The content for this post has been sitting in my camera (and my head) since before Christmas! Late last year I wanted to do something to get out of my beauty rut so I challenged myself to either: (a) try one new beauty item or (b) show one neglected beauty item some love every day for seven days. It's my version of that popular 'shop my stash' idea but compressed into a single week. Behold, the seven beauty products below and now for a mini review - I'm kind of pleased I did this now because most of these items have made their way into regular rotation...
MAC Cremesheen lipstick (Peach Blossom) - This soft, slightly shimmery shade of nude lipstick was released a few months ago in MAC's Cremesheen and Pearl collection. I had puffed myself into an almighty obsession to buy Pure Zen from that collection but THEN I tried Peach Blossom when I finally got to the MAC counter. It was pure love at first swatch and when the SA applied it to my lips I knew that THIS was it! So what the H*** happened?? I got it home, put it away and forgot about it after the initial high, which is a terrible beauty crime I'm guilty of. Good excuse to take this out of storage and wear it to remind myself, right? Now that I've worn it again it's become my pink nude lipstick of choice. It's a very soft flush of pink/peach/nude and a particularly flattering and youthful shade for me - and because it's so neutral it goes with everything!
Mirenesse Tight Liner Hydra Gel Eye Liner (Caviar Black) - I received this gel liner pen as a gift and after it sitting in the drawer for months (again) I decided to overcome my fear of fine liners and take the plunge. The felt tip pen is much easier to use than a fine brush (fine brushes and I just don't get along these days cos they're just too dang fiddly and I'm just too dang nervous) and the sharp black line itself would not budge for the entire day until I chose to remove it. There was no smudging, no bleeding and no dreaded transfer to my upper lid. I don't go for the retro black eyeliner look all that often but when I do I know I can use this pen with confidence.
Rimmel 100% Waterproof Mascara (Black) - This is now my chosen waterproof mascara - yet again it had been sitting around for months beforehand! It's a budget product which ticked all the boxes for me: 100% waterproof was not an exaggeration cos it stayed put even when I'd spent hours in the pool on holiday; the brush is soft and tapered to easily get into the lashes; the formula is quite creamy without clumping; it thickened my lashes beautifully; and they were soft and not at all crunchy to the touch.
MAC Veluxe Pearl Eye Shadow (Sumptuous Olive) - For some reason this gorgeous antique gold shade got buried in my makeup case, so once I spotted it I knew we had to get reacquainted! This shade can do a smokey eye or add some glamorous oomph to an otherwise neutral eye. After a bit of experimenting I find it works better for me as a crease shade rather than an all over lid shade but with a good inner lid highlight I can still get away with it all over my lids for an evening eye. I'll continue to use this as an alternative to brown when I want to do a warmer, slightly shimmery eye shadow look.
Smashbox Blush Rush (Chiffon) - This blush pan is another reacquaintance from my makeup case! I do love this peach/pink for spring and summer so it was just a matter of dragging out from the deepest, darkest depths of my makeup stash. It has the teeniest bit of sparkle in the pan but this isn't really visible on my skin so I don't have to worry about sparkly cheeks! Because of my fair colouring I find a light swish of Chiffon gives me all the flush I need and it stays put for the day. Very pretty, and I don't know why I'd neglected it when I'd loved it so much in the first place.
Tom Ford Black Orchid Eau de Parfum (1.5ml sample) - After finally trying it I'm now rationing this sample because it's wonderfully seductive and I can't afford to buy a full bottle. This deeply exotic fragrance contains notes of: bergamot, citrus, mandarin, black gardenia, jasmine, ylang-ylang, lotus wood, black orchid, patchouli, sandalwood, incense and vanilla. Sound like a sexy concoction? Well, yes it is although it can be quite heavy and overpowering if not applied with restraint. That's fine with me - I'll just use the teensiest bit!
Vaseline Total Moisture Aloe Fresh Daily Light Lotion (SPF 15) - This was the only lukewarm product I encountered in my seven day experiment. I always like the idea of SPF products and idea of moisturising and protecting my limbs at the same time sounded doubly appealing. The thick white lotion has a lovely refreshing aloe scent but, OMG, it took literally minutes to get that white streakiness to disappear and absorb! I'll use this on the weekends but I'm way too impatient to be using it during my early morning rush from Monday to Friday...
MAC Cremesheen lipstick (Peach Blossom) - This soft, slightly shimmery shade of nude lipstick was released a few months ago in MAC's Cremesheen and Pearl collection. I had puffed myself into an almighty obsession to buy Pure Zen from that collection but THEN I tried Peach Blossom when I finally got to the MAC counter. It was pure love at first swatch and when the SA applied it to my lips I knew that THIS was it! So what the H*** happened?? I got it home, put it away and forgot about it after the initial high, which is a terrible beauty crime I'm guilty of. Good excuse to take this out of storage and wear it to remind myself, right? Now that I've worn it again it's become my pink nude lipstick of choice. It's a very soft flush of pink/peach/nude and a particularly flattering and youthful shade for me - and because it's so neutral it goes with everything!
Mirenesse Tight Liner Hydra Gel Eye Liner (Caviar Black) - I received this gel liner pen as a gift and after it sitting in the drawer for months (again) I decided to overcome my fear of fine liners and take the plunge. The felt tip pen is much easier to use than a fine brush (fine brushes and I just don't get along these days cos they're just too dang fiddly and I'm just too dang nervous) and the sharp black line itself would not budge for the entire day until I chose to remove it. There was no smudging, no bleeding and no dreaded transfer to my upper lid. I don't go for the retro black eyeliner look all that often but when I do I know I can use this pen with confidence.
Rimmel 100% Waterproof Mascara (Black) - This is now my chosen waterproof mascara - yet again it had been sitting around for months beforehand! It's a budget product which ticked all the boxes for me: 100% waterproof was not an exaggeration cos it stayed put even when I'd spent hours in the pool on holiday; the brush is soft and tapered to easily get into the lashes; the formula is quite creamy without clumping; it thickened my lashes beautifully; and they were soft and not at all crunchy to the touch.
MAC Veluxe Pearl Eye Shadow (Sumptuous Olive) - For some reason this gorgeous antique gold shade got buried in my makeup case, so once I spotted it I knew we had to get reacquainted! This shade can do a smokey eye or add some glamorous oomph to an otherwise neutral eye. After a bit of experimenting I find it works better for me as a crease shade rather than an all over lid shade but with a good inner lid highlight I can still get away with it all over my lids for an evening eye. I'll continue to use this as an alternative to brown when I want to do a warmer, slightly shimmery eye shadow look.
Smashbox Blush Rush (Chiffon) - This blush pan is another reacquaintance from my makeup case! I do love this peach/pink for spring and summer so it was just a matter of dragging out from the deepest, darkest depths of my makeup stash. It has the teeniest bit of sparkle in the pan but this isn't really visible on my skin so I don't have to worry about sparkly cheeks! Because of my fair colouring I find a light swish of Chiffon gives me all the flush I need and it stays put for the day. Very pretty, and I don't know why I'd neglected it when I'd loved it so much in the first place.
Tom Ford Black Orchid Eau de Parfum (1.5ml sample) - After finally trying it I'm now rationing this sample because it's wonderfully seductive and I can't afford to buy a full bottle. This deeply exotic fragrance contains notes of: bergamot, citrus, mandarin, black gardenia, jasmine, ylang-ylang, lotus wood, black orchid, patchouli, sandalwood, incense and vanilla. Sound like a sexy concoction? Well, yes it is although it can be quite heavy and overpowering if not applied with restraint. That's fine with me - I'll just use the teensiest bit!
Vaseline Total Moisture Aloe Fresh Daily Light Lotion (SPF 15) - This was the only lukewarm product I encountered in my seven day experiment. I always like the idea of SPF products and idea of moisturising and protecting my limbs at the same time sounded doubly appealing. The thick white lotion has a lovely refreshing aloe scent but, OMG, it took literally minutes to get that white streakiness to disappear and absorb! I'll use this on the weekends but I'm way too impatient to be using it during my early morning rush from Monday to Friday...
The swatches from left to right:
Caviar Black, Sumptuous Olive, Chiffon, Peach Blossom
Caviar Black, Sumptuous Olive, Chiffon, Peach Blossom
Do you ever 'shop your stash'?
Until next time.
Vita :)
Love it! Larie's been doing something like this as well and now I want to too! Sumptuous Olive looks great as does the blush, and ahhhh, stupid Tom Ford and his super expensive nice things. LOL
ReplyDeleteOh man, I know. TF makes me want EVERYTHING when I can afford very little, bah! I can definitely see you wearing Sumptuous Olive with your love of all things gold and bronze - I think you'd love it Liz! I'll be sending you an email some time today :) xoxo
DeleteSumptuous olive looks super nice & OMG must try that fragrance
ReplyDeleteI think Black Orchid contains every single ingredient I love in a fragrance all rolled into one - try it for sure!!
DeleteLove it and the lippy looks great and the mascara sounds fab .. Would u recommend this for volume ? I need to shop my stash definitely, have been using my recently acquired products only :(
ReplyDeleteThe mascara is good for medium volume but because the formula's so soft and creamy I imagine you could build the volume with multiple coats - I'm always going for the natural look during the day so I usually apply 1 to 2 coats
DeleteLipstick looks gorgeous <3 And yes, I should shop my stash a lot more :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Ina! Shopping your stash is a great way to find things you loved but may have forgotten - like I did :)
DeleteI've been trying to work on this in January! Next month I think I'm going to try the same thing but with a slight twist. Maybe. I'm still thinking about it. Hahaha.
ReplyDeleteGo Larie! I'll be interested to see your interpretation :)
DeleteThat MAC lipstick looks gorgeous. I am loving the Cremesheen lipsticks lately for that soft colour on the lips :)
ReplyDeleteI love their shiny finish too - however I do have a breakage issue with the Cremesheens if I'm not careful. Hopefully this one will go the distance without smushing inside the tube!
DeleteOh my gosh I love the look of all those swatches - all four of them are wonderful.
ReplyDeletexx
Just shows it's worth shopping the stash sometimes, huh! I needed to remind myself I had these!
DeleteI really need to do something like this. It's so easy to fall into a routine around the same products. Peach blossom is gorgeous, glad it was rediscovered! ;)
ReplyDeleteI think it's so easy to lose sight of what you already have - I have to be careful because I don't want to accidentally buy the same thing twice!
DeleteVita, I'm going to be like you and Larie and try to do this myself. I have a small pan of *pink* (!) eyeshadow that I have been wanting to get rid of. I'm going to challenge myself to use it everyday for the remainder of this week.
ReplyDeleteIt's such a good idea - you'll be amazed at how much you use! BTW I actually like pink eyeshadow! :D
DeleteValentine's Day has come and gone, but pink eyeshadow seems to be popping up in many Spring 2013 makeup collections. Any thoughts on perhaps doing a blog post on how to make pink e/s work?
DeleteI haven't done a pink EOTD in a while but I do love them - on my to do list!
DeleteSumptuous Olive looks so pretty!
ReplyDeleteIt's a classic MAC shade and very versatile to wear :)
Delete