May 2014 Favourites

May has been a really difficult month for me in terms of skin, and that has continued into June but with some luck, it's starting to look better. Since my skin was being unusually sensitive and reacting to anything and everything, I went back to a brand that I trusted and knew my skin liked and tolerated - Hada Labo. Only their face washes don't work for me and leaves my skin feeling overly cleansed and dry but that shall be a story for another time. 

The Hada Labo Arbutin Whitening Lotion has been a staple of mine for years. It is a hyaluronic acid rich liquid that sinks right into the skin. My skin sslluurrppps it up the way a kid drinks coke (or at least the way I drank coke as a kid, massive addiction right there) and there's no sticky feeling after. I think no matter what your skin type is, the boost of hyaluronic acid hydration can't be beat. I also much prefer the Arbutin version over the normal version because it really does brighten up the complexion after extended use. This is probably like my 4th or 5th bottle, not inclusive of the bottles of normal formula Hada Labo Lotion I've used. 

I've used one of the older versions of the Hada Labo Moisturizers a long way back and it wasn't a favourite because it did leave a tacky feeling to my face. Fast forward to the very impressive sounding Hada Labo Ultra Hydrating 3-in-1 Perfect Gel which is supposed to be an essence, cream and mask all in one little tub. While I do still find the formula tacky, this performs really nicely globbed on as an overnight mask and I wake up with soothed and softer skin the next morning. It also works well in very thin layers for day time use.

The Air Aqua UV Day Emulsion SPF50 PA+++ (fresh) is such a gem of a sunscreen. It comes out as a white super liquidy formula that is almost like a serum and basically weightless once on the skin. It contains vitamin C to brighten, sebonotmine that keep the face matte and hyaluronic acid that still keeps the face hydrated (and also some anti-ageing ingredients). In my opinion it almost performs as a primer! This didn't aggravate my skin and the texture is just so beautiful. I currently have dry skin and at the end of the day I can see that my makeup has turned powdery (but still there!), so I do believe this would work well on oily skinned ladies!

I've finally pulled out my Sleek Blush by 3 Palette in Lace, a palette that looks so beautiful but was previously so hard to use because it was so incredibly pigmented. I've finally gotten my hands on a much looser blush brush and that has made an incredible difference in the way these blushes look on the cheek. A looser brush helps to diffuse the pigment and leaves such a sheer wash of colour on the cheeks which is incredibly beautiful. I use the matte colours all over the cheek and pop the centre shimmery nars orgasm-esque shade just on the apples.

Finally, my last favourite is the Tony Moly Gel Eyeliner in 02 Brown. I've been favouring an all or nothing look, so I either go with purely mascara, or a very thick cat eye. With the very intense cat eye look, a black eyeliner look is quite fierce so the brown eyeliner does a great job at softening the look. This gel eyeliner is very creamy and pigmented with all day lasting superpowers and can do no wrong. The bonus is that the built in brush is in the unretarded category and actually usable for touch ups so you can bring this little baby around!

What were your favourites this month? Here's to a better month with skin issues folks!