Tag Archives: Revlon

What’s On My Face – Volume 40

July 31, 2015Makeup, TutorialsBECCA, Boots No7, Bourjois, Burberry, Catrice, Charlotte Tilbury, CoverGirl, Elizabeth Mott, essence, Hourglass, House of Lashes, Kat Von D, Kryolan, MAC, Make Up For Ever, Makeup Geek, Makeup Revolution, Marc Jacobs, Milani, Naked Cosmetics, NYX, Revlon, Sleek, SST Cosmetics, Tarte, Urban DecayChelle

In my (not so humble) opinion, there’s some pretty epic makeup looks in this post. Either I love how my makeup turned out, or I love how the shots came out. I hope you like them too!

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Let’s start this off with what I feel is probably my best makeup look accomplished to date. (So I’m going to post a few extra shots of it because I’m really pleased with how this turned out.)

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We were going to the pub to watch the Womens’ World Cup final (USA versus Japan), and since my husband is American, I defaulted to supporting the USA. It was so close to the Fourth of July too, so this could’ve doubled as an Independence Day theme as well.

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I don’t always post huge eye shots because I typically take photos of my makeup before work and don’t have the time to perfect everything. Smaller photos hide some mistakes so I have less to worry about. But when I do guest posts, or feature products specifically, I like to make sure that I get as close to a perfect makeup look as I’m physically capable of (since I don’t airbrush my photos). But this one, despite being done in a relative rush, was done soooo well that I just had to post a full-sized shot!

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And here’s what I used:

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Eyes

MAC Cork through the top of the crease.
MAC Crystal Avalanche all over the lid.
Urban Decay Heroine on the outer half of the lid.
MAC Blanc Type on the brow bone.

I then patted MAC‘s Transparent Blue Glitter on top of the whole lid using Too Faced‘s Glitter Glue to make sure it stayed in place. I then used MAC‘s Strike While Haute shadow all along the bottom lash line, and applied MAC Reflect Red glitter overtop (again with the Glitter Glue).

The winged liner was done with Kat Von D‘s Tattoo Liner in Trooper and I lined my lower water line with Marc Jacobs‘ Blacquer. I applied a coat of CoverGirl‘s Clump Crusher mascara and then popped on a pair of Bombshell lashes by House of Lashes.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in shade 52 Vanilla
Bronzer & Highlighter: Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow
Cheeks: Elizabeth Mott – Tints & Sass
Lips: MAC Russian Red

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Next up is a product I waited far, FAR too long to use. It had been sitting in my “to use” pile but I never got around to it. And as soon as I did, I wore it three times that week! That beautiful neon red? That’s Kryolan‘s UV-Red pressed shadow and it is INCREDIBLE. Since it is a neon, it does need a sticky white base to make it pop. But damn… seriously amazing.

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Eyes
I first applied NYX‘s Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Milk to the entire lid, blended it out, then:

Applied Kryolan‘s UV-Red to the entire lid of my eye and the inner tearduct.
Makeup Geek‘s Corrupt was used through the outer third of the lid, through the crease and on the lower lash line.

I created the wing with Kat Von D‘s Tattoo Liner in Trooper, coated my lashes with CoverGirl‘s Clump Crusher and then put on a pair of Bombshell lashes by House of Lashes. I tightlined both waterlines with Marc Jacobs‘ Blacquer.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla
Powder: Hourglass Ethereal Light
Blush: Sleek Chantilly
Highlighter: Becca Champagne Pop

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Playing around with some Makeup Revolution foiled shadow.

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Eyes

Makeup Revolution‘s Emerald Goddess all over the lid.
essence‘s Smokey Day Trio (dark shade) through the outer corner and crease.

On my lashes is Make Up For Ever‘s Smoky Stretch mascara.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla
Bronzer: MAC Refined Golden
Blush: Burberry Lip & Cheek Bloom in Poppy
Highlighter: MAC Soft & Gentle
Lips: SST Cosmetics Vitale

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I swear this is such a vain post, but anyway… That shot on the left is my favourite shot of myself I think I’ve ever taken. It’s all thick lash line, fiery eyeshadow, chubby cheeks and intense steel blue eyes. AND I LOVE IT. I did this for a guest post on Vancouver Eyeshadow Addict back in May and somehow forgot to cross post it!

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Eyes

Makeup Geek Peach Smoothie through the top of the crease.
Makeup Geek Chickadee all over the lid.
Makeup Geek Poppy on the outer corner and through the crease.
Makeup Geek Vanilla Bean on brow bone.
Naked Cosmetics IV-04 pigment on the inner corner.

I used Poppy on the outer corner of the lower lash line and used Chickadee for the remainder of the lower lash line. I then created the wing with Kat Von D Tattoo Liner inTrooper and tightlined with Urban Decay‘s Black Velvet liner. On my lashes is essence‘s Lash Princess mascara.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 52 Vanilla
Contour: Makeup Geek Barcelona Beach eyeshadow
Blush: Tarte Charisma
Highlighter: MAC Whisper of Gilt
Lips: Revlon Papaya gloss

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And lastly, a Makeup Geek look because I hadn’t yet played around with the new foiled shadow Pegasus.

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Eyes

MAC Cork
Makeup Geek Pegasus
Makeup Geek Duchess
Makeup Geek Shimma Shimma

I created the wing with MAC‘s Blacktrack fluidline and coated my lashes with essence‘s Plump, No Clump mascara.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla
Bronzer & Highlighter: Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow
Blush: Milani Coral Cove
Lips: Catrice Feeling Feline

What’s On My Face – Volume 39

July 8, 2015Makeup, TutorialsBenefit, Boots No7, Burberry, Cailyn, ColourPop, essence, Hard Candy, Hourglass, Joe Fresh, L'Oreal, MAC, Make Up For Ever, Makeup Geek, Makeup Revolution, NARS, NYX, Revlon, Too Faced, Wet n WildChelle

Another makeup roundup! I had a backlog of looks I hadn’t posted yet, some even from early May. I’m surprised I had such a backlog (and there’s still about 7 more looks on my harddrive) because it feels like I haven’t been that inspired lately (aside from Clarins’ Aquatic Treasures collection, holy smokes) but it seems my memory was just rather faulty.

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And we’re starting off with a BANG! This is my absolute favourite of the whole lot. Neon? Orange? Chartreuse? YES PLEASE! I wore this out briefly to a brunch during Pride and loved every second of it.

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Eyes
(using the Makeup Revolution Redemption Acid Brights palette – total knockoff for theSleek Acid palette) I first applied a white base to my lid (NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk), then:

Yellow on the inner half of the lid.
Orange on the outer half of the lid.
Purple shade on the outer corner and on the lower lash line.
Pinky-purple through the crease.
Wet n Wild Brule on the brow bone.

I used MAC‘s Blacktrack fluidline to create the wing and applied Make Up For Ever‘sSmoky Stretch mascara to my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: Joe Fresh Sand
Blush: MAC Ripe Peach
Highlighter: Too Faced Candlelight
Lips: Too Faced Melted Rainbow

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I have a bucket full of makeup that is stuff I have yet to use. Most of it is stuff from swaps, or samples from Sephora (including their 100 point perks), so every now and then I make an effort to go into it and pull out items that I REALLY should at least try before I put away into the depths of my makeup collection. The main star of this look is a L’Oreal Infallible eyeshadow I picked up at a CBB swap.

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Eyes

L’Oreal Infallible shadow in Endless Sea all over the lid.
MAC Sketch on the outer corner and through the crease.
MAC Dazzlelight on the brow bone.

On my lashes is Make Up For Ever Smoky Stretch.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla
Bronzer: Hard Candy Hula Hula
Blush: Hourglass Incandescent Electra
Highlighter: MAC Soft & Gentle
Lips: Cailyn lip tint in Basic Instinct

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I had always thought this lip colour (Too Faced‘s Bon Bon) was too awkwardly bright for me. That’s not to say that I don’t love bright lip colours, but this seemed to look so weird on my skin when I didn’t have a bit of a tan. I love it so much more now that I’ve got a bit of colour on my skin! Anyway, the basis for this look was that I really wanted to wear MAC‘sPetal Power blush and tried to figure out a look that would work with it. Quite pleased with the results!

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Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)

Peach Smoothie through the crease.
Starry Eyed on the inner half of the lid.
Goddess on the outer half of the lid.
Cocoa Bear in the outer corner.
Rapunzel on the brow bone.

I created the wing with MAC‘s Blacktrack fluidline and applied Make Up For Ever Smoky Stretch to my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Foundation: Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla
Powder: Hourglass Ethereal
Concealer: Benefit Fake Up in Light
Bronzer: Hard Candy Hula Hula
Blush: MAC Petal Power
Lips: Too Faced Bon Bon

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This was another grab from my “use it before you put it away” makeup bucket. These were some Colour Pop eyeshadows I hadn’t touched yet.

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Eyes

MAC Cork through the crease.
Colour Pop Heat on the inner half of the lid.
Colour Pop Animal on the outer half of the lid.

Make Up For Ever Smoky Stretch is on my lashes.

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: Hard Candy Hula Hula
Cheeks: Burberry Lip & Cheek Bloom in Poppy
Highlighter: MAC Whisper of Gilt
Lips: Revlon Papaya

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Having a play around with some Makeup Geek shadows. I like the outer corner colour, but not so sold on the lid shade.

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Eyes
(all Makeup Geek)

Charmed all over the lid.
High Tea on the outer corner and through the crease.
Vanilla Bean on the brow bone.

On my lashes is essence Lash Princess mascara.

Rest of the Face

Bronzer: Hard Candy Hula Hula
Blush: MAC Sea Me, Hear Me
Highlighter: MAC Soft & Gentle
Lips: NARS Rikugien

What I Bought This Month: June 2015 Haul

June 30, 2015HaulsCharlotte Tilbury, Julep, Kiss, MAC, Mary Kay, Maybelline, Physicians Formula, Revecen, RevlonChelle

Haul time! Behold, all of June’s goodies!

One of my lovely blogging friends (Julie over at Swatch and Review) managed to snag me a few items from the MAC warehouse sale this past month. I love, love, LOVE MAC‘s transparent/see-through glitters and she found me the one I was after the most: Reflects Red. It comes out a bit more pink than I was expecting, but it’s GORGEOUS! And it’s in the old MAC packaging so there’s even more in there to play with. Yay!

She also found Reflects Blue! I realize the colours can be kind of hard to tell, but once you get these glitters on the skin, they reflect the colour that they are, which makes for a really lovely shimmery edge to your look. They also look very, very vibrant when you put them over a black base – the colour pops a lot more then.

MAC - Objects of Affection Pigments — MAC – Objects of Affection Pigments

She also picked up a few pigments from the previous year’s MAC Christmas collection, but didn’t want them all, so I happily took the remaining ones.

I ended up with the shades Reigning Riches (glitter), Whisper Pink and Rose. Gorgeous, gorgeous pigments. I promptly pressed the two shades that weren’t the glitter. For a how to on pressing pigments, check out my recent post!

Mary Kay - Juicy Guava Duo (free - swap) — Mary Kay – Juicy Guava Duo (free – swap)

All of the remaining items came from a CBB swap we had mid-month. I was able to ditch even more products that I wasn’t using in favour of trying out some new things. First up was the Mary Kay cheek duo in Juicy Guava. I had seen this one on a few blogs and the brightness of the blush really drew me in. I’m not excited by the lack of outer packaging, but maybe I’ve got a spare palette I can pop this into.

MAC Pressed Pigment in Warming Heart (free – swap)

One of the first items at the swap I spotted was this MAC pressed pigment in Warming Heart. I have no experience with MAC’s pressed pigments so I wanted to give this one a shot.

I dove for this one when I realized no one was touching it. I have no experience with the new Revlon HD glosses, but this looked like a dupe for Adorned, a previously limited edition shade by Revlon in a formula that has now been discontinued. This gloss is incredible to look at and I swear it’s the exact same shade as the old one. This is HD Pink Ruby – a bright fuchsia filled with glitter particles. Seriously stunning!

Maybelline Color Elixir in Breathtaking Apricot (free – swap)

Fundamentally, I’m not a gloss person. They just really annoy me. My hair gets caught in them, they wear off too fast, etc. etc. And yet… they always look so damn stunning in their packaging. I had held off for… well I guess a year or more now, on ever buying aMaybelline Color Elixir because I just wouldn’t get enough use out of it. But if it’s FREE, who am I to say no? Breathtaking Apricot is a lovely orange coral and I’m interested to see what all the fuss was concerning the Color Elixirs.

Revlon Moisture Stain in Shanghai Sizzle (free – swap)

Another type of lip product I hadn’t sunk any money into yet. This is Revlon‘s Moisture Stain in Shanghai Sizzle. I love that it’s super bright, so I get to try out a new formula with a shade I really enjoy. These were also huge last year but I never took the plunge.

Julep Polishes (free - swap_ — Julep Polishes (free – swap)

Hmmm nail polish. I’m not a huge nail polish wearer. Even though I’ve stopped playing Ultimate Frisbee, I’ve still been left with absolutely mauled fingernails that break and chip constantly. But these Julep polishes were lovely and no one seemed to want them. The top one is a glitter called America and the bottom reminds me of a shade of polish I got at Sephora (back in the early 90s, in Limoges, France when the franc was still the common currency) – it’s a lovely pearlescent shade with blue/green reflect.

There were a lot of false lashes on the table at the swap, so I grabbed a few pairs from brands I’d never used before. I don’t use lashes often, but it’s nice to have them when I do want to wear them. That Kiss pair on the right though… that looks so natural I could probably get away with that on a daily basis.

Again… not a nail person, but these looks fun. I’ll have to let my ratty nails grow out a bit before I can try these.

Physicians Formula – Nude Wear trio (free – swap)

This trio of powders from Physicians Formula was left in a massive box (with bag that I promptly gave away). I can see why no one took it too – the box these three powders comes in is ENORMOUS. It’s larger than any compact I own – like it’s literally box height. Ridiculous. This isn’t travel friendly, or even user friendly. I’m going to have to depot them if I have any hope in hell of wearing them. I do love Physicians Formula products though so I’m happy to get to try these Nude Wear powders.

MAC - Mini Pigments — MAC – Mini Pigments

And lastly, I got handed some lovely MAC pigments that I will no doubt be pressing shortly. And glitter, yes! MORE GLITTER!

Charlotte Tilbury – The Vintage Vamp ($64 CAD)

Charlotte Tilbury – Filmstar Bronze & Glow ($80 CAD)

Of course, I ALSO picked up two very lovely Charlotte Tilbury items, but you can read more about that in a dedicated post I had earlier this month: Charlotte Tilbury Launches in Canada.

Phew, that’s it! Loads of products, and it would’ve been a low spending month… but thenCharlotte Tilbury happened and that stuff, while gorgeous, is still insanely expensive! And yet… I want more.

My Foundation Collection (Drugstore & High End)

June 17, 2015Makeup, Reviews, SwatchesBoots No7, Bourjois, Illamasqua, It Cosmetics, Neutrogena, RevlonChelle

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One of my most popular posts was my Drugstore Foundation Roundup from 2013. At the time, I only owned drugstore foundations so it was a fairly inexpensive collection. I’ve now branched out a bit more and have a few new foundations to share.

I know colour matching can be difficult , so here’s a little information about my skin:

At MAC, I’m in the NW20/NC20 colour range.
My skin is mostly normal. I get a bit dry during the winter and a bit oily during the summer, but I’m never dry like the Sahara nor do I ever turn into a greasepit.
My veins appear blue, which means I have a cool undertone.
I wear foundation for aesthetic purposes, not to cover up blemishes. I do not have problems with acne. I also don’t wear foundation on a daily basis as I find it can make my skin itchy. (Make Up For Ever’s Smooth Primer helps prevent this.)
The inside of my arm (where the shades have been swatched) is infinitely lighter than my face.
My face is also not the same colour as my neck (which is lighter), so I don’t even bother trying to match the two since it make me look like I’ve got a pasty face.

Enjoy the comparison swatches and short reviews! There’s a full comparison swatch of every foundation at the very bottom of this post.

First up are my Revlon Colorstays. This used to be my absolute favourite foundation, but then they went ahead and changed the formula. The ones that smelled like paint thinner and had an SPF of 6 (the bottle on the left is the old formula) were amazing. The stuff would cover anything and everything and it looked better and better as the day went on. With the new formula, I don’t find the coverage is as longwearing nor does it wear as well throughout the day and that’s been very disappointing.

Revlon Colorstay in 150 Buff, 200 Nude and 220 Natural Beige

150 Buff and 200 Nude are in the Combination/Oily variety, whereas 220 Natural Beige is Normal/Dry Skin. If I’m honest, I don’t notice much of a difference between the two varieties.

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup in 30 Buff

Neutrogena Healthy Skin Liquid Makeup is a recent addition to my collection and I got a shade that’s really only going to suit me in the middle of summer when I’m quite tan. Right now it’s wearable, but I have to blend it down my neck quite a bit. To me, this feels very lightweight and is easy to blend into the skin.

Definitely too dark for me right now though!

Boots No7 foundations: Instant Radiance and Stay Perfect

Oh Boots No7, I love you so, so much. I feel their colour matching technology (that gun thing they put on your face) is incredible and seems to nail my skin colour every time.

On the left is Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla. This is my absolutely FAVOURITE foundation. It’s exactly the kind of coverage I enjoy (light to medium with a somewhat dewy finish) and it feels fantastic. Cool Vanilla works for me when it’s late spring into summer.

On the right is Stay Perfect in Deeply Ivory. This is my late summer into fall foundation. It’s way, WAY too dark for me right now, but it blends in seamlessly when I’ve got more of a tan. The only reason I didn’t pick up another Instant Radiance in this shade is that the Boots at Heathrow didn’t have Instant Radiance on hand. However, Stay Perfect is a gloriously matte foundation that works wonders at keeping me from looking sweaty.

Boots No7: Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla and Stay Perfect in Deeply Ivory

Cool Vanilla is quite pink toned and Deeply Ivory looks (frighteningly) orange, but I assure you it really is a good suit for my tanned skin.

I’ve done a recent review on Bourjois‘ Healthy Mix Serum foundation so I’ll keep this short. I don’t know a single person that doesn’t like this foundation. It’s a soft (I guess that’s the gel?) liquid foundation that smells absolutely incredible and feels wonderful on the skin. It has a light to medium coverage. They’re considered drug store in the UK/Ireland, but they’re high end here in Canada. Absolutely worth the price tag though.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla and 52 Vanilla

I will say that the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundations do lean yellow and there aren’t an awful lot of shades. If they do suit your skin colouring though, get them!

Illamasqua‘s Skin Base was a panic purchase when I found out that the brand was leaving North America. The texture is very thick, surprisingly so, and yet it doesn’t feel thick on the skin. I have no idea how they managed to do that, but somehow it works. The name is apt too; Skin Base. It does feel like a second layer of skin and probably one of my more comfortable to wear foundations.

I have shade 6.5 and it does lean a bit orangey/yellow on me.

Last up are my it Cosmetics CC+ Creams with SPF 50+. They are hyped out the wazoo on YouTube, so I *had* to try them out. I picked up the shade Fair when I was in the US in April because Light was so incredibly dark. Of course, then I realized Fair was too pale and gotLight as well when I got back to Canada. Right now I’m in between both shades, so I mix them together to get the right tone. (Seriously, can you believe how dark Light is? I was astounded.) I love that there’s a huge amount of SPF in these, but I haven’t tested them enough to see how they perform through sweaty days.

I feel these ones have far more neutral colouring than my other foundations which is really, really nice.

All my foundations swatched – click to enlarge

Revlon Colorstay in 150 Buff
Revlon Colorstay in 200 Nude
Revlon Colorstay in 220 Natural Beige
Neutrogena Healthy Skin in 30 Buff
Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla
Boots No7 Stay Perfect in Deeply Ivory
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 51 Light Vanilla
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 52 Vanilla
Illamasqua Skin Base in 6.5
it Cosmetics CC+ in Fair
it Cosmetics CC+ in Light

My Favourites

I feel you really can’t go wrong with the Boots No7 line or Bourjois‘ Healthy Mix Serums. They’re my favourite foundations to wear by far! How about you? Any top picks? Or anything in this list that you love or hate?

Use Up 2015 – Update!

June 10, 2015MiscellaneousBoots No7, Bourjois, Hourglass, MAC, Maybelline, RevlonChelle

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In January I rounded up 10 makeup items I wanted to be done with come the end of 2015. Since the month of June marks the halfway point of the year, I wanted to post an update on my progress.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Ethereal – Before and After

Oh my godddddd THIS… THING. I’m not a powder person as I’ve since discovered since purchasing this one. This thing just won’t go DOWN! I use it roughly twice a week to set my foundation (liberally, I might add) and it just won’t go anywhere! I can see a dent in it but I really have no hope in hell of getting through this damn thing this year.

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Barely Beige – Before and After

Well… there’s progress on this Color Tattoo, but not much. In my original post I mentioned that my Color Tattoos are drying out and that I wasn’t sure if this would make it the whole year. It still has some life left in it, but I’ve been having so much fun using my other products that I haven’t really been reaching for this one. This one may very well just get junked at the end of the year.

MAC eyeshadows in Club, Fade, Cork and Print – Before and After

Small progress on these ones!

I’ve managed to wear down Club a whole lot during the winter but I haven’t dipped into it much lately.
Fade, the light blue, got used once for a guest post over on Workaday Beauty, but I noticed the pigmentation was seriously lacking and it was just crumbling to bits. I ended up scraping out the rest of the pan and dumping it. It’s a super old shadow so I think it’s just gone off.
Cork‘s been used a wee bit, but not much. Oddly, I have very little use for browns in my day to day looks.
Same as Cork, Print has been used a bit, but not much. I really need to get cracking on this one!

This gloss is hard to figure out where I stand with it. The gloss is so thick that it sticks to the edges of the tube and never really settles down. I ended up scraping off the side of the tube so I could at least show you some progress… but I really couldn’t say how much is left in there. Maybe 40%? 30%? Hard to tell. However, I’m not that bothered – Revlon’s Papaya is such a lovely shade that it’s fun to wear.

Boots No7 Instant Radiance and two bottles of Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum

Loads of progress here!

Boots No7 Instant Radiance in Cool Vanilla – I LOVE this foundation. It’s my absolute favourite out of all the ones I own, but it’s also coming on three years old so I really need to get this finished up. It’s the perfect match for my “spring into summer” skintone so I’ve only really been able to use it throughout May and June so far this year.
Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum (shades 51 Light Vanilla and 52 Vanilla) – I can no longer pump anything out of 52, so I’m scrapping the sides to use it up. I really don’t want to toss it till I finish it because I love it so much. 51 still has about half and inch left in the bottle but I won’t get to use it again until late fall/winter when I’ve lost most of my summer tan.

That’s it! I’m way behind in a few products and there’s quite a few I really don’t think I’ve got a hope in hell of finishing. That being said, I’m pretty impressed with my foundation usage!