Fall/Winter Makeup Update

Wow, is it almost December already? Scary thought. I can't believe my evolution is - still evolving. The time is flying so fast, I really do forget how many days go by without detailing my current makeup trials and tribulations.

Given that I was still somewhat of a newbie when I first started blogging about them and the current fall/winter season, I thought it was time to update you on what has become near and dear to me.

On a daily basis, I've been using my L'Oreal liquid eyeliner in Defined by Plum, Cover Girl TruShine Lipcolor in Chocolate Shine, and the love of my life, Almay's Amazing Eye Liner in Black Brown. Blush enters in somewhat of a variety show, but big stars have been NYX Blush in Pecan and L'Oreal's TruBlend Blush in Subtle Sable.

Other products I continue to use regularly and which serve me well (both makeup and skincare):

Clinique Almost Powder (SPF 15) in Deep
Clinique Line-Smoothing Concealer in Deep Honey
NYX Eye Shadow Trio - Guru
The Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Blemish Stick (a real life-saver)
Burt's Bees Soap Bark & Chamomile Deep Cleansing Cream
Phisoderm Gel Clarifying Moisturizer
Nivea Lip Care
MAC Lipstick in Polished Up combined w/ Milani Lip Gloss in Taboo

The cooler weather and much clearer skin (thank you, Tretinoin) have been helping things along quite a bit, and I'm grateful. Fall/winter are definitely favorable makeup evolution seasons - too bad I started this over the summer. You live, you learn.

Daily Beauty Gripe - Brow Behavior

Some people have facial ticks, some, beauty ticks. You know, that weird little mishap that seems to occur repeatedly, daily, that you can never really fix? Some have complicated solutions, others, none. My personal daily beauty gripe is The Brow Droop - my sister and T will know exactly what I'm talking about.

I have pretty thin but just full and shapely enough brows. They are easy to maintain except for The Droop. See, my eye brow hairs are on the longish-side, especially in the middle (like most probably). At some unpredictable points throughout the day, some will fall out of place and tip unattractively into the middle of my arch.

I never really noticed this until the sis and T, being the older sisters that they are, would delicately smooth it back into place. Frankly, it doesn't bother me all that much - I have worse problems during the day and cannot check my face all day long. But it occurred to me that I could use a swipe of clear mascara/brow gel or something along the lines of Vaseline to fix things.

Almay used to make a great clear mascara but I think it's been discontinued, so I tried one from Maybelline that essentially did nada. I'm going to have to succumb and use The Body Shop's brow gel which is what the sis uses. I also came across this one from Anastasia and was surprised at the rave review. Too pricey for my purposes, but good to know nonetheless.

A weekly trim might be in order here. Perhaps this is why I crave being at home most of the time instead of going out. When else would I have the time to think so hard about brows and such?

Black 'n' BIV

Remember how I mentioned Laura Mercier's Black Violet eye liner oh, just about every other day? I reluctantly let go of that irrational desire for a violet/purplish eyeliner only to circle back to it a few weeks ago. Damn that Jordana Easyliner in Eggplant! I liked it enough to continue searching for similar, but perhaps slightly better options that are in the BIV family (blue, indigo, violet - yes, as in ROY G BIV).

I like Eggplant a lot. I really do. But that wine/burgundy quality about it that I liked so much? Well, surprise, surprise - it made me want to go bluer and more purple. Go figure. So I subconsciously edged my way towards LM Black Violet without ever quite getting there.

I began by perusing the drugstore aisles for a cross between Black Violet and Eggplant. Some contenders: Almay Amazing Eye Liner in Purple Amethyst and Raisin Quartz (liquid and pencil formulas), N.Y.C Waterproof Eyeliner in Smoky Plum, Wet 'n' Wild H20 Proof Eye Liner in Amethyst Pearl, Maybelline Define-A-Line Eyeliner in Rich Raisin, and Revlon Beyond Natural Defining Eye Pencil in Plumberry, and Revlon Luxurious Color Eyeliner in Burnished Amber.

I bought, tried, and returned both the Almay in Purple Amethyst (pencil) and the N.Y.C Waterproof liner in Smoky Plum. First off, let me just say how impressed I was the N.Y.C pencil - it was soft and creamy (but not too creamy), actually gliding on with no tugging. The color was also pretty nice - a slightly blue-toned plum with a slight metallic sheen. Sadly, this just wasn't pigmented enough for me. Gave some sort of simple, smoky effect but wasn't all that noticeable. However, at a later time I will definitely purchase a basic black from this line - it may just be the budget-conscious option to Make Up Forever's Aqua Eyes in Matte Black 01.

Purple Amethyst was an almost neon, blue-purple nightmare on my hand but it was less than special on the eyes. I would have been better off using a simple navy blue instead because this color just didn't stand out or blend in - very weird.

Chances are that the Raisin varieties won't fare much better either. Sigh. I may just have to succumb and try Black Violet, but I know it will be a royal mess on my eyes. With cooler weather approaching, however, perhaps it stands a chance.

For now, it's back to the basics - a swipe of black liquid eyeliner and lipstick. Always reliable, if a bit boring.

Hope to try Revlon's Plumberry next - stay tuned.