Superfluous Seven

So ... more haulage. Evidently, I've been shopping too much. In my defence (not that there's any), Priceline was having another one of their 40% off cosmetics sales, and I did buy less than last time. I also did write down a list beforehand of products to get and largely stuck to the list, with a couple of exceptions. If anything, I also wrote down a few other products I didn't buy (Rimmel Exaggerate Automatic Lip Liner in East End Snob, Max Factor Excess Shimmer Eyeshadow in Copper, Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in Pink Pong, Essence lip liners), so really, it could've been worse. (Or so I tell myself.)

But seriously, I should stop buying more makeup. I did recently reorganise my stash and threw out/donated some stuff (including finally binning both my Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundations in 52 and 53 which I'd stored in the bottom drawer of my Keji office organisers for more than a year, not using as I was acutely aware they were expired, but not wanting to throw away just in case they were still usable), and surprisingly didn't feel like my makeup collection was out of hand. Despite having a lot of makeup, I know what's there. And I'm happy with the majority of it. The part I'm not overly thrilled with, I'm comfortable keeping because I still see the merits in not getting rid of it. When said merits no longer justify keeping the product, it goes. I'm a lot more active in periodically editing my makeup than any other aspect of my life, despite the volume of items. I do feel lipstick is probably one area that I should exercise more ruthlessness over (Liz's Lipstick Survivor is the standard), but for now, I'm not overly concerned with having about 35 more pink lipsticks, all largely unused, than what's good for me.

Back to the Priceline haul. Here's what I purchased this time, with the discounted prices:

• Savvy by DB Soft Glide Eyeliner in Shimmering Slate ($4.79)
• Essence I Love Extreme Crazy Volume Mascara ($3.45)
• Models Prefer Customised Eye Shadow Quad in Hook Me Up ($6.59)
• Models Prefer Professional Airbrush Concealer Brush ($7.79)
• L'Oréal Brow Artist Plumper in Medium/Dark ($11.39)
• Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Sultry ($10.77)
• Rimmel Magnif'Eyes Mono Eyeshadow in Millionaire ($6.57)

Total: $51.35

Unlike the last Priceline 40% off cosmetics sale, I actually purchased some eyeshadows. I saw Rimmel Magnif'Eyes Mono Eyeshadow in Millionaire featured in this Pixiwoo video, and instantly it shot up my "to buy" list. The Models Prefer Customised Eye Shadow Quad in Hook Me Up was regularly featured on Oz Product Junkie's Instagram and I finally caved. I'd swatched the quad a long time ago and found it awfully tempting, but resisted because I had so many similar shades already. At $6.59 for 4 shades though, I was prepared to risk duplication in case it exceeded my expectations.

The L'Oréal Brow Artist Plumper in Medium/Dark was a total impulse buy, along with the Models Prefer Professional Airbrush Concealer Brush. If you've noticed, I rarely (if ever) feature brow products on the blog. Just like the hair on my head, I don't do the hair on my face (well, except plucking). I have relatively full brows already and can't be bothered putting any product in them on a daily basis. I did try the Light/Medium tester in the store and found it fascinating how it completely transformed the colour of my brows, and the effect that change had on my face and the way my makeup looked. It was an entirely wrong match for the natural colour of my brows (being a relatively warm, lightened yellow brown), so I opted for Medium/Dark instead, hoping it wouldn't be too severe. I can't put the product all over my brows since it makes them look too caterpillar-like, but just a light touch over select sparser areas (especially the tail end) works nicely to achieve a more consistent, polished and fuller brow. I'm guessing Brow Artist Plumper is the "drugstore" version of something like Benefit Gimme Brow, with its microfibres, small brush head, and almost hairspray-like finish. It's a little uncomfortable adjusting to the feeling of product through my brows since I'm not used to it, but after a while, it's not an issue.

I was mainly drawn to the Models Prefer brush due to its similarity in appearance to the Sephora Collection Pro brushes, namely the Airbrush Concealer Brush #57. The latter is $29 in Australia, so $7.79 for a close alternative seemed a good deal. I don't have anything quite like this brush, though the Zoeva Concealer Buffer from the Rose Golden Luxury Set is probably the most similar. The Models Prefer option is not as dense and flares out more than the Zoeva, which is significantly smaller and more a hard nub. I've tried the brush to blend out concealer under the eyes, around the nose, corners of the mouth and over blemishes, as well as for powder highlighter, and it worked brilliantly for both.

The Essence I Love Extreme Crazy Volume Mascara was another Oz Product Junkie-enabled purchase. I've never tried any Essence mascaras, but they're so cheap that I didn't think twice in buying one to test out. I need to finish one of my existing mascaras first before I crack open this one though. The Savvy by DB Soft Glide Eyeliner in Shimmering Slate was a repurchase of an absolute favourite pencil eyeliner. The Soft Glide liners look to be repackaged/renamed Luxury Liners, though they retained the original shade name. I truly haven't come across a better pencil liner from any brand. It's so black, so smooth, so pigmented, soft but not too melty, long lasting and doesn't move. I reach for it when I can't be bothered with the precision of liquid liner, which is literally almost every weekend and every holiday.

Finally, we have Revlon ColorBurst Matte Balm in Sultry. I saw it on Daphne and kind of had it get it based on how good it looked on her. I've purchased 4 Matte Balms, but overlooked Sultry initially. These kinds of shades seem to be gaining popularity recently, so I thought I'd permit myself to purchase it (despite my informal lip product ban) since it at least wasn't pink or peach. On me, Sultry appears like a brightened brick red. It's not too purple or brown on me, but more a deep, vintage-looking, dusty rose. Think Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Soft Rose. I wish it were more distinctly purple-tinged on me, but it does lean more conventionally reddish pink. I see Sultry being paired with golden/bronzy eyeshadows and a nude blush for a striking (albeit typical) autumnal look. The Matte Balms have an excellent formula and aren't at all drying on the lips.

l-r: Revlon Sultry, Models Prefer Hook Me Up (Crease, Corner, Lid, Base), Rimmel Millionaire

Bottom to top: Revlon Sultry, Models Prefer Hook Me Up (Crease, Corner, Lid, Base), Rimmel Millionaire

Overall, at just over $50 for 7 products, I'm fairly happy with my new additions. It's hard to isolate my favourite purchases of the haul since they're all so superfluous and unnecessary, but if forced to pick, I'd say the Models Prefer brush and quad are the standouts in terms of value for money. Having said that, I'm sure I could easily find dupes of all the eyeshadows (including Rimmel Millionaire) in my existing collection (e.g. the Lid shade of the Hook Me Up quad is totally Makeup Geek Glamorous/Clinique At Dusk/Too Faced Caramel). Ditto Revlon Matte Balm in Sultry, which is just a slightly darker, more berry, less glossy Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Soft Rose. At least I restocked on the best pencil liner I know, tried out a tinted microfibre brow gel, and scored a mascara for less than the price of a coffee that I'm excited to try.