Top 5 Concealers + 1 dud

L-R: Benefit Fake Up in Medium, MUFE Full Cover Concealer in 7, NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard, MAC ProLongwear in NC30, Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium (I think), Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Light-Medium

Hello! I have made an impromptu trip to Bangkok, so the next few posts will be scheduled posts! Since I'm someone who has plenty to conceal, and with that, plenty of concealer, I thought a round up was in order. I apologize in advance for the majority of them being high end concealers, but I do find that with concealers you get what you pay for. So since coverage is one of my top concerns, the drugstore does not really cater to that - hence the high end concealers. I might be slightly biased towards liquid type concealers due to overall ease of use and blendability.

Best All-rounder - Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer (SGD$42)
The Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer is a concealer I tend to keep for special occasions, or for adding coverage on top of already done makeup before heading out the door. This has a thicker creamy and slightly sticky consistency. It provides instant photoshopping to any dark marks on the face, even if applied on after powder, which is probably one of the highest praises I can give. Also does not disappear on an oily face (unless of course you're one that touches your face).

Best for spots/dark marks - MUFE Full Cover Concealer (SGD$52)
What can I say, the MUFE Full Cover Concealer is high coverage indeed. It's all there in the name! The consistency of this concealer is definitely on the thick, creamy side and it goes on darker than it looks on the tube. Be warned, this sets to a budge-proof finish very quickly so quick blending will be your friend. I'm pretty certain that this is water-resistant, or if not, sweat resistant.

Best for large areas - MAC ProLongwear Concealer (SGD$30)
There were points in time I was literally using the MAC ProLongwear Concealer as foundation. The texture of this is very liquidy and thin, yet it still has extremely high coverage and blends well into the skin. 2 layers gives full coverage. I think the thin texture of the concealer has something to do with this concealer looking very natural (for such a high coverage product) on the skin. I've read some reviews that the MAC Prolongwear Concealer was extremely drying on the undereye area, but I've had no such problems myself.

Best for undereye - Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer (SGD$39)
The Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Conconcealer is the concealer that not only has high pigmentation to colour correct my dark circles (of course, please choose the correct undertone), but also is a concealer that creases very very minimally. It's texture is really very much a sticky cream and it doesn't completely set so it has a sheeny reflective finish. I find that this texture helps it to adhere very well to the uneven surface and into the fine lines on the undereye area so that it doesn't crease or migrate, and keep the area well hydrated.

Best drugstore - Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer
The Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer is amongst the cheapest drugstore concealers I've tried and yet boasts the highest coverage of all the drugstore concealers. It actually reminds me of the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in texture, however the coverage is definitely not as good. It also doesn't layer great - probably 2 layers max before it starts to look cakey. However, for the price paid, it definitely is the best.

Big Fat Dud - Benefit Fake Up
I dislike Benefit Fake Up so much I saw it as my duty to put it into this post so that you are warned. The concept itself is great, a twist up balm type concealer with a pigment centre core to give hydration and coverage at the same time. I really wanted to like this as the attraction of the ease of use was really great. The finish of Benefit Fake up is the same as the Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in that it never ever sets and has that reflective sheen, which ultimately makes it a mess. Application is a mess because the 2 parts (balm and pigment) never quite mix together evenly. Then because it doesn't set, it migrates in seconds. I've tried to use this on dark spots, undereyes, pretty much every part of the face, and each time it just seems to pool in areas of the face. The hydration part will work you think, but a big fat nope. The balm/oils in this product just sat as a disgusting layer of oiliness on my face. How about pigmentation you ask? Actually quite decent, but it migrates away from your spot anyway, so I would say - final answer, zero. Please don't waste your money on this product.

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Hope everyone's having a good weekend! And if you have any good concealer recommendations for me, I'm all ears!

Weekly Favourites #13

Hello friends! It's the weekend! -does a squiggly jiggle- You know those times when you think all is good and then WHAM! you walk into a glass door? Well, just when I thought my skin was being a darling and clearing up, it turned into a rebellious teenage ahlian (singaporean female gangster) and broke out in a major kind of way again. Such is life. I think it was telling me that I've strayed from my derm-prescribed routine just a teensy bit to far and to get my ass back there. So for fear of more retaliation, I've headed back to the derm's routine and my favourite product is the DRX Max-C. Yes, my derm is the very well advertised DRX clinic, and no, this is not an advertisement for them. I paid a bomb for my treatments. Back to Max-C, this vitamin C serum seems to calm my skin down, reduce the scarring and sinks in just about immediately and I use it religiously. I also find that this is the only product that my skin doesn't seem to have build up a slight resistance to. Heng ah (singaporean for phew).

The only addition to the regime is the Olay Regenerist Night Resurfacing Essence, which I have included in my September favourites. I only use this under my eyes because it really seems to be helping with the one single deep crease that I have under my eyes. Don't freak out at the 'resurfacing' name, or the thought of putting AHA's near the eye because this is a really gentle product.

Freaking out skin = coverage and breathability in my foundation. Mostly because I would hate to scar people by giving them the full blast of my scarred face. For that I've returned to a mix of the Topshop BB Cream and the MUFE HD Foundation which are a dream team. Great coverage with an extremely thin and lightweight layer and SPF. Could not ask for more.

My last weekly favourite has got to be the Osim Umist Baby Humidifier. The boy got me this for christmas last year. Question: which girl really wants a humidifier for christmas? But turns out he knew me better than I knew myself and Umist Baby (cutest name evaaaaaa~~~~) has been a constant companion (for the year) and a lifesaver for the past week. Having a humidifier in Singapore may sound like the stupidest idea ever, given that our humidity is somewhere in the 70-80% region but I do quite like (that's a lie, I Really like) to use the air-conditioning and that makes my environment really dry which in turn is really hostile to sensitive skin. The Umist Baby lasts for about 6 hours which is kinda short but good enough for me!

What are your weekly favourites? And would you like a humidifier?

Weekly Favourites #12

Does anyone else have the problem of blogger auto contrasting and sharpening their uploaded photos? Blogger seems to be doing that to me and I don't know how to stop it! -Tears hair out- I swear, my photos are much softer than seen on this blog ):

Anyway, TGIF friends! It's been a rather stressful week, and the Nip + Fab Pistachio Sundae Dry Skin Fix Body Butter (that's a mouthful) has been my sleep scent this week. This is such a wonderful, homely and comforting scent and really helps me to sleep happy. Some might find the scent extremely strong and artificial because no kidding, this is one heck of a strong overwhelming scent, but I find the scent to dry down to a yummy scent, and I take whiffs of it whenever I can. The consistency is not too heavy like the Bodyshop body butters and my dry legs thank this.

On my face, I've found myself rationing the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in shade 07 for just undereyes and have been reaching for the MUFE Full Cover Concealer for my spots and acne scarring instead. It's as the name says, full cover indeed. It's also quite tacky and dry, so it doesn't shift or fade too much through the day. If you know me, then you  know I'm always looking for ways to shorten the time I spend getting ready and this concealer covers fast.

I've also taken to using the Everyday Minerals Multi-Tasking Concealer to set my undereye concealer, to use as a eyeshadow to brighten up my eyelids, and as a highlighter for the bridge of my nose. Talk about multi-tasking, anyone? Really finely milled and subtly brightens.

Speaking of brightening, my go to blush (for when I'm not reaching for the bronzer trio) has been the NYX Blush in Angel and I use this right under my eyes for a flush of colour. This is light enough to almost not look like blush, and has a pearly sheen to it that adds to the brightening effect that I'm after. Slightly chalky to the touch in the pan, but brilliant on the cheeks!

And to round it all off, tweezing has never been so fun with those uber cute geisha tweezers that my mom picked up for me. I have no idea where she got them, but a quick Amazon search has found them here.

Do we share the same favourites? Let me know!

August 2013 Favourites

I can't believe it's already the end of August, it seems like it was just yesterday I took a year off from school. At any rate, TGIF people! Oh the good days. It was really hard to narrow down my August favourites because there was just so many things that I was using but wasn't absolutely loving. It's just one of those funks that I fall into... y'know, one of those I-have-nothing-to-wear-but-staring-at-wardrobe-full-of-clothes days. First world problems indeed.

What I have really been loving alongside with my clay masks are these Biore pore strips. I would use this everyday if I could. I love standing in front of my mirror and spending 5 mins just peeling the strip off ever so slowly and witnessing every single whitehead wiggle out of my nose. Just one of my disgusting obsessions. When I was younger, I would just peel the nose strip off so fast that all the plugs would just break off and remain in my nose and I would wonder why the strips didn't work. Slow and steady is the trick girls, slow and steady.

I also figured out the best combination for the Topshop BB cream in 3.0 which I mentioned here, and that is with the MUFE HD Foundation in 120. Together they give a high coverage, soft focused finish that feels like almost nothing on the skin. Also doesn't hurt that I have neither in the right shade (the SA matched the MUFE for me too...Sephora should really improve their lighting) so when mixed together it's a heavenly, creamy blend of the appropriate shade. The Topshop BB cream is slightly fragranced, almost like a grandma scent and the occasional whiff does have me wrinkling my nose. Still, price to pay for nicer looking skin.

My little sister purchased the Sleek Face Form in Light for me when she came back for the holidays and I finally realized the hype over Sleek's highlight/contour products. I'm not such a fan of the rose gold blush, since I already have similar colours and consider it a yesteryear colour, but the bronze shade really works in definition without being too orange on my nc30 skin. The highlighter really holds its own and I use it when I want a stronger highlight than the NYX mosaic highlighter. The kit is so nifty and versatile, i just wish it had a matte blush. Oh, I also used it on my other little sister who is darker than me, and the contour shade still worked! Like I said..nifty and versatile.

The Estee Lauder Double Wear ShadowCreme in Cafe Au Lait is something that I've recently opened after a good... half year? Patting myself on the back for patience. I had to open this to stop myself from purchasing the Maybelline Colour Tatto in Bad to the Bronze (addiction much?). This is a really nice bronze/taupe mixture with multicoloured micro glitter in it. It is not a dupe of Bad to the Bronze and comes off much lighter in colour. The glitter comes off more on the silver side, but for some reason, when on the lids it can look quite golden rather than bronze, especially when a darker brown is blended in. It's a nice subtle shade for all over the lid definition and catches light in all the right places. Best of all, no creasing or fading throughout the day.

Lastly, I've been wearing the Majolica Majorca Blush in OR211 quite a bit this month. In the pan it comes off a rather pale orange, but on the cheeks it transforms to a rather coral shade. The colour pay off is not super intense, which I like for daily wear. Also it's such a tiny cute pan I really can't resist it sometimes.

From L-R, MAC Studio Fix NC30, MUFE HD Foundation 120, Topshop BB Cream 3.0, Majolica Majorca Blush OR211, Sleek Face Form in Light bronzer and highligher shades, Estee Lauder Double Wear ShadowCreme 22 Cafe Au Lait

What are your August Favourites? Do recommend me some! Happy Friday everyone!