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

Priceline Skincare Sale Haul

I'm not a fan of Priceline and I rarely go in there. I don't know what they are like elsewhere but the Adelaide ones are shit. Messy, dirty, half empty shelves, half-opened stuff everywhere, often out of stock of anything I might be even vaguely interested in, and I hate getting asked 15 times if I need a hand with anything (I know the staff are probably told to do that so I don't blame them, but it's bloody irritating). When I heard they were having a 40% off sale on all skincare products for two days, I had zero interest. That is until I realised that 'skincare' included BB creams.

Look, I'm not stupid. I know that western BB creams are tinted moisturisers, but I quite like tinted moisturisers, so the opportunity to try a couple cheap was too good to resist. And everything is overpriced here so I wouldn't buy any of this stuff any other time.

On Tuesday I went down to Priceline mid-morning on my tea break, expecting all the good stuff to already be gone, but there was actually barely anyone in there. The closest one to me, while in the city, is a little out of the way and never seems very busy anyway (it's also the least scuzzy of the three city stores, thankfully). I bought the Maybelline BB Cream for oily skin and the L'Oreal Nude Magique CC Cream (they're just taking the piss now, right?) for a total of $25. That might seem like a lot to some people but normally that CC Cream alone is $27. I've been interested in trying it since I saw a chick on YouTube do a review but there's no way I'm paying $27 for something I may not even like.

Noodles has been getting into tinted moisturisers a bit lately (she made off with the Garnier one I like a few weeks ago and I haven't seen it since) so I thought we could share the Maybelline one, but when I showed her she informed me that she has dry skin, not oily. So on day 2 of the sale I decided to go back and see if the dry skin version was there, fully expected the shelves to have been decimated.

Again, there was barely anyone in there and it looked as though hardly anything had been sold. Was this some kind of secret sale? Weird. Anyway, I got the other Maybelline BB Cream for Noodles, and on the way to the checkout I spotted a Ponds one. Who knew Ponds was back? I figured what the heck - with the 40% off it was about $9. Then next to that was this Sanctuary Spa cleanser I'd never heard of until the night before when I'd been reading some randos on Beauty Heaven posting about what they'd hauled in the sale. It was $12 after the discount, so into my hot little mitts it went.

I haven't tried any of these yet but I'll probably have a play with them on the weekend and report back my findings.

TL:DR version: Priceline had a big sale and I got some BB creams and a cleanser.

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

L'Oreal Skin Perfection cleansers

A couple of weeks ago I was reading UK Glamour and saw ads for some new L'Oreal products that got me a bit excited. Drugstore versions of an oil cleanser and a micellar water? Yes, please! Of course they won't be available here for eleventy million years - if ever - so I was straight on to eBay to get them into my hot little mitts as soon as possible. It was great timing too because I had about a week's worth of makeup remover left.

Skin Perfection 3 in 1 Purifying Micellar Solution
I have to admit that I was not impressed with Bioderma - I didn't find it particularly good at removing my makeup and I felt I had to pull and drag at it and then use a cream cleanser to make sure I got everything - and since that's the only other micellar water I've tried I didn't have terribly high hopes for this one. However, it's great. Both Lil and I have used it and it removes all makeup easily - even my long wearing foundations. We also both used it for removing mascara (not waterproof so I don't know how it would go with that), and it did an excellent job and didn't sting our eyes. Lily has decided this is the best makeup remover she has used and wants me to buy it all the time from now on.

Skin Perfection 15 Second Miracle Cleansing Oil 
Emulsifying oils are my favourite type of makeup removers, but this is the first drugstore one I've ever seen and usually they're around $50+ a bottle so I have been trying to wean myself off them and make do with other kinds of cleansers. This one works as well as any of the high end ones I've tried like Dermalogica Precleanse, Shu Uemura Cleansing Beauty Oil and so on. However, although it says on the label to use on eyelids, I found it stung my eyes a bit so I would use a separate product for those. I have been using this every night and then following with a cream cleanser to double cleanse, and my skin feels super clean without being tight or stripped.

In short, I give both of these a big thumbs up. I'm sure when they hit our shores and the freebies start getting dished out by PR you'll hear more about them but in the meantime if you're not averse to stumping up your own dollars, you can find them on eBay. I bought mine from this seller.

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: Pressed Single Eyeshadows

This may be my final inventory post. I do have some nail polishes but I got rid of most of them a while ago and they're not something I ever use all that much, so I don't know that I can be bothered photographing those.

Things I have learned from doing this:

1. I have WAY more blushes than I thought I did. 
2. I actually have fewer eyeshadows than I thought I did, though having said that, I have sold or given away a ton of them in the past year or so. 
3. I think I have a reasonable number of lipsticks, but I have a tendency to only wear the same half dozen or so over and over. I might need to do a lipstick challenge or something. 
4. Since taking my mascara pictures I have acquired two more, one from Beauty Heaven and one sent to me by L'Oreal. 

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!

Prize Haul Swatches

I have finally managed to pin Noodle Arms down to get these swatches done for me so I can actually begin poking around in all the stuff that J sent me when I won her Naked 2 giveaway recently (warning: link contains Paul Rudd nakedness - this should actually read YOU ARE ABOUT TO GAZE UPON THE PERFECT SPECTACLE OF NAKED PAUL RUDD CONSIDER WHETHER YOU ARE WORTHY). I'm not going to swatch Naked 2 - you can find them all over the internet if you're interested, and I haven't been able to bring myself to mess up its pristine perfection as yet.

My first L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadow, but definitely not my last. This colour is Continuous Cocoa, which I haven't seen anywhere here so I'm not sure whether it's available in this country. The swatch doesn't do it justice - it's a lovely dark brown, perfect for the infamous outer V. The texture of this is as awesome as everyone says it is - a sort of creamy powdery pressed I-don't-know-what.

Chimera, Candy Corn Pixie Sprinkles, Witch and Famous

Witch and Famous, Candy Corn Pixie Sprinkles (swatched over Detrivore primer)

I had a bit of a decanting blitz the other day with eyeshadow samples so these have been moved from the little baggie wotsits to jars. As I said in the previous post, Darling Girl have been on my radar for a long time but I've never tried them before (because, let's face it, I'm not exactly hurting for eyeshadows). I like these quite a bit - especially Witch and Famous, which is a matte taupe with a teensy bit of glitter. You know I love my taupes!

The Wet'n'Wild Color Icon Glitter Palettes were a limited edition product that came out around the time of one of the holidays a while ago. This one - Tinsel Town - is kind of odd. The glitter is overspray, so once you poke through the top layer they're just bright cream colours, and I don't really mind that because I'm a bit old for too much glitter. They don't swatch all that well when you're using the top layer - you can see in the pictures they're a bit chunky and uneven. They're much better once the glitter layer is gone though, and I think they'll make nice bases. I've read mixed reviews of them and a lot of people say they crease easily, but they're a drugstore brand cream product so I wouldn't be expecting miracles. A good primer should keep them on there for a while. I love that green - can't wait to try that out properly.

Golddigger, Sellout, Platinum, Trashed

Trashed, Platinum, Sellout, Golddigger (swatched over NYX White Eye Base)

The pigmentation of these Wet'n'Wild Shimmer Singles is nowhere near as good as most of the regular WnW Color Icon singles, which is weird because this is a company that has really picked up their game in the last year or so. I don't mind though, because these are colours I'd prefer to be a little muted anyway - I don't think I'd be walking around with startlingly bright magenta or gold eyelids. They all came with a black eyeliner, which is very creamy and easy to use but doesn't set, so I'd be more inclined to use those when I wanted a smudged effect rather than a precise line.

Aussies are falling over themselves to get their mitts on these new Maybelline products, because they're not hitting our shores until the end of the year (shenanigans!) - they're scouring eBay and hitting up friendly US bloggers for shopping favours and it's no surprise because these are AWESOME. I know a lot of people have crapped on the Bouncy Blushes, mostly because they are lacking in pigmentation, but as I've said before, I find that a pro rather a con because I spend a lot of time covering the redness in my cheeks and I don't want to just whack a heavy streak of colour back on there. This one is called Fresh Pink and it's the perfect colour for me - I just love these spring time pink shades.

The Maybelline Color Tattoos in Bold Gold and Edgy Emerald will be getting a ton of use because after months of neutral obsession, I've just started getting back into using the many coloured eyeshadows I have. I'm particularly fond of green eyeshadow, so having a green cream base will be very handy! I absolutely must find a way to get hold of more of these. They are fan-freakin'-tastic.

I hadn't heard of the Maybelline Super Stay Stain Glosses before I received one, but now I want more, more, MORE. It applies like a gloss, with a sponge tip applicator, and is slightly similar to the 'liquid lipsticks' like NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams, except it's not matte. Once it sets it last for ages, fading a little to a stain but surviving through food and general daily wear (have not tested for pash-sustainability). The colour J sent me is Ruby Indulgence and it's really pretty - a very wearable red that applies semi-sheerly but can be easily built up. I really, really love this.

And here's Noodle Arms lip-swatching it:

Loverly.

So, to sum up I will be hunting down more of the Color Tattoos, the Bouncy Blushes and the Super Stay Stain Glosses with a vengeance. Good show, Maybelline - you're doing the drugstore makeup world proud!

And now I'm off to pat my Naked 2. Possibly while gazing at naked pictures of Paul Rudd.

What's Even Better Than Naked Paul Rudd?

It's extremely rare that I would enter a blog giveaway - the only time I ever do if it's something I really want and can't easily get hold of myself. Like, say, Naked 2. J from Just Peachy had a giveaway of Naked 2 a few weeks ago and GUESS WHO WON.

If you said me, you're right. Me me, not you me. ME.
Okay, there is not one of you reading this who has the slightest need for this palette, but I'd bet that most of you either have bought it or intend to buy it some time in the future just because (except Liz). That's how I feel about it. I have neutrals up the wazoo, but eventually I would have ended up getting this when it became more readily available. So I was really thrilled to win it and have been itching to get my mitts on it, and yesterday it arrived!

Not only that, but J also included a ton of other goodies - almost all products I could also not easily get hold of. Everything was wrapped up snugly in layers and layers of tissue paper and you should have seen me squealing as I opened each little wrapped package and saw pretty after pretty after pretty. Thank you, J - AMAZING gifts. :-)

There are Wet'n'Wild Color Icon Shimmer Singles in the colours Platinum, Gold Digger, Trashed and Sellout. I've never even heard of these, and a quick Google search didn't bring up many results so they must be pretty new. I am very excited to get stuck into playing with these as you all know I love WnW eyeshadows. The Glitter Kit palette is a limited edition one from a while ago - they are the kind of thing that never turn up in places we Aussies can easily shop for WnW (Crush Cosmetics, Nonpareil, etc) as they're usually exclusive to one or two stores, so it was great to get one of those as well. So much pretty sparkle!

I've played with the L'Oreal Infallible eyeshadows in Priceline a few times but baulked at the price of them here, so I was jazzed to get one of those as well - I've looked up swatches of this (Continuous Cocoa) and it's a gorgeous dark chocolate brown. Can't wait to try it out. And of course, Darling Girl has been on my 'must try' list FOREVER, so I'm looking forward to testing out the 3 samples as well. Uh oh, what if I really like them....?

But wait! There's more! I also received a Maybelline SuperStay Stain Gloss in Ruby Indulgence (oo-er!), and a Wet'n'Wild lipstick whose colour name I can't remember because it's down the other end of the house in the fridge at the moment so it doesn't melt into a colourful puddle. Oh, and a mini UD 24/7 pencil that isn't in the photo. So many things I'm forgetting them!

J also kindly sent me a sample of the Silk Naturals Cranberry Passionfruit Cleansing Conditioner, as she reviewed it on her blog a while ago and I mentioned wanting to try it. And she sent me some body butter that she made herself that smells DIVINE - all foody and delicious. I tried some on my arm and wanted to chew it off.

The products that had me squealing the most after Naked 2 were Maybelline Color Tattoo eyeshadows in Bold Gold and Edgy Emerald and a Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Fresh Pink. I've seen Emily talk about these as well as a few other bloggers and vloggers, and aLoveTart did an awesome video swatching all the Color Tattoos.

I have been busting to get some, but according to Suzanne (who got it straight from the PR's mouth), they won't be arriving on Aussie shores until the end of the year. (Apparently they're sitting in some refugee camp awaiting their papers or something.) I mean, COME ON. Why does it take a year for a product to be released here? That's just beyond ridiculous. I was talking to Jade about it the other day and we discussed how there is so much buzz about them now that if they were released, people would be rushing out to buy them at Priceline, even though they will be stupidly overpriced here. As it is, bloggers and beauty addicts won't wait that long - they will be hitting up eBay and their US blogger mates and anyone else they can scrounge up and get them sent over, so by the time we finally do get them here we'll all be totally over it. And the money we would have paid for them here will have gone overseas. Smart one, Maybelline!

Anyway, I just wanted to show everyone the awesome prize and many, many lovely extras I received and say a massive thank you to J for her generosity. Two thumbs up!

*Swatches to follow as soon as it gets cooler - it's too hot here to be poking around in makeup at the moment. :-(