Firstly, apologies for not uploading any posts for a while. My skin and hot weather do not get on, so I haven't been wearing much make-up over the month of August. But during a much needed clearout, I rediscovered a few old gems from my stash. Some have really helped during the summer to keep the oil at bay whilst wearing a full face of slap, whereas some are more suited to the transition into Winter for those forward thinking lasses out there. Enjoy!
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| MAC Studio Fix Powder in NC50 |
Not to be confused with the Studio Fix Powder Plus Foundation, this powder gives a matte look to the skin over foundation, or worn alone on a good skin day. Ironically, the MAC store in Canada that I visited made this exact mistake when I wanted the Powder Plus on holiday and I got this instead. Let's just call it a lucky accident.
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Inside compact (and a glimpse of my camera in the mirror!)
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The shade NC50 is perfect if you are yellow-toned like me but want to look less orange. I find that NC45 foundations tend to show up incredibly orange on my skin, and as I'm somewhere in the middle between the shades Dark and Deep Dark in MAC's MSF Natural powders, this is a great way to avoid the 'tangoed' look. The powder is very fine and is specially formulated to deal with oily skin as it leaves a very matte finish. The only downside is that it tends to cling to dry areas when used on its own, but on top of a tinted moisturiser it looks incredibly natural and gives a medium coverage. I can't find this on MAC's website, but if they have discontinued this I may have to start using it very sparingly...
I bought this initially when I wasn't sure if primers actually made a real difference to my skin. This was the first one I bought and since then, I have tried out some pricier ones that managed to let my make-up slip faster than usual ( Benefit's The Porefessional, anyone?) Until I dug it up 3 weeks ago, I had genuinely forgotten how soft and moisturising it feels when I apply it. It has the same silicone finish as the Porefessional, but with a creamier consistency and witch hazel to soothe any irritations or spots that may be lurking. I found in the hot weather that it lengthened the wear times of dewy foundations and no touch ups were needed. For oilier skinned girls, this is a must-have in your collection.
Keeping with the "drugstore" theme, this palette contains everything needed for anyone wanting to get adventurous with colour. Mixing neutrals with the colours on the bottom row act as a great combination for daytime to make your eyes pop - supersubtle pink eyeshadow is meant to be a beauty trend this season. For night-time, the top colours are very appropriate for creating an intense smoky eye. There can be some fallout as all the eyeshadows are glittery, but despite this I do see myself using this religiously now I know where it is! The copper and olive tones are my favourite shades.
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| MUA Eyeliner in Intense Black and Eyeshadow in 01 Black- £1 each |
What I'm going to say next doesn't just apply to these two items from MUA but the majority of the range: The pigmentation and staying power of their products are phenomenal, especially considering the low pice point. I do often tear up when I'm lining my waterline or my tightline, but the Intense Eyeliner still doesn't budge. They also do a range of lipliners and lipsticks for £1 which I also must look ninto as I've heard such great things. I use the two together to create a really intense smoky eye and they blend exceptionally well.
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| In case there was any doubt, here's a swatch. |
Recently I used these two items combined with MAC's duochrome Club eyeshadow (brown/green) patted over it, followed by Embark (matte dark brown) to soften any outside edges. Including the infamous Carbon, this has to be the best matte black I've ever tried. FACT.
Along with a slew of planned posts, I have a part 2 coming up which involves more cheek and lip products, but this just goes to show how many great products eventually get unused and forgotten about. Are you guilty of this? Have you used any of these items when shopping your stash?
Candice xx
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