[Please bear in mind that this vacuous entry is just about passing time. I feel like I'm losing it. I'm also very drunk, but I don't see that as an 'excuse'.]

Above are examples of packaging I personally like. 'Mulberry' Face of Australia nail enamel is my current favourite and most frequently worn nail enamel. I wore Australis foundation for a couple of years. I like the black tube, I think it's basically a very good product. I don't like the smell of it, and I wish they had a lighter shade, but in warm weather, I've often found this particular foundation a very good product. I used to dilute it with water. Currently (and for a little more than a year), I've been wearing full coverage makeup. Without a tan, I feel like I need something more extreme to even out my skintone. If I'm not wearing Max Factor's Lipfinity, my first choice is MAC lipstick. The texture is great, it wears better than most regular lipsticks, the colours are modern and I like the black bullet shape.

Face of Australia nail enamel is relatively inexpensive - about $3.99 per bottle - and it wears well. [Face of Australia foundation is about $11-13 for 40ml (which will last me a year if I use it every day) - I mention more about this foundation below], Australis foundation is also very reasonable - currently about $13, I think. MAC lipstick, however, is considerably more expensive, and I've so far only seen it in Melbourne.

Above is my current 'every day' palette: Rimmel's Cool Touch eye shadow in '015 Cool Down' - it creases less than normal shadow, and as I get older, I find that this particular product emphasizes dryness and crêpeyness less than most eye shadows, L'Oréal's Endless lipstick in 'Boundless Bronze' for blush (I find it incredibly difficult to find blush in Australia that isn't too pink, too orange, or way too light), Max Factor's Lipfinity in 'Wicked' (my most extravagant makeup indulgence), Maybelline's Volum' Express mascara in Very Black (for a long time I was reluctant to use anything but Maybelline's Great Lash, because it was simply much better than anything else I'd ever tried, but I hated the pink and green packaging, and now I find I actually prefer this formulation), a K-mart 'b brave' eyeliner in 'b smouldering' that I bought a few years ago, and Face of Australia's full coverage makeup in Ivory. [ Note 03/05/07: Slight changes to the packaging of this product modernize it. A 40 ml tube will now last me about 9 months with daily use, and I wonder if I'm just getting more careless with application, or if perhaps the drought conditions here have something to do with it - such that my skin is absorbing more of it.]

It can be difficult to find inexpensive makeup in Australia. The name brands from other countries are highly marked up. I recommend Face of Australia products, as well as Australis products and Rimmel (the most inexpensive foreign) products if you are trying to economize.

In one year, I will go through one tube of Face of Australia foundation in Ivory ($11-13 AUD), one tube of Rimmel eye shadow ($10- 13 AUD), one Maybelline Volum' Express mascara ($11-15 AUD), and 10 Max Factor Lipfinity lipsticks ($29 each, but sometimes I can find 2- for-1 sales). The L'Oréal lipstick I'm using as blush has already lasted more than 3 years, and the K-mart eyeliner has probably lasted longer than that. I do not worry about getting infections or whatever from makeup that I keep longer than the recommended one month or whatever it is for whatever makeup.

I buy theatrical lipsticks, nailpolish and Halloween-type makeup at dollar stores in unusual colours, with sparkles, etc. I also have body paints.

I seriously miss Dep hair gel - the orange or the yellow. There is simply nothing comparable here - nothing else seems to give as much 'lift' or hold at the roots (which for me translates as more body to the hair).

I've currently been trying out Max Factor's Colour Adapt skin tone adatping makeup in Creamy Ivory. I love the texture of it, but it definitely works better for me in hot weather than in cold. As with most foreign foundations, it's very expensive here.

Rimmel's 60-second nail enamel in Zeitgeist impresses me, but I guess I still prefer the more classic film noir type nail enamel. Zeitgeist is modern, something you might wear to a nightclub or to the beach. From different angles it looks like a metallic dusky violet, a bronze metallic, a greenish-bronze metallic, etc. With a vinyl finish. It doesn't feel as slick and smooth as regular nail enamel, it's kinda cool.

The foundation I use in colder weather is Face of Australia's full coverage stuff. Something I just recently rediscovered is: face steaming. Boil some water, put your face above it with a towel over your head for about 10 minutes, then wash your face. Loose skin will exfoliate relatively easily. Then, use the toner of your choice. After I do it, my face is abnormally red, but in the morning looks normal again. Plus, my skin feels silky-smooth, my pores look smaller, and makeup just glides on.

For hair colour, I am using a combination of the Australian Live colour Chocolate Rush with Nice N' Easy's Darkest Brown.

[All prices mentioned are in AUD.]