[All purchased by me or given to me by generous friends]
It's been a long time since I updated this blog, which I will blame entirely on my own laziness. It's not like I've slowed down my beauty product consumption in the past couple of months, it's just a matter of getting down my thoughts into words. There's a list of posts that I really should be getting around to soon, but a current favorites seems like a good way to segway into posting again.
I received the Laura Mercier Body Souffle sampler quartet from a friend for Christmas and oh my gosh are the scents amazing. Most of the time, I'm not very prone to want to smell like a dessert but these scents are the overly sweet kind of dessert scents but more like a fresh fruity or creamy grouping of scents. Being on the pricier side means I'll cringe when I use one up but I can definitely see myself picking up a full size when these are all gone.
The Etude House blush is in Grapefruit Jelly and also a gift from a friend. If you watch Korean makeup tutorials (in particular Pony's makeup tutorials on the channel insitetv), then this blush pops up a lot. It's matte, light yet super flattering. I never used to have patience for lighter toned blushes, but this one is very nice.
Jane's Water-Resistent liner in Brown has surpassed my Marc Jacobs liner that I bought during Sephora's VIB sale. It lasts about the same amount of time, if not longer, is creamy and pigmented and super inexpensive. I can see why people like the Marc Jacobs one, but to me, the packaging is very light and cheap and it isn't as smudge-proof as I expected.
I fell for the hype and out the Nars Radiant Creamy concealer, which is pretty much worth the buzz if you're looking for an easy concealer to just throw on without too much effort. Other concealers might have even better lasting power and opacity, but this one is just so swipe and go and seamless that it's become an everyday staple.
I got the Naked 3 palette for Christmas. It's an interesting mix of pinky toned shadows that creates a very pretty look every single time I use it. Whereas I think the original Naked palette creates a very glam look, the Naked 3 always comes off as light and girly. My one complaint would be that since all the colors are in the same tone, there's not enough contrast to get a wide spectrum of looks, but just know that every look you create is going to be pretty.
Oh, Shu Uemura blush. I bought two during their sale around the holidays and I enjoy using them. I'm not super fussed about the texture but they are easy to work with and wear.
TheBalm Instain blushes came in a trio at Kohls and I picked it up hoping to finally find a blush that doesn't fade and also offers a good amount of pigmentation. This fulfills both those categories and is a great choice for days that you'll be out and about for long hours.
Becca Ever Matte Pore Perfecting primer is my ultimate, oil-control, long-lasting wonder product. It's the strongest mattifying product I've ever used and is full-on amazing for oil control. However, it is still a little too strong in harsh weather and is only recommended for those with very oily skin (like mine).
The Real Techniques sponge has been my choice to use for blending foundations. I like to adopt Pony's technique of dotting many small amounts of foundation on an area of my face and blending it in with this sponge. It's so soft and blends product easily with no fuss.
