Today was a beautiful day, so I decided to sort out some of my old make up, kind of like a spring cleaning. While I was deciding what to throw out, I decided to do a post on this.
Well, the thing is, I'm not a make up expert. I don't claim to be. However, I still wanted to share this post because maybe some people will find it fun to read? Hopefully.
I have another products that I own and like/dislike but did not mention. That's only because I wanted to mention the dislikes of the stuff I'm throwing out, so I decided to throw in some likes in here.
Before I go on, please keep in mind that I'm not a make up expert and I'm sharing what I like and dislike. I honestly hope not to all a sudden receive complaints from companies, because my intention isn't to defame any brand or product.
1. Cleansers.
Like
Josie Maran's Argan oil: I feel like after I wash my face, it feels pretty smooth and it looks like my face looks a lot better.
Dislike
Shu Uemura cleanser: I bought the pink one because it was recommended to me by one of the people working at the Shu Uemura counter. When I first used it day and night, I broke out. Then I decided to use it only for mornings. I'm almost finished the bottle now. I decided to give it another try because it was expensive but I won't be repurchasing this. The formula is thinner compared to Josie Maran's Argan oil, but for some reason I don't like. The smell isn't a bad smell but I'm not crazy about it either.
Urban Decay 24 eye liners: I bought a set of them, which is why I have so many. I really like these since they last a long time. If I could change anything about them it would be I rather they be twisted than a sharpen pencil.
Holika Holika Jewel-light Waterproof eyeliner: I really like this one, it is waterproof. I would totally rebuy this except my pencil keeps breaking. I don't know if it's only mine that keeps breaking off once I've sharpened it. It's also one of the first brown pencils I own, so I was pleasantly surprised at how much I like this. Usually I go for black.
Maybelline Stiletto liquid eyeliner: I really like this as well since I'm able to be pretty precise with this. There's a felt tip
Dislike
Maybelline Eye Studio Master Drama: I'm not sure why I bought this after my friend commented how much she hated it. It was on sale so I decided to give it a try. It's very creamy and a nice black. The thing that I don't like the most is since it's creamy it takes a lot longer for the liner to set. So it ends up on my eyelid (I have monolids). By the end of day, it just smudges so poorly that I can't wear this. Besides monolids, I have oily lids. lol So, my oily monolids can't take this product. My friend hates it because when you click the tub too much, you can't twist it for the product to go back down. I don't think she ever had a problem with the smudging.
Milani: Liquid'eye: Same problem as the Maybelline Eye Studio Master Drama. It's very creamy, and I think this is the one that usually gets the rave reviews but it smudges all over my oily monolids so I can't wear this.
I'd like to say that I always wear eyeshadow primer, even if I only wear liner because I have oily lids. These two products still smudge in the worse way.
3. Other eye products
Urban Decay jumbo eye pencils: I like these but I don't use them enough. I usually use this with the Urban Decay Primer Potion.
Dislike
Maybelline Liquid eyeliner waterproof: This product might be discontinued since I don't see it on their website anymore. It says waterproof but it wasn't that great. It's more liquidy like water. It was harder to control the line I was drawing. That's not good in the morning.
L'oreal Infallible Lacquer Liner. Very creamy. I don't know why I don't like it but I don't. It might have to do with the same smudging problem that I encounter. Though not everyone might have this problem, but I usually think, why is it that only certain products do I have this problem but not all?
Like:
Maybelline Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Liner: I do like this. With the right brush, I can make a pretty nice winged look. It also doesn't smudge on me, so I like that.
4. Maybelline Mascara
The bottle shot
The Falsies Flared Brush shot
The Mega Plush Brush shot
The Colossal Brush shot
The Rocket Brush shot
Likes
The Falsies Flared (Waterproof): I just like the way this feels and pushes up my lashes. If I must be honest though, because of my monolids, it's not like anyone really notices when I wear mascara. Even so, it's the feeling and I like this.
The Mega Plush (Waterproof): I do like the Mega Plush more than The Falsies. I think it could be the gel in the formula but it seems very lightweight and separates my lashes.
Dislikes
The Colossal (Waterproof): It doesn't do anything for my lashes. It's supposed to give volume but I don't really notice it. Also I didn't think it made my lashes look that much nicer?
The Rocket (Not Waterproof): I didn't get the waterproof one but I've used other mascaras that were not waterproof. It smudged over the top of my eyelid. I just remembering not really liking this when I tried it.
So that's my roundup for mascara. I have tried other mascaras which I liked but recently these are the mascaras that I was trying out. With my mono eyelids, I don't really do anything special with my mascara, the only thing I want is for it to be up and separate. Also when I put shadow on my lids, the shadow gets on my lashes, and that's the only reason why I use mascara, so that it'll be black instead coated in shadow. So I don't have that many requirements that have to be fulfilled but I still don't like these two.
5. Lip glosses
Like
Clinique Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss: I own two and I really like them. It's very moisturizing. There's a slight scent but it doesn't bother me. There's a slight colour but it's pretty.
Dislike
Lancome Juicy Tubes: I don't really like the smell or feeling of the juicy tubes. I bought one Juicy Tube but the rest are gift with purchases. I really wanted to like them but I really don't. Recently I bought something at Lancome and a choice was the full size make up remover and face wash or three Juicy Tubes. I unintentionally said that I didn't like Juicy Tubes. The Lancome cosmetician stated that she loved them. Then it made me reflected on how much I tried to like them. Anyway, it's also the Juicy Tubes that inspired me to do this post. I have a clear Juicy Tube somewhere but I don't know where it is. I thought maybe it's the glittery juicy tubes that I don't like but there's a baby pink in that stash that is sheer and has no glitter. I still don't like it. Also my lips feel a bit funny when I wear it.
Dislike
Anna Sui Lip Rouge D 371 and Dolly Girl Lil'Starlet Lip Gloss 03
I received this as part of a gift with purchase. I bought a finishing powder because I love the container. Anyway, I really wanted to like these two because of the packaging but I don't. It's too glittery, well I guess that's the point but it doesn't really give off colour. I couldn't find this on the Anna Sui website so I'm just going to assume it was only part of the gift with purchase. I also find that I didn't like the rose scent on my lips.
Like
Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain. The colours are pretty vibrant and I think it's pretty good for summer. Well the colours I have are really for summer.
Revlon Lip Butters: I didn't realize how many shades I have of this! What I like is that they give off a nice colour without being a full on lipstick. For some colours I like how it's not too opaque but still gives off colour. Also when they go on sale, I really like to stock up.
Dior Addict Lipstick: This was my first love before the Revlon Lip Butters. I have three of these because I would buy them during VIB sales. It's a little pricey though and the colour payoff is very sheer as well. So is it really worth it to pay that much money for something that isn't that opaque? I guess each person is different. At least it is listed as sheer on the website.
Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balms: I have so many of these even though it's pretty expensive. I really like Black Tea & Black Berry which is only sold in the US. Before I was able to order it online from Sephora but for a while they stopped shipping that and a few other flavours to Canada. So when I go cross border shopping, I usually pick up a few.
Maybelline Baby Lips: These are pretty cheap while on sale. They are pretty moisturizing too. The thing I like about them is the SPF.
On the fence
YSL Rouge Volupte 26: When I first bought this I was looking for a peach lipstick. A YSL cosmetician was helping me out at the counter and she selected this one. Well she gave me a few to try and I decided on this one. Afterwards, I realized this shade might not have been the best for me and also it shows the cracks on my lips. The finish is what I would describe as whipped cream? Also it seems to not want to stay on the middle of my lips. My only worry is that it'll slide off and I'll have my natural colour in the middle and the colour around it. I'm on the fence because I feel like I haven't given it a chance. I'll have to re-evaluate because I just put it on and pat it down with my finger and it seems to be staying put. I also just noticed the mirror on the top of the cap. I guess the question is, every time I wear this, do I want to pat it down for it to set?
6. Blushes
Likes
Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush: I really like these. For the past few VIB sales, I've ended up picking up another blush. For December, I bought two more. I have an oily face so I don't really recall how long it lasts but I like the application and the look of these blushes.
Benefit Hervana Blush: I love the smell and look of this! Again I don't know how long it lasts but when I put it on I'm pretty happy. It deserves a mention just because I didn't like Benefit's packaging before but I decided to try Hervana because it received pretty good reviews and it did look pretty. Every time I put it on now, I always think, "I'm so glad I bought this. Smells so nice!" I don't think this way for all my blushes.
So far I'm pretty lucky in that I've liked all the blushes I bought.
Urban Decay Primer Potion Original: I really like this. I have the old packaging because I bought this three set for $24 after the new packaging came out. I've only used UDPP and Nars, but I didn't really love the Nars one, in the end I was pretty used to using it but I didn't love it.
Before I had the other colours I did think owning Sin or Greed would be a good idea but now that I have, I don't really think it's necessary. I don't really think it enhances the colours that I'm placing on my eye. If I wasn't wearing any make up maybe it'd be a nice touch to just add that and then eyeliner.
I don't have the new packaging, so I can't exactly comment to say if anything has changed but I'm assuming the product is mainly the same.
Maybelline Color Tattoo Bad to the Bronze: As I have an another post to this already, I really like this. So I just decided to add it here, why not?
I also added Tough as Taupe here, and I own a few more, but doesn't mean that I hold the same love for all of them. While it's the same product, I just feel like Bad to the Bronze is so fitting for any situation that it just brings it to another level of love.
8. Urban Decay
Urban Decay Eyeshadows: I have a lot of Urban Decay Shadows. This is my purchase order: Naked, UD 15 Anniversary, Naked 2, UD Create Palette and Oz palette. I love them all! Now I can admit I don't really need all of them. Naked was honestly something that I was stalking online and I had seen it when it first came out but I didn't buy it since at the time I already had a lot of eye shadows. I bought it as soon as it was available again online. I'm really happy that I bought it. I can make a lot of looks with this, though it felt too warm so I wished that there were more cooler tones. For the 15th Anniversary, I bought it because this would have been the colour version compared to the neutrals. Naked 2 is more cooler toned but now I find myself reaching more for Naked 1. I bought the building palette with my Shopper Drug Mart Optimum Points because I had enough to trade in. I am also pretty happy with it because I can travel with it. Honestly, I've travelled with all except for the Oz palette because it's new.
I'm not sure if I needed the Oz Palette but I thought it would be fun, even though I haven't seen the movie yet still. I like the lip crayon that comes with it. I also find that with these palettes, I can just take on for travel or if I'm going to be away from home, and I'll be fine in terms of eyeshadows.
9. Nars Eyeshadows
In Purple Palette from Top to Bottom (Left to Right): Cleo (light blue), Babylon, Night Bred (sparkly black), Fathom (pink shimmer), Earth Angel, Elsa (Icy Blue Frost), Indian Summer, Elsa (An iridescent lilac), April Fools (no longer available).
Not pictured but I own: Bateau Lvre, Melusine, Tzarine, Pandora
Nars eyeshadows: I bought all these shown at a Nars warehouse sale for C$10/duo. The smaller individual ones belong to the Day/Night Limited Edition Palette. I depotted them and placed them into Unii palettes. For the ones I bought, I do like them a lot. I've bought two Nars eyeshadows (Melusine and Tzarine) at full price, but I didn't depot them. For the most part, I like Nars eyeshadows, but they aren't as smooth as Urban Decay. Even with the older formula from Naked 1, I feel like Urban Decay is a lot easier to work with. Hula Hula has really bad fall out but it's a cute colour. I find myself using my Nars colours less now that I bought my UD palettes. Duos that I own that I do really like are: Bohemian Gold, Tzarine, and Cheyenne.
I also noticed that after depotting them, my shadows break a lot easier than in the duos packaging. I mean I don't drop them from a high surface but sometimes when you place the palette somewhere..in a throw action, and the shadow comes apart then it's sad. This is what happened today with the green in Blade Runner. So I had to put it back together. This is the reason why some of the shadows in the blue palette have some green bits. Anyway, I've travelled with my Unii palette before and it was fine but that could be that I have all the clothes preventing it from feeling direct impact. As you can see from my pictures, I've had to repair some of the shadows. I'm not sure if I regret depotting them or not because I am able to mix up the duos, which is something I like. The possible breaking is the reason I haven't depotted the ones I bought at full price.
When I first got into make up, I had bought drug store make up from Cover Girl, Maybelline, L'oreal, etc. Then my second stage of really getting into make up and leading up to my current stage, I had bought Japanese brand make up because I liked how sheer it was but still pretty pigmented. Also because it was frosty like. My first Western palette of this type was Dior. So compared to my drug store times to Dior, I took a big step. Anyway, I rarely use these now because I grew out of the stage of having the pearly shine or subtle shimmer. I bought a lot of these colours, mostly during Shoppers 20x points events, so at the time to me, it seemed like it was ok because I'd be earning points for another product. Now I do regret and it seems like a waste. I have decided to make an effort to put away my UD, and to concentrate on my Dior shadows.
Ending Thoughts
If you made it this far, thank you for reading until the end. I did end up throwing out all my dislikes this time around. I guess next time around I should check if anything looks old/expired. So far, everything looks and smells pretty good. I usually spray my make up with rubbing alcohol every month, and use a clean brush every day but these past few months have been tough, so I haven't done that in a while.
While going through my make up I realized how in a short time my preference for make up has changed. In high school and university, I had make up but I didn't really wear make up. Then I ended up throwing out everything. When I started to work, I would only wear a line of eyeshadow, but it would always crease. Then I found out about eyeshadow primer, and it opened up my world. Then I started feeling more comfortable with entering Sephora, going to beauty counters at The Bay, or Shoppers Drug Mart. In the beginning, I was into Japanese make up of the glittery/shimmery make up, but now I'm more into the pigmented colours that are more opaque. I have a lot of lip products but I'm still not really a lipstick wearer. I bought a bright orange lipstick but, I haven't gathered up the courage to wear that yet.
Besides my make up evolution, I always found that I was able to express myself through nail polish. So that's something I really like and for this reason I own so much nail polishes. I have a friend at work who likes to express herself through lipstick. Lipstick for her is my nail polish :)
I didn't realize how long this post would be, thank you for reading :)
No comments:
Post a Comment