8 makeup products that i cannot stop using these days
You will pry them out of my cold, dead hands.
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I wanted to do a little roundup of the products that make me excited to put on makeup right now. I always love Doing A Face, but I’ve found I have a lot less time lately to really make a meal of it. There’s always a Luas approximately 16 minutes away that I need to catch, you know? So I’ve been doing a lot less experimenting with looks and a lot more leaning on products I absolutely know will look good. *Law & Order voice* These are those products.
Haus Labs Color Fuse Blush in Dragon Fruit Daze and Hibiscus Haze
Every time I look at these I become Olivia Colman during her Oscars speech, helplessly bleating “Lady Gaga!” These are b-e-a-u-t-i-f-u-l blushes. I tried a few things from the OG Haus Labs line and wasn’t majorly blown away – something about it didn’t really work, and she obviously realised that, because it was recently revamped as a “clean artistry” brand.
I have some thoughts about “clean beauty.” When I hear about brands with products that start to stink or go on the turn after a few months (*cough* Kosas *cough* Tower 28), I have to call bullshit on the “No nasties!” claims and instead assume that they simply found an ingenious way to make their customers buy more products faster. There’s nothing sustainable about that. Haus Labs, to its credit, doesn’t demonise the very idea of “chemicals.” It acknowledges that not all natural ingredients are good and not all synthetic ones are bad, which seems reasonable.
Anyway, back to the blushes. The shades are not for the faint of heart. But as someone who wants my blush to blush, they are just stunning – Dragon Fruit Daze can liven me up on the even dreariest days. I use it on its own or as a companion to other blushes when they aren’t doing enough for me. A little *doot* of Dragon Fruit makes everything pop, which I believe you can see in action in this photo (I believe I’m wearing both shades here):
What’s interesting about them is they’re quite buildable – the shades look scary in the pan, but you can do a gentle, everyday blush look or go crazy as Ms Gaga herself did at the Oscars. A very exciting product, IMHO!
Haus Labs Power Sculpt Velvet Bronzer in Light Level 3
Oops, this is becoming a Haus Labs rave post. I don’t care! Friendship ended with discontinued Becca bronzer, now Haus Labs bronzer is my best friend. I got it shortly before our wedding and immediately was like, yes, this is the only powder bronzer I can possibly use on the day. Like the blushes, the formula is soft and buildable, and I don’t find it ever looks obvious or “too much” on me. There are 12 shades subdivided by undertone, which I don’t think I’ve seen in a bronzer before – usually, you have to guess if it’s going to show up warm, cool, or neutral on your skin. I chose Light Level 3, a neutral, and I find it’s the perfect shade to warm up my face without veering into oompa-loompa territory. Once again I am Olivia Colman: Lady Gaga!
NYX Thick It Stick It Brow Gel in Brunette, Lift and Snatch Brow Tint Pen in Espresso
I was committed to the Glossier Boy Brow and Brow Flick. I was. But it started getting a little bothersome to have to order online and wait for them to arrive – I only seem to realise I need to restock when the things are already bone dry. I am a fan of NYX’s Micro Brow pencil, so I decided to peruse the rest of their brow options in Boots a while back. I picked up these two products, and frankly, I can’t see myself returning to Glossier.
The NYX gel has way more hold than Boy Brow, which is good for my heavy-ass brow hairs. My only criticism is that the brush is too big, but we can get along fine despite this. Lift and Snatch is superior to any other brow pen I’ve tried – I can actually get hairlike strokes! There is precision! The colour shows up! I hate doing my eyebrows but these products make it slightly less annoying. Plus, together they’re over a tenner cheaper than the Glossier duo. It’s basic economics!
Shu Uemera eyelash curler
I’m mad at myself for not figuring eyelash curlers out sooner. It literally took going to Japan for me to do it. I’ve been cheating myself out of Bambi eyes this whole time? Thinking just mascara will do it? Am I dumb? These curlers take everything to the next level and keep it there. I go right to the base of the lashes, squeeze squeeze squeeze, then repeat that process twice more, moving up gradually each time. My lashes look fantastic all day long. I will never do my makeup without this step again. Never again!
Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base
My skin is going through some changes. Perhaps temporary, perhaps permanent – I’m not yet certain. All I know is that it’s suddenly a lot drier than it’s ever been before, and all my foundations have started to look like crap (except Luminous Silk, for some reason). I apply my base, think it looks nice, then look back in the mirror five minutes later to find that the centre of my face resembles the Sahara desert. It’s disheartening, to say the least, but priming with this has made a huge difference. It’s rich but not greasy, and my foundation looks so smooth and radiant on top of it. I occasionally mix it in with a drop or two of foundation for a DIY tinted moisturiser, too. Has anyone tried the Penneys doooop? Does it match up at all? Because I’d very much appreciate not having to rely on a very expensive product to make my foundation look good.
Clinique Pop Plush Creamy Lip Gloss in Black Honey
I don’t like the descriptor “creamy” for a lip gloss, but I will forgive because this one slaps so hard. The Black Honey lipstick is a 90s staple recently revived for the TikTok generation, but the gloss version only came on the scene last year. I have become a gloss girl almost without realising – lipstick is my first love, but damn if I don’t enjoy the ease of a liner/gloss combo. This blackened berry shade is a little more interesting than a standard nude, but also doesn’t overpower the whole look. I usually pair it with my favourite Penneys Velvet Touch lip liner (which reminds me, I need to buy 10 more of these for when they inevitably discontinue it) and feel very chic.
Vieve Eye Wand in Hazelnut
Eyeshadow sticks are just the handiest little yokes. Scribble them on your lids, blend them out with a brush or your fingers, and head off on your merry way. This is a nice neutral brown that looks great as is, but also as a base for a shimmery eyeshadow topper. I have been using Urban Decay Space Cowboy and Bobbi Brown Moonstone together a lot lately because even though I am not spending 20 minutes drawing intricate graphic glitter liner, I still believe in sparkle and lots of it. I may grab another shade of these Eye Wands – perhaps Coffee or Espresso to smoke it up some more? Go crazy.
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