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colourpots
Continuing in my quest to be completely nosy about other people's styles, I thought I might talk about makeup! In the hope that other people might do the same thing! Because I am not quite clueless, but still very much a novice, and I love hearing about tricks that other people have.
History time: as a child my makeup experiences were almost exclusively stage makeup for dance concerts and skating competitions, ie. the dark heavy stuff that is required to make you look reasonably normal underneath stage lights. My mother uses nothing but lipstick, and that maybe three times a year. So I never really touched the stuff until I turned 15, when my grandparents gave me a small sampler kit and I went a bit crazy one summer with experimenting. Since then I have picked up a few things from friends and tutorials and people who attack me before choir concerts, but most of what I know comes from just playing around on my own.
These days, I tend to use makeup when a) I'm having a bad morning and I feel as though I'll need a little bit of sparkle to get through the day, or b) I'm going out and I have some time on my hands. On a daily basis I will use a moisturising lip balm, mascara and loose powder. Maybe eyeshadow. Maybe concealer.
Anyway, I thought I'd show you the basics of my makeup collection. This is by no means everything I own, but I could probably lose everything not shown here in a freak accident and still exist quite happily.
FACE
A - This is my daily moisturiser, Olay complete SPF 15+ (going without sunscreen in Australia would be a very, very silly idea) for oily skin. I'm including it because it goes underneath everything else.
B - I dislike liquid foundation, it tends to make me break out and it just looks too made up. But I do have oily skin, so I like to use just enough powder to create a more matte effect. I use CoverGirl Pressed Mineral Foundation in Ivory, largely because it's not too expensive. I am sure there are better ones out there. But my skin is quite easy to pick shades for: you just go straight to the VERY VERY PALE end of the range and grab anything that says '01' on it.
C - Large brush for powder. I picked this one up at the chemist.
D - If I'm going to a very formal event, or cosplaying, then I will use liquid makeup. This is CoverGirl Clean Makeup (also in Ivory) which I like because it's quite light and goes on well with fingertips, and obviously it matches the powder exactly.
E - This is Australis concealer in (surprise!) Light. I use my concealer as an eyeshadow primer as well, so the lipstick format of this is perfect.
EYES
F - I have caved and started buying Max Factor eye essentials, after many unsatisfactory experiences with cheaper brands. This is Masterpiece waterproof mascara in black.
G - Max Factor Masterpiece Glide & Define liquid eyeliner in black. I have only recently gained the courage to use liquid liner, and I'm still more comfortable with pencil, but it's FANTASTIC for stage makeup; I used it on my sister at her latest skating comp.
H - I really need more eyeshadow brushes. I have...one. It is old. I do not have a blending brush.
I - I picked up this palette of browns for $2 or something at a discount store. It's perfect for everyday use because I just use a tiny bit of a pale brown, swiped across my upper lid, and it's enough for a bit of definition.
J - This is my favourite makeup purchase of all time <33 Body Shop Shimmer Cubes in (apparently) honeycomb, dark chocolate, marshmallow and choc chip. Er. How...delicious. Anyway, I have had these little pots of gold and brown eyeshadow for something like seven years and they are still fantastic for...everything. They are the only shades I use for evening wear. LOVE.
K - Again, mostly for stage makeup or if I'm feeling extremely daring: Maybelline Expert Eyes pencil in brownish-black. I don't like eyeliner much (too strong!) and when I do use it, it is ONLY on the upper lid. I smudge eyeshadow underneath my lower one if I want anything at all. This pencil is also very good for darkening eyebrows, if you need that, but I really really don't.
L - Body Shop Eye Definer in Blue Smoke. I have a fondness for this one, it's a dark grey liner that goes really well under pale eyeshadows and looks good with blue eyes like mine.
LIPS
M - Rimmel lipliner in Red Dynamite. Left over from dance concerts, still very good if I'm using lipstick in any shade of red at all. I am a firm believer in lipliner: it creates a boundary to colour between, and I tend to use lightly it over my whole lip so that it's less obvious when the lipstick rubs off.
N - There are only about three shades of lipstick that I use, when I use it at all. My absolute favourite is Australis in Pressed Velvet (Australis is my go-to brand for colours!) but this was the first one I grabbed out of my kit for the photo; it's a cheapo dark red which is good if I want very very strong lips. It's poor-quality and getting a bit dry so I will only apply it with a lipstick brush. I have a couple of those brushes which came with sampler sets, and they are amaaaaazing if, like me, you are terrible at keeping a good shape when using lipstick on its own.
OTHER
O - I love this little kit from Australis, all bright jewel shades that are fun to blend. I've been doing weird peacock-eyes by blending the dark green over pale blue.
P - I suppose I should talk about blush. Blah. I have Australis blush in Sand Dune, but I ONLY use it for costume or stage makeup, because I am pretty colourless as it is and even over liquid foundation, blush makes me look flushed. Sometimes I will use a tiny tiny bit along my cheekbones. Sometimes.
Q - I have had this little pot of Miki purple glitter dust for...I don't know. Over a decade. But it's dust, and the pot is watertight, so nothing's really happened to it. It's perfect for swiping over eyes as a finishing touch that catches the light like nobody's business, or just putting anywhere you want SPARKLE.
~
Today I'm wearing black eyeliner over white and silver blended eyeshadow, my normal mascara and powder, and two of the lip colours in the Australis set: a dusky pink blended over a sharp fuchsia.
~
Talk to meeeee, makeup users of my flist. What essential do you think I'm missing? What are your favourite brands? One day I will be able to afford colours from MAC and Elizabeth Arden. ONE DAY.
History time: as a child my makeup experiences were almost exclusively stage makeup for dance concerts and skating competitions, ie. the dark heavy stuff that is required to make you look reasonably normal underneath stage lights. My mother uses nothing but lipstick, and that maybe three times a year. So I never really touched the stuff until I turned 15, when my grandparents gave me a small sampler kit and I went a bit crazy one summer with experimenting. Since then I have picked up a few things from friends and tutorials and people who attack me before choir concerts, but most of what I know comes from just playing around on my own.
These days, I tend to use makeup when a) I'm having a bad morning and I feel as though I'll need a little bit of sparkle to get through the day, or b) I'm going out and I have some time on my hands. On a daily basis I will use a moisturising lip balm, mascara and loose powder. Maybe eyeshadow. Maybe concealer.
Anyway, I thought I'd show you the basics of my makeup collection. This is by no means everything I own, but I could probably lose everything not shown here in a freak accident and still exist quite happily.
FACE
A - This is my daily moisturiser, Olay complete SPF 15+ (going without sunscreen in Australia would be a very, very silly idea) for oily skin. I'm including it because it goes underneath everything else.
B - I dislike liquid foundation, it tends to make me break out and it just looks too made up. But I do have oily skin, so I like to use just enough powder to create a more matte effect. I use CoverGirl Pressed Mineral Foundation in Ivory, largely because it's not too expensive. I am sure there are better ones out there. But my skin is quite easy to pick shades for: you just go straight to the VERY VERY PALE end of the range and grab anything that says '01' on it.
C - Large brush for powder. I picked this one up at the chemist.
D - If I'm going to a very formal event, or cosplaying, then I will use liquid makeup. This is CoverGirl Clean Makeup (also in Ivory) which I like because it's quite light and goes on well with fingertips, and obviously it matches the powder exactly.
E - This is Australis concealer in (surprise!) Light. I use my concealer as an eyeshadow primer as well, so the lipstick format of this is perfect.
EYES
F - I have caved and started buying Max Factor eye essentials, after many unsatisfactory experiences with cheaper brands. This is Masterpiece waterproof mascara in black.
G - Max Factor Masterpiece Glide & Define liquid eyeliner in black. I have only recently gained the courage to use liquid liner, and I'm still more comfortable with pencil, but it's FANTASTIC for stage makeup; I used it on my sister at her latest skating comp.
H - I really need more eyeshadow brushes. I have...one. It is old. I do not have a blending brush.
I - I picked up this palette of browns for $2 or something at a discount store. It's perfect for everyday use because I just use a tiny bit of a pale brown, swiped across my upper lid, and it's enough for a bit of definition.
J - This is my favourite makeup purchase of all time <33 Body Shop Shimmer Cubes in (apparently) honeycomb, dark chocolate, marshmallow and choc chip. Er. How...delicious. Anyway, I have had these little pots of gold and brown eyeshadow for something like seven years and they are still fantastic for...everything. They are the only shades I use for evening wear. LOVE.
K - Again, mostly for stage makeup or if I'm feeling extremely daring: Maybelline Expert Eyes pencil in brownish-black. I don't like eyeliner much (too strong!) and when I do use it, it is ONLY on the upper lid. I smudge eyeshadow underneath my lower one if I want anything at all. This pencil is also very good for darkening eyebrows, if you need that, but I really really don't.
L - Body Shop Eye Definer in Blue Smoke. I have a fondness for this one, it's a dark grey liner that goes really well under pale eyeshadows and looks good with blue eyes like mine.
LIPS
M - Rimmel lipliner in Red Dynamite. Left over from dance concerts, still very good if I'm using lipstick in any shade of red at all. I am a firm believer in lipliner: it creates a boundary to colour between, and I tend to use lightly it over my whole lip so that it's less obvious when the lipstick rubs off.
N - There are only about three shades of lipstick that I use, when I use it at all. My absolute favourite is Australis in Pressed Velvet (Australis is my go-to brand for colours!) but this was the first one I grabbed out of my kit for the photo; it's a cheapo dark red which is good if I want very very strong lips. It's poor-quality and getting a bit dry so I will only apply it with a lipstick brush. I have a couple of those brushes which came with sampler sets, and they are amaaaaazing if, like me, you are terrible at keeping a good shape when using lipstick on its own.
OTHER
O - I love this little kit from Australis, all bright jewel shades that are fun to blend. I've been doing weird peacock-eyes by blending the dark green over pale blue.
P - I suppose I should talk about blush. Blah. I have Australis blush in Sand Dune, but I ONLY use it for costume or stage makeup, because I am pretty colourless as it is and even over liquid foundation, blush makes me look flushed. Sometimes I will use a tiny tiny bit along my cheekbones. Sometimes.
Q - I have had this little pot of Miki purple glitter dust for...I don't know. Over a decade. But it's dust, and the pot is watertight, so nothing's really happened to it. It's perfect for swiping over eyes as a finishing touch that catches the light like nobody's business, or just putting anywhere you want SPARKLE.
~
Today I'm wearing black eyeliner over white and silver blended eyeshadow, my normal mascara and powder, and two of the lip colours in the Australis set: a dusky pink blended over a sharp fuchsia.
~
Talk to meeeee, makeup users of my flist. What essential do you think I'm missing? What are your favourite brands? One day I will be able to afford colours from MAC and Elizabeth Arden. ONE DAY.
Re: Polar opposite of the comment above me, btw
My lashes are already pretty dark and long, so they can take a bit of heaviness in mascara; I basically only need it to darken the tips, which are pale. The best look on me is actually professionally tinted lashes, but I've only had that done twice.
UM. I FUNCTION WITH ONE BECAUSE...IT IS ALL I HAVE? I just swish it on my hand to get rid of remnants of the previous colour, and then go. I DO want a proper blending brush, though. What are the six that you have??
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I HAVE:
- A wide all-over shader, mostly for doing the area between my lid and my eyebrow
- A blending/smudging brush, used for the crease
- TWO eyelid brushes - one regular, one uber expensive (I bought REALLY expensive eyeshadow once, and the brush I already had wasn't fine enough and I kept wasting so much falling all over my face)
- TWO eyeliner brushes, in different sizes (one flat, one really fine like a tiny little paint brush)
- My favoritest thing in the world: a lash comb, which gets rid of all those little extra flecks of eyeshadow that used to end up in my EYE/would clump up my mascara.
I will also say that I do not apply foundation without a makeup sponge applicator of some kind. Doesn't matter if it's a liquid-to-powder situation or pure liquid - a teenaged existence of horrible acne has taught me to NEVER TOUCH MY FACE whenever possible.
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I used to be so good about using a sponge but fingers are so much EASIER.
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