A couple of stores down from where I work is the Make Up Store. The Make Up Store is a Swedish make-up brand, who have ah-may-zing make up artists and products. As you sometimes do when you work in retail, I have befriended one of the sales assistants in there. It's nice to feel a little camraderie in the staff elevator and the more retailers you know, the more likely that will happen.
Anyway, I went in there to get my make up done for my 21st birthday. The girls who work in the store always have impeccable make up themselves (which I think says a lot about the brand and the artists they hire...there's another certain make up store in our centre and there's a few artists there who frequently look a bit like a hot mess). I'm just sayin'...if you can't do your own make up, there is no way in hell you're touching my face to do mine. So the service is $95 which is redeemable for product at the end...score! On Monday, instead of my usual 'week in pictures' post, I will (finally!) have a post up with some photos from my birthday. So you'll get to see what my make up looked like then, but I will just quickly mention I was more than happy with the service.
I redeemed the eyelashes they used for my make up, a powder for contouring and a primer:
Vitamin Day Primer AUD$75 for 50mL
The make up artist used this on my face to prep me for my make-over. If you're a long-time reader, you'll know I have quite dry skin. This product is a primer and a moisturiser in one, containing shea butter, vitamin A, E and carrot extract.
Considering it's also a moisturiser, it is not at all thick. That being said, it takes a minute or two to absorb fully into the skin. You can instantly feel the difference though, and make up not only glides on to your skin better, but the primer aspect really helps it to last all day. I've found it extends the longevity of my foundations and face products better than my other primer; Australis Face Base Primer (which is the same formulation as Napoleon Perdis' Autopilot primer). It also has a nice, subtle scent to it which dissipates after applying the rest of your make up.
Make Up Store recommends this is suitable for all skin types.
The packaging isn't that great...it is in a cute round container with a pump. I find the pump isn't that effective at getting the product out smoothly, and sometimes I have to force the pump a few times and then too much product comes out. Which is a shame given how expensive the product is. Also, I feel the lid could be held on just slightly tighter. This isn't a problem if you're just using it at home but I can definitely see it coming off if in a bag when travelling.
Overall, I love this product.
When I was redeeming the product at the end, I mentioned I wanted to try something new for contouring. My make up artist recommended a darker shade of face powder.
Micronized Compact Powder in Chocolate: AUD$42 for 8g.
This powder is a face powder, so is designed to be used on top of foundation, to help 'set' it. As a powder, it is transparent, and helps to seal the pigments from your skin. To use as a contouring powder, I use a denser brush and apply a little more product. I like how it is easily build-able, and blend-able. The benefit with using a powder over a bronzer for contouring is that you will get a more natural, darker shadow, rather than a more 'orange' one.
Here's some swatches of it on the back of my hand:
As you can see, the powder has a matte finish, also making it perfect for contouring. Overall, I've been loving the result I'm getting from this product, and have been using it exclusively since I bought it.
The packaging is nice; the compact is made out of a sturdy plastic, there's a mirror on the inside of the lid and the powder lifts up to reveal a sponge underneath. Which would obviously be useful if you were using this as a powder, for touch ups during the day. The lid also snaps on nicely, and clicks into place.
Have you used products from the Make Up Store before?
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