My Favourite Makeup Products (The Ones I Can't Survive Without. Literally.)

Hello there little powder puff!

It has been way too long since I last posted, so today I wanted to come back with something a little special. I'm joined by a wonderful guest - the ever beautiful and talented Annika Victoria, with whom I had a little play with some of my favourite makeup products. 

Although I haven't been as into makeup as I am now for very long, I have always had an interest and I started to collect those products that I absolutely loved and that became my 'Holy Grails'. These include some of my every day staples such as my favourite foundation, powder and the pencil eyeliner that I have loved and worn consistently for years and they also include a couple of other favourites that I safe for more special occasions, such as my Nars Illuminator in the Shade Copacobana. All the products I will mention are ones that I believe are worth all the hype they get, and ones I would recommend.

First step was to, of course, take the before shot. We both removed whatever makeup we had on to start from scratch with a blank canvas.

I brought along my favourite products from my makeup kit and unpacked everything. Annika and I both took a look through, picked out some things and we got going!

One of my absolute favourite inventions in the makeup world is Palettes. I have always thought that Palettes are a good investment simply because of the way they jam pack so much into one little space. They offer a lot of variety in colours and options for different looks. In this photo you can see tw of my absolute favourite neutral palettes, the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette and the much hyped up Urban Decay Naked Palette. A problem I often have with palettes, though, is that there is often those colours that I just really don't like, nor would ever wear. It's getting more and more common these days for brands to be selling their eyeshadows in individual pans with empty palettes so that you can make your own. A brand I adore doing this with is, of course, M.A.C. They sell both eyeshadow and blush palettes to be filled individually whcih gives you 100% control over what you choose to be included. My favourite eyeshadow is a M.A.C one. It's a warm gold called Amber Lights and I think it is just the most gorgeous colour, perfect for summer for a bright golden eye, or for winter paired with a dark berry lip.

If these are a little on the pricier side, Chi Chi also make some amazing ones. Each one has 12 shadows and they range from dark purple tones, to more naturals and they all go for $22.95AUD. Hint: one of them is a perfect direct dupe for the Urban Decay Naked 1.

Matilde wears:

1. Benefit PoreFessional face primer
2. M.A.C Studio Fix foundation in NW10
3. Nars Contour/Highlight duo in Paloma
4. M.A.C Fleur Power blush
5. Nars Copacabana cream Illuminator
6. Benefit Gimme Brow in Medium/Deep
7. M.A.C paintpot in Bare Study
8. M.A.C Gingersnap eyeshadow (all over the lid)
9. M.A.C Bronze eyeshadow (blended into the crease)
10. M.A.C All That Glitters (inner corner and highlighting brow bone)
11. Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal pencil eyeliner in 001 Black
12. Benefit Bad Gal Lash mascara
13. M.A.C prep and prime lip primer
14. M.A.C lipiner in Nightmoth
15. M.A.C lipstick in Gospel

Annika wears:

1. W7 Camera Ready face primer
2. Maybelline Fit Me concealer in 01 Ivory
3. Maybelline Fit Me foundation in 120  
4. Maybelline Fit Me pressed powder in 120
5. Maybelline concealer in 01 Ivory
6. Nars Contour/Highlight duo in Paloma
7. Nars blush in Orgasm
8. The Body Shop Brush On Radiance pearl highlight
9. M.A.C paint pot in Bare Study
10. M.A.C eyeshadow in Amber Lights
11. M.A.C eyeshadow in All That Glitters
12. Rimmel Scandaleyes kohl kajal pencil eyeliner in 005 Nude
13. Modelsprefer Skinny Liner in Black
14. Rimmel Scandaleyes Retro Glam Mascara
15. Maybelline Super Stay Lipliner in Red
16. M.A.C lipsticks in Lady Danger and Ruby Woo

Together we looked.. pretty damn fabulous.

1. Crop top - Topshop
2. Skirt - UniQlo
3. Shoes - Dr Martens
4. Hat - Gift from my parents
5. Glasses - Alex Perry

It's incredibly hard to make a comment on my favourite foundations and powders since I have so far tried one that works with my skintone. Australian pharmacies and department stores sell a great number of different foundation and powder options, but since I am pale (with pink undertones) I have never managed to find one that foes light enough for me.

The problem in Australia is that no shops or companies stock the lightest shades here simply since they don't think people will buy them. (is there a stereotype that every Australian is tanned or..) I use the M.A.C studio fix fluid foundation in the lightest shade - NW10, and for powder I use the Mineralise Skin Finish in the shade Light. The non high end foundation I've had in the closest match to my skin was the Rimmel Match Perfection in the shade Light Porcelain with a translucent powder, but that was slightly too dark. 

For contour, highlight and blush I only have a couple of recommendations. Contouring has been a relatively new experience for me. I was never any good at it, and was incredible intimidated by the whole thing when I first got into makeup. The powders I use for contour I use are the M.A.C Mineralise Skinfinish in Medium/Deep or for when I want to look "A little more Kimmy-K" (as the ever gorgeous young woman working at Mecca Maxima said) the Nars contour/highlight duo in Paloma. 

For blush, I hhave a tonne of suggestions purely based on colour preferences. My all time favourite blush is the M.A.C Peaches & Cream from the Sharon Osbourne collection earlier this year. This collection (along with the Kelly Osbourne collection) have both finished up, so it's no longer available. Benefit have a great reputation for their Boxed Blushes (mostly Coralista, Rocketeur and Dandelion), but I think their best blush is actually their most recent cream to powder Majorette blush. It's a bright orange colour - which would often disconcert me - but it's so light and summery and beautiful. Other favourites are of course the Nars Orgasm and M.A.C's Fleur Power. Even though Orgasm is a gorgeous shade, my skin is too pink for it (the pink undertones cancel out the pink of the actual blush, Gah!) so it just ends up looking more like a gold highlight on me which is of course why I leapt at the chance to use it on Annika. The angst when I realised I couldn't pull it off.

Oh the angst.

I mentioned above that my all time favourite eyeshadow was the M.A.C eyeshadow in Amber Lights. Eyeshadows are the kinds of products that I can never get enough of, and I have too many favourites to mention all of them. However when it comes to Mascara and Eyeliner I do have two products that I think stand above a lot of the others I have tried. With Mascara, I have tried my fair share (is owning 15 Mascaras a little excessive? Yes? Maybe? Just a little bit?) However the one that I truly think stands out is the Benefit Bad Gal Lash. I was a user of the cult classic They're Real for a long time, but after I tried Bad Gal Lash, I just never went back there. I do dabble in my two M.A.C mascaras, but I always come back. I really do not like thin, plastic wands, and this Mascara has a giant wand made of bristles and it picks up so much product and spreads it evenly over the lashes to define and lengthen. 

I think my ultimate Holy Grail eye product would be, without a doubt, the Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Kajal Waterproof eyeliner pencil in 001 Black. I wear eyeliner pretty much every day in my waterline and tightline, and this is the one I find myself reaching for every day. As someone with sensitive skin and a sensitive waterline, I hate eyeliner pencils that are hard to put on, or where you need to apply too much pressure. This one, however, is perfect. It glides on perfectly with little effort and seriously does not move all day, but is easy to get rid of in the evenings. I've already been through two of these, and I have two in use at the moment!

Honourable mention: Maybelline Colour Tattoo cream eyeshadows. Well worth the hype - well worth the money. Well worth a try! (Hint: their shade Barely Branded is a nice dupe for M.A.C's paintpot in Bare Study)

Finally, we have lip products. Lip products are one of those things I could really talk about for hours on end. First and foremost I want to mention my lip primer. Using the M.A.C Prep&Prime lip primer has really changed lipstick for me. My lips are almost permanently chapped, but when I use this primer, it smoothes my lips out in seconds, and it means that the colour used comes out smooth and perfect and absolutely flawless.

I am not a big wearer of lip glosses or lip tints. Mostly I stick to my Lipsticks. M.A.C's Matte lipsticks will always have a very special place in my heart, as all of my favourites are from that line. My favourite nude is Honey Love, my favourite red is Lady Danger and my favourite Berry is Rebel. However another line that I believe is worth all the hype it gets are the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains and the Revlon Matte Balms. These come in a wide range of exceptionally pigmented colour that look perfect and stay all day! My favourites are Crush and Honey, as well as Standout.

Did I leave out one of your absolute favourite products? Is there a makeup product you want to see reviewed? Do you want to try something, but aren't yet game? Let me know! Leave a comment on this post, or send me a tweet and I'll do my best to check them all out!

Until next time, stay cute little powderpuffs.

                                                                                         xoxo Matilde Elisabeth