Favourites | March 2017

March has been a weird month in terms of weather - part of it was cold and part of it was warm. But because instead of getting snow, we started to get rain, my skin sorted itself out and went back to being combination/oily instead of dry/oil! Here are a few products that I have been really loving this month, and have been my go-to products!

1. CoverGirl Oh Sugar! - No.10 Gumdrop

Price: $7

Personally, I don't like a super opaque lipstick that looks like a mask and dries my lip out so I was looking for more of a tinted lip balm. I really love the new Yves Saint Laurent Volupté Tint-in-Balm but I couldn't justify a $42 lipstick/balm that only lasted around an hour before disappearing from my lips. The colour I was in love with was 5 - DARE ME PLUM which was described as a dark rich berry.  Luckily, CoverGirl has a $7 dupe for that shade. It's a medium plum shade that feels just like a chapstick. I put it on very lightly and tints my lip, but I find that if I put on too much it feels a little greasy. However, the color is pretty buildable as you can see in the swatch. I love that it's decently moisturising and also no fuss - making it an ideal daily lipstick!

2. Shiseido IBUKI Smart Filtering Smoother

Price: $29

This was given to me by Influenster and I go into detail reviewing it here. I won't go into too much detail but I love layering this over my oil control primer to give my skin a smoother look. Layering it also helps really helps prolong my makeup!

3. Hera UV Mist Cushion Long Stay

Price: $50

This is an amazing cushion foundation in the shade C23 that I bought last summer in Beijing. It is on the pricier side but it wears really nicely on combination skin. The finish is very natural. It has a semi-matte and is medium to almost completely full coverage. "C" stands for cover which indicates it has higher coverage versus, other Hera cushions that have less coverage and indicated by not having the "C" label. After around the 5 hour mark, I do need to blot where I get oily. But, I find that by the end of a whole day 80% of my makeup is still there. For those who have dry skin, I would not recommend this one because it does cling onto my dry patches. I do not use this in the dryer months but once spring and summer come by I always find myself coming to this! 

4. MAC Mineralize Blush -  BI TONE

Price: $33

When I fist saw this blush I didn't think I would like it. However, once you mix the colours together it looks like a beautiful pinky/mauve with a hint of plum. It's a very satin finish so it kinda gives you the blush and highlight look all in one. Additionally, I love to use this when I wear berry or plum lips. I've been pairing this with the CoverGirl Oh Sugar all month and they look really great together! It is very pigmented make sure you use a light hand. 

5. Wet n Wild Photofocus Setting Spray

Price: $6

I usually almost always used my Urban Decay All nighter setting spray but because it does cost $35 I wanted a good setting spray for my shorter daily outings.  I've limited myself to only using my UD spray if I'm going to a party, or if I know I'll be out the entire day. Wet n Wild's setting spray is super affordable and I find it does a good job on prolonging my makeup! I can't say that it's a dupe for UD because it doesn't hold my makeup together as long. However, since when I go out it's usually just for classes, I'm never out for too long. For times when I'm out for 4-5 hours, I highly recommend this spray. The mist is also very nice :)