Nov 2013 Favorites

Nov is a great month!! 

Cathy Doll, Snow White Blink Blink Whitening Snow Mask (for body)

I hesitated to name it as one of my favorites because I remembered it was a disaster when I first tried it. Instructions said to massage it on dry skin(I suppose), let it dry for 3minutes and then rinse off with water. HOWEVER, it was impossible to get it off. It left an ugly white chalky residue which was extremely un-natural. 
I tried it again the 2nd time, this time not on the whole body but on my kneecaps and my neck. My neck is significantly darker than my face and my chest(a round tanline), just as my kneecaps with my legs. 

This time round, I massaged a THIN layer carefully within the boundaries(the darker areas). After few minutes, I lathered shower foam on my konjac sponge and brushed them off, rinsing thoroughly with water until no chalky residue is left. Indeed my darker areas looked fairer in a natural way and my kneecaps looked the same shade as with my legs, and my neck with my chest. In short, overall complexion colour is more even.

SO, the conclusion is, it whitens by at least 1 shade very effectively and unless there is someone to help you, it's quite difficult to have an overall even application to ensure a perfect fairer body; you'll end up having some patches fairer and some patches darker if not done properly. Therefore, I feel it's most useful on partial areas which are relatively darker than your body. 

Etude House - Water Colour Blusher in No.2 Coral

I'm always hesitant to try non-powdered blushes because I was afraid of tough application. But I was actually hoping that I can find a blush which can stay throughout the day and this did it. It lasts all day. It's texture is one of the best I've seen, not too liquid nor too thick; so while it's quite pigmented, it wont accentuates the pores on the cheeks like some cream blush does nor cake up. 

It does need some tact to apply it properly though. A sponge is encouraged. Apply bit by bit; it's buildable. Apply after your foundation but before your powder.

Sunkiller BB Perfect Strong - 
SPF 50+ PA+++

In short, it's a tinted sunscreen. Very very watery texture so careful when pouring else you'll have a yellow river. Surprisingly pretty decent coverage when it's not thick at all. Very light on the skin. Evens out skin tone and covers minor imperfections while looking natural. Gives a "no makeup look". However it can look "made-up(like you have make-up on)" if more is applied. So it's up to your preference. Does turns alittle shiny after few hours with no primer/powder. Though again, it kinda makes no sense if I need a primer for a fuss-free makeup day. I still like it as a high spf sunscreen for just a few hours nearby lunch. I just blot the shine away and still look decent without touching up anything. 

Ecotools - Tapered Blush Brush

Love love love this blush brush. Very soft. No shedding. Picks up the right amount of blush and applies nicely without wastage. It's dense enough to be used to pick up blush from those mini blush compacts without messiness. Right shape and size for me too.

Etude House - Surprise Essence Concealer in #01 Light Beige

I usually use L'oreal True Match Concealer for my imperfections as well as to highlight my under-eye and t-zone. It was great and natural, but it's coverage wasnt enough for my hyperpigmentations which was like at least 2-3 shades darker than my skintone. FML. So I needed one with a higher coverage. This is great; with it's round sponge applicator, it's simply made for concealing dark hyperpigmentations or pimples. Good coverage but yet doesnt cake up. I still use my concealer brush to blend it properly. 

Dior Addict Lipstick in 353 Blush

This looks pretty nice when I swatched on my hand before buying; like a subtle reddish pink but still considered a MLBB[I'm a very MLBB(my lips but better) girl...call me a coward]. However it's GORGEOUS when applied on the lips! I dont quite know how to describe the colour. It's like a mauve-y pinkish-red which is not over the top and attract stares over your lip colour BUT yet will immediately become the highlight of your face. It's very moisturizing and lasts fairly well considering how moisturizing it is. I've been loving it! The classy packaging is lovely too!

Etude House - Dear My Essence in Lips-talk in EBE103

It looks rather sheer when you swatched it on your hand but actually it's colour payoff is good when applied on your lips. What's so special about this is you are to twist the bottom cap clockwise to release the lip essence. Usually I'll twist 1 or 2 clicks and then apply and it's so moisturizing. It's like both a lipstick and a lipgloss. A gorgeous MLBB colour. It reminds me of one of my MLBB lipsticks which is Too Faced - Spice Spice Baby. The colour is pretty similar, just that Etude's even more moisturizing and gives more of a glossy finish. Granted, it's not very lasting due to it's high moisturizing and "glossy" nature. Price wise, it's like 60% of Too Faced La Creme lipsticks. 

Etude House - Face Designer Brightener  in #Cutie Face

Not sure if I've mentioned this before but I'm recently using this as my highlighter. It's violet-based. It brightens up the face in a natural and dewy way like the korean-style of makeup; I dont like chalky white highlighters or highlighters with too much glitters on a day-to-day basis. I wish this can be longer-lasting though. However, it's sufficient for daily basis.