October Favourites

They're a bit late, but better late than never. Not much makeup this time, because I feel like most of my picks were covered in my How Much Is My Face Worth? post (namely, Benefit They're Real mascara, Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadow/Liner in Busy Signal and NARS Sheer Glow). A good chunk of my favourites for October overlap with products I purchased and first started using while vacationing in New York. I didn't get around to making a favourites post for September, so I've carried them over to October.

The Body Shop Vineyard Peach Shower Gel
One whiff of the Vineyard Peach Body Butter at the shop next to Radio City, and I was hooked. I've been using the shower gel more than the body butter, only because I rarely moisturise. The peach scent of this range is absolutely scrumptious and so intensely fruity, but not in a cloying, artificial way. It's like concentrated peach nectar. The shower gel lathers up a storm and leaves the skin delicately fragranced.

Lady Gaga Fame EDP 1.2ml sample
A freebie given out by promotional people on a street near the Empire State Building. Definitely no blood or semen in this, as mentioned in initial reports of Lady Gaga coming out with a perfume. It's actually a fairly inoffensive, slightly musky fruity floral. There's a hint of spice and the oriental. It smells a bit more grown up than the usual overwhelmingly fruity and sweet celebrity fragrances out there. I'm kind of regretting not buying a 50ml bottle when I was in the US, since it's the same price as the 30ml here.

Real Techniques Stippling Brush
I wanted to include this in my October favourites basically to right a wrong and detail how I've done a complete 180 when it comes to this brush. At the beginning of the year, I was very underwhelmed with it. It was probably my least favourite of the Real Techniques brushes I bought. It didn't work for me in applying the foundation I was using, as it felt spiky on my skin and left streaks on my face. The bristles seemed much sparser, pricklier and less plush than my beloved Real Techniques Buffing Brush, so for the longest time the primary use I had for it was to wipe away eyeshadow fallout. Recently, I randomly tried it with my Make Up For Ever HD foundation after exhausting all other possibilities, and it worked like a charm. Now it's become the exclusive brush I use when I want to wear that foundation. It's a versatile all-rounder brush that seamlessly blends a variety of products, both powder and cream, into the skin.

Neutrogena Ultimate Sport Sunscreen Lotion SPF 30+
Best sunscreen I've used. This was included in the free Priceline skin care bag, but I am definitely looking to repurchase when my tube runs out (which shouldn't be for a long time, since it is a very generous 115ml and I only use it on my face). I put this over a moisturiser that doesn't contain SPF in the morning, and it sinks into the skin without any chalkiness or hint of white residue. When it's absorbed, it's weightless and non-sticky. The sunscreen lotion is quite moisturising in itself, without being greasy or feeling heavy on the skin.

Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil 15ml
I wrote a little about this already in a recent skin care post, but felt it still deserves another mention here. I still haven't used this directly on my face, or on my hair or body, but I'm convinced that it does make a difference when I add two drops of it to my Nivea Soft at night. It gives my moisturiser a boost. My skin has become noticeably less dry and the texture of it looks smoother and clearer when I wake up in the morning.

Benefit High Beam 4ml
High Beam really exceeded my expectations. I've read that Revlon Age Defying Spa Face Illuminator in Pink Light is a dupe, but now I can confidently say that High Beam is superior. The truly remarkable thing about it is that it provides illumination with absolutely no sparkle. It just gives a luminous sheen to the skin without any glitter or visible shimmer particles. Even though it's a liquid highlighter, I find it relatively creamy in texture and easy to blend into the skin. You need only a small amount, dotted on the cheekbones, to highlight the face with a pearly glow.

Slap, Slather, Spritz

There comes a point when a makeup junkie realises that buying more cosmetics is not a good idea, but they still need something to take away the itch. Enter skin care. Lately, I've been dabbling a bit more in an area that has traditionally not excited me very much. But spending money on lotions, mists and serums in the hope of improving the condition of my skin just seemed like the logical next step after spending (way too much) money on generally polluting my face with whatever makeup I slap onto it every day.

Yes to Carrots Daily Facial Moisturiser with SPF 15 This is somewhat of a bizarre moisturiser, in that it is initially very hard to work into the skin. Once applied, you really need to keep rubbing it in to eliminate any traces of the cream itself and have it completely absorb into the skin. It dries pretty quickly however, and leaves the skin softer and with a moisturised barrier. I like that it is mostly natural and the SPF 15 is a welcome feature, albeit the bare minimum I'm comfortable with in my day cream.

The Body Shop Vitamin E Nourishing Night Cream This is a pretty thick cream that I'd describe as being a little on the greasy side, which I personally don't mind in a night cream. It has a fairly strong flowery scent which might be off-putting to some. I don't think it's anything special, but I also don't have any specific complaints about it. At any rate, it's better than the Nivea Daily Essentials Rich Regenerating Night Cream I bought earlier in the year. I picked this up on sale in the US for $10. I wouldn't buy it at the Australian price of $27.95.

Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil I purchased the 15ml travel size in Sephora for $15 and began using it immediately on my holiday. I had this routine that I religiously stuck to where I used two drops of it mixed in with a good dollop of Nivea Soft that I'd then slather over my face. I'd do this day and night. I wasn't really scrutinising the condition of my skin throughout my vacation, but I can say in the three weeks that I used it, my skin wasn't dry at all. I also didn't break out. I'm not sure if that can be attributed to the argan oil, or a combination of totally unrelated factors, but at least I didn't experience any negative effects. I've yet to use this directly on my skin, or on my hair or body, mostly because I'm trying to ration it like a precious commodity. I accidentally dipped the dropper into a bit of cream and then put it back into the bottle, which led to a momentary upset in thinking I'd forever contaminated the purity of the argan oil.

Caudalie Beauty Elixir Another Sephora purchase. I bought the 30ml one for just under $20 mainly out of curiosity. It has a somewhat funky smell. Not sweet or flowery, more of an earthy, pungent, essential oils kind of smell. Citrus and peppermint. While refreshing, I don't really know if it does anything. It's really more of a novelty to have, especially with the pleasing weightiness of the frosted bottle and the shiny, tight cap. I keep forgetting to spray this before applying my moisturiser as the instructions state. I'm not convinced it could work as a makeup setting spray as it contains a whole bunch of oils (in fact, the oil literally sits at the top of the liquid and you have to shake the bottle before using it). It seems more for adding a touch of dewiness to your skin or for a "pick me up" during the day, mainly because of the scent. For that purpose, I think I prefer my Jurlique Rosewater Balancing Mist (it's a lot cheaper as well, with the 100ml being $31, as opposed to $US48 for the Caudalie before tax).

Embryolisse Lait-Crème Concentrè I bought this at the Spa & Beauty Expo from the Scotty's Makeup stand for $28 (down from the retail price of $35), which is a ridiculous price to pay for what is essentially a basic moisturiser that's been overly hyped. If you're in Paris and stop by a pharmacy, it's worthwhile to pick this up as it's $12 or something. Otherwise, I'm sure you could find cheaper alternatives. I don't enjoy using the Lait-Crème Concentrè as a moisturiser, as I find it quite greasy and rich, in the sense that it doesn't fully absorb into the skin. I really love this as a primer though. I place my normal moisturiser, let that sink in for a few minutes, then place a layer of Lait-Crème Concentrè over it. I find that you need to use a decent amount, definitely more than pea-size, otherwise it doesn't spread easily. But for whatever reason, it not only smooths out any dry patches and helps foundation to apply better, I also find it makes it last longer too. I prefer it to the other primer that I occasionally use, Face of Australia Face Base.

I Wish I Never Bought You

Being weak of will when it comes to resisting shiny new things, it's inevitable that over the past few months of buying way too much makeup, I've taken home some major duds. Some products purely underperformed and didn't meet my expectations, others I regret to the extent that I simply didn't need them and already had superior options at home. The net outcome: wasted money, foiled expectations, unloved and superfluous products cluttering up my precious space, but that I still can't bring myself to simply chuck out.

Revlon ColorStay Mineral Mousse Makeup in Light (030) 

If I remember correctly, I bought this to redeem a gift with purchase promotion at Myer. I needed to spend $39.95 or more, so this plus a nail polish seemed to be the closest combination. I think I've used it once or twice, and have never gone back to it again. I don't like matte foundations. I'm not a fan of the mousse texture. It has a faint but unpleasant chemical smell. I have much better foundations that I infinitely prefer to this one, so it's been sitting in my drawer collecting dust and edging rapidly closer to its expiry date, 99% full. To add insult to injury, not long after I'd bought it, I saw it in Priceline for $7 as discontinued stock, and then $4.90 when Priceline had 30% off Revlon. Revlon ColorStay probably would've been a better choice.

Australis Mineral Powder Brush 

Granted, it was only $2.95, but even then, I wish I hadn't bought it. The main reason being when I first washed it, a truly disconcerting amount of black dye came out of the brush. I'd never actually experienced anything like that before, so it made me think twice about ever putting it on my face. Maybe I'll use this as a body brush for bronzer in the summer, but let's face it, the chances I could be bothered are slim. I'll stick with my beloved Real Techniques.

The Body Shop Candied Ginger Lip Balm

I bought this around Christmas last year as it was a limited edition holiday flavour. There's nothing particularly wrong with it, but it serves to demonstrate my fundamental weakness when it comes to lipsticks/lip balms. I had absolutely no reason to buy this, other than I was doing my Christmas shopping for others, and I felt I couldn't go home without treating myself to a little something. But I don't need it. I don't even love it. It smells more like Coca-Cola than the more exotic candied ginger it purports to be. It's colourless and the texture is a lot thinner and waxier than the popular fruity Born Lippy tinted lip balms.

Revlon Matte Eyeshadow in Aubergine (008), Tempting Teal (006), Riviera Blue (007)

I had particularly high hopes for these but they don't do anything for me. They're dull and flat on the lid. I don't seem to have much luck with matte eyeshadows as my eye shape gets along better with satin or shimmery eyeshadows that have a bit more dimension. The texture of these is more on the chalky side, they're quite powdery and seem to lack lasting power, and while they're not complete failures of pigmentation, I needed to go over them several times for the swatch.

Revlon ColorStay Mineral Eyeshadow in Midnight Garnet (03)

Read my extensive rant here (it's the last paragraph). I dislike this so much that I deliberately keep it separate to all my other eye products in my makeup storage. Objectively, it's not totally awful, but I just hate the fact I bought it when I already have countless eyeshadows that perform better and that I won't ever use up. 

Revlon Soft on the Eyes in Sublime (770)

This is now shaping up to be a Revlon eyeshadow bashing post, so let me just clarify that I'm actually a huge fan of Revlon in general, as reflected in the fact that I buy quite a lot of their products. In turn, there's a higher chance that I'll be less than thrilled with a few of their offerings, especially as they release new products and discontinue others so often. I picked this up from the bargain bin price at Priceline a while ago, fully knowing the chance of being blown away by this colourful loose eyeshadow palette was minimal. If you're fair, have huge eyes and a visible crease, these soft wash eyeshadows could be pretty on you. For me, having monolids and no visible socket line, I can't really do much with them. The fact you can only access the pigment through a small hole that you dip the included brush into and the general messiness of loose eyeshadows also don't help.

l-r: Innoxa Summer Matte lipstick in Sugar Frosted, LUSH Lip Tint in Celebrate

Innoxa Summer Matte Lipstick in Sugar Frosted

If there was a candidate for the most unflattering lipstick ever, this would be right at the top. Don't let the swatch fool you, on the lips it's laughably gross, like a whitish purple. A prime example of not selecting a lip colour based on how it looks in the tube or on your hand. It's no one's fault but my own that I foolhardily took this to the counter, fully knowing how chalky and ridiculously light and unwearable it was, but convincing myself I could somehow make it work.

LUSH Lip Tint in Celebrate 

It's not a complete disaster, but like The Body Shop lip balm, I simply didn't need this. It's literally gritty in texture, difficult to apply to the lip smoothly (you really need to exfoliate and moisturise in advance), settles into fine lines and doesn't last long. Not something I enjoy putting on my lips. I tried to salvage it as a highlighter and wasn't impressed.