Before I start blogging about my shopping trips and whatnot, I think it’s a good idea to not only give you guys background on why I’m doing a beauty blog, but what products I use almost every day. Hopefully this gives you guys lots of new pointers, and a chance for me to further develop my almost-daily routine. (Excuse the messy dresser D:)
From left to right, top to bottom:
1. Johnson’s baby messy times wipes (hand and face) - One of my “philosophies” in make-up is that if it’s safe enough for a baby’s face, it’s safe enough for mine. I use these after washing my face (with soap my dermatologist makes herself) to get rid of anything else that might’ve been left on my face, and even while putting on make-up, to erase something or if I put too much bb cream on. We all make mistakes! D: (Usually I get the bigger version of these wipes, but they didn’t have it in stock when I ran out. Ugh.)
2. Brushes/puffs - I own 2 make-up brushes. I know, not really impressive, but my daily routine only calls for two brushes, and I hardly ever have to apply stage makeup anymore. I have a slightly bigger brush, which is supposedly an “all-around” brush, so I use it for loose powder, and a smaller, softer brush for eyeshadow and smudging black eyeliner. I have a third brush, which is a retractable (is that what you call it?), powder brush and which I stash in my bag.
3. Nature Republic UV Lock Ultra Milk Sun (SPF 50) - I don’t use this everyday, seeing as my BB cream already has enough uv protection for a regular school day, but when I do have to walk all the way across campus to the gym for PE and the sun is really harsh (this is the Philippines, it’s a given), I put this on my face, neck and arms. It’s a lot lighter than my Neutrogena sunblock of the same SPF, and although I’m not really sure if it’s as good, I just need something to shield me from the sun for like what, half an hour max? Yeah.
4. G-Lish Porcelain Princess Powder Me Perfect Loose Powder - This is a local brand, as far as I know, and their loose powder comes in different shades, but I’m not quite sure what mine is called, I just asked for the lightest one. I needed loose powder, but I wasn’t quite willing to spend that much yet, because I wasn’t really sure if I could make the switch from packed to loose (a few weeks before I got this I’d just spent on a Revlon compact so yeah), so I decided to try this out and it’s actually pretty good! It’s light on the face, but evens out my BB cream nicely. I use this either alone, with make-up base, or on top of BB cream.
5. Nature Republic Bloom Bebe Make Up Base (lavender/violet) - I remember the days when all I had to put on my face was foundation and powder. But then again, foundation is really thick and clogs my pores, so once I was done with stage make-up I threw all my foundation out. So anyway. I only started using make-up base recently, but the results have been nothing but good. On lazy days, I just put some of this on and top it with loose powder and my face is nice and smooth. Of course it doesn’t provide any coverage, but it keeps my skin matte and smells nice.
6. Nature Republic Age Slick Collagen BB Cream - Nature Republic just opened in the Philippines a few weeks back, so they’ve been giving away A LOT of stuff. During the first week they were giving away small samples of another BB Cream (Super Origin something, can’t remember), so for a while I was using that, and then when I started shelling out more money at once, for every 500php purchase they gave you a small tube of this (10mL) for free. Let’s just say I have 4 tubes of this BB cream now, which is probably enough to last me an entire year. Prior to this I was using the Maybelline BB Cream, and although it was okay and didn’t cause a major break-out like the Etude House one, the consistency was a bit thin and the shade a bit too dark for me. (I have fair skin, but it’s the yellow kind of fair, so it’s hard to find a shade that doesn’t make me look like a vampire.) I like the consistency of this BB cream I’m using now because it’s not that thick, but not too thin either, and the shade is just right. No major break-outs yet, so for now this is good. :D
7. Etude House Surprise Essence Concealer - After I broke out from their facial masks and BB Cream, the only stuff I use from EH now are nail polish, hair serum, eyeshadow, and this concealer, which I don’t use that much anymore. Basically I use this after a night of schoolwork and reading and procrastinating because of the huge eye bags I get in the morning that all the BB Cream and make-up base can’t cover. It’s an okay concealer, but then again I don’t use it for much.
8. Prestige Beauty Bar Eyeshadow Pallete (FCE-05, Surrey) - Prestige eye makeup is one of those things I swear by. I’ve been using their eyeshadow pallets, eyeliner and mascara since 4th grade for stage make-up, and now in college for everyday, and the consistency and wear is really good, considering the price. I own like 4 different pallets, but the one I use for everyday is Surrey, which is basically different shades of browns and a gold. Usually I use the two shades on top, but for parties and stuff I add a bit of gold in.
9. Nature Republic Tips Magic Remover - It’s an old idea, but really, this is one of the coolest things ever. I’ve only used these twice, both to take off eyeliner, but I’m probably also going to use this to correct eye makeup. Really, it’s such a brilliant and ingenious idea.
10. Nature Republic Pretty Tree Auto Eyeliner (#1 - Black)/Prestige Waterproof Automatic Eyeliner (BE 02 Expresso) - Right now I currently use both black and brown eyeliner, black alone, and brown with eyeshadow. Although the consistency of the Nature Republic eyeliner isn’t as smooth as Prestige, I’m slowly getting used to it, and I still use Prestige more often anyway, so I have time.
11. Prestige Perfectly Clear Defining Mascara - I’ve never liked the idea of mascara because it feels sticky and I get eye infections from majority of the brands I’ve tried, so I don’t really use it to make my eyelashes longer or more defined. I use this more to groom my eyelashes and get rid of any eyeliner that may have gotten lodged on my eyelashes.
12. Alba Passion Fruit Nectar Lip Balm - I actually have an entire box full of lip balm and lip gloss, and majority of them I never use anymore, but once in a while I rotate them, so right now I’m using this divine smelling Alba lip balm (I actually have the gloss version of this too, and it smells amazing too!) as base, and Vaseline intensive moisture for when my lips are serious chapping.
13. Nature Republic Pretty Tree Auto Lip Liner (#1 - Red) - How I got this shade was actually a big mistake, but I’ve managed to make it work for my daily routine. I’d been looking for a good, long-wearing pink lip liner for some time now and decided to give Nature Republic a shot, seeing as I’d already hoarded a lot from there. So I was looking through the shades, and the sales assistant, who obviously can’t read Hangul, gave me the tester labelled “Red”, and it wasn’t really red, it was a nice light, but visible, shade of pink. I asked the girl if the shade was really called “Red” because it obviously wasn’t, but she was like, “yeah, it’s really like that bla bla bla” so I bought it. And it turned out to be RED. RAAAAAAAAGE. Ugh. So now I don’t completely fill my lip with it, but I do put a bit on and smudge it with the really handy brush on the other side, before topping it off with gloss.
14. Bloom Lip Gloss (05 Girlie) - I’ve been using this shade since 7th grade, but when I bought a new tube of it a few months ago, something about it changed and it had a lot less color than before, so now instead of being able to wear it alone, I have to put lipliner under, which is okay too since the color lasts longer this way, but still, my lazy day routine is too lazy to add another step to my lip color. D:
15. Pure Beauty Bon Voyage Perfect Daily Lotion - I don’t use this last (that would be stupid LOL), but I do stash this in my bag on my lazier than lazy days, since it’s so easy to bring around and I don’t necessarily use all of it in one go.
