This has been a week of impossible paradoxes – both productive and wholly unproductive in totality; holed up at home on “spring break” (neither of those words seem to be a fair depiction of the time) with nothing to do but be productive and accomplish what I haven’t had time for in the usual rushing about that we call life. However, somehow when all you have to do is be productive with no distractions I’ve found myself to be completely unproductive in doing anything of profit as I become so focused on my unproductivity and my already high anxiety levels skyrocket. It has gotten to the point where I miss the escape in going to school and all the exhaustion that ensues because it’s sort of an escape from the whole solitude with your mind as your only company that drives me at least completely bonkers.
For some reason that I cannot comprehend (rationally at least), I’ve always had this vendetta against brown eyeliner – I never quite saw the point of it, as I never found black all that harsh on me – and after trying the Rimmel one that everyone adores with disappointing success, I was not planning on picking up another one but it was surprisingly affordable and there was a tester and it swatched amazingly well. Because I’m so scatterbrained, I’m afraid that I forgot to provide any details about the actual liner I’m talking about – whoops. Well, it’s the Annabelle Smoothliner in Brownie($6-7 CDN) which is a creamy pencil that you sharpen with a consistency, pigmentation and texture that reminds me of the Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliners except slightly less waxy and creamier. The shade is actually a whole lot more unique than expected as it’s an ultra-dark espresso brown that provides enough definition to act as liner on my dark lashes without looking as harsh as jet black. I picked mine up at Walmart and it was actually on sale for a bit over five dollars and let me tell you, that is rare in Canada. Oh and it’s available at drugstores throughout Canada but the website ships to the US with very reasonable shipping.
The fact that I included the MAC Stereo Rose Mineralize Skinfinish ($35 CDN) as the sole blush in my top thirteen products of 2013 post should communicate the depth of my love for this shade but I must say that in my current zombie-like state I’ve been reaching for this daily. It’s a true coral shade with just a hint of pink to it – it pulls slightly orange-y – that imparts a gorgeous glow to the cheeks without emphasizing dullness and makes me look alive. I actually think this shade is worth the hype. Alert the media.
The Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow in Bad To The Bronze ($9-10 CDN) is one of those products that I always recommend to others even though I can go ages without using it without ny sort of problem. Everyone loves this taupe-bronze shade I know and it functions well as a base (but it does crease on me after a good days wear) but is one of those rare few shades that I can just slap on the lid on it’s own and then throw on some eyeliner and mascara and be satisfied with the look. I’ve been reaching for this loads lately, both as a base and as a standalone shadow on those all-to-frequent days when I’m suddenly running out of time.
I wasn’t expecting to include her post here but because of essay-and-assignment-craziness, this post is a wee bit late and I felt compelled. I love Suzie’s blog,HelloOctober (she makes fantastic videos though, too!) for it’s impeccable style and easygoing manner but today’s “Off Duty Makeup” stands out to me as a phenomenal one. Being someone who struggles with minimal makeup but is fascinated by it nevertheless, these kinds of posts hold my interest and seem to be valuable as they lay out the essential quick-fixes.
wearing the blush on the cheeks and maybelline as a base
What were the standouts from your week, beauty or otherwise? Let me tell you I’m glad this week is over!
I’ve always enjoyed reading weekly favourite posts and videos of the same variety but I’ve thought that my selections would be a little boring and repetitive as I’ve not an unlimited supply of beauty products and thought better of the whole idea. However I’ve noticed that there are products that I’ve been wanting to talk about without donating an entire post to the effort that seem to go unmentioned and thus the weekly medley was born.
The Beauty Staples
A few weeks ago I picked up the Neutrogena Ultra Gentle Creamy Cleanser and it has really impressed me with its balance of gentleness and efficacy; without containing fragrance and stripping detergents, it removes makeup – not of the most waterproof variety of course but double cleansing will remove all of my face products on the regular. This cleanser is affordable and easy to use with its pump dispenser and lightweight texture.
The gorgeous luminous Maybelline Master Hi-light Bronzer in Deep Bronze that I recently reviewed has blown me away this week. It’s a rosy copper that warms up the face, adding that elusive glow without adding a lot of obvious colour to the face. The texture of the product is smooth and it sits seamlessly on even my dry patches.
Even though it’s a nuisance to remove and requires frequent sharpening, I’ve gone back to using the cult favourite Urban Decay 24/7 Eyeliner in Perversion , but as I’ve said before it’s not my favourite for my inner rims because of the impossible to remove factor in my dry eyes and it’s gel consistency isn’t the easiest to apply but I love it on the upper and lower lash lines because of its intensity and ability to be smudged out without moving. Whether I’m going for a smoky eye or a subtle one, I’m someone who benefits from liner and this has been constantly reached for this week, even over my beloved L’Oreal liquid liner. *GASP*.
Blog & Video Recommendations
This week I rediscovered Lily Pebbles and stalked her recent blog posts and had a marathon of her videos that I’ve already seen but feel compelled to watch again. She’s one of my favourite beauty bloggers and she also makes the best laid-back beauty videos. If you don’t watch her videos or read her blog, she’s amazing and I highly recommend checking her out on both platforms. She’s one that I always trust for opinions on items prior to purchasing.
In terms of individual posts, Amelia Liana, the writer of the blog liana-beauty.com, brought out her “Glowy Not Sweaty” post this week and as always with her, it was fun to read and look at and she looked gorgeous – in the loads of posts I read and loved this week, this was the clear standout. You know how I feel about looking glowy….
Blogging Thoughts
I was rather proud of myself blogging-wise this week, putting up not only one review but putting up to. I’ll keep my shameless self-promotion to a minimum and link my review of the aforementioned Maybelline bronzer here.
General Life Update
The whole blizzard episode may now be over but it’s been freezing here, snowing constantly and the like so I can safely say that I haven’t been robbed of the authentic winter experience this year. Getting back into the whole school thing hasn’t been easy strangely and with the change in routine I’ve been perpetually exhausted but I’m pleased to report that I caught up on my sleep this weekend. This week I have been living in flannel pyjamas and I’m not ashamed that I wear them as much as I can possibly get away with. I’m afraid anxiety has gotten the best of me this month but there’s no remedy better that snuggling up in bed with a good cup of tea, book and makeup to stare at.
beautylit& ramblings 