February Favorites

Makeup Favorites

• NARS Concealer in Custard: It’s a stick concealer that’s very convenient for travel and touch up. I use this when I’m in the rush out of the door. It’s easy to blend. I don’t use this for undereye because it could be drying.
• L’Oreal Magic Lumi Concealer in Light: I use this for under eye concealing because it’s luminizing. There is very subtle shimmer that’s pretty hard to detect. It looks natural and gives an instant pick-me-up. It can also be used to highlight other parts of the face if used without or on top of foundation. The consistency perfect; it’s not too sticky nor too dry. It’s very easy to blend. It feels very light on the skin. I would say it’s to lighten the skin more so to cover the skin. 
• Kate Super Sharp Liner in BK-1: I don’t know how I included this in a bunch of face makeup… Kate is a Japanese drugstore makeup brand owned by Kanebo. The price point is between L’Oreal and Physicians Formula. I got this in Taiwan. I’m usually not a fan of liquid eyeliner because it takes a lot of time to get a perfect smooth line and it usually turns out to be too thick for my hooded eyes. The tip of this eyeliner is very thin and flexible, which is really easy for me to control the line. It has a semi glossy finish.
• Bare Minerals Ready Luminizer in The Love Affair: It’s a golden highlighter. The shimmer is very finely milled. It’s not glittery at all and gives the skin really nice glow. It’s pretty pigmented. I hate those highlighters that you have to pile on to get the effect. I don’t have to do that with this highlighter. It’s so easy to apply. The powder is smooth like a dream. It’s perfect for light-medium to dark complexions. I wouldn’t recommend it if you’re very pale, especially with cool skin tone. The golden shimmer may look too noticeable.
• Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in Sand Medium 0-1: I am SOOO late on this bandwagon. This powder is very nice. It reminds me of Bare Minerals Veil. The powder is very smooth. Even though there are different shades, the powder isn’t very pigmented and doesn’t add much coverage, which I actually really like because I already expect my foundation and concealer to cover the imperfections. This powder keeps my face matte longer than Mineral Veil. I would definitely repurchase it when the current one runs out.

• Maybelline Color Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze: This is the third Color Tattoo I purchased. I don’t know why I did because the first two did not impress me, but I’m glad I did. It’s a very nice all-over eyeshadow and also a nice crease color. I’ve been really lazy on my makeup this month. I usually just put a layer of this all over the lid and put some more on the crease. It’s very creamy and stays on all day. I’ve posted a review of this cream eyeshadow.
• L’Oreal Infallible Eyeshadow in Amber Rush: I was hesitant to buy it because I had never worked with pigments or pressed pigments. But I couldn’t resist the color so decided to give it a go. I love this antique gold color. It reminds me of MAC Paintpot in Rubenesque (shown in picture above). It’s not a dupe but the color is pretty similar. Amber Rush is a little more rosy and more metallic. It’s very pigmented, smooth, non-messy, and easy to use.

• Revlon Lip Butter in Pink Truffle: When I first bought it, I was really disappointed because it was too dark for my taste. This month I had been reaching for it for a neutral look. It shows up pretty brown in the picture. It’s actually rosy mauve. It feels very nice on the lips and it’s easy to wear.
• MAC Lip Coulor in So Vain: It’s a limited edition/ discontinued product. But I thought I would show it because you might be able to get it from eBay or some other places. It’s a lip cream that’s not too matte and not too glossy. It feels like a film on the lips and also feels like it’s just gonna slide off. However, it actually stays on pretty well. It’s a rosy peach color. Very wearable.

• Maybelline Color Show Nail Polish in Dressed to Kill and Paint the Town: I love these nail polished because they are cheap but the quality is so good. It doesn’t chip on me for almost a week. Sometimes it can go for a whole week without chipping. The color is opaque. 2 coats are enough. Dressed to KIll would be a little more tricky to work with than Paint the Town (the first coat can be really streaky) but nothing too challenging. I’ve been loving Dressed to Kill a lot. It’s a very dark red, almost black. I’ll have a review on these nail polished posted soon.

Skincare Favorites

• My Beauty Diary Masks: These masks make my skin look really good the next day. It looks rejuvenated and well-rested. The left over serum is the key. I like the pink one. The green one doesn't make me break out or anything but I can tell my skin likes the pink one better. It just feels more calming and more gentle. There are tons of different scents and they do different things to your skin. They’re available on Amazon. See this post for more details and demo.

Hair Favorites

• Paul Mitchell Clearifying Shampoo: I use this one a week to get rid of the buildup on my scalp. It does as it says and it doesn’t irritate my scalp.
• Organix Moroccan Argan Oil: It’s a dry oil so it doesn’t weigh down your hair. I like to use it before I style my hair as a protectant.
• Living Proof No Frizz Nourishing Styling Cream: It’s one of those products that don’t make a dramatic difference but it makes whatever you’re doing much better (if that makes sense). I use it on damp hair before I braid it to get the beachy wave the next morning. I also use it on the root of dry hair to create some volume. It smells heavenly. I hope there’s a perfume that smell like it.
• Redken Heat Styling Thermo Actif Spray Starch 15: It’s a hair spray that holds the style while leaving it flexible. I love that it doesn’t make my hair crunchy. However, it has really strong alcohol scent when you spray it.
• Diffuser: I noticed that if I blow dry my hair with it before I go to bed, my hair has more volume the body the next morning and it looks good down.

Random Favorite

• The Girl Who Played with Fire by Stieg Larsson: This is the second book in the Millennium trilogy, after The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. I just finished The Girl Who Played with Fire. This one is easier to read than the first one because it’s not as dark. I like both books. I do think you have to read the first one to understand many things in the second one better though. The characters and their relationships can be hard to understand if you skipped the first one. If you’re interested in the final one, I would suggest you start right after the second one. Unlike between the first and second one, there’s no time lag in the story between the second and third one.