Essence Lipstick "All About Cupcake"

I didn't really like this lipstick, a little balmy but kind of greasy feeling. It's a light shade but it doesn't have much pigmentation either, it basically comes right off. It also has a highly perfumed/synthetic taste which was unpleasant to me. Bad packaging but that was to be expected from such a low price. I've found a few great lipsticks recently, and I do like a lot of Essence products but I would not repurchase lipstick from this brand.

Holika Holika Jewel-light Eyeliner #15

This is Burgundy Garnet, #15. This is an amazing eyeliner, I wish they had nude matte and I'd be set!

In case you're wondering what the blob is to the right of it.... I thought it was similar to L'Oreal Burning Black eyeshadow...

It's not, but I love the colour anyway! 

Now when I they say waterproof, they mean it!! This is what was left after makeup remover: 

Definitely have to use oil to remove this!! 

Maybelline Colorsensational Lipsticks: Feel Pink, Hollywood Red, NeonRed, Pink Punch

I ordered these from a UK seller since I was getting some Bourjois stuff anyway- the prices, even shipping, were really low!

I like the texture and pigmentation of these a lot! I hadnt seen these in the store, I think they are UK shades, so Hollywood Red was a gamble....but I love it! It's not primary color red, but so much more wearable for me as is. Pink Punch, not so much.... That shade is so bright and vibrant that I had to take most of it off, so now I apply it with a brush, and it stains so no problem wearing it that way. Feel Pink is an awesome everyday shade, I can see myself using that up completely- not good if I want to repurchase though, as I can't seem to find it anywhere on the Maybelline sites!

Next I want to get the Color Elixirs and the Colorsensational Pearls!

FEEL PINK 

HOLLYWOOD RED 

NEON RED, PINK PUNCH 

And this is everything I got: 

Inglot Single Blush Palette

I have three Inglot blushes, but only two were in palettes (with other products, not alone). I was going to buy the four pan blush palette and another blush, but then I saw this single one. It's ok but the brush is (as expected) quite rough, and the palette is so bulky for just blush. It does have a mirror in it though, and its the only Inglot palette I have that does. I think I will buy the big blush palette at some point though.

Some photos:

Besides this and the single one, this is their only just blush palette: 

Brushes: My Inventory and Clearout (Text Heavvvy!)

I have been working on this for the past week, and I know there's no way I can review or even photograph every brush I own- I keep recounting but it's somewhere about 170 brushes. I don't even know if that's a normal amount- or too many, too few??? I have no idea.  I've gotten rid of at least 20 in the past year or so, but I've purchased a lot as well. I'm just going to list them, it's not like I expect anybody to read all of this but maybe a search by name will help if anyone is interested in something specific, I can do a more thorough post on it.

Nars:
2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 21, 28
Botan, Yachiyo, Lip Yachiyo

Bdellium Tools:
365, 540, 731, 763, 777, 787, 955, 957

Sigma:
E05, E10, E20, E45, F80, F82, and some in a set

MAC:
128, 159, 179, 187
217, 219, 226, 228, 234, 235, 239, 266, 272, 286

Trish McEvoy:
29, 48, 50, 65, 66

Sonia Kashuk (none of mine have names or numbers!):
Blush
Lash comb
Stippling
XL eyeliner
Retractable dual eye
Angled contour
Bent eyeliner
Pointed
Tiny smudge
Eyeshadow
Wood handle large eyeshadow
Concealer
Brow
Pointed eyeliner
Angled eyeshadow
Flat top synthetic

Chanel: 2, 11, 12

Laura Mercier:
Cheek
Smudge
Fan Powder
Brow/Spoolie

Hakuhodo:
210
Kokutan SG
B162BkSL
B214BkSL
G545
G5520BkSL
G5521
G5554
J214
J214R
J242H
J5523
J5529
K002
K007
K019
S113
S133
S142
601

Koyudo:
Fu-pa 10
Fu-pa 11
C003
BP014
BP023

Hourglass: 2, 3, 5, Ambient powder brush - these are my favorite synthetic brushes so far! Made and perform extremely well.

Napoleon Perdis: br8, 8a, 19b

Illamasqua: Blush-up, Highlighter, eyeshadow shader, blender

That's it for the brands I have a few of, the rest of them I only have one or two of each brand. Some I'm not listing cause either they're small (lips, brow) or else ones I think I'm just going to get rid of anyway. The worst offender is the Guerlain Meteorites brush, quite possibly the worst brush I've ever owned, a real tragedy that does not reflect on Meteorites product at all.

Inglot: 13P, 80 HP

Le Métier de Beaute Powder
Too Faced Retractable Kabuki
Shu Uemura 18r
Shiseido 131
Body Shop Blusher
MUFE 132
Dior eyes, lips, concealer
Mirabella flat foundation, face blender
Chantecaille eyeshadow
Royal & Langnickel "Smudger"- why its called this I don't know, it's a large crease/blending
Smashbox 30, 32 (undecided if I will keep)
Posh crease, larger crease (sentiment- two of the first non-branded brushes I loved a lot!)

These are the ones I immediately decided to get rid of- they're all either old, crappy, or I just don't use them. Some of them I never used, actually.  Maybe somebody would like to have these, but I'm not sure who.  I will probably get rid of more, but this is a good first step, about 20.

The brushes I use the most are MAC 187 and all the dupes of it- The Bdellium one was really nice, but the wood cracked a little bit and it's not got much life left.  I like the Sonia Kashuk one a lot, and I don't think I have another high end brush of that type.  The next most used for me is eyeshadow, just a basic one like a 239, I have tons of those thankfully so not one gets used up all the time.  There are other brushes I 'need' and use a lot, but those are my top two most used. 

I do have a (kinda) small brush wishlist still, but I've learned (the hard way, obviously!) that its much better to be selective, since good brushes will last a lot longer as well. I have a few that I want based on type, others based on brand. Some brands I've had a really hard time tracking down, and I'm not too keen on spending $80 plus shipping on a brush I've never seen from a company I've never tried.

The other piece of advice I wish I wouldn't have listed to, is painting clear varnish on MAC brush numbers.  1, it looks really tacky, and 2, it doesn't even work because eventually it will chip off too, and when it does, the lettering goes right along with it.

Barry M Intense Black Mascara 3 in 1

I can't believe I still have so many mascaras left to review!! I am doing my best to try them for a longer period of time, but this one I couldn't because it really irritated my eyes. I used it for a few days but after that I just couldnt take it anymore.  I won't say it's bad because of that, which definitely varies from person to person, but overall I didn't like it.

It says it's "3 in 1"- volume, lengthen, curl- but I only saw lengthening. I also do not like the brush at all, very long and thin, hard to get on my lashes right.

Essence Makeup Remover Wipes

Just a quick review here... I like to use makeup wipes at home, but they are crucial to me when traveling. Liquid restrictions, space limitations, etc. But I just cant sleep with mascara on, it's irritating and hurts my eyes a lot. These are super cheap and actually work! They are really small, about 3 inches, so if you have on heavy makeup you'll need one for each eye. I like the size since the larger wipes I don't usually use every inch of it anyway. These didn't remove every last bit of mascara, at least not without excessive rubbing, but nearly, and it did completely remove my MUFE Aqua Brow which is waterproof.

Wishlist: Kat Von D

Oh my gosh as soon as I saw this...Kat Von D Spellbinding palette... I have to buy it!! I love all the shades I would really wear them all, and I looooove that they are mixable, it's like even more shadows!! I haven bought a large palette like this in a long long time, but this seems so worth it!

Nail Mail: Arabian Nights Plate

This is one from Messy Mansion messymansion.com.au I love the details and the images stamp so easily, I just wish all the plates were in stock!!

Shiseido 131 Face Brush

I heard good things about this brush, so I wanted to try it. I have not yet found "the ultimate" foundation brush, and I definitely could not get by with just one anyway. I have so many brushes I'd like to review, but I'm not an expert on brush properties, I just know which ones work for me and why I do or don't like them. I can name my favorite brushes in almost every category, but a foundation brush has actually been a real challenge for me so far.

I almost always order what I want when it comes to brushes and nail plates- you can keep them a lot longer than makeup, and I never experienced any shipping restrictions. I ordered this one from Japan, so it has a darker ferrule. I can't read what it says, but the English version is called "Perfect Foundation" brush.

I wanted to like this brush, but I just didn't.  It is a lot, lot smaller than I expected, so it takes a really long time to cover my face.  The brush head is totally flat, and although there are other brushes like this, I feel like a more rounded one suits me better. It also absorbs a bit of product, which is typical with synthetic brushes but since this one is so dense, it seems like I use a lot more product.  But as far as the results using this brush, I don't have any complaints. It doesn't leave streaks, but I use it in a circular motion. I like how it makes the foundation look smooth and even.

I never use those flat "slap on" old style foundation brushes, so it's hard for me to find a nice brush that is actually called for foundation. I have a few more ordered, so I'm not giving up yet.

Essence Sun Club Matt(e) Bronzer

This thing is huge! But really, I love this bronzer... Probably for all the wrong reasons. It's not incredibly pigmented or long lasting, but while I prefer those qualities in other products, it's not necessary in bronzers and blushes for me. But its not chalky, and it blends (almost too!) easily. I love the color, its more brown than orange thankfully. They also have one "for blondes", but it was really too light for me to consider it as a bronzer. It has a faint coconut scent, and its really hard to misplace. I'd repurchase!

Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipsticks: 08, 16

I just discovered that I have basically no lipsticks. I don't know what happened, I must have lost a box or something, because when I was looking through my stuff there weren't any besides some newer purchases and some old limited editions I had wrapped away.  Not a single used tube.  I know I threw a lot out but I thought I kept a lot too. Oh well, guess it gives me something to do!

I was thinking of getting some high end lipsticks before the end of the year, but I don't think $40-50 for a single lipstick is really justifiable.  I've always been more than comfortable with drugstore lipsticks and mascaras.

These are the Rimmel Kate Lasting Finish lipsticks in 08 and 16. I prefer names, but some of Rimmel's do have names, maybe just the Kate ones don't, I'm not sure. These are, for me, good basic lipsticks- they do last a bit and the texture is not too dry nor too creamy.

Chanel Taboo...

I hesitated getting this for so long because every time I saw it (and I looked at it a lot!), I had a feeling it wouldn't look right on me. In the bottle it is so gorgeous, a lot of red in it. But on my nail, it's dark, dark purple, which I don't really care for on myself- so I should have stuck to my instinct. It is beautiful though, and it's one of the better Chanel polishes- it was very smooth, great coverage, and not hard to remove.

Rimmel Blush: 150 Live Pink

Not much to say about this since I've already reviewed Pink Rose, but I wanted to share the photos of it:

I still think these are nice blushes for me! 

Holiday Sets: Madness!

It's really hard not to get overwhelmed with all the holiday offers, but it seems they get earlier and earlier.  I still love holiday shopping, whether its makeup or not, but I tend to avoid all the bulky things (check out the bottom photo- nightmarish haha!), although it is hard to resist all the "free when you spend....." packages!

Sephora has a lot of nice and thankfully some are small, sets all year round.  I got the perfume sampler a couple years back and loved it, even though I thought they were minis and not samples, but they offer lots of classics with the coupon- I remember I got Juicy Couture something or other. Awesome they have a men's sets too.

The Tarte blush palette looks beautiful, and I like the brush set but I don't think I'd really buy it.

I always love the classics Chanel and Dior offer, but I'm definitely not a fan of mixed palettes, no matter how pretty the packaging.