Remember when I went to Sephora and bought a bunch of makeup? Well, I’ve been using it regularly and quite enjoying myself.
After nearly 2 months of regularly painting my face on every morning, I’ve formed some opinions on what I like and don’t like, and what I’d like to try as I continue down this cosmetic road. So here goes (no pictures since I’m too lazy right now).
Foundation/primer
I bought the Benefit Hello Flawless pressed powder. I love the idea of a pressed powder since it’s so much easier to throw in your purse or for travel – loose powders do not do this so well. The shade I got was perfect for me, a very fair very neutral person (In the L’Oreal Perfect Match I’m an N1). But the color and the fact that it was a pressed powder was about all I liked about this. After just 3 weeks, I hit the bottom of the pan. For the price I paid, I wasn’t pleased that it didn’t last so long. Also, I didn’t feel like it sat on my face very well. This could be due to my skin care routine (more on that in a minute), but I was left in a cloud of dust when I applied this. I couldn’t seem to get it to build up the coverage on my face.
I’ve since purchased a few other items. First up is Philosophy’s Hope in a Tinted Moisturizer. I don’t think this does so well on its own as a moisturizer, but over a lighter one it goes on smoothly. The lightest color in their range is a tiny bit too yellow for me, so I need to follow this up with a neutral (not translucent) powder. This is where I actually like the Benefit powder. The jury’s still out on this product because I think it acts too much like a liquid foundation, and I’m generally not a fan of those.
Also added to my collection is the Bare Minerals Mineral Veil pressed powder. I got Bare Minerals years ago for my wedding, and I pretty much loved it, but didn’t get it this time because it’s only available in a loose powder. The Mineral Veil has since been released in a pressed powder, and I’m in love. It’s perfect for finishing a look and does an awesome job at keeping the shine at bay, which means it’s great for touch-ups too. The one single little thing I don’t like is the compact design. It’s not the easiest one to open.
I’m still considering the Bare Minerals as a foundation because I love the way it just melts into the skin and the way you can build up coverage. But I’d be even happier about it if I could get it in a pressed powder. For this reason, I’m still on the lookout for the perfect mineral powder foundation.
Eyes
I didn’t care for the Sephora Moonshadow Baked Palette. I do like the colors, but I think there’s way too much glitter fallout from them, and the colors are too sheer. I end up getting a light wash of color on my eyes and a heavy coating of glitter on my face. I may need to practice more with these, because apparently they can be used wet as well. Not something I have much experience with.
Since I wasn’t too happy with the above selection, I went and bought the palette that I should have gotten in the first place – Urban Decay’s Naked 2 palette. I’ve have limited experience with UD, but absolutely loved what I have used in the past, and I absolutely love these shadows. The colors are all awesome, they go on well and stay on well, and I can do a ton of different looks with them. The only ones I don’t use are Foxy (too yellow for me) and Blackout (too harsh on my pale skin). I’ve also gone and purchased a single of Virgin, which is the most perfect eyeshadow base color ever. I use this one every day, regardless of the look I’m going for.
I’ve also purchased a bunch of eyeliners as well. The Urban Decay 24/7 liners, Sephora Collection Flashy liners, Pixi liners and a few others are now in my collection. And I have some shadow pencils. Urban Decay Glide On Shadow Pencils and Sephora Collection Jumbo Liner are the main ones. I love the shadow pencils because they’re so easy.
Lips
I wasn’t too keen on lips at first. I hate the feel of traditional lipsticks, but use plain lip balm all the time. I also hate seeing lipstick on my drinking glass, so I went for a lip stain. I do still quite like the Stila lip stain that I got, but find the application a bit fussy. I’ll apply this in the morning and move on to something else once it’s faded, about halfway through the day. I don’t carry this one in my purse.
On a whim, I decided to try the Maybelline Super Stay 24 lip color. I love the idea of this, and love that it comes with a balm, but this stuff dried my lips out like nobody’s business. Glad I got it on sale, and won’t be buying this again.
After that experience, I decided to look beyond what I thought I wanted and purchased two of the Clinique Almost Lipsticks, in Black Honey and Tender Honey. These two are in my purse and I use them ALL THE TIME. They keep my lips soft and and just a tiny hint of color (Tender Honey) or a bit more color (Black Honey). These will most definitely be purchased again.
Skin Care
My skin is tough to take care of, and I’m having a hard time doing that properly with drugstore products. If I use a cleanser for acne-prone skin (which I am) then I get too flaky and dried out, with my T-zone overcompensating later in the day. So I decided to try a cleanser meant for more mature skin, but that’s not doing the trick either. I know I need more moisture to keep my T-zone from getting out of control oily and to keep my skin from getting flaky.
This has been my biggest dilemma since starting this new, makeup-wearing thing that I’m doing, and I think I may have found the answer. As part of my Beauty Insider points at Sephora, I got a trial sized package of the Clinique 3-Step system for combination skin. The cleanser, toner and moisturizing gel have been pretty dark good, and I may be splurging on this soon. But I also like some Neutrogena products and my consider a combination of those in lieu of the pricier Clinique. I just need to find the right balance for my skin and stick with it.
So that’s my wicked long makeup post. I left a lot of products out as I wanted to focus on the ones I specifically enjoy a lot or really didn’t like. And I know I have a lot to learn as far as what I’m doing with all of this. But I’m having fun, and I’m gonna keep on playing with makeup.
Have you used any of the products I’ve mentioned? What did you like or not like about them? Do you have any other product recommendations?
