Sponge & Dash

So here I bring you my latest base addiction. In between all the sun and storms we've been getting (all in the span of 24hrs), the humidity is just too damn high. A dewy base in high humidity is tough to maintain, and I try to steer clear of matte bases because I have a flat face, so here's the slap & dash routine that I've been favouring that falls somewhere in between. Oh yes, tool addiction - beautyblender (which I didn't photograph).

Both the Hada Labo BB Whitening Cream and the Topshop BB Cream offerings have spf and pretty darn good coverage that evens out most things. The Hada Labo BB Cream has a dewier finish, while the Topshop BB cream has more of a matte satin, but mixed together, the finish is both lightweight and incredibly skin-like as they offset each other in terms of finish. I find that the trick to getting the skin-like finish is to apply with fingers, quick and easy, no brushes involved. There's none of that sweaty looking dewiness, just a soft... if I might say... glow. 

Smear on some of the Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer on your undereye darkness and press it in with the dry beauty blender and you'll find that it does indeed live up to its creaseless claims. Again, I find this concealer works best with the dry sponge because the sponge presses the concealer into the fine lines to create an even coating over any dark circles. Please, no wet sponges near this concealer because water is repelled from it and you'll just end up wiping off your base. Tried and tested. The shade I have is Light-medium which is a very good peachy shade, similar to the Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Peach.

L-R: Canmake Glow Fleur Cheeks 04, Topshop BB Cream 3.0, Hada Labo BB Whitening Cream 02, Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer Light-Medium

For some beauty and cuteness in your life (and as a welcome to spring in other parts of the world?), you need the Canmake Glow Fleur Cheeks. A brilliant palette that unlike most of the blush range of Canmake which are incredibly glittery has the softest sheen ever that brings the right amount of flush to the cheeks. I have the shade 04 which is a good balance of peach and pink that would suit most skin tones. The brush that comes with it isn't retarded and useless either. Bonus!

Top everything off with a little slice of heaven which is the Guerlain Meteorites to diffuse any shine and pores for simply perfect looking skin. For some reason though, the effect of the Guerlain Meteorites is hardly discernible to me, but when the SA in sephora tried it on me I was amazed. Any tips on how application?

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So there you have it, I can complete my face in just about 5 mins now and be out the door. Great for me because I'm always late. Just call me whirlwind val. 

Weekly Favourites #11

How's the weekend going for everyone? Mine is taking a chill pill right before stress sets in, yknow, like the calm before the storm. What I've been finding extremely calming to use is the Pond's Cold Cream Cleanser. This cream is really serious cleansing business, I like to put it on quite thick and massage it into the skin for about 5 minutes, then take it off. Though it does get on my nerves because it does not emulsify with water and leaves an oily film on my face (I deal with that by using an extra gentle cleanser), it really does miracles at getting rid of blackheads and sebum plugs. My nose, an incurable sea of sebum plugs that resurface the moment I get rid of them, is almost poreless after using this. My face feels incredibly bump free after cleansing with the cold cream. I also like to use that 5mins as sort of a mind-clearing 5mins when I just have the massage on my mind. Am I crazy?

The NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard is probably one of the harder to find concealers in Singapore, plus it was sold out for the longest time and I finally got my hands on it after being on the wait list. Yeah baby! This baby has a tacky consistency when applied but works beautifully with high coverage when stippled out and lasts and lasts. My face loves this and I'm down to a spot conceal and powder routine! My concealer and I are definitely in a serious relationship here.

The powder of choice to pull things together is the Palgantong Make-up Theatrical Powder in Original Beige. Now that my skin is properly hydrated, powder goes on just that bit nicer and the Theatrical powder is a extremely fine powder that subtly brightens up the face without making me a cake face (this just reminds me of Steve Aoki throwing cake into the audience during his F1 set haha).

Now, no look is ever complete without the right nail polish and fickle-minded me is always in a cyclical matte or glossy bind. Essie's Matte About You gives me a choice to have any matte colour I want and I can't ever see myself ever being without Seche Vite's Dry Fast Top Coat and have no idea how I ever lived without it before. A matte burgundy/oxblood nail is going to be my next polish pick.

Of course, to bring attention to your nails you gotta have arm candy and this right here, is the best DIY of the moment (though I may be a little slow with fashion trends). I actually made my bolt bracelet quite a long while ago (it only cost me $4 and I have leftover bolts to make something else) but have only been putting it on recently. This bracelet is serious street cred imo, and don't DIYs just make you so proud of your handiwork? The white cord tends to get grubby fast though, so I recommend a darker string.

Lastly... I cannot stop listening to The Fox, but this parody here makes me laugh just about everyday now.

10 under 10

Good Monday girls! If you don't know, I'm now a student again and school has officially started. Not too sure if that's a good thing, but what I know for sure is that going from a sizeable pay cheque each month to an allowance again is not fun. I definitely had to cut back my spending, and that includes makeup too.

As fellow Singaporeans know, the price of makeup in Singapore is definitely not on the cheap side - a drugstore foundation like l'oreal or maybelline can easily set us back S$30 or more. I have compiled a list of products (that I've used and quite like/don't hate) which fall under the S$10 category which hopefully might help some people start out. All the products here can pretty much achieve a simple everyday makeup look.

Psst I did cheat - there're 11 products!

Elf Studio Line Powder Brush ($6, found at smoochiezz's warehouse/sales or at watson's tradeshows for slightly more expensive)
I use the this every single time I do my make up. It is the only item in my makeup collection I can truly refer to as a holy grail item and I have 3 of these brushes (1 I've thrown away). This brush can do everything! It buffs in liquid and creams like a dream, when stippled gives beautifully blended high coverage. Can be used with mineral foundations, even powder blushes and loose powder when used with a loose hand. If you could only buy one brush, buy this brush. My only complaint is that water tends to loosen the handle so be careful when washing.

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector 10ml ($2, found at selected watsons)
Okay, I cheated again, this is a travel sized item. I suspect these were leftover stock from beauty boxes. Well, for $2, no harm trying. I don't love this nor hate this item, but it has SPF26 (better than nothing), and is a good yellow-tone for majority of the chinese in Singapore. Also does a decent job at evening out skin tone, though in my case it is just a tad too fair.

Essence Match 2 Cover Cream Concealer ($4.50, found at selected watsons)
I've raved about this insanely here. I don't think I need to rave more. If you're worried about undereye circles, use this and be happy.

NYX Concealer in a Jar ($7, smoochiezz's warehouse/sales or watsons's tradeshows for more expensive)
This concealer is supposed to be a dupe for MAC's Studio Fix Concealer. I don't think it's as high coverage, but I do like that it's has high enough coverage and enough tackiness to cover blemishes and not shift during the day. I used to use it quite a bit, if I wasn't the concealer whore I am I think I would still be using it today. If I'm not wrong the formula has been updated to be slightly creamier but I do have the updated formula in another colour and it works fine.

Elf HD Powder ($10, smoochiezz's warehouse/sales or watsons' tradeshows for more expensive)
I hope this doesn't constitute cheating because it is technically $10 if you know where to find it. Decent setting powder, really does seem to blur out imperfections and really mattifies the skin. Said to be a dupe for the MUFE HD Powder (which I don't have). Don't use it if indulging in flash photography though (google - silica powder flash photography). You have been warned.

Alobon Blush ($5-7, Mustafa)
I usually chicken out from buying facial products from places that sell makeup that's slightly dubious in origin and content, but I did fair amount of research and it seemed alright. I really like this blush, I do. It reminds me so much of the MAC MSFs and is just so pretty and marbled I would buy it just to look at it. And it's just so cheap. It is also incredibly pigmented, some are incredibly sparkly (can be avoided by using a stippling blush) and can double up as highlighter. It has also never broken me out.

Mizon Blooming Tint ($6, Venus at Clementi)
If you're not one to put dubious makeup on your face, then try this Mizon Blooming Tint. The concept is similar to Benefit's Benetint in that it can be used both on the cheeks and lips. I found this to be a thick liquidy texture that is not highly pigmented. For my skintone, it is barely visible on the cheeks, but for fairer people it will be a really nice natural flush of colour though it does take a while to build up. I like it more on the lips as the result is really a rosier, pinker version of my lip colour. It also fills up the fine lines and has a subtle glossiness. Very much love it for its subtlety.

L.A Girl Lipstick ($10, selected guardians)
Extremely pigmented and creamy lipstick in a very large array of colours. Packaging looks cheap, but all the lipsticks from the drugstore brands (aside from Essence) are at almost double the price or more. This works.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Liner ($8.75, found here)
I don't know if this can be found in Singapore yet, but regardless, it's cheaper online. I seem to have misplaced my black version, but this eyeliner is nicely pigmented, creamy and really does last a decent while. I picked a pencil liner over a liquid liner because they're just more versatile in the sense that I can use a pencil liner to tightline, do a cateye, or smudge it out for a smokey eye. Have your pick.

Silky Girl Big Eye Collagen Waterproof Mascara ($14.90, usually on sale at watsons/guardian)
Okay, I really am a big cheat, but this mascara is always on sale when I visit the drugstore. I think I got mine for $8. The only cheaper mascaras would be those in daiso (no way I'm letting a $2 product go near my eyes) and the Essence mascaras (the range is INSANE I don't dare to start testing). It may be astonishing, but this is the only mascara I have found that does not smudge on me. I have tried mascaras from l'oreal, maybelline, majolica majorca, estee lauder, dior, mac and they've all transferred to my under eye without fail. Lord knows why of all brands, Silky Girl would work out. Anyway, this is really quite good, slightly wet formula that coats lashes evenly without clumping. It lengthens the lashes considerable, and volumizes them strand by strand rather than as a clump. No thin spidery lashes for this mascara. I do quite love it.

Maybelline Eyebrow Pencil by Eyestudio ($6.90, selected watsons)
No face can do without brows, you need a brow pencil. This has one of the most neutral brown grays I've seen and would match black hair, brown hair, heck even blond if you like intense brows. Easy to use, doesn't go on too dark, I even use it to line my eyes sometimes. It does tug a little bit if I do my eyes, but it works for a lightly defined eye. Simple and good.

Hopefully that wasn't too long ore tedious a read. What are your top 10 under 10 - Singapore version? I would love to know!



Disclaimer: I am in no way affiliated to any of the brands featured, nor were any of the products sponsored. All products featured were paid for by myself.