My goal for 2017 was to use the products I already have instead of buying anything new. I have a lot of makeup, so I still find it exciting when I finish a product. Something that I have become aware of recently is the ingredients and the harmful chemicals used in cosmetics. Therefore, it’s my intention to eventually convert to all natural (or as much as I can) makeup and skincare, along with other household products. But before I can do this, I want to use up what I already have.
I haven’t bought a lot of makeup in 2017 as I have put myself on spending ban- unless if it’s something I need or ran out of (or if it’s really pretty or limited edition). Because I haven’t bought a lot, I have used up a lot of products. I have kept most of my makeup empties (I’m sure there have been some that I have missed).
Lets start in order of the face. Primer:
Stila One Step Correct, I really enjoyed this primer and was good at colour correcting any redness. The Benefit POREfessional is a primer I’ve used before and good at smoothing my pores. The Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer was nice but I don’t think I would repurchase. The Mecca Cosmetica Soft Focus Smooting Primer was good at hydrating the skin. The Too Faced Shadow Insurance is a good eye primer and something that will last you many years.
Foundation:
Nars All Day Weightless Luminous Foundation in the shade Mont Blanc, this was nice when first applied but after many hours it could break up on my skin. The Too Faced Born This Way Foundation in the shade Porcelain was a nice foundation. The Clinique Anti-Blemish Solutions Liquid Makeup in the Shade Alabaster matched my skin perfectly and worked well with my skin. This was the second bottle I went through ans was a favourite. The BareMinerals bareSkin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation in the shade Linen was a nice foundation when I only wanted to wear for a couple of hours.
Concealer:
The Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in the shade Vanilla was my favourite concealer back in the day. The Too Faced Born This Way Concealer in the shade was a great concealer and I really liked it. The Nude by Nature Liquid Mineral Concealer in the shades light and medium, is my favourite concealer at the moment as it’s from a natural brand. That also goes for the Nude by Nature Flawless Concealer in the shade Porcelain Beige.
Powder and Setting Powder:
The Smashbox Photo Filter Powder Foundation was a nice powder but not one I will be repurchasing. The Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Translucent was a good mattifying powder but I have since moved on.
Eyebrows:
The Nyx Micro Brow Pencil in the shade chocolate is a great pencil to fill in my brows.
Eyes:
The Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in brown is my favourite liner. I like the way it applies but I love the colour the most. The brown is less subtle than black it suits me better with my fairer skin. The Nars Audacious Mascara in black took a while to get used to the brush head but overall I did really like it. The Rimmel Scandaleyes Lycra Flex Mascara wasn’t my favourite but worked okay. The Rimmel Scandaleyes Rockin’ Curves Mascara in Extreme Black was also just an okay mascara. The Urban Decay Perversion Mascara was quite a wet formula but a nice mascara.
Mascara is something I haven’t had to buy on a long time as I get a lot of sample mascaras from gift-with-purchase. Mascara is also something I use to have five or six tubes open at the same time. But now I only have one (plus a blue and waterproof) on the go at once. I also only like to use mascara for three months or so as that’s what is recommended.
Setting Spray:
The Urban Decay De-Slick Oil Control Makeup Setting Spray and the Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray were both great. I preferred the Oil control as I have an oily skin type that made my foundation a lot longer.
Makeup Sponges:
The Beauty Blender in pink and nude are my favourite makeup sponges and are still the best than any others I have tried. The Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge, although not as good as the Beauty Blender still a good sponge. I also used a sponge from BeautyBay that I got from gift-with-purchase but I didn’t like it as it was very dense and didn’t really expand when wet.
What I said about my makeup also applies to my skincare. I am making extra effort to finish the products I own while using more natural solutions. I have finished a lot of face masks, cleansers and moisturizers this year. I also get a lot of skincare (and makeup) samples to try from the Mecca Cosmetica Beauty Loops program.
Lush Big shampoo has been one of my favourite shampoos for a long time. It is volumising and cleans my hair really well. I have used four or five of these things but I won’t be repurchasing them as they it uses sodium laurel sulfate. But I do love their lip scrubs and I have used up the flavour in Mint Julips. This is my favourite flavour as it is refreshing adding a touch of mint. Another lip scrub I used and liked was the coffee lip scrub by Frank Body.
The Origins Clear Improvement Mask is great at cleaning my pores and makes my face feel refreshed and clean. I have oily skin but sometimes I get really dry patches that can be hard to deal with and I heard the Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask was good. I put this on after my shower and wore it overnight, always making sure that I used an old pillowcase. When it came to take off the mask I saw a notable difference to my skin and any dryness that I had was dramatically reduced. I also used up the Malin + Goetz Clarifying Clay Mask, this was a great exfoliating and clarifying face mask. The Nip + Fab Bee Sting Fix Ultimate Mask was good at hydrating the skin.
The Clinique Rinse-Off Foaming Cleanser has been my favourite way to remove all my makeup in the shower. I also used up a sample of Happy Skincare ‘Cloud 9’ Deep Cleansing Balm. This was nice but didn’t do a great job of removing my makeup which became obvious by using my Clarisonic afterwards I also used another Clarisonic Brush Head in Sensitive. I love how it cleans my face and gets rid of all my makeup. I sometimes use it with the above cleanser or just whatever cleanser I have. I have enjoyed using the Copper Peptide Serum by Clear Skincare which aims to lighten any skin pigmentation.
I started using Jurlique and I have been very impressed. They are a natural skincare brand made in Australia. I have liked all their products and am still using many at the moment. I liked buying them while they have gift with purchase at Myer and DavidJones or on sale. I enjoyed the Rosewater Balancing Mist, the Balancing Day Care Cream, the Rose Moisture Plus Moisturising, the Clarifying Deep Cleansing Gel, the Rose Moisture Plus Daily Moisturising Cleanser and the Lavender Hand Cream which I also have in citrus.
These products were okay but nothing special, the Innoxa Organic Brightening Eye Crème , Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil (I didn’t notice much difference in my skin to warrant the high price tag), the Ren Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial (it was nice but not something I would buy again).
A Universal Truth 