The make-up I use/have used pretty much every day, or at least pretty often, this past year. c:
Most of these I've been using for a very long time, a couple are pretty recent. I tend to NOT use things like liquid foundation or any sort of foundation - my skin doesn't do so great with it and I prefer a natural (& more breatheable) appearance. There's no eyeshadows here because I haven't used those since I was in a show, and I touch my eyes a lot so they usually come off. c:
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USE: daily
RATE: 4 stars
I have had my jar of this since 2008. I've been using it every day I go out since 2011, not to mention here and there between 2008-2011. You need only a very very tiny bit, and it makes a beautiful smooth line or smudges wonderfully, whatever you like! This stuff keeps extremely well and once applied lasts all day, I've only had to do a touch-up if I've scrubbed my eyes REALLY hard on accident. I've gone swimming, both pool and beach, and it still didn't come off. The formula is contact-lens safe as well. $15.00 may seem like a lot for the little jar but trust me, it hasn't dried up or hardened or faded in the four years I've had it.
I bought MAC brush #210 with this, and I've used that brush with the gel liner since.
The only potential problem I see would be keeping bacteria from growing in the container, similar to mascaras and other double-dip type make-up ( trust me you WANT to keep things clean especially if they go anywhere near your eyes). As long as you wash your brush very well before and after dipping in the jar, and keep the jar tightly closed, it should be perfectly fine. The woman at the shop also recommended scooping a little gel out onto a plate and using that, rather than dipping directly into the jar. I do both - keep the brush SUPER clean, and scoop gel out for use - hence I've been able to keep mine for 4 years.
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USE: occasional, about 2X a month / special occasions
RATE: 3 stars
I've had my jar of this since 2010, and only use it when I have a photo taken, or for a special occasion or date or such - as I said above I don't really like having a coating feeling on my face.
That said, this is the lightest and least noticeable face powder I've ever used. I do believe part of bareMinerals' pitch is that their makeup is -good- for your face, but I haven't noticed much nor used it often enough to see an improvement.
It looks extremely natural and makes your skin have a glowy porcelain-ish look (kind of like a dandelion, I don't know how to describe it elsewise |D) without hiding your natural skintone. It's very very sheer, so it will not fully hide any imperfections or uneven skin tone, but it does a very good job enhancing the good parts of your complexion and blurring any problem parts. Also it's great to use over a tinted powder, to set it. It does come off a little easily if you touch your face, as it's a powder and doesn't stick as strongly as foundation. I usually apply this about 20 minutes after I put on face lotion - your skin is moist enough to help hold the powder in place, but not too much that it clumps up.
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USE: a few times a week
RATE: 4 stars
I've been using this mascara since 2010. I used to use Maybelline lashBlast, but BUXOM's made with more natural ingredients. (I haven't looked at the recent lashBlast so I don't know if the formula's changed.)
The brush is plastic, and really good - it separates all your lashes out and has no clumps. It goes on smoothly and easily, and it's easy to control how much mascara gets on the brush (I just scrape the brush on the edge of the tube to remove any extra formula). I only use one coat, you don't really need two as it just gets thick looking and clumps with the more coats you apply.
The formula claims to thicken/lengthen eyelashes, and I -DID- notice they grew longer the more often I used it (not sure what's in it, maybe conditioner?) , as well as my eyelashes looking darker. The only downside: it doesn't come in waterproof, so don't get in the pool with these. Also this is one of the products that I've changed every year I've had it, as I've found it's harder to keep mascara tubes clean - better to be safe!
NOTE: Personally I prefer non-waterproof mascaras, because I've noticed that waterproof mascara formulas are stickier and more prone to clumping, and look less natural. Non-waterproof tends to go on more easily as well. YMMV.
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COTY AIRSPUN Face Powder in Suntan: Dark Peach
USE: occasionally; special occasions, shows
RATE: 4.5 stars
I've been using this since before I even got to highschool, up to today; never used any other kind of tinted powder in my life. My mom and grandmother used this in the past as well - it's been around for a long time.
It's very fluffy and smooth, and extremely light; also one of the few powders I found an exact/almost exact skintone match. It doesn't cake at all, and it's very easily applied and removed. I've used this both as a very light powder, and as a thicker coat for stage makeup, and both looked great. There's a light scent that borders between baby powder and granny perfume - I love it, it smells oldfashioned and like something from the 1920's. The packaging's lovely too, it's changed a couple times since I started using it. Inside there's a cellophane and cardboard "seal" that you can remove to use and then put back afterwards. It's a little bit messy and difficult to open, but it's easy when you get used to it.
The box I have at the moment, I've had for about 2 years (I only got a new box because I dropped the previous one, and that was still half-full after 4 years of use :c). You only need a little bit at a time, it lasts forever. It blends in nicely and is nearly as good as foundation at covering up anything you want. Plus it's almost as light as Mineral Veil, and comes in a LOT of shades (including translucent)...and they're between $4 to $8 for a box.
I've never tried another powder in any other brand that compared to this at all in either quality or price. Magic in a box, I swear. Don't knock the "cheap" stuff if you haven't tried it, a lot of the times it -can- be really amazing!
The con: this stuff is majorly hard to track down in stores. It used to be really easy to find (I got mine at Wal-Mart for $6), but I can't find it anywhere except online anymore. :c Perhaps it's just in my area. I prefer not to get skintone things online because it's hard to return them if they look really off.
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Maybelline BABYLIPS Lip Balm in Quenched (right)
USE: daily
RATE: 4 stars
I gave this a try when it came out because I've always had horribly chapped lips, which I then bit at, which made it worse and repeated the cycle. It really does its job well - my lips are much smoother than they've ever been, nothing to nibble off anymore. c: I *think* they're all SPF 20, which is great - I have Quenched, which has the SPF and something like a fruit-candy-bubblegum smell. Quenched is clear, which is nice to wear under/over lipstick, but the balm comes in color tints too.
It has a healthy light "gloss" look, although being a balm, which also means it's a little oily; I found it tends to drip a bit on hot days, but it's not terrible. One application lasts a pretty long while. I like to put it really thick at night, my lips turn out very soft and plushy when I wake up.
I've had my current tube since around February/March, and it's only half used so not too bad for ~$4. Hopefully I'll try the peppermint one (also untinted). It's very easy to find at any drugstore or WalMart.
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USE: rarely, special occasions (~3-4X a month)
RATE: 3.5 stars
I've been using this since 2009. It has a lovely sheer pink (no glitter) tint to your lips, and it really does "match" your best lip color. I've noticed sometimes if it's very hot it turns out darker than usual, so maybe it changes depending on your body temperature. It lasted a long time for me because I use this sparingly - it took me 2 years to get through one tube. I use it as a lipcolor instead of lipstick, it's very prettily glossy and I don't have to worry that I applied too much because it retains the same color depth regardless of how much you apply (unlike lipstick).
My lips do get a little chapped after using this (my aunt has had the same thing happen, but a friend who uses it said it fixed her chapped lips so YMMV). It's also a bit oily and may drip a little, easily fixed with clear lipliner.
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~ extra tips ~
- Here's the general rules for changing out make-up that I was told at both Sephora and MAC.
- For "dry" make-up (loose/solid powders, blushes, eyeshadows), it's best to change it after 2 years. Colored dry make-up like blush and eyeshadow tends to fade a little the longer you keep it.
- For "wet" make-up (cream eyeshadow/blush, liquid foundations, etc.) best is to change it out after 1 year.
- For make-up that comes in direct contact with your lips/eyes (lip balms, lipsticks, gloss, mascara, eyeliner sticks), it can last 6 months or less depending on how much you use it and how you use it.
- ***My personal rule is to simply take very very good care of your make-up and tools. Use it carefully and keep it and your tools as clean as you can manage - common sense things! You can get the most out of your make-up that way. Regardless, if the make-up is obviously "off" or in any sort of bad condition, by all means *stop* using it and change it out; your health is way more important. c:
- Pay attention to how your make-up looks/feels/smells. Mascara especially is prone to causing some nasty eye infections, so know what your stuff's SUPPOSED to look like!
- If you want to thin out a make-up by adding water, do *NOT* add it straight into the original container. The water may not necessarily be clean, and can give bacteria a chance to grow in a nice, damp, dark, safe container. (Can't stress the mascara thing enough, plenty of girls in my theater group got pinkeye/eye irritation by adding water to revive dry mascara.)
- When using gel liners, it really helps a lot with application if the brush is slightly damp. The liner glides on much more smoothly and more defined looking, and it's much easier to create winged or cateye shapes.
