The Makeup || How Much is my face worth in makeup?

My skin care total came to a rather shocking amount of $443. I'm hoping, praying, that my makeup comes to a lesser amount. I've decided to calculate what I'm currently applying makeup wise on a daily basis. Of course I have the option to change up my makeup as I please, just as I do with skin care. So here we go:

My current favourite base for daily wear is the MAC Prep and Prime BB Cream which comes In at $42. On any areas such as under eyes and blemishes the MAC Studio Finish Concealer ($32) is used. MAC's Sheertone blush in Sincere ($41) is used to sculpt and bronze up the cheek bones. The final step in the complexion stage is powder, and I favour the Jurlique Citrus Silk Finishing Powder ($45). Eyes follow with a swipe of the Maybelline Full N'Soft Mascara ($15) for everyday wear and my brows are filled in with the MAC Eyebrows in Lingering ($30). The Lanolips lipgloss in Rhubarb is my favourite daily lip colour and is a total bargain at $15. 

The total cost of my daily makeup comes in at $220. I'm glad it's a smaller amount than my skincare, which is almost double. But still, when you add everything up together, it's a bit of a shock. Let's not count up all the tools as well! I hope you enjoyed reading this mini series here on my blog, it's been quite an eye opener for me. 

How much do you think your face is worth in makeup? 

X Suzy 

The Review || MAC Prep and Prime BB Cream

My go to base of late is this the MAC Prep and Prime BB Cream in Light Plus. It's the perfect all-in-one for rushed winter mornings. It's worth mentioning that I put a full skincare regime in underneath my makeup - regardless. I don't believe that one cream can do everything including moisturising, blemish zapping, protecting, brightening and concealing. Sure, it may help with your skin ailments, but it should never, ever replace a good skincare routine. Strangely enough, this BB cream claims to do none of those things. It does however claim to be foundation, a primer and have SPF protection, all of which I can vouch for. This makes it the perfect base for winter in the mornings, if it were summer or I was spending more time in the sun, I would opt for an actual sunscreen. 

The coverage of this BB cream is quite heavy for a BB cream, more like a light weight foundation. I find that this is so perfect for me, it covers up all my spots, but my skin and freckles still shine through. The texture is quite thick however, which led to some problems with the application in the first place. When I first brought it, I was using just my fingers to apply it, and this was horrible! It went all patchy and clung to my eyebrows (anyone else had this problem?). Then I started experimenting with my brushes, and I have found that it's best to use a buffing brush or a kabuki brush to apply it. I tend to need a little bit more coverage on my pimples, and so I use the MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW20 on top. Also, I powder my T-Zone with the Jurlique Citrus Silk Finishing Powder. Bronze up the cheeks and add some mascara and I'm good to go.  

The Monthly Roundup || September

Welcome to a new series here on my blog, called the Monthly Roundup. It's basically a monthly favourites post, a summary of all my posts this month with a few other bits thrown in the mix.

Firstly, I apologise for the lateness of this post. I didn't get organised before I went away this week!

This Month's Favourites:

The most-loved-product-of-the-month award goes to the Jurlique Herbal Recovery Advanced Serum. This has recently been reformulated and it is phenomenal - the difference in my skin is amazing, it has totally cleared up my skin! Look out for a review coming soon.

Quite a strange favourite of this month is the Coles Makeup Pads (Coles is a supermarket here in Aus.). I never thought there would be much difference in cotton makeup wipes, but there definitely is! These Coles ones are much stronger than the Swisspers which I have used before. I like to wipe away my makeup, then rinse the cotton wipe out and run it over my face again. This is something that the Swisspers had issues with - they would just fall apart at the second rinse. Another bonus is the price!

I have also been loving the Organic Care Dry Nourish Conditioner. I've been trying to use more natural conditioners, however I've struggled to find one that actually works. With my thick and slightly frizzy hair, I need some silicones. Don't be fooled by the brand saying they are 'natural' - there are quite a few silicones on the ingredient list. But this strikes the perfect balance, yummy natural oils and some silicones to smooth the hair down.

I have re-discovered the MAC Prep and Prime BB Cream this month and I love it. Previously, I found this to be so thick on my skin and applied horribly. But I've ditched using a primer under this (why was I using one anyway??) and stated to apply it with a dual fibre stippling brush - the result is louverly! For me it gives the best coverage, sheer enough for my freckles to shine through but covers the worst of my blemishes.

A little DIY product that I have been loving is a pillow spray. It's basically lavender oil, tea tree oil and water in an old sprayer bottle. I spray it on my pillows in the morning so that I don't have a wet pillow at night. I will do a post on this soon as well.

The nail polish which has been gracing my fingers is OPI's Suzie and the Life Guard. This is a beautiful pale pink with a touch of shimmer, a really lovely nude for my skin tone. I felt that I had to buy this purely because of the name...

My non-beauty favourite of this month is Green Rose tea from T2. It's delicious! It's a green tea with mango, currants, papaya and rose. When brewed, it tastes beautiful and fruity. Another bonus is it smells like lollies!

September in Blog Posts:

Going on a trip any time soon? Check out my Travel Essentials for some tips on what to pack!

My Winter Face #1 shows you what my makeup has looked like all through the winter.

Struggling to get excited about skincare? Check out my Morning Skincare Routine #1 for some inspiration.

Added to the Wish List this Month:

Firstly, the YSL Glossy Stains in the Rebel Nudes look so lovely. I need to get down to my YSL counter and do some swatching. Perhaps a Christmas present? *hint hint*

I'm also on the hunt for a pink/peach blush. I like using brown blushes for day to day, but I haven't found a single pink based blush that looks good with my pinkish skin tone and red hair. Anyone got a suggestion?

The Makeup || The Winter Face #1

My makeup philosophy is very much 'Yeah, I rolled out of bed looking this good.' I strive to find the look that is both polished, concealing, yet natural. To get this natural look I use a good tinted moisturiser or BB cream, a swipe of a natural looking mascara, a touch of bronzer and a hint of lipgloss. 

Base:

After the conclusion of my morning skincare (missed it? read the post here) I start of with the MAC Prep & Prime BB Cream in light plus. It seams as though people either hate this or love it. I'm firmly in the love category, I find provides the perfect amount of coverage, hiding all my blemishes but letting my freckles shine through. Look out for a review soon.  Do be careful with your blending technique, like to blend it out with a dual fibre stippling brush, it can look a bit odd blended with the fingers.

Next I tap on some of the MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NW20 onto the blemishes that haven't been quite covered by the BB cream. Sometimes my nose and under eyes can use some more concealing so I pop on some of the MAC Select Cover-up Concealer in NW20. To set the base, I use the Jurlique Citrus Silk Finishing Powder. This is an AH-MAZ-ING setting powder that is so fine and doesn't go cakey or chalky at all. And it smells delicious - bonus points! 

Colour: 

For a bit of colour in the cheeks, I brush on the MAC Sheertone Blush in Sincere as a bronzer. I find that most bronzers look too dark on me, and this blush is just perfect - a good two in one. 

Mascara is up next, and my choice is the Maybelline Full 'N Soft Mascara in the non waterproof formula. I really hate using waterproof formulas because they are such a pain to get off at the end of the day. This mascara gives me a really natural looking lash which I love for during the day. As I mentioned before, my lashes are already full and quite long so during the day I just look for something to give me some colour on my lashes otherwise I look like I've put false lashes on for the day, which is sooooo not me. 

And finally, lips. I'm a lipgloss kinda gal but having said that, I hate sticky lipglosses, which is almost all of them. *Sad face*. But there is a solution: enter Lanolips. I absolutely love the Lanolips Lip Ointment with Colour SPF15. They tick all the boxes for me, they aren't sticky, long lasting(ish), moisturising, protective AND really pigmented! I have both the colours Apples (pictured) and Rhubarb. I pop Apples on in the morning to add a bit of colour into my complexion. I'm not a fan of whipping out the mirror and reapplying, so Rhubarb comes in handy. Rhubarb is a neutral 'my lips just better' and handbag staple which I can slap on without a mirror on the go.  

There you have it, my go to daily makeup that I have been wearing throughout winter. I hoped you enjoyed it! 

X Suzy