(1) This week’s trio of products (2) Jen’s memorable post, “Living At Home In Your 20’s” (3) Sometimes I smile, even when exposing the naked face (4) This week’s post of choice, “An Everyday Lip Combination” (5) The pre-shopping picture featuring the products mentioned below on my one day off from blogging (6) I wrote my first actual nail post on Thursday

Here I am, writing this weeks post early on a Friday night in sweats, with my hair plopped onto the top of my head in front of the TV with no makeup in sight and I have no shame. This was one of those weeks that seemed to never end where everyone around me seems to be going through the most stressful and busy time of their year while I’m in this low-key phase.

This week I learned, relearned, remembered etc. that even if I’m detoxing from the computers notebooks etc by removing them from bed only to replace it with the handy little iPhone, and the little notebook and a book or magazine, can really help to recharge you and aid in the huge struggle, the quest for restless sleep. Oh and I remembered how fantastic going barefaced can feel even to someone as beauty-obsessed as myself.

This week, there was a trio of standout products and they might not be totally surprising, as per usual. First up there’s an actual primer that rather than doing absolutely nothing, actually has impressed me with it’s priming abilities; It’s still early to say anything definite but thus far the ridiculously-named Annabelle “CC” Colour Control Luminous Finish Instant Perfecting Base has helped foundation glide on smoothly with its silicone base particularly over drier patches and uneven texture whilst adding a subtle opalescence to the face.

The next product is yet another Annabelle offering, but one I’ve mentioned before — the creamy Smoothliner in Black. Although it isn’t the easiest formula to transfer to the waterline of the eye, I’ve discovered that with some effort it actually can be used to tightline the upper lashline without transferring to the waterline and isn’t a nightmare to remove from my dry eyes.

The final noteworthy product of this week’s trio, the NYX Parisian Chic Love in Paris Palette , is yet another drugstore gem but is one that has been in my stash much longer than the former two. The shades in the palette are not fantastic across the board but the matte taupe and brown shades are fantastic and I’ve been using them to create a more natural brow as well as in the crease – And the shimmery browns and the soft black are excellent as well.

On the post-front I really enjoyed Jen’s “Living At Home in Your 20’s” post, not only because I can relate somewhat, living at home while going into my third year of University but I thought it was written in an interesting and provoking way. I’m a great admirer of her blog because she manages to write a beauty blog that also discusses the other aspects of our lives that we don’t tend to talk about in an authentic and genuine way. And it’s a great read – there’s that.

So another week has passed — an usually busy and hectic one at that — and it was fairly good as things go and I hope yours went as least as well. How was your week?

Maggie, x.