Makeup all organized!!!

I have an awesome boyfriend who not only tolerates my girly obsessions, but actually contributes by buying me makeup sometimes. I'm living with him this summer and have temporarily taken over one of the cabinets in his apartment with my makeup. Lately it has been a bit messy so I decided to organize everything so that both our stuff could co-exist neatly. I have been wearing makeup since high school and have amassed a bit of a collection, but it is still very modest when compared to some other serious make-up collectors or addicts. :p

So here's how I organized things: I used separator things from Ikea to keep each type of makeup in its own compartment. Here's an overview:


Face Compartment:




Faves: Clean & Clear oil-blotting sheets. MAC SFF in NC 25, Studio Fix loose powder in NC 30. Mineralize Skinifish natural and shimmer in Medium, Well-dressed blush. So Ceylon bronzer.

Regrets: MAC Studio Fix powder foundation (too powdery and cakey, doesn't photograph well), Physician's Formula mineral foundation (oxidizes).

Eye compartment:




Faves: Cover Girl trio in Shimmering Sands (despite the other higher end palettes that I have, this is the one I reach for the most). MAC smokey eyes palette. Bobbi Brown Shimmering Neutrals palette. MAC all that glitters single shadow. L'oreal liners, both liquid and gel. Rimmel sexy curves mascara.

Regrets: any urban decay eyeshadow, singles or palette. Way too glittery, little to none pigmentation, expensive and over-hyped.

Lip compartment: the piece-de-resistance. I stored my products upside-down so that I can have a quick view of the shades. This is much easier and neater than having to sort through all the generic black tubes that I have. :)


Faves: MAC Angel lipstick, Amplified dazzleglass. Revlon nude attitude and really red lipstic, all glosses. Rimmel lipsticks in Champagne, Sugar Plum and Airy Fairy.

Nail stuff. (stored in a separate Ikea box inside the bathroom).






Faves: OPI Metro chic, Mod about you, Lincoln park after dark. China Glaze VI, agent lavender, Ruby pumps, For Audrey. NARS orgasm. Seche Vite top coat. Sally Hansen Diamond Shine top coat.

Regrets: MAC Seasonal Peach. Love the colour, but it's just way too streaky and difficult to work with. :(

Lastly, I put my brushes and tools into a coffee cup. I have no pic but you probably get the general idea.

Faves: MAC 168, 187, 217. Essence of Beauty eye shadow brush. EL kabuki. Lilash Eyelash growth stimulator.

Regrets: MAC studio fix spray. I'm gonna do a separate post on this.

Inconspicuous advertising.

Finding great online makeup communities such as Youtube and Makeup alley was a great revelation for me. I love the tutorials and hauls and the honest, peer-to-peer reviews posted on there. There is strength in number of course, and if 89% of 200 consumers gave a product 4 lippies, or are likely to re-buy, you can bet that I'm gonna trust that information more than what the advertisers themselves boast. However, there is something inherently appealing of this peer-to-peer review in-and-of-itself. I have bought items from just one positive review, just because the girl (or guy) reviewing the product seems like an "ordinary" consumer like myself, unaffected by any monetary attachments or interests linked to the company. Case in point: Gosh Darling lipstick, which I love, and heard from Lollipop 26.

Lately, however, I have noticed a dramatic increase in the number of inconspicuous advertising on Youtube and to a lesser extent, on Makeupalley. They are advertising because the person raving about the product seems to be at least partially motivated by a profit, or free products, that they are receiving from the company. They are inconspicuous because the monetary benefits of such advertising is often not mentioned or not very obvious. I find this to be an ingenious idea on the part of cosmetics companies due to its inconspicuous nature. On the other hand, as a consumer, I also think that these ads should be approached with caution.

While I have not personally encountered a youtube video where it is obvious that the person raving about the item or company does not seem to genuinely like it, you do need to keep some things in mind:

1) the reviewer probably got those stuff for free. This likely sways people's perceptions of items.

2) along item number one, most of these reviewers are personally contacted by the company, and have received personalized and fast service. This may sway their opinions of the items, and may not be representative of the general level of service that "average" consumers get. (I recall there was a bit of controversy on this regarding beautychoice.com).

3) some reviewers are paid for the review, as well as for each sale made on that specific item. How can you tell? If the review has a link to the item being sold or the store, the reviewer may get a flat fee every time that website is visited from the link. Same goes for a personalized code that the reviewer gives you for the items. The conflict of interest here is obvious - how likely are you to give a bad review of something that you are going to make profits from?


Luckily, the most "selling-oriented" reviews are also the ones most easily to spot. The reviewer often has nothing but positive things to say, and the things that are mentioned are generic to the kind of product and are not very specific, nothing is mentioned of the long-term efficacy of the items etc. Companies that are suddenly raved by a lot of people, with a link to the website from the video are also a bit suspecious to me.

I want to also mention that just because a website/product is often raved about does not mean that it is not a well-deserved rave. In the end, it's advisable to approach things with a healthy dose of skepticism and research several sources before purchasing. There are also some makeup gurus and/or bloggers whose ideas and opinions I always trust. These are:

pinkiecharm
lollipop26
makeupbytiffanyd
MissChievous

What do you think of these peer-to-peer forms of advertising?

Long live free competition!

There are many perks to being a Canadian resident. Unfortunately, a choice of drugstores is not one of them. For most Canadians, Shoppers Drugmart is the main/sole drugstore of choice - it is the most widely accessible and has most choices. I myself live close to several of them and visit my closest one (3 min. walk) on a weekly basis. Although I get a lot of beauty products from MAC or other beauty boutiques, I enjoy drugstore thrills just as much. The drugstore used to be my go-to place for experimenting with a new colour/consistency/concept of makeup, as well as for cheaper pick-me-ups. However, lately I've noticed that I can no longer indulge my inner shopaholic at Shoppers due to the dramatic increase in prices.

Case in point - at my local store (downtown, somewhat of a "posh"/yuppie area), the Revlon Colorstay Foundation goes for 23.99 plus tax! Most mascaras are over 10 dollars, and a Bonne Bell lipgloss is 5.99. There are weekly sales but they are usually modest (i.e 15% or 20% off) on top of the high prices, and the selection of items on sale are usually discountinued or unpopular items. Last week, I went to get a backup of my beloved Jergens Natural Glow mousse on sale for 50%. I usually buy it at various places for around 9 dollars, regular price. The same mousse at shoppers was 14 dollars. Even taking off 50%, it's only a 2 dollar discount on a 9 dollar product - far from the self-proclaimed 50% off that shoppers was boasting.

Yes, I am a big cheapo when it comes to makeup. It is only a few dollars more but in terms of percentage, Shoppers prices are around 25-40% over its US counterparts. The thought of me paying so much more for drugstore products than those in the US really bothers me. I think this is partly due to the lack of competition. Shoppers dominates the Canadian market while in the US, there are Rite Aid, Walgreens, Ulta, and CVS to name a few. The US consumers also get real deals such as Buy one get one free, or Buy one get one half off, that I've yet to see here. Although I still love Shoppers for bringing some Canadian exclusives - Quo and Gosh (also avail. in Europe), I will try to restrict my purchases from there.

But all is not lost. I have recently discovered another drugstore called Pharmaplus. It is not as ubiquitous as Shoppers, but their prices are a bit lower, they carry more brands (NYX, Prestige, POSH brushes), and they have REAL sales, such as 50% off all lip products. Here are a few items I picked there recently, each "lot" for under under 10 dollars (that is including tax):p.





Also, a good online option is Well.ca. Their prices are slightly below that of shoppers, and they have great customer service + free shipping across Canada for all orders!

www.well.ca

That's all for now. If you have found a good drugstore for makeup, please let me know!

Haul time!

Never thought I'd actually utter (or write) that magic word: Haul. I always watched with glee and envy at youtube makeup gurus and other seasoned bloggers as they showed off their bags of recently acquired treasures with this heading. Glee because I don't want to spend such money on makeup makeup, so it was a way to live vicariously through other girls. Envy because, well, that one is obvious. But two weeks ago, MAC had a 25% friends and family sale on their website. I got a few things - a mini haul, if you will. Although I kind of went against my philosphy of "it's not a bargain if you don't need it" and "people will overspend way more than they'll safe on sales", I'm glad that I got these items. I've participated in a previous Friends and family sale they had around Christmas. Due to the quality of the most (but not all) of MAC products, and the fact that I often check out the items in store before purchasing, I have consistently used all of my MAC products. I can't say the same for other impulse purchases of drug store makeup that seemed like a good bargain at that time.

So here's what I got:



and opened:


We have:
1) lipstick in Brick-o-la. This is a plummy-red colour that I purchased entirely because of this post by the lovely Bailey. http://baileycait88.blogspot.com/2009/06/fotd.html. I have to say, it looks better (and also redder) on her than on me. But I think it'll look better once I'm back to my NC25 winter skin colour.

2) Selective Moisturecover concealer in NW20 for my undereye circles. Although I'm more yellowed toned this pink hue just works for me. This was purchased as a backup.

3) Select Sheer Loose Powder in NC30 for my mom. :)

4) Studio Tech in NC25 for winter use. I really wanted to try it out because my skin gets pretty dry in the winter, and this is a creamy formula. I didn't lift off the foil cover yet because I don't want it to dry out.

5) and 6) Two blushes I thought would go well with my new "tan" - Trace Gold and Gingerly. Gingerly adds a bit of warmth without being too artificially pink or red. Trace Gold is more of a highlighter on my new NC40 skin, but I think I will be able to use it as a suble bronzer as well as highlighter in the winter.

7) Eyeshadow All That Glitters. A gorgeous peachy nude with gold glitters. I tend to gravitate towards these more neutral and subtle colours for eyeshadow. This is quite similar to Glamazon - a colour in my Too faced palette, as well as a colour in my belonved Cover Girl Trio (Shimmering Sands). But this one is a bit more peachy without making my eyes look red or pink. Loves it!

8) MAC 168 brush. I have a "fake" version from Quo, and it simply did not hold its shape. This one is doing so far after the initial wash. It also feels denser and softer.

Lastly, a bit of a surprise. I purchased the SFF in NC40, thinking that it will be too dark but at least I can blend it with my NC25 to get the perfect shade. I thought I'd be better safe with this than going with a shade that may not be dark enough. However, to my surprise, this shade is perfect! Like previously mentioned, I recently began using a self-tanner regularly, but I didn't think my skin colour had darkened that dramatically! To be fair, there doesn't appear to be as dramatic a difference between the NC40 and the NC25 as you would imagine. The difference is more pronounced in flash mode. In the second picture, taken in natural day light, the NC40 only appears slightly darker, and more yellower, than the NC25. I have arranged included a Revlon foundation for reference. The foundations in the picture are: Revlon Colorstay in Buff. SFF in NC25 and NC40





I also wanted to get the Plush Lash mascara as per this Closet Rebel's (http://closetrebelc.blogspot.com/) recommendations but they were out. Honestly, I probably wouldn't have bought "all" this if it weren't for the sale. But I can honestly say that I'm pretty happy with my purchases, and that they will all be in my "regular rotation" from now on. :)

Did you pick up anything from the sale?

"No tan is a safe tan."

That is one line that stuck in my mind after watching pinkiecharm's Youtube video on sunscreens. In the video, she gave some very helpful information about the different kinds of sun protections. The line in the title is a direct quoted from a medical researcher, who basically said that EVERY TIME the sun changes the colour of our skin, it is doing damage to it - thereby increasing the chances of genetic mutations in our skin cells, which may lead to skin cancer.

Although this does make sense when you think about it - to get a sun tan, one often needs to be exposed to powerful rays for extended periods of time. This is akin to putting your arm into an oven or near very powerful chemical rays... I'm no doctor but intuition should tell me that it is not a safe thing to do. Besides the obvious health risks involved, the sun will cause premature aging, hyper pigmentation, spots, and "leathering" of the skin. LEATHERING, how gross does that sound? One quick look at any of the formerly/currently tan-happy celebrities approaching middle age can attest to this. Examples abound.

This information by itself is not that radical. However, being a former tanning-bed enthusiast myself, I have often told myself excuses such as "a gradual tan is safe" and "I won't get skin damages as long as I wear a sunscreen/ get a base tan". When you really think about it, those things will probably only prevent a sunburn. But as always, as soon as your skin colour is changed by the sun, the damage has already reached deep within.

I now shudder when I think about in my younger years, when I used to go tanning at salons or under the sun every chance I get. But I must admit, I still like the look of my skin tanned, especially for the summer time. I look healthier, more fresh, and my arms and legs look more toned. Lately I've been able to fake a pretty good tan from bottles instead of from the sun. Here are some good ones that I recommend:



First off is the Jergens Natural Glow in a tube. This stuff is good - the colour shows after one application, and you can build up to a medium tan in around 3-4 uses. But it was a little greasey, which made me feel uneasy about putting it on my face. Also, the tan would often be rather orange.

Next up, Jergen's new natural glow mousse. This is my favourite. It gives a buildable tan gradually, thus avoiding the perils of streakiness with one faulty application. It feels very lightweight, and has no greasey feelings to it. It was around 10 dollars, which felt like a lot for such a small bottle. But the mousse is very rich, and a small golf-ball size could cover both of my legs.

Lastly, I've tried the St. Tropez lotion. This gives the most dramatic tan. It also has a colour guide - an added colour to let you see where you've applied the lotion to. I was able to go from a NC25 to a NC40 in two applications. However, it is not my favourite - due to the fact that the results are so dramatic, it can get streaky unless applied carefully. Also, it has this odour that resembles wet socks... Overall, I like to use the St. Tropez for my body, and the Jergens mousse for my face, because streakiness would show up more on facial skin.



This summer, I've also beefed up my sun lotion routine, forcing myself to put on a SPF 30 all over every time I go out. The spray bottle is for days on the beach when I have to reapply - it has yet to be tested out. I have used the lotion, which is actually said to be "non comedogenic" and "designed to be used under makeup". While the former may be true, it definitely feels oily and sticky under makeup. I wouldn't recommend it for uses on the face. I haven't found a facial sun block that doesn't feel too greasy on my face yet. But I have heard very good reviews on the Neutrogena "dry" sunblock, which was also recommended by pinkiecharm in her video. That shall be my next drugstore acquisition :)

Anyway, here's the URL for the video, I encourage you all to check it out.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gLJl0uvnHcA

Product focus - mascara.

Mascara is a staple item in every girl's makeup kit. I use it every time I wear makeup to emphasize my modest lashes. The waterproof formulation is always chosen for the much feared smudged look. I have tried quite a few of them. None of them were high-end ones because I don't want to shell out over 25 bucks for something that only lasts 2-3 months. Here are a few that I've used for extended period of time and my personal experience with them.


1) L'Oreal - Voluminous.
First off - the famous L'Oreal Voluminous. This was the only mascara I used to use in junior high and high school. It gave me great length and, true to its name, even more impressive volume! I always got it in waterproof and it never smudged or smeared on me. Every time I ventured onto other mascaras I regretted it... till around 2 years ago. Suddenly, I noticed that the formula started smuding and flaking off on me. A few hours after application, I'd have tiny little black flakes of mascara on my face, and where I touched my skin, tiny little black lines. ICK! Thinking that it was the particular tube, I tossed it out and got a new one. The same thing happened. I must've gone through at least 5 tubes of this, from different stores/locations, hoping to find one that was not "defective". It wasn't until told by a cosmetician that L'Oreal had changed the formula of this product, and that many other customers shared my complaints, that I started experimenting with mascaras...


2) Cover Girl - Lash Blast.
Up next is one that I've heard oodles of raves about - Cover Girl's Lash Blast. Try as I may I don't really understand the raves. It's decent - holds a curl, good pigmentation, noticeable lengthening and volumizing. BUT the chubby wand is very difficult to work with, especially around the corner lashes and my lower lashes. Again, like the Voluminous, this started flaking and smudging after 3 weeks of use.


3)Max Factor - 2000 Calorie.
Living in Canada, I don't have regular access to MaxFactor products. I randomly picked up the 2000 Calorie on a trip to the states last year. I am beyond happy to have stumbled upon this product. It adds volume and length, holds a curl, and most importantly, it never smudges!!! Part of it being a really "waterproof" and staying product is that it is a bit difficult to remove. But not noticeably so over other waterproof mascaras, and olive oil or a cleanse-off oil always gets it off. I will be dabbling in other mascaras for experimentation, but this will be a staple in my makeup routine until I find one that is better.

I've tried other mascaras, but they were usually so disappointing that I only bought one tube and only have a faint memory of them. Recently there's been a resurgence of new interesting drug store finds. I'm looking forward to trying them, in particular, the Maybelline Lash stiletto, the Rimmel Sexy Curves mascara, and the L'Oreal HIP mascara. Should anything overtake my beloved Max Factor, I will update promptly.

What are some of your favourite mascaras?

My daily routine.

Over time I have developed a daily routine for my face. I switch up some of the eyeshadow and blush colours now and then, and change my lipstick accordingly. But most of these items are frequented by me on a daily basis.

The first thing I do in the morning is to step into the bathroom and take a shower. I wash my face in there using this cleanser from Clean & Clear. I haven't noticed any of its supposed oil-control properties. But it works to take off the gunky feeling in the morning, and the lemony smell is very fresh and invigorating. This wakes me up. :)


After the shower I moisturize my face. I'm not picky about moisturizers as long as they are not greasey and have an SPF. Both of these fulfill these requirements. I use the Merlot more in the summer because it doesn't have any lightening properties, thus it wouldn't interfere with my self-tanner that I occasionally use.



Once my face feels like it's been dried since the moisturizer, I put on my basics: foundation and concealer. I alternate between using the MAC 187, 109 and a sponge for my foundation - SFF NC25. But lately I've been really enjoying using my fingers. It gets the job done fast. I always add some concealer (NW20) afterward to my under-eye circles.


I finish off my face makeup by adding a bronzer on my cheeks, temples and chin. I like NARS Laguna applied with a skunk brush. Afterwards I add any one of my staple blushes. Shown here are NARS Orgasm, MAC Well Dressed (all time fave!), and MAC Hipness. Then I use a large fluffy brush (shown here is the powder brush from Quo) to add MAC's Mineralize skinfinish in medium all over to "set" my makeup.


I always do my eyes afterwards out of habit. For an everyday look, I like 1) a pale highligher (Cover Girl Champagne), 2) a beige/salmony all-over color (Too Faced "Glamazon"), 3) fill in my brows with a matte brown (MAC "Dark Devotion"), 4) add liner to my top line (HIP liner in black) and 5) finish with a swipe of mascara (MaxFactor 2000 Calorie). Pretty boring, huh? :p


Last but not least, I take off my eye-makeup with an oil-based cleanser + a "normal" cleanser. For the oil-based cleanser, I use either olive oil or a cleanse-off oil from Lancome. To be honest, I like simple olive oil better.


Here's my daily "army" of necessities. Looks like a lot when put together, huh? :p