Current Favorites

[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.  

Base Duo, Best Concealer Trick for Blemishes and a Throwback Sunday?

[This post is all over the place, but I purchased everything or was given to me by a friend]



I considered doing a monthly favorite post but since my inbox is inundated by these right now, I think you guys might want a change of pace.  This post is broken into 3 parts:

• Base pairing discovery of the month!  I have very oily skin and I think with the combination of colder weather these two products really get it done.
• My secret way of concealing blemishes effectively.  Seriously, I've tried everything and this is the best accidental pairing ever.
• I was in Nordstrom Rack.  I found the Urban Decay Deluxe Shadow Box for $10.  It was purchased.  It's only $10 on the UD website but there's shipping involved. 

Hourglass Mineral Primer Veil is  a very high -end primer that I probably wouldn't have thought to try myself but was given this by a friend.  It feels very silicone-y and silky on the skin.  Although it doesn't feel particularly different from many primers on the market, I think it acts as a great barrier between your skin and the foundation you use.  I don't notice a huge difference in oil-control and longevity with this and other foundations but for some reason, the Almay Clear Complexion Makeup really latches on and creates a great base.  Separate from the primer, this is already my favorite foundation from the drugstore (yes, even over the Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum).  It's a light texture, medium coverage foundation with a matte (but not powdery) finish.  I've said before that I don't like heavy feeling foundations yet those are geared towards oily skin.  This is meant for my skin type but is super liquidy.  They've since added a pump to this but I don't think the formula has changed much (if at all).  It doesn't have alcohol, which is also surprising for such a light foundation.  I apply this with a stippling brush or buffing brush.

I would say my favorite traditional concealer is Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage.  It works best with a tiny precision brush and is very opaque and long lasting.  However, I always owned it in a shade too light for me and it can emphasize dryness.  The Real Techniques Deluxe Crease brush is like a tiny kabuki/buffing brush that's great for working product into a tiny area. Used with the Everyday Minerals Base in Matte, this is an amazing, opaque and most importantly, undetectable way to hide blemishes.  It works over the reddest areas with ease and doesn't look cakey which is completely counter-intuitive, I know.  It's replaced my other concealers for heavy duty concealing or for days where I skip foundation and just use this.

This is a very "old" palette that has UD's original eyeshadow formula.  I don't think I've ever tried the new formula so there's no comparison there but I was really drawn to the two purples and the bottom row of neutrals.  Sadly, as with most purples, they are the hardest to get to show up in the palette (but the vibrancy makes up for this) and the neutrals are gorgeous.  For $10, if you're going to place an order anyway, add this to your cart for an fun palette option.  

UPDATE:  The purple shadows are extremely vibrant on the eye and SO PRETTY.  I can see why UD really set themselves apart from the beginning with their shadow quality!

Products Worth the Hype
[All purchased by me, or given as gifts from friends]

Inspiration strikes at the strangest times and I scrambled for my notebook and pen yesterday as I jotted down categories that I felt a comprehensive review series could be based off of.  None of these are original ideas, just categories that I can group parts of my makeup collection into that I think would be interesting to read.  Briefly I think the areas I can cover over the next couple of weeks include the one you are reading, it's counterpart "Products not Worth the Hype", "Products I'm on the Fence About", "Cult Products", and "Under-hyped Products".  Look forward to those and intermittent random posts as I feel inclined.

For the first category, I have two bases from different parts of the world raved about by girls spanning an even wider distance.  Included are a couple makeup brushes that have gotten nonstop attention recently.

Skin 79 Gold Label Super BB Cream 
This is one of those products that ignited the BB cream fever, for me at least.  It was the first true BB cream I've ever purchased and is an all-around fantastic base.  It looks natural, adapts to my skin tone, has light-medium coverage and blends out imperceptive-ly (just made that an adverb- GRAMMAR!)

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Foundation in 52
It's the closest thing I've found to the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in terms of finish, meaning it's barely detectable with a light-medium coverage.  It's hardly drugstore price in the U.S., but it's definitely worth checking out if you're not about to shell out for a very high end foundation but want similar results.

Real Techniques Buffing and Contour Brushes
Highly raved across the board by the blogging community, these synthetic hair brushes blend out products like a dream.  The Buffing Brush is my go-to for most foundations (except the very thin) and the Contour Brush has a myriad of uses.  Currently, I'm loving it for buffing powder around my T-zone area.

Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze
As you saw a couple posts back, not all Color Tattoos are created equal.  However, this shade is cream eyeshadow perfection.  It's creamy, wears as well on me as a powder foundation and has enough pigmentation to be worn on it's own.  I very rarely find cream eyeshadows interesting enough to wear on their own but I'd make an exception for this one.

Wet n Wild ColorIcon Eyeshadow Palettes in Comfort Zone and Silent Treatment
These are soft, buttery pigmented shades that are easy to work with and come in a great selection of shades.  I think this is a strangely difficult combination to find in a drugstore eyeshadow but this formula is really top-notch.  For a fun variety of neutral and bright shades, check these out for $3-$5 each.

Real Techniques Base Shadow and Deluxe Crease Brushes
The eye counterparts to the last two face brushes I talked about, these brushes are an absolute must-have for me right now.  I use the Base Shadow Brush to apply and blend color effortlessly.  Something about the shape-how it's more tapered than the MAC 217 make me reach for this over my MAC brush every time.  I can say that I'd take a backup of this brush over the MAC 217 right now (crazy I know).  The Deluxe Crease Brush is an ideal brush for buffing into undereye concealer but I actually use it with a mineral foundation as a spot concealer and the combination is the best I have tried int terms of heavy-duty concealing.

Maybelline Baby Lips in Cherry Me and Grape Vine
I had the original Baby Lips at one point after a successful Secret Santa gift exchange.  The two that stood out to me in the end were these two, especially Cherry Me.  I think the sheer red is a perfect shade for any skin tone.  It's my go-to easy lip in the colder months.  Grape Vine is just as the name implies, a grape-y shade that doesn't go too vampy.  Both of these can be built up to a decent opacity so beware when applying these without a mirror.  These are moisturizing and smooth just like others have said.

Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 01 Rose Shimmer
This was floating around the British blogosphere for a while and I was pretty impressed with the reviews.  I picked one up and determined that this would become my handbag staple.  A light, balmy gloss with only a hint of tint, this is very comfortable to wear and actually leaves my lips feeling more moisturized after it wears off.  

An encore and an appearance of two products I couldn't put into their own category because there was only one of each!

Batiste Dry Shampoo in Original
Choose a scent that you like, spray into roots, go do makeup, brush out and voila- second day hair that looks presentable.  This is a lifesaver for oily skin girls like me and this is one of the best I've tried so far.  Very worth the hype.

Clarisonic Mia
You've heard enough about this I'm sure.  Basically, my rationale for including this product is that it is the only thing that actually minimizes the appearance of pores for me.  Blackheads are much less noticeable and there's pretty much no cleanser/treatment that has a similar result.  I see this more as a treatment rather than a daily use product.  

Hope you found that useful and stay tuned for more!