• june 2022 makeup inventory

    My Makeup Inventory | June 2022

    Hi Everyone!

    Today, I have an updated makeup inventory list. These posts are more for me to track what products I have/had at a given time. The items in BOLD are unopened/barely used.

    Primers: 3

    • Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water
    • Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water
    • Pixi +C Vit Brightening Perfector*

    Foundations: 3

    • Maybelline Shine-Free + Balance Stick Foundation in Classic Ivory
    • Maybelline Shine-Free + Balance Stick Foundation in Natural Beige
    • Uoma Beauty Say What?! Foundation in Fair Lady T2N

    Concealers: 2

    • Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer in SC-2: Fair To Light Skin Tones
    • Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in Neutralizer

    Powders: 3

    • Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder
    • Becca Hydra-Mist Set & Refresh Powder (mini)
    • Maybelline Fit Me Matte + Poreless Powder in Translucent

    Blushes/Highlighters/Bronzers: 10

    • Bare Minerals Gen Nude Powder Blush in That Peach Tho
    • Chanel Soleil Tan de Chanel Bronzing Base
    • Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter in 2 Fair
    • Honest Beauty Crème Cheek Blush in Rose Pink
    • Milk Makeup Lip + Cheek (mini) in Werk
    • Burt’s Bees The Luminizer in 1906 Starlight*
    • Milani Strobelight Instant Glow Powder in Afterglow
    • Wet N Wild Megaglo Highlighting Powder in Blossom Glow
    • Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer in Nude Bronze Light
    • Pixi Summer Glow Palette*

    Brows: 3

    • Anastasia Brow Wiz in Ebony
    • Maybelline Brow Fast Sculpt, Mascara for Brows in Clear
    • Uoma Beauty Brow-Fro Blow Out Volumizing Gel in 6

    Eyeshadows: 6

    • Anastasia Beverly Hills Single in Intense Gaze
    • Anastasia Beverly Hills Single in Rosette
    • Anastasia Beverly Hills Single in Sunset
    • Catrice Self Made Bae Palette*
    • Charlotte Tilbury Easy Eye Palette
    • Urban Decay Naked Eyeshadow Single in Half Baked

    Eyeliners: 3

    • Annabelle Kohl Eyeliner in 116 White
    • MAKE UP FOR EVER Artist Color Pencil: Eye, Lip & Brow Pencil 502 Infinite Sand
    • MAKE UP FOR EVER Artist Color Pencil: Eye, Lip & Brow Pencil in 100 Whatever Black

    Mascara: 2

    • L’Oreal Bambi Eye Original Mascara in 407 Extra Noir*
    • L’Oreal Bambi Eye Original Mascara in 400 Blackest Black*

    Lips: 5

    • Burt’s Bees Moisturizing Lip Balm in Tropical Pineappple*
    • Giorgio Armani Rouge Ecstasy Lipstick in 400
    • L’Oreal Colour Riche Les Nus Intense Nude Lipstick in 173*
    • L’Oreal Rouge Signature Matte Lipstick in I Create 416
    • elf Glossy Lip Stain in Fiery Red*

    TOTAL NUMBER OF ITEMS: 40

    I have quite a few items that I bought last year, but still haven’t opened yet. From the ones I’ve tried so far, I would probably repurchase the Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage Concealer and the L’oreal Rouge Signature Matte Lipstick.

    Products marked with * were sent to me.

  • november 2021 sephora sale haul

    Haul | November 2021 Sephora Sale

    Hi Everyone!

    I’m sharing my Sephora sale haul today! I bought a few things for my mom and then I finally purchased some products that have been on my wishlist for a few years.

    Currently, I have Sephora VIB Rouge status, but I haven’t bought much makeup or skincare in the past two years, so my Rouge status will be downgraded next year. I decided to make some purchases with the 20% off while I still have it.

    Charlotte Tilbury Darling Eyeshadow Palette | $72

    I have been looking at eyeshadows for a while, this one was a bit of an impulse purchase, but the shades are so pretty. lately, I’ve been leaning toward warmer colours.

    Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter in 2 – Fair | $53

    I’ve had this on my wishlist for a long time. I hope it lives up to my expectations.

    Hourglass Ambient Lighting Bronzer in Nude Bronze Light | $69

    The bronzer came broken :/ I contacted customer service to get a re-shipment, so just waiting for the new one to come in. This has also been on my wishlist for a long time. It was sad to open it and see some powder on the outside of the packaging. I knew right away that it was probably broken.

    MAC Cosmetics Mineralize Blush in Sweet Enough | $35

    I bought this for my mom. She previously really loved the powder blush in Mocha, which I also bought. I thought she might like a baked blush more since she got hard pan quite often with the powder blush.

    MAC Cosmetics Powder Blush in Mocha | $32

    Sephora Collection PRO Powder Brush #50 | $45

    I got this brush for my mom. She mentioned that her powder foundation was providing more coverage than she wanted. She prefers a more sheer coverage. Right now, she’s using a denser brush, so I thought a slightly fluffier one might do the trick.

    Sephora Collection PRO Highlight Brush #98 | $40

    I have a Sephora PRO powder brush and it’s one of the softest brushes I own. I currently have a highlight fan brush from Winners. I thought it was time to get one that had a name brand.

    What did you purchase from the sale?

    Love,

    Credit: slideshow pictures taken from internet.

  • Fave Makeup Primers

    Primers | My Hits & Misses

    Hi Everyone!

    I’m sharing my hits and misses for all primers that I’ve tried (that I can remember).

    Check out my other Hits & Misses posts!

    MAKEUP || Foundations | Powders | Concealers | Brows | Mascara

    SKINCARE || Eye Creams

    BRANDS || Bobbi Brown | Burt’s Bees | L’OréalMaybelline | Nude by Nature | NYX | TULA | Volition Beauty

    Before you read this post, please remember that we all have difference preferences and skin types. These are MY hits, misses and likes. You might love something I don’t like or dislike something I love.


    Each primer has a small blurb on why I love, like or didn’t like. Some I’ve grouped together because they were similar to me. First, I’ll start with Hits, then Likes and end with Misses.

    HITS

    Smashbox Photo Finish Primerizer – This one is great for my dry skin. Before I started using facial oils and drinking more water, my nose was super dry and flaky (ew). It’s still a bit dry and can get flaky at times, but around the nostrils aren’t as bad as they used to be. This primer was the first that would keep my nose moisturized enough by the end of the day. You can also use this as a moisturizer if you’re in a pinch and need some moisture.

    Good Molecules Silicone-Free Priming Moisturizer* & Sonia Roselli Water Balm (read my review) – These are also 2-in-1 primers that can double as moisturizers. I wouldn’t say that these should be used as your only part of your skincare routine, but they can definitely be one of the steps in your morning routine to help prep your skin. The Sonia Roselli Water Balm is more moisturizing than the Good Molecules. I wouldn’t use the Good Molecules as a moisturizer on its own though. I usually pair it with a face oil.

    Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water – This is a nice hydrating primer that has a bit of tackiness. You can also use at the end of your makeup routine, but take note that the spray nozzle isn’t the finest so don’t get too close to your face. It has a slightly citrus scent from the Limonene, so if you don’t like citrus, you’ll want to skip this one!

    Make Up For Ever Step 1 Equalizer Primer (Smoothing) – This is a nice smoothing/blurring primer that smells really nice. I use it on my cheeks and forehead where my pores are larger.

    Tarte Timeless Smoothing Primer (read my review) – This is one of Tati’s fave blurring primers. So I thought I’d give it a try. This is a thicker primer and it’s easy to use too much – Less is more! Sometimes I would get too much on my fingers and then just apply it to areas I didn’t really need it. I would notice my makeup would look more cakey in those areas. That was totally my fault though. This is a great primer if you need to blur those pores. If you do end up trying it, press it into the skin, do not rub.

    Winky Lux Whipped Primer – Tati also tried this one to compare. I can’t recall exactly what she said, but I think she liked it. Although not as much as the Tarte one. This one is a softer texture since it’s whipped – It’s like this one is whipped cream cheese while the Tarte is regular Philly cream cheese. It might be easier for a beginner to try this one first and then upgrade to Tarte Timeless Smoothing Primer when you’re ready.

    Mac Strobe Cream (Pink) – I guess this is more of a liquid highlighter than a primer. If you have larger pores, you might want to use a blurring primer before applying this to the face. You can use this underneath foundation, mix it in with foundation or apply as a liquid highlighter. This pink is so pretty to give you that ‘glow from within’ look. The Giorgio Armani Fluid Sheer in #7 is also really pretty and I haven’t personally tried it, but the Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter is so pretty too.

    Makeup Primers
    Tarte Timeless Smoothing Primer (bottom), Winky Lux Whipped Cream Primer (top)

    LIKES

    Smashbox Photo Finish Pore Minimizing Primer – I don’t really like the silicone-y feeling blurring primers, but if you don’t mind them, you’d like this one.

    Touch In Sol No Poreblem Primer – This one broke me out, but it blurs really nicely. If it works for you, this is one of the cheaper primers available at Sephora and in this blog post.

    Make Up For Ever Step 1 Equalizer Primers (Nourishing & Hydrating – These two primers were both really nice, but again didn’t provide my dry skin enough moisture. The Nourishing one is a bit richer in texture while the hydrating one is more of a gel cream texture.

    Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Oil – I really loved this primer when I first tried a sample, but once I bought the full size bottle, I didn’t reach for it as often. You could use any facial oil you already have instead of spending money on a primer oil. Also, this isn’t the best smelling facial oil I’ve used either. I ended up having to use it as a facial oil and then ended up decluttering because I had it so long that it started to smell off.

    First Aid Hello Fab Coconut Skin Smoothie Priming Moisturizer, Stellar Brilliant Primer & Mac Prep + Prime Natural Radiance – From what I remember, these three primers were illuminating and they had similar textures. They weren’t shimmery or anything, but there was a glow to them. While they were nice, they didn’t provide quite enough hydration for my dry skin. Also, I didn’t like the smells of these primers. I’d rather use a really good hydrating primer and choose to add in some liquid highlighter on my own instead of getting an illuminating primer like these ones.

    makeup Primers
    Makeup Primers

    MISSES

    Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer – I know some people love this one, but this smells like school glue to me and that just turned me off. I also didn’t notice anything special about it.

    Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser Primer – Similar to the Smashbox pore minimizing primer, this is silicone-y. It’s a good drugstore alternative to the Smashbox one, I believe. I didn’t compare them so I don’t know if Smashbox was better at blurring, but they both have the same texture.

    Make Up for Ever Step 1 Equalizer Primer – Redness Correcting & Smashbox Photo Finish Colour Correcting Primer – Redness Correcting (read my review) – I didn’t really find these two primers to work that well at concealing redness. If you need to colour correct, use a colour corrector instead of a primer that corrects.

    L’Oréal Magic Skin Beautifier BB Cream (Anti-Redness) (read my review) – This smells really bad, but it does work great if you have a slightly darker skin tone than I do. It works well for my mom. It starts out green, but then it turns ‘skin-coloured.’

    Maybelline Facestudio Master Primer Blur + Redness Control Primer – This did nothing to conceal redness OR blur.

    Nude By Nature Perfecting Primer (read my review) – Even though I rated this a 3/5 in my review, the smell is too sweet. It smells like Rockets (or as the Americans call them ‘Smarties’).

    The Body Shop Moisturizing Primer – I don’t think this is available anymore, but it was basically a moisturizer. It had a similar texture to the First Aid priming moisturizer.

    The Body Shop All-In-1 Blurring Primer – Again, this is silicone-y and one of the first primers I tried.

    Smashbox Photo Finish Under Eye Primer – Originally, I loved this primer because I thought it made my under eyes look illuminated and bright. After a while, I didn’t notice anything. I don’t know if I was just imagining things in the beginning. This was meant to illuminate the under eyes. You don’t need this (even if it did work)…just get a good eye cream that already illuminates. This one has a similar texture to the First Aid/Stellar/MAC illuminating primers.


    If you’ve read this far, thanks for reading!

    You can check out my July 2018 Primer Inventory to see how much my opinion has changed since then.

    I’ve also tried the Benefit The POREfessional Face Primer and Tatcha The Silk Canvas Protective Primer in samples. I think the POREfessional was dried out by the time I tried it, but I know a lot of people love it. I think it’s similar to the Make Up For Ever Smoothing Primer, so I might give the hydrating version a try. I really liked the Silk Canvas primer and would definitely consider purchasing the mini. I know the full size is more cost effective, but I don’t know if I could get through the full size one fast enough. I’d rather spend a few dollars more per ounce than buy the full size one and end up throwing it out because it expired.

    To Try

    • Becca First Light Priming Filter Face Primer 
    • Becca Velvet Blurring Primer
    • Benefit The POREfessional: Hydrate Primer
    • Bite Changemaker Skin-Optimizing Primer (normal to dry skin)
    • Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter (This was on my 2020 Beauty Wishlist)
    • Cover FX Gripping Primer
    • Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer – Blurring 
    • Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer – Hydrating
    • Tatcha The Silk Canvas Protective Primer

    In my next Hits & Misses post, I’ll be writing about foundations!

    What are your favourite primers?

    Love,

    Products marked with (*) were gifted to me.