A Make-up Minimalist

February 3, 2014

Some people love to buy beauty products. For me, I tend to find something I like and stick with it. Sometimes it takes going through a few different brands but once I find one that works for me, I am usually loyal to it. I also don’t like to spend a lot of money. I think beauty products at beauty supply stores are pricey enough as it is… I couldn’t bring myself to spend twice or three times as much on designer brands. When it comes to choosing a new product, I usually google something like “what is your favorite mascara?” It’s fun to read forum posts from people that are really passionate about their choices of makeup. Then I choose two or three products that are highly recommended and reasonably priced and I look them up and try to narrow it down to one. Either that or I go on the CVS or Sally websites and look for the top rated brands. I usually don’t go to a store and choose something that I hope will work because I don’t like to waste money on the chance that I will like it. I don’t claim to be an expert on beauty products but I like to research my options first. I thought I would review the contents of my makeup drawer in the hopes that someone might find them helpful and/or interesting.

Here are the contents of my make-up drawer. As you can probably tell, I like a very natural look. I don’t like to wear blush or lipstick (probably because I haven’t found the right one yet) You can click on the links for full names, prices, reviews and other specifics if you would like.

1. CoverGirl Foundation

I am very fond of this foundation. I’ve tried many different brands over the years and I have now gone through 3 bottles of this one. It has a built in primer, eliminating the need to spend extra money on one and the application is very smooth because of it. The bottle is like a pump, with each use it presses the contents up so there isn’t any wasted foundation that clings to the sides of the bottle. I have acne prone, dry, sensitive skin and this product covers acne, evens out my skin tone, and doesn’t irritate my skin. ★★★★

2. L’Oreal Liquid Powder

This is an example of what happens when I buy a product that I’ve only heard about and haven’t researched for myself. I saw a review of it on a blog (can’t remember which one) and they spoke so highly of it, I was compelled to buy some. I have to say, I wasn’t as impressed with it as they were. The concept of a “liquid powder” strikes me as kind of odd to begin with. The contents are a very thin liquid. It goes on smoothly but after applied it looks like I haven’t put anything on my skin. It didn’t even out my skin tone very well or give me the coverage I needed for my acne. Even if I did like it, the fact that it’s liquid means that it would probably get used up too quickly. The only reason I still have it is because I can’t bring myself to throw it away… yet. ★★

3. bareMinerals Mineral Veil & bareMinerals Face Brush

One day a very long time ago, my sister bought me a bareminerals set for Christmas. It’s been so long that I can’t really remember what it came with but I do remember I liked the set a lot. When I ran out, I didn’t buy it again for myself because I was young and didn’t have enough money to buy such pricey makeup. Ever since then I could not find a powder in beauty stores that compares to the bareminerals mineral veil. I decided that this particular product was worth the money. I have also kept the brushes all this time and although I don’t really have anything to compare them to, I cannot complain, for they have held up all these years and are soft on my sensitive skin. ★★★★

4. Neutrogena Bronzer & bareMinerals Bronzer Brush

I have to admit that I’ve never liked using bronzer because I thought it looked unnatural. Now I realize it’s because my skin is so pale and I wasn’t choosing the right shade. This bronzer gives the contours of my face just the right amount of natural looking color. ★★★★

5. Maybelline Eyeliner

My whole life I have always used eyeliner pencils. One day I decided I wanted to try something different. I found this eyeliner as one of the top rated on CVS.com. I do like it but there are also some things I don’t like about it. My first experience, I was very impressed. It went on so smoothly and it was easy to control the amount and the thickness of the line I wanted. With continued use however, I noticed the smoothness decreased as the eyeliner became more coagulated. I read on a blog somewhere that heating it with a blow dryer would melt it back to it’s original consistency but it doesn’t work that well and the effect doesn’t last very long. I found that stirring it up a little bit works better. It’s also important to make sure the brush is clean before every use otherwise it will go on clumpy. This product works well but it’s a little bit more maintenance then I’m used to. ★★★

6. e.l.f. Eyeshadow, e.l.f. Eye Shadow Brush & e.l.f. Blending Eye Brush

To me, eyeshadow is eyeshadow. I like a neutral smokey eye so this palette suits me. The brushes apply the shadow well and are soft, just the way I like them. A lot of the colors are too similar and I wish there was more variety so I could experiment with different color combinations. ★★★

7. Covergirl Mascara

Mascara is a must have for me. I am blonde and have blonde eyelashes and I am soo jealous of those who have naturally dark lashes. I have yet to find a mascara that goes on with no clumps. This one I’m using now goes on okay but it still gets clumpy (hence the lash comb). I am still on the look-out for the perfect mascara. ★★★

8. Covergirl Mascara Clear Gel

When I was looking for mascara the last time I bought a new one, I came across this stuff. Everyone had such good things to say about it but I really had no idea what it was for. I realize now that those who use it as a mascara already have dark eyelashes and it works as a gel to fan them out and hold them in place. I, of course, can’t use it like that because my lashes are blonde… so I use it on my eyebrows instead. I’m not really sure if my eyebrows need that much taming, especially because I just got them waxed and trimmed but I’ll probably keep using it until it’s gone and then I’m not sure I’ll buy another bottle. ★★★★

And this concludes my review. I hope you liked it ❤ I realize that we may not all share the same opinions but I would be happy to hear yours on any of these products or on any other products you prefer to use.