[Review] February Makeup Capsule Collection

@Skinsitivity does makeup capsule collections and as soon as the IG algorithm decided to let me know about this awesome idea I jumped on board. Her idea was to restrict herself to select products each fortnight which has a lot of benefits that I'm digging. Not having to ooh and ah over the different combinations every morning was definitely a key reason why I was so keen, that and making sure I was using up older products.

The lineup definitely changed over the fortnight, as I learnt new things about some older products.

Base - Nature Republic Pure Waterful Base (unpictured)

Foundation - Guerlain Parure Gold Radiance Foundation SPF 30 PA+++
(02 Beige Clair)

Concealer - Estee Lauder Double Wear Concealer (02 Light Medium)

Corrector - NYX Dark Circle Corrector (Light/Pale)

Apologies that the NR base isn't included here, I threw it out and a day later decided I should blog about this -.- Two weeks spent with it convinced me that it was a terrible product that neither helped with priming, nor did it add moisture when I mixed it with the foundation. 

Ahh Guerlain. You were my first 'proper' foundation when I was just stepping into the wondrous beauty world and the sales assistant at Myer opened my eyes to that 'glowy' look when she sold you to me. I'm not sure if it was the extreme lighting at the counter or if my application skills suck, but we should part. The moment we touch you oxidise, and not just to a darker shade but to a vibrant orange. You're no better than cushion foundations at hiding my dry, flaky skin, although your strong, floral fragrance is alluring. I think we should stick to seeing each other in winter, when you're with an oil and stable. Goodbye i'll stop being needlessly dramatic

As for the concealer and corrector, I'm ambivalent. They're probably better for people with oilier skin but if my skin isn't in top condition, they're too drying for my undereyes and cake. Despite rotating between different concealers, I still haven't found the perfect one to hide these dark circles @.@

Contour - Elf Cosmetics Contour Palette

Eyeshadow - Elf Cosmetics Cool Bronzer

That right there is the first time I've ever hit pan. Trouble is I've only done so because as soon as I swirl my brush the powder goes everywhere as you can see from the really dusty mirror. Pro is they're very very blendable and if I was too heavy handed I could try and fix it up with the lightest coloured powder. The highlighter remained virtually untouched cause that would only accentuate my dry skin. When swatched, it has some sparkle to it but the glitter isn't chunky and applies smoothly. 

I wish I knew how to bronze my face, but with my naturally flushed cheeks I don't know how? I prefer this palette over the contour since it's multipurpose and doesn't fly everywhere. It's pigmented, applies smoothly and it's dirt cheap.

Lips - Pony Effect Favourite Fluid Lip Tint (Due Respect)

Chateau Labiotte Wine Lip Tint (Merlot Burgundy)

Brows - Asap Pure Mineral Eye Pencil (Brown)

The Labiotte lip tint is a reminder why boarding the hype train is a shitty decision. Yes it smells like delicious grape candy and initial application is very pretty, but it fades patchy and reapplication is a mess because it catches onto my dry flakes and the end result is uneven and unsightly. To avoid binning another disappointing product, I opted for gradient lips instead and the result is far better. I apply Labiotte in the inner part of my lips since they're more hydrated, then layer Pony Effect on top for a uniform pink and semi glossy sheen. 

The Pony Effect doesn't tint. It's better described as a lipgloss without the excessive stickiness and smells like watermelon candy. It has a short wear time but with beautiful rose gold packaging like that, I wouldn't mind taking it out to reapply (except I'm also lazy af). I noticed it's like a more intense version of Sephora's Lip Oil Infusion Color & Care (Pink Granita), but less hydrating so I alternated between the two depending on my need.

The ASAP pencil is meant to be a brown pencil liner, except it's definitely grey. The formula is much too hard to apply to the delicate eye lid, it drags and pigmentation is terrible. Instead, I used it as an eyebrow pencil, decided life was too short for shit products and switched to the Innisfree Auto Eyebrow pencil.

Gel liner - Eye of Horus Goddess Pencil (Bronze Amulet)

Eye primer - Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion (Original)

Whew we're almost at the end! I adore the creaminess of the gel liner and its beautiful shade, yet it never lasts longer than a few hours on my lids. Usually I neglected the sponge smudger which is too stiff to use on the eyelids & removes all the sparkles, and opted for blending it with my fingers instead.

Do I need to comment on the UD primer? I've had this for waaay longer than the expiry date and there was a time when I thought I had finally ran out, but turns out all the product had clustered on the opening side and the wand wasn't picking it up. It's useful life could outlive me and it will probably go on extending the life of my eyeshadow long after I kick the bucket.

So that's the end of my February Makeup Capsule Collection! My makeup knowledge has plateaued for a long time because even if I knew the terms, I didn't always know what they 'looked' like or what the signs were, so using the same products for an extended period of time was a fun way to learn if only I was as dedicated to my studies

Psst. Moonshot March is happening because alliteration is awesome so look forward to that :3

Until next time,

Vivien || IG @vistillhere