It's been a while since I did my last update on the products that I've been loving. Since then, I've gone back to some old favourites, found a new favourite brand and I've discovered some new favourites along the way as well. I've been trimming down my collection a bit, lately, after realising that some things just aren't compatible with my skin, like the Essence Sooo Glow highlighter which causes my skin to break out where it is applied. I also threw out the Makeup Revolution The One Highlight stick, as the glitter is just way too chunky for my liking, and gets everywhere whether I like it or not.
The past few months have really seen me mature quite a bit when it comes to makeup. I'm no longer as obsessed with buying more products, and I have very few things on my wishlist now. I mean, aside from curating my own green eyeshadow palette, I cannot think of much else that I'm excited about. I haven't fallen out of love with makeup, I use it all the time, but other things are just more important in my life. That said, here's what I've been using lately.
First of all, I must rave about The Ordinary, because ever since I made the switch I've had far fewer breakouts. Not only that, my pores also don't look gross at the end of the day, my makeup sits better on my face, and I rarely encounter dry patches or irritation due to said dry patches. Currently, I use the Natural Moisturizing Factors (best moisturiser I've ever found to date) which isn't greasy and is very hydrating. My skin loves it so much. I've just finished my first tube of this baby, and I've already stocked up on two more tubes.
I'm also in the beginning stages of using the Niacinamide 10% + Zinc 1% serum, and so far there's been no negative changes to my skin. I haven't been using it properly enough to see whether it makes much of a difference to my sebum production. I'm almost out of the Hylamide Low Molecular HA Serum, but I figure that The Ordinary Hyaluronic Acid 2% + B5 serum would be a very close substitute and replacement. I've yet to start using that one, but it'll be a couple of more days before I get fed up with trying to suck up the last dregs of the Hylamide serum with the dropper.
I'm back to using the Natio Restore Cleansing Milk again and have even stocked up on enough bottles to last me another year. I mean... tell me that these bottles won't last me at least another year! Go on, I dare you. I've never found a cleansing lotion, cream or milk that performed better than this because most of the other brands (cough-
I haven't really picked up new products, except for a mascara and a few single eyeshadows to go into a magnetic palette that I've yet to buy. The mascara in question is theBalm's Mad Lash mascara, one that promises length and volume. The curved, toothy wand is the first one I've ever tried of its kind, and I cannot believe how much easier it is to apply mascara to my lashes. As some of you may already know, I'm always dealing with mascara smudging onto my brow bone because of the thrice damned curly lashes. This reduces that problem to a minimum and it takes very little time to apply.
I've rediscovered my love for using the RCMA foundation palette. I mean, I've always used it for my foundation whenever I had the time to put in the extra effort, but I love it even more now. Why? Because I've finally found a way to conceal my under-eye area perfectly with this, and also stop it from creasing like a mofo.
Which brings me to my next favourite cruelty-free product. I've mentioned this one a few times, but I don't think it has had enough attention. It's the Australis Ready Set Go Pressed Finishing Powder. It's better than their loose version and sets my makeup perfectly in place without leaving a white cast, or completely mattifying my face. It goes a long way in absorbing a lot of the oil on my skin, and a retouch guarantees perfection for the rest of the day provided that you blot. I assume this one would be very similar to the RCMA No-Colour powder, only that it is in a pressed form. This baby is what stops my concealer from creasing under my eyes.
I've been using the Pixi Bronzer in Summertime every now and then, where I would use the tiniest amount below my cheeks whenever I look and feel particularly puffy. It's not noticeable because the shimmer particles catch the light and make it blend into the rest of my face as a seamless canvas, but when you look at my face head-on (pun intended) it gives the impression that my face is thinner. I've gained some weight, okay?!
Since my previous edition, I've used theBalm's Balm Voyage palette a couple of times, opting for it because I couldn't be bothered gathering all the bits and pieces before work. Also, when I have a migraine, I really cannot be bothered putting in the effort trying to decide what my look will be like the following day. The first time I used the Voyage palette I wasn't too crazy about the quality of the shadows, but since then I've been able to work with it so that it doesn't get wasted. On the other hand, the highlighter, bronzer and the blushes are actually quite pigmented, though the bronzer is a bit difficult to blend. I've never used the lipsticks provided because they're not my shades.
Now that it's winter here, I'm trying to aim for the more deep tones such as plums, berries, and dark reds like Lime Crime Velvetine in Wicked. I've yet to try it out on my lips, as I haven't gone out much since I received it in the mail. I really liked the Rustic shade, and I thought it really suited me. However, I'm not sure why but I didn't get any compliments on it? Then again, it's 1 out of 20 times that I do get a compliment on my makeup. I'm not a pro, or even experienced in the art, but c'mon, I don't look like a clown, do I?
Well, except for that one time I thought pairing Makeup Geek's Jester with the aforementioned Rustic Velvetine was a great idea. It was not. Not a mistake I'll be making again anytime soon.
I recently picked up the Real Techniques Blush and Setting Brushes, so that I could have two of each in my kit. I found that the new ones aren't as dense as my old ones, and it turns out that the brand redesigned them, which makes me really sad in pants. They perform okay, but the blush brush isn't dense enough for me to properly blend out the blush on my cheeks. I'm really disappointed that they've changed things up because that means the quality has gone down with Real Techniques while the price remains the same.
I'm going to be very wise about what kind of brushes I buy next time because I do not want duds in my collection. I want brushes that perform amazingly, that last a long time and the quality is proportionate to the price.
I'm not sure if you guys have noticed, or thought that something seemed a bit different about my post today. I've taken these pictures with my new Canon 750D and it's taking me some time to get used to it, and frankly, I think I might just stick to manual setting, because the colours aren't the best when it comes to the Macro setting. It's also been a bit of a whirlwind on Photoshop because I've had to change my system in editing the photos so that the colours are accurate and the photos brighter. And I'm still not happy with it. So, I definitely need to get more experimenting done with both the camera and on Photoshop.
What products have you been using lately?
0 comments:
Post a Comment