favourites 11/2010

i think this is an easy starter, so we'll get to know each other first by telling what whe loved and hated last month, oki?

Avene thermal spring water spray: this is only a mini version to show, i always have a big 300ml bottle in my bathroom. i love it, always use this after cleaning and before moisturiser. i have tried thermal water from evian, la roche posay, vichy and somehow i think that the avene water is the most calming.

Rapidlash: i use this since 3 weeks, only in the evenings. no drastic results until now, but my hope is still strong.



 




Hakuhodo S103 brush: i adore this brush. quite expensive, but really worth it. i use it to contour my face.

MakeUpShow blush brush H02: perfect shape for  applying blushes with its tips.

Artdeco brush: not the best quality, but perfect for applying the Meteorites powder pearls from Guerlain or a light dusting of loose powder.

MAC 224 for lighter blending
Estee Lauder blending brush #25 for intense blending
Louise Young crease brush LY38 for the crease or outer corner
MAC 217 for cream eyeshadows, intense blending
Sigma SS239 for lighter shades, all over application
MAC 242 for packing on eyeshadows, intense application

BeautyBlender: this is great for fast&easy foundation application. i just started enjoying it last month although i got it since 6-8 months at least. it's the best tool for foolproof evenly foundation application in the dark mornings, when you're still quite asleep.

Guerlain Parure Gold foundation: i have it in shade 020. it has been my saviour in the last month. it is a teeny bit too dark and not yellow enough for me, so i always mix it with some drops of another lighter yellowish foundation, such as Giorgio Armani lasting silk foundation in shade 4.5 or

Shiseido Sun Protection Foundation: in shade SP40.

Chanel Poudre Universelle: in #20 claire. fantastic loose powder, gives a beautiful flawless finish.

 MAC Harmony blush as a contour colour, but i don't use it on a daily basis.

NARS Orgasm blush

Dior shimmer powder in Amber diamond great highlighter, sometimes i use it as eyeshadow, too.

MAC Blushbaby blush i loved the mauvey-muted pinkish blushes for the fall.

Guerlain Meteorites illuminating powder pearls in Perles d'Or from the holiday collection. it's beautiful as a very very light blush but awesome on top of other blushes, especially on NARS Orgasm. It gives a ultra-fine lavender-mauve-babypink-gold shimmer, although swatched more glittery.

Maybelline Pure Mineral blush in Moonlight Mauve great for day-wear.

NARS Rajasthan eyeshadow duo: from their fall collection. i love the lighter colour. the dark teal/green-tinged charcoal colour is beautiful to smudge a liner.

MAC Grand Entrance eyeshadow great texture, metallic/frosty/shimmery finish

MAC All That Glitters eyeshadow

MAC Patina eyeshadow great to blend out cooler shades, but also as lid or crease colour

MAC Smoke&Diamonds pure taupe-love.

Benefit creaseless cream shadow in Birthday Suit champagne with a hint of golden taupe. good as a shadow alone or as a shimmery base.


Make Up For Ever Aqua Cream #02-Acier: i HAD to have this after i saw the fabulous Lisa Eldridge's  College/Work look video.

Shiseido brow pencil in GY901 natural black it's the ideal colour for my brows. cool grey with enough brown in it to look natural and not like an in-your-face black or too reddish toned like most brow pencils here in europe. and it's not too waxy and soft, i like harder pencils.

Manhattan Wake up concealer in #2 almost no coverage, but with a lovely sheen, which makes my under-eye-area look moisturised and fresh. i like to layer it on top of other more opaque or dryer concealers, as it has a light watery texture.

Hourglass Hidden corrective concealer in pearl this is my concealer of choice for (or better against) my dark circles. it's creamy and very opaque.

my favourite mascara combination this month contained two mini-sized testers: first the Film Noir mascara by Hourglass, which gives me very well defined feathery lashes. then i layer the Shiseido Perfect mascara on top, which has a more liquidy formulation an coats each lash very smoothly and gives a natural volume effect without any clumps.

another lovely product is the Perfect face make up fixing spray by P2, it melts any powdery-ness into your skin and enhances the staying power of your make up. it's a little bit more affordable as MAC's fix+ but works just as well. i seem to reach for this more often.

now to the losers of november:

i realized i didn't have a fan brush in the beginning of the month and discovered that coastalscents didn't sell their big fat fan brushes anymore, so i craved even more and thought i could no longer live without one. so i ran out and bought randomly the first fan brush i saw. it's a cheap drugstore product and is meant more for applying masks than powder cosmetic products. it also feels like that. scratchy hard pig bristles mixed with some goat hair. it's also very thin. i think it would be good to apply your masks, though, but i still need a proper fan brush (the louise young one is on my wishlist already. maybe i should head over to crown brushes, they should have some)

next item is the mattitude hd foundation from astor. it just didn't work well with my oily skin. it disappeared too soon after becoming a weird grainy texture on my skin. maybe it will do fine some time later, i will keep trying.

what were your hits and misses past month?