Beauty Treats (Makeup) | February 2014

Makeup is my "Happy Fuel". Putting on makeup in the morning and taking off my makeup when I get home have to be some of my favourite moments of the day. When I am feeling stressed or defeated, beauty blogs and videos can always perk my day up. Not to mention it always give me something to look forward to as I add new things onto my "Things-to-check-out-the-next-time-I-go-shopping List".  

Featured below are some products that I love and will be very sad without, as well as some that just make my beauty routine that much more delightful. 

P/s. I did not feature every product category because this post will be never-ending if I did that. I think everyone who loves beauty products have one or a few types of beauty items that they are especially obsessed with. Here are some makeup treats that I can't get enough of!!

MY UTMOST LOVE: FOUNDATION & PALETTE
I have enough foundations and makeup palettes to last me for.. well, let's just say a very long time. Yet, every time I walk into makeup store, I make a beeline for them and more often than not, I walk out with something new. My justification? Foundation is an essential that I NEED everyday. Makeup palettes are not only pretty to look at but they are also super practical because all the colours that you can possibly need are all in the same place (who has time to dig through single shadows to put together a look when they get ready in the morning? Definitely not me).   

From left to right, top to bottom. Left: Urban Decay Naked Basics & Urban Decay Naked Flushed. Middle: Urban Decay Naked 3, Urban Decay Naked 2 & Urban Decay Naked. Right: Urban Decay Vice 2, Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place Makeup, Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Stay In Place Makeup, Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation & Thebalm Balm Voyage Palette.

FOUNDATION

P/s The Estee Lauder Double Wear Light might look way too yellow for me in the swatch but it looks fine when blended out on my face.

If I am only ever allowed to wear one makeup product for the rest of my life, I think it will most probably be foundation because nothing boost my confidence more than having an even complexion and healthy looking skin. I try out new foundations, bb creams, tinted moisturisers and cc creams all the time but the Estee Lauder Double Wear, Estee Lauder Double Wear Light and Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua are ones that I always repurchase and have in my makeup stash.

The Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place Makeup gives full coverage but it can be sheered out with a damp sponge if desired. The texture is not too thick and it doesn't feel heavy or suffocating on the skin. The finish is matte but not too flat and it stays on all day. If I know I need to look presentable at the end of the day, I will reach for this foundation without a doubt. Did I mention that this foundation is water resistant & absolutely does not budge after it sets? Also, it helps to control oil & it doesn't oxidize or go patchy throughout the day. Better still, this foundation comes in a huge shade range with 3 different undertones (cool, neutral and warm). NOTHING BUT PRAISE FROM ME! 

The Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Stay In Place Makeup is as the name suggests, a lighter weight version in terms of both texture and coverage to the original Double Wear. I would say it has light-medium coverage and it gives a natural semi-matte finish to the skin. On my oily skin, the staying power is still good enough to last me an entire day but it just doesn't stay looking pristine as long as the Double Wear. One thing though, the Double Wear Light has a limited shade range so not every one will be able to find their match in this formula. IF I WANT TO LOOK PRESENTABLE BUT NOT TOO MADE UP, THIS IS THE FOUNDATION THAT I WILL GO FOR!

The Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation is my natural, no-makeup-makeup foundation of choice. It has a very fluid consistency and it gives light to medium coverage that is slightly buildable. I don't know how else to describe it but it has a very natural "my skin but better" finish. This foundation is water base so it blends into the skin very easily and it feels very lightweight too. I find that this foundation applies best with fingers so I can slap in on very quickly when I get ready, which is awesome for mornings when I haven't left myself adequate time. Some might say that the packaging doesn't feel very "high end" since it's plastic but I personally like it since it is very compact and light (good for traveling!). 

With this foundation, I don't feel like it controls oil well so I need to put on an oil-controlling primer and blot my skin regularly to avoid looking too shiny. Another thing is that this foundation can oxidize a little bit, especially when oil starts to come through on my skin.

PALETTE
I have a  soft spot for neutral eyeshadow palettes. I have so many of them but whenever a new one comes out, I just convince myself I need it, and I can never have too many of it. And obviously, I can never talk about neutral palettes without mentioning the Queens of all neutral Palettes: the Urban Decay Naked, Naked 2 and Naked 3. I also recently acquired the Naked Basics, which I think is a perfect sidekick to any of the Naked palettes. 

Top: Urban Decay Naked. Bottom: Urban Decay Naked 2.

I have done a detailed review on the Naked and Naked 2 palettes on the blog previously (LINK)  so I won't talk about it in detail here. All you need to know is that the original Naked palette has a warm undertone, the Naked 2 has a cool undertone and the Naked 3 has a rosy/ pinkish undertone. In each of these palettes, there are some shades that perform better than others but overall, Urban Decay eyeshadows have a soft texture (so might be prone to some fall out) but they are very pigmented, blendable and wears well.

The Urban Decay original Naked palette is my most-loved palette to date. I use this palette consistently in my everyday makeup and I have brought this palette along with me to every single holiday that I have been on since I have bought it. As for the Naked 2, I like to use it when I wear grey circle lenses because I like how the cooler tone browns look against the grey. Naked 2 is also my preferred palette for strong smokey eyes.  

Urban Decay Naked 3

You would think that Urban Decay won't be able to top their very well-made Naked and Naked 2 but when I saw the Naked 3, it was love at first sight. I adore the rosy hues in this palette and I find that the neutral shades in this palette are generally more subdued and mellow. I love the neutral shades in the Naked 3 for softer, feminine makeup looks.

Urban Decay Naked Basics

One of the biggest issue many have with the Urban Decay Naked palettes is the lack of matte shades in them. Urban Decay dealt with that ever so beautifully with the introduction of the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette, which has 5 matte shadows and a satin highlight (Venus). This palette is a perfect complement to any (or all) of the Naked palettes. For people who are not as makeup obsessed, this palette alone can suffice for your neutral eye makeup needs.

Urban Decay Vice 2 

The Urban Decay Vice 2 palette came out as part of Urban Decay's holiday 2013 offering and oh boy is it a treat! I skipped out on the first Vice palette because of various negative reviews but the Vice 2 seem to perform better than its predecessor so I got this for myself as a Christmas treat~

Overall, I think this palette is quite good. It has a mixture of neutrals and brights so regardless if you want to create neutral looks or bright and colorful looks, this palette got you covered! There's 20 new and exclusive eyeshadows of various textures including matte, satin and shimmery/ metallic as well as a dual-ended eyeshadow brush. As with most other bigger palettes, there are some standout shadows in this palette that are buttery and smooth while a few are dryer and powdery. The quality is mostly good though. 

Urban Decay Naked Flushed

The cheek makeup cousin of the Naked palette, the Naked Flushed palette comes with a blush, highlighter and bronzer. Again, everything you need for cheek makeup are all in one place. The bronzer has a satin finish and warm undertone so I think it will work as both a bronzer and contour on light to medium skin tones. The highlighter is a frosty champagne beige that it super pigmented so it gives a very pronounced frosty sheen on the skin. As for the blush, it is a matte rosy pink with tiny shimmers that aren't apparent on the skin. 

The bronzer is quite light and sheer so this palette probably will not suit those with darker skin tones. If you are new to makeup and you want to get one cheek palette that has blush, highlighter and bronzer in one, look no further! Also, having this palette can save you from having to carry 3 separate products in your makeup bag.

Thebalm Balm Voyage Palette (eyeshadows)

Thebalm Balm Voyage Makeup Palette (Lip & Cheek Cream)

Thebalm is a brand that is relatively new to me but I have always been interested in trying out their products because this brand is so talked about in the beauty blogosphere. I took advantage of the flash sale that Thebalm had a while back and scored myself quite a few new things, including the Thebalm Balm Voyage Palette.

This palette has a cute and quirky packaging made of a thick cardboard material that makes it very compact. I particularly appreciate the fact that the cover of the eyeshadow portion and lip & cheek cream portion is separated as it will minimize the mess of powder eyeshadows going into the cream products. 

This palette comes with 16 eyeshadows with a mixture of neutrals and brights as well as different textures (matte, satin, metallic, frosty). Most shades have a nice texture with a few standouts that are buttery and a few that are on the powdery or dry side. The quality overall is good in my opinion though. As for the lip & cheek cream, I think they work best on the cheeks as they are quite drying on the lips. On the cheeks, these blend nicely and stays on well. 

This palette is a nice one to have because it has a good selection of eyeshadows & cheek (& lip) colors in one. If you like cute packaging, this one is worth checking out~

BLUSH

I had a hard time coming up with a blush recommendation because I am in love with so many of them. So in the end, I decided to include the blushes that I always go to when I can't decide what blush to wear. These are also the blushes that I reach for most often.

The Jill Stuart Mix Blush Compact and Blush Blossom are my favorite blushes in terms of color, texture and packaging. These blushes are not the very pigmented type (I would say medium pigmented?), which I prefer because I don't have to be extremely careful when I use them. These blushes have a satin finish that I think makes the skin look slightly glowing and healthy. You can also customize the color that you want by picking up different portions in the pan (versatility always a plus!).

And my favorite part, the packaging of course! I love the girly and princess style compact. These blushes also come with a retractable brush which is also very cute. I often take the brush with me for touching up my powder or blush. 

LIPS

From left: Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in 47 Flying Cloud, Chanel Rouge Allure in 114 Precieuse & 96 Excentrique, Revlon Lip Butter in 096 Macaroon, 075 Lollipop & 070 Cherry Tart, Dior Addict Extreme in 326 Incognito & 354 Palace and YSL Glossy Stain in 7 Corail Aquatique.

For my everyday makeup, I prefer lightweight lip colors that are not very opaque/ bold. For that, my favorite everyday lipsticks have to be Chanel Rouge Coco Shine, with 47 Flying Cloud being one of my favorite. The Chanel Rouge Coco shine is very light and comfortable to wear. It feels like a balm on the lips and it provides some hydration when worn. One layer of this lipstick gives translucent coverage with a gorgeous shine but it can be built up for more intense payoff (it won't be opaque though). 

If you prefer lipsticks that are more pigmented, the Chanel Rouge Allure Lipsticks are ones that I really like as well. These lipsticks have a smooth texture and are pigmented in a single layer. These lipsticks also have good lasting power so you don't have to worry about reapplication throughout the day. Of course, the packaging of Chanel lipsticks are absolutely classy and gorgeous!

The Revlon Lip Butters are the first products that I have ever reviewed on the blog. My older blog posts make a bit cringey when I see them but here's the LINK if you are curious. 

I think I have collected nearly every color in the range since that blog post and a few colors that I particularly like are 096 Macaroon, 075 Lollipop and 070 Cherry Tart. (To be honest, there's a few other colors that I really like but they are scattered in my bags so I can't find them >-<). I like the texture and feel of the Revlon Lip Butters. They feel like butter on the lips and the ones I have included have good pigmentation and a nice glossy finish. The price point is very affordable and it has quite a nice color selection too~

Another high end lipstick that I adore is the Dior Addict and Dior Addict Extreme lipsticks. The Dior Addict lipsticks are pigmented but in a glossy way that retains some degree of translucency. From my experience with them, they texture tend to be more sleek. As for the Dior Addict Extreme, the texture is creamier with a stronger pigmentation. Both of these glide on well, do not dry out the lips and stay on for a good few hours. 

My recent favorite lip product that I have been using nearly everyday is the YSL Glossy Stain in 7 Corail Aquatique. The YSL Glossy Stain has a unique texture that goes on like a liquid but it will start to thicken a bit on the lips. It has good color payoff and the glossiness stays on a few hours. Even after the glossiness wears off, it leaves behind a stain. I love using this color to create the Korean style bitten lips look but it looks amazing all over the lips as well. I really want to get more colors of the Glossy Stain!

EYELASHES

From left: Eyemazing x Amoyamo eyelashes in 813 Rose Chocolat & 820 Rocabilly and Dolly Wink eyelashes in 11 Pure Sweet & 9 Natual Dolly

I used to wear false eyelashes whenever I wear makeup in my uni days. Since I have mono lids, I find that false eyelashes is one of the most effective way to enlarge my eyes and give them more depth. I have a little collection of false eyelashes and I thought I will share my ultimate favorite natural lashes and unique lashes with you today. 

When I want to wear false eyelashes but I don't want it to be blatantly obvious, my favorite are the Dolly Wink eyelashes in 11 Pure Sweet and 9 Natural Dolly. 11 Pure Sweet adds more volume while 9 Natural Dolly is more fluttery but still very natural. Both of these have a transparent band so it's not awkward looking even if you can't get it close to the lash line. The eyelashes itself is lightweight and the band is very flexible so they are very comfortable to wear. 

The Eyemazing x Amoyamo false eyelashes have to be some of the most unique false eyelashes that I have seen. 813 Rose Chocolat is a flared out shape lashes in a very soft brown color while 820 Rocabilly is voluminous type that is longer in the outer corners with a mixture of brown and red color. Both of these have clear lash band.

As some of you know, I actually collect eyelashes so I initially bought these without the intention of opening them. I have been tempted to try them on though, so maybe I will review them on the blog eventually :P 

This blog post is quite long and it took me forever to put it together so I hope you enjoyed it!

If you would like a more in depth review post on any of the products, let me know in the comment section and I will review it in future posts.

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Disclaimer: The recommendations that I am making in this post are based on my personal experience with the products/ brands mentioned. I cannot guarantee that you will like what I like and what works for me might not work for you. Hence, if you are interested in the products mentioned, it's better to do more research or try them out if possible before purchasing. 

The products mentioned are purchased by me of gifted to me by others who went out and bought the items. I am in no way affiliated or being compensated for mentioning these products.