Goo Hoarding Week 2: Results

My camera is still acting up, so forgive the photo quality.

In any event, it's time to wrap up yet another week of goo hoarding.




1) Milani Baked Blush in Dolce Pink


I was excited about the idea of a nice, baked drugstore blush for under $10.00, and, as you can tell from the photos, it's a fairly large size for a lower-end blusher.

It comes with a mirror under the pan, which I've always found to be a bit of a pain, to be honest. I much prefer when the mirror is in the same compartment as the blush or product. And those complimentary brushes they always include that are equally pointless. But it certainly doesn't hurt the product -- it's just an unnecessary extra.

While the color (Dolce Pink) is very pretty in the pan, this Milani blusher suffers from some pigmentation issues.

Applied thickly, in the swatch you can see below on my hand, it's a nice rosy-toned color with a little hint of gold shimmer. But worked properly into the skin, the color all but flakes off and suddenly the shimmer turns into an obvious, costume-y glitter. 

That's not as easy to see, but you can trust me that it definitely doesn't look daytime/work appropriate.


It can be hard to figure out the balance between cute and cutesy, and unfortunately Milani's baked blush is more the latter than the former.

If super-glittery cheeks are your thing, great, but I was hoping more for a nice rosy glow with a bit of highlight -- not the other way around.

I won't necessarily toss this out, because I do think it could be used for more of a "fun" evening look, but it won't be my daily go-to for sure.

2) Benefit They're Real! Mascara

This mascara has been a beauty blogger favorite since it came out over a year ago. It boasts the thickness and fullness of fake lashes (not unlike Maybelline's The Falsies) without the fuss and frustration of the gluey application process.

This was probably my favorite of the bunch for this week. I really love this mascara -- more than The Falsies, which I've owned both in the regular and "flared" versions -- but removing it is a nightmare. I've tried getting it off with three face wipes soaked in makeup remover and still wound up rubbing off a little extra black smear when I go to cleanse afterward. The obvious plus side to this is that there's no flaking or fading and I assume it's waterproof (though I haven't cried or stared up at a rainy sky while wearing it).

Apologies for my make-up free zombie eyes below. For reference, the "After" image is lash curler-free and a one-coat application.

It can be a little clumpy, but I like the look of big 60s-style lashes (as long as they don't look too spider-y). A more precise application or a lash curler would give you a bigger, bolder effect.

In any event, as you can see, a little goes a long way. It is pricey (it currently retails at Sephora downtown for $29.00), and The Falsies is a nice drug store alternative, but if you do want some great 60s dramatic lashes, They're Real is probably the best mascara I've ever used to achieve them.





















3) L'Oreal Color Infallible Eyeshadow in Tender Caramel

The pictures don't quite do this color justice. It's a nice, warm, almost pink-y brown-gold color that looks amazing as a light wash across the eyelid, and equally amazing applied thickly in the crease or along the lashes.

I like the loosely-packed powder element of the Infallible eyeshadows, which makes them really nice and pigmented without being messy.

I got this on sale at Shoppers for about $6.99 a while back, but I believe it normally retails for about $8-10.

4) Marcelle Golden Glow Face Powder

I reviewed Marcelle's Hydra-C collection a while back, but I neglected to mention that I'd picked up this highlighter at the same time.

I'd been coveting the new holiday highlighters from Lancome and Lise Watier, but wanted to find a less expensive version. This Marcelle powder was everywhere in drug stores once the holiday collections began debuting. It runs about $17.00, which is considerably more affordable than the $30-40 price range for Lise Watier and Lancome. 

Highlighters can be a bit tricky to get right. I remember putting on MAC's Mineralize Skinfinish with a Kabuki brush before heading out for a New Year's party a few years ago and then saw the photos of the night the next day. The sheen coming off of my face made it look as though I'd covered it in a thick layer of shimmery Vaseline.

Ideally, a highlighter should be like a light bronzer -- adding a bit of definition and shimmer without overwhelming your face.

Marcelle's powder works because it blends four shades -- ranging from a light pink to a medium brown -- that all blend together into a flattering, warm golden wash. It's especially good on pale skin (I'm about an NW15) because it doesn't give you that "muddy" look of a lot of bronzers (even the lightest ones).

I've swatched each of the four shades on my hand below, and then showed them all blended together with a Real Techniques Buffing Brush. Once again, brush included in the case was sadly useless.

5) Revlon Photo Ready Concealer in Light/Medium

I have always had dark under-eye circles. Depending on sun exposure, sleep, skin care, water consumption and about 50 other factors, my circles range anywhere from a deep-purple bruise color to a light reddish discoloration.

Needless to say, I don't like them.

One of the first real scare-purchases I made, when it came to makeup, was concealer. At first, I tried very hard to match it to my naturally-fair skin and couldn't help but notice that this made me look a bit ashy. So what I've learned to do instead is to pick a concealer for under-eyes that's about a shade darker than my natural skin tone. The reason being that -- to my eye, at least -- it warms up the area (counteracting the blue/purple undertones) and looks much more natural.

Revlon's Photo Ready Concealer in Light/Medium is perfect for this. It draws on like a lipstick, provides a nice thick coverage, but can be patted down for a more natural look.

And the shade, for me, is perfect. I'll definitely be re-purchasing.

So that's it for this week! If you have any questions about the products, or want to share stories of your own goo hoarding, leave a comment down below.

Week 3's products should be up tomorrow.