Save VS Splurge: Pressed Powder

Ah the joys of oily skin. My collection of powders is ever growing in my conquest to stop the shine. I'm going to be comparing two powders that I have tried and tested, one drug store and one high end, to see which one worked for me the best.

Drug Store - Rimmel Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder

The Rimmel website claims that it has "up to 5 hours natural shine control with natural minerals" and "helps reduce the appearance of pores". It retails for $12.95 at Priceline and you get 14g of product. Personally, that is a great price for any product you would buy at a drugstore. But being honest, it is not the greatest powder I've used. I know, everyone else loves it but I found it just wasn't as good as other ones I used. I like it, but I just don't love it. I don't think it lasts up to 5 hours and my face does look a bit cake in areas where I do get a bit of product buildup e.g. on my chin, and around my nose. It works a bit better on BB creams I found than foundations, who knows why. Overall, I found this to be alright but a bit disappointing after all the hype that it gets.

High End - M.A.C. Mineralize Skinfinish Natural 

This claims to have "light coverage" and is used to set foundation and to touch up. This comes in about 15 different shades, so you will find the perfect one for you.  For 10g, $49 is a bit much but boy is it worth it. It gives an almost translucent coverage over my foundation and keeps me matte. you can barely feel it on your skin. It looks like you've set your face with powder but it looks so natural and I find it never gets cake on my face. I honestly have been using this every day since I've got it. I prefer this in the day time as I use my M.A.C. Studio Fix Powder at night as it gives extra coverage. I have never loved a powder as much as I do this one. I am so glad I took the plunge to get this.

If your looking for a pressed powder that doesn't get cakey and gives you a nice light coverage, definitely spend a bit more and go for the SPLURGE option. Trust me, you will not regret it!

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Disappointing Products #2

I'm back with another disappointing products. Most of these empties were surprisingly disappointing as I had heard great things about them. Also, please not that the Daisy perfume is not part of this, it's just decoration. How can you not love the original Daisy!?

Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser
This is still not available in Australia but bought it on All Cosmetics Wholesale. I was excited as some people were saying it is a dupe for Benefit's Porefessional. I gave it a go, but it didn't seem to do anything, it even made my skin oilier. I didn't find it smoothed over my pores as they still looked the same and it didn't help my makeup last either.

Rimmel Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder Transparent
I was so disappointed when this didn't work for me! Everyone and their mothers love this product and I bought it as an emergency powder one day when I left mine at home. I found that it made my makeup look really cake and everything bunched up, especially around my nose. This makes me so sad to say this because I was so excited about trying and using it.

L'Oreal Colour Riche Eye Colour Pencil in Smokey Taupe
When I swatched it on my hand at Priceline, it felt so creamy and the pigmentation was amazing so of course I had to get it. But when I tried it on my eyes at home, it wasn't what I thought it would be. When I applied it to my eyes, it didn't go on as creamy and tugged on my eyelids. Then when I tried to blend it out, it just ended up rubbing the colour off and leaving glitter on my eyelids. So disappointing because the colour is beautiful!

Rimmel Fix and Perfect Primer
This product for me I do like, but there is one thing that is stopping me from loving it and wearing it. It makes my makeup last longer and doesn't stop the oil coming through, but does slow it down which is good. BUT! The colour of the primer is orange and it doesn't blend well into my skin make my foundation have a tint of orange in it. If it was clear, I would be all over this primer but for now, it's back into hiding it goes.

Have you found anything disappointing lately?

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Doing my Sister's Makeup | Semi Formal

So my sister isn't into makeup, which is totally fine. But whenever she has a special event for school, e.g. her semi formal, I jump at the opportunity to do her makeup. Now I'm no professional but one day I'd like to do a small course on makeup, but for now, my sister is my model, which she isn't too keen on. So when she asked me to do her makeup for her semi formal, I jumped at the chance!

Because she's not into makeup, she lets me have a bit of a free reign but I know she wants something simple. Which is good, because if she asked me to do a cat eye, I would have been screwed because I can't even do one properly on myself. I started off by applying the Napoleon Perdis Auto Pilot Pre-Foundation Skin Primer  to help her makeup stay on during the night. Then I used her BB cream which is the Garnier Miracle Skin Perfecter Daily All-In-One BB Cream in light which matches her well. For concealer, on her face I used the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer  and for under the eyes, I used the Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer. To powder her face I used the M.A.C. Studio Fix Powder to add a bit more coverage. I then added a bit of colour to the cheeks using NARS Powder Blush in Deep Throat. I then used the NARS Pro Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base and the M.A.C. Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly to prime her eyes. I got to use my favourites eyeshadows at the moment, the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette.  I used the shade Foxy as an all over base, then Tease in the crease. Then Booty Call  in the inner corners to highlight, Chopper  over the lid with a wet brush to intensify the colour then I used Blackout to subtly line the upper lash line. To finish off, I used her Clinique High Impact Mascara and Revlon's Colorburst Lipgloss in Peony.

I wish I had taken a photo because she looked so beautiful and natural, if I do say so myself. I can't wait to do her makeup again.

What are your favourite looks to try on different people.

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