didn't make the connection, until she huffily informed me that she was the one who had originally put me on to them. 

So, vindication and apologies to Natalie, and thank you to both her and Jess, because this band is AHMAAAHZING. Such gorgeous, gorgeous voices and beautiful, sparse music. I downloaded their album Barton Hollow on Friday morning before work and after the first 30 seconds I was completely in love, then proceeded to play it continually over and over all day, as well as most of Saturday (you're welcome, neighbours). And speaking of gorgeous duets...

Lennon and Maisy
Again, I seem to be the only person who didn't know about these girls. They play Connie Britton's daughters on Nashville and in the third episode they do an acoustic version of one of Hayden Panettiere's songs from the show which is crazy good. I was telling Noodles about it (living vicariously through other people's talented children since mine inherited her complete lack of musical ability from me), and she says, "You mean Lennon and Maisy? Everyone knows them!", and then she showed me this video. 

I'm usually pretty up on virals so I don't know how this one passed me by, but regardless, the song is on iTunes so I downloaded it and it's another one I've been playing to death. I hope they let them sing more on Nashville, they're so good. And check out their real life parents - is this the coolest family alive or what? I wonder if they would adopt me. 

Parks and Recreation
Look, I have been on at everyone I know to watch this for years, and if you haven't succumbed by now, I just don't know if we can be friends anymore. If you're a regular viewer, you'll know that the most recent episode was amazing and touching and oh my god I'm choking up again just thinking about it. The show is hilarious, the cast is perfect, Amy Poehler is the most flawless human being who ever walked the earth. WHAT MORE DO YOU NEED, PEOPLE?   TREAT YO' SELF.

 

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!

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. :-/