All posts tagged: cosmetics

5 Things Friday: Heroic “Extras”

Published by

Todays 5 Things Friday features some extras in my routine that actually make a big difference. I call them extras because they’re not necessary steps to my routine, though they make a ton of difference. 1. MAC Fix+ This is essentially a setting spray to lock in your makeup, but you can also spray this on before makeup application or use it to apply your eyeshadows wet. I know there are many dupes around, but this is the one I have. 2. Le Métier de Beauté Peau Vierge Lash Growth This is a pricier version of the many lash growth serums that have become widely available, but it’s the one that’s suited to my sensitive eyes and it actually works! I can do without it, but no one in their right mind would say ‘no’ to slightly longer lashes. 3. Sara Happ Lip Scrub Again, something easily duplicated with the right DIY recipe. I don’t use scrubs that often, but when I do, my lips—and lipstick application—always thank me. 4. Bobbi Brown Hydrating Eye Cream …

Delayed Gratification, Kind Of: Urban Decay Naked 3 Eyeshadow Palette

Published by

The Urban Decay Naked 3 was one of those very hyped-up beauty releases that I knew I really wanted but didn’t end up getting for one reason or another. Instead, my sister attempted to get this for me for Christmas… and she did, but with a very long delay. Which is fine, because I still like it and now I have it! (P.S. As of today, I haven’t bought a single lick of makeup for a month and a half. There is a threshold for new makeup and I have reached it.) True to the Naked tradition, the Naked 3 has twelve neutral eyeshadows, bumping the count of Naked neutrals to a total of 40. The Naked 2 has overlapping shades from both the Naked 1 (Half Baked) and the Naked Basics (Foxy). The booklet contains samples of 4 of their primer potion variants, two of which I already have. The eyeshadows are fixed in a lightest to darkest type of arrangement, sort of. — Strange: perhaps ironically~* named because it’s your standard matte off-white, …

Tried & Tested: NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

Published by

In a fit of consumerist desire, I bought the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer near the beginning of the year. I got it along with the NARS Sheer Glow (review), which I absolutely love. I’m not really a concealer fiend, so I was very unsure of this purchase (but so quick to throw away the money!) and I felt even more unsure when I felt like I had gotten the wrong shade for me. My Sheer Glow shade is Punjab, which NARS has straightforwardly categorized as “Medium 1.” You would think that I had enough sense to pick up the Radiant Creamy Concealer in, similarly, “Medium 1,” but I went against this basic instinct and picked up “Medium 2,” or Ginger.

Made-Up History: Jenny Saville’s “Hyphen,” 1999

Published by

(source) This is the first Made-Up History post in a while, huh? For the new people here who have no idea what I’m talking about, Made-Up History is a series I have been working on for a year or so where I take a piece of art that I am in deep like with and talk about it while kind of recreating what it feels like on my face. It’s not an art project where I duplicate it on my face, but I kind of distill it into a look that represents the work, or at least how I perceive it. For this edition of Made- Up History, I have Jenny Saville’s “Hyphen,” which was completed in 1999. Jenny Saville is one of my favorite artists, though I’m sure her work unnerves a lot of people. I have picked a rather tame work—a portrait of herself and her sister—but she is known for depicting a lot of graphic themes in her work. I was a little wary of picking her for this because a) she …

Sample Stash Sunday: Darling Girl Cosmetics

Published by

I don’t know what happened, but I went sampler-crazy in January. There were a lot more brands I wanted to try but didn’t get to (i.e. Fyrinnae, Black Rose Minerals, Aromaleigh, etc) because they don’t ship to the Philippines. However, I have had my fill of indies for now, I think. (I’m still expecting parcels from Victorian Disco, Notoriously Morbid and Hello Waffle… So yes. I have a problem.) Aside from all of that, though, I picked up a 10-sampler pack from Darling Girl Cosmetics. It’s one of the indie brands that I hear frequently, so I thought it might be a safe place to start. They have quite an extensive collection of collections (lol), including an all-matte one called MILF or Matte I’d Like to Find. I love their musically-named ones, too. Here’s what I ended up getting: And somehow, I ended up receiving one more sample baggie and this GWP: Swatched, L-R: Vicar in a Tutu, Saddle Up, Heaving Bosom, Between the Sheets, Naughty Bits, Bodice Ripper, Tainted Love, Miss Argentina, Pirate’s Booty, …

The Lipstick Tag

Published by

I got tagged to do The Lipstick Tag by Elaine a few weeks ago! I don’t do tags or fill up awards usually (I keep forgetting), but they’re fun from time to time, I think. 🙂 1. How many lipsticks do you own? Not counting glosses, multi-purpose products, lip pencils, lip crayons, etc… somewhere around the 60++ mark. 2. What was the first lipstick you owned? I think the first one I picked out for myself was Maybelline’s Chestnut. The first high-end lipstick I ever owned was a Chanel Rouge Coco in Perlé. 3. What is your favorite lipstick brand? My favorite is Chanel, but I stopped buying from them when I went cruelty-free. Now, it’s Le Métier de Beauté and NARS. 4. What is your most worn lipstick? Probably a NARS Pure Matte Lipstick in Montego Bay. 5. What is your favorite finish? I like sheer/jelly finishes (like the NARS Sheer Lipsticks or the MAC Lustres) and mattes (NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil, MAC, Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet are my favorite finishes). 6. What …

Adventures in Contouring: Illamasqua Cream Foundation

Published by

I could never get contouring right. I have been blessed with a really round face, so usually a contour just looks out of place. I stopped myself from buying bronzers when I reached 3 (though I only ever use one for contour attempts), but when I saw this Illamasqua Cream Foundation in a darker shade on sale for £5 from £23, I thought it was worth giving it a try. It comes in a pinched-square standard Illamasqua packaging. I actually looked for the technical term for this… and it turns out it’s just a square… in hyperbolic, non-Euclidian geometry… … so never mind. It’s just a ‘pinched square’ as far as I’m concerned. Anyway, it comes with a full-sized mirror and a sponge that I don’t use because I don’t intend to use it on my face. I got the shade 320, which is just a couple of notches darker than my original skin color. It’s actually a pretty great contour color. I like how the cream foundation stays put. Product Description: “Create a base …