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 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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Product Reviews | The Best of the Minis

When it comes to things that are miniature in size, I'm a complete sucker. Whether it's deluxe samples or products that come in a small size, I can't resist, they're just too cute! (An advertiser's dream right here..) I've been collecting some of the miniatures that I have either acquired or purchased with a future blogpost in mind to share my thoughts and maybe endorse a few purchases..

Let's start with Benefit's Porefessional ($53AUD) There's no denying this is a serious 'cult' product that receives glowing reviews and I was lucky enough to get this deluxe sample size as a freebie with a magazine I bought when I was in the UK. Surprisingly this size lasted me a good while seeing as you only need a small amount and a year later I purchased the full size, again whilst overseas. This product is great for filling in pores and giving you an all around smoother appearance. Not sure how much this does in terms of mattifying your t-zone though but I do enjoy using it as more of a targeted area primer.

Origin's Super Spot Remover ($19AUD) Not a sample size, just adorably small. This may seem pricey for a spot gel but man oh man is it worth spending a bit extra. This stuff is definitely my go-to when my skin is acting out, I just pop it on before I go to bed and in the morning my spots are definitely reduced in redness and size. This dries it out without making the skin around the area too dry and flakey. I think this may be my second or third bottle..

Kiehl's Ultra Face Cream (from $34AUD) and Kiehl's Ultra Light Daily UV Defense (from $38USD) Both of these deluxe samples were gift with purchase of the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Serum as a little rejuvenating pack I think. For an oily skin gal like me, I think the Ultra Face Cream would be too heavy generally for everyday use but at one point my skin was looking quite dehydrated and flakey and this fixed it right up! Hasn't sold me enough to purchase the full size but a good product nonetheless and I scraped the mini jar dry. Daily UV Defense is still going strong and I put this on underneath my makeup when I know I'll be outdoors rather than inside at work all day. With an SPF of 50+++ it definitely has the tick of approval for Australia's hot, Summer days and I feel well and truly protected when wearing it.

Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer (from $25AUD) Hourglass, can you do no wrong?! Honestly, every product of theirs that I've tried, I've loved. It is quickly becoming one of my favourite high-end brands and this was no exception. This sample size came with my purchase of the Ambient Lighting Powder Palette and when I bought it the lovely assistant at Mecca Cosmetica slyly pointed out the free gift and told me I'd love it. Yep, she wasn't wrong. This primer is silky, radiant and beautiful and definitely gives my makeup lasting power for a long day at work and keeps my oiliness at bay as well as smoothing out my pores and general textural issues. And yes, I may have treated myself to the full size of this last week but in my defence I did have a voucher from Christmas to ease the blow to the bank account.

The luxury that is Chanel Mat Lumiere Foundation ($72AUD) This little tester is in the shade B30 which I was trialling along with B20. I have overcome my anxieties about approaching makeup counters for samples especially when I could be spending my pretty pennies on products that I end up not liking, which has happened all too often in the past! The lovely assistant at the David Jones Chanel counter helped to match me and suggested I try both B20 and B30 in natural light and see how they sat and oxidised on my skin throughout the day and wear. I thought I'd include this cute tester tube in this post purely for how adorable (and as it turned out, quite impractical) it is. Together with the Hourglass Primer, this is a winning duo and I decided to purchase the full size in shade B20 and then I can just use bronzer to warm it up when I need to.

Last but not least, Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara ($28AUD) This may seem like a gimmick and a completely unnecessary product but when you've got it, you can definitely see its necessity. I was lucky enough to pick this up at the Estee Lauder and Companies corporate store for a steal so I could justify the purchase. The minuscule wand is the perfect size for separating your bottom lashes without looking unnatural or clumpy. The formula is also non-smudging and long-wearing which is a must in order to avoid the sleepy panda look.

That's my wrap up of some recent minis that I've loved and as you've seen have influenced future purchases. These companies know how to rope you in!

Millie x