Beauty in the Ordinary

This is not about being brilliant, or extraordinary, it's not about wanting to be famous, or making headlines, or trying to impress...this about sharing a 'gift' each day with the world...to lift the spirit of people when they read this blog, to show them the beauty in the ordinary.
"And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don't believe in magic will never find it." Raold Dahl

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

What's in Your Wallet...oops Make Up Bag?

Okay girls...
time for a little brainstorming.

With all the millions of different makeup/skin care brands out there
allotting the beauty-budget can be tricky.

So today, I'd like to offer up what I'm using right now, how it's working for me,
and open up the floor for comments, advice, education.
Whatever you have to contribute.

Right...my regime for my normal to oily skin...fairly basic.

Wash my face 2x day.  (I don't use makeup remover.) 

Evening

Oil of Olay Daily Facials




...then moisturize with


This moisturizer is light but emollient enough for my skin.

Finish with a dab of


ROC Wrinkle Correxion

around the eyes 
and a smudge of

Fresh Sugar Plum lip tinted lip treatment

on the lips, and off to bed.

Morning...same, except just water and a fresh,
regular washcloth.

Makeup (I don't wear it every day), but when I do
this is how it generally goes.

Foundation primer

Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer

I'm having a bit of a love/hate relationship with this product
at the moment.  I love the way it makes my skin feel, but I don't think it can breathe with this stuff on it...so I'm not using it for a bit.

L'Oreal true match foundation

Right now, sans tan, I'm using a foundation.  I like this one because it's light in texture and matte (I don't like shiny on my skin!)

Again...because it's winter and my face hasn't seen the sun for a bit,
I need a bronzer...


Physicians Formula Talc Free Bronzer

This one seems to be working well for me.

I have a darling neice who works for 



and for Christmas she gave me a wonderful new blush


Nars - Oasis

I love it!

On the advice of eldest daughter, I've been letting my eyebrows thicken
up a bit (she tells me it's more modern).
To tell the truth, I have very, very unruly eyebrows (thanks Dad),
so they require trimming.  I have been using a Bobby Brown eyeshadow in a sort of 
taupe-ish shade to fill in my brows (I've had it so long the name of the colour 
has worn off).


I don't often wear eyeshadow, but when I do, I love 
this set from Clinique called Teddy Bear



fairly neutral.

Now...mascara!!! another love/hate relationship.
I've tried everything from the super-cheap, to the super-expensive,
and truthfully...I can't tell the difference.

I always seem to default back to super-cheap


Maybelline's Great Lash.
If anyone out there knows of a mascara that does NOT leave tiny
black smudges underneath your eyes when you smile, please let me know.
I refuse to give up either mascara or smiling.


Now...lipstick...I love lipstick.
I don't like those permanent lip stain things. They make my lips super dry.  The dishwasher can't even remove the stuff from my glasses and cups, so I dread to think what's in it!
My new love affair is with this beauty given me by above-mentioned niece at Christmas.

Laura Mercier (she went to school with Bobby Brown) stick gloss range in Courtisane.
It's luscious without being sticky and just very lightly coloured.  
Gorgeous!  Did I mention I love lipstick?

And last but not least there's brushes

I have five



Sephora blush brush...paid way too much for this one
and it sheds hairs everytime I use it.  Annoying


I found this brand when I was at my local drug store (SDM).  I bought the bronzer brush
it was reasonably price and it doesn't shed.  When it's time, I will definitely replace
other brushes with this brand.



Bobby Brown angled eyeshadow brush.

and one of these



and these


to keep my wild eyebrows tamed. Both from Sephora.


There you have it...let me know what you think and use.
Anyone want to talk hair now?

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18 comments:

  1. I only wear make up when I'm going out. I use Vaseline Intensive Care lotion every day which seems to work. I watched a few You Tube videos on how to apply make up and experiment with a magnifying mirror while sitting at the kitchen table. I must pull some funny faces because it usually has my OH in stitches!

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  2. Molly you are a hoot and a half. What I didn't say in post is that I don't wear eyeliner because, like you, it requires too much facial contortion...and I just make myself laugh!

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  3. I've become minimalist - I go for some moisturiser packed as 'natural' or 'organic' with sun protection, don't care what brand. Then any waterproof dark mascara and my precious Benefit lipstick. I've given up on anything akin to a foundation or anything vaguely beige; they make me feel odd. Perhaps some ivory eyeshadow if I'm meeting the Queen, or yourself or Victoria.

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  4. I use Yves Rocher Riche Creme facial wash in the morning and St. Ives Apricot Scrub at night. I use Yves Rocher Riche Creme Eye creme and face creme both night & day. I have 'over 50' skin and need the essential oils this provides. I use bare minerals ID makeup becuase it feels so light. Thanks for all your suggestions. I'm always looking for new products : )

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  5. Well, I have to be very careful with make-up...although I have always loved makeup. Right now, retired and with eye disease, and living on top of this mountain, well, I don't need much. But I do wear Sephora tinted moisture, Bobby Brown lipstick and blush, and Sephora eye pencil for my absolutely clear eyebrows every day. I agree that brushes are the key. I got mine years and years ago from Mac (I have 6) and I clean them the first of each month. If I am going out (even to the neighborhood grocery) I will add Sephora eyeliner (they have little pencils in very funky colors for $5 each) and a bit of mascara. There is a very natural mascara with no preservatives sold at Sephora, but it only comes in black.

    Funny thing is, I don't wash my face. Except my eyes to remove the makeup. And for that, I use cold processed soap that I make myself. I either use just warm water on my face or a mixture of lavender buds, dried milk powder, and oatmeal to make a paste to exfoliate my skin a couple of times a week. Then some moisturizer that I make myself.

    Sorry this is so long....but, you asked! :>)

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  6. My daughter is a makeup artist and her go to's are...Benefit eyebrow kit, and Dior Mascara. But then the kids like their lashes to look false...hers are big!

    I use the Avene (French I think) I guy at Shoppers. I use the eye makeup remover, cleanser and Toner as well as the moisturizer and eye cream, cream foundation and the lip balm. It is unscented and I have trouble to reacting to chemicals so this brand works for me. I also use the Smashbox primer when going out. I use Mac shadows and blush and Great Las like you, plus an eyeliner by Rimmel (cheap). I use Outlast lip stain by Covergirl, but it dries them out so I have to put the Aven lip balm or Burts bees on top. I also use the Aven body lotion to protect my skin from soaps and chemicals in laundry stuff and especially new clothes. It sounds like a lot. I have changed it over the years, but now like this. Daughter uses the Avene acne wash and face lotion which works well and after wondering why I use so much face cream, I discovered hubby is sloshing it on his face twice a day too. I had to give him a chat about using it sparingly.

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  7. I love this...thanks for all the info.
    Mise...I haven't tried Benefit's lipsticks...will definitely have a look there.
    LadyCat...my daughter really likes the St. Ives products. I too have the over 50s skin, but it's not dry, so can't have anything too heavy or I break out like a 16-year-old.
    Mountain Thyme...definitely not too long. Like you I don't think we need to be constantly stripping our skin of it's own oils...that's why I only wash 1x day. The morning is just a rinse to wake me up. What I do like is fresh washcloths to give my skin a bit of a scrub. Perhaps you would think of posting your home-made soap/moisturizer/face scrub recipes. I would love to try them.
    Chania...how lucky to have a makeup artist in the family. Always on top of the latest and greatest. I'll check out the Avene brand next time I'm at Shoppers. Our hubbies must be related. I once bought Rudy Aveda moisturizer ($50 for a small bottle)...only to watch him pour half of it on his shaved head after a shower. Back to Cetaphil after that!

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  8. Bare Minerals makeup/foundation...love the light coverage and it lasts a long time. Nars blush...probably will not buy it again as it is pricy for me. I buy whatever moisturizer is on sale at the time as I do not believe in expensive moisturizers, what the skin needs is moisture and an eight dollar bottle can provide that just as good as a ninety-eight dollar one. I drink lots of water.

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  9. Have to say Olive...the last Nars blush I bought lasted me over a year. Yes...definitely expensive, but over the long haul not bad, as long as you don't mind wearing the same colour.
    I'm with you on the moisturizer thing. I only buy those that come in tubes or jars so that you can use all of it. I hate those pump things where firstly there is all that unnecessary packaging, but also so much gets left in the container!

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  10. I forgot to mention Jacqueline that Quo is the Shoppers Drug Mart Private label. The sales person/cosmetician gets more commission when you buy Quo, and they do sometimes puch it over other brands that may not be suitable for you.

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  11. That's why you look so beautiful!!!

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  12. Didn't know that Chania. Now when I bought the bronzer brush, they were on sale - and a good one at that. I don't mind supporting the staff when it's a good product, but I don't want stuff hidden from me.

    Thanks Donna...makeup and soft-filter lenses..a girl's best friend LOL!

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  13. This make-up business is all way too complicated for a simple girl like me. I just go au naturel, which includes my fur coat.

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  14. I buy the Quo brushes too. I like most of the Quo products.

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  15. I LOVE this kind of sharing...there is so much 'stuff' out there it is sometimes so hard to know where to begin. I have taken the vow to not have a bathroom cupboard full of products that I never use, so I really take time to think about what I am purchasing...that's why it is so helpful to have information, as J., has provided here, to help make the choosing so much easier. Thanks darling Sis.

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  16. Ok Jacqueline, now we are talking! I love talking make-up. I am a devout Laura Mercier/Bobbie Brown fan. I tend to mix and match. LM makes a great foundation and powder. The other product I like is Jane Iredale. Her mineral makeup has a nice finish. I picked up the Smashbox primer whenI was in Sephora and really like that too. I never leave the house without a touch of blush and lipstick. Just a must for my fair irish complexion. I have blue eyes and find Bobbie Brown's brown shadow works well for me. Gives them a bit of zing :) I have the same brushes you have shown...they are a must!

    I have used Environ face products from South Africa for a few years now and swear by them....lots of Vitamin C.

    This is fun! Hair...Keratasse all the way :)

    Jeanne xxx

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  17. How fun this is! I've used Dermalogica foundations and tinted moisturizers for a long time now as well as Aveda make-up products (from the salon days). I always return to Loreal's Voluminous mascara...and my favorite lip thingy's are from Origins...their lip pencils but they're really a mixture of lipstick and gloss...they're thicker that a regular lip pencil and I love them. Also, Burt's Bees moisturizing lip tints are pretty neat. Blush and bronzers are from Bare Minerals, as are my brushes.
    I have trouble finding eye pencils that don't smear...that's my one pet peeve!

    Okay now...you *must* check out this website! You will be mesmerized as you watch this French lady put on make-up from many different manufacturers...be forwarned - it's addicting!

    http://www.monblogdefille.com/blog/nivea-le-style-chic

    xo J~

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  18. Jessica...j'adore...I actually do that with my finger when I put lipstick on!

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