April Favourites

April involved more retail therapy and rain than usual. I had a couple of weeks off work but nowhere fun to go, so I shopped fairly liberally in lieu of taking a plane somewhere (and shopping there). I also took a weekend trip to Canberra to visit a friend, where we saw the James Turrell exhibit at the National Gallery of Australia (highly recommended, a very cool experience) and ate at a couple of fancyish places (Pod Food at Pialligo, Grazing at Gundaroo). Then the weather in Sydney decided to be crazy with flooding and severe storms. I even was allowed to go home early from work one day as a precaution, which is unprecedented. Makeup wise, I've been enjoying a mix of new and old products. Eyeshadow palettes in particular stole the show: one a rediscovery and the other a recent purchase I've finally made my mind up on — and it's love.

MUA Eyeshadow Palette in Heaven and Earth
I forget just how good this palette is since on a day-to-day basis, I reach more for my higher end neutral eyeshadow palettes. But this palette is basically everything you'd need in terms of satin/shimmery neutral shadows, at an incredibly affordable price point. There's an abundance of choice in terms of mid-tone, all-over lid shades, with some beautiful highlighting colours (the pinky pearlescent one, fourth from the left in the top row, is a stunner — and could easily double as a face highlight), and deeper, richer shades to darken and add dimension. The overall colour selection is warm, with a mix of luscious chocolate browns, complex taupes, golds, coppers and bronzes. Pigmentation is on point and most of the shades have minimal fall out. Full review with swatches here.

l-r: Cocoa Chili, Rum Raisin, Bon Bon, Caramel

l-r: Peanut Butter, Butter Pecan, Pink Sugar, Nougat

Too Faced Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar Palette
It took me a while to warm up to this palette (this mostly negative tweet back in February sums up my initial thoughts), but now I'm completely won over by it. I like it just as much as the original Chocolate Bar Palette, if not more. I've been favouring very warm eyeshadow looks recently and the Semi-Sweet Chocolate Bar has been perfect. I have so many favourite shades that I'd be listing most of the colours in the palette: Peanut Butter, Cocoa Chili, Rum Raisin, Bon Bon, Caramel, Nougat. The shimmery highlight shade Butter Pecan is an absolutely gorgeous face highlight (thanks to emilynoel83 for the tip) and Pink Sugar, the multifaceted sparkly glitter top coat, glimmers so beautifully when it's placed in the inner third of the eye. All the colours seem to work harmoniously despite so much choice in the shade selection, from light to dark, shimmers, mattes and glitters. My only gripe is the darker shades like Hot Fudge, Frosting and Cocoa Chili do have a lot of fall out because of the soft texture of the shadows, so be mindful to tap off any excess from the brush before applying them. Swatches of each of the shades here.

IT Cosmetics Live Beauty Fully Complexion Powder Brush #225 + Guerlain Météorites Compact Light-Revealing Powder in Medium (03)
The Complexion Powder Brush was another item I asked my friend to buy me when she was in the States, since I figured if she was going to Ulta to pick up the Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection Flat Contour Brush, she might as well buy this one in the same trip. I have to seize my chance to grab as many Ulta exclusives as possible after all. If it wasn't for Tiffany, I wouldn't even have known of the existence of this brush. At first, I wasn't 100% convinced whether it was worth $36 USD (about $50 with tax), especially with its apparent similarity to the Real Techniques Blush Brush which is a quarter of the price at $8.99 USD. At $50, I expect a lot from a brush. Thankfully, after using it for a couple of weeks weeks, it's become one of my favourite brushes — certainly my preferred powder brush. It's ultra, ultra soft, but still fairly dense in terms of bristles, so it distributes product evenly but finely. The tapered shape is perfect to get around the curves of the face, but it's still large enough so product isn't concentrated on any particular area. I've been pairing it with the Guerlain Météorites Compact Light-Revealing Powder to set my foundation in the mornings and add that extra bit of glow to my makeup. The Guerlain powder gives the skin a subtle, largely undetectable boost of ethereal luminosity which surprisingly lasts almost all day.

Girlz Only Haircare Dry Shampoo XXL Volume-Plus
I bought this on the recommendation of a friend who swears by it. At $2.50 (2 for $5 at Target), it was worth testing out. Now I'm definitely looking to restock. Considering it's 3-4 times cheaper than the two other dry shampoos I use, Batiste and Klorane, this is a gem of a find. Firstly, I like that I can spray it liberally but it doesn't weigh down my hair or make it feel like there's a tonne of product in it. It doesn't come out like a fire extinguisher the way my Batiste and Klorane do, rather, the spray seems finer and the product less detectable (it won't leave your hair looking like you just poured talcum powder all over it). It requires a bit of building up in that I usually spray down the middle, then part my hair to each side and spray, then spray a section at the back of my hair, then one or two spritzes closer to my hairline. I feel like I use a lot more product than with my Klorane or Batiste, but unlike those two brands, the can doesn't feel a quarter emptied after each use. In fact, I've used it twice a week for several weeks now, and it still feels about half full. Each use prevents me from having to wash my hair for another 1-2 days, keeps oiliness to acceptable standards and injects some fresh volume into greasy, limp locks. It's powerfully scented with some nondescript fruity sweet fragrance, but it fades quickly and isn't offensive-smelling.

Max Factor Xperience Volumising Mascara
This was a freebie in some beauty goody bag that I've been saving for a while now, and I finally cracked it open this month. I'm pretty sure this is the exact same as the Masterpiece Max mascara, one of my all-time favourites. Max Factor mascaras are seriously underrated. What I like most about it is that it manages to really catch onto every lash and coat it, while maintaining separation and avoiding clumping. It's a very defining mascara, while still ticking all the boxes in terms of darkening, lengthening and voluminising. A solid all-rounder. It's also brilliant for the lower lashes and doesn't smudge or flake off during the day.

Maybelline Rose Redefined

Maybelline Color Sensational Color Elixir in Rose Redefined (090)
I previously dismissed this shade as disappointingly ho-hum, but this past month, I've really enjoyed popping this in the makeup bag and applying it during the day. It's actually quite a pretty, face-brightening, medium warm pink that's so easy to throw on. A very accessible, non-intimidating, everyday colour that I imagine would be flattering on most skin tones. You can wear it relatively sheer for just a wash of glossy pink, or built up for a stronger lacquered lip. The texture is ultra cushiony and comfortable on the lips. It's plush and moisturising without being sticky or gloopy in any way. Plus, it has a subtly sweet caramel/vanilla scent.

Otherworldly Glow

As we all know, blogging is bad for the wallet. Case in point: casually reading Liz's latest post, seeing the beauteous Guerlain Météorites Compact Light-Revealing Powder (it was love at first sight), purchasing said compact the moment I saw it at David Jones. It was a wild impulse buy by my standards, considering it was $78 (gulp), I didn't know of the existence of the product until 3 weeks ago, and the original spherical Météorites never particularly appealed to me. But something about the elegant silver packaging, pastel mosaic pattern and promise of skin-perfecting glow was an irresistible combination.

In natural daylight (note, I've packed it on for swatch purposes)

Under lamp light

Under fluorescent light

The Guerlain Météorites Compact Light-Revealing Powder is basically the pressed version of their original powder pearls. Guerlain did have an existing compact version called the Météorites Voyage, but it was prohibitively expensive at $191. It looks like the Météorites Compact is essentially an updated version of the Météorites Voyage at a lower price point. The new compact isn't as weighty or fancy (the silver is actually plastic), but judging from Temptalia's reviews, the product inside is more or less the same.

I tested the three available shades in the store and immediately dismissed Clair (02) as too white. The darkest shade, Dore (04), seemed entirely different to Clair and Medium (03), in that it had a distinct pinkish cast. I settled for Medium (03) as it seemed to be a safe bet. There's 10g of product which seems standard for a powder. When you open up the compact, there is a moderately strong sweet floral fragrance, but it doesn't linger when the powder is applied to the skin.

My main gripe about powders is that the surface ALWAYS seals. This happens to almost every single powder I own, blush and bronzer included. You can see in the pictures it's already started to occur. I'm guessing this happens because when I use the powder over foundation that's not completely set (and really, when does a foundation completely set so that subsequent contact with the skin results in zero transfer), I dampen the surface of the compact as I dip my brush into it. Those areas then harden, which 'seals' the powder and makes it difficult to pick up product later on. It also destroys the aesthetic of the mosaic pattern (which let's face it, was a primary motivation to purchase), given patches of brown are polluting the surface. At the moment, the problem's not so bad that I'm unable to pick up sufficient product with my brush, but it is an issue that I find nearly impossible to avoid entirely.

Onto the powder itself. This is a finishing powder, so it's not designed to set your foundation. It can be used after a separate setting powder, directly after foundation, or on bare skin. I prefer to use it over foundation all over the face, occasionally after a dusting of Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powder. The luminescence the Météorites Compact provides is a kind of ethereal pearly white. Under certain lighting conditions, scrutinising my face up close, it's straight up glittery. By "glittery", I mean I can clearly detect tiny white sparkles and ultra-fine shimmer on a translucent base. This is most noticeable under bright department store lights. The sparkles appear mainly white, but once again, depending on the light, they can also appear gold or peachy. On the skin however, the illumination remains white in character. Staying power is very good considering I can still detect the powder on my skin at the end of the day, though whether it's still providing any radiance at that point is questionable.

I'm still in the process of experimenting with the best brushes to use this with, and so far the Ecotools by Alicia Silverstone Finishing Brush is winning. It's basically a super soft stippling brush that diffuses and blends product to an airbrushed finish. I tried the Charlotte Tilbury Powder & Sculpt but found it on the small and stiff side, applying the product in too concentrated a manner. The Real Techniques Blush Brush was on the opposite end of the spectrum — a bit too large and floppy. My SUQQU Cheek Brush fared well, but it seemed such a waste to limit my use of it to a single finishing powder. I prefer to use it for blushes and highlighter, but I can't have remnant blush pigments in the brush tainting the surface of the Météorites Compact or subtly changing the nature of the powder. Beauty obsessive problems.

Overall, I suspect the Météorites Compact is comparable in purpose and effect to other luminosity-adding powders I've been eyeing: NARS Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder and Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light. Both are less expensive (the NARS is quite a bit cheaper at $46, while the Hourglass is $59), though the Guerlain wins in the packaging stakes. I'm slightly on the fence about the white tint and the shimmer/sparkle factor (though it could just be my heavy-handedness), but the effect from a distance is noticeably illuminating and diffuses the appearance of imperfections.