Hey Loves!

It’s been a hot minute since I’ve done a makeup-related post so I figured what better time than the present? I’ve been obsessed with trying new makeup lately, but I can’t justify buying more makeup when I already have so much! So I’ve made it a mission to use up all of my older makeup so that I can replace it with some newbies, and I’ve actually been pretty good at following through. In today’s post, I’m sharing all the products that I’ve recently used up and giving my thoughts on whether they are worth a re-purchase or not.

 – FACE –

Make Up Forever Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primer – Smoothing Primer

I absolutely love this primer. It does an amazing job at smoothing out my skin and filling in my pores, but it’s also extremely light weight and gives your skin a more evenly-toned appearance. I love it for these reasons, because it makes it the perfect primer to use on my no make-up, make-up days. I use this as a base on top of my moisturizer and then go in with a minimal amount of concealer and mascara and my skin looks amazing! This was actually my third tube of this primer and I will definitely be re-purchasing more in the future.

Make Up Forever Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primer – Mattifying Primer

Even though this is from the same line of face primers as the one above, I really do not like this product. I think the formula is too thick and sticky, which makes it really hard to work into the skin. I also don’t think it does a good job of mattifying my skin, at all. I’ve had other primers that do a much better job, and I was actually quite disappointed that this didn’t work for me since I typically love Make Up Forever products. Needless to say, I will not be re-purchasing this item.

Too Faced Born This Way Foundation in ‘Caramel’

I have such a love-hate relationship with this foundation. It looks amazing on my skin and gives me a very flawless appearance without looking like I’m wearing a ton of makeup, BUT it makes me very oily in my T-zone as it wears throughout the day. I’ve tried using mattifying primers in that area to prevent it, but nothing helps – I always end up looking like a greasy chicken and have to continuously blot my face. I also find that when I blot my face, it transfers A LOT and so as the day goes on, I’m losing a lot of the coverage that I started out with.

All in all, it is a good foundation and may be better suited for someone with drier skin. Or maybe I just haven’t found the perfect primer to help it stay at its best. Either way, I don’t think that I’ll be re-purchasing this. As much as I do love how great it looks on the skin when it’s first applied, there are other foundations that do the same thing and actually keep me looking fresh and flawless throughout the entire day.

bareMinerals Original Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF15 in ‘Golden Tan’

Now here is a foundation that I truly love. I know we are all so used to the typical liquid foundations, but if you have oily skin and haven’t tried a powder foundation, you are missing out! This is one of the first foundations that I started using when I became really interested in makeup, and I still love it to this day. It has great coverage, but doesn’t look too powdery or cakey on the face. Instead it looks natural and luminous. I particularly love using this in the summer when my skin is a bit oilier and I’m sweating more. I pair it with the bareMinerals Prime Time Foundation Primer and the bareMinerals Mineral Veil, and I find this combination helps to keep my skin looking natural but not oily. I will definitely re-purchase!

Kat Von D Shade + Light Contour Palette

This is a great contour palette! I love the selection of shades available because I think it’s great for a lot of different skin tones. I typically use the shade Lyric for setting my concealer and brightening my under eye, and I mix the shades Shadowplay and Subconscious to contour. I find the formula very easy to work with and blend out, and it looks great on the skin. However, I do think you have to be careful with the shade you choose to use and how much you apply because it can look muddy and ashy very quickly. That being said, I do still love this palette and have already re-purchased my next one!

– EYES –

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

I really love this mascara – it gives me all the length and volume that I crave and looks absolutely stunning. BUT it flakes onto my face throughout the day, and I hate looking in the mirror to find specs of black under my eyes and on my cheeks. I can’t decide if its worth it to re-purchase because as much as I love how my lashes look with it on, I don’t think I should have to keep dusting away flakes from my face all day long.

L’Oréal Voluminous Lash Paradise in ‘Black’

This is a really great substitute for the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara. The brush design and packaging are almost identical, and I find that it leaves my lashes looking just as long and volumized. The only downside that I found was that it dried up pretty quickly. That aside, I really love wearing this, plus it’s a lot cheaper than the Too Faced one and doesn’t flake off onto my face! I will definitely be re-purchasing this.

Maybelline New York The Colossal Big Shot Volume Express

I tried this mascara for the first time a few months ago, and I really love the formula! It gives my lashes a lot of volume and length and makes my eyes pop. I can’t say anything bad about it. I think Maybelline is one of the best brands for drugstore mascaras. I will for sure be re-purchasing.

Benefit Cosmetics Goof Proof Brow Pencil in ‘04 Medium’

I was never comfortable doing my own brows until I got this pencil. It makes it so simple and QUICK! I literally finish shaping and filling in my brows in under 5 minutes. The shape of the pencil makes it very easy to use, and the formula is very blendable so it doesn’t leave harsh lines when you fill in your brows. I have actually re-purchased this already, although I chose to go one shade darker this time around because I felt like the 04 Medium was a bit too gray on me. Definitely a great product though!

NYX Tres Jolie Gel Pencil Liner in ‘Pitch Black’

I tried this gel pencil liner because Kathleen Lights used to rave about it. But when I tried it out I didn’t feel the same – I never got a very intense black colour with this liner like I do with others. And it would wear off quite quickly throughout the day. So unfortunately I would not re-purchase this item. I think there are so many other affordable pencil liners that do a much better job than this one.

​– LIPS –

Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipstick in ‘Allison’

I absolutely love this liquid lipstick – the formula is one of my favourites for a liquid lippie. It’s extremely comfortable to wear and does not dry out my lips, but still gives me that beautiful matte finish. The shade is a pinky brown (my fave!) and it also has really great coverage, so I don’t have to wear a lip liner under it. Everything about it is perfection. I will definitely re-purchase this!

Pacifica Powerful Color Natural Lipstick in ‘Sweet One’

I received this lipstick in an Ipsy bag, and I remember the first time I opened it I was really taken aback by the smell of it. I thought I would hate it, because I can’t stand to wear lipsticks that have a bad smell. But I ended up truly loving this product because the colour was beautiful and it had a nice satin finish on my lips. It’s a medium warm brown, and it has amazing coverage – one swipe and I was drowning in colour (in the best possible way of course!).The best part? It’s 100% vegan and cruelty-free which is awesome! Unfortunately, I recently went onto the Pacifica website to re-purchase this item but they no longer carry it. I believe they rebranded their lipsticks, and the Devocean Natural Lipstick in the shade Natural Mystic looks very comparable, so I may opt to try that one out next!

Urban Decay Vice Comfort Matte Lipstick in ‘1993’

This lipstick has been a favourite of mine ever since I started using it. It’s a medium brown shade that is so stunning on any skin tone. The coverage is unbelievable, and I was so impressed with how comfortable and hydrating it felt on my lips despite being a matte lipstick. It’s the perfect formula for a lipstick, and I will most definitely be re-purchasing this one!

Those are all the products that I’ve used up recently, and my thoughts on them. Have you tried any of these? What did you think about them? I’ll also be doing a skincare edition of this post in the near future, so look out for that!

Cheers,

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