August Favourites 2013: The Convenience Month

Good lord, this year is going by so quick, how the hell is it already September? But I'm sort of glad for it, I just want to be done with uni for the year and then settle slowly into Christmas celebrations already. This month really has not been all that kind, what with my studies finally coming in full swing, losing a job, having to baby sit a very needy cat (and he's still here) and dance exams. So maybe it's good, we're finally shooting off into the final third of the year. 

I didn't have a huge range of favourites this month, everything seems so busy. So most of the products were really for convenience, a helping to look polished really easily. I only included one skin care product this month, and I used it when I could, just for an extra helping for my skin so it doesn't get too out of whack.

Maybelline Fit Me Shine-Free Foundation Stick in Natural Beige (220)
I mentioned this product in a previous post, and I'm not too sure that this can be counted as a favourite. I more used this just for convenience, but considering I basically used it every single day since I purchased it, I thought I could put it into my favourites. It's very easy to apply, just strategically place a couple war stripes on your face and blend with your fingers. Kind of true of all Maybelline foundations I've tried though, it seems to just not quite blend and more sit on top of your skin. The lasting power isn't too great either, but it provides enough coverage and you can carry it with you for a touch up during the day.

Shiro Cosmetics Fatality Finishing Powder
I am quite impressed with this setting powder. It is so finely milled, has a very faint but pleasant scent to it, and really does it's job. It sets your face without making it too matte, but will keep the oilies at bay and just makes your skin feel nice. No bad words about this one, Shiro the Indie cosmetics company did a great job formulating this bad boy and at such a great price too.

Maybelline Color Tattoo by Eyestudio 24hr eyeshadow in Tough as Taupe (35)
This was the first color tattoo I ever got, and it was purchased by my lovely brother for my birthday. I never really wore it much though, as it looked a bit dull on my eyes by itself, and not generally the shade of eyeshadow base I would reach for. But I saw posts online saying that Tough as Taupe worked brilliantly for filling in your brows, and I figured, hey, that makes sense, it is matte and quite ashy... So  I tried it out and good god why did it take me so long. I've never had brows better or more polished. The only thing is, is that it is a tad bit too grey for my colouring and my hair colour too. To combat this, I just top off my brows with Anastasia Beverly Hills Coloured Brow Gel in Graphite and there we have it. Perfect, sculpted brows all day.

Private affair palette first four shades

Lorac Private Affair Palette, shades 1, 2, 3, 4

This is what has really been helping me look quite altogether. Just a quick brush of any one of the extremely buttery shades helps perk up my eyes and make me a tad bit prettier. I usually just go for the third shade in the palette, but any of the first four can work well on my skin tone. I didn't really reach for the last two darker colours, just because they're a bit more "nighttime" than my everyday look, but any combination of the shades in the palette work well together. My favourite being shade 3 all over the lid, shade four in the inner corner and a tad bit of shade 5 in the outer v.

Maybelline Illegal Length  mascara in Blackest Black

Well, isn't Maybelline getting a lot of love this month? I've always been a tad bit curious about this mascara ever since they released it, as I do love fiber mascaras, and so I finally picked it up when Priceline had 50% off all Maybelline products. And really, this is a pretty decent mascara. Separates and the fibers really help to lengthen. It gives a really cute dolly look. There is not a whole heap of volume though and I've noticed that it can wear off a bit during the day, but I can always touch up and there isn't any flaking or that much smudging. 

Mario Badescu Whitening Mask

I'm quite the fan of Mario Badescu products, I think their Acne Facial Cleanser is what really helped turn my skin around. This face mask is said to "brighten up uneven or dull skin" and I really do think it helps, I can see changes straight after using it. It is smooth and creamy, smells really, really nice (almost like grape) and drys on your face like a clay mask. Keep it on for ten minutes and wash it off with warm water, there you have brighter, more even skintone.

So that's it! That's all I have for this month. Really, a month of mostly drugstore and convenience products that have just really help me to pull it all together in a timely manner. 

Shiro Cosmetics Haul

Why, internet forums. Why would you introduce me to the world of indie makeup. Although, at the same time I'm pretty chuffed that indie make up exists. Usually in the form of loose powders, indie makeup is damn affordable and so much variety, a lot of unique colours including shimmery eyeshadows and duochromes. After not very much deliberation, I decided to dip my toe in the pool starting off in the Shiro Cosmetics end. 

Shiro Cosmetics is an indie makeup company started by a girl named Caitlin who, from what I've heard, is absolutely lovely and so nice. All of their products are handmade, vegan and cruelty-free; the cool thing about Shiro and what helped me to hit checkout is that their collections are all geeky and mostly named after internet memes. How could I not purchase Master Ball or Nyan Cat what with them being such beautiful shades and cutely named? Overall, I ended up getting nine loose pigments, one setting powder and two lip products, or as Shiro calls them Intertubes. I was also lucky enough to get two more sample size products in baggies and two pieces of candy!

left to right: smashing, nyan cat

Intertube in Smashing

Described as a pinky-purpley-smashingness, fit for mermaids and dugongs. I could not agree more. It's a slight mauve colour that is moderately opaque and with a slight nice sheen.

Intertube in Nyan Cat

Described as a pink rose with gold shimmer. I don't really see the shimmer much in this, and have worn this one on my lips too and have not noticed it, but it's a nice bright but natural colour, with the same nice sheen as Smashing. Maybe a little sheen-ier.

Finishing Powder in Fatality

Pure white, transparent when applied. I didn't swatch this one (sorry) as I figured transparent, but for the record, it smells very nice. A faint smell, but I nice smell I wouldn't mind having on my face.

left to right, with flash: I like shorts, baker's boy, the wandering wizard, epona, everything is bears, when the thrush knocks. All applied with a wet eyeshadow brush.

Without Flash

I Like Shorts (Super Effective Collection)
Described as a soft velvety brown base with strong gold shimmer; lip safe. A little bit more velvety than a chocolate brown, this doesn't have too much shimmer, but it's obvious enough to perk up your eyes and blends in very well with the brown base.

Baker's Boy (Tributes Collection)
Described as a shimmery light golden brown with blue sparks; lip safe. This is a bit more pink than I expected, almost like a champagne colour.

The Wandering Wizard (There and Back Again: A Hobbit Collection)
Described as a pale matte blue-toned grey; not lip safe. Not quite as matte as I was expected and a lot more blue. This is more a grey-toned blue rather than the other way around and has a bit of lustre to it too.

Epona (Legends Collection)
Described as a soft velvety brown with a misty cream overlay; lip safe. Gorgeous cool toned brown colour and very much a velvet shade in terms of texture.

Everything is Bears 
I can't seem to find the page I added this from, but I remember that this eyeshadow was not in a collection. It has a tad bit more red than I expected but it's not too rusty. Has quite a lot of shimmer too.

When the Thrush Knocks (There and Back Again: A Hobbit Collection)
Described as late afternoon sunlight: soft coppery yellow-gold with light shimmer; lip safe. Soo gold, almost a shimmery ochre colour and is darker in shade than I was expecting.

left to right, with flash: master ball, farewell wherever you fare, huntress. All applied with a wet eyeshadow brush.

Without Flash

Master Ball (Super Effective Collection)
Described as shimmery red-toned purple; lip safe. I got this one in a baggie cause I wasn't sure I was going to use non-neutral pigments; this is bit more purple than I was expecting, but still such a pretty colour. I might tone it down a bit with a matte black shadow when applying.

Farewell Wherever You Fare (There and Back Again: A Hobbit Collection)
Described as cold, stoney greyed brown with light shimmer; lip safe. One of the free samples that I received, smooth metallic bronze. I'm quite glad I got this shade, it has quite a bit of shimmer, but I guess that depends on application.

Huntress (Tributes Collection)
Described as shimmering silver with a slight greenish cast and bright silver sparks; not lip safe. The other free sample; holy moley this is a pure silver colour. I don't see much of the greenish cast described, but maybe in different lighting. A shame this isn't lip safe cause it would look so nice as a foil.

And that's it! That's all I got! ... For now. Can't wait to use these pigments, probably more for going out cause they seem a bit more adventurous than what I wear for everyday; not usually one to dip into anything too reflective other than the occasional lustre, but I've started adding a bit more "light" into my routine. You can see that I'm even branching more out into pigments, considering my apprehension when I got my first pigment from an Illamasqua haul. There will definitely be more to come from these indie makeup posts (I'm currently waiting on another order from a different site, ooh, cheeky).