Idiot Proof Makeup Item 2. - Australis Paparazzi Perfect HD Blush

Next on my list of idiot proof makeup is the Paparazzi Perfect HD Blush, I sent one as part of a swap once and the recipient declared it a new Holy Grail product, well, with that kind of statement and while Target have 25% off all makeup, I thought I should try it.  I bought Screen Siren which is a blend of light brown, peach and light plum. I'm not sure why I didn't take a picture of the packaging, guess I was just in too much of a hurry.

What Australis say: Perfectly blended multi-coloured blush that allows for customised shades to suit any complexion. Formulated with light reflecting and balancing photochromatic pigments that assist to create instant camera ready photos. Pigment is high in Mica content providing intense colour payoff. The blush is enriched with Jojoba and Grape seed oil to lock in skin moisture and soothe the skin.

I'm not sure about all of that but I can say it does a great job of being the 'right' shade, I'm light handed with my blush because I'm paranoid but this is one hell of a product, I can also say is goes on smoothly and stays there, it made it through a 36 degree day and jam making- who the hell decided to make jam on a hot day? ah hem, yes, me, I do.
Blends beautifully, looks great, stays in place, doesn't cause break outs...couldn't be any more idiot proof.

So now I want to try the other shades which have adorably names such as:

Shoot to Thrill; a blend of bright pink, light pink and coral pink

Flash It; A blend of beige, pink and brown

Poser; A blend of cream, medium brown and dark brown.

OK I probably won't try Poser because I already know my pale Scottish skin can't pull off that many browns no matter how light handed I am...

Australis products are available at Target, K-mart, Big W and Priceline as well as selected pharmacies.
To find out more, visit the Australis Website.

Essence Vampire's Love Volumizing Lash Powder

I loved the idea of this stuff, powder you put on your lashes to make them appear thicker and longer.  I am hopeless with falsies soooo I need all the help I can get.

It comes from Target for a reasonable-for-an-experiment price of about $6.
Instructions tell you to coat your lashes in mascara, use the brush as you would a mascara wand to adhere powder to lashes and then seal with another coat of mascara.

I did that, it looked good, it really did, I felt like I had something in my eye ALL day and I was completely paranoid that I would have missed a bit and someone would tell me I have 'fluff' in my lashes.  Thankfully, this wasn't the case- although why can't they make it black, or in an assortment of colours for fun?

The next time I used it, is tipped my head forward so that I was looking over my mirror, the effect wasn't as good doing it this way but I did at least manage to avoid the dreaded 'something in my eye-must rub-have to rub-must rub my eye' feeling.  From then on this is how I used it and I think its cool to make spidery lashes for a night out.

My biggest complaint is the design of the packaging, 1. I have to keep the little plastic box because I'm worried about loosing the wand (although I have a stash of disposable so not sure why) and 2. It doesn't lend itself to the function of the product, you can't get the stuff on the brush, either you jab it in which is near on impossible or as I do you tip a bit out and roll the brush end in it.  Maybe a flatter design would make more sense, but for $6 what do you expect?

If like me you suck at applying false lashes, this is a great idea, if however you don't suck, I'd suggest the lashes are easier.

My first EVER FOTD

OK, so I did my makeup for fun and I thought, hey, that's cool, I should take a pic and to a Face of The Day pose, except I hated every every every picture of me, it was awful, here is the only one I took that I liked.

OK, its of my cat, who happened to be there while I was getting irritated by the fact that in the mirror, my makeup looked cool and I looked human, but as soon as I tried to take a picture my face, seemed to become completely out of proportion, my giant eyes even more so, my eyebrows at different heights (which I'm not so secretly sure they are) and also 1 eye bigger than the other, basically none of them did my makeup justice and it was all really pissing me off, so, I took a picture of the cat.

Here is a selection of the pictures I hated the least, although I still don't like any of them...

At least in the last one you can see my eye makeup is at least OK, seriously I swear it looks better in person...

Even as I look at those pictures now, I hate them more, I mean look at the size of my nose!  I was seriously [ ] this close to taking it all off, convinced it was shit.

The products I used:

Oh and a primer which I forgot to photograph.

Face

Stilla sheer colour in medium mixed with

FoA Mineral Therepy Illuminator: Angel Mist, which seemed too light so on top I put

Australis Paparazzi Perfect High Definition Tinted Moisturiser: light/medium

Cheeks

FoA Mineral Therepy Illuminator: Angel Blush

Australis Paparazzi Perfect High Definition Blush: Flash It

Eyes

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Nyx Dramatic Chromatic Pigment: Pearly White

Illamasqua Powder Eyeshadow: Victim

Bourjois eyeshadow: 02

Essence Kajal Pencil: 11 Cool Breeze

Maybelline Lash Steiletto: Soft Black

Loreal Telescopic Mascara in Carbon black (I got this as part of a makeup swap with Amber from Glamtrotter, it is not available in Australia, as far as I'm aware)

Lips
Sheercover lip gloss- Pink Praline

And that's it, lots of eye makeup...I love it.  I don't however love trying to get a picture, maybe in future I'll just stick to EOTDs instead....

Idiot Proof Makeup Item 1. - Nutrimetics Smokey Eye Stick

Nutrimetics, in my opinion,  has, for years, been over looked as a source of great products, it was makeup and stuff sold by your friend's Nan, that was daggy and ugly... not any more.  Modern Nutrimetics has really stepped it up in order to compete with many other brands. 
Our local consultant is BRILLIANT and lets us hold Nutrimetics parties at her house so we can really try before we buy. (it is probably easier for her not to lug the stuff around, but its SO much easier for us, not to worry about getting our living rooms clear) with that, I have a few products that I have bought that I want to share.  First off the ranks is the Smokey Eye Stick.


This little doova (yes, it is a word...now) is so clever.  It really is fool proof, there is no holding it a certain way to make it work, so you can hold it at any angle to get the job done.

What they say: "Super easy smokey eyes. It has never been this easy to get perfect smokey eyes. The nc Smokey Eye Stick has an easy to apply, glide-on formula that blends beautifully and will last all night. In a delightfully embellished case it is a makeup bag essential and your solution to party eyes."


I'd agree with most of that, except the embellished case, it looks a little like a Christmas decoration, but that's got nothing to do with the ability of the product.  Basically, to use it, you line your whole eye, then smudge it, add mascara and you're done.  Unless you're like me, that is too simple to you'll probably add some shadows, maybe some highlighter to the brow bone, line the water line etc...but the point is, you don't HAVE to.  It is a more or less stand alone product, and most importantly, its fun. 
I was worried that because it glides on so easily it would feel sticky, but it didn't, I also thought because it smudged so well it would come off and smudge everywhere through the evening, but it didn't.  I have seen this product used by 3 different people (in 3 different looks) through a whole evening and not one looked like she 'walked into a door' at any point.  It held up well and still looked good late into the evening.


I do declare this makeup *Idiot Proof* 




You can find the Smokey Eye Stick here or contact your local Nutrimetics consultant.

Idiot Proof Makeup

I probably like to think I'm better with makeup than I actually am...but I don't care.  I love playing with makeup and as long as I'm happy with how it looks what more is there?  Makeup is mostly personal choice, so, if I want to wear BRIGHT aqua shadows, I will and I have friends who hate it....but i don't care.  As far as my skills go? I'm pretty good with a blending brush, I can line my eyes like a demon and wing it if necessary (in every sense of the phrase).  I know where the blush should sit, I can cover all kinds of skin sins with concealers of different shades and types, and, as a single mum of a 2 yr old I know EXACTLY how to fake that 'I'm awake and radiant' look. 
Having said that, I have Scottish skin and a paranoia of looking orange, so I'm not so great with bronzer etc.  I'm also lazy, so if something can be make quick to allow me extra snooze time? I'M ON IT!  Thankfully I'm not the 1st and I WILL NOT be the last to feel this, as I pay more attention to new products, go to cosmetics parties with my novice friends and read more how-tos I am becoming more and more aware of a whole world DEVOTED to fast, easy and therefore idiot proof makeup. 
Let me just say though, I am in no way calling the users of these products idiots, well maybe, I sort of am, BUT I  am including myself in that too.

I don't have any pictures for this topic that aren't individual products, so instead here is a picture of the reason I learnt to look awake with makeup. - Raiding the jam cupboard.