what's on my face
I'm not a beauty guru or makeup collector, but for the past month and a half I have been experimenting with new makeup (aka looking for excuses to buy a bunch of random stuff.) Makeup isn't something I feel compelled to wear every single day, but when I do, I like something light and natural.
Living in the age of the internet, I like reading reviews of everything if possible. The idea of going into a restaurant without yelp-ing it first induces heart palpitations. Since I love reading/ watching reviews so much, I figured I would write my own mini reviews for a few new products (new to me, not necessarily to the world) that I've tried and enjoyed recently.
Maybelline full n' soft mascara:
I've been a loyal user of the Diorshow iconic waterproof mascara ever since I started wearing mascara. I think I'm particularly picky with mascaras cause I don't like clumpiness in the slightest bit. Spider lashes are the things of my nightmares.
Rite aid was having a 40% off maybelline sale last week so I decided to try this out after seeing a few youtubers mention it. While I wouldn't say it would replace my Dior mascara, I still really like this. It's very light, doesn't flake, and absolutely doesn't clump. It's only downfall in comparison to the Dior mascara is that it doesn't deliver as much volume.
Smashbox primer:
Primer isn't something I used to wear on a daily basis. I have numerous samples which I used for special occasions, but that's about it. As my skin has become dryer as of late, this primer has been a lifesaver to stop my foundation from sticking to the dry patches on my face. I like the feel of it as it's smooth, but not too greasy and not too drying. Just the perfect in between. No wonder it's a cult classic.
L'oreal magic nude in 324 buff beige:
I have so much love for this foundation. Normally I am wary of trying out new foundations, specially those from the drugstore. Most high and low end foundations I have tried have caused me to breakout, or oxidize to a horrible shade of orange on my face. This one is absolutely perfect for the no makeup makeup look. Not to mention, it perfectly matches my skin tone. I feel like many companies produce products heavily concentrated on the light and dark ends of the spectrum, and anything in between near my color has a strong yellow undertone to it.
At first I was going to splurge on the Armani maestro foundation, but after reading numerous reviews on how this was a solid dupe I decided to give it a go. If you read Jane's review, she explains how even the ingredients between the two are almost identical. It's not that big of a surprise considering Armani cosmetics is owned by L'oreal.
There are two things I don't like about it. The bottle suggests forgoing a sponge or brush for this liquid to powder formula, which I understand after trying it out. I just feel unsanitary when I apply face makeup with my fingers. Second, I need to wear it with a primer otherwise the powder can turn flaky on my dry patches.
Rimmel scandaleyes eyeshadow sticks:
The fact that I own 6 of these pencils is a testament to how much I love them. For the price, the quality is absolutely amazing. I prefer using the black one on my tightline more so than using urban decay's 24/7 glide on pencil, which I find transfers onto my bottom lashline. My favorite of the line is definitely bulletproof beige, which I use on my bottom lashline, as a simple wash over my lid, or as a inner eye highlighter.
My only gripe with them is that I can't use the shimmery shades without an eyeshadow base. I know people like to use cream shadows instead of a base, but I don't find that works particularly with these. My eyelids aren't even super oily, but after a few hours the shiny colors just slide off.
The colors from top to bottom are: blackmail, trespassing taupe*, bulletproof beige, gold digger*, naughty navy*, bad bronze. I'm not 100% sure if the ones I indicated with an asterisk are limited edition or not, but if so I've still seen displays around recently.
Revlon matte balm in sultry (pictured + top swatch):
As with the majority of the beauty world, I've been hooked onto the concept of "my lips but better." I have heavily pigmented lips, so I have bought and returned many products over the past month and a half trying to find something that I like that was the proper color and finish, without being drying on my forever chapped lips.
For a neutral lip, I prefer something with a pinky-brown color. I don't support concealer lips so a true brown lipstick is out of question. This balm stain meets all my requirements. A plus? It's so easy to wear I don't even have to put any sort of lip liner on. When swatched on my hand, it looks much more pink than when it's on my lips. It blends into my natural color and gives a very neutral pink that I love. Since I've purchased it a few weeks ago, I wear it at least 4/7 days of the week.
Maybelline matte lipstick in touch of spice (bottom swatch):
This color is very similar to sultry, and there's really no reason for me to own both. But due to their affordable prices, I don't mind. Swatched on my hand, this appears to be a bit lighter than sultry, and when on my lips the difference is more noticeable as it comes off as pinker and lighter.
I'm crazy about the entire maybelline matte line and think they're pretty perfect lipsticks. The color payoff is great, there's no weird smell, they're matte without being drying, and there's a decent range of color options. If you can find them at a local wal-mart or target, they're only $5-$5.50 and definitely a bargain at that price.
Sigma small angled brush e65:
Living in the age of the internet, I like reading reviews of everything if possible. The idea of going into a restaurant without yelp-ing it first induces heart palpitations. Since I love reading/ watching reviews so much, I figured I would write my own mini reviews for a few new products (new to me, not necessarily to the world) that I've tried and enjoyed recently.
Maybelline full n' soft mascara:
I've been a loyal user of the Diorshow iconic waterproof mascara ever since I started wearing mascara. I think I'm particularly picky with mascaras cause I don't like clumpiness in the slightest bit. Spider lashes are the things of my nightmares.
Rite aid was having a 40% off maybelline sale last week so I decided to try this out after seeing a few youtubers mention it. While I wouldn't say it would replace my Dior mascara, I still really like this. It's very light, doesn't flake, and absolutely doesn't clump. It's only downfall in comparison to the Dior mascara is that it doesn't deliver as much volume.
Smashbox primer:
Primer isn't something I used to wear on a daily basis. I have numerous samples which I used for special occasions, but that's about it. As my skin has become dryer as of late, this primer has been a lifesaver to stop my foundation from sticking to the dry patches on my face. I like the feel of it as it's smooth, but not too greasy and not too drying. Just the perfect in between. No wonder it's a cult classic.
L'oreal magic nude in 324 buff beige:
I have so much love for this foundation. Normally I am wary of trying out new foundations, specially those from the drugstore. Most high and low end foundations I have tried have caused me to breakout, or oxidize to a horrible shade of orange on my face. This one is absolutely perfect for the no makeup makeup look. Not to mention, it perfectly matches my skin tone. I feel like many companies produce products heavily concentrated on the light and dark ends of the spectrum, and anything in between near my color has a strong yellow undertone to it.
At first I was going to splurge on the Armani maestro foundation, but after reading numerous reviews on how this was a solid dupe I decided to give it a go. If you read Jane's review, she explains how even the ingredients between the two are almost identical. It's not that big of a surprise considering Armani cosmetics is owned by L'oreal.
There are two things I don't like about it. The bottle suggests forgoing a sponge or brush for this liquid to powder formula, which I understand after trying it out. I just feel unsanitary when I apply face makeup with my fingers. Second, I need to wear it with a primer otherwise the powder can turn flaky on my dry patches.
Rimmel scandaleyes eyeshadow sticks:
My only gripe with them is that I can't use the shimmery shades without an eyeshadow base. I know people like to use cream shadows instead of a base, but I don't find that works particularly with these. My eyelids aren't even super oily, but after a few hours the shiny colors just slide off.
The colors from top to bottom are: blackmail, trespassing taupe*, bulletproof beige, gold digger*, naughty navy*, bad bronze. I'm not 100% sure if the ones I indicated with an asterisk are limited edition or not, but if so I've still seen displays around recently.
Revlon matte balm in sultry (pictured + top swatch):
As with the majority of the beauty world, I've been hooked onto the concept of "my lips but better." I have heavily pigmented lips, so I have bought and returned many products over the past month and a half trying to find something that I like that was the proper color and finish, without being drying on my forever chapped lips.
For a neutral lip, I prefer something with a pinky-brown color. I don't support concealer lips so a true brown lipstick is out of question. This balm stain meets all my requirements. A plus? It's so easy to wear I don't even have to put any sort of lip liner on. When swatched on my hand, it looks much more pink than when it's on my lips. It blends into my natural color and gives a very neutral pink that I love. Since I've purchased it a few weeks ago, I wear it at least 4/7 days of the week.
Maybelline matte lipstick in touch of spice (bottom swatch):
This color is very similar to sultry, and there's really no reason for me to own both. But due to their affordable prices, I don't mind. Swatched on my hand, this appears to be a bit lighter than sultry, and when on my lips the difference is more noticeable as it comes off as pinker and lighter.
I'm crazy about the entire maybelline matte line and think they're pretty perfect lipsticks. The color payoff is great, there's no weird smell, they're matte without being drying, and there's a decent range of color options. If you can find them at a local wal-mart or target, they're only $5-$5.50 and definitely a bargain at that price.
Sigma small angled brush e65:
This was an impulse buy, but a successful impulse buy. I'm not sure what the designated purpose of this brush is, but I use it to apply gel liner to my eyelid. It's stiff so it makes drawing a very narrow line so much easier.
Lorac mega pro palette:
Let me preface this by saying there was absolutely no reason for me to purchase this palette. But the fact that it was limited edition and technically sold out made it oh so desirable. At first I was wary that the left half of the palette kinda looked repetitive, but soon I realized that the subtle differences in color are perfect for a muted, nude eye look. The shadows are so creamy and soft and the palette is so freakin pretty, I could just sit there and admire it all day long. I'm pretty sure it's 100% sold out on amazon and the lorac website, but you could always purchase it marked up on ebay.