 |
| My tackle box...forgive the horrible quality pic, once I find my camera's USB cord I can take better photos |
I actually had a friend call my makeup case a tackle box and I thought it was hilarious so now I have a makeup tackle box! Heads up, this post is detailed!
So today I ordered some products from Glitter Injections and Beauty Bakerie and am super excited for them to get here! Once they arrive I'll do some swatches and reviews on them but until that day I thought I would tell you guys what I keep in my tackle box and what I think of the products :)
Face:
- Foundation: Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick (Alabaster - 00) and Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Even Finish Foundation SPF 15 (Alabaster - 00). So obviously I'm pale, one of the reasons I went with Bobbi Brown foundation was she had a shade lighter than Porcelain which is the lightest shade that I could normally find for other brands. It's kind of a love/hate relationship with these only because how they look depends on my skin, if I have clear and non-flaky skin both of these go on beautifully and I can build the coverage (especially with the liquid formula) but if I have large problem areas I'm trying to cover they tend to accentuate the dry skin and cake up on pimples or slide around if its really hot out. Neither of these oxidize on my skin like certain other brands so that is also a bonus (I'm not into the whole Oompa Loompa look). So far these are my fav foundations but I am looking into trying the new Makeup Forever HD liquid foundation formula since they have alabaster too.
- Contour: I don't do a lot of contouring unless I'm going out and it still isn't that heavy. I use the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit (Powder) and I love it! I use a combination of the contour shades when I do contour my face and I use the warmest colour as a bronzer occasionally because I like having a matte bronzer. The highlight shade isn't too powerful but you can build it up and the other two light shades are good for brightening/setting the under eye area as they have never creased on me. The contour shades blend so nicely too! I was worried when I first bought it that it would deposit too much where I first placed it and look patchy but it blended out so smoothly that I couldn't even tell where I'd put the product on initially.
- Primers: I have two primers, the one I use the most is the Smashbox Photo Finish Oil-free Foundation Primer. I find this primer feels really nice when you apply it, it doesn't have that greasy feel to it and it's a matte finish. Make sure if you do use this that you're moisturizer is fully absorbed cause I have had issues with it 'pilling' on my skin when I apply it right after my moisturizer. The other primer I have is the POREfessional (PRO Balm to minimize the appearance of pores) by benefit. I'm not completely sold on this one, I don't really like the texture of it and it reminds me of liquid latex skin because of the colour. I stopped using it for a while but may give it another go when my Smashbox runs out.
- Powder: I use the Makeup Forever Pro Finish Multi-Use Powder Foundation in the shade Pink Porcelain. This is a really nice powder, good coverage on it's own without being cakey when applied over liquid foundation. It is a bit on the pink side for me but it is pretty close and I avoid buying powder online without first testing it against my skin and I haven't been to a Sephora in a while to change it up. It also hasn't broken me out, and it stays relatively well on my face when its hot outside with minimal creasing. The other type of powder I use on my face is Tarte's Smooth Operator - Amazonian clay pressed finishing powder. This powder feels like velvet!! It is white but so long as you aren't overly generous with the product it won't give you a white face, what it will do is smooth out your complexion and take away any shine like a dream! I love this powder and will be re-buying it :)
- Concealer: The most recent concealer I have fallen in love with is the Ultimate Coverage Concealing Crème by Becca in the shade Banana. I was afraid that this would be way too yellow for me when I first saw it but it really conceals all my spots and their redness extremely well. It does have a tacky texture but I set any product I use with the finishing powder from Tarte after application. It also doesn't seem to slide around on my face much even if its been a few hours since I put it on.
Eyebrows:
- For my eyebrows I use Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade in Soft Brown. This has increased my brow game ten fold! I love the staying power of this product and the brush you can get with it really helps with the precise application. It does dry out fast but I use Inglot's Duraline to help reconstitute it when this happens and it's just like new.
Eyes:
- Eyelid Primer: I got the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (Anti-Aging) based off of other's reviews online and I am not sorry! This made a huge difference in my eyeshadow application, they went on easier and blend so much better as well as look brighter. It feels a bit greasy when you first put it on but patting it in well makes that go away, also make sure you don't use too much product or it'll crease on your eyelid which is the opposite thing you want. I also will sometimes use NYX Cosmetics Jumbo Eye Pencil in the shade Milk as a base if I want an eyeshadow to be really bright or when putting glitter on my eyelid.
- Eyeshadow: My go to palette lately has been Kat von D's Mi Vida Loca Remix palette. I got it on a whim a couple weeks after its release (when it was finally back in stock) and I am so glad I did this! The packaging alone is gorgeous but the eyeshadow colours are stunning and they are so pigmented that you don't need to pack on the product to get an intense colour. The shadows blend better than any that I have encountered before and the palette combines both everyday neutrals as well as a bevy of beautifully rich colours in a gradient that is so soul satisfying to me.
- Mascara: My all time favourite mascara that I have used for years and keep going back to is the Great Lash by Maybelline New York. The formula has been consistent and gives me good volume while not clumping or making my eye itchy. I even tried a different formula for the same brand and I wanted to rip my eyelashes out they were so itchy.
- False Lashes: I just bought three kinds of false lashes recently by Huda Beauty when they were finally released on Sephora. I got Claudia #6, Scarlett #8, and Sasha #11 and so far I have tried on the Sasha and the Claudia. I really liked the Claudia style since they seemed less intense and I got a lot of compliments on them. The Sasha ones stood out from my face a lot and I'm not comfortable with that just now but I still love the way they look. The Scarlett ones look very flirty and thick so I'm excited to try those sometime soon.
- Liner: I have two different types of liners that I really like. One is the Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner in Black Ink (1) from Bobbi Brown and the other is Kat von D's Tattoo Liner in Trooper. The gel liner goes on really smooth and stays put which is really annoying when you make a mistake but awesome if you are like me and forget you have makeup on and rub your eyes (smudges only slightly). It does dry out fast though so I have to put a couple drops of Duraline in it. The Tattoo liner is my favourite liquid liner I have found yet! It is so precise and easy to maneuver and you can do the thinest of lines with the brush-like tip. The only thing is that it is sometimes difficult to get the product to come out consistently (I just shake it for couple seconds and it seems to help).
Lips:
- I have quite the collection of lipsticks that is continuously growing. I mainly have Kat von D's lipsticks but that will soon change! I love the colours that Kat von D comes out with and her lipstick formulas are fabulous not to mention the fact that the studded kiss lipsticks smell like creme brûlée! The colours that I have now from the Studded Kiss collection are: Coven, Slayer, Lovecraft, Wolvesmouth, Agatha, and Noble. From the Everlasting Liquid Lipstick collection I have: Jeffree, Bauhau5, LUV, Lolita, and Lolita II. I also have Port from Bite Beauty which is a really rich red and has a cashmere finish but I have to use a lip brush to apply it because the wand was either messed up when I bought it (the seal was on the package so it wasn't a used tube) or it isn't a good design. One thing about the Studded Kiss Lipstick is that it can be quite drying on my lips so be mindful of that if you are concerned about it showing creases in your lips.
And for cleaning my brushes/blenders daily - or at least I try to be daily... I am human so let's be honest here - I use the Sephora brand Daily brush cleaner (master cleanse). It's a water- and alcohol-free brush cleaner that has sandalwood, barley, and bark extracts and is good for sensitive skin (which I have) and it comes in a handy spray bottle. I really like this cleanser for keeping my brushes cleaner for longer in between deep cleansing washes and it hasn't broken me out since I've started using it. I think it actually has reduced the amount of breakouts I get because it takes the oil and built-up makeup products out of the brush. It does leave a bit of a residue on the brush if you use too much so just watch how many pumps you do (all I do to get rid of residue is dab my brushes on a kleenex repeatedly till its gone). Also I have noticed that the spray pump has become harder to push the longer I use the cleanser and the solution has kind of been seeping out around the pump but I can deal with that because I really love this cleaner.