Lisa Eldridge

Weekly Medley #39/40

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(1) The reason for the lack of recent posts around these parts… The last two weeks have consisted of drowning in the stress of my never-ending workload and thinking about everything that had to be done, even before getting anything done was considered so things didn’t exactly happen frequently blogging-wise. I’m sure any readers understand but I irritated myself in slacking more than anything else. I’m not going to hold myself to anything but I hope for things to go better in following weeks, even though things are pretty crazy now that its midterm season.

(2) Getting back into that whole nail painting thing… In recent weeks I had completely left that whole nail painting game but in the last two weeks, I really have made a return to loving polish and this was perhaps my favourite combination, the slightly frosted deep red OPI I’m Not Really A Waitress paired with the Sally Hansen Diamond Shine Base & Top Coat. It would have lasted a good amount of time had I not picked it off during a moment of great anxiety (there were many) and it was almost opaque in one coat, drying quickly to boot.

(3) When all else fails, I turned to Netflix for some binge-watching … It’s easy to say that when this craziness was entering the scene that I should not have decided to start watching a new series without stopping but somehow I started watching Downton Abbey and couldn’t stop watching it for a good week afterwards. I don’t want to even think about how much time was spent watching this but it is a very compelling show, like a less-trashy Gossip Girl set in the turn-of-the-twentieth-century.

(4) One of the few passable pictures of the makeup situation… You might recognize this day’s photo from my not-too-distant review of the MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Cheeky Bronze but I was also a fan of my makeup that day in general, particularly my first effort with the Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick that I recently picked up.

(5) The cliched and expected blogger mirror picture … You may be aware of this but I’m not known for taking pictures in this fashion that show the clothes that I’m wearing and the length and craziness of the mass that is my hair so this had to be included. I didn’t hate my hair so it was a given.

(6) Where it all began… My decision to watch the aforementioned show comes down to clicking on the Lisa Eldridge Downton Abbey Tutorial, as one does when Lisa releases a new Youtube video and then my interest was piqued enough to try watching the show, simply with my interest in the gorgeous but natural makeup. It was one of my favourites of Lisa’s and I’ve watched them all so I highly recommend giving it a watch or 23.

(7) MAC Heirloom Mix wishing… Although I’m aware that the MAC holiday collections are not universally fantastic, – thanks to my constant scouring of Temptalia’s archives – I’m always ridiculously excited for the October release of the massive collection and this year I’ve got my eye on the Keepsakes Smoky Face Palette ($48.50 US/ $59.50 CDN) . I am aware that Temptalia gave it a scathing review based on the shadows (the inclusion of the infamous Carbon in particular) but the mixture of products is so intruiguing that I want to give it a go. If you’re interested, I would recommend giving her review a look and then perhaps having a look in store.

(8) Insert example post here… I’m sure that I’m not alone in doing this, always including at least one of my posts of the week (or two weeks) in these round-ups and this week I chose my The Current Shower Staples because not only did I manage to get an appealing photo taken with this post, but I also did something a little bit different that I was pleased with the result with.

(9) Another case where I should have known better … This week, I fell in love with reading again, for the sake of fun! However, with all of the craziness that was going on I really should not have spent the time re-reading a lengthy novel for amusement rather than being productive. Phillipa Gregory’s The White Queen was fantastic and I’d give it a go if you’re historically inclined. I’m now onto re-reading The Red Queen…

How have your recent weeks been?
Maggie, x.

 

 

The Beauty Bargain | Annabelle Demure Lip Liner

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Given that Annabelle is one of those few Canadian beauty brands, it shouldn’t be too much of a shocker that their products aren’t talked about often in the blogosphere and but I think that their lack of buzz is why I haven’t tried more of their products. With this in mind, however, the products that I have tried from them have been great and the lip-liner ranks up there with the best of them. The Annabelle Lip Liner in Demure ($5.95) is a creamy and comfortable liner that I can use either as a liner or all over the lips with some balm over the top to feel like I’m channeling my inner Lisa Eldridge. It’s a natural rosy hue that leans warm, which I find flattering, and is only subtly different than my natural lips – much rosier and less drained – but can make a big difference. Also, it doesn’t dry out my naturally chapped lips. For these reasons detailed, this liner was the one that converted me over into the realm of liners.

 

DSC_0663As I’ve already hinted, this liner is incredibly versatile. It actually works nicely in the place of lipstick, worn with some balm over the top but also suits any sort of nude or neutral lip perfectly. When worn with more nude lip offerings, it helps to add shape to the lips and avoid the dreaded concealer lips effect and with slightly deeper shades, it adds a bit of added longevity while perfecting the lips and making things look a bit neater.

If you’re looking for a creamy liner or just want to try one, I would highly recommend this one. Canadians can pick it up at drugstores and it can often be found at Target and Walmart for much less than the typical price but Americans also can purchase from the website. Look at me, being all concise and stuff and below, I’m wearing the liner on its own (left) and the liner with MAC Kinda Sexy Lipstick (right)…

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Have you tried anything from Annabelle?

Maggie, x.

Weekly Medley #21

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(1) The notable trio of products (2) Tea drinking featuring Essie Absolutely Shore (3) The amazing Lisa Eldridge tutorial that I hung onto every word of (4) My mug with the featured products above (5) Notable and enjoyable weekly reading (6) Fringe, the show with the sci-fi edge that I obsessively watched on the wonder that is Netflix (7) Operation clean and move desk complete.

Another week has passed and regardless of how I might make it sound, nothing particularly groundbreaking in an exciting or catastrophic manner has happened and deviated from the usual pattern too much much – stressing about my whole jobless state but not doing anything about it other than consoling myself by staring at various beauty products and gushing about them in the archives here (and to anyone who can stand to listen in real life) plus the whole escaping the heat situation outdoors. Actually scrap that; this week my cousin’s family who own the house next door (and a pool), have returned for the summer (they have lived abroad for years) and have opened their pool this week which obviously lead to some swimming in the gorgeous water. However, in my typical clumsy fashion I managed to injure myself, at the very least straining a muscle in my arm preparing the pool for swimming, before somehow casually ending up locked in their basement bathroom for nearly half an hour without being noticed. Luckily someone else was looking to use the toilet and after they pushed on the door from the other side to unlock it, I was discovered with my lovely dark bruise on my thigh that I acquired in an actual attempt to break down the door. I wasn’t overly injured or actually in an anxious state so that’s a small victory for me especially considering that being trapped in locked spaces was a fear that plagued me as a child.

As much as I’ve enjoyed the change in pace with these posts away from a standard account of my standout products of the week, I’ve missed sharing a few of my staples so I thought I would go back to my roots and highlight a few. First there’s the Vichy Thermal Spa Water,one of those overpriced water mists that I swore I would never succumb to the allure of. In my defense, the mother passed this onto me after receiving it as part of a gift (so I didn’t actually spend money) and I’ve enjoyed using it in the place of an alcohol-based setting spray to help makeup sit on the skin in a more flattering way. The next product, the Now Solutions 100% Natural Shea Butter, follows along with the same theme of simplicity except without any of the gimmick. I have tried many many things to deal with my uber-itchy and sensitive eczema-ridden legs and this balmy texture works better than even coconut oil at soothing these patches. Plus, the thick-textured balm doesn’t leave that oily feeling for minutes afterwards so you know that it’s one to try. I swear I didn’t intend on this but the third is also of simple and nondescript variety but it’s definitely one I’ve come to appreciate in recent weeks. MAC Harmony Powder Blush, despite its name is obviously an ever-so-slightly warm toned contour powder that never fails to add natural looking definition and colour to the face without ever verging into that orangey or muddy territory.

So I’m now off to prepare for helping my cousin get ready for prom (hair and makeup etc.) and follow her around obsessively on this so-called big day in her life. Man, I’m starting to feel old…

What were the highlights of your week?
Maggie, x.

 

 

 

The Acquisition: Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet

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Being as foundation obsessed as I am (with hoarding tendencies to match), it is rather shocking that I haven’t added a Chanel foundation to my stash until the last week but I assure you, it was merely an oversight on my part due to the fact that it isn’t sold at my usual beauty shopping spots and that I assumed that the luxurious foundations, toted by Lisa Eldridge (our makeup idol) as those new generation second-skin bases, would be a whole lot more expensive than they actually are. The Chanel Perfection Lumiere Velvet Smooth-Effect Makeup ($48 CDN) contains SPF 15 but neither irritates my sensitive skin or causes the dreaded flashback effect and I picked up the latest offering in the lightest shade of the beige range, ’10’ which I would say is a good match for my moderately fair skin with yellow-beige undertones year round (with the addition of some bronzer as I gain a wee bit of colour). The shade range does leave much to be desired considering that I’m by no means the fairest of the fair and they don’t exactly cater to those with deeper skintones either. And before I get onto the good (there’s a lot of good to be said, by the way), I feel compelled to mention that the formula contains potentially problematic fragrance and alcohol — although much less alcohol than its sister foundation. I have skin that becomes irritated at the drop of a hat and it doesn’t seem to be bothered by it even currently in its sensitized state.

Not that this isn’t a fabulous everyday foundation year-round, this strikes me as the perfect summer foundation, being absolutely weightless on the skin providing good oil control on my normal t-zone and somehow gliding over the dry patches (that I have plenty of at the moment courtesy of returning to using retinoids and purging). While looking almost undetectable on the skin, the foundation provides medium buildable coverage and the luminous yet velvety semi-matte finish glides over imperfections. This sounds absolutely ridiculous but the foundation ticks all of the boxes and is noteworthy for its ability to look like skin on drier complexions while being on the more matte side of things.

Although the compact black-packaged beauty gets dirty quickly, its practicality and aesthetic appeal grants it my sign of approval. As I’m sure you’ve heard before, this is the kind of foundation that is on the runnier side of things and therefore must be shaken before use and does tend to be best applied with fingers, especially considering that before long it sets to that velvety finish. I’m kind of in love, if you can’t tell already and have been reaching for this one above all others in my plentiful stash

P.S. I’m only wearing concealer underneath my eyes and on one random red spot on my forehead and there’s no powder involved here.

Have you tried the foundation?
Maggie, x.