March Favourites

As the song goes, two is better than one, and March has been about combinations. I've come to appreciate the value in mixing and layering individual eyeshadows, lipstick and nail polishes to produce different shades and effects. Certain products you barely use on their own could transform into exactly what you were after when put together. All it takes it a little experimentation and a good look at what you already have. I've also been loving two particular scents and the added functionality of a pump to my existing favourite foundation.

OPI Lights of Emerald City
You know when you persevere with a nail polish after two failed attempts, it must be something special. I wore this happily for most of March, including a stretch of a whole week before it started to peel, which is saying a lot since I usually get fed up of a nail polish after 1-2 days. Pairs perfectly with Revlon Pale Cashmere, though Sally Hansen Insta-Dri is a must in the process as the application is admittedly tedious.

Lush Twilight Shower Gel (Limited Edition)
This has become one of my favourite shower gels, except I only have this tiny 100g bottle to last me until the next time they sell it, if they ever do. It contains lavender flower infusion, lavender oil, benzoin resinoid, tonka absolute and ylang ylang oil. The scent is mainly sweet, a little woody with a touch of spice. It's warm, relaxing and enveloping, and best of all, the fragrance lasts on your skin after you get out of the shower. So annoyed I didn't pick up a bigger bottle at 50% off during the post-Christmas sales.

Too Faced Like a Virgin (Naked Eye palette) + Revlon Illuminance Crème Shadow in Wild Orchids (701)
Earlier in the month I dabbled in mattes, but my most worn eyeshadow these past couple of weeks has actually been a combination of a matte powder eyeshadow and a shimmery cream. I've been applying as a base the second shade from the Revlon Illuminance Crème Shadow in Wild Orchids, a sheer, cool violet with silvery-gold shimmer, then layering Too Faced Like a Virgin from the Naked Eye palette over it. The pairing reminds me of a darker, cooler, more purple-grey version of Laura Mercier African Violet. The lighter, shimmery base adds more warmth and depth to Like a Virgin, which can be too dark and grey on its own.

Kai Perfume Oil
Still obsessed. All other fragrances pale in comparison. I just haven't been interested in anything else. If I'm rushing out the door, I don't need to worry about selecting a perfume that I wouldn't mind spritzing on as I know I have this in my purse that I'll actually look forward to dabbing on my wrists.

BYS Longwear Lipstick in Beautifully Bare (L211) + Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Ginger Rose (131)
Another combination that I stumbled upon in March. I was re-watching My Everyday Makeup Tutorial from Jenn Im of clothesencounters and loved her lip colour in that video (Wet n Wild Bare It All). Not having that exact shade, I wanted to recreate something similar from my lipstick collection. I first tried on BYS Beautifully Bare, but it was too nude and didn't have the soft, natural rosiness I was after. So I decided to layer over it a lipstick that I rarely touch, Revlon Ginger Rose, which I've always found a bit too dark and mature-looking. I was surprised at how much I liked the end result, especially the way it just worked for my skin tone. Mixing lipstick can be a tricky affair, especially if two formulations aren't compatible, but these two melded together like a single colour. My newest go-to daytime neutral shade.

Foundation pump for NARS Sheer Glow
This doesn't really count as a favourite, but I finally remembered to pick up a NARS foundation pump from Mecca Cosmetica. It was only $4 which was cheaper than expected. Makes using my Sheer Glow so much easier as one pump is more than enough to cover my whole face and I feel I'm not wasting as much product.

And while we're talking about it, my love for NARS Sheer Glow only increases with time. It's my favourite of all the foundations I own, the best foundation I've used overall, and despite frequent comparisons to cheaper alternatives, they simply don't come close. It's actually much higher coverage than I initially gave it credit for. When used with a primer (I like Clarins Beauty Flash Balm for when I want my skin to look extra nice), it gives the most flawless, brightening finish. My only complaint is that it can look slightly cakey just above my chin if I scrutinise my face in the mirror, but that's a very minor issue.

l-r: Too Faced Like a Virgin, Revlon Wild Orchids (2nd shade), Like a Virgin and Wild Orchids layered together, BYS Beautifully Bare, Revlon Ginger Rose, Beautifully Bare and Ginger Rose layered together

Nude Parade

This post is somewhat overdue. I did my pinks and corals, now here's a rundown of my nude lipsticks. I don't wear nude lipstick often, though there's something inherently appealing about them. Maybe because when I think of nude lipstick, I imagine dark, sexy, smokey eye makeup and smouldering night time looks. We've all been schooled that a nude lip is the obvious companion to heavier eye makeup so that the eyes aren't competing with anything else. The main issue I have with nude lipsticks is that they take more effort to look good. I find they work best with a flawless, glowy base and strong, neutral eyes. Given that kind of makeup isn't exactly my everyday face, I don't have that many opportunities to wear nude lipstick. For the daytime, I usually prefer something with a bit more colour, or nothing at all.

My nude collection, from left to right in the pictures below:

• Revlon ColorBurst in Soft Nude
• Rimmel Moisture Renew in Nude Delight
• Face of Australia Lip Quench in Iced Almond
• BYS Longwear Lipstick in Beautifully Bare
• BYS Lipstick in Champagne Rain
• Australis Colour Inject Mineral Lipstick in Mambo

l-r: Soft Nude, Nude Delight, Iced Almond, Beautifully Bare, Champagne Rain, Mambo

It's kind of impossible to describe each individual colour, as they're all fairly similar and consist of varying amounts of beige/tan, pink and peach. Soft Nude is hands down my favourite. It neutralises and lightens my natural, medium reddish-brown lip colour to a soft, slightly peachy nude, while still working with my overall skin tone. I favour the texture and pigmentation of the ColorBurst lipsticks as I find that they apply to the lip really well without emphasising fine lines. I'm not a fan of really creamy lipsticks, as the product usually just sits on the surface of the lip and smears and smudges. Nude Delight is my second favourite, it's basically Soft Nude but darker and peachier. Iced Almond looks almost identical to Soft Nude in the swatch, but it's actually a touch lighter and has more pink, which looks slightly more brown when worn. Beautifully Bare is more of a medium brownish-pink, though it's still a distinctly nude lipstick on my lips. It's quite a wearable and natural looking colour. Champagne Rain is very close to Beautifully Bare, but the tiniest bit darker and more brown. It also has a hint of frostiness which I don't love. Mambo is utterly unflattering on me as it's way too brown and very much a skin colour. I'm sure it has the potential to look good on someone else, but on me it manages to remove the natural redness of my lips so all that's left is a dull, lifeless brown. If I really want to wear it, I need to apply a bright pink lip gloss over it to add some colour and warmth.

More of the Same

A horrible thing happens to human psychology when something goes on sale, namely we manage to overlook the basic unsuitability of an item and other flaws as soon as it gets slapped with a discounted tag. Or maybe that's just me. Related to that, I think I will have attained makeup transcendence when I embrace the fact I already have too much, and accept that what looks good on others or by itself doesn't necessarily look good on me. And then not buy it.

Unfortunately, last week was not one where any of those points where observed. I managed to buy Revlon's Top Speed nail polish in Peachy, Face of Australia Lip Quench lipstick in Pink Champagne, BYS Longwear Lipstick in Beautifully Bare, Sportsgirl Nail It! nail polishes in Fresh, Iceberg and Cornflower, and a compact mirror from Cotton On Body. I also bought the Simba blazer from Cotton On in Desert Blush, but only because it was the only colour in my size though I really wanted the black.

l-r: Sportsgirl Nail It! Cornflower, Iceberg, Fresh

l-r: Face of Australia Lip Quench in Pink Champagne, BYS Longwear Lipstick in Beautifully Bare

Need to stop buying the same products over and over again: blue-based pink lipstick, nude lipstick and pastel nail polish (mint, baby blue, peach). I've been wearing Cornflower on my nails since I bought it, a bright medium blue which could probably be a little more on the periwinkle side rather than primary blue. Still, it's a vibrant hue that adds a pop of colour while still being relatively toned down for a bright. Face of Australia Pink Champagne was a lipstick that I've had my eye on for a while, but resisted buying until now. Even at 20% off, I have way too many similar shades to warrant the purchase. It looks quite yellow-based in the tube, but once worn is more of a slightly sheer, pastel purplish-pink which doesn't complement my colouring. On the other hand, BYS Beautifully Bare is one of the more wearable nudes I've come across, with its warm pink tone undertone. The bow-decorated compact mirror was a bargain at $2 and is reasonably sized for travel. It beats the smaller Sportsgirl one I purchased for more than triple the price, which has a magnifying side that I try to avoid at all times.

More Bang For Your Buck

BYS is a cheap Australian brand that, until recently, I never paid much attention to. A while ago I bought one of their nail polishes in Shadow Puppets which I thought would be the perfect light grey, but it took way too many coats to become opaque, bubbled terribly and smelt awful. I haven't used it since. I decided to take a chance on their other products after reading a few positive reviews about their lipsticks and blushes. Gloss stocks the most extensive range of BYS cosmetics, so after a few unfruitful attempts to find the specific products I wanted at Kmart and two dollar shops, I headed to the QVB store to have a look. I picked up two lipsticks (Flamingo Pink and Champagne Rain) and a blush in Coral.

l-r: Flamingo Pink, Coral, Champagne Rain

At $3.95 for each lipstick and blush, you can afford to take home whatever catches your fancy from the wide range on offer. On the downside, the packaging is quite flimsy (the plastic cap of one of the lipsticks has already cracked) and I find the blush has an unpleasant chemical smell, similar to what turned me off the Shadow Puppets nail polish, but not as strong. Having said that, the lipsticks are quite creamy and well pigmented. Flamingo Pink is a fun, bright fuchsia and Champagne Rain is a flattering pinkish nude. The blush is a very pigmented, so you only need the tiniest amount to add a shimmery coral wash to your cheeks. Application with such a strong colour can get a little tricky because you don't want to end up looking like a clown or crustacean. With blush, I find it's better to err on the side of caution and have a little less on than too much. I like how Lisa Eldridge applies a coppery cream blush in her Navy Smokey Eye tutorial (at 6:30) to the model's face with just the smallest amount. The colour looks barely there, but it's enough to add noticeable warmth to the complexion and perfectly complement the cool, dark blue tones of the eyes.