Organising!

A couple of days ago Jacquie and I went for a trek to Ikea to buy some drawer organisers and things to hold makeup brushes and generally just mess about in Ikea and eat meatballs (my first time!). I came home with a bunch of divider things that go in drawers, but rearranging all my makeup in those I decided I didn't like them and wanted something else (lucky they were cheap - I can use them in the kitchen for something). So instead I ordered some Keji document storage things from Officeworks - one with 5 small drawers, and one with 3 small drawers and a larger size drawer.

They arrived this morning, and I've spent some of today organising my stuff in them. I'm really happy with these - they were only $15 each. Bargain!

In this one I have single eyeshadows, sorted roughly by colour: green in top drawer, next blues and purples, then pinks and peaches, then browns, then random other neutrals and some odd colours that don't fit anywhere else (a yellow one I received as a freebie and so on).

This one has most of my other stuff - the top drawer is mascaras, gel eyeliners, lashes, eye primers and brow products. The second drawer has blush, the third face products like primers, foundations and concealers. The bottom larger drawer holds eyeshadow palettes and one stray primer that is too high for the other drawers.

I also tidied up some other stuff while I was there - I'm not overly thrilled with the nail polishes being in a basket all higgeldy piggeldy but I don't paint my nails all that often so it will do until I can be bothered working out something else. In the cups and little spice canisters are (from left) lip glosses, lip pencils, eye pencils, jumbo eye pencils.

I did use one of the drawer organisers to get some currently unused stuff out of the way - a couple of empty jars, some empty eyeshadow sample bags, and brushes I don't use much.

And I finally got around to labelling the top of all my perfume oils, as I keep them in a drawer in a darkish corner and it's a pain in the butt having to pull half of them out to find the one I want.

Not gonna lie, I'm feeling a bit proud of myself!

Say goodbye to my buckeroos, Illamasqua

You may or may not be aware of Illamasqua's latest marketing campaign. I don't intend to rehash what's already been said - I just want to point you in the direction of a wonderfully written post about it, that articulates everything I feel.

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.

 

2012 Inventory Loose Shadows and Samples

Okay, strap in folks - this is it. My eyeshadow collection. I am breaking this one up into several posts, because it's beyond ridiculous, starting with loose eyeshadows.

In my defence:

• many of these are samples, although to be truthful there is enough product in most of them that I'm not likely to run out any time soon
• they are SO cheap and the shipping is usually pretty good too, so it's hard to resist stockpiling these
• the colours are GORGEOUS. 

Right, excuses out of the way, so let's get on with it. I've linked to swatches where I have them.

Inventory 2012: Lip Gloss and Lip Pencils

I have actually done pretty well in reducing my lip gloss stash down from what it was two years ago. I know even back then that wasn't a quarter of what a lot of makeup junkies I know own, but bear in mind I'm someone who doesn't actually like lip gloss. I might wear it once or twice a month, and even then it will be a swipe in the morning and maybe another one after lunch if I can be bothered.

Silk Naturals Lip Stain Vamp and Doll. These remind me of the Benefit Lip & Cheek Stains. They're not actually a gloss, but I forgot to include them in lipsticks, so here they are! I haven't used them much, but I do quite like them despite being a little drying.

Urban Decay Lip Junkie Naked. This comes with Naked 2. I haven't tried it yet so I have nothing to say about it.

NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Sweet Heart, Gold Pink, Smokey Look. As lip glosses go, these are my favourites. HUGE range of colours, and cheap - especially if you grab them from Cherry Culture or Nonpareil when they have their sales on. They're not sticky and they don't have that weird plastic smell that the NYX Round Lip Glosses have.

Australis Lip Gloss Happy. I picked this up for $3 in Target from a clearance bin and it's still sealed. It's the old Australis branding so who knows how old it is. I'm not sure I want to open it...

Maybelline Super Stay 10 Hr Stain Gloss. Again, not technically a gloss, but this is freakin' awesome. They're not available in Oz yet - and who knows when or if they ever will be. *sigh*

Sleek Pout Paint Milkshake. The povo's OCC Lip Tar. I just bought this in the recent Crush Cosmetics sale out of curiosity. It's okay, but I don't love it. It's too much work - you can't be slapdash with these things. 

From top to bottom:

• Prescriptives Sheer Lip Pencil Sheer Candy
• Jordana Easyliner For Lips Retractable Pencil Rock'n Rose
• LA Colors Auto Lipliner Nude
• Benefit D'finer D'liner
• Maybelline Super Stay Lip Liner Icy Beige
• NYX Lipliner Pencil Tangerine
• NYX Lipliner Pencil Nude Pink
• NYX Lipliner Pencil Natural
• NYX Lipliner Pencil Citrine (plus 2 back ups)

I think I've that's all the relatively 'normal' sized collections done. Next stop, Crazy Town!

Inventory 2012: Eyeliners and Brows

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

Top to bottom:

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

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

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

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

Clockwise from top left:

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

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

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...

Skin 79 BB Cream Miniature Set

A couple of months ago Wayne Goss did a video about BB creams, where he just announced that they were all pretty much a scam and not to bother with them. After people quickly pointed out that there was a huge difference between Asian BB creams and Western BB creams, he wrote a disclaimer in the video notes stating that he had been talking about Western BB creams. Considering that Asian BB creams make up about 90% of the market, and he hadn't stated in the video he was talking specifically about Western BB creams, he made himself look like a dickhead. And there is no point to me telling this story other than to say, do your research before you shoot your mouth off, lest you look foolish in front of your audience.

Having said that, it is true that there is a difference, and that Western BB creams are - by and large - not really BB creams, but tinted moisturisers (looking at you, Garnier). Asian BB creams are hardcore.

I heard about these ones in a video that Kat from Beauty by Kitty did recently. Honestly, BB creams are not really my thing - I've tried a few and wasn't overly jazzed with them, but I had a look at the My BB Cream website while I was watching the video and found that they had a trial kit of 4 different creams for $18, so I figured it wasn't much of a loss to have a go.

Shipping was about $6 and it arrived really quickly - from memory I ordered it on a weekend and got it on the Tuesday. It comes in a little box, and there were several sachet samples thrown in as well. I think it would have been better to include samples of different products from the ones I was actually buying, but oh well - a freebie's a freebie, amirite?

Now this is going to be a mega post, so I'm cutting it. Click the linkie if you wish to continue!

Inventory 2012: Mascara

This is a blatant attempt to redeem myself after last week's blush debacle. This is my mascara inventory. One open and one back up. Like a normal person would have.

 

I AM A NORMAL PERSON.

Elf Cream Eyeshadow in Eggplant

Like so many other low end drugstore brands (Milani, NYX, etc), ELF has been fancifying itself of late. This means that newer products are not in the same price range as their previous offerings, but it also means that that quality is far, far better. If you've ever had any experience with those rubbishy $1 cream eyeshadow duos they have, you'll know what I mean.

I was only vaguely aware of the newer cream eyeshadows and didn't have much interest in them, as I'd pretty much written ELF off as a brand I wasn't going to dally with anymore. They do have some good products, but they are so hit and miss that you have to sift through a lot of duds to find that occasional gem. However, when I was hauling in the recent Crush Cosmetics sale, I happened across them and figured why not just go totally random and try some things I'd never tried before? I wanted the bronze coloured one but it was sold out, so I got Eggplant instead.

The packaging is quite bulky - as you can see it takes up a good piece of real estate on my chunky paw. I imagine these would be a bit of a pain in the butt for storage and travel if you had a collection of them, and since the product itself doesn't take up much space inside, the packaging seems unnecessarily over the top. The container is plastic, but it's quite solid and has a nice, hefty feel. I don't feel like the lid is all that tight and secure though, so I do wonder how long these will last without drying out.

It takes a bit of work to smooth this out - not much, but if you just do a quick swipe it's a bit uneven, and you have to come back and smooth it over. For the price, that's not a deal breaker for me. It's quite opaque and the colour I chose is lovely - it reminds me a lot of NARS Ondine, and in fact I intend to try layering that over the ELF sometime this week and see how they look together.

Swatch in natural (overcast) light.
 

Swatch under Tungsten light.

I tried out this eyeshadow yesterday when it was 35 degrees here in Adelaide (I stayed inside but don't have air con), and it lasted all day without creasing. I have oily eyelids, so I was mightily impressed with that, I can tell you. I had such low expectations of this, and I was amazed when I went to take my face off after dinner and the shadow was all still there!

In short, for a drugstore cream eyeshadow, this is a performer. The only downside is the bulky (and possibly not completely air tight) packaging and the fact that the shade range doesn't seem all that great, though that might just be what's available to us Aussies. You can get ELF from Crush Cosmetics (currently 25% off at $7.50AUD) or the Australian ELF website ($9.99AUD). The cream eyeshadows don't seem to be available from the other Aussie-accessible source, Nonpareil.  Bummer.

Yesterday I spent the day wearing a lot of weird, random products on my face because I was testing out various things and I knew I wasn't going anywhere for most of the day. There was a bit of a Baby Jane thing going on - I'm pretty sure I freaked Noodles' BFF's mum out a bit when she came to pick up her kid in the late afternoon. Anyway, one of the first things I applied was this eyeshadow, because I wanted to get it on early and see how long it lasted. The first thing that struck me is how nice it is for green eyes. Observe:

And no, there will be no subsequent Baby Jane pictures.

Tell me if you have any of these and what you think of them. I want more, but I am trying to resist, as my inventory is freaking me out a bit. Luckily there aren't any other super exciting colours available that I would be itching to get my hands on!

Inventory 2012: Blush

After nail polish and bronzer, the beauty product I have the least interest in is blush. I have naturally red cheeks and spend a lot of time and effort concealing them, so to then pile on a ton of colour on top of that seems silly to me. I like a smidgeon of a sheer, low pigmentation blush just to make myself look alive and that's pretty much it. For quite a few years I had two blushes - a peachy-pink matte one and a brownish one with a tiny bit of shimmer. And despite those being my only ones I never got through them - I ended up throwing them out when they looked scuzzy. That's how little blush I would generally use.

So what went wrong...

The interesting thing about doing this inventory is how deluded I am about what I own. In Liz's blush inventory post, I commented that I thought I had about 15-20 blushes, and even when I was writing that comment I distinctly remember thinking it was probably closer to 15, and possibly not even that many. So how many do I have? 31. Yes you read that correctly.

In my defence, with the exception of one MAC blush and one Joey New York blush, they are all drugstore brands. Given my general disinterest in these things, I would never consider paying for a luxury brand blush. I know lots of people do and adore them, and more power to them. I've seen many that look absolutely gorgeous, but I know that I would never give them the appreciation they deserve.

Also, I have only acquired the Beauty UK and the NYX Stick Blushes in the last week, so at the time I commented to Liz, I wasn't as far off on my estimate as I am now. Okay, I'm reaching. DON'T JUDGE ME.

Beauty UK Peaches and Cream and Wild Berry, MAC Honour, Milani Luminoso, Rose D'Oro, Luminous

iNuovi blushes Aura, Chiffon, Whisper, Entice

NYX Angel, Natural, Peach, Taupe

ELF Contouring Blush and Bronzing Powder Duo, ELF Glow, Innocence, Shy

Face of Australia Pressed Powder Bronze (technically a bronzer but mega shimmery so I use it as blush), Revlon Matte Rose Rapture, Wet'n'Wild Color Icon Pearlescent Pink, Sleek Rose Gold, Joey New York Faith, some random from unknown brand that came in one of those monthly boxes

NYX Cream Blush Boho Chic, Rose Petal, Maybelline Dream Mousse Peach Satin, Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush Fresh Pink, NYX Stick Blush in Hibiscus, Orchid, Tulip

Let me know if you want swatches, and tell me how many you have (unless you only have 5, in which case I hate you). I'll be in my shame closet thinking about what I've done.

Crush Cosmetics Sale Haul

I don't normally pay much attention to Crush Cosmetics, because most of the time the stuff I would want from there I can get cheaper from Nonpareil or Cherry Culture, even when shipping is taken into account. The only advantage to buying from Crush is that you get the package within a couple of days, and since I'm used to buying online from overseas, the waiting part doesn't faze me. I'm on their mailing list but I usually bin their emails without even looking at them.

However, recently they had a sale with 20% off everything, and sent out an email saying, "Only a few hours to go! Hurry up, everyone!" and for some reason, I clicked those links at 10pm at night and there I was. Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that they now carry Beauty UK products, I probably wouldn't have bothered with anything else. But I am a GRADE A SUCKER for UK drugstore brands so I was reeled in. And of course, once I'd bought a couple of products from that brand I had to throw in a few other things to make the shipping worthwhile, and then I hit a certain level where I qualified for free shipping, so hey - in that case why not grab a couple more things? Yeah, you all know the online shopping freefall.

I took these pictures close to dusk so the colour definition isn't great, but I was itching to get the photos done so I could start sticking my fingers in things.

Brush Guards: A whim, one of the things I added once I hit free shipping. I have some fluffy eye and face brushes that have gotten a bit splayed (bloody Sigma) so I'm curious to see if these help get them back into shape.

ELF Eyelash Curler: I had been wanting a Tweezerman curler for years and I finally lashed out (ha, see what I did there!) and got some at Christmas after my old drugstore ones had kicked the bucket and I HATE them. I don't know if one of my eyes is a weird shape or what but they pinch the lid of my left eye, and if I position them so they don't, only half my lashes get curled. Total bummer. So many people rave about the ELF ones (and emilynoel83 is always singing their praises), so I figured for a few dollars it couldn't hurt to give them a go.

Sleek Pout Paint in Milkshake: One of those things I was vaguely curious to try one of these days and a sale seemed as good a time as any. The colour selection didn't look all that great on the website - after Googling for swatches this was the only one I liked out of the shades available. It's quite bright but I think I can make it work. It's a stayer - Noodles was complaining several days and at least two showers later that the stain was still on her hand.

ELF Cream Eyeshadow in Eggplant: I don't know a lot about these and I'm not sure whether they're not widely talked about because they're crappy or because not that many people know about them. I wanted Bronzed but it was sold out so I went for a purply one. It's a pretty colour - I will swatch it over the weekend some time.

Beauty UK Baked Blushers in Peaches and Cream and Wild Berry: I know nothing about these. As I said above, I'm just all over any chance to try UK drugstore brands so here they are! The packaging is flimsy and cheap and a bit rubbish, but the colours are pretty so I'm looking forward to trying them out.

Beauty UK Eyeshadow Palette in Earth Child: Again, know nothing about these. I've swatched a couple of shades and the pigmentation is good. It looks a lot like the 88 palettes so I'm assuming it comes from the same mysterious Chinese factory that they come out of. I soooo don't need another neutral palette (or, let's face it - any palette ever again), but I can't resist one that has greens in it.

Wet'n'Wild Color Icon Trio in Walking on Eggshells: I owned this for a while after buying it on Nonpareil, but it sat unopened in my drawer so I ended up getting rid of it in a blog sale. I always half regretted it though, especially after I saw emilynoel83's MAC dupe video where she compared this to some MAC shadows whose names escape me at this moment. So I bought it again. And this time I opened it (yet to use it, though).

They also sent a free Wet'n'Wild lipstick, but I'm not keen on that particular WnW lipstick and it's a yukky brown colour so I'll probably just bin it.

If you want reviews or swatches of any of this gear let me know - happy to oblige!

Inventory 2012: Lipsticks

I've mentioned before that Liz's blog is one of my favourites, not least because she posts regular inventories of her stash, and the only thing better than poking around someone's makeup collection is virtually poking around someone's makeup collection.

I could have sworn I did a makeup collection post a couple of years ago, but I can't find it, so maybe that just happened in my mind. Anyway, I've decided to steal Liz's idea and take inventory of what I have, since my attempts to curb my frittering this year have been pretty pathetic - the last couple of weeks alone I've done online shopping on eBay, Crush Cosmetics, Darling Girl, My BB Cream, Echolife (shampoo - legit purchase) and the Livejournal BPAL community. Then there was a rummage through a clearance bin in a random chemist where I picked up 4 lipsticks and a couple of eyeshadows. I'm like a bloody magpie.

The picture above is my current collection of lipsticks, which I keep in a box in my fridge. I actually think that isn't a bad number - over the past year or so I've sold, given away or thrown out probably about 50 lipsticks, and this is what I have left (including the 4 chemist ones from the other day). The problem really is that there are so many similar ones - several nude-ish pinks that are almost the same, for example. I definitely have a colour preference when it comes to lipsticks.

Anyway, this is what I have right now. I've probably swatched and/or reviewed quite a few of these, but if there's anything you'd like to have a closer look at, let me know and I'll do my best to oblige.

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipsticks Luminous Cocoa, Mochachino, Bronzed, Warm Latte, Barely Brown, Nearly There

NYX Darling, CoverGirl TruShine Petal Shine, NYX Thalia, Maybelline Color Sensational Luminous Lilac, Ice Tea, Beige Rose

Maybelline Color Sensational Mauve Diamond, Rosy Dream, Stila High Shine Natasha, CoverGirl TruShine Lilac Shine, Face of Australia Mineral Lip Shine Fairy Floss

Rimmel Airy Fairy, NYX Black Label Diva, Heiress, Dusty Rose, Maybelline Color Sensational Born With It, Lacura #108 Soft Rose

L'Oreal Colour Riche Belladonna Mauve, Maybelline Color Sensational Pink Quartz, Pink Me Up, Revlon Colorburst Carnation, MAC Syrup, Rimmel Vintage Pink

Back row: Wet'n'Wild Mega Last 904B Rose Bud, 903C Just Peachy, NYX Matte Angel, Perfect Red. Front row: Prescriptives Azalea, Revlon Colorburst Peach, Stila High Shine Sarah, NYX Watermelon

Back row: Maybelline Color Sensational Warm Me Up, Plum Riche, Maybelline Rose Metal, Lacura #100 (can't remember the name), NYX B52. Front row: NYX Peony, NYX Heather, Wet'n'Wild Mega Shield Ring Around The Rosy, Revlon Colorburst Rosy Nude

I am hoping that recording all of this will encourage me to shop my stash more and resist the urge to buy all the things. But it's SO HARD. Just now I went to Nonpareil to find out the name of one of the Wet'n'Wild lipsticks and they have a sale on new NYX products. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

And for reference, here's Liz's last lipstick inventory post. Now where's yours?