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Loving Right Now. Summer Favorites

September 6, 2019 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hi guys! A couple of months ago, I did a review of my Spring Favorites in beauty and skincare. I remember mentioning that I will be posting my Summer faves soon but I’ve gotten so busy lately that I almost forgot to post this. Well, since we’re still really in the last few days of Summer until Fall starts at the end of this month, let’s take a look at the beauty, skincare, haircare, and other stuff I’m currently loving this season.

(All products/items mentioned in this post and are seen in the following photos are all linked down below)

SKINCARE

Elemis Superfood Facial Wash (5 oz: 25 USD) – This is a lightweight, green, gel-like, and very gentle face cleanser that doesn’t strip the face of its natural oil. It’s ideal for sensitive to normal skin and can be used every day. The smell is quite earthy and very organic.

Lancome Energie de Vie Water-Infused Cream (1.7 oz: 57 USD) – I got this as a sample and it feels really light on the skin. It’s also very softening and it’s one of the best water creams I’ve tried out there. I Highly recommend this cream especially for those with sensitive, normal or oily skin.

Caudalie Divine Oil (3.3 oz: 49 USD) – This smells nice and luxe, with a hint of something green and fresh. This oil is not only perfect for the body, but it’s also great for the face and hair. It’s non-sticky and it sets into the skin well. You can read more about my favorite dry body oils HERE.

Farmacy Green Clean Makeup Removing Cleansing Balm (mini/1.7 oz: 22 USD, 3.2 oz: 34 USD) – This really melts any kind of makeup and it smells nice. I never get bored of using this and a little goes a long way, so this lasts a long time for me. I would love to try the Cherry version soon. Read my other Farmacy faves HERE.

Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb (mini: 0.84 oz: 22 USD, 1.68 oz: 38 USD, 3.37 oz: 62 USD) – This is going to be my permanent staple when it comes to facial moisturizers. I just love how smooth and soothing this feels on my skin, it’s perfect for my oily-prone skin type because it’s very lightweight and it retains my skin’s natural moisture. The scent also keeps me coming back to this. A little bit is only what you’ll need since this gel feels extremely creamy, plus it doesn’t irritate the skin.

Eve Lom Cleanser (0.7 oz: 24 USD, 3.4 oz: 80 USD, 6.8 oz: 135 USD) – I was a bit disappointed with this cleanser at first because not only was the smell too strong, like too sour and a bit too rancid for me (think vinegar) but also this cleanser feels too thick, too creamy and too oily for my already somewhat oily skin. At first, I thought this wouldn’t work on my skin but it turns out to be a blessing in disguise because this saves me a lot of time especially when I’m tired after a busy day and a face full of makeup. This cleanser also acts as a solid makeup remover and it removes all kinds of makeup while it cleanses the face gently. It does contain mineral oil and lanolin but it did not cause me any breakouts. This also comes with a free muslin cloth for a more thorough cleansing, but I just really use my fingers with this cleanser. I don’t think you need a large container for this because I have the mini size and it’s lasting me a really long time. You only need a little bit of this to work on the skin.

Olehenriksen Transforming Walnut Scrub (3 oz: 28 USD) – This is such a gritty-textured and exfoliating cleanser that smells nice and it makes the skin really smooth. This can be a strong exfoliator, so I only use this once a week. It makes my face really smooth and it feels flawless. It’s perfect to purify the pores and it gets rid of rough skin patches. It also preps the skin for any type of serum, toner, or skincare.

Nuface Toning Device (325 USD) – Got this from the last Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. I don’t have wrinkles yet but I bought this for toning purposes. It’s only been a month since I started using this and I really really love it. It tones my upper eye area, my chin, jaw, and it helps to emphasize my cheekbones. I didn’t feel any pain or discomfort when I first started using this. In fact, I didn’t really feel anything at all, LOL, but my face looks like it’s been working out on its own, lol again. My cheekbones look more emphasized and my bone structure seems to show a bit more. I also look more awake and vibrant with this. I will review this further in the following posts to come.

BEAUTY

My foundations of choice this season have to be lightweight, easy to use, and natural-looking just because it’s Summer. So, no thick makeup look for me this season.

Nars PureRadiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30 in Groenland (1.9 oz: 45 USD) – As I mentioned, I didn’t feel like wearing too much makeup this Summer with all the heat and humidity. I wanted to look more carefree and natural, so I opted for this classic Nars favorite and it gives me enough coverage for a nice and easy, lightweight, fuss-free Summer look

I use three face primers this season and it’s a collection of no added SPF and one that has an SPF depending on the occasion and the situation.

Olehenriksen Banana Bright Face Primer (1 oz: 36 USD) – A Vitamin C and E primer that smells just like the Banana Bright Eye Cream. This feels more like a skincare and primer-in-one. What I love about this is that it blurs the pores in an easy, non-sticky, lightweight manner and it smells really nice. This is a good creamy primer to use in the Summer or be it at any season.

Nars Smooth & Protect Primer SPF 50 (1 oz: 36 USD) – This feels very silicon-ish and it blurs the pores very well. This does feel like the original beloved Make Up For Ever Primer but with the added SPF. I like to use this just in case I’d forgotten or got too lazy to use my facial SPF.

Milk Makeup Hydro Grip Primer (mini/0.33 oz: 15 USD, 1.52 oz: 30 USD) – I really like this primer a lot because it’s light and it doesn’t feel very silicon-ish. It’s actually quite hydrating and it blurs the pores just as good as the silicone-based ones. This is quite similar and a cheaper option to the very pricey Sisley Paris Double Tenseur Moisturizing Gel Primer.

Laura Mercier Candleglow Sheer Perfecting Powder in shade #1 (0.3 oz: $38) – I bought this to try and see if it’s a good alternative to the Armani Neo Nude which I love (reviewed HERE). This one feels and looks baked with a silky feel. It’s not as loose and powdery as the Neo Nude but it’s still finely-milled. This does set the foundation well and it gives a nice radiant soft-focus finish. It looks naturally glowy and it’s the next best thing to the Armani Neo Nude.

YSL Touche Eclat All-Over Brightening Pen in shade #3 Luminous Peach (1 oz: 35 USD) – I use this for daily touch-ups especially around the undereye area and I can just blend this using my finger. This feels very creamy, mess-free, quick, and clean to use. It won’t hide very dark blemishes because of its sheer coverage, but this does help to brighten the undereyes very well and it’s creamy, so it doesn’t cake.

There are two more eyeliners I’m loving this season apart from the Tom Ford Eye Defining Pen I reviewed at the beginning of this Spring. I like the ones that are micro-tip or has very fine tip/lines for a more natural daily look. Also, fine eyeliners are great for small eyes and for those that don’t have a lot of lid space.

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner-Micro Tip (0.016 oz: 22 USD) – The tip of this is really fine and it’s probably the finest eyeliner tip I’ve ever tried. This is perfect for those that have very narrow lids or for those with hooded eyes.

Sephora Collection Fine Line Felt Tip Eyeliner (0.017 oz: 14 USD) – This doesn’t smudge and it has a fine yet stiff felt tip. I would say that this is the next best thing to the Stila eyeliner above, although this is not as thin as Stila’s, but still, this gets the job done and it can apply an accurate line on the lid. It’s very thin enough and it’s perfect for tightlining, plus the felt tip feels pretty solid.

Here’s a couple of lipsticks and lip colors I’m loving this season and they’re mostly matte.

Nars Velvet Matte Lipstick Pencil in Take Me Home and Dolce Vita (0.086 oz: 27 USD) – These are beautiful shades to rock this season, with the Dolce Vita being a bright dusty rose tone, and the Take Me Home shade as a terracotta lip color. I will swatch these when I review my favorite shades of the Nars Velvet Matte Lipstick Pencils soon, so, stay tuned for that.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Granite (0.003 oz: 21 USD) – I recently added the granite shade to my collection of this cult-favorite brow product. I have been using varying tones of brown for my brows a lot and though they fit me well, this time, I wanted to try something more dramatic and darker, so I picked the granite color which is a good match for my brunette hair.

Too Faced Peach Puff Long-Wearing Matte Lip Color (0.07 oz: 19 USD) – Reviewed HERE.

Chanel Le Volume De Chanel Waterproof Mascara (0.21 oz: 32 USD) – This is one of my favorite reliable waterproof volumizing mascara and it’s perfect to hold the curls in high humidity.

Nyx Powder Puff Lippie (0.4 oz: 6.37 USD) – This is similar to the Too Faced Peach Puff but without the peachy scent and at a much affordable price. See the swatches HERE.

Anastasia Soft Glam Eyeshadow Palette (42 USD) – I recently started using this more because of the soft natural look that I can get with this palette. I love the brown tones of this especially the matte ones and the shades are really pigmented. You can see the swatches of this palette HERE.

Charlotte Tilbury Glowgasm Face Palette in Lightgasm (75 USD) – See the swatches HERE. I can understand why some people don’t like this because this can be so tricky to pull off especially with the Lightgasm palette. It isn’t a soft powdery type and can be hard to blend. It’s also not that pigmented and it only tends to show to those with fair to light skintone. For my light-medium skintone, I have to use a stiff brush and dab it several times on the palette before this could give off some color on my skin.

La Mer Cushion The Luminous Lifting Cushion Foundation SPF 20 (120 USD) – Apart from being quick, easy, lightweight, and mess-free to use, this cushion feels like a second skin and it gives a natural glassy glow. It also smells nice and I love that this comes with a nice SPF and a free refill. This sets on the skin well and it doesn’t slide. See my favorite cushion foundations HERE.

I found two very nice blotting papers from Amazon which are super affordable and they work just as well as the ones you’d find at Sephora, Ulta or at any drugstore. These are Natural Bamboo Charcoal Oil Absorbing Tissue (100 sheets: 6.95 USD) and the Palladio Rice Paper Tissue (40 sheets: 4.30 USD).

Beautyblender Blender Defender Protective Case (12 USD) – This where I keep my beautyblender whenever I travel. This case can fit two dry or damp beautyblenders and it has a breathable design that allows a damp sponge to dry while inside. This is very flexible so you don’t have to worry about this shattering at all.

HAIRCARE

Briogeo Blossom & Bloom Ginseng + Biotin Volumizing Shampoo (8 oz: 24 USD, 33.8 oz: 58 USD) – This is my latest fave shampoo from Briogeo. I like this even better than the Don’t Despair, Repair line, I love the nice light citrus/orange, ginger, coconut, and grapefruit scent. This shampoo is light on the hair and it cleanses well without adding residue. It also volumizes and this makes my hair bouncy. See my other Briogeo haircare faves HERE.

Ouai Leave-In Conditioner (4.7 oz: 26 USD) – This works to tame my frizz and a little bit of this goes a long way. I love its musky lemon rose scent. My hair feels really nice and soft with this, and since this is also a thermal protector, I use this a lot together with my Harry Josh Hair Dryer. See my other Ouai haircare faves HERE.

Bumble and Bumble Bb. Don’t Blow It Fine (H)air Styler (mini/2 oz: 16 USD, 5 oz: 31 USD) – This is still my hair cream of choice for whenever I don’t blow dry my hair. Lately, I’ve been so busy that I just really air dry my hair, so, I use this a lot and it holds my hair down, tames it, and it keeps the frizz at bay.

Swissco Hair Comb – Found this handmade wide-tooth comb at Amazon for a very cheap price and it’s very flat, so it can fit anywhere on any purse or satchel. It works great as a detangler for my strands.

SUNCARE

There are two Clarins products I’m loving for body suncare as well as for the face.

Clarins Sunscreen Care Oil Spray SPF 30 (5 oz: 36 USD) – This is still one of my sunscreen of choice this Summer because this smells nice and very lightweight since this is a dry body oil with an added SPF. I like that this sets on my skin without the greasy feel that most sunscreens have. I’ve lost count of how many bottles of this I’ve consumed, all I know is I’ve been keeping some backups of this in my vanity.

Clarins UV Plus Anti-Pollution Sunscreen Multi-Protection SPF 50 (1.7 oz: 43 USD) – I’m finishing this up and it’s a pity that this is getting more and more difficult to find because this is really nice and light on the face. This doesn’t irritate my skin and it doesn’t leave an annoying white cast. This works very well in protecting my skin from getting sunburned. See my favorite body and face sunscreens HERE

Supergoop Super Power Sunscreen Mousse Broad Spectrum SPF 50 (3.4 oz: 19 USD) – I’m also finishing this up, and this is my sunscreen of choice for when I’m on the go. I like this a lot because it’s fast and easy to use. Its whipped texture gives a lightweight non-sticky feel and it’s not messy to use. This has no scent and it spreads evenly on the skin without leaving any white cast.

Isdin Fotoprotector Fusion Water SPF 50 (1.6 oz: 39.99 USD) – This is quite similar to the Clarins UV Face Sunscreen above and this is currently in my purse. I love its tiny size and I love that this doesn’t sting the eyes. It feels very fluid and light on the skin and it has a nice SPF level. It’s a pity that this is still very limited here in the US. This was given to me by a relative from Europe.

These are all the products I’ve been loving this Summer and will still be loving all throughout the beginning of Fall. Stay tuned for my Fall favorites soon.

What are the beauty, skincare, and haircare products you’re currently loving season?

Latest Moisturizers, Cleanser & Eye Creams

March 20, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

The weather is slowly warming up and there’s a bunch of new summer-ready moisturizers, eye creams, and cleansers in town. I’ve been testing a few them via some samples and some that I’ve actually purchased in regular size as I feel like they’re so good that they’re worth keeping as part of my skincare routine.

If you’re into gel or water-like moisturizers like Tatcha’s The Water Cream (reviewed HERE) or Belif’s The True Cream Aqua Bomb, then you’re gonna find this review very helpful since you will find several options to choose from apart from these two creams mentioned. Also, if your skin is in the normal to oily, sensitive, or slightly dry range, these lightweight creams and gels are the ideal choice if you’re gonna be out and about in this coming warm and humid season.

Moisturizers & Cleanser:

Peter Thomas Roth Hungarian Thermal Water Mineral-Rich Moisturizer (1.7 oz: $58) – This is a lightweight cream that goes into the skin easily, and it has a slightly earthy scent to it. It isn’t sticky and it makes the skin feel supple right upon application. It’s a great cream if you have a normal to oily skin, it’s also the perfect cream if your face tends to get slightly dry during the day, but this isn’t the most moisturizing if you’re super dry. I’ve used this for several weeks now and I have not noticed any skin irritations, which is great.

Murad Nutrient-Charged Water Gel (1.7 oz: $60) – A must-have for oily skin type, the texture of this is very similar to Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb. It’s is a lightweight, cushiony, water-gel that hydrates the skin very well and it’s also non-sticky. There is a mild floral scent to it, and it’s a great all day moisturizer and to layer under makeup. I like this a lot and it feels like nothing on my face once applied. This isn’t for the ones with really dry skin, but if you have dry patches or if you have normal to sensitive skin, then this is a great moisturizer to try.

Glamglow Waterburst Hydrated Glow Moisturizer (1.7 oz: $49) – OMG! I LOVE This Cream SO much. It smells like Oreo cream filling and it feels like Tatcha The Water Cream. It’s a very light cream-gel that turns into water, and it hydrates the skin for the whole day. It’s so good and it works for any skin type, just not for the super dry ones though, but this is definitely worth taking a shot. For me, this is one of the best scented lightweight moisturizers that actually works to moisturize the skin and keeps it hydrated for a long time without feeling heavy or greasy. A must-have and a holy grail. Oh, and I love that it comes in a decent-sized packaging and the price is not over-the-top.

Glow Recipe Blueberry Bounce Gentle Cleanser (3.38 oz: $34) – A blueberry-scented mild cleanser with actual blueberry bits and skin suspended in it. This cleanser not only cleanses the face, it also removes makeup. I’d say that this is a great everyday mild cleanser for normal, sensitive, or dry skin. If you’re the oily type, you may need something stronger or something that foams better than this, because this doesn’t seem to foam that much, and if you have too much makeup on, it’s gonna take some rubbing to completely take it all off.

Glow Recipe Watermelon Glow Sleeping Mask (1 oz: $22, 2.7 oz: $45) – This cooling moisturizer/mask has a true fresh watermelon scent that is extremely refreshing to the senses. This is a very light gel texture-wise, and you can use it as a wash-off mask or as an overnight one. Since this gel is very light, it goes into the skin easily and it keeps it moisturized. However, I feel like this is great as a 10-minute wash-off mask only, as for its overnight moisturizing ability, well, I find this to be quite weak, especially if you tend to have dry skin or has some dry patches. I wouldn’t suggest this as an overnight mask even during the dry winter season either. A regular thick moisturizer would probably do a much better job.

Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream (1.69 oz: $68) – Meet my other holy grail moisturizer. This lightweight cream may seem plain and boring at first, but it’s not, and it’s the reason why I’m starting to believe in Drunk Elephant’s skin care products. Know why? this cream is very unassuming but it packs a punch. Its texture is not too thick and not too thin, which makes it ideal for almost all skin types. It doesn’t even have any captivating scent to it, and if it does, it’s just so plain, but the ingredients and its packaging are so worth it. It has peptides and amino acids which made a difference in my skin’s appearance and elasticity. I noticed a more radiant and renewed glow on my face like I’ve got baby smooth skin on. I never had any irritations with this cream so far, and it also works as an overnight moisturizer for me as well. On top of that, I really love the easy-to-dispense packaging since it’s so easy to release the right amount of product without having to dip your fingers in the tub, which makes it very hygienic.

Eye Creams:

OleHenriksen Banana Bright Eye Crème (0.5 oz: $38) – This eye cream can be tricky to find nowadays because it’s almost always sold out at least at my local Sephora and also online. There’s a reason for it, and it’s because this is probably one of the best eye creams you can buy. It smells great, it performs great, and the ingredients are also great. Though I’m not entirely sure if there’s banana into it, but this eye cream is inspired by the banana powder that some makeup artists used in order to brighten the under eyes. What I did notice is the nice sweet orange scent that is both captivating and invigorating the moment you apply this on the skin, and its scent stays on even after a couple of hours. Because of its orange scent, expect Vitamin C as one of its main ingredients, which is awesome as I’ve always wanted to incorporate this skin brightening ingredient to the dark areas of my face, like my undereye circles which have not seen the light of day for ages. The cream itself is creamy, kind of mid-weight type of creamy, it’s not so crazy thick that it’s sticky, but it’s not very thin either. I haven’t seen the brightening effect on my undereye yet, but this has a slight almost-invisible sheen on the skin once applied, however, the slight sheen goes away immediately but this cream keeps the area around the areas super hydrated even throughout the next day. This also goes well under concealers and foundations, and there’s ample product inside its bright orange packaging. This eye cream is definitely a must.

Chanel Blue Serum Eye Revitalizing Serum (0.5 oz: $70) – The latest eye serum released by Chanel and it’s worth giving a try. It’s a lightweight creamy serum with a barely noticeable clean scent. It goes into the skin easily and it makes it supple, smooth, and hydrated. It has green coffee and olives as some of its ingredients. Since I’ve started testing this, I feel like my eyes look well-rested, and a little depuffed. I definitely prefer this over the Le Lift Eye Cream.

Summer is fast-approaching so expect more lightweight creams and gel moisturizers to be released soon apart from the ones mentioned above. Bottom line, I still love and recommend Tatcha’s The Water Cream, Belif’s The True Cream Aqua Bomb and Tarte’s Drink of H20. However, I also suggest that you give some of those products above a try. You may wanna start with Glamglow Waterburst Moisturizer, Murad Nutrient-Charged Water Gel, or DE’s Protini Polypeptide Cream. For the eyes, the Banana Bright Eye Cream by OleHenriksen is worth a shot.

Sephora Play! February 2018

February 27, 2018 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

I finally got my Sephora Play! box this month and I couldn’t be more excited. However, I have mixed emotions about this month’s contents. I’m a bit dismayed because I feel like Sephora keeps me sending me the same one or two products over and over again. I wanted something new for a change, so I’m quite disappointed about that. On the other hand, I’m happy with the other products that I got because they’re something new, and it’s definitely fun to explore and test a product that you would never imagine trying before.

Check out what I got

Belif Moisturizing Eye Bomb ($48) – If you love Belif’s The True Cream Aqua Bomb, then there’s no reason for you not to love this Moisturizing Eye Bomb. Its got the same refreshing irresistible scent that the Aqua Bomb has, and it’s really great to moisturize the skin around the eyes. It even soothes puffiness and it’s great to layer under eye makeup. It is gel-based but its hydration can go a long way. I love that this doesn’t have a sticky residue feel once it gets absorbed by the skin. Overall, this is such a good eye cream and I really love it, so I’m planning to have this in its regular size pretty soon.

Sephora Collection Rouge Matte Lipstick in Rebel Chic (0.10 oz: $7) – I’ve tried this lipstick line from Sephora before, but I’ve never tried the Rebel Chic color. At first, it seemed too much of a dark vampy red for me, but when I applied it to my lips, I was actually quite in love with the color. It’s vampy yeah, but it’s also a sexy vampy red wine shade. It’s not too emo or too gothic and it actually works quite well with my pigmented lips. The matte texture is comfortable, lightweight, and not so drying. I also kinda love the slight berry flavor of this lipstick, on top of that, the color doesn’t even bleed or transfer. I am definitely smitten with this.

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Colour in Rose Gold (0.05 oz: $29) – I love Laura Mercier’s Caviar Stick Eyeshadows (swatches HERE), I think they’re one of the best eye contouring product you can buy nowadays, but when the mini rose gold color keeps appearing in some of my Sephora Play!, I feel like Sephora could do better at curating their subscription boxes, or at least pay attention to what has already been sent to their respective subscribers. Anyway, since I already have this Rose Gold shade in its regular size, I’m just gonna give it to someone else. I just hope Sephora would send me something new and something different next time.

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Let’s Go Crazy (0.086 oz: $27) – While I’m not crazy about this vivid pink shade, I am actually in love with the texture of this matte lip pencil. The color is so bold, so pigmented, and so staining. I love how the color remained on my lips for hours and hours and it doesn’t feather. It’s also very easy to apply and line the lips because of its pencil design. However, I don’t like the fact that I have to sharpen this all the time. It would be nice if Nars would update the packaging and make it more of a twist type at least attach a built-in sharpener at the bottom.

Atelier Cologne Vanille Insensee Cologne Absolue Pure Perfume (mini/0.34 oz: $26, 1 oz: $85, 3.3 oz: $140, 6.7 oz: $235) – This may have been a repeat product from my previous Sephora Play, though I’m not quite sure. Anyway, I’m not really a vanilla scent fan because I don’t quite like the scent of most vanilla perfume’s drydown. But this Vanille Insensee from Atelier Cologne is different. It is subtle and it’s quite fresh, which doesn’t make my nose turn up. The blend of vanilla, jasmine, and lime is enough to make this scent distinctive, warm, and sophisticated. It’s definitely not your typical sweet vanilla type of scent, but more of a sexy, elegant, and stylish type. I feel like I could wear this and not get annoyed because the vanilla tone is not overpowering, and the drydown is quite powdery.

Peter Thomas Roth FIRMx Peeling Gel (3.4 oz: 48) – I’ve never heard of this product before, so imagine my excitement and curiosity when I received this in my Sephora Play! box. This gel has a faint fresh scent that looks like any other gel cleanser in the market but once you scrub this on your face, you’ll get a different kind of impression. This literally peeled and scrubbed off dead skin cells from the surface of my face. It polished my rough skin and it makes it so smooth, and ready for any moisturizer. I also noticed some of my blackheads and whiteheads resurfacing, which makes me conclude that this product is a very good exfoliator. Oh, I’m afraid I’ll be buying this in its full size soon.

That sums up all the products that I got for this month’s Sephora Play subscription box. As you can see, there’s are interesting products that I love, but there are also a few products that I wasn’t so crazy about. What did you get for this month’s Sephora Play?

Goodbye February, Hello there March!

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