Weekly Makeup for October 07

I bought this nifty little makeup holder for a couple of dollars on eBay so I'd have something specific to hold my weekly makeup. I've also decided to use only one palette this week, as it's one I bought on eBay months ago and have never used, nor even swatched. I also have chosen a tinted moisturiser and a powder that are almost finished, so I have some back ups of those in case I run out during the week.

Face: 

• Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF20 in Nude
• MAC MSF Natural in Medium
• Wet n Wild Color Icon Bronzer SPF15 in Reserve Your Cabana (actually a subtle highlighter rather than a bronzer)
•  Jordana Blush Powder in 27 Sunlit Bronze
• Jordana Blush Powder in 32 Rose Silk

Back ups: 

•  Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream in Medium
• Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in 005 Silky Beige

Eyes: 

• 88 Color Palette in Metal
• Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Eyeshadow Primer 
• Milani Shadow Eyez 12 HR Wear Eyeshadow in 10 Almond Cream
• Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Pencil in 004 Taupe
• Milani Liquif'eye Metallic Eye Liner Pencil in 05 Brown
• Maybelline Master Liner in Black
• Rimmel Glam'eyes Mascara in 001 Black

Lips: 

•  NYX Retractable Lip Liner in 18 Peony
• Jordana Easyliner for Lips in Rock'n Rose
• Rimmel Apocalips in 201 Solstice
• NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in 164 Nude Pink

Nails: 

• Wet n Wild Megalast Salon Nail Color in On A Trip

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

 

Weekly Makeup for September 30

Last week's attempt to shop my stash by choosing and using particular products for a week went pretty well. Not having to think about which foundation I was going to use made getting ready faster, and only having 3 blushes to choose from meant just reaching for the one that went tonally with lips. Is this how normal people live? I like it!

This week I have recycled some of the products I didn't get to last week, and I'm not painting my nails because they were driving me nuts and I cut them really short yesterday. So I'll just let them be this week.

Face:

• Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Treatment Makeup in Nude
• Palladio Rice Powder in Translucent
• Blush in Clinique Strawberry Fudge LE GWP Palette in Bashful Blush
• Bronzer in Clinique Strawberry Fudge LE GWP Palette in Sunkissed
• Joey New York Blush in Faith
• Simplicity Cosmetics Blush in Peony

Eyes:

• Jordana 12 Hour Made to Last Eyeshadow Pencil in 01 Eternal White
• Maybelline Color Tattoo Cream Eyeshadow in 15 Audacious Asphalt
• Sigma Eye Shadow in Indian Girl
• Revlon ColorStay 12 Hour Eye Shadow Quad in 13 Lavender Meadow
• Maybelline The Falsies Big Eyes Waterproof Mascara 

Lips:

• Covergirl Lip Perfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in 3103
• Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in Airy Fairy
• Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Blush
• Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Petal
• NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Beautiful
• NYX Mega Shine Lip Gloss in Smokey Look

A couple of other people said they were going to do this too, so if you were one of them, how did you go? I'm interested to hear whether people found that having a much, much smaller amount to choose from made life easier, or whether they just got bored.

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. 

Priceline sale and a rant

Priceline has a sale on at the moment with all Maybelline half price and Covergirl eye and lip products for $10, so I thought I'd wander down there this morning and have a look. I was really only interested in checking out the eyeliners as I've been hearing good things, and getting one of those wind up concealer wotsits in the brightening shade. All of which I managed to get.

So, funny (not really) story. Priceline in Gawler Place - which is the nearest one to me and the least objectionable of the 3 city stores (though also probably has the lowest range) - is generally pretty quiet early in the morning so I took an early tea break and headed down. The place was practically deserted - there was no one else in the entire aisle I was in and after getting the things I specifically wanted I was happily standing there examining eyeshadows (don't need 'em, but you know.. half price), when along come these two girls who proceed to shove themselves in front of me between me and the display stand. I had to step back to avoid crashing into them. It was like I was invisible! I said something like "Are you right there?" and they completely ignored me, yabbering amongst themselves about how they wanted to buy this or that and basically just get 'one of everything'. I rolled my eyes, moved over to the other side of the display, and was looking at powders and foundations, when they stepped in front of me AGAIN and started snatching things off racks that I was trying to look at.

Now, this is not a case of a packed out sale and it's everyone for themselves. There was no other person in that aisle but me and these two breathtakingly rude individuals. Every time I moved to look at something, they would eventually push in front of me again until finally I'd had enough and just left.

Interestingly (not really), I'm almost certain one of them is a local beauty blogger. I know I've seen her before and I am sure it's in a blogging context. I can't place who she is though - believe me, if I could name and shame I damn well would. But if you're an Adelaide beauty blogger who was shoving your way past a chick minding her own business at the Maybelline display in Gawler Place Priceline this morning with your equally ignorant friend and bored-looking boyfriend, here's a big FUCK YOU going out to you. Learn some manners, princess.

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.

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

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.

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.

Things I'm Currently Loving

Bath and Body Works Warm Vanilla Sugar Fine Fragrance Mist
This was on my last favourites list, but I'm still loving it to death. It's the best kind of vanilla, warm and delicious. Om nom nom. I have taken to occasionally spraying it on my pillow a couple of hours before I go to bed so I can wallow in it.

MAC MSF Natural in Medium
Again, this was on my last list, and again, still loving it. I use it almost every day - either to add a bit of oomph to tinted moisturisers, or to set under eye concealer.

Queen Helene Grape Seed Extract Peel Off Masque
I love peel off masks generally, but this one is especially good - it leaves my face feeling soft and non-wrinkly at least for a while after. And it's as cheap as chips, less than $4US on iHerb.

The Garden Bath Fresh Roses Perfume Oil
A true rose scent with a touch of a sharp green note in the background. So pretty and girly, I just love it.

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough as Taupe and Bad to the Bronze
I've been doing the old swipe-and-go on the eyes a fair bit of late, and these two colours are just fool proof. I wear one or the other depending on whether I feel like matte or a bit of shimmer. The only problem I have with them is that I have to apply them exactly where I want them to be because they dry almost immediately, making them virtually impossible to blend.

Coastal Scents Shadow Worx Matte Eyeshadow Primer
I have never really been a fan of UDPP, so when I finally used up all the little freebies that come with palettes I had lying around, I went looking for something else, and decided to try this one and the NYX HD primer. The NYX is pretty much a dupe for UDPP, which I guess is okay from a cost point of view, because it's way cheaper, but for keeping my eyeshadow in place all day, this Coastal Scents one has it in spades. Love it.

Real Techniques Brow Brush
When I first bought the Real Techniques eye brush set, I thought this one was kind of rubbish - it seemed way too thick to be a good brow brush, and nowhere near as stiff and precise as my beloved company-that-shall-no-longer-be-mentioned-due-to-hideous-unapologetic-racism one, but I have found that it is actually perfect for filling in brows and making them look really natural rather than 'done'. It's also super super quick to use.

NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder in Taupe/Ash
This is a little set that comes with two brow powders and a wax, as well as an application brush and a spoolie. The application brush is a bit useless, though I do occasionally use the little spoolie. I don't really use the wax either as it's quite soft - I much prefer NYX's Eyebrow Shaper. However, the lighter of the two powders is perfect for me - a lightish medium brown with absolutely no red in it. I use the Real Techniques brush to apply and only takes a few seconds.

Also....

Etsy
I have been Etsy bingeing of late, though in my defence, it's mostly samples. Perfume oils, loose eyeshadows, skincare products, lip balms, etc. I just love Etsy, and the 99.9% of good experiences I've had far outweigh the one or two bad ones. I love that I can buy something from a creative person doing their own thing. Mind you, I feel like they are getting a bit lax in their definition of 'handmade'. I was looking for bracelets for Noodles recently and there are a hell of a lot of mass-produced little crap things coming out of Hong Kong and China on there. Not cool, Etsy. That's what eBay is for.

The Because Show
This is a podcast that I only heard about very recently, and it's three women who are probably in their mid to late 30s. There are elements of their cast that don't grab me (a tendency to chat a bit too much about farting - I'm not a 12 year old boy and that really doesn't interest me), but on the other hand, there's enough there that I do like and I've been listening to their back catalogue most of the weekend. They talk about loads of things, including makeup and books. MAKEUP AND BOOKS. Yay for chicks!

Parks and Recreation
I've loved this show for lo these many years (and again, this is the second time in a row it's been on my favourites list), but it has come up in conversation more often of late because I FINALLY have some other people to talk to about it. Natalie has been a fan for quite a while, but fairly recently we managed to cajole Jessica into watching, and now she is up to Season 4 and thoroughly hooked. Hurrah! I've just converted a bunch of episodes to MP4 and put them on my phone so I can just watch them randomly whenever I feel the need for a P&R fix. Oh, and a girl I work with texted me yesterday to say she had just watched all of Season 1 (which is only 6 episodes) and loved it. The word is getting out there!

Nacho Saturday
This kind of speaks for itself. It involves eating nachos. On a Saturday. And it's awesome.

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: 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: Concealers and Highlighters

With most of the other inventory photos I've done, there's been a dawning revelation that I own much more than I thought I did, and I've been deluding myself that I have a 'normal' amount of makeup (and I mean normal by makeup junkie/blogger standards, not normal by normal person with one makeup bag and maybe an extra eyeshadow palette for getting tizzy on nights out standards). When I pulled out my concealers yesterday I discovered the opposite - I have far fewer than I thought I did. That's good, right? Or does it mean I need to go shopping for concealers...

Benefit Erase Paste No. 2: I have yet to find something that completely covers the dark circles under my eyes (permanent due to continual lack of sleep - I have always been a terrible sleeper), but this one does better than most others.

MAC Studio Finish Concealer NW20: I don't use this very often because I don't find it creamy enough for under the eyes, and I break out when I use it on my face.

Silk Naturals Cream Concealer #1 and #2: I wasn't going to include these as they are samples, but they seem to be lasting a long time even though I've used them a few times. I quite like them but I don't think I'd buy a full size - there's nothing spectacular about them.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer Light and Medium: Again, doesn't quite cover the dark circles, but still a pretty good concealer. I reviewed it here.

Clinique Line Smoothing Concealer #02 Light: This is a shocker - it doesn't conceal lines at all. If I use it under my eyes it actually makes the lines more prominent. It's quite a thick consistency so it's useful for concealing redness in the cheeks, that's mostly what I use it for now.

Physicians Formula Concealer Twins Green/Light: I've been buying this for years for the green end - it's the best one I've found for covering redness on the cheeks and around the nose. I usually end up using all the green and then turfing it with the light barely touched. It's not that it's bad, I just never seem to remember to use that end. I don't know how much longer I'll be able to get hold of these - the Physicians Formula shelves of every Priceline I've been into for about the last year are looking sparse and craptastic. Not sure if they're discontinuing carrying the brand or if they're rebranding/repackaging or what. (Either way, it's pretty disgusting, Priceline - get your act together and clean up your dirty, empty displays once in a while. The Reject Shop is cleaner.)

I'm not a big fan of highlighters - they don't seem to do much of anything on me, and they seem like just an extra thing that someone out there has convinced us all we need.

Masquerade Professional Shimmer Powder: Not a company I'm familiar with - either Jade or Su sent me this ages ago. It looks like a weird olive colour in the photo (thanks to yet another overcast day in good old Radelaide), but it's actually a super shimmery off-white. Possibly too shimmery for me - I must have a bit of a play with this, I've never even used it.

inuovi Cosmetics Lumina: Another one I've never used - this is not as shimmery as the Masquerade, and more of a cream colour. Again, I really should have a crack at this and see what it's like.

Touche Éclat No. 2 Luminous Ivory: Meh. This is so over-rated I can't even. I use it all the time and it does absolutely nothing - I'm just using it because I'm determined to finish the damn thing.

Pixi Eye Bright Kit No. 2 and No. 1: More things I hardly use. The concealers in these are a bit greasy and too sheer to really do much of anything. I do occasionally use the pink highlight colours in the inner corner of my eye, though I recently found a light pink powder in an eyeshadow palette that I prefer for that purpose so these are not getting much of a look in at all nowadays.

I have to say I'm finding these posts are quite useful in convincing me I don't need to buy anything else. There was a fleeting thought in my head the other day about a nice blush I saw somewhere, immediately followed by 'ARE YOU CRAZY???'

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...

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.

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer

Jiminy Crickets, that's a mouthful. As is always the case, these concealers have been available in the US for ages, probably a year or so. We only had them released in January. I was sent some by Jade when she had a destash and forwarded a TON of her unloved wares to moi, because she's fab.

Although I'd been itching to get my mitts on these since forever, at first they just sat there, pristine and unopened, because concealers are something of a weakness of mine, and I already had about a dozen on the go. "No," I said to myself firmly. "I am not opening these until I've used up at least a couple of the ones I already have going." That lasted about 2 weeks and I couldn't stand it anymore so I ripped into one of them. Jade sent me a light and a medium, and after studying them carefully I decided to try the medium first, figuring the light was probably best left until winter.

The packaging is a glass bottle with a sponge at the top and you twist it to make the product come out of the little sponge holes (sidenote: I have a friend who has a phobia of little holes - you should see her freak out over lotus boob*). There's a part of me that loves this, because I am a sucker for a gadget, but there's another part of me that wonders how hygienic it is to be directly applying that sponge to your face over and over. I imagine that would put a lot of people off this product.

I did take before and after pictures, but I don't think they really conveyed how well this stuff conceals. It applies really smoothly and feels very light. You need to blend it quickly as it sets pretty fast, but once it sets it stays there for a good long while, and you don't need powder to set it (I never, ever set concealer with powder anyway - it just instantly falls into the lines and makes me look about 100 years old).

Before

After

I can't tell you exactly how much this is because Maybelline's useless Australian website as usual hasn't been updated and doesn't list it at all. According to random Googling, it's about $19.

In conclusion, I love this concealer - it doesn't cover all of my under eye horrors (only a smear of cement could do that), but it does enough to keep me happy. It doesn't feel dry, cakey or heavy and it sets beautifully. If you're not squeamish about the sponge applicator, I'd recommend trying it.

*DO NOT Google lotus boob if you are at work or of delicate constitution.

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. :-/