Taking a break from writing a novel about MAKE-UP to write a post about... make-up.
Been meaning to do this for awhile.
I'll try to make it concise. (Ha.)
While I'm fully aware of the human need/desire/capacity to morph/change (and how this often leads to a high level of consumption), I also am aware of how we like to find things that work and stick with them. I try to strike a balance. Emphasis on try. I didn't buy much new makeup for a long, long time, and then I kind of went insane last semester and stalked and then bought a bunch of it. I'm now back in the land of using what works (I still stalk, but I just don't buy. More on stalking later). It's pretty danged fun, as most of what I recently bought is AWESOME, and it will last awhile.
Here you go. Not the only items I use/own, but my favorites. Yes, I will tell you why. Primarily, these are products that I think are consistent and awesome and worth daily wear (with maybe the exception of a red lipstick, but for some people I know red lipstick is a daily thing). I'm super-picky about what goes on my face - how it looks, how it lasts, if the color is right. Some of these items are no longer available but for most of them, I know very similar products exist.
From left to right, front to back, a rundown:
1. L'Oreal False Lashes mascara in Black. Mascara, I feel, is just one of those products that proliferates, and there is no one perfect kind. It depends on your lashes. However, I am extremely fond of this mascara. It really thickens/coats/extends without mess, and it stays on. And it looks like one of the crystals in Superman when he goes to his, uh, crystal retreat. Regarding color: I used to wear black-brown mascara, but if you want drama, black is the way to go.
2. Almay Nearly Naked touchpad foundation. They don't make it anymore, the jerks. I have an extreme distaste for powdery-looking foundation. I just don't like it. I want my foundation to look as skin-like as possible. I know there are other options (I hear Armani, Chantecaille, and Dior have possibly-awesome foundations, but they are $$$) but I have a stockpile of these. Regarding powder: I don't like it. ;) But, I do use Meteorites. More on that later on, in this post.
3. Tangee blush in red. They also don't make it anymore, though you can get the one-color-fits-all version of Tangee blush (a retro favorite) from The Vermont Country Store (where I got this). I haven't tried it. I will do a separate post on red cosmetics, but I heavily believe in red blush, and it gets seriously undervalued. You CAN buy a wonderful red blush from NARS, "Exhibit A", but it's pricey. (However, it will last forever.)
4. L'Oreal Studio Secrets eyeshadow in Smooth Latte. In terms of consistency, I've never had issues with this shadow, though for long wear, I use an eyeshadow base. I love a taupe, matte eyeshadow, and this is my go-to, as it's readily available and takes awhile to go through. There are a gazillion great companies that make great shadows, but I put most of my oomph in my liner. I use the taupe - not too light, not too dark - to contour and make my eyes, which are a bit narrow-set, wider.
5. Mary Kay lipgloss in Berry Sparkle. Sigh. Mary Kay recently re-did all its lipgloss, and I don't know, yet, if they have an equivalent to this color - perhaps "Red Passion" is just a re-named Berry Sparkle. I hope. Because this color is PERFECT, and I'm of a mind to think that it is also extremely versatile for different skin tones. It's a great berry color - not too deep, not too light - with gold flecks in it. It almost has a stain-like consistency, though I'm sure you could glob it on.
6. L'Oreal Color Juice lipgloss in Watermelon Crush. Yes, discontinued. No, I don't know of an equivalent, good thing I've stockpiled them. The main thing I love about this gloss is that it's sticky. I know some people hate that. But I think gloss is instant youth, and I prefer to wear it over lipstick, generally. So I want it to last. (Though if you know me, you also know that I compulsively apply it. ;) Whatever your consistency preference, I think a lot of women (or men, I'm certainly not restricting makeup to a gender) don't understand the power of iridescence. This gloss is a good, middle-of-the-road frosty pink. The frost/iridescence is an instant plumper. The pink can look really pink when paired with other pinks, but can also look more subdued and almost coral. If you know of a good thick gloss, please tell me.
(Starting on the back row)
7. Benefit's Moonbeam highlighter. Speaking of iridescence. Benefit has a bunch of these and they are all great, but this is the latest one I've purchased, and it is certainly the jackpot of highlighters. I enjoy Highbeam as a runner-up, but its frosty-pinkness is not as all-purpose as Moonbeam's gold-pinkness. I am starting to use it daily. After I put on everything, I put a bit of this on the bridge of my nose, on my cheekbones, and on my cupid's bow (above my lip). It just instantly brightens, and makes me look youthful and dewy (sorry I just said youthful and dewy). As I hate a powdery look (it just doesn't suit me, I don't hate it in general, please feel empowered to rock it), this is that added step that makes me look put-together, but not dull. I HAVE started using Meteorites as they are brightening as well, and powder is good to set foundation. Then I use Moonbeam. That is why I can use powder. It is kind of expensive, but it will last a long, long time.
8. Benefit's Bella Bamba "Box O' Powder". Yah, I'm kind of obsessed with Benefit. I avoided this powder for awhile because the packaging annoyed me (I do actually care about packaging. More on that some other time), which is rare for me, with Benefit, as I LOVE their packaging. But I bought it, and experienced the "3D Pink". Yes. It is wonderful. Another good, general pink, with lots of shimmer to brighten the face. The box o' powders are kind of a strange line of products... they're not exactly blushes, but are more highlighting/general-coloring powders (I have 3 others, so I have some experience). Their staying power is not as strong as with other blushes I've used. But this one, I use as a blush. If I put it on in the morning, I usually touch it up later if I have to be out and about. Also expensive, but I can't imagine it running out for a long, long time. Also, it smells AWESOME.
9. Revlon Super-Lustrous Creme Lipstick in Fire and Ice. Heh heh. Awesome name, yes? Well, if it sounds old-school it's because it is. Fire and Ice has been around since the 50's (Google Image it, and ignore Cindy Crawford and Jessica Biel). I recently discovered the lipstick. I will post about it more (once again, it's a red), but I have to include it in here as the perfect red. I enjoy the formula and price of these lipsticks, in general - they have some other great colors I happily use, and they're a quick fix, around $6.
10. Mary Kay liquid eyeliner in black. Oh. My. Word. I thought I had found a lasting liquid eyeliner choice in a drugstore brand. It was fine, it really was (and get it if you need something quick: Almay). Then I bought another drugstore brand and it was highly displeasing, but at least it paved away for the revelation that is the Mary Kay liquid eyeliner. This stuff is INCREDIBLE. It lasts forever. It lasts through tears. It makes a great line. I will praise it to the skies, endlessly. I feel, that if you go to the trouble to mess with liquid eyeliner, you have made an investment in aesthetics so the stuff had better stay. (Though it does wash off nicely.)
And there you have it. :) And yes, I will post more in-depth about reds, sometime soon. And, I am not paid to endorse any of these items. I just love them, and will keep using them, and I hope that you find things you love, too, and keep using them over and over....
