Hello, Lovely! Today's post will be as the title suggests.
Since I've been taking prescription tablets to help save my terrible skin (acne, acne scars, dry patches, oil overload, pigmentation, allergic reactions, etc) for about three weeks now, I have seen such drastic improvement. I wear less harmful makeup nowadays and when I do wear makeup on the everyday scale, it's as minimal as possible with products that i know work for my skin. I have a lot of makeup, but not as much when compared to other bloggers which I guess is a really good thing. I did a cleanup and re-organised everything before starting this blog in hopes to continue to lessen the load, but that's in order to increase it with better products later on.
I absolutely adore my current face/base products. The Almay Smart Shade line has been so good to me. It gives light to medium coverage with SPF 20 and I love how it leaves my skin natural and breathe-easy with just the right amount of dewy. A side effect of the medication is that my skin gets incredibly dry which I try to help as much as possible with numerous skincare products. One concealer which surprised me by not only giving great coverage, it also does not "enhance" my dry patches, is theBalm Time Balm concealer. It also doesn't break me out which is very much appreciated.
I think my favourite brand for now is theBalm, considering their great quality products and visually attractive (not garish, more gaudy) retro packaging. One massive HG theBalm product for me is the Mary Lou-manizer. I don't think I need to ramble on about how great it is as there are already many other blog posts about it, but I just lightly smooth it over my cheek bones, temple, T area and chin under the Almay makeup and I get that lovely fresh glow. Thank you, Mary Lou. To complete the healthy flush look I apply essence Silky Touch blush in Secret It-girl with a very light hand just over my cheekbones. This blush is a great colour for my fair/medium skin and it is super pigmented so always tap applicator to remove excess.
One thing I did forget in my slideshow is the Almay Smart Shade Prime & Correct primer. I always prime and this just seems to do the job better than my numerous other primers including L'oreal Base Magique and Clinique's Superprimer. I was well aware of the negative reviews regarding this primer before buying it, but now that i use it everyday I don't regret it. For me there is no stench nor does it apply oddly. I use a fourth fingernail (note: my hands are small) amount, that covers my whole face and I let it dry for about 3-5 minutes. I do see a reduction in any redness after I apply my makeup so this works very well for me.
I LOVE NUXE REVE-DE-MIEL LIP BALM. Can't live without it, I've finally found the perfect lip balm that gives a matte finish, heal, protects and smells divine to boot. Will repurchase, always. In winter, my lipstick colours are almost always darker in tone for example oxblood and burgundy. Revlon Super Lustrous in Teak Rose is a beautiful MLBB colour with a silky creme finish that I can just apply and not worry about bleeding or clown like lips. I highly recommend for professionals.
Goodness, this feels like a really long post. More awaits, my friend.
I rotate mascara pretty much everyday, and the one that has impressed me the most if the Maybelline Full n' Soft waterproof. I just love everything it does. Full, thick lashes that last all day, what more do I need? I don't use an eyelash curler because I'm lazy and I don't have one. This mascara makes my lashes look more natural as I already have a slight curl and hence I don't feel like I need an eyelash curler anyway. I already have think dark brows, so on an everyday basis I don't use fill in powder (Revlon Colorstay Browmaker in #01 Brown), I simply tame them with the Prestige Brow Perfection Gel.
The eyeliner love of my life has to be the SAX creme eyeliner in Platinum. The one pictured above is my third repurchase. It just glides on so well but is just tough enough for total line control and the colour very much suits my skin tone. For my lower lash line if I'm not using the SAX is the Rimmel Scandaleyes in Taupe. This line of eye pencils are also a HG product as they are just so smooth to apply and intense to look at --- A +.
Finally, my most used brushes in winter. As the Almay makeup requires my fingers to warm and blend the grey liquid into my skin, I barely use my Real Techniques Expert Face brush anymore - it is saved for my heavy duty foundations. The brushes I do use are the Models Prefer Professional Airbrush for the Mary Lou-manizer, the Ecotools Finishing Kabuki to stipple on the blush and the Models Prefer Airbrush Buffing brush to blend and smooth everything. I think the Models Prefer brushes should get more love. For such an affordable price, the brushes are amazingly soft and have not even shed once and I've washed them many times. As you can see, the Airbrush Buff is very dense, has a flat top and is in all fantastic. The other one feels even better when applying and gives beautiful finishes. Ecotools has been a long time trusted brand for me and the kabuki is great in quality, so I am very pleased with that.
Phew, that was longer than I expected; I talk too much. Hope you liked this post! x
Since I've been taking prescription tablets to help save my terrible skin (acne, acne scars, dry patches, oil overload, pigmentation, allergic reactions, etc) for about three weeks now, I have seen such drastic improvement. I wear less harmful makeup nowadays and when I do wear makeup on the everyday scale, it's as minimal as possible with products that i know work for my skin. I have a lot of makeup, but not as much when compared to other bloggers which I guess is a really good thing. I did a cleanup and re-organised everything before starting this blog in hopes to continue to lessen the load, but that's in order to increase it with better products later on.
I absolutely adore my current face/base products. The Almay Smart Shade line has been so good to me. It gives light to medium coverage with SPF 20 and I love how it leaves my skin natural and breathe-easy with just the right amount of dewy. A side effect of the medication is that my skin gets incredibly dry which I try to help as much as possible with numerous skincare products. One concealer which surprised me by not only giving great coverage, it also does not "enhance" my dry patches, is theBalm Time Balm concealer. It also doesn't break me out which is very much appreciated.
I think my favourite brand for now is theBalm, considering their great quality products and visually attractive (not garish, more gaudy) retro packaging. One massive HG theBalm product for me is the Mary Lou-manizer. I don't think I need to ramble on about how great it is as there are already many other blog posts about it, but I just lightly smooth it over my cheek bones, temple, T area and chin under the Almay makeup and I get that lovely fresh glow. Thank you, Mary Lou. To complete the healthy flush look I apply essence Silky Touch blush in Secret It-girl with a very light hand just over my cheekbones. This blush is a great colour for my fair/medium skin and it is super pigmented so always tap applicator to remove excess.
One thing I did forget in my slideshow is the Almay Smart Shade Prime & Correct primer. I always prime and this just seems to do the job better than my numerous other primers including L'oreal Base Magique and Clinique's Superprimer. I was well aware of the negative reviews regarding this primer before buying it, but now that i use it everyday I don't regret it. For me there is no stench nor does it apply oddly. I use a fourth fingernail (note: my hands are small) amount, that covers my whole face and I let it dry for about 3-5 minutes. I do see a reduction in any redness after I apply my makeup so this works very well for me.
I LOVE NUXE REVE-DE-MIEL LIP BALM. Can't live without it, I've finally found the perfect lip balm that gives a matte finish, heal, protects and smells divine to boot. Will repurchase, always. In winter, my lipstick colours are almost always darker in tone for example oxblood and burgundy. Revlon Super Lustrous in Teak Rose is a beautiful MLBB colour with a silky creme finish that I can just apply and not worry about bleeding or clown like lips. I highly recommend for professionals.
Goodness, this feels like a really long post. More awaits, my friend.
I rotate mascara pretty much everyday, and the one that has impressed me the most if the Maybelline Full n' Soft waterproof. I just love everything it does. Full, thick lashes that last all day, what more do I need? I don't use an eyelash curler because I'm lazy and I don't have one. This mascara makes my lashes look more natural as I already have a slight curl and hence I don't feel like I need an eyelash curler anyway. I already have think dark brows, so on an everyday basis I don't use fill in powder (Revlon Colorstay Browmaker in #01 Brown), I simply tame them with the Prestige Brow Perfection Gel.
The eyeliner love of my life has to be the SAX creme eyeliner in Platinum. The one pictured above is my third repurchase. It just glides on so well but is just tough enough for total line control and the colour very much suits my skin tone. For my lower lash line if I'm not using the SAX is the Rimmel Scandaleyes in Taupe. This line of eye pencils are also a HG product as they are just so smooth to apply and intense to look at --- A +.
Finally, my most used brushes in winter. As the Almay makeup requires my fingers to warm and blend the grey liquid into my skin, I barely use my Real Techniques Expert Face brush anymore - it is saved for my heavy duty foundations. The brushes I do use are the Models Prefer Professional Airbrush for the Mary Lou-manizer, the Ecotools Finishing Kabuki to stipple on the blush and the Models Prefer Airbrush Buffing brush to blend and smooth everything. I think the Models Prefer brushes should get more love. For such an affordable price, the brushes are amazingly soft and have not even shed once and I've washed them many times. As you can see, the Airbrush Buff is very dense, has a flat top and is in all fantastic. The other one feels even better when applying and gives beautiful finishes. Ecotools has been a long time trusted brand for me and the kabuki is great in quality, so I am very pleased with that.
Phew, that was longer than I expected; I talk too much. Hope you liked this post! x