(Almost) Full Face of First Impressions!

Hey, friends! As all of the Australian guys and dolls will know, Priceline - our answer to ULTA - just held one of their 40% off all cosmetics sales. Cue the angel chorus. Needless to say, I said goodbye to my disposable income and made my way to the closest store (or three, actually) and picked up some wonderful bits and bobs. If you'd like to see my entire loot, head on over to my instagram - shameless plug. Since I have so many new things to play with, I thought I'd do a full face of first impressions (almost, I didn't have enough newbies for a whole look) for you and let you know how I'm getting on with these products! This is definitely for informative purposes and not to justify the amount of money I spent. Nope.





To prepare my skin for make up I tried a product which has been recommended to me countless times, the Rimmel Stay Matte Primer. If you've read some of my other blog posts, you'll know that I am a die hard fan of the Stay Matte Powder, so picking this up was a no brainer. I was super pleased this morning when I saw that this bad boy wasn't a clear, silicone primer - as they don't agree with my skin - and then promptly rolled my eyes at my past self for not even bothering to check this fact before adding the product to my basket. This primer comes out as a cream, and then applies with the same consistency as Benefit's That Gal: thick and powdery. I don't hate this texture, as I've used primers similar to this before and know how to get the best out of them - work very, very quickly - but if this is an issue for you, give it a miss! Once soaked in, my skin definitely felt as though I'd applied a cream to powder type product, and was a lovely canvas for my foundation. One downside is that it didn't do much in the way of filling my crater-like pores as my beloved Hourglass Mineral Veil would, but this is easily fixed with a spot application of a product such as L'oreal Skin Perfection. I'm definitely going to be reaching for this on a regular basis!



To say I was excited for the new Maybelline Dream Wonder Foundation is like saying that I'm kind of a nightmare when I don't have caffeine: a serious understatement. Promising a natural, yet full finish (how's that for an oxymoron?), and receiving rave reviews to boot, this product is quickly making its way to the top of every bloggers 'to-try' list. I colour matched with the palest shade in store - sorry to any Fair/Light toned folk, this probably won't work for you, sad face - and restrained myself from taking all of my make up off there and then to apply this baby. The first thing I noticed, when using this was how runny the consistency is; it's very similar to MAC Face and Body, and I worried that the coverage would also mirror this. I was so wrong, phew! Rolling the (incredibly weird) applicator against my hand twice gave me enough product to give myself at least a medium coverage. What's even better is that the thin formula makes building your pigment level a breeze. I'm so impressed, I can't wait to yell at all my friends about how wonderful this stuff is. Over top of the aforementioned primer, this left me with a powder-like, matte finish, which is exactly what I go for. It lasted pretty damn well too, I didn't require any concealer touch ups after work, which is a rarity! This has definitely earned itself a place in my foundation rotation, nice one Maybelline. The only downside I've found with this product is the applicator - as I said before, it's pretty weird, and I'm constantly worried it's going to drip everywhere. Foundation-wastage anxiety


Does anyone else have a handful of products that they really want to test, but never seem to actually buy? Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer is one of those products for me. Have I heard amazing things about it? Yes. Is it reasonably priced? Also, yes. Why haven't I picked it up until now? I'm a cheapskate, and wait for these sales, to be frank. The wait was worth it, however, as I really like the stuff! It's light-reflective formula makes it perfect for brightening and evening the under eye area - it also didn't crease at all, bonus! I did have to build up the coverage a lot more than I do with my beloved Maybelline and Nars concealers, but this is a great option for more natural days.


The last cream base product I used was the Maybelline Master Glaze Blush in Just Pinched Pink - this was my foray into the world of cream blushes, but after using this I'm definitely going to adventure further! I dotted a little on each cheek and used a dense blush brush to buff it out to a super natural glow. I'd highly recommend this to people who find powder blushes a little harsh. I did, however, add Essence's powder blush in Autumn Peach (which I loved too, yay!) later in the game as I felt that my setting powder muted the colour slightly.


I usually let my liquid base settle in for a while before I add powder, so I moved onto my eye make up next. After applying some basic brown shadow for definition, I picked up a product which was not purchased in the Priceline sale, but has been sitting in my need-to-try pile for a while now: Nyx Gel Liner in Teal. I'm a sucker for a coloured liner, and so naturally I couldn't wait to slap this all over my lids; as this was my first use, I opted for a simple winged liner so I could get a feel for the product. I adore  this stuff (oh boy, you have no idea how much). It's so creamy and easy to work with, which you'd think would result in sheerness of pigment, but you'd be wrong. I'm running out and buying every colour as soon as my bank account recovers from this round of purchases.


Brow-wise, I picked up the L'oreal Brow Artist Plumper after hearing that it will not only hold the pesky things in place all day, but also add volume. I have pretty terrible brows, so I need all the help I can get; I liked this stuff, but further experimentation is needed, it's definitely too light for my brows on its own! I've already planned a much more detailed post to discuss my thoughts (product battle, anyone?), which is coming soon!



Next up, I'd like to thank Lauren Curtis and her videos for convincing me to buy the Face of Australia Loose Translucent Powder, because god damn it is good. I spent all day perfectly matte, only reapplying with a pressed powder around midday - I'm so happy with this product. Almost too happy, like, creppy happy. I've never been a huge fan of loose powders - mainly because I always manage to drop and spill them everywhere - but I have high hopes for this stuff. Thanks, LC.


To finish up my base, I added another Essence Product - this brand is so brilliant for those who like beauty on a budget, which I'm assuming is everyone. Their ever-hyped Soo Glow Bright Up Your Life cream to powder highlighter is arguably my favourite product of the range to date; it really does change consistency immediately, so it doesn't disturb the powders on your face at all! Plus, this gives the most gorgeous, pearlescent shimmer to your cheekbones. I'm in love. Go buy this.



Finally, I added Revlon Matte Balm in Shameless - this is not actually matte at all, annoyingly, but is a lovely violet lippie all the same. This applied incredibly easily and lasted pretty well until I ate, which is expected for something that doesn't dry completely matte. I would definitely recommend using a liner with this, also, as it tends to feather!


Here's some snaps of my mug half way through the day - this all lasted pretty well! Apart from the mean, angry blemish making itself at home on my cheek, of course.




That's all, folks! What did you pick up in the Priceline sale? Any recommendations? Let me know!

Enjoy!
Sophia ♡

Pricelist (all listed as original, not sale price):
Rimmel Stay Matte Primer $13.95
Maybelline Dream Wonder Foundation $21.95
Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer $14.95
Maybelline Master Glaze Blush $15.95
Essence Silky Touch Blush $5.10
Nyx Gel Liner $14.95
L'oreal Brow Artist Plumper $18.95
Face of Australia Loose Translucent Powder $11.95
Essence Soo Glow $5.75
Revlon Colourburst Matte Balm $17.95

Unknown

Thank you so much for reading, have a beautiful day!

No comments:

Post a Comment