Makeup Ragrets

Lots of ragrets...

As a makeup lover, it's only natural that I also love to shop...mostly for makeup. Most of the time the beauty bits I pick up after doing some research, reading reviews and seeing if there's a gap in my collection. However, there are inevitably some impulsive buys that haven't worked out so well. Here are some of my more regretful purchases - including both high end and drugstore products.

// Australis AC ON TOUR Contouring & Highlighting Kit
I am ashamed to admit I fell victim to the hype of this product when it first set beauty lovers in Australia into a bit of a frenzy. I think I've reached for it maybe three times at most with disappointing results. The contour shades are so pigmented its very easy to make a mistake and the fact that the powders aren't bendable at all means when you do make a mistake its not easy to fix. The highlight shades are decent quality but I never reach for this palette anyway.

// Artiste No.55 Contour Brush
I must have purchased this around the same time as the Australis Contour Kit in the hopes that I could transform myself into a sculpted goddess. Unfortunately (probably mostly due to my application skills but anyway...), I found this brush to be quite useless. The bristles themselves are soft and the shape of the brush is perfect to fit underneath the cheekbone. However, the bristles are either not long enough, or the brush is too dense that it is really difficult to blend out product.  It is definitely NOT a dupe for the NARS Ita Kabuki and if you want an affordable alternative I would skip this one and try the Real Techniques Sculpting Brush instead.

// Maybelline SuperStay 24H Waterproof Powder
I wanted to love this so bad. The finish of this beautifully finely milled powder is gorgeous on the skin. However, something about it makes me produce so much oil that I have to use half a packet of blotting papers to make my face look normal again. Whilst I usually get a little bit of shine through the t-zone, it is nothing compared to how oily this powder makes me. I am thinking it's something to do with the waterproof aspect? Anyway it has become completely unusable :(

// Too Faced Natural Eyes Palette
I bought this cute little palette because the packaging is adorable and so convenient for travel. Plus the shades were completely gorgeous and a perfect combination of matte, shimmer and glitter. Unfortunately, I was fairly disappointed in this palette and I regret purchasing it for the fact that it doesn't compare in quality to my other palettes of around the same price range. The matte shades are quite beautiful and I will still reach for the palette to use the matte shades but the shimmer and glitter shades are so 'meh' in terms of pigmentation and lasting power on the lids. I would definitely give this one a skip and try the Chocolate Bar Palette from Too Faced instead.

// Benefit They're Real! Push Up Liner
This product has always received mixed reviews and caused a bit of controversy in the beauty world. Let's just say give me a pot of gel liner and a brush over this product any day. As most critical reviews of this product have mentioned - its too hard to use, the product is too dry and has the tendency to ball up and rub off and also its really really hard to use.

// Benefit It's Potent! Eye Cream
I swear this is not an Benefit slam fest because I do quite enjoy a lot of Benefit's products, however, their skincare range, in particular the It's Potent! Eye Cream was not for me. I found this product really thick and it caused a lot of milia (those little white dots) to form under my eyes. It was a product that I don't think should have been recommend to me and I definitely won't be trying any more of their skincare because it isn't marketed in a way that tells you what the products will do. I prefer the skincare I use to be simple and the packaging to be informative rather than obscured that 'cute' aesthetic benefit goes for (and works well for their cosmetic range). Also this was very expensive for what it is.

So there are some of my biggest makeup ragrets. Of course makeup and skincare products are so incredibly subjective and if they work or don't work for you can depend on such a wide variety of factors. Some of my biggest regrets have actually helped others find their favourite products - since I passed my Australis Fresh & Flawless Powder on to my mum a few years ago she hasn't used another foundation! Let me know what your biggest beauty regrets were or if you really like any of these products!

xx Cat

Tried and Tested: Maybelline FitME Matte + Poreless Foundation

As mentioned in my last post, Maybelline is currently 50% off at Priceline until the 24th August. I took advantage of the sale to pick up the new formulation of their FitME Matte + Poreless foundation after being a fan of the FitME concealers for a few years.

I matched myself to the shade 115 Ivory in store which I find to be a little bit too pink to be a perfect match but it is still definitely wearable. There are only 6 shades in the range which I find to be quite poor considering the range is supposed to be about finding your perfect match.

Despite the limited shade range, this foundation has really impressed me. The formula is gorgeous - creamy and blend-able. I have applied the foundation both with a beauty blender as well as a buffing brush with great results. Matte + Poreless is definitely accurate! The foundation smooths over pores and sets to a natural matte finish.

Even as a matte foundation I don't find it to be drying at all and find it wears really comfortably throughout the day. Not only is it comfortable to wear all day but I want to wear it all day because it looks so damn good! I tested this foundation over a week of 8 hour work days and even 12 hours after application my makeup still looked fresh.

My foundation hadn't worn off at all apart from on the bridge of my nose where my glasses sit, but that is hardly avoidable. I did have a little bit of shine coming through the t-zone but not to the extent that I felt I needed to powder. I also found the Matte + Poreless foundation to be a great long lasting base for my blush and bronzer which also looked fresh at the end of the day.

My only other gripe about the product - apart from the limited shade range - is the packaging. This foundation doesn't come with a pump (GRR) and is in a glass bottle which is not ideal for travelling.

Overall however, I'm super impressed with this foundation and how it has performed so well, especially considering I paid less than $10 for it! A great one to try if you're looking for a long wearing foundation that feels comfortable on the skin.

xx Cat

New Release: Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara & Hypersharp Wing Liquid Liner

Maybelline always do mascaras well. I've been a fan of The Falsies for ages and will always recommend Maybelline as the best mascaras at the drugstore. The new Lash Sensational Mascara is no exception and honestly I have been so so impressed by this mascara it now sits right next to my beloved Lancôme Hypnôse as my all time favourite mascara!

The Lash Sensational Mascara has curved wand with short plastic bristles which are longer on one side. I was particularly surprised that I fell in love with this mascara so much because I usually have a huge aversion the plastic bristles on mascara wands.

This mascara is amazing because it adds heaps of length, the perfect amount of volume (aka it doesn't clump!) and holds a curl better than any mascara I've tried. I love how it separates and defines my lashes and it doesn't smudge or flake, wearing really well throughout the day.

At the same time Maybelline released the Lash Sensational Mascara into the Australian market, the Hypersharp Wing Liquid Liner also hit shelves. I've used the Maybelline Master Precise liquid liner in the past and found in to be ok and I was skeptical as to how different the Hypersharp liner could possibly be.

Again, however, I was pleasantly surprised and immediately impressed with the new product. The Hypersharp Wing liner has a nib that is similar to a liner brush in that it is made up of bristles rather than a felt tip. What makes this product really unique is that the brush tip is actually flat! This really interesting design means that on the thin edge you can get incredibly close to the lash line and it also makes it very easy to create a winged liner look. You can also use the brush on the flat side to create a more dramatic look.

The product itself is super black and wears really well without fading but isn't a hassle to remove like a gel liner. Overall so impressed with this new liner from Maybelline and now I'm able to wear a winged liner everyday if I want because it doesn't take three hours!

Maybelline is currently 50% off until 24th August at Priceline.

xx Cat

* These products were orginially provided to me as part of Beauty Heaven's Trial Team Program