'No Makeup, Makeup'

I've seen a lot of this type of blog post and YouTube videos around but then when I watch them I'm just sort of left dumbfounded at how someone can think that packing 25 different products on your face is attempting a no makeup, makeup face. I understand wanting a natural look but I think that is different from what I consider this to mean. For me I try to have at least 1 or 2 'no makeup' days a week depending on how often I'm working obviously. It's good to let your skin breathe and just have a day off from packing on the makeup and I've found the more I do this, the more confident I feel to brave more than just the local shops with a bare face. I know that it's bad I don't feel comfortable without a full face of makeup or at least a foundation base but I guess that's just what I've become used to and how I feel more confident. In saying that, I am getting better.. slowly... but slow and steady wins the race, right..?

Anyway, my biggest issue is my skin because it is far from perfect but I do feel it is necessary to give it a breather and get some fresh, non-chemical, pore-clogged air. So on days like these I just prefer to avoid fluorescent lighting and large, magnified mirrors.. Obviously a walking advertisement for self-confidence but whatever, I'm getting there. So I like to avoid putting anything on the majority of my face, I'll just moisturise in the morning and probably pop on some type of pore-filling product, so either Benefit Porefessional or Innoxa Pore Vanishing Cream just to make things appear more even textured. Then I'll lightly conceal under my eyes, using a good colour-match to avoid stark light under-eyes that make you look worse rather than more awake. Then if I have any overly red or major little spotty pals on my face, I'll dab a bit of concealer over those and blend them in with either my finger or buffing brush to appear seamless.

Brows are a must for me. Whether I'm doing exercise or going to the shops, lunch whatever, I've become one of those girls who can't at least pencil in her brows before leaving the house. I naturally have very light and sparse brows so by filling them in even just a little bit I feel it balances out my face a lot more and just is more of an attempt when I otherwise can't be bothered. Always making sure that I don't go too dark especially because as I'm base-free so my face is quite pale. Then I'll just finish with lashings of mascara to detract from any other focal points happening on my face, generally my holy grail- Jordana Best Lash Extreme or I'm also currently using L'Oreal False Lash Architect which I'm enjoying. If I'm feeling a little lacklustre I'll line either my tightline with a black liner which is the most simple step yet makes quite a difference or my waterline with a nude liner to make my eyes appear wider and more awake.

Some lip balm or a tinted lip product, nothing too strong to overpower your bare face and that is what I consider to be 'no makeup, makeup'. Still have a few products on your face but at this point, this is the most bare faced I'll go in public..

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The Lipstick Tag!

My Lipstick storage and majority of my collection

I was tagged the other day on instagram (@beautylocale, yes shameless plug..) by Lipstick and Linguine to do this tag and I thought yeah, why not I do love my lip products so I thought this would be fun!

Lipsticks and lip products in general are something that I tend to buy quite a lot of and recently I've had to restrain myself when standing in front of makeup counters and the stands in Priceline and say to myself, 'No Millie, no more'. Mostly because I feel like a lot of the lip products in my stash get neglected and I get into a routine of using a particular few and then end up buying duplicates or seriously similar shades because I've forgotten what I already have. Generally for lipsticks I prefer matte formulas, I don't know why I just never really used to be into lipgloss I think maybe because of the way your hair gets stuck on your mouth in the wind and they can feel tacky and gross, so I used to prefer lipstick but I'm slowly getting more into lipgloss and even more so, lip lacquers which you can probably tell from my previous post.

Enough rambling.. onto the tag!

1. How many lipsticks do you own?

Not sure I want to know this myself and because of the way my lipsticks are stored and displayed, they're on display and quite obvious so are one of the first things that my friends notice when they come over and always say to me, 'You have a problem'. Yeah well.. Already knew that. Moving on, all is well. Soo I think I just counted 54, give or take a few that are hiding in various bags. I kept it to lipsticks only so that's no lip crayons, balms or lacquers. Whoopsies..

2. What was the first lipstick you owned?

Pretty sure I actually just got rid of this lipstick but I think it was a shimmery pink Revlon lipstick. That from memory was the first lipstick I bought myself, wanting a nice 'everyday' shade that turned out to not suit me whatsoever.

3. What is your favourite lipstick brand?

I'll cheat and say a high end and drugstore type brand. So for a cheaper alternative, hands down Rimmel. Especially the Kate Moss ranges which are all matte so right up my alley but the formula is amazing- colour payoff, lasting power they've got it all they do. I have a few from their normal line in the black packaging and 'Asia' is one of my favourite YLBB-Your Lips But Better shades as well as their moisturising formula in the purple packaging for great Nude shades.
High end, I guess I would have to say MAC. The more high end products I try the more I move away from MAC and understand that they have an amazing reputation but new brands are constantly launching with amazing products. In saying that I can't go past their eyeshadows and lipsticks, I think it's maybe the way they have them displayed just staring at me all and wanting me to swatch them. Chanel also does amazing colours and formulas and I definitely want to try more of theirs.

4. What is your most worn lipstick?

This question links back to my ramble at the beginning. So many of my lipsticks have been neglected in recent times it's hard to say if I have a most worn. For everyday shades, I tend to go for either MAC's Brave or Craving, Rimmel's Asia, Nude Delight, Notting Hill Nude. Brighter shades and more bold lip colours I just alternate depending on the rest of my face.

Most worn 'everyday' lipsticks

5. What is your favourite finish?

Matte. Definitely not one for any kind of shimmery, glittery lipstick.

6. What was the last lipstick you bought?

Last lipSTICK, emphasis on lipstick rather than lip product I think was my Dior Dolce Vita lipstick which was around January.. hey, go me! That's quite a while.

7. How many lip products do you have in your bag? (Including balms and glosses)

I posted a photo on instagram of this just the other week and I think I counted 8 or 9.. Tad excessive

8. What is your favourite red lip colour?

Definitely MAC Ruby Woo. The perfect blue-toned red which is super flattering.

9. How do you store your lipsticks?

I actually use a T2 gift box that I got and I've put one of those acrylic lipstick organisers inside of it which I got off ebay for a ridiculously low $2-3. The others that I don't use as much are stored underneath in pull out drawers.

10. What lipsticks are you currently lusting after?

There's always a MAC shade that I have written down on my lust list but as I mentioned before I would like to try more of Chanel's offerings as well as the YSL Rouge Volupte but everytime I swatch them they seem quite sheer but they look beautiful on other people. All of which are a slight dent to the wallet at over $40 each so it will be a slow collection..

That was fun! I think I'll try to do more of these tag type blog posts in the future. I know there are plenty out there in the blogosphere. Feel free to leave me recommendations

That High-end packaging gets me everytime!

The Trend | Lip Lacquers

It seems like a new company every month is launching their version of the lip lacquer that is very on trend at the moment. If I'm not mistaken, I think it started with YSL's Rouge Pur Couture Glossy Stains and it's baby sister L'Oreal's entry into the drugstore/chemist market made the whole trend much more readily available to a wider audience. Then with Rimmel's Apocalips, it's like glossy stain mania all around!

Seeing as I have a few from different brands, I thought I would do not so much a review but an overview of what I have in my collection. My first entry into the glossy stain market was a purchase of the YSL because at the time there was such a big amount of hype in the blogoshphere and YouTube arena that I thought, hey they look interesting.. There is very little difference between these and the later released version by L'Oreal except for maybe lasting time but seeing as they're under the same company umbrella, some similarities are to be expected. With these, they look best layered so the first coat appears fairly sheer and creates the stain and one or two more coats creates a beautiful opaque glossy stain that lasts for hours as well as pretty well through eating, drinking and talking.

Rimmel's Apocalips however, are more a one swipe, opaque jobby and aren't as staining as they YSL or L'Oreal. Apocalips have received a ridiculous amount of hype so I'm sure you're aware of their existence but it is definitely well deserved. These things are very good especially for a 'drugstore' product. Each time Priceline or ASOS is having a sale these are one of the first things I gravitate towards and add to my existing shades. They're just too easy to throw in your bag and pop on during the day or throughout the evening for a beautiful, glossy lip in 2 seconds. The applicators on all of these are similar doe foot applicators which make it easy to create a nice curve on the upper lip and get into the corners of the mouth. In fact, the L'Oreal and YSL are exactly the same.

Last of all is Lush's addition with their 'Fresh Handmade Colour' that can be used all over the face so as a blusher, eyeshadow or lip colour. The two shades I have, I've only ever used as lip colours and I bought them with that intention. The launch of these products came with that fun wheel that you and a Lush assistant spin with your eyes closed and you pick colours and those colours have meanings which are meant to be applicable to you and your personality (See, this is where companies get me with gimmicky launches and interactive things like this) So naturally I bought two of the shades which I found completely applicable to me and happened to love the colours as well. These too come with a doe foot applicator and, like Rimmel are opaque within one swipe and are foolproof to apply. They last for hours and because it's Lush are fairly natural and 100% cruelty free so extra thumbs up.

YSL Rouge Pur Couture no. 16, 21

L'Oreal Lip Shine Caresse (L-R)  no. 300, 402, 101

Rimmel Apocalips (L-R) - Big Bang,  Stellar,  Nova,  Luna, Nude Eclipse

Lush Handmade Colour- Decisive, Passionate

From these swatches you can see that in terms of one swipe payoff, Rimmel probably comes out trumps but in terms of lasting power and less transfer then the other three brands- L'Oreal, YSL and Lush would get my vote in that respect.

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The Review | Chanel Mat Lumière

A Classic For A Classic

Foundation, I love the stuff but I hate the stuff. All the promises that these companies make, the tag lines that pull me in to buy them and believe that I'll look airbrushed in real life if I spend all my pretty pennies on this 'holy grail product'.. I could cry at the amount of money I've wasted on foundations, but rather I choose to ignore it and push it to a deep corner in the back of my mind.

I used to do dancing so I was using foundation from an early-ish age but only once or twice a year and my Mum would always be the one to choose it for me and match my colour (even she knew to match to the neck) so I think my first foundation that I didn't borrow from her was a Bloom cosmetics one. I loved it, I felt so grown up and sophisticated wearing my foundation (a maximum five times a year) and thought I'll love this product forever! Despite the fact that it became discontinued as a brand, I grew up and realised it wasn't actually that great for my changing skin type. From I'd say 16 years old, give or take, I started experimenting with more foundations which for the most part were just 'drugstore' so from Priceline or Target. I have tried more foundations that I could even remember and nothing I've ever loved enough to dub a HG- holy grail product. Until now.

Ooh Chanel you are so beauty-fell (see my rhyme there) but really, I could sing this to my bottle of Mat Lumière every morning if I woke up feeling strange enough. I've been using this for I think almost two months now pretty much everyday and there hasn't been a day yet when I've looked at my reflection and thought 'ew this isn't sitting well on my face or I look cakey, patchy, nothing'. As I mentioned in my 'Best of the Minis' blogpost, the lovely lady at the David Jones Chanel counter matched me to either B20 or B30 in this formula and gave me samples to try in natural lighting and to see how they both oxidised on my skin. I used both for a week or so and was going to go with B30 but decided that as I will get paler in the coming months, to go for B20 so I can just warm it up with powder, bronzer or the like. A $72 dent in my wallet and five minutes later I was the proud owner of my first Chanel foundation. As the name would suggest it leaves the skin with a matte but also luminous finish, definitely not dull or flat looking and I would say it is a medium but buildable coverage great for both day and night. I have taken a few flash photos whilst wearing this and no obvious stark white face has appeared which is a bonus. It doesn't feel thick or heavy on the skin and it's not one of those foundations that I'm itching to get home and wash off my face. I wear this to a full day at work, maybe blot once or twice throughout the day and reapply powder but I can comfortably wear this for a long day.

What they say- 'Mat Lumière, the perfect balance between softness, radiance and a matte finish. The fluid formula blends delicately into the skin. It contains silica in the form of fine porous and spherical particles to help ensure a matte complexion. Shiny areas are mattified and the radiance of the face is revealed. At the same time, coated pigments help conceal imperfections with an optical effect. They even out and light up the complexion for beautiful glowing skin. The polymers in the formula help to optimise the hold and matte finish of the foundation.' 
(I feel like this is a direct translation from French because the grammar and structure is not great but that is what the leaflet tells me!)

What I say- Over the top of the Hourglass mineral veil primer, I buff this in using my Real Techniques buffing brush and am given the finish that they describe. A evened out, matte but luminous complexion that is long lasting (they say 12 hours) and feels nice on the skin. Definitely recommend this to my fellow combination skin gals looking for a flattering matte finish to their foundation.

Quick Bits-
Cost- $72 (RRP for Australia)
Availability- Department Stores
SPF- 15
Lasting time- They say 12 hours and I would agree
Finish- Matte but luminous
Application- They recommend just using your fingers in circular movements but I prefer the Real Techniques buffing or Stippling brushes.

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Summer Face Savers

With Summer leaving us Aussies and heading for the North, I thought I'd share a few products that I've dubbed 'summer savers' for those icky humid days where everything tends to slide south on your face the minute you step out the door. In saying that our weather has been so up and down, I can't be sure I won't be needing these well into Autumn!

To start off- an SPF, essential for 30 degree + days in Sydney and everyday in general really. I like the Kiehl's SPF 50+++ that I've spoken about previously in a post or one that was recommended to me by my dermatologist- Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry Touch SPF 50+ . This leaves, as the name would suggest, a dry touch to the face not that tacky, creamy feeling that most general sunscreens leave which makes it perfect to apply makeup over the top of. 

Next essential for me would be a primer, no surprise I'm going to suggest the Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer for an amazing all rounder that will help your makeup to adhere to your face longer. In warmer weather I want the least amount of makeup on my actual face, I don't want anything that's going to feel heavy and like it's blocking every single pore on my face so I like the Vichy Dermablend Fluid Corrective Foundation in Opal which has added SPF 35, it's hypoallergenic, non-comedogenic, non-acnegenic and fragrance-free. It is quick a thick fluid but you can easily sheer it out with your fingers. It doesn't have the best lasting power for me, especially when it's really hot and humid so I always set it using either the Clinique Blended Face Powder or Makeup Store Translucent Setting Powder . 

Not the nicest of thoughts/visuals but blotting is a must for me especially in hot weather, so Blotting Papers are a necessity for quick touch ups throughout the day. I picked up these Paul & Joe ones from ASOS but you can find them online or in Priceline type stores. A product that is definitely not a necessity but more a luxury that I still don't fully understand the purpose of- Avene Thermal Spring Water, I also have tried the La Roche Posay which is equally good at being purified water in a can, this product is just nice to spray over your face and body when it all just gets a bit too overwhelmingly hot. 

To finish off, a spritz of Urban Decay 'Chill' makeup setting spray all over the face which promises to regulate your temperature in some fancy scientific way, to lock everything in. A good lipbalm that protects your lips from the sun because burnt lips are not fun at all and voila, these are my summer face savers that I always turn to when I know it's going to be a warm day.  

Again, this seems a bit useless now that we're officially in Autumn but it's Summer in the North and really these products are great all year round for maintaining your makeup throughout the day.

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