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

The Priceline Sale Fail

As I mentioned in my BestDrugstore Beauty Buys last week, the famous Priceline 40% off sale was on and I went along with my Mum and sister after a nice lunch at Groove Train to see what goodies I could find. I had a few things in mind to pick up, but I was so overwhelmed in there that I didn’t end up buying a single thing! I’d wanted to pick up some more back-ups of my essence Long-Lasting Liner ‘Hot Chocolate’ but they had sold out, and it was so busy in store that I couldn’t decide on which shade of the new Max Factor Crème Puff Blushes to buy, so decided to wait until they are next on sale. I also contemplated the Models Prefer Soft Touch Powder (Hourglass dupe I heard?) and the new Revlon HD lipsticks, but they have so many colours to choose from and I had no idea which one I wanted! I think I’ve definitely changed my shopping style in the last year or so, I don’t want to clog up my makeup storage with mediocre products so I put a lot more thought into things I buy now – I kind of regret not grabbing anything from this sale, though!

Mumma Bovary and my sister aren’t really into makeup but I herded them through the throngs of people to the essence stand for a cheap thrill. They each bought a bottle of essence ‘Kiss Me Freddy’ and the essence eyeliner  ‘Hot Scorch’ (recommended by moi!) Then Mumma Bovary popped a few more eyeliners into her basket (‘I Have a Green’ which is my fave green liner, and ‘Berry Merry’) along with a second polish in the dark ‘Headphones On’ shade. I love how affordable essence products are for such high quality – a risk free cheap thrill for sure!

What did you haul in this Priceline sale? If you didn’t indulge, what is the last drugstore product you bought for yourself? Is it a bit sad that my family bought from the sale and I didn’t?

-Emma

April Favourites // All About Eyes

I’ve been relishing in the tonal variations of the neutral eye shadows in my collection this month, and even more so since I’ve been focused on teaching. With less time for intricate blending and the like, I have come to appreciate the ease and beauty of these shades. Once again my Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze is among my favourites, especially when layered under Maybelline Silken Taupe to create an icy neutral sort of eye look.

  

Burberry has also been gracing my lids often, with my two pans (Pale Barley & Rosewood) getting quite a workout during April. I love how long these shadows last on my lids without creasing, and they are so quick to blend that I hardly have to work on them in the early morning, pre-coffee haze.

 

Liner is another eye product that is fast becoming one of the most exciting parts of my makeup routine, despite it once being something I rarely reached for. The Australis Curve Ink* still impresses me with its amazing lasting power and easy to use (though unusual) packaging. For pencil I’ve been loving Hot Chocolate from essence, which is a self-sharpening chocolate stick that I’ve been using lightly along my lash line to create a nice shape and intensify my mascara as well.

Speaking of mascara, I’ve been loving my Covergirl Clump Crusher, using my Face of Australia Impact Curl mascara coating my lower lashes daily.  I know a lot of people aren’t a fan of lots of mascara on the bottom lashes, but I love the way it opens my eyes right up. I feel as though I can wear less makeup on the rest of my face when I use mascara on my lower lashes, so I have been using it for the majority of this month.

 

So April is wrapped up, a month of lots of lashes, liner galore and pretty neutral shadows to cover my lids. I hadn’t planned on having an eye centred favourites list for this month, but things happen!

How often do you wear mascara on your lower lashes?

Are you a liquid liner or pencil gal?

 

*Marked items provided for consideration.