I just really didn’t have the energy to post today, so instead, here are some photos I’ve been working on.
The makeup head is away, and the assistant head texted me at four in the morning to say that she’s in the hospital. “The Minions,” the fairly useless girls whom I despise, have stopped showing up.
Basically, we will now deal with makeup and hair, and the crew is four people short. Fuck.
I just really hope the assistant head is okay, because she spends altogether too much time in the hospital and we love her half to death :/
Click on the images for the links!
I don’t even have words for how much I love these. WANT.
I need to get off Etsy.
So cute! This is a great idea.
TOAST! THE NAME HAS “TOAST” IN IT!!
Thanks to The Everyday Minimalist, BellaSugar, and … love Maegan — I found most of these links via you guys!
What it is: Annabelle‘s A-13 powder brush
What they say about it:
Made entirely of natural, premium quality High Goat hair, it is … ideal for sweeping a little powder or bronzer down your neck and along your cleavage. Try the SkinTrue Bronzing Pressed Powder Duo.
What I thought: I really didn’t want or need any more brushes — but man am I glad that this baby is now in my arsenal!! I don’t love the shorter-than-average handle (I have nowhere to store it!) but this is an amazing blending brush. I don’t normally use it to apply powders, simply because I’m too in love with the softness of ecotools brushes, but my god! It’s an amazing blending brush.
The full head and round ferrule mean that it blends blush or bronzer into the skin like a dream, but it’s juuust sparse enough that you could easily use this to put on a very sheer veil of powder — perhaps your Meteorites, if you’re lucky enough to own any! (Hint: I’m not.) Due to the massive size, this wouldn’t be great for applying blush in my opinion, but would be very efficient for products on your neck or décolletage, as mentioned in Annabelle’s product description.
Next to MAC’s 129. The size of this would be comprable to… what, like a 150? But rather than being a paddle brush, the ferrule is round (which produces a different brush head as a result.)
The verdict: This brush isn’t an amazing buy at $13.25, but if you see it on sale (as Annabelle often does) and you’re on the market for a large powder brush, check it out! I’m very happy with it, and taking into consideration the fact that it’s a natural hair brush (don’t worry, the hairs are fairly soft) and its size, this is a pretty good buy.
(On a scale of one to “amazing buy!” amazing is a ten and “pretty good” is an eight point five.)
Maybelline‘s Dream Mousse blush in Cloud Wine.
What I liked: the formula’s different — this was the first mousse blush I had the opportunity to try! The packaging’s pretty cool too; the threads on the lid twist on nicely and the glass base feels fairly luxe.
What I disliked: Unfortunately, it separated slightly over time and produced a pool of oil that would seep out of the lid’s threads. And, when left upside-down, sort of cunked-up everywhere. I also wasn’t in love with the warmth of this,the low-pigment-ness, or the crazy shimmer factor.
OH HEY GUYS blurry swatches!
What I liked: the formula’s different — this was the first mousse blush I had the opportunity to try! The packaging’s pretty cool too; the threads on the lid twist on nicely and the glass base feels fairly luxe.
What I disliked: Unfortunately, it separated slightly over time and produced a pool of oil that would seep out of the lid’s threads. And, when left upside-down, sort of cunked-up everywhere. I also wasn’t in love with the warmth of this,the low-pigment-ness, or the crazy shimmer factor.
OH HEY GUYS blurry swatches!
Ingredients:
The verdict: It’s cool to try but otherwise totally unnecessary. If you wanted a gift for a makeup newbie, though, this would be pretty nifty! It’s really easy to use and (because it lacks pigment) hard to screw up. Because of the high glitter factor, though, I’d give it to someone who’s getting into makeup in their early teens, rather than in their forties.
Mmkay. Before I say anything else, I will just mention that this is REALLY old… like, at least six months old if not more. This was just after I had my hair done the first time, and it’s been recoloured like, three or four times since then.
The rundown
Smooth skin, light pink blush, stained red lips. Pair these with a natural-defined brow, burgundy and brown shadows, and winged liner.
Used:
Cargo Berry lip liner
Victoria’s Secret Sinful lipstick
MAC Plum Perfect TLCSenna eyeshadow in “Smolder,” “Taupe Glow,” and “Snow”
Smashbox eyeshadow in “Smoke”Fiberwig mascara
217 brush
Smashbox 4 brush
Adesign brow brush
Just found out I have to work makeup until eleven. Every day this week. As in, I will leave my house at eight-ish in the morning and come home fifteen hours later. This sucks.
So, I wrote FOUR POSTS yesterday night (erk!) and they’ll be going up even though I won’t really be present. Comments will be moderated as I eat breakfast but they won’t be replied to, etc etc etc.
This is going to be hell — wish me luck!!
xo
Rae
What it is: Marcelle‘s AC-Solution Purifying Foaming Cleanser
Packaging: I wanted to mention this first because I really love the packaging for this cleanser — it’s sturdy and super easy to use (unlike my Aveeno cleansing pump, this pump actually pops back up. Stunning, right?). The best part about this packaging, though, is that Marcelle didn’t skimp on spending money on quality: the pump not only feels sturdy, but produces a very stiff foam. I’ve dealt with a lot of pumps that turn liquids into foams, and what I’ve found is the “cheaper” the packaging feels, the more watery the foam is.
(I also like how the bottle looks very… clean. Decide for yourself, but I adore the simplicity and minimalistic qualities of Marcelle’s packaging!)
Formula: I can’t say about how effective this is against acne, as I’m testing out the WHOLE regimen and will give results at the end, but this is a wonderful cleanser for anyone with combination and/or oily skin. When used in conjunction with the AC-Solution toner, my face is actually less oily — and yes, I’m sure about this! I used to get oily around 10 and have to oil blot by noon, but now at noon I’m just starting to develop shininess in my t-zone.
The salicylic acid in this means it doesn’t exactly smell like roses, but it’s not particularily offensive and doesn’t hang around like a bad ex-boyfriend. I know that salycilic acid can be too harsh for some, so keep that in mind, but the concentrations are (I think) fairly low — I tend to be very sensitive to things, but this didn’t overdry my skin or worsen the patches of rosacea I have around my jawline.
Ingredients
AQUA/WATER/EAU, SODIUM C14-16 OLEFIN SULFONATE, DECYL GLUCOSIDE, COCAMIDOPROPYL BETAINE, PROPYLENE GLYCOL, GLYCERIN, SALICYLIC ACID, TRIETHANOLAMINE, ZINC GLUCONATE, DIAZOLIDINYL UREA , ALLANTOIN, COCAMIDE MEA, BISABOLOL, DISODIUM EDTA, TOCOPHERYL ACETATE, IODOPROPYNYL BUTYLCARBAMATE
All you really need to know is that this is paraben-free, yay!! It also contains salicylic acid, hence the acne-fighting bit.
The verdict? If you have access to Marcelle (this means you, Canadians!) and have oily, combination, or acne-prone skin, check this out. I really liked it, and will most likely re-buy! At $13.50 for 150mL it’s pricier than some other drugstore cleansers, but certainly not “expensive” — and remember, because this is a foam-from-liquid, you use less each time compared to, say, a cream cleanser.
Primer
Somehow, I doubt that Sisely‘s $240 primer will give you the “Radiant Immediate Lift” that the name promises.
I do advocate using a primer, though!
Foundation and tinted moisturiser
May I please point out that Omorovicza‘s Complextion Enhancer costs $135, and only comes in two shades?! That is six different kinds of crazy.
Concealer
Sisely Paris‘ Phytocernes Botanical Concealer rings in at a hefty $85 for a tiny little 15mL tube. Dude. I have samples that are larger.
Powder
Cle de Peau‘s Refining Pressed Powder wins in this category at $175.
I think Guerlain‘s Holiday Sublime Radient Powder is much prettier, though! (And by “much prettier” we mean “insanely gorgeous”.)