The Eye Products I Reach For Daily

The real staples in my beauty drawers are frequently spotted in makeup posts, but too often overlooked when it comes to a full post or review. I thought it was high time they had the spotlight to themselves - especially since the products featured here are what I use with almost every makeup look I wear. I don't necessarily have a set style when it comes to eye makeup, I'll switch around my shadow shades and float between using mascara on my lower lashes to spice things up sometimes, but things like liner, primer and mascara are things that I just can't be without.

If I'm wearing makeup, you can bet that an eyeshadow will be coating my lids whatever the shade. I think perhaps the first eyeshadow primer I began using was the famed Urban Decay Primer Potion, but then I moved onto the MAC Painterly Paint Pot and have never looked back. I've already gone through a whole pot of this (evidence for you!) and I repurchased this while in America late last year. The colour is just a tad darker than my natural skin tone and I find it really helps to create a base for the shadows to stick to and helps them stay crease free during the day.

Wearing MAC Painterly, Covergirl Clump Crusher and Hot Chocolate
with Total Intensity by Prestige 'Bewitched' on the lid

Another daily staple for me is mascara, as I'm sure it is for many of you. I've tried many different brands but keep coming back to Covergirl Clump Crusher as it's easily my favourite - buildable, gives me lift and volume, a really reliable and affordable product for my makeup drawers. I posted a full review back in 2013 of it here and will continue to have this as a fall back mascara as I trial others for the blog.

 

Another daily product for me is my beloved essence LongLasting Eye Pencil in Hot Chocolate - I have back-ups in my drawer of this and love popping a little bit on my upper lashline to bulk up my lashes and give some definition to an eye look. I find the chocolate shade flatters me more than a straight up black for day to day looks and the fact that it twists up, negating the need for a sharpener, makes me seriously happy.

Every morning I grab for these 3 from my daily drawer and throw whatever shadow I feel like in to finish off my eyes - having products that are reliable but that still excite you is the key to enjoying a makeup collection in my opinion, and I've definitely found that with these three. What daily eye staples do you rely on?
-Emma

Covergirl Clump Crusher // Mascara Review For You!



Trying out a new mascara is something I love to do, as I think my lashes are one of my best features and I’ll take any chance to play that up. I tend to use drugstore/Priceline mascaras as I am on a budget, and would rather spend the big bucks on something like a blush or an eyeshadow palette as opposed to something that I will have to get rid of within a few months. This is only the second Covergirl mascara I have ever tried, and it is definitely one of the best low end mascaras I have come across!

 

The Covergirl Clump Crusher is a rubber wanded fat green tube or eye heaven, which promises not to clump even with a stack of coats atop your lashes. Naturally when a claim like that is made you feel the urge to pile on the mascara, and I am happy to report that the claims are TRUE and you can swipe this bad boy over your lashes over and over without risk of clumping or creating spider lashes. I have naturally long lashes but this still gave me length as well as volume and I love the fuller look it gives to my lashes.

 

I’ve been using this mascara for a few months now and the formula hasn’t dried out yet, so I’m quite pleased and will definitely repurchase this when the time comes. I have fallen in love with a few mascaras over the years (Face of Australia Impact Curl, Lancome Doll Eyes, etc) but this is probably my favourite to date!

Covergirl Clump Crusher retails for $17.95 but is often on sale for $10 at Priceline etc. I personally purchased this tube for myself at $10 from Priceline when it first came out.

What is your favourite mascara? What sort of things do you look for when buying one? Have you tried any great Covergirl mascaras in the past?

 

 

Fresh Faced with BB Powder & Chanel Frivole

Lately, Melbourne has been struggling through a heat wave of recrod preportions. Sweltering nights spend tossing and turning are backed onto days at university with insufficient air conditioning and long walks with rays beating down on my back. Honestly, some of the nicest days of late have been spent at work in the cool air of the shop floor. We were lucky enough to have a cooler day (around 25C) a while back and I relished in pulling on my jeans and throwing on a light jumper to spend the day with Mumma Bovary doing errands and having rice paper rolls for lunch. As I often do, a mix of new release products were mixed with old favourites to get my face presentable!

I’ve been trialling the new Rimmel Match Perfection foundation* and so far I am enjoying the light-medium coverage and natural finish. I still prefer the cream-gel version in the pot (which I fear may be discontinued!) but the packaging is definitely nicer, a heavy glass bottle with handy pump opening. I’ve been setting it with my L’Oreal Nude Magique BB Powder* which is one of the exciting new BB/CC type products that the brand have recently launched. Cheeks were of course dusted with my new Chanel acquisition, the limited edition powder blush in 76 Frivole.

As always I used MAC Coquette to add some definition to my brows, it is seriously one of the most versatile eye shadows I’ve come across from MAC. I love it swept through the crease with a soft angled crease brush, but for this look I left it on the brows and used the essence duo to cover my lids and line my lower lashline as well. I finished the simple eye look off with generous coats of my new favourite mascara, the Covergirl Clump Crusher. Absolutely loving the volume and length it gives my lashes, not to mention the compliments I’ve been receiving from coworkers, family and friends.

Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation SPF 18 in 010 Light Porcelain*

L'Oreal Nude Magique BB Powder for light skin*

Essence 50s Girls Reloaded palette in 03 Come on Board Captain

Covergirl Clump Crusher mascara in Black

Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara in black brown

MAC Cremesheen Glass in Dynasty at Dusk

Mac Coquette for brows

Sportsgirl Shady Lady in Prom Night for highlight

What do you think of my fresh faced look? What are your best tips on escpaing this horrendous heat?

*Marked items were provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

The February Edit

This month it was a breeze picking the stars of my cosmetic rotation, and these are not only things that I loved the most but also those that got the most use from me over the weeks. This edit turned out to be easy picks for quick on the go looks, so suffice to say I wasn’t too creative in the realm of makeup during February. Cheeks were kept on the neutral, natural side of the fence as I alternated the amazing Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed with the peachy L’Oreal Super Blendable Blush in 326 The Muse’s Blush. To brighten up my face I reached for one of my favourite highlighters, TheBalm’s Mary Lou Manizer. Rather than using my Real Technique’s for Samantha Chapman Contour brush to apply as I normally do I’ve been using my fingers, and loving the sheer effect that it gives. This makes it brilliant for everyday wear, and is nice and quick for rushed mornings. Scent of choice has also been a failsafe with Guerlain's Champs Elysees covering me every day. If I had to wear only one scent for the rest of my days, this would be it.

The L’Occitane Almond Shower Oil* was on my wish list for so long, and I am elated to say that not only has it met my expectations, it has actually exceeded them. A tip off from Estee has made me use this as a shaving oil, but it works beautifully as a regular body wash when paired with a sponge as well. It definitely warrants a full review (read:rave) so I’ll get to work on that soon. I have also been loving the Covergirl Clump Crusher mascara, which has garnered me more lash envy comments than I had received in a long time! For me, that is the main measure of success for a mascara, as well as the stellar and easy to wear formulation. Lips have been lazy, and the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey has been a staple not only for its non-melty texture (Melbourne heat hates lipsticks!) but the colour goes with absolutely everything. MAC Patisserie was thrown into the mix on the odd colder day we enjoyed, and man that is a winner of a shade!

So there is my lazy-day, easy to use February Edit. Have you tried any of these products, or do you want to?

*Product provided for consideration, but an honest favourite.