Make-Up Collection & Reviews

Recently I was doing some decluttering and getting rid of some items I no longer needed. One of thing things I organised was my make-up collection. Now I used to wear make-up all the time about a year ago, but nowadays I rarely wear it. So I thought it was time to take a look through my collection and review the products I own to see how well they actually work. I'm not a huge collector of make-up as it can be quite expensive to buy in Australia and I just wear basic stuff. So here is a look at my make-up collection! I've listed the RRP of each product so it gives an idea of whether the product is worth the money or not. The RRP is in Australian dollars so you might notice that some products may be more expensive here than in your country. I always buy my make-up products on sale because you can usually pick them up for about 25% to 50% off at Priceline or even at supermarkets. I've also listed a rating out of five for each product to gauge whether the product is good or not.

Australis - Primer The Original
I picked this product up one day because my original primer had stopped being produced. I'm not too knowledgeable about primer but I find this Australis one works way better than the Face of Australia one I used to use. The formula is great and creates a matte finish. It works well with my type of skin, but I wish it worked a bit better in filling in smile lines and under the eyes (the joys of getting old).
RRP: $14.95
Rating: 5/5

Australis - Make-Up Finishing Spritz
Not sure about this product, this is the first setting spray I've used and I guess it works. My make-up stays on during the day and it doesn't seem like the make-up (especially powder) comes off if you touch it. Reviews on Beauty Heaven has similar responses to my review with people not sure it the product works or not. But I guess it's better than no setting spray. The spray smells nice and would be great as a mist spray if you were travelling or on a hot day. I've started using the spray to set my brows as I don't use any other products on them. I'm lucky to have thick eyebrows that have that trendy look to them. One tip with this spray is the wait for your mascara to dry before using it as it can make it streak and transfer the mascara onto the skin.
RRP: $15.95 for the 150ml bottle. I actually have the 50ml one which is available at Coles and I brought it on sale for about $6.
Rating: 3.5/5

Revlon - Colorstay Foundation (Normal/Dry) in No. 110 Ivory
I swear by this foundation. Best foundation hands down. It has great medium to full coverage and has a light weight feel after application. It lasts throughout the day and the colour matches my skin quite well. The foundation has a slight shimmer/glitter look to it for some reason. The pump bottle is the most amazing thing and I only need about 2.5 pumps to do my entire face. I used to use a foundation from Rimmel London but found the colour never matched my skin and would become patchy during they day. It's best to pick this product up on sale as it's quite pricey.
RRP: $34.95
Rating: 5/5

Essence - Soft Touch Mousse Concealer in No. 10 Soft Beige.
Picked this product up randomly one day because it was on clearance and I've always been a fan of concealer's from Essence. It's great for dark circles and the colour works well on my eye area. I only use it for dark circles and sometimes it can be hard to blend because of the mousse texture. The pot it comes in is cute, but it can be tricky to get the product out as I have long nails and I hate it when the mousse gets stuck in my nails rather than on my actual finger.
RRP: $6.15 (Not sure if it's still available as the product is listed as Out of Stock on most stocklists in Australia and I brought mine on clearance)
Rating: 3/5

Essence - Stay All Day 16 Hour Long-Lasting Concealer in No. 10 Natural Biege and No. 20 Soft Biege
This is a my go to concealear that I've been using for years. I actually had trouble getting it once as the product went off the market for a long time. Then one day I was in Target and saw it on the Essence display there. So I was over the moon that they started making it again. Now it comes in a different packaging design but still works as well. It comes in two shades which I have both of but I usually use the Soft Biege one. The concealar is long-lasting (as the name implies) and the texture is amazing. Plus it's super affordable! I've found this is the best concealar from Essence, I've tried their similar products but this one is the longest lasting and best colour match.
RRP: $5.10AUS
Rating: 5/5

Rimmel London - Stay Matte Long Lasting Press Powder in No. 001 Transparent
This used to be my favourite powder and I used it for years. I eventually found though that the colour was a bit too orange for my skin and the powder wasn't lasting very long. Plus the powder gets this weird gritty feel to it in the packaging which kinda looks like rocks or something. Nowadays I save this powder for summer if I'm quite tanned (fake tan from a bottle) as the colour matches the tan I use.
RRP: $11.95
Rating: 2/5

Rimmel London - Lasting Finish 25 Hour Dual Finish Powder in No. 001 Light Porcelain
I use this powder for touch-ups when I'm out. I really like the packaging as the case is secure and opens up to reveal the powder, a mirror and a small sponge. I mainly use this for touch-ups around the nose and eyes. The product states you can use it wet or dry, but I've only eve used it dry. I don't go through this too often which is good because it can be pricey at some stores.
RRP: $17.95
Rating: 4/5

Essence - All About Matt! Fixing Compact Powder
This powder confuses me at why I own it. I used to use it years ago when I was younger and didn't understand make-up too well. It used to work amazingly years ago, but nowadays I cannot work it out. It often comes out too white on my face and I look like a ghost. I guess I just don't know how to use it properly or maybe the formula changed. The powder can go everywhere when trying to apply it so be careful. I definitely want to try this one out in the future to see how it goes because it has high ratings on beauty websites so it must work.
RRP: $6.15
Rating: Not sure as I haven't use it enough to tell.

Maybelline New York - Matte Maker Mattifying Powder in No. 10 Classic Ivory
My current setting powder because the matte look it creates is amazing. The formula works well on my skin and it blends in quite nicely. Powder doesn't go everywhere when applying. I use a sponge to apply it, but not sure if that's the right way and if I should use a brush. I like using the sponge as I can blend around the nose well. The powder has a lightweight feel which is a vital feature for me in make-up as I hate feeling like I have heavy make-up on my face. For some reason though, I always seem to get a broken container when I buy a new powder. The powder part is never glued to the packaging. It's weird that it keeps happening even if I buy the product at different stores.
RRP: $11.95
Rating: 5/5

Rimmel London - Kate Moss Sculpting and Highlighting Kit in No. 002 Coral Glow
The first and only highlighting kit I've owned and it's alright. I'm not a genius at highlighting and contouring. I've watched YouTube videos about it and that's about my experience. Picked this up one day as I felt my make-up routine needed contouring added to it. The contour/sculptor matches my skin tone well, but I can't add too much to my face because I'm quite pale. I really like the blush tone but the highlighter is a bit lacklustre. It isn't very noticeable and makes the foundation underneath quite patchy. Plus the highlighter pan runs out out very quick compared to others. I'd like to experiment more with highlighting, but this kit is a good starter one for anyone who is new to it like myself.
RRP: $16.95
Rating: 3/5

Maybelline New York - Hyper Sharp Wing Liquid Eyeliner
Personally the best liquid eyeliner I've used and have been using it for years. It has a flat wing brush which is perfect for drawing thin or flat lines and drawing cat eyes. The eyeliner is easy to use and mistakes aren't too difficult to fix. I like to draw the wing part first and fill in the rest. You can turn the brush onto the thicker part to draw a thick wing. The formula lasts a long time, but does come off for myself if I apply it too close to the corners of my eyes.
RRP: $17.95 (I don't recall it actually being this expensive! I always pick mine up on sale which is about $11)
Rating: 5/5

Maybelline New York - Falsies Push Up Drama Mascara
All I can say about this mascara is that it's awful. One of the worst I've ever tried! Now with mascara, I like to try out different ones and usually just pick up whatever is on sale in Covergirl or Maybelline. This one was definitely a fail due to the clumpy formula, bad brush and makes my eyelashes stick together. It doesn't work better if I use the trick of removing excess from the brush using a tissue before applying it. I have to literally remove all the product off the brush before applying and it still clumps up. It doesn't even give the false lashes effect that it claims it creates.
RRP: $21.95 (Absoutely not worth the full price. I brought mine on sale for like $8 and I feel that's too much)
Rating: 0/5

Essence - Kajal Pencil in No. 04 White
I have no clue why I own this. I think I brought it once because I saw a trick about drawing white eyeliner on your eyes to make them appear larger. This particular white eyeliner isn't that good. It doesn't come out too white on my eyes and is quite patchy. The main factor I don't like about it is that it aggrevates my eyes and makes them sting.
RRP: $2
Rating: 1/5

Australis - Fake Eye-D Eyeshadow Palette
Not the best eyeshadow I've ever used and the palette is half good and half bad. The lighter shades don't work that well for myself, but the darker tones are amazing. The palette is a mixture of shimmer and matte shadows. I think I just don't have the right tones to apply the shadows as I don't have any fancy eyeshadow brushes or primer. One thing I do love about this is the palette design. I love the way it snaps closed and the pans are a decent size. I only really keep this palette for the darker tones and I probably wouldn't buy eyeshadows from Australis in the future.
RRP: It's not available anymore but I believe the normal price was $14.99 but I picked mine up at Priceline during a sale for about $9.
Rating: 2.5/5

Rimmel London - Glam Eyes Quad Eyeshadow in No. 002 Smokey Brun
I've had this eyeshadow quad forever. I know you are meant to throw make-up out reguarly as it has an expiry date, but who honestly does that? So I brought this quad years ago for an old job I had and I've kept it this long because of it's quality. The eyeshadows work amazingly and have great pigmentation. This is my most relaiable eyeshadow as I usually wear brown tones if I wear eyeshadow. The applicator included is amazing and sometimes I use it with other eyeshadows. Rimmel still makes these types of eyeshadow quads but I don't believe this particular colour quad is still available.
RRP: $14.95
Rating: 4/5

Essence - Quattro Eyeshadow in N0. 13 Laugh, Love, Lime
Another essence product I picked up on clearance. I've used eyeshadows from this brand before and they were quite decent. This one is quite good but you need to blend it quick well. The eyeshadows have this gorgeous glitter look to them and the set has four different colors. The aqua tone is stunning and goes well with the white and green tone. The dark green tone seems a bit out of place in this set for me and isn't as effective as the other tones. This set is a great set for anyone just starting out in make-up.
RRP: $6.15 (Don't believe it is available anymore, at least not in Australia)
Rating: 4/5

Rimmel London - Lasting Finish Stay On Lip Contouring Pencil in  No. 21 Red Dynamite
Another make-up product I only have because I brought it for a job. I used to have the matching Rimmel lipstick to this but I threw it away. Haven't used this for a long time so I don't remember how well it works. Maybe that's a sign I should get rid of it because I don't even wear any red colours on my lips nowadays.
RRP: $8.50
Rating: N/A due to not remembering how well it works

Essence - XXXL Shine Lipgloss in No. 36 Popping Pink
Yes this is another clearance item from Essence. I was walkign through Target one day and they were clearing out lots of Essence items and that's how I ended up with all of them. I was surprised at how well this worked. I had used a similar gloss from Essence before and quite liked it. I'm allergic to most lip products so it's always exciting to find one that doesn't set off my allergies. This lipgloss has the most beautiful pink colour ever and has a pleasant scent to it. The applicator is great and the formula doesn't dry out your lips. I find I often need to apply it though but it has great coverage.
RRP: $3.70
Rating: 5/5

Essence - XXXL Shine Lipgloss in No. 17 Fabulous Fuchsia
This is from the same line as the Popping Pink shade and I picked this one up in the same clearance haul. This shade has a slight pink tone to it and is basically a glitter lipgloss. I usually use it on top of other shades or as a stand-alone shade. I love the packaging of these glosses as they are the perfect shape to fit into a purse or make-up bag when at conventions.
RRP: $3.70
Rating: 5/5

Carmex - Moisturising Lip Balm
Just your standard lip balm that most people own. I think someone gave this to me as I usually wouldn't buy carmex as I used it for years and got a bit sick of it. I like the packaging as the lipbalm is in a tub and not a pot. I just hate lip balms in a pot as you have to use your fingers and then you always have lip balm stuck to your fingers for ages afterwards. I don't use this one often, it's more of a back-up if I forget to bring my normal lip balms. It's quite moisturising and great for people with very dry lips.
RRP: $5.99
Rating: 4/5

Blistex - Ultra Lip Balm
This one is only really used for when I go to the gym or if I go swimming. It's perfect for summer as it contains broad spectrum very high protection sunscreen. Don't you just love sunscreen descriptions? I find when I wear it at the gym it wears off quickly but that may be because I'm working out.
RRP: $3.95
Rating: 4/5

Nivea Strawberry Shine Lipbalm
Now I only picked this one up because Nivea stopped making my favourite lip balm (the cranberry one) and I thought this would be the same. It's not exactly the same but it's alright. Sometimes it sets off my allergies but sometimes it doesn't so I can't work it out. It gives your lips a nice red tone and has a light strawberry scent/taste to it. It can wear off quickly which is annoying as wear time is important to me as I can't keep applying lip balm if I'm working.
RRP: $3.98
Rating: 4/5

As for make-up tools, I only really have two that I really use that weren't included with the product. For applying face products, I use the Manicare Precision Blending Sponge (the purple one) which I quite like. It's not too tough on the face and helps blend foundation in easily. The pointed end is useful for the eyes and nose area. I just use normal soap to clean it and the sponge can stain if you don't clean it regularly. The other tool I use is the Essence powder brush. I swear by this brush, it's perfect for applying contouring and highlights. It's super easy to clean, I've had mine for years and it still looks like new. The brush is smooth on the face and it is a flat angle brush. The strange thing about this brush though is that I brought another one a few years ago that was marketed as the same brush just in a different colour. I tried using it but it just aggravated my skin. It was itchy and after you'd applied product with it, my face would start burning. So I ended up throwing it away as I believed the brush fibres were made of something that was annoying my skin. I noticed that this colour brush is no longer available and Essence went back to the old dark purple and black coloured one. I brought a spare of this one from Target on clearance but haven't tried it out yet. I saw on Essence's website that the brush is now a gold and white coloured one. 

Well that's all of my collection. Out of all of these items, I ended up throwing away the Essence white eyeliner as it was just terrible and I doubt I'd ever use it again. I also threw away one of my concealer sticks from Essence as I had two of the same shade and one was incredibly old and had nothing left in it. I would like to throw the terrible Maybelline mascara out but I haven't got one just yet to replace it.