I’ve been having “blah” kind of makeup days lately. A lot of neutrals, with brighter lip shades (tis the season?) but it’s actually starting to make me feel a bit depressed. With the darkness in the morning, I have far less desire to get out of bed. And because of that, I spend a lot less time on my makeup, which means not only boring looks (to me), but it also means sometimes I don’t even have enough time to take pictures of my makeup before I dart out the door to work. Sigh. Beauty blogger problems? I don’t know. I’m looking forward to DST ending so I can get an extra hour of that sun in the mornings (uhhh that is how that works right? I think I mess this up every year…), because right now, the only relatively suitable light I have to take pictures is at 7:55-8:05 a.m., which is when I’m supposed to be out the door!
So I tried to spice it up and do some interesting things every now and then. This is a mix of “meh” and “oooo”. I hope you find something you like!
Let’s start out with my favourite! Themed after one of my favourite candies of the Halloween season: candy corn!
Eyes
I first applied NYX‘s Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk all over the lid, blended it out, then:
Makeup GeekWhite Lies on the inner third of the lid and pulled around the tearduct.
InglotMatte 370 on the middle third of the lid.
InglotMatte 383 on the outer third of the lid and on the outer corner of the lower lash line.
Tarte‘s black gel liner to create the wing with Urban DecayPerversion mascara on my lashes.
Rest of the Face
Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla
Bronzer: NYCFire Island Tan
Blush: Hard CandySkinny Dipping
Lips: NYX Butter Gloss in Cherry Cheesecake
While I love this shadow, this is what I mean when I say I’m too damn lazy to get out of bed in the morning. This is basically a one eyeshadow look with no liner. Not something I’m fond of, but this colour certainly gets the job done!
Eyes
L’Oreal Infallible in Golden Mahogany all over the lid and blended up through the crease.
MACBlanc Type to highlight the brow.
On my lashes is Estee Lauder‘s Sumptuous Infinite Daring Length + Volume Mascara.
Rest of the Face
Bronzer: NYCFire Island Tan
Blush: MACGingerly
Highlighter: Too FacedCandlelight
Lips: Sephora Color Reveal Balm in Unique Pink
I actually did this in 2012, but never got around to posting it. I believe I wore it to work on Halloween that year.
MACCoppering all over the lid.
I then used a piece of tape to create the sharp outer edge, and then blended appliedUrban DecayBlackout to the outer corner.
MACBrule was used to highlight the brow.
L’OrealVoluminous Carbon Black mascara is on my lashes.
These are the kinds of looks I just don’t gravitate towards, but they’re a heck of a lot simpler to put together in the morning!
Eyes
L’Oreal Infallible in Tender Caramel all over the lid.
MACCopperplate on the outer corner and through the crease.
MACShroom on my brow bone.
On my lashes is Urban Decay‘s Perversion mascara.
Rest of the Face
Bronzer: Hard CandyHula Hula
Cheeks: HourglassMood Exposure
Lips: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Istanbul
Another easy one. Whack on boring eyeshadows, a super bright liner and tada!
Eyes
MACBlanc Type on the lid and on the brow bone.
MACCopperplate in the outer corner and crease.
Nicka K Shimmer Eyeliner in Green to create the wing with DermacolParty Time mascara on my lashes.
Time to rifle through my garbage! Makeup items first, all the boring stuff after that.
I loved this polish like nobody’s business. Kalyn had sent me a package of Julep polishes after I had won them on her blog and I dove nose-deep into this disco glitter one. Julep‘sParis is a 3D glitter polish that seems to hint gold more than silver. I wore this sucker out on my toes for several months and eventually finished up the entire bottle.
Repurchase? Unlikely only because it’s a mail order thing and I prefer to pick up my stuff in stores.
I bought MAC‘s Feline eye pencil because it was hyped up several years back on YouTube. It was supposed to be the blackest pencil available and would stay on my waterline. Well… it’s black. But it’s also incredibly smudgy and would never really stay put if I used it as a solid line. This was great for smudging out and creating smokey looks, but it usually had to be set with a powder to keep it from transferring. Wouldn’t stick on my waterline either. And unfortunately, the closer I got to the bottom of the pencil, the more it just kept breaking off. :/
Repurchase? Nah.
I love the Revlon lipstains + balms something fierce. They may be drying, but they feel “normal” on the lips. I don’t have to be worried about my lip product transferring to clothing, food, glasses, etc., and that’s a huge relief to me. This product was in myProducts to Use Up in 2014 post and I’ve only just now reached the point where it’s dry enough that it’s not worth wearing anymore.
Repurchase: Yes, but a different colour.
CoverGirl‘s Clump Crusher mascara is a long standing favourite of mine: It separates my lashes well, the brush is fun and easy to use and the product doesn’t clump up. So with that being said, I don’t know what the hell was wrong with this tube but it sucked. It was too dry and didn’t work as well as the previous tubse I had purchase. This may have something to do with the fact that I picked it up at a discounted price at Winners one day, so it’s possible I just got a really old tube. (Ew)
Repurchase: Yes, definitely, but I’ll be picking it up at a drugstore next time!
I was gifted this pair of Tempting lashes from Sephora‘s collection by a friend who didn’t think she’d wear them. I didn’t get as much use out of these as I expected given the price tag associated with these suckers. I think maybe 3-4 uses? The band tended to straighten out more than I would like, which gave me a lot of grief when I would apply them. The effect was pretty, but not quite as voluminous as I tend to like my false lashes.
Purchase? Nope.
Soooo I didn’t realize that eyelash curlers aren’t supposed to hurt. I just assumed that since they look like torture devices, they’re actually supposed to feel like them too. Since this was my first ever pair of eyelash curlers, I really didn’t know any better. I left them at home by accident when I went on vacation and “had to” buy a new pair from a different brand at Sephora. The difference was unbelievable and I’ve since learned that theTweezerman eye lash curlers SUCK for my eye shape! I am so happy to discover that something can fit my eyeball shape better!
Repurchase? A world of no.
Benefit‘s Big Easy foundation (BB cream?) has certainly seen some hype, so I was interested in trying the sample packet I got from Sephora. However… First of all, there isn’t enough in one of those little swatchy things to actually do your whole face. Secondly, my skin was too dark for their third and fourth darkest shades and yet the 5th darkest said was way too dark. I mixed all three together and even then had barely enough to cover my face. The colour was still off. I’m kind of meh on the skin colours and the product didn’t wow me either.
Purchase? Not worth it in my book.
Another freebie from a friend! Pixi‘s Flawless and Poreless primer was… okay? I guess? I didn’t notice it actually doing anything under my foundation, but I felt compelled to use it anyway.
Purchase? No, I don’t see the point in it really.
You’ve seen these before, so I’ll be brief. Neutrogena Makeup Removing wipes are god-like. The Hydrating ones are better.
Repurchase? Yep!
Aveeno‘s Positively Radiant Daily Moisturizer is a staple in my skin care routine. Love this.
Repurchase? Forever and a day.
derma e Microdermabrasion Scrub: Small sample from my Ipsy bag. It was fine. Smelled a little too much of fake lemon.
Purchase? Unlikely.
Fortune Cookie Soap Walnut Facial Scrub in Swankified: I hated this by the end of the bottle. It worked fine on my face, but the scent was gag-inducing to me.
Purchase? NO!
I don’t know if this actually smells like what Shea Butter smells like, but I couldn’t care less, this stuff is delicious. The Body Shop‘s Shea Butter scent is almost masculine and rather cologne-like. And I seriously love it. This is a wonderful scent and a fantastic product.
Repurchase? Definitely.
Two samples from Ipsy.
Marrakesh Endz: I quite liked this actually. It smelled faintly of cinnamon and was thick and creamy. The ends of my hair seem fine, but I also recently had a hair cut, so who the heck knows if it actually works.
Repurchase? Possibly, if I saw it at a discount store.
Briogeo Don’t Despair, Repair Deep Conditioning Mask: This stuff SUCKED. I used it as the instructions said and it didn’t leave my hair feeling nice at all. If anything, my hair was sticky and close to uncomb-able after using it. What a piece of crap.
Repurchase? NO!
St. Ives Oatmeal & Shea Butter Hydrating Body Wash was left at my place by a guest who had come and stayed for a while. I finished it up because why would I let it go to waste? It was okay. The scent wasn’t amazing to me, but it was a perfectly serviceable body wash.
Something nude-ish for all your neutral lovers out there!
Eyes
MACRicepaper as the inner corner highlight and to highlight the brow.
MACAmber Lights all over the lid.
MACHandwritten on the outer third.
CoverGirl Clump Crusher mascara is on my lashes.
Rest of the Face
Bronzer: Hard Candy – Hula Hula
Blush: MAC – Warm Soul
The nude lips soooo do not work with this one!
Eyes
Makeup GeekMango Tango all over the lid.
Makeup GeekBitten on the outer half of the lid.
Makeup GeekCreme Brulee through the top of the crease.
MACShroom to highlight the brow.
TarteBlack gel liner to create the wing and CoverGirl‘s Clump Crusher mascara is on my lashes.
Rest of the Face
Bronzer: NYC – Fire Island Tan
Blush: Tarte – Charisma
Highlighter: MAC – Whisper of Gilt
Lips: essence – Nude Love
A fun dark one! As I’ve said before, I usually stay away from dark lid colours but when I do try it out I generally quite like the results!
Eyes
Urban DecayDarkside all over the lid.
Urban DecayBlackheart on the outer third of the lid.
Urban DecayNooner to blend out the crease.
Urban DecayStrange on the browbone.
Urban DecayDust to highlight the inner corner.
Rest of the Face
Bronzer: NYC – Fire Island Tan
Blush: Wet n Wild – Pearlescent Pink
Highlighter: MAC – Soft & Gentle
Lips: Maybelline – Maple Kiss
This one doesn’t come across as well in photos as I had hoped. Isn’t it strange how that can happen? I really love orangey-reds on my lids and this was one of the first few looks I ever did that really pushed me into using more and more fiery colours.
Eyes
MACGleam all over the lid.
MACCoppering on the outer half of the lid and heavily through the crease.
MACHandwritten in the very outer corner.
MACBlanc Type to highlight the brow.
CoverGirlClump Crusher mascara is on my lashes.
Rest of the Face
Bronzer: NYC – Fire Island Tan
Blush: Tarte – Charisma
Lips: NYX Butter Gloss – Cherry Cheesecake
I had been lamenting how much I seem to fail at makeup looks that involve gold, primarily because I tend to combine them with brown. Kalyn showed me that gold just seems to work way better with black, so I decided to give it a shot the next time I incorporated some gold shadow.
Eyes
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bold Gold all over the lid with Sleek‘s gold shadow from the Sunset palette layered on top.
I used a strip of tape on my outer lid to create the super sharp edge, then swept on Urban Decay‘s Blackout.
Makeup GeekCreme Brulee lightly through the crease to blend out the black.
MACBlanc Type to highlight the brow.
I tightlined my upper waterline with the Lord & BerryBlack eye pencil and applied Urban Decay‘s Perversion mascara on my lashes.
Rest of the Face
Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla
My empties bag has clearly since better days. Poor guy.
As per usual, makeup items first.
It’s a mascara graveyard here today. I had so many bite-sized mascara samples to use up and they got completely mauled throughout the last few months.
Anyway, back to the actual product. Benefit’s They’re Real is amazing. I’ve never given in to high end mascara hype because I don’t WANT to love the product. I really do not want to develop a habit of enjoying $30 mascara at all! However… My mom even thought I was wearing false lashes when I had this on. Having used this sample size, I have to say that there’s a high chance I’ll actually end up dishing out the money on this one in the future (once I run through all my deluxe mascara samples!).
Purchase? More than likely.
I used to love this mascara, but this time round the block L’Oreal‘s Voluminous Carbon Black mascara just didn’t cut it for me. I’ll leave it for a while and then revisit it in a year or so. Maybe.
Repurchase? Eventually.
A surprising favourite out of the bunch. MUFE’s Smoky Lash Extravagant builds up quite well and doesn’t clump. It dried up after a month or two though. I didn’t love it more than the Benefit one though.
Purchase? Unlikely.
No. Just no. Useless and dry.
Purchase? Hah. NO.
Love this. I’m one of the unfortunate people that NARS Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base doesn’t actually work on its own to prevent creasing, but it does work in conjunction with Urban Decay‘s primer potion to kill all creasing so I love it for that reason. Word to the wise though, even when the wand pulls out nothing from the tube, cut that baby open and get out the remainder. There is MONTHS more product in there even after it feels empty.
Repurchase: Definitely.
Absolute favourite. Revlon’s Creme Brulee lip butter is my favourite nude lip. This is my second tube of the stuff and it’s one of the easiest lip shades to wear on my complexion.
Repurchase? More than likely.
*The* eyebrow shade for blondes. MAC‘s Omega has the right kind of grey tint to the powder that makes my eyebrows not look overly ridiculously blonde (not that I have much in the way of eyebrows to begin with). I loved this eyeshadow, but I’m currently plugging through my AnastasiaDipbrow Pomade to try something new because this eyeshadow lasted me longer than a year even with daily use!
Repurchase? Maybe eventually, but for now I’m having fun exploring other options.
Second… third maybe? tube of MAC’s Prep + Prime for lips. Fantastic for preventing lipsticks from bleeding outside my lipline.
Repurchase? Already have!
I didn’t notice Murad’s mattifier working especially well, but then I also noticed the expiry date was roughly four months prior to when I used it. Whoops. It also smelled like glue. Ew.
Purchase? No thanks.
Ohhhh yes. Barry M‘s Diamond Glitter nail polish had a lovely home on my toenails for about six months this past year. The bottle is dead empty now which is a shame since you can’t buy Barry M in Canada!
Repurchase? If I find myself in the UK again, I will *definitely* pick this one up!
I swear Quo is the only brand of nail polish remover I can ever find at the drugstore. I default to this because it’s there, it’s functional and it’s relatively cheap.
Repurchase? Yes, because I don’t know of anything better out there!
No shocker here. Neutrogena‘s makeup removing wipes are the only ones I use now. Definite preference to the hydrating ones.
Repurchase? For sho.
I’ve used several bottles of Neutrogena‘s makeup remover now and have another one cracked open. It doesn’t work as well on waterproof makeup as my Marcelle stuff did so I think I’ll be reverting back to the Marcelle one.
Repurchase? I have an open bottle, but aside from that I think I’m going to try something else out next time.
The foil packets of the lot.
MOR Hand Cream in Kale and Watercress smelled nice, but it’s a hand cream… Nothing amazing here.
Purchase? Pass.
Urban Decay‘s Anti-Aging Primer Potion is basically the same as the Original really. I didn’t notice it really having any anti-aging properties (I basically think that anything that claims that is utter hogwash really) so meh.
Purchase? I’ll just stick to the Original one I normally use.
FCS‘s whipped cream body butter is an awesome formula, however, their Captain’s Berried Booty scent was totally nauseating to me. It’s fruitloops and cardboard, basically.
Repurchase? Not in this scent!
Another FCS whipped cream. I liked their Tick Tock scent quite a bit. I have no idea how the scent relates to the Hunger Games, but anyway… it basically smells like clean laundry to me. Very detergent-y, but it doesn’t bother me.
Repurchase? I liked it, but not enough to repurchase it. There are other things I like more.
Sample size of Tree Hut‘s Coconut Lime Shea Body Butter. This was okay, but not amazing. The smell wasn’t really my cup of tea either.
Purchase? Nope.
This stuff isn’t fancy, or pretty, but oh man does it ever work. Dermal Therapy products are a godsend for anyone with incredibly dry skin. I get pretty scratchy elbows and ankles and this works miracles on them.
Repurchase? Definitely.
And this ganked up nasty jar is Dermal Therapy‘s Heel Care. The best thing EVER for heel cracks. This can repair the Grand-freaking-Canyon of heel cracks and make your heels look baby-butt smooth in the span of a week. I’m not kidding because I’ve seen it happen on me. (You’re welcome for that visual.)
Repurchase? Forever and a day.
Burt’s BeesAlmond & Milk Hand Cream smells nice, but it’s super thick and super greasy.
Repurchase? Nah.
One of my usual cleansers. I like how this one has a cool tingle on the skin. I do find your skin gets used to that tingly feeling though, so I tend to swap out my cleansers pretty frequently.
Repurchase? Definitely.
Snagged this from a friend who didn’t want to finish it up. Boots No7Beautiful Skin Foaming Cleanser is good but the scent is a little bizarre to me. This may be completely offputting to some, but it smelled faintly like cigarettes. Or like the afterburn of a cigarette. It truly wasn’t as gross as I’m making it sound, but there was that scent to it that was really hard to place.
Purchase? Maybe, if on sale.
FCS‘ first skincare item. I liked it at first, but the scent started to bother me over time. Nicely abrasive though.
Repurchase? Nah.
Another product I swiped from that same friend as before. Philosophy‘s Exfoliating wash smells terrible to me. Did not enjoy it at all.
Purchase? Nope.
Dr. Brandt‘s Microdermabrasion skin exfoliant was AMAZING. It completely cured me of a milium spot I had on my lower left eyelid. This stuff packs a hefty price tag, but I fortunately received this sample size in an Ipsy bag. If I had milia again in the future though, I would absolutely pick this up even at the full price.
Repurchase? If necessary due to skin problems, then absolutely yes!
A staple daily moisturizer for me. The packaging’s all messed up though. I normally get the Radiant one, but this one says Clear Complexion in English… but Radiant in French! What the hell? They’re normally two different types!
Repurchase? Definitely. I’m almost done another bottle in the bathroom already.
I wouldn’t normally post hair stuff, but this came in an Ipsy bag so I thought I’d mention it. This is nothing more than a hair conditioner. I don’t feel it did anything extra special to my hair, even when I left it on for a good ten minutes in the shower.
Repurchase? Nope.
PHEW! That’s a lot of garbage to get through. Looking at some of these products, I kind of wish I’d saved them for Kalyn’s Sample Killah month. Darn!
Colour me shocked… This group of looks has zero winged liner in it! :O
This one seemed to really play up my tan/slightly sunburned face. Pretty eye combo though.
Eyes
L’Oreal Infallible in Amber Rush all over the lid.
MACSushi Flower in the outer corner and through the crease.
Makeup GeekCreme Brulee through the top of the crease.
MACShroom on my browbone with BenefitThey’re Real mascara on my lashes.
Rest of the Face
Bronzer/Blush: NYCFire Island Tan bronzer
A simple one using one of NARS’ vibrant duos.
NARSMediteranee (lighter shade) all over the lid.
NARSMediteranee (orange shade) in the outer corner and through the crease.
Makeup GeekBurlesque in the very outer corner to darken it up.
MACBlanc Type on my browbone and BenefitThey’re Real mascara on my lashes.
This was to try out using shades that I wouldn’t normally think to pair together.
Eyes (all Makeup Geek)
Sea Mist all over the lid.
Burlesque in the outer corner and lightly on the outer lower lashline.
Creme Brulee through the top of the crease.
Shimma Shimma on the inner tearduct.
Vanilla Bean on my brow bone and MUFESmoky Lash Extravagant on my lashes.
Rest of the Face
Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance foundation in Cool Vanilla
Bronzer: NYCFire Island Tan
Blush: MACSea Me, Hear Me
Lips: Bite BeautyFig
I did this one mostly to figure out what kind of look MAC’s Mystical lipstick would look good with since it’s more on the brown side than I had anticipated when I bought it.
Eyes (all MAC)
All That Glitters with Nylon on top all over the lid.
Shag on the outer half of the lid and through the crease.
Blanc Type on the browbone and MUFESmoky Lash Extravagant on my lashes.
Rest of the Face
Bronzer: NYCFire Island Tan
Blush: MACSea Me, Hear Me
Highlighter: MACWhisper of Gilt
Lips: MACMystical with RevlonSunset Peach gloss on top
Random smoky eye look.
Eyes (all Laura Mercier)
Bamboo all over the lid.
Violet Ink in the outer corner.
Plum Smoke through the top of the crease.
Vanilla Nuts on my browbone with BenefitThey’re Real mascara on my lashes.
Rest of the Face
Foundation: CoverGirl CC Cream in 110 Classic Ivory mixed with Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla