Three Little Foundations…

Whenever I order makeup (or any beauty item from a makeup company) I almost always end up picking out a foundation sample if one is available. Every time. I think part of it is that for a really long time I had a foundation that I loved and purchased repeatedly and then of course it was discontinued. It was an old Becca Foundation actually. And of course now the brand is no more so, no more staple.

While I have found several I really enjoy using I haven’t gone back to the one foundation to rule them all. i just rotate through the ones I like and collect samples to try new ones. I think i am still ultimately looking for the one foundation. I have yet to find it.

What i have found are some good foundations, some bad foundations and a lot of mediocre ones. I have found some foundations that apply well with a brush but not with a sponge and a few that are the other way around. I have found some that don’t do well on their own but paired with the right primer are fantastic. I’ve even found a few that I can only wear in the summer and a few I can only wear in the depths of winter.

And while testing out a foundation is a bit like going on a blind date, trying out foundation samples is a bit more like speed dating. You have one shot to see if this formula is something you might want to actually have dinner with. Or purchase to wear. I often find myself wishing there was an in between. Something between foil packet speed dating and full bottle relationship.

If any makeup companies are actually reading this, might I suggest the two week long trial sized bottle. It’s enough to try a few dates without committing to a relationship.

Admittedly I love trial sized skincare. I rarely ever purchase moisturizer I haven’t tried in a sample size. I would love to be able to do that with foundations.

But today we are looking at three foil packets of foundations. Each one gave me one day of wear. And to get enough to cover my face I had to blend a couple of shades together. So shades are all over the place actually. I did identify the shade that matched me when I first opened the packets but with the blending it is not what ended up on my face.

So…

The first foundation sample is from Clinique. It is the Even Better Clinical Serum Foundation with SPF 25. The specs:

24-hour, oil-free foundation with full coverage and a matte finish. Combines the longwearing coverage of a foundation with the transforming power of a serum to help visibly improve skin instantly and over time. So it’s long wear with skincare. Built with 3 serum technology, a powerhouse blend of good-for-skin ingredients: Clinique’s dark spot-fighting molecule UP302+ vitamin C, salicylic acid, and hyaluronic acid. Clinically proven to leave bare skin looking even better—smoother and more even. SPF 25 mineral sunscreens help protect skin from the look of discoloration. In 34 shades and a non-oxidizing formula for a perfect match that lasts throughout the day. Finish: Matte, Coverage: Full, buildable-coverage, Key Ingredients: Vitamin C, salicylic acid, hyaluronic acid, mineral SPF 25, Skin Type: Combination Oily, Oily

My skin type is in the Combination/normal range. In the summer I lean towards oily and in the winter I lean towards dry but never actually reach the oily or dry skin levels. It means there are some products, especially foundations, that are very seasonal for me. As spring has spring I am in the transitional stage of my skin where it is pretty well balanced. I am a little more oily in my t-zone but over all i am in that weird range that occurs for a few weeks in the spring and again in the fall where i am neither oily nor dry.

Over the course of these three foundations I used the same face products. They ae all products that i can use at any time of the year and they work well for me. As this was my first foundation test, I didn’t realize that I left off setting powder until I reached the second foundation sample packet and it wasn’t in the collected products makeup bag. That is because for me setting powder would have turned my face dry as a bone. With no setting powder I could wear this foundation. I liked the way it looked and the way it wore. I tend to write my daily makeup posts a little after lunch so that I can see how everything wears for at least half a day. By the time I write about the products I am wearing I have had them on for at least five hours. At that time, the foundation still looked good. It blended well into the skin and it was matte without being overly matte.

Since I had to combine packets to get enough product to wear I can’t speak to the buildability of it. I can say that towards the end of my day I was reaching for my facial mist a little bit more often and at the end of the day I was dry. My skin hadn’t dried out but as much as I liked this i knew it was not a product I could wear day in and day out. And I think that is the salicylic acid. It is great for drying up excess oil in your skin and i will turn to it in the summertime more than any other time, but even then I can only use salicylic based products for two or three days in a row before my skin starts feeling dry. The foundation looked lovely and performed well in the morning. It is simply designed for someone with more oily skin than i have. It is something i could use in a pinch, but only for a day or two. If you have dry skin you will want to avoid this foundation. If you have oily skin, you might want to give this Clinique Even Better Clinical Serum Foundation a go. It looks good and works well with oily skin. It just isn’t going to be for me.

Next up, we have the Very Valentino 24 hour wear Liquid Foundation with SPF 26. I am not sure why it is SPF 26 as that seems like an odd number to choose, but I found no reasons to explain it. While the Clinique also had SPF I didn’t feel it. With the Valentino I felt the sunscreen in the foundation. It had that slightly waxy oily feel that sunscreen infused foundations can get sometimes. It is what made me realize that there was no setting powder in my makeup bag actually. This was a foundation that needed a setting powder.

But first, the stats…

Very Light, Very Lasting, Very Valentino Foundation. This semi-matte finish perfectly balances three foundation dreams: buildable coverage, breathable and lightweight texture, and long-lasting 24-hour wear. Available in 40 shades, made for all skin tones. Very Valentino foundation features exclusive Light-Lasting™ Technology to deliver buildable, medium coverage with a comfortable, breathable feel. Formulated with an extra-light powder that can absorb up to 3 times its own weight, the formula allows for a perfect, hydrated, semi-matte foundation finish that lasts all day long. Available in 40 inclusive shades, made for all skin tones. The foundation range was developed in partnership with extensive research on 5,000 women in eight countries across every continent. To ensure perfect coverage and feel, our formula is tailored to each skin tone, ensuring the most perfect finish from the lightest to deepest foundation shade.

Benefits: Semi-Matte Finish, 24 hour-wear, Buildable Coverage, Lightweight and breathable, Transfer-resistant, Comfortable feel, SPF 26

As it was a packet, I only had one day of wear with it. Since it is supposed to be 24 hr wear I tried to wear it as long as I could. I had it on for eleven hours and had absolutely no problems with it. the semi-matte finish was fantastic. I loved the way it looked. Again, I had to combine shades to cover my face, so I can’t speak to the buildability, but basic coverage looked beautiful. The issue is that it made me feel slightly greasy. I think part of that was the SPF in the product. Part of that may be that it was designed for someone with drier skin than me.

If you have oily skin then i would definitely suggest giving this a pass. I want to say that if you had skin that was drier than mine you might want to give it a try, but thee is still the sunscreen issue. The product had that ‘I have sunscreen mixed in’ feel to it. To me that read as greasy feeling when i wore it. If you have dry skin that might still be an issue but then again it might not. I would suggest sampling it before purchasing to see how you feel about it. For me, the feel made this Very Valentino 24 hr wear Liquid Foundation with spf 26 a pass. which is a shame because it looked good and performed well. I just know that because of the feel I would just find reasons not to reach for it.

And finally we come to the third foundation packet in my trio. it is the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation. And how is it described…

Achieve a radiant, natural-looking makeup look with the iconic LUMINOUS SILK foundation by Armani Beauty.

LUMINOUS SILK is a multi-award-winning liquid foundation with a silky, lightweight texture that delivers all-day buildable medium coverage with a satin glow finish for naturally flawless-looking skin and a no-makeup makeup look. This oil-free foundation is formulated with exclusive Micro–fil & trade technology, a patented process that allows the pigments to lay flat on the skin’s surface for a seamless application and a natural, second-skin effect. A tried-and-true makeup artist and celebrity favorite, this hydrating foundation helps sculpt and brighten skin, improve skin texture, and blur imperfections, all while delivering a fresh, long-lasting, lit-from-within glow. Available in up to 40 shades to match every unique skin tone. Suitable for all skin types

Again I had to combine shades to get enough product for application so while I am sure i can find my appropriate shade within their 40 shades, the one I am wearing is a mash up of about three.

Of the foundation samples I tried this is the only one that wasn’t really a matte finish. Normally I go for matte finishes, but for this I am willing to make an exception. The foundation went on like, well silk. if silk melted into the skin and made my skin look better than it was. There is a slight luminosity to the foundation. I used a matte Primer (Tatcha Silk Canvas) underneath and the two paired beautifully. I think because I am okay with a little glow but lean more into matte than I do dewy I would stick to matte primers when using this foundation.

And oh yes, I would use this again. It did not settle into my fine lines and it made my skin look great. it felt weightless and was neither too greasy or two drying. I have to say i feel a bit like Goldilocks. the first foundation was too dry, the second foundation too oily but the third foundation was just right.

Seriously, this had everything I liked about a foundation and it was easy to see why it won awards. I think of the three it was also the most expensive. And while price doesn’t always equate to value, from what I tried with this sample, this foundation might actually be worth the price. In my spring clear out, I will be going through the foundation drawer and marking the foundations with low product out for using up. I have several foundations I need to use up before I actually purchase another one. However when I do, I believe this Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation will be on my list. At the moment their Velvet Liquid lipstick is already on my products I really want list. I had a few samples of that a while back and it just performed fantastically well. Those are the only two products I have tried from the Giorgio Armani beauty and both have immediately made my list. It does make me want to take more of a look at the brand. But for now, this Luminous Silk Foundation was a clear winner and a product i will try more of in the future.

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Catching the Eyeko Double Act

While I love to take my time with my makeup. I have to admit there are sometimes when I am pressed and I play the how quickly can we get ready game. Usually it is when I planned a day where I was going to go sans makeup and suddenly discover i have a face to face meeting that I completely forgot about.

When that happens, these Eyeko Double act Shadow Sticks are a lifesaver. I take the darker shade of the stick and color in the outer part of my lid like I am using a crayon and then I blend inwards with a finger tip. I then put the lighter shade of the stick on the inner part of my lid and blend it outward and over the darker shade. It takes two seconds and no tools other than fingertips.

There are a few tricks. One, you have to move fast. Color, blend and then color again. Mostly because once this shadow stick is in place it doesn’t want to move. It is there for the rest of the day. So move quickly and tidy up fast if you have a smudge. They have a sharpener with them but I tend to like them a little more rounded. I find the freshly sharpened ends a bit pokey, So when I do have to sharpen them I do, and then I bounce the point on my hand a few times to sort of round it out. If you want a sharper more defined line, leave the point. I don’t so I round the point out.

top to bottom: cookies, cream dusk, dawn

I also really like having two sticks on hand. I have cookies and cream. I like cream on my inner eye and cream in the middle but it is to shimmery for me on the outer part of my eye.

I also have Dusk and dawn and I love both on the outer corner but find using them alone is two dark. So I have two sticks and that works out perfectly for me. I have always loved Eyeko’s Eyeliners and their mascaras, but now, I really love these Double Act sticks. The stick formula doesn’t leak or shatter.

There is no fall out and they stay in place all day. And honestly if you are keeping an eyeshadow in your purse for touch ups, or to beef up a look pre happy hour, they work fantastically well. I was very impressed with the performance. I think the trick is to figure out your quick eye look and to get the shades that work best for you. You are never going to et a full palette’s worth of looks out of these, but for the morning rush, they are a lifesaver.

Using the Axiology Lip to Lid Balmies

Recently Axiology sent a few items to me to try out and review. As always my opinions are completely my own. I was very excited about these products though because one thing I have been trying to do in my life is to reduce waste.

Axiology has more or less the same mission, although on a much grander scale than mine. Enter the Lip to Lid Balmies. A zero waste Multi use cosmetic crayon. I have the two pack or Nude Plum and Rose which is described as…

Lip-to-Lid Balmies are plastic-free, multi-use crayons for eyes, lips and cheeks. Packed with oils, butters, and antioxidants such as hemp, and plum oil to nourish and hydrate skin. 100% vegan, cruelty-free and palm oil-free. Made with 9 natural ingredients.

Ingredients:Ricinus communis (castor) seed oil*, Helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed oil*, Garcinia indica (kokum) seed butter, Helianthus annuus (sunflower) seed wax, Cannabis sativa (hemp) seed oil*, Sambucus nigra fruit extract, Prunus domestica (plum) seed oil, Tocopherol**, Azadirachta indica seed oil*

I know I normally only talk about ingredients in skincare but these are well worth talking about here. These products are vegan so they use sunflower seed wax instead of beeswax. If you look down the list it is pretty easy to see it is not a bad list of ingredients. I’ll admit I did have to look up kokum seed butter and nigra fruit extract but the others are items I would not mind seeing in my skincare. (and those I wouldn’t mind either I just had to look them up.) In case you were wondering kokum seed butter is an emollient and nigra fruit extract is also known as black elderberry and has antioxidant properties.

And both are more in keeping with skincare than makeup.

Usually.

While I have the two balmies, they do come in trios and even a Super Fan Pack with fourteen of these little crayons. Personally I was quite stunned by the array of colors available. I have been using these for various functions for the past few weeks (almost a month now actually). They are multi use items designed for use on the eye lids, cheeks and lips.

The first thing you notice when they arrive is that the outer packaging is completely recyclable. It is all paper and it quickly breaks down and can be sent off to the recycling no muss np fuss. We actually needed some dry material for our compost (we are a bit heavy on the coffee grounds) and so I tore the packaging into small bits and added it to it. The packaging is no more.

Inside, the container for the balmies is also made of recycled paper and ou yeah, the actually wrapping for the cosmetic crayon? Yup, that’s paper too. As you use the balmie it wears down and you just peel off the paper and keep using it until there is nothing left.

It is quite an interesting design. I imagine those last little bits of product might get a bit messy, but it will take a while to get there and they would only be a mess when it got down to the last little nub as the paper does go all the way to the base of the crayon and so should hold on until the very end if you are careful with your unwrapping.

I will say that while using these I did sort of want a Cruella Deville style cigarette holder to put them in. I think if Axiology ever decides to expand a bamboo holder in that style (without the hole for smoking) would be quite the classy addition. But that might just be me.

First, let’s talk eyes.

I really liked the way that I could draw a line with the product on the outer corner of my eye and then use a finger tip to blend it towards the center. Whether it is the product or these colors I don’t know but with that approach I managed a real natural sort of look. Just a little hint of color to give a little life to the face. I did try to build up the products and I was able to deepen the tone, but in truth when used as shadows these are really on the more natural side than they are the ultra glam side. The color can be deepened but the nude plum and the rose really leaned towards the natural low makeup kind of looks. I will say that while it is easy to blend, once it is in place it stays all day.

The cheeks were interesting.

I think because I so recently used the Axiology Color Cream which I have to be honest is now my standard for cream blushes, this fell a little short. The formula is fine, but the fine point didn’t work as well for me on the cheeks. These products want to draw a line. I did try and draw a circle and then blend, but the trick is you have to move really fast. Once these balmies are in place they want to stay in place. Which is great for makeup longevity but was not the best with the pointed crayon. I did have better success flipping the crayon over and using the flat bottom of the crayon but to use it I had to peel back the paper and so it left product exposed on both sides and that sort of meant it got all over my hand from the back when I went to use the pointy end.

While it can be used as a cheek product, and will look good on the cheeks, I think I am going to stick with the Color Creams for the cheeks. The shape is just better suited for the cheek area.

And finally the lips.

These Balmies were amazing on the lips. they are creamy and pigmented. The shades I have are more in the my lips but better sort of range. Again, that is just for these shades, there might be more dramatic shades in the box. But quite honestly I loved these. On the lips they feel like lip balm rather than lipstick. They don’t have the often waxy texture of a bullet style lipstick, they really just feel like a nice light lip balm. It also lends itself to a more natural look. It is a matte finish, however I found that pretty much any clear gloss will go over them really well and look good. I used the Revolution pout Balm and they looked great.

The one thing they don’t do is cover up any lip damage. if you have a dry spot on your lips then it does kind of show given the lightness of the formula. It will not irritate your lips though even if they are chapped which is nice. It is just not going to give you that super smooth look to your lips. It is not pigmented for that and it isn’t that dense a formula. However the point does allow you to trace your lips well so you don’t need a lip liner. And actually with this set if you are looking to do your liner one shade darker than your lip color and blend a little bit, the plum works well as a liner and the rose for infill.

Over all i was very impressed with Axiology’s Lip to Lid Balmies. They work well for different uses and are easy to use. There is a good amount of product so it will last a long time. The placement of the paper is designed to let you use the entire product with no fuss (unless you peel it back and try to use the back end). For me the cheeks were not my favorite use and that had more to do with the shape pf the product and the cat that I knew Axiology’s Color Cream was just a fantastic cheek product. If you are looking for products (and brands) that provide good products while reducing plastic, metal and other unrecyclable packaging I think that Axiology should be on your list to check out. Personally I will use these two crayons down to nubs and plan to keep them hand this summer when my default makeup look is low to no makeup for most of my week. I think Axiology’s Lip to Lid Balmies are a product I will keep around for a long time to come.

Seeing out the Use Up box of February and bringing in the March 2023 products

Each month i choose a selection of products to try to use repeatedly. For some of them they are products i love that are on the verge of expiring. Some are products that have been discontinued and i want to use up and clear out. A few are samples that I want to finish out and a few are items I’ve tried but want to give myself an opportunity to try out a bit more before I make a decision about how i feel about them.

The box I chose for February included:

Figs and Rouge Blurring Primer

Bite Beauty’s Changemaker Foundation

By Terry’s Hyaluronic Acid Hydro Powder

KVD Vegan Beauty Single shadow in Lolita

Tarte Breezy Cream Blush in pink sky

Milk Makeup Bronzing Stick

The Figs and Rouge Primer I used up. I found it a good hydrating primer, but it did nothing to help prevent foundation from sinking into fine lines and while it was pretty good at doing some blurring it was not my favorite formula. It was acceptable to use, but i am glad it is finished and going away.

I have been trying to finish out this Bite Beauty Foundation since the brand went Belly Up. With the push both in January and February to use it repeatedly, I have finally used it up and can send it away. It was an absolutely beautiful formula and I am sad it is no longer in production.

The By Terry loose powder was a sample size and I did use it up completely in this month’s box. While I adore the pressed version of this powder and in fact keep a compact in my bag at all times, I found the loose powder left white marks when I used it to set my makeup. They could be blended out, and i did blend them out but they were somewhat annoying and took extra time. While I would repurchase the pressed version, I am not a fan of the loose one. Now that it is empty, I will not repurchase in the full size.

I had no actual belief that i would be able to use up the KVD Shadow this month. I do have a box of single shadows and small quads that I tend to forget to use. Each month i am trying to rotate one in so that they do get used or so that in looking at them I can decide they no longer need to stay. I love this shade and will happily put it back to be used again.

The Milk Makeup Bronzer is a sample size. I put it in this box because I want to use it up. I like it enough that I want to purchase it in a full size but won’t do so until I have used up the sample. Mostly I know that I will stop using the sample once i have the full size and I don’t like wasting product. It isn’t used up yet but I did turn to the bronzer often. It will be staying in the box in March.

The final item in February’s Box was the Tart cream blush. I put it in the box because I wanted to get a feel for the product. When it came in I tried it and I did like it but I knew I needed to play around with it more. And then I forgot about it. This month I only reached for it once so I am going to keep it around another month and see if i reach for it any more. If I don’t that may tell me it doesn’t need to hang around.

And now for the new box.

March’s Use Up Box

Products:

Milk Makeup Bronzing Stick

Tarte Breezy Cream Blush in Pink Sky

Almay Velvet Cream Shadow in bronze

Laura Mercier Pure Canvas Primer

Anastasia Beverly hills Matte Lipstick in Dead Roses (sample size)

Anastasia Beverly Hills Translucent setting powder

The Milk Makeup Bronzer I want to continue using up and it will stay in the box until it is finished. The tarte too is sticking around. either i will use it more this month or I will realize it is not a product i want to reach for and let it go.

The Almay Cream shadow I have only gotten to use once and I am keeping it in the box because I want the chance to play around with it a bit more. I think having it out will encourage that.

I chose the Laura Mercier Primer because I have several primer samples. I tent to put them into a little box and then forget about the, This month I am going to start with the Laura Mercier primer and then when it is finish keep rolling in sample sized primers to use them up and determine whether or not I want to purchase any of them in a full size. I am starting with this one because it was on the top of the pile (It arrived in the February Cohorted box).

Thee are two Anastasia Beverly Hills products in here. the first is a matte Lipstick in the shade Dead Roses. I love the shade but it is discontinued. I love the formula as well. It is a sample size so I am going to work on finishing it up and sending it on it’s way. I really like the ABH lipstick formula so using it is not a hardship. The second ABH Product is the Setting powder. I like it. It is a good setting powder. It is a large setting powder and I am a little past the halfway point in this powder’s use. I don’t know if I can actually finish this powder this moth but I am going to try. I should also say that I do have a second unopened container in my powder drawer. I just think the opened one has been open for quite a while and want to use it up.

And so my darlings that is the Use up box, both the February recap and the products I will work towards using up for March. I know it isn’t exactly like the project pan that other people do and maybe at some point I will do that, but i really enjoy selecting products to focus on using. I won’t use each of them every day, but throughout the month i will try to use at least one item from the use up box each day so that i can keep them in constant use. It gives me enough wiggle room to create the look I want for that day, but also to feel like I am not letting products sit. to be honest, this month, I am most excited about focusing on using up the sample sized primers. Some of them I really wanted to try and hope they will be good to purchase in a full size, Others I know nothing about. But then I do love a good primer.

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The Daily: February 6th, 2023

Good afternoon my darlings. I hope you had a fantastic weekend and that Monday is treating you well. This was a interesting weekend for me. Friday was just a hot mess. I didn’t even remotely get a chance to do my Face Mask Friday. A project that I thought was done went super nova and it was all hands on deck.

I have several 3 minute face masks ready to try out though, so I might roll one of them in place of the sheet mask this week so if you are feeling like you missed your face mask fix, stay tuned.

But the fun didn’t stop there. My babydoll is not a fan of crowds at the best of times. He tends to have a set group of people he likes and then he wants the rest of the world to just leave him alone. He is one of those people that very much enjoys social distancing and he is really sort of hoping the distance thing becomes a permanent thing. I love him dearly but he is not a people person.

But for Valentine’s Day, he tries.

Usually it is a bit of a compromise. We tend to go out for Valentines Day but we go out the weekend earlier and then just have a night in on the actual valentine’s day. So since Valentine’s Day is on a Tuesday this year, he reasoned that the weekend of the 11th would be when everyone went out to celebrate. And so we went out this weekend for the dinner out. We had a grand night out actually. We went to a concert and then went out to dinner. He bought me tulip bulbs for the garden as a gift. I am very happy with that actually as I have been talking about expanding our small tulip bed. well area maybe more accurate, but you get the picture. Not only did he get me something I like, but he was actually listening when I talked about the garden. (In case you are wondering I got him a box of his his favorite high end chocolates – he has a far bigger sweet tooth then I ever will – and some kit for his beer making endeavors. he was tickled by the new gear although I have to say I have very little idea what I actually picked up. He keeps a wish list and I saw one of the items was in stock so that’s what I ordered.)

It was a really great night. And then we got food poisoning from the restaurant.

It wasn’t the stomach pumping kind of bad, but it did sort of ruin the rest of the weekend. Nothing else was done. No routine errands or household chores. Nothing. I am now up to Season seven (out of 16) of Criminal Minds thought. with the release of the new season on Paramount + I started at Season 1 and began working through the seasons to reach the current one. I am now about midway through season seven. while I love the show, there is something almost therapeutic watching people take down serial killers when you are curled up under a blanket on the couch with a wonky tummy. I also confess, I like the weird episodes. There was one this weekend where the killer turned people into marionettes. It was a good episode. Anyway Paramount+ has them all so I am working my way through until I get to the current season. And this weekend was a good weekend to do some binge watching.

Because I wasn’t going anywhere or doing anything productive.

While I am better, and need to restock the Pepto Bismol, It wasn’t a restful weekend and it feels like I needed another day. Still the work week arrived as predicted so here we are. I do think I am going to feather in all of the missed chores during the week this week though so I can just collapse next weekend. At least that is the plan.

Today’s Look:

Primer: Pinklipps Soft Matte Primer

Foundation: Bite Beauty Changemaker Foundation (discontinued – from the use up box)

Bronzer: Milk Makeup Bronzing stick (sample size from the Use up box)

Blush: Axiology No Waste Multistick Color Cream in True

Powder: By Terry Hyaluronic Acid Hydra Powder (sample size from the Use up Box)

Eyeshadow: Wander Beauty Wanderess Escape Palette

Mascara: Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real Magnet extreme lengthening Mascara

brows: GrandeBrow-Fill

Lips: Axiology Zero Waste Multisuse Crayon in Nude Plum

Okay my darling’s we will take it from the top, because we have some really interesting things in today’s line up. First is the Pinklipps primer. This is an interesting primer. If used sparingly, it is quite fantastic. It creates a nice softly blurred canvas for the rest of the makeup to sit on. The pink tone helps even things out in my skin tone but I have pink undertones to my skin so if you don’t have that, it might not help. It does give a nice matte look to the skin which I like. However if you use a little too much this formula does tend to feel a little heavy and greasy. So I put just a little bit where i need it most and then blend out. Which seems to work for this primer. i am still playing with it so I’ll keep you posted, but tat the moment that seems to be what is working.

The Bite Foundation is fantastic but discontinued so it is in my use up box. My hope is to finish it out this month so I can let it go. The same holds true for the By Terry Powder. it is good but not my favorite formula so i am using up the sample size I have this month so I can let it go. The Milk Makeup Bronzer also comes from the use up box, however it is there for a different reason. It is a sample size that I want to use up so that I can purchase the full size. While I love samples because they give me a good idea of how the product actually works, if I like it I make myself use up the sample before I purchase the full size. I really like this bronzer, so I am am using up the sample in order to purchase the fill size.

And now we get to the Axiology products. I don’t know if you have heard of this brand but it is well worth looking into. they very kindly sent over a few products for me to try so they will be around for the next few weeks (and probably beyond) while i try them out. They are multiuse products with sustainable packaging. There is no metal or plastic in the packaging. it is all paper and all recyclable. I’ll get into all of the details of that with my fill post of the brand but if sustainability is important to you I recommend checking out their website to see how they are doing things. The links in this post will take you to their site.

But a good idea is only a good idea if it works. And so we start the product testing. Today I use the Multi stick color cream as the blush and the Multi use crayon as my lipstick. For the blush the color I used was True. I dotted it on to my face as I would a stick of cream blush and then blended with a damp makeup sponge. (Currently I am using the Beauty Bakerie Blending eggs for this. They are just the right density. I don’t like my makeup sponges too hard in general, but for this you will also want to avoid the too soft ones. they never seem to work all that well for cream blushes. Other things, yes, but not most cream blushes, so go with a medium density).

I only needed a couple of dots and then it blended into a really nice blush. I really like this shade and actually i think that this is also multi season in shading for me as well. I started with a single dot of product and blended out and it gave me a very light flush. I added a second dot and it blended as well and proved the formula was buildable. As the shade works well with my skin tone I think when the summer sun starts to give me a tan, I will just be able to use a little more to have the perfect summer shade as well. I love a product i can use year round. I won’t know for certain until the summer but this first use was very promising. The lip crayons went on really well also, it was smooth and creamy. It has the consistency on the lips of a creamy bullet style lipstick. It doesn’t dry down which is fine and requires reapplication after eating but i really like the shade and the feel of it on my lips. It was a great first use. Thus far the only issue I see is that I really like this True shade as a blush so I am not sure I am going to want to try using it anywhere else. It just makes such a great blush. Still it is multi use so I will try using it elsewhere.

This was my first use of the Escape Palette, although a while back I had a mini version of this palette I believe. I remember this pink shimmer shade and I am very happy to have it back (the previous palette was used, well loved and then accidentally dropped where three of the six shadows crumbled, in case you were wondering).I love having this pink shimmer back. It was my favorite before and it is so again. It is a subtle shimmer that is perfect for the work day. i went with a general work day look today and I think it came out looking really well.

The Benefit mascara is one of my favorites. I tried the magnet in a sample and loved it enough to purchase full size. Oddly while i love the magnet version of this mascara, i wasn’t as thrilled by the regular They’re real. It was okay but when I used it I preferred Bad Gal Bang from them. I still love the Bad Gal but this Magnet They’re real is a close second. I just find it amusing at the difference between the two versions of They’re real.

And to end I am using the GrandeBrow Fill. As a brow gel it is fantastic. Since my bangs cover most of my brows at the moment I don’t need much in the way of brow products so I am hoping the good things in this brow fill will work on the patchy spots. That will take time to see but i do like it as a brow gel. it keeps everything in place without feeling stiff.

And wo my darlings that is me today. I’ve just begun the Axiology test and am really excited to see how the products perform in the next few weeks. My tummy is feeling better and the panic that was Friday has settled down to something more manageable for the work week. And so I will get back to my paperwork and let you get on with the rest of your day. I hope it is a fabulous one.

The Daily: January 3rd, 2023

Well I seem to be recovering from the holiday fairly well but the weather it seems is in for a relapse. The sun started out late as though it too wanted to sleep through the alarm and then it rallied for a bit. Now, clouds are moving in and the sun is nowhere to be found. It is days like this that make me just want to crawl back into bed. However I actually had my eyes flutter open around three am this morning and refuse to shut again. They would blink but as for actual sleep, that was a no go.

I am still oddly awake and not the slightest bit sleepy now even though it is mid afternoon. I thought that lunch time would see me start to drowse, which is why I went in hard this morning on all the things I needed to do. . I figured there might be an urgent nap time in the afternoon. Thus far, no call for napping. Which I am okay with. If I can stay awake and non drowsy for the rest of the day there is a good chance that I will sleep well tonight. I know, a bit more than you probably care to know, but i find it a bit strange.

Between the weather and the sleep it is throwing off my exercise game though.

I think that has been heavily on my mind since I got back. December was filled with more gatherings than I think we have had in the past few years. I think part of it is that most of my friends are extra cautious and so any get togethers have been very much social distanced. I think there is also a desire to get together and I think there were also family issues this year. Some people weren’t traveling for various reasons but still wanted to get together. Or maybe I am just more aware of it this year. My mother declared this was a minimum Christmas this year. My brother’s birthday was on December 29th and so his birthday and Christmas were always linked and the first year after his death was hard on all of us. It is also why we made such a big deal about Thanksgiving this year. No one was going to be in the mood for a big Christmas. And if there weren’t little kids to celebrate i think my mother would have called the entire Holiday off this year.

Food wise I was okay with the snacking. I managed to limit myself. But i also noticed that as the month went on and more and more non-standard affairs went on, the less I kept track of things. i also took time out for doing the extra holiday things. I have no complaints about that. I enjoy wrapping presents and decorating for the holiday and all the other things that have to do with the holidays but there is no denying that they do take time. And if work still has to be done then it is exercise time that gets shorted.

It also didn’t help that when the temps dropped to single digits, the sunroom where I do my indoor workouts became positively frigid so several of those workouts got skipped. And on the 29th I celebrated (if that is the right term) my brother’s birthday with Pizza and the WWE’s Royal Rumble. As did all of the family actually. I think a couple of people deliberately signed onto a streaming service to be able to see it. My brother adored both the WWE and pizza so it seemed a fitting thing to do. I am glad I did it. There was laughter as well as tears and it was good.

It has also been a really long time since I mindlessly ate in front of the television. Usually i separate food and TV. I ate far more than I needed to.

All of this means i am pretty sure i gained weight over the holiday. I will find out Friday morning, but I wanted to put this here. It is sort of to brace myself. I have already admitted to myself that I gained weight and acknowledged why. I know it isn;t a normal thing and can thus move on, accepting what Friday’s scale tells me.

I know, sorry to pull you into my personal therapy but I am guessing that in this wide world I am not the only one who is facing January realizing that the indulgences of December did not magically disappear when the calendar turned on New Year’s. For me it always helps to sort of sit down, face what I did and why I stepped out of my plan. It helps me let it go so that when I step on the scale Friday morning i can face the numbers knowing that I have already addressed the issue. I find separating the addressing the issue and the stepping on the scale helps me out. Perhaps it will help you too.

Which was heavier than I planned to get on a Tuesday. We’ll chalk it up to low sleep and move into something lighter.

Today’s Look

Primer: Marc Jacobs Under (cover) primer (discontinued- from the January Use Up Box)

Foundation: Yensa Skin on Skin BC Full Coverage Foundation

Bronzer/Blush/Highlighter: Realher Ultimate Glow Getter Cheek Trio

Setting Powder: Becca Pink Haze Setting powder (discontinued)

Eyeshadow Primer: Pretty Vulgar Eyeshadow Primer

Eyeshadow: Urban Decay Naked honey Eyeshadow Palette

Mascara: Iconic London Triple Threat Mascara

Brows: GrandeBrow Fill Volumizing Brow Gel

Lips: Colourpop Ultra Matte Lip in Tulle

Setting Spray: Ciate London Watermelon Burst Setting Spray

The Mar Jacobs Primer is from my use up box and is discontinued. I’m hoping to use it up this month and clear it out. I really like it but alas, it is no longer being made.

I love this Yensa Foundation. I enjoy their other foundations, but this is my favorite. in fact at the moment it is my hands down favorite foundation in my collection It is half empty at the moment and I am trying to hold up repurchasing it. i think that I might have to make a deal with myself. If I clear out two foundations from my collection I can repurchase this one. It is just my favorite go to foundation and it always looks good on my skin.

This Real Her Cheek Trio I actually took with me traveling. It is slim and compact and the product work really well. I tend to lean more heavily on this in the summer because of the shades but if I dip lightly into the pan it works well in the winter time as well. The highlighter is the one product I don’t like in the winter. In the summer when i am tanned it blends really well with my skin but in the winter when i am a bit pale it tends to look a little brassy on the skin. So I avoided the highlighter. As I like the natural glow of the Yensa foundation it worked out well.

I went for the Becca powder today because I am so close to using it up. It is part of my use up box and I actually think that with this week and possibly next weeks worth of use I can actually use it all the way up. It is a great powder but discontinued and the packaging is quite bulky. I know I won’t reach for it once i order a new pink powder (and will probably end up trying out several pink powders to find one I like which will also take up space) so I want to clear it out before i look for a replacement. So for the next week or so, I will be using it a lot.

I tend to forget eyelid primers a lot and so this one is getting a little on the old side which is why I put it in my use up box. It is my favorite eyeshadow primer though so once it is used up I will probably reorder it. I have a few shadows that really need a primer underneath. The Urban Decay isn’t one of them, but it didn’t hurt anything and I am trying to get in the habit of using it. It works well and creates a nice even colored canvas for the shadow.

I love this Naked Honey eyeshadow palette. It is easy to work with and instead of just slapping on a shade (which I can do with this palette) it always calls me to play. which is fun with eyeshadow. I just really like playing with this palette. i know i have several palettes i need to test out (and am looking forward to testing out) but this is just one of my favorite eyeshadow palettes and I figured if i was using one of my favorite foundations then i might as well use one of my favorite eyeshadow palettes. It is just such a fantastic palette. I just couldn’t resist it today.

This is a brand new tube of mascara opened for the first time today. However the name sounds familiar and makes me feel like I have tried it as a sample at some point. However I can’t recall it at the moment. The wand is thin and I usually prefer thicker wands. It works well. It is supposed to volumize, lengthen and lift if you are wondering the three threats. There is no volumizing but it lengthens pretty decently and it lifts well. The lifting is it’s strong suit. It is a decent mascara but it is one i will use and let go of not one I will repurchase. I am happy to use it though.

This year seemed to be the brow gel invasion. I tried not to take it as a personal commentary, but I do have a lot of brow gels to try out. In general I love Grande cosmetics. when my ill fated attempts to use false lashes ended up ripping out most of my natural lashes I turned to them and they did an amazing repair job with their lash serum (Highly recommend, btw). I tried their liner yesterday and need to practice and continue using it as it went on really well and lasted all day. it is just my application of a liquid liner that needs to improve. So I ad no trouble deciding to pick this out of my stack of brow gels to try first. This is a clear gel which I like and it locks my brows into place without feeling like I have superglue on my eyebrows. Thus far I am rather enjoying it. The volumizing did have me worried I would end up looking a bit Neanderthal but thus far we are doing just fine. We’ll see how I feel as use continues.

This is one of the two lipsticks in my use up box, mostly because there is not a lot of product left in the tube and the tube is aging. I love the color but it is a little bit of a drying formula. It does cause it to crumble a little after mid day, but for a morning meting it is really good. I just add lip balm over it post lunch.

I will be honest i do tend to forget to use setting sprays. I have a bunch of them I need to use so I chose the Ciate to start with. Mostly because it came in a Boxycharm recently (December I think) and it was at the front of the shelf. It has a nice mist to it and a nice watermelon scent which is kind of nice and summery. I figure if the weather can forget the seasons so can my setting spray. It works well and I will be using it every day in January. At the end of the month I will see how i feel about it and if it is worth repurchasing. For the moment though I really like it. The scent is really not much of an issue. It is the spray that gets me. this has a fine mister which is what I look for as it means fewer chances of splotches of wet on my makeup. Thus far it is also locking in the makeup well so that is also a good thing. I am more than happy to use this setting spray for the month. Plus in winter a good setting spray helps me from looking dry and powdery as the day wears on.

And that my darlings is me today. I started with a fabulous foundation and used my favorite eyeshadows so personally I am happy. And now, it is back to work for me. I’m doing my best to stay a head of things this year. It’s not exactly a new year’s resolution, just an understanding that things happen and if I am always a little ahead, the things that happen might not take as dramatic a chunk out of my schedule. I know it is a vain hope but as I spent the last few months trying desperately to catch up after my schedule was torpedoed, I rather enjoy the thought of actually being slightly ahead. It makes me happy.

The January 2023 Use Up Box

Throughout December I used several items that were on their last legs. Some of them were getting ready to expire, some were products that were discontinued and others were from entire brands that had gone the way of the dodo.

I have to say it felt really good to use up the last remnants of those items and send them on their way. In the process of using them up I found quite a few items that were ones I liked but never remembered to reach for, some from defunct brands and a few that were mediocre but still worth using, just not repurchasing.

It is oddly the items that are only so-so that seemed to be taking up so much space in my collection. I think that is the down side of subscription boxes. While the subscription boxes often introduce me to brands I didn’t know and help me find new favorites, they also sometimes send me duds or even just okay products. The duds don’t stick around long. They are tried out and passed on to friends in the hopes that they will find the product more to their liking. The mediocre ones are interesting. They are products that are good enough to use but not to repurchase. I tell myself I will use them and then let them go. The problem is that I end up reaching for products I like more and only occasionally remember to pull them out of the drawer.

So I decided that this year I am going to try something out. I am going to create a small box to keep out on the surface of my dressing table. There where I can see it daily, I am going to place several items I am going to reach for with the goal of using them up. My plan is to pick one item from this box each day to incorporate in my makeup. Then at the beginning of the following month I will reevaluate the items. Some I hope to have used up, some will stay in the box to continue to be used up, and if I find that even with them right there within sight I am still not reaching for them, they will be sent along.

At least that is the plan. And so we set January’s Use Up Box.

Given the number of brands that have gone out of business recently I decided to start my box with a few of those items. While I like these items they are no longer being produced.

The first is the Becca Pink Haze Setting powder. I love the pink tinted setting powder for adding a bit of life to my skin when I feel pale and wan. I am almost finished with this container but I also know I won’t look at trying out and finding a new pink toned powder to replace it until it was gone.

The second item is the Marc Jacobs Under(cover) Blurfection Primer. It is a really good pore blurring primer, but alas no longer made. The third item that is no longer being produced is the Bite Beauty Changemaker foundation. While I adore the foundation, Bite beauty is no longer in business.

The next two items on my January’s list are the Pretty Vulgar Eye Shadow Primer and the Colorpop Ultra Matte Lip. I really like both of these actually, but I have had them for quite some time. Both are about half empty. I love the color of the lippie and this is one of the more reliable eyeshadow primers. I don’t want them to go to waste.

There are three products that I tried out when they came in but then set them aside and forgot about them. In truth I don’t really remember how they perform. They are the Eyeko Spotlight Highlighting Stick, the Brow Bar Palette By Reema and a Josephine Cosmetics Liquid Lip. To be honest I vaguely remember trying them, but have no recollection of how they performed. So it looks like January they get their chance to shine, or to fail.

There are two final items in my to be used up box and these, I expect to be rotating in and out of the box actually. I have the tendency to forget about single shadows. Some of them have formulas I love but I just never seem to remember to reach for them. And of course there are several I can’t remember too well as I tried them once or twice, put them in the single shadows box and then promptly forgot about them. So this month I am putting the Too Faced Melted Chocolate Matte Liquid Eyeshadow and the Real Her Dreams So Big Eyeshadow Duo in my Use up box. All three of the shadows work well together so I can reach for all of them at once, or perhaps use one of them with the eyeshadow palette I have taken out for the day. At least that is the hope.

And there you have it, the Use Up Box for January. It is my hope that I will be able to work through some products this way, reducing waste by using the products up before they expire and making room for new products all at the same time. At the beginning of February, we’ll see how successful this plan is.

Using the Pores No More Luminizing Primer from Dr. Brandt Skincare

If you have followed my posts for any length of times then you probably know two things about me. (you probably know more, but we’ll go with two for now.) I love primers and I don’t like to look too glowy. I think there is a point where glowy looks just greasy, especially on me. Some people can pull it off, I am not one of them. It drives me a little crazy.

I do like a little bit of illumination underneath my foundation though as i think it does help make the more matte foundations look a little less mask like. Finding that balance often makes me feel a bit like Goldilocks. This Dr. Brandt Luminizer Primer actually strikes a good balance for me. It brings the glow, but it is so much more than just the glow.

It is from the Pores No More Line of Dr. Brandt products. I’ve tried several products from this line in the past and in fact have a cleanser from the line slated to start after my current cleanser is finished. All of the products I have tried from this line I have really enjoyed. So before I started, this I had high expectations.

And spoiler alert, this primer met and even exceeded my expectations.

The scent of this primer lets you know it comes from a skin care brand. It very much has that skincare/makeup combo scent to it. I actually like that scent but I just don’t have a better description for it. There is squalene listed in the ingredients list and I think that is part of the skincare scent, at least it is similar enough to many other squalene based products I’ve tried that it is the scent I associate with squalene. I’ve never actually scented squalene on it’s own.

According to the description on the website…

pores no more® LUMINIZER PRIMER is a lightweight silky cream that creates a glowing, flawless complexion with or without makeup, blurs the look of pores and imperfections, provides a smooth canvas for seamless long-wear foundation application. For clients concerned with enlarged pores, lack of radiance, skin color and texture imperfections. All skin types.
Dr. Brandt

The cream of this primer is slightly tinted which helps with the blurring of the pores. And it does blur the pores really well. The slight tint is also really good at taking down slight redness and uneven skin tone. It isn’t a thick coat, it is a subtle shift. I don’t have the red of rosatia to my skin, just a slight ruddiness I like to blend out when putting on makeup . For me this worked really well. It also covered the slightly darker spots on my skin as well. For me it was all I needed at the moment. I wanted it to mostly blur out the pores which it did well. In essence this primer provides a really good neutral base on which to put your makeup.

Which let’s face it, is mostly the point of primer. So job well done.

One extra benefit I noticed was that there was not a lot of clogged pores with this primer. While I tend to only wear makeup for about six to eight hours a day, during the holidays all of my makeup wear time gets extended. This primer was able to go under long wear foundation, and look beautiful well past the length of time i usually wear my makeup. So I was well pleased with this Dr. Brandt Luminizer Primer and will happily continue to wear it.

25% Off Micro and Cleansing – all about being clean for the new year

Holiday Gift Sets: Wander Beauty

I have tried a lot of Wander Beauty products and there are quite a few I really like. Pictured above are some of the favorites in my collection. The Staycation mask is really good for hydration (no surprise there) and is something I turn to routinely in the wintertime. If you are interested in a more fulsome review, it featured on a Face mask Friday post a while back and you can read about it here. The Do Not Disturb Overnight Repair Concentrate was a part of my Skincare routine from July 2nd – September 3rd, 2021And I liked it enough to pick up a second one. In fact I pulled it out of my skin care drawer because I need to rotate a night mask into my current routine and I will be adding this in. The baggage claim Eye masks are long term faves and this, my last set, will be slipped into my travel bag before i leave for Thanksgiving and reordered once I return.

In fact the Baggage Claim Under Eye Masks feature in several of Wander Beauty’s Holiday sets this year. Which isn’t surprising since they are really nice eye masks and because they travel really well. This year Wander Beauty has the Eye masks in Festive Fuchsia for a limited time. ($26 for a pack of 6)

Wander Beauty also offers a 24 piece variety pack ($75) this set includes not only the Limited Edition Festive Fuchsia Baggage Claim Masks but the original gold and the rose gold sets as well.

Whatever color you use they all are fabulous. they are light weight and stay in place well so if you want to put them on while getting things done around the house they are easy to wear and you don’t have to worry about them slipping. Last year my mother and each wore a set while wrapping Christmas gifts. And then after got dressed for the holiday gathering. (where we handed out the presents we just wrapped, timing slipped a little last year).

They are great for a pre makeup ritual and they really help to depuff the eyes which is why they are onw of the products I keep around for allergy season. Actually during allergy season i like to put them on and then while they sit I will lightly roll over them with a jade roller. It pushes more of the serum in and the coolness of the stone is also beneficial to allergic eyes. So for me the larger pack is always a good idea. I like the way they feel and I love that they don’t leave any sticky residue on the skin when you peel them off.

The eye masks also feature this year in the Wander X Tenoverten Mask and Mani Set ($46). With this set you get six of the original gold Baggage Claim under eye masks and three nail polishes from TenoverTen. The colors are R&R (Soft Pink), First Class (Metallic Gold) and Soirée (Berry). I have tried the Ten over Ten top coat called Outlast. It is designed to make the polish chip resistant and I found it to be a really good quality top coat. i have never actually tried any of their nail polishes before. If they work as good as the top coat then I would consider this a very good deal. Each of their nail polishes retails for $12 on their own and the masks are a $26 value so you you get over $60 worth of product for the price.

I think that is one of the things that I really like about Holiday Bundles in general. You can get long time favorite products, try new things and get a great deal into the bargain.

Of course not all of the Holiday Bundles from Wander Beauty are about the under eye masks. (I just go through so many of them that I gravitate there first). One of the sets that really interests me this year is the Skincare essentials set. it is a Duo of the Drift Away Cleanser and the Dive in Moisturizer. I have never tried either product actually. I know I love the Do Not Disturb Overnight treatment so I am pretty sure the Dive In moisturizer would work well for me too, but if I am honest I am most interested in trying out the Drift Away Cleanser. It is a gel to foam cleanser that is supposed to provide the effect of a double cleanse without stripping the skin.

You know I love a double cleanse. And the few cleansers I have tried that have been gel to foam or cream to foam have been transitions I really like because the initial form (gel or cream) really lets me see where i put the cleanser so i can make sure i have in fact covered my whole face and am washing everything. I know that sounds a little strange, but I am not at my best first thing in the morning and the visual cue is helpful. I’m better after coffee, but still I like the transformative cleansers. I’m actually using a cream to foam cleanser at the moment.

Which I suppose it just long way round to say that I like this bundle.

They also have non skin care bundles this holiday season. Two of them caught my eye. The first is the Double Date Mini Lip and Cheek Set ($25). There are six mini lip and cheek products which is all of their lip and cheek shades plus the new release Spring Fling. I love this set for several reasons. One I would get to try every shade Wander Beauty has of the Lip and Cheek Creams. That right there is a bonus. i mean how often do you get to try out an entire lines worth of shades in one set?

Also I have really been liking cream blushes lately. the ones I like give me a great deal of control with blending and pigmentation level. (Of course the ones i don’t like provide a degree of angst, but that is the way with every product). I have been eying the Wander Beauty Double Date Creams for a while trying to decide which color suits me. And the ones that don’t work as Blushes on me look like they would be fab as lip products. And I will never say no to lip products. there is also something aesthetically appealing about the clear plastic rounds. Youi can see the product at a glance so you can quickly pick the shade you want and honestly they just look attractive. Plus, you know I already wanted to try them. Sort of a no brainer that I’d like it.

Of course you can’t forget the mascara. I have to say I am amused by this next bundle. It is the Eye-tinerary mascara Duo ($35). I have tried both mascaras and liked them both. They are just both good products. Personally I like the Unlashed a little bit more. I like the curved wand and if I had to pick i will generally go for volume over lengthening in a mascara. If I can get both great, but if not I will lean towards volume. So of course I go for the Unlashed which is a volumizing mascara. My cousin on the other hand loves length and absolutely adores the Mile High Club Mascara. Unsurprisingly, it has great lengthening properties.

So we predictably disagree on which mascara is the best. I know as far as serious debates go it doesn’t hold a candle to anything but when others get into more heated arguments about far more important (and family damaging) disagreements the debate between length and volume has served to break up the tension.(And when it doesn’t works there always the Smurfs Vs. Snorks debate to fall back on for diffusing tempers, admittedly that debate might show my age a bit). Regardless, I find it amusing to see both mascaras in the same bundle. I also think it is a great deal as both are in fact really good mascaras.

If you just want to try the Wander Beauty Mascaras without committing to a full sized tube they also have a trio of mini mascaras ($35) It has both the Unlashed and the Mile High Club as well as the Upgraded Lashes thickening Mascara. I have not tried that one so I can’t speak to it, but the other two are fantastic.

There are other Holiday sets available this year from Wander Beauty and honesty they all look well worth the price. these are just the ones that caught my eye. If you are looking to try items from the brand, stock up on favorites or seek out gifts for the skin care or makeup loving family member, there are several items on the Wander Beauty Holiday Sets page well worth looking into.

The 2022 Primer Declutter

I love primers. I put them under every foundation and when i don’t feel like wearing foundation, I apply the prime and then dust with powder and call it good. As strange as it seems this is my actual favorite category of makeup. However I also have a habit of just putting primers i don’t like in the drawer. Unless they break me out or cause a major skin irritation, I will keep them around hoping that this next time they will work better.

While I knew there were a lot of them, after I cleared out the foundations yesterday it made the primers look that much more out of control so I went ahead and dove into the primers. It felt really good to clear things out and to be honest, I may just start my end of year declutter now. I’m sure I’ll do another one just before new years, but at least a preliminary purge is long over due. so let’s get started.

First up we have three primers I have never used.

Two of them were actually still sealed and one I think I opened to see the consistency but never used. These three are staying and I will try them out to see if i like them. Then they may or may not stay.

So on to the primers I have tried. First up we have two sample sizes. The first is the YSL Touch Eclat Blur Primer. I really love this primer. I know it looks like there is half a sample left but it is not. When you open the cap and take the wand out the product level drops to almost nil and is really hard to get out with the wand. I really like this primer and even though it is expensive, it is one that I will be adding to my collection. In truth the only reason that I kept it in the drawer was to remind me of how much i like it and to remind me to order a full size once i had whittled down my primers to a more respectable level. I really like this primer, bit this almost completely empty sample needs to go.

The second sample size leaving me is the Unicorn Glow long wear primer. This sample is alas empty. However it too is in the drawer because I want to purchase it in the full size. It is less costly than the YSL. It is only $12 retail for the full size (as opposed to YSL’s $57). It blurs well and does extend the life of the makeup worn over it. It is a very good primer actually.

The next two primers I am getting rid of because they simply don’t suit me. The Ciate Watermelon Burst Hydrating Primer is far too hydrating for my skin. The watermelon scent is lovely and it feels great against the skin but my skin is not dry enough for this primer. It is simply too moisturizing.

The Rodial Glass primer is also quite hydrating but to be completely honest it is the smell of the primer that is causing me to pass it on to a friend of mine. It is good, but it has a very menthol scent to it. If the scent dissipated quickly then I would be okay with it, but the scent lingers and I do not like the scent of menthol. Plus it is very hydrating and so it is getting passed along.

And then we have the primers that have expired. First up is the Stila Sheer Illumination Lingerie Soufflé Primer. This primer is no longer made and I don;t think it has been for quite some time. I loved it and it is down to just a film of product on the inside of the glass. I honestly kept it because I liked the container and not because there was any usable product in it. I don;t think I have actually opened the jar in 2 years let alone used what I’m sure was expired product two years ago. I just really like the jar. I will either send it to the rubbish bin or I will wash it out and use it for something else. To be honest I actually have a small succulent that might do well in this jar and look lovely in the sun room. Wheter the jar is reused or thrown away it very much needs to leave my makeup collection.

The LYS Serum Gripping Primer is not a very old product. It was an okay primer that felt like a serum but didn’t really do much gripping. It was more of a hydrating serum that was supposed to have skin care benefits. It had more use as skincare than it did as a primer to be honest. And when I went to test it before deciding to keep or get rid of, the formula had already separated. And so into the trash it goes.

Sadly the elf puff puff primer is also expired and separated. It was a really good primer and I am sad that it got buried and forgotten. I enjoyed using it and found it soothing to the skin. It was an excellent primer to wear after too much sun or if you were suffering from windburn. It is a cannabis sativa infused primer and it was just fantastic with any kind of skin irritation i had.. At some point i will repurchase this primer. My go to for Elf is the Elf putty primer. however i did finish that prime up and have not yet picked up a replacement. I meant to and probably will soon but the number of primers i had on hand made me restrain myself from repurchasing it. However it is a fabulous primer that i highly reccomend.

And finally in the expired category is the Too Faced Hangover Replenishing primer. I received this in a subscription box and I was very happy to get the chance to try it. Everyone raved about it and how fabulous it was. To me it felt like a light weight moisturizer but not a primer. But any time i looked it up everyone was saying fabulous things about it. So I held onto it thinking that if i kept trying it maybe I would see what the big deal about it was. And then after a while i stopped trying it. I think the issue is simply skin type. It may be fabulous for some but i really think that it is a product that works best with dry skin. I you have dry skin then using this to hydrate before applying makeup may help. For me it did nothing. I should have realized that in time to pass it on, but alas I did not.

And now, for the ones I am keeping. Some of these are not going to be a surprise. I have both the Liquid Silk Canvas and the Protective Silk Canvas balm Primer from Tatcha. I love both of them. I prefer the balm. It is hands down my all time favorite primer. It makes my skin look and feel good. I like the Liquid Silk canvas and while I have the travel size I will be ordering the full sized when it is empty. I do like the balm version just a little bit better though, but it is really a personal formula prefrence as they are both fantastic.

The Glamglow Super Matifying Primer is also one I am keeping in my collection. i like the primer and I like the way it works with my skin. However the packaging is really bulky and for the size of the packaging (and the price) there is not a lot of product in the container. I am about halfway through the container and I will finish it out. As much as I do like it, I probably won’t repurchase it. It is fantastic with oil control and makes a great summertime primer, but there just isn;t that much product in the package so I don’t personally feel it is worth the cost.

The Yensa Tone Up Essential Glow Primer and the Touch in sol No Poreblem primers are two that have been in my collection for ever. I have repurchased these two primers repeatedly. They are also the two i will reach for if i don;t actually feel like actually wearing any makeup. they have a slight pink tint to them which blends out with my skin and blurs the pores without looking like i have anything on. then I’ll add a little powder to control the shine and consider it job done. I really enjoy both of these products and like i said before i have lost count of the number of times I have repurchased them over the years.

If I am looking for a primer that will grip my makeup through anything that comes my way I go for the Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer. through various subscriptions I have gotten so many samples of this primer that i have never had to pick up a full size. This is the last of the samples i have though so once it is gone i will be getting the full sized version. It has a clear gel like texture so it works with any skin type and it locks makeup down tight. if I have to wear my makeup for longer than usual, this is my primer.

The Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Primer does exactly what it says. It smooths out your skin and leaves it ready for makeup. I really like the pore blurring nature of this formula. It actually has a texture very much like the Stila primer that I loved so much so it shouldn;t be a surprise I like this one.

Even though Marc Jacobs is no longer making makeup I do like this Undercover primer. it smooths and fills pores well. It is unfortunately no longer being made so I will use up my tube and let it go. But it will be nice while it lasts.

The OleHenriksen banana bright Primer is a classic and one that i will always keep around. It is especially useful for brightening the skin in the winter when i tend to look a little dried out and dull. It is one of the few hydrating primers that i really love. Perhaps it is because it focuses more on brightening.

And finally we come to the last primer currently in my collection. It is the Figs and Rouge Blurring Primer. I think it would be best to say that i am keeping it for now. It isn’t my favorite, but i want to play around with it a bit more before passing final judgement on it. And so for now it stays.

And there we have the primer declutter. I’m sure as i test out the three new ones and continue using them that more will end up empty and a few more will leave me before the year is out. But for now i am much happier now that i have eliminated some of the products from my drawer. Plus it gave me a bit of a chance to talk about primers. Hopefully you enjoyed it as well.