I feel pretty--NOT! THE COSMETICS THREAD

i will let you know once i get it on!

i'm sure it will be... i've only tried it on in the store 15 times in the past few months...

the half-dozen or so promotional emails that sephora sent me over the past 3 days must have worked. i stopped in earlier today and got a new, very dark (brownish-black cherry) lip gloss from smashbox and one of the new opi for sephora nail polishes ("metro chic" - a murky, lavender-ish grey).

not sure why the opi for sephora polishes are several dollars more than the regular opi line, though. bah.

I've used up all my lip glosses and tints and I basically liked all of them and want the exact same things again (one red, one pink, one clear) but am so lazzzzzzzzy and I hate running errands in midtown. Oh Sephora why are you not next door?

i am going to sephora tonight (i have to return something). laurel, come with me!

i'm going to the one in union square thos
then to black & white

I forgot about B&W!! Maybe I go with! Mmm Thai food in my chompers.

lol i love this thread title

you should come! i am starting school on monday and so this is my last social outing for awhile.

though, i will still probably go home earlier than you would like :P

what did tza think of that blush?

we never found out! i assume things are good, though. nars blushes are reliably awesome.

(and so they should be, at those prices.)

OOOH I got gray nail polish (Recycle from China Glaze) and really rather liked it! Mr. Que did not. He called me corpse hands.

Last year I wore Russian Navy on my toes and he called me corpse feet.

so yeah stfu Mr. Que!

i like russian navy. it's much more multidimensional than i thought it would be.

Russian Navy = many years ago a friend of mine went for Halloween as a sailor from the Kursk. Corpse feet indeed.

i have decided that i need to start wearing some foundation because my perioral dermatitis is not going away no matter what i do and i look like a blotchy freak. does anyone have something that is really light and non-irritating, but hides redness/blotchiness really well?

perioral dermatitis is basically like rosacea, but around the mouth. from what i can tell.

I'm waiting for it to get a little cooler before I don Russian Navy again.

I also want that grey you describe Lauren. I think that line also has a gold one I like.

it's nice, but i wish it was a bit more truly grey.

Bell I think I mentioned this on some other thread, but I am fond of MAC's studio fix as a foundation alternative for evening out blotchiness, which I have in spades on my cheeks.

It's a powder-type thingy that the MAC ppl put on with a brush (huh?), but that I just dab on with the sponge included in the compact. I like the consistency a lot--not too heavy or cakey--and was lucky to find a color that worked well. I use it just on my cheeks and leave the rest of my face au naturale or with a bit of cheapo Shine Free translucent powder if necessary.

Does anyone have recommendations for something cheap for brows? I don't want to spend $30 on a little brow kit when I just something to keep them looking groomed.

benefit's brow zings compact is $30, but i've had it for about 2 and half years now, and it's still good. it has a powder, a wax, two brushes (a stiff, angled one and a softer one for blending) , and really cute miniature tweezers. probably one of my favorite products of all time.

(at the other end of the spectrum, my mother just uses a dark brown eye pencil , which seems to work fine as long as it's applied sparingly.)

I suppose if it's lasted you that long it's probably a good investment. I've never really used an eyebrow pencil although I'm thinking of letting my thicken out a little so maybe now would be a good time to start.

$30 is a lot, though. i was a lot more careless about money back then!

I use a little bit of brown eyeshadow and it does wonders for my brows. I use Smashbox primer on my face now too so I guess a bit of it gets on my eyebrows before I get the shadow on.

Elyse Sewell (ANTM alum, working as a professional model in Asia) posted a blog the other day saying that all the pro makeup artists usually use Maybelline Great lash (the pink and green tube) but there has been a shift in the industry! Apparently the new big thing in mascara is Intense XXL.

http://a1468.g.akamai.net/f/1468/580/1d/pics.Drugstore.com/prodimg/192398/200.jpg

Now we all know! She also said almost everyone is using Bobbi Brown gel eyeliner that comes in a pot.

http://img2.timeinc.net/instyle/images/2008/pf/03/GBW/020108_bobbibrown_a.jpg

I've never been able to apply gel eyeliner well.

i really don't get the love for great lash. i actually have a tube at the moment, given to me by my mother who mistakenly bought some in a buy one, get one offer. it SUCKS.

let me count the ways that it sucks:

1) runs/transfers with the blink of an eye
2) thin, short brush
3) kinda clumpy
4) doesn't lengthen
5) any volumizing effect comes from aforementioned clumping
6) staying power is poor

maybelline must have made a deal with the devil to promote this stuff, because it's still the standard industry line that GL is not only good, but better than anything else.

I can't seem to find a drugstore mascara that I <3. Bad Gal and Diorshow are current favorites, but damn $$$.

maybelline's define-a-lash is okay.

I've been more satisfied with Great Lash than any other mascara I've ever used! For me, the brush doesn't clump up, it doesn't clump on my eyelashes, and it goes on thickly and looks striking *shrug*

I agree re:Great Lash. I like Rimmel's mascaras.

i tried a rimmel mascara, based on a rec on an earlier beauty thread, and i loved it. by far the best budget mascara that i've tried, but... after about a week of use, i started getting itchier and itchier around the upper/lower eyelids, culminating in the morning i woke up with red, puffed-out, scaly patches around my entire eye area. so that was that for rimmel and me.

i've switched to rimmel (glam lash is my choice). easily the best i've used in a long time.

I bought an obscene amount of make-up this morning. It's going to be like Christmas for 4 years running, when the mail arrives.

hee.

i'll share the info: http://www.eyeslipsface.com/ is selling almost everything for $1 since nordstrom has bought them (to be the new house brand, i think). no idea if it's good stuff, but you can't get much cheaper than that.

unfortunately they're just a $1 company all the time, it's not nordstrom stuff.. common email viral hoax :P

though I do keep meaning to buy a whack of brushes from them since brushes are so expensive and I keep hearing they are the true secret of makeup success! if you google E.L.F. promo codes you can usually find free shipping/$5 off/etc

I buy a lot of Sonia Kuscak (?) brushes at Target. They're great.

huh! good to know. came via a friend of a friend (they always do).

haha yeah I heard it when I first heard of them too! I think we were talking E.L.F. in that massive thread that birthed ILS

Ahhh oh well! I still have loads of lip-gloss which if it provides an alternative to Stila at $24 apiece I'll be ecstatic; and some pressed powder which I mostly need for stage performances and sweat absorption, so a light and transparent texture is not a priority if it turns out to be cheap-O. And blotting papers. :) I will enjoy my bounty v much.

arrr, makey!

...terrible, sorry.

have to chime in here for big <3 on rimmel mascara - the one in the pink tube that comes with a comb instead of a brush is A+++++

btw I did my friend's hair and makeup for her wedding this weekend, i will post pics, but i think I did an awesome job!!!

oh yes pics please!

Well isn't that timely... E.L.F. must lurk here, I just got the three-day offer that the code EGBRUSHAK gets you 50% off brushes, limit 5 per customer.

I am still trying to make eyeliner happen without pulling the side of my eye out. It's so hard to change up and just look straight ahead.

I don’t care about having milky white legs at the beach. I slather myself in SPF and haven’t been properly tan since I was a kid. I don’t actually like the way I look tan. I went was in the Bahamas last spring for a couple days and somehow forgot sunscreen. I for burned to a crisp and when it faded to tan I kept thinking my face was dirty.

I think Madchen’s right about learning makeup skills over time. I never actively tried to learn but have admired different MUA for years and I’ve just gotten better over time, I think.

Cat eye type eyeliner. Flicks up at the outer corner of the eye.

haha this is the only make up thing I actually know how to do well!

one of my coworkers has the most amazing winged eyeliner, it almost looks tattooed it is so perfect

i want to email her and say “hi what eyeliner do you use and also PLEASE TEACH ME YOUR WAYS”

Really into cream blush atm, I am trying to track down the perfect color

Bumping to mourn that Bourjois is being discontinued in the UK & Ireland! Used to love their eyeshadows, blushes and nail varnishes. Supposedly healthy mix is a good reasonably priced foundation but I’ve never got round to trying it...better move quick

I loved their eye shadows so much!

Wtf! Nooooooooo! Healthy mix is really good value as is the nail varnish - it used to be made in the same factory as Chanel vernis, don’t know if that’s still the case but very high quality for the price.

i am on a Dermablend thing lately

newly converted to their flawless control foundation.
2 drops on a makeup brush gives me full coverage & it feels like a dream. sorcery or something idk
v impressed

On the foundation/concealer front, i’m seriously loving Il Makiage lately. Matches my skin like a dream and doesn’t get caked up in nook n crannies.

Actually really want to try the Ogee contouring set but can’t quite bring myself to fork over the $$$ yet.

Wtf! Nooooooooo! Healthy mix is really good value as is the nail varnish - it used to be made in the same factory as Chanel vernis, don’t know if that’s still the case but very high quality for the price.

Yes, thankfully they saw sense and re-entered the UK market. Phew!

Lisa Eldridge’s lip glosses my favourite in a long while, gorgeous colour with zero stickiness. I have Go Lightly and Petal and they’re both perfect.

I don't believe a non-sticky lip gloss exists!

This thread used to rule

I feel pretty--NOT! THE COSMETICS THREAD

^^ BTW I have now had several lash lifts and they work really well on me, except if either eye waters then it doesn't take quite as well.

I love a lash lift for like two weeks, and then my new lashes start growing in and shit looks wonky for a month.

The widely heralded Japanese mascara Heroine Make sucks, I'm going back to Mabelline Lash Sensational!

On the other hand--and I know this isn't the skin care thread (which also used to rule)--Japanese sunscreens are fucking amazing and American sunscreens are an embarrassment!

Yeah eyelash perms (LVL) are legit and I get mine tinted as well. I usually get a good six weeks out of one.

People have said this(re US sunscreens being bad) but honestly? One of my best sunscreens is a sheer Neutrogena stick (spf50) I got in the US. My usual one is Anthelios in stick format, also sheer. Really works well under makeup.

https://www.laroche-posay.co.uk/en_GB/anthelios-xl-spf-50-stick/LRP_032.html

I really rate Anthelios too - I use this one in place of my usual moisturiser in summer, and make-up goes on really nicely on top.

https://www.laroche-posay.co.uk/en_GB/anthelios-age-protect/LRP_021.html

Non exhaustive list of things I have used recently* and liked:

This tinted Cover Girl lip balm - I was in nyc recently and went to CVS to look at stuff as I always do because I love CVS a lot; their displays were missing a ton of stuff (what’s up with that btw?) but that was the last one of these on display and honestly I would have bought a second or a third. It’s a cool clear sheer dark red that’s kind of like the faintest wine stain. It doesn’t last ofc but you get what you pay for. I’ll go back next month and try for some other colours. 8/10.

Lisa Eldridge liquid eyeshadows in Bianca and Cressida (both now out of stock, booo?!). I think I got these with Liberty credit or something, I really like her lip glosses. Anyway the pigmentation is great and formula is smooth and buildable. Very easy to blend. Will buy in future. 10/10.

Bobbi Brown cream shadow stick in golden bronze - I got this free with a beauty advent calendar, not remotely my colour. Which is a shame cos the formula is the best I’ve tried in forever, glides on, doesn’t crease, all that good stuff. Would definitely buy a pale pink or something that I could blend. 10/10 for formula, 6/10 for colour.

Clinique longwear lipstick in Nude Pop. Anyone who has ever been dragged around the beauty section of a department store with me has probably heard me complain about the discontinuation of the original Tenderheart, a near-perfect pinkish nude colour with a little shine (but not glossy). It just looks perfect. They made a new Tenderheart but it’s more brown than pink and the formula seems different. However, I got a sample of Nude Pop in the same beauty advent calendar as previously mentioned and it brought back all the memories of original Tenderheart. Bought a full size one and it’s perfect even if it’s not exactly the same. 11/10, the extra one is because of the serendipitous sample.

Lisa Eldridge lip gloss in Go Lightly - another Liberty credit purchase (that was a fun day). I like that her site shows you how things will look on your skintone. A very nice pink, by itself or over something else. 9/10.

*recently means anything from today to three months ago

That's so funny re tenderheart. I also used to love it. I'm talking like 20 years ago but at one point it was my favorite neutral lipstick. The only other one that I've ever liked as much was a Bourjois one I got in France which has also been discontinued. I had completely forgotten about Tenderheart. Glad you found something similar. I have the LE lipgloss in Muse but rarely use it. Will have to find it and try it again.

People have likened that CG lipbalm to the tinted Niveas you can get here.

Victoria Beckham Satin Kajal Liner is extremely good. I got one for Christmas and now I want all the colours.

Yep. Best eyeliner I've ever used.

I think I agree!

I'm pissed that they increased the price. It might now be too much for me to purchase on the reg. I wear Cocoa almost every day but also have the Sea Grey and Navy Noir. My one complaint is that it disappears really quickly. I feel like every time I sharpen it I lose an inch.

They really are exceptionally good. I think most luxury makeup is overrated but those stupid eyeliners really are that good.

I feel like such a sucker for every kind of lip oil that’s released especially if they’re tinted because I just want to find one of those products that’s the perfect mix of hydrating with colour and they usually never really deliver on the first part.

ELF lip oils in Rose Envy & Red Delicious (awful names btw) - 9/10 for Rose Envy, 3/10 for Red Delicious

https://media.superdrug.com//medias/sys_master/prd-images/h99/h97/10390019997726/prd-ls3-837501_600x600/prd-ls3-837501-600x600.jpg

Rose Envy is a really nice pink that reminds me of this Stila lip colour they used to do in a kind of peony pink? It’s not red looking as per that swatch photo, more kind of an old rose? Very nice.

Red Delicious is a sheer red, but like, so sheer that I’m like, did they put a clear one in this package by mistake? The problem is with lip oils is that you’re not going to build it, it’s just kind of there? Anyway, what a waste of money. On second thoughts, going 2/10 for the name being especially terrible.

Burts Bees Hydrating Lip Oil with Sweet Almond Oil - 0/10

There’s a part in Kyoko Okazaki’s Pink that I always think of fondly:
https://i.postimg.cc/cJxqfRKL/IMG-6621.jpg

I woke up the morning after applying this and I was like, wait, did I forget or something? But I’d left the newly opened package by the bed so I hadn’t. Sandpaper city. Genuinely a waste of money.

^^^valuable info, ty

Honestly may favorite balm is bog standard chapstick or burt's bees OG

I need to retract my Heroine Make mascara bashing upthread.

Once my lash lift grew out of the wonky stage, and I could use a lash curler without bizarro results, I really like the mascara and would buy again!

I love a lash lift for like two weeks, and then my new lashes start growing in and shit looks wonky for a month.

There is only one lipstick thing that's ever looked good on my lips, it was in an m&s advent calendar and then the bastards stopped making it

I started using that CG lip balm a little bit ago when I ran out of the lipstick I was using and couldn't afford to buy any more--I had some already (I thought it was too bright and stopped using it) and started using it again. It looks good.

_I love a lash lift for like two weeks, and then my new lashes start growing in and shit looks wonky for a month._
This never really happened to me until this time, it did. I swear the new ones are growing back pointing down.

My best ever was my first one, I'm still chasing that high!

VB has free shipping atm and you lot are tempting me with the eyeliners...

i've been shellacking all sorts of Clinique black mascara on my lashes and honestly, i'm obsessed

i don't even comb it through literally just let it clump and define

Kinder - the only reason not to is because all other eyeliners will pale in comparison. Honestly.

^^^ this

I got the VB eyeliner and you were all right, it's perfect! went on so easily I was sure it was going to slide right off again, but nope.

The Soap & Glory Smoulder Kohl is one of the best "basic" ones imo so that's my everyday.

Oooh ok, I will try that one! Someone else recommended the Kiko ones so they're on my radar too.