Products that changed my life Pt. 4

Ahh, makeup. Completely the #1 most important category of beauty, and the only one that can cover such a wide prism of flaws. I love makeup.

Image courtesy of maccosmetics.com
Mac studio pot
I am a fan of concealer. I have more flaws than anyone else I know. And they are stubborn. It takes a truly high coverage item to cover it all with me.

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Mac studio fix
A girl with a myriad of ridiculous flaws, looking for medium matte coverage and a skin finish. I know, SO hard to accomodate, but it was until I met this. One foundation fueled an insane MAC addiction (let me say, I redeemed for a lot of lipsticks) and kept me off sephora.com at least makeup wise, which is saying something. I cannot believe they provide that sponge with it when a nice powder brush provides a much better, sheerer and more realistic finish.

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Mac prep and prime
And then I got introduced to primer with this illuminating priming cream. I learned that foundation DOESNT have to emphasize pores, that it doesn't have to be cakey and it doesn't have to fade or oxidise within hours. I also learned the time-saving power of multitaskers. This stuff was my moisturizer, primer, and illuminator. LOVE IT! It got me so addicted to primer that I have since tried DOZENS in order to try to find something that does all that this does + the most important thing, forms a thicker film for my brand new fine lines, acne scars and even worse pores.


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Talika Lipocils
If there is one product on this earth that I will never allow myself to be out of, it is this. I used to wear fake lashes every day, and I would use semi-permanent lash glue. The day I realized it was ripping off half the lashes I did have, I was almost prepared to lock myself in a basement and never leave my house again. Until I remembered I had a sample of this lying around. Within 2 weeks I started noticing a difference. And now, 2 years later my lashes are longer than they've ever been and continue to grow. Thank the lord for Talika.

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Shu Uemura eyelash curler
There was once a girl whose curl would never stay. It would curl so well, and then suddenly wilt away. She then met a curler whom so many others had raved about, and within an hour of pumping, was ready to shout. The curl STAYS ALL DAY!!!

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Diorshow Iconic mascara
My brand new favorite mascara (yes it's replaced Inimitable). This stuff lengthens like the dickens and volumises about as half as the original diorshow (exactly what I wanted). The separation is perfect, fo flakes no smudges....could a mascara possibly get better?

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Nars Orgasm Blush
Ah, the very best. One and only. Orgasm. The blush that suits me whether I'm as white as my sheets or tan as my couch, one bit looks like a sheer tint, it builds to a true orgasmic finish. There are very few products out there that have inspired a cult. Here is the original.

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Nars Laguna bronzer
The very best, most natural looking bronzer on earth. Buildable colour, true bronze tint. I don't even know why I would bother with others.

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Cargo powder eyeshadows
When I was just a fledgling beauty addict, I thought the eyeshadows at the drugstore were equal in quality to what you could get at Sephora. I told myself I will never spend 20 dollars on a pot of plain colour. Until, one lonely day I was at the mall, dipping my fingers into various pots (I had not yet learned the virtues of sanitizing). Spreading some of this gorgous powder across my eyes, was almost like an entirely otherworldly experience. I blends like a dream, feels creamy, loaded with pigment and shimmer, and lasts ages. Sadly these days, for some reason they sell only one colour through Sephora. I guess there aren't that many gals like me who appreciate the underappreciated.

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Dior skinflash
There is one cult beauty product I have yet to dry, Touche Eclat. I have tried dozens of it's imitators though and this is the hands down winner. Adds such light and luminosity, that after pulling 2 all nighters in a row, a few swipes of this and it was like I was back from a vacation.

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Clinique superbalm
The world's bets, most quenching, longest lasting and shiniest lip balm. Enough said.

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Clinique Almost Makeup
The only sheer makeup/tinted moisturizer my coverage loving face has liked. Has a bit more coverage than a traditional tinted moisturizer, and a true satin finish. Lasts WAY longer than most. Great stuff.

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Bare escentuals bare minerals
Ah the introduction to my mineral makeup addiction. This has more shine, slip and oxidization ability than I would like, but it's still the second best mineral makeup I've ever tried, and the only truly natural. And you can't argue, with hentle, non irritating, non sticky SPF.

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Clinique black honey almost lipstick
Less than even a year ago I had a deathly fear of dark lipstick. Another Sephora sample very very wisely chosen. This sheer, moisturizing, long lasting and truly universally flattering lipstick has led me to trying more daring lip looks ever since. And I haven't looked back.

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Duwop Payoff
Now I'd been using water to "transform" my shadows for years, but would do it only rarely due to the fact that it destroys the entire pot if I spread it around enough. Once I tried this, I became a believer. I can experiment to my heart's content, and maintain the original texture of my favorite colors. GREAT stuff.

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Urban Decay Shadow potion
Now, regular primer does work pretty darn well over the eyes. If a quality shadow, concealer and setting powder are used, it won't budge on my crazy oily lids. But using this stuff, I can truly put anything and everything over my eyes, and it will last like crazy (actually, I want to see if it will work with vaseline/glossy eyes, if it does, it will become irreplaceable in my makeup bag).

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Laura Mercier Cashmere touch finishing powder:
I am a setting powder maniac. There is only one, that makes skin feel like silk, looks completely sheer, airbrushes the skin and provides ultra long lasting mattification and staying power. It is this.

Gratis loot./ILOVEMYJOB

So at Sephora we get makeup, free makeup. Lot's of it.

I KNOW! In addition to being paid for giving people skincare advice and putting makeup on them, they actually, no shittin' ya, give us makeup.

The more training sessions we attend, the more goodies we get.
Now I don't get ingredient lists, so I can't give you my signature breakdowns, but hey I've got thoughts for you on each product:

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GoSmile AM/PM toothpastes: YUMMYYY! Not only do these taste amazing, smell amazing (the whole wakes you up/puts you to sleep thing really does have an effect). Plus they contain silica, so the polishing action on the tooth is incredible, it feels like I've been to the dentist each time. But I gotta say, my favorite feature has to be that they're so concentrated. Rather than containing largely water, they contain lots of the good cleansing polishing stuff (including flouride, so if you fear that...not this stuff). You need the tiniest little blob, instead of just covering the whole toothbrush. This is what makes it worth 30 odd dollars to me, those two toothpastes are going to last AGES!

Murad Perfecting Night Cream: You veryvery rarely encounter something so mooisturizing, plumping and softening without it being greasy and sticky. This is apparently intended to balance skin out (don't we all want that?) by adding lot's of non-pore clogging moisture. Not that I'm using it all the time (I find it's great as a base for makeup so I've used it like that a few times). I did sneak a peek at the packaging and it's largely fatty alcohols and thickeners, which means....safe for crater pores such as mine. WootWoot!

Smashbox focal point mascara: So uh, even though it's supposed to be lengthening and thickening....not enough for me. Yes off course it did increase what I got naturally, but compared to the false lash look I usually achieve with some other mascaras, this just looks...natural. Now for some, adding a little extra volume and length, while maintaining the lash softness, pliability and separation (I will say this I went up to 6 coats trying to achieve a false lash effect, and not a single clump...yahooo) is all they want out of a mascara. For those people, give this one a try.

Cargo Blu-ray concealer: So I like everyone else was fascinated by all this HD stuff, natural looking...but flawless in every light? SIGN ME UP! So this concealer was my first foray and I am veryveryvery impressed. The coverage is what I would call a medium, not as light as say an undereye diffuser, not as dark as a pot cream concealer. However, it is fully buildable if you need more. In fact on my acne scars I often do. I have to say, it really does look flawless in all lights (my beloved MAC studio pot would be sooo obvious in natural light). I consider it an amazing flaw eraser. What really set me off is the fact that it's amazing as an undereye concealer too. Now that needs to be appreciated.. Seriously, as if my eyes have never heard of the words puffy or dark circle. In fact I will continue to repurchase it (and will try the rest of Cargo's blu-ray line) just based on that one wonderful fact. In terms of color selection, only two. Unfortunate, I hope they add more. However 002 is almost perfect on me and with a powder foundation on top, looks invisible. Lasting power is completely dependent on what primer and powder I use with it, like any other concealer.

Cargo reverse lip liner: Bitchin' idea, really more for those worried about lines and bleeding with lip gloss than someone like me who just tries everything in front of her. What you do with this nude toned liner is fill in on the outside of the lip, leaving a barely noticeable waxy finish that shouldn't allow any gloss to bleed into lines (though I thankfully dont have lines there yet so I can't honestly say much for bleeding). I liked using it traditionally over lips to cancel out my own color in order to get a really clear (and very long lasting) result with whatever color I used.

Bare escentuals buxom lips full color gloss in Carmen: Gorge, lovely, slightly golden shimmer on top of a dark, purpley halfway burgundy red. Love the color, great amount of pigment and well, I'm not a tingle maniac so I can't say I love the tingle (though it is cooling) but I definitely see and feel slightly fuller (but off course, fades soon).

Bareminerals primetime for lids: My very first lid primer try (I loved the results of regular primers and always thought, well these do the job, why go with something else). I was wrong. DEAD WRONG! Having that tint (and whatever it is that makes it sticky) makes alll the difference. I can see someone with less dark circle than me being able to use this as a concealer too. The most impressive thing however, is how well this made eyeshadows work. I've been working on using up my Maybelline shadow quad, which I absolutely no matter what, detest and I think this will help. I mean without it those shadows are so veryvery poorly pigmented that they fade within an HOUR, but with, well I've been working 14 hour days lately, and yes I head home with perfect eyeshadow. Something I didn't expect: The one time I put it on in a hurry and rubbed it over my lashes too, VAVOOM lash, I mean like 1.5 times the length I otherwise had. YES!!! Lashgasm! Give this one a try.

Bareminerals extreme glimmers colors: In the set you get a super shimmery golden brown, a super shimmery purple and a super shimmery silver. My favorite is the golden brown, SUPER versatile but I like the others too. This is not even shimmer or frost, this is GLITTER. Thick chunky glitter, which is why I like it. However, The glitter winds up everywhere. Even with primer and powder and layering with cream shadows, it always winds up everything. Only super glue could keep glitter this heavy where you put it. But in a way that's appealing to me, because at the end of the day I wind up with a girlish, imperfect smattering of glitter across the tops of my cheeks. Plus the set comes with a cute little mini brush (and the aforementioned primer in a sample size) which is good for crease work in a pinch.

Dior deep hydration radical serum: I really liked how smooth soft and plump (but not greasy) I felt after this. Definitely some addictive stuff. I put it on before bed last night and woke up GLOWWWWY!

Diorkiss luscious lip plumping gloss in chocolate shake: A. I've always liked the angled tip applicator for gloss, I find it the easiest to use on the go and without a mirror so this already had points going for it. B. The pigmentation is somewhere in medium to full, and the color is a gold flecked brick. Not sticky, so for those looking for a creamier thick lipstick feel, this is a good one. But, not a whole lot of lasting power off course.

Dior 2 colour eyeshadow: I got the plastic case for this so I don't know the color, but it's the one with a bright turquise and a light champagne. Really cool unexpected combo. Both have great pigment and lasting power like all Dior shadows, and the feel is reaaallly creamy between the fingers so I imagine there's emollients in there.

Dior Diorshow Iconic mascara: My absolute FAVORITE of the whole lot. My veryvery favorite mascara now. The brush is the same as Chanel's exceptionnel and the formula is the same thickness as the original diorshow. Combine the two and you get one of my patented LASHGASMS!! There's nothing quite like mascara and lash stuff to make my heart pitter patter and I must say.....lifechanger. I don't think I would change a thing about this mascara, lengthens to false proportions.

Lorac perfectly lit oil free luminizing powder in Luminous: lovely sheer champagne shimmer (but definitely not a shiny shimmer, the subtlest I've seen yet). Really does "uplight" whatever area you put it on and a GREAT bet for those that have feared highlighters before, application is foolproof, color is foolproof (they have two others two, for medium and dark skin tones).

Guerlain Kiss kiss gloss in 741: Definitely a new favorite. If you want a super high pigment (I mean as much as like a traditional matte lipstick) super sticky yet moisturizing feel and the longest wear gloss available glossy shine, yeah, this one. 741, I think has been discontinued but the color is an amazing traditional November-like brick red. Definitely makes me feel fall like and special.

Sephora brand lip gloss pencil in coppered coral and bronze: This looks like a chunky lip liner but it's actually a moisturizing lasting gloss (not very shiny though, can't have it all). Coppered coral is almost like MAC spice in it's universal neutralness while bronze is definitely a fabulous foil for my Laguna bronzer. Surprising stuff for sure.

I took 'em all home and played. The lips are Guerlain, the eyes are Dior, I highlighted with Lorac and mascara-d with Smashbox.