Favourite Products of 2018 (Skincare Category)

I have very oily skin in Singapore, and it became combination skin in the temperate climate here, so now I have a very oily T-zone and dry and flaky cheeks. It is so extreme that I use completely different moisturisers for them, otherwise my nose and chin would break out or my cheeks would not be moisturized enough. So the following skincare is generally safe for the whole face while certain extremely moisturising products just for my cheeks will be stated as such.

Favourite Exfoliant

This is my holygrail, the Cosrx BHA Blackhead Power Liquid with 2% salicylic acid. I have used a few BHA with 2% salicylic acid, such as the Stridex Max pads, and the Paula’s Choice BHA, but the Stridex is too drying while the Paula’s Choice too oily. The Cosrx one is so good that on lazy nights, I just apply that and go straight to bed, and it is gentle and moisturising enough that my skin doesn’t feel too tight. I have 4 bottles of it in Germany as I use it for my face and arms to combat the Keratosis Pilaris there, and I don’t ever want to be without it.

Favourite Toner

I like the Kikumasamune lotion in the white bottle as the High Moist (pink) one breaks me out. It smells like sake, is very watery, and contains ferment which brightens and prepares my skin for the next step in my skincare routine. Sometimes I also soak a paper mask in this and use it as a light hydrating face mask. To be honest, everyone on reddit is raving about the High Moist one and I actually bought this  by mistake (Mr Koala’s mistake), but I ended up liking it more than the High Moist. It comes in a large 500 ml pump bottle and lasts more than a year, which is really good value. I also do the 7-Skin Korean method with this, which means that you layer on 7 different moisturising toners and it makes your skin look drunk with moisture. It takes more than half hour in total though, so I can’t bring myself to do it everyday.

 

Top: Kikumasamune Sake Lotion

Bottom: Kikumasamune High Moist Lotion

Favourite Serum

It used to be the Innisfree Green Tea Seed Serum but it’s now the Balea Hyalauron Booster from DM, which is a popular European drugstore. It’s so light and moisturising, although it’s slightly sticky, and I also use this as an eye cream. It comes in this weird packaging like a long pump and it’s only 10ml, but it’s pretty cheap if you have access to a DM, only about 3 euro.

Favourite Moisturiser (Light)

For my T-zone, or if I’m lazy, I will use the Laneige Water Sleeping Mask which is a water and glycerin based moisturiser that won’t break me out. I cannot take any oil based moisturisers on my T-zone, so this is the best for the full face. I have also layered it on really thick on my cheeks for a mask effect, and it works fine.

Favourite Moisturiser (Heavy)

This is a very recent find, and only necessary because of the climate in Germany. The Balea Med line has great products that are good for sensitive skin, and their Ultra Sensitive Intensive Cream with 7 % Urea has been great for my cheeks without breaking me out. It doesn’t have perfume or additives, and the urea helps to repair damaged skin. The best part is that it is only 2 or 3 euro for 50ml which lasts for half a year.

 

Favourite Cleanser

I like Philosophy’s Purity cleanser a lot, and I even brought over a large bottle that was at least 500 ml, but I haven’t found a pump bottle for it yet and it’s annoying to pour it out of the bottle everyday. So I bought myself another facial wash on the recommendation of the good people on Reddit, and it’s the Balea Med Ultra-Sensitive Wash Gel. When the people on Reddit recommend something that is affordable, I generally ask no questions and run to get it. They are the pickiest people, and something as innocuous as having fatty acids or soap will turn them off a product. 

I do like that it’s very gentle and doesn’t foam up much, which means it doesn’t dry out my skin. I like it so much I use it to shower with sometimes, because it is so easy to wash off with water. Once I’m done with this though, I want to try the Jessa Ultra-sensitive Feminine wash, which was touted as a perfect gentle face wash with low PH balance and no irritating ingredients. Just because something is marketed for your intimate parts doesn’t mean you can’t use it on your face, right?

Favourite Makeup Remover

It will always be the Banila Clean it Zero Cleansing Balm for me, from now to the end of time. This balm is so gentle that getting it into my eyes doesn’t hurt, it just makes vision blurry until you wash it out. And it removes all my eye makeup with no tugging, I can use my fingers to gently rub my lash line to remove waterproof eyeliner and mascara, and it leaves nothing behind, even if I go back in later with a cotton stick and micellar water. It washes off completely and I follow up with my regular face cleanser, usually with my Olay rotating brush, and my pores are squeaky clean. 

The best part about the balm is that it is solid, and it doesn’t melt until you rub it on your face, so no messy dripping all over the sink. This stuff is magic, but it is also pricey in Germany, so I have resorted to using the Banila on my eyes and a regular Balea cleansing oil on my face, to help extend the usage of the balm. It works great, and the oil is only 2.45 euro for 100ml. Frankly, I tried using pure coconut and sunflower oil but they both broke me out eventually, so cleansing oil is better for me.

Favourite Sunblock

I love the Innisfree sunscreens, they go great under makeup, and I swear they give me a smoother face than actual primers. I am sensitive to chemical sunscreen ingredients, so I only use physical sunscreens that contain zinc oxide or titanium dioxide. These are also called mineral sunscreens, and they definitely leave a white cast if you overapply. Currently I am using the Innisfree Eco Safety Perfect Sunblock with SPF 50+, but it's discontinued. I also like the Innisfree Triple Care. Once I’m out, I’m gonna have to head to DM to see if they have mineral sunscreens.

Favourite Lip Balm

It’s not a balm, but the Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask in Vanilla is my favourite thing to put on my lips. It moisturises and feels so creamy, and in the morning my lips are wonderfully soft. I would prefer something more convenient to apply but I am willing to put up with the annoying tub for the results. It also smells heavenly and doesn’t dry out my lips after, unlike some lip balms that strangely leaves my lips drier when the lip balm fades off eventually.

Honourable Mentions

Bioderma Sensibio micellar water is the best, and while I would use the Garnier one in the pink cap, it is not as good. The Bioderma one leave my skin feeling fresh and clean, while the Garnier one is a little more soapy and I have to spray my face with water after that to remove that soapy feeling.

My favourite hydrating mist is the Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Cucumber and Green Tea. It smells so refreshing and it works like a hydrating toner, except in a much more convenient packaging. I like to spray this on after washing my face to remove the tight feeling. I got a trio set of the other flavours recently, and I’m looking forward to using them. I also spritz this on my face as the last step in makeup, but only on the sides of my cheeks, otherwise I go from looking glowy to looking oily.

Recently I started using facial oils on my cheeks to help lock in the moisture, and my favourite is The Ordinary’s Hemi-Squalane. It is only 3 euro on Beautybay, for 30ml, and trust me, it will last forever with one drop per usage. It absorbs quickly into my skin without feeling oily, and I don’t break out from it, so it’s a great oil for the time being. I mix this with my foundation for a smoother application, and it’s great but you have to be careful with the foundation if it’s water-based. It will separate and look patchy if mixed with a water-based foundation.

Balea Med Body Milk with 15% Urea is great for my upper arms with Keratosis Pilaris, which is a skin condition where I have clogged hair follicles all the time, resulting in red bumps that luckily don’t itch or hurt. Urea is great for that, and I sometimes even apply a 25% Urea foot cream to my arms if they look really bad. For my Keratosis Pilaris, I literally have to beat it into submission with BHAs, hot baths, scrubs, and intensive urea treatment. And even then it still looks bad, it just feels a little smoother. If I leave it alone, it starts to spread down my lower arm and that really annoys me.

 Keratosis Pilaris on my arm, and this is considered a good day

Cosrx Pimple Patch is great for drawing out the oil and gunk of any pimple, and it also protects the pimple from makeup or just general bacteria. It speeds up the life of the pimple so that you can pop it faster, and if you manage to put the patch before the pimple reaches the surface, it will absorb enough oil that the pimple goes away before coming out. I love using it, it’s like putting on a little Band-Aid for the pimple and treating it with kindness and love so that it doesn’t screw up your skin even more.

Conclusion

Oh wow it’s 1600 words already… I have to stop. We have come to the end of the Favourite Products of 2018, and I’ll be going to Paris in a couple of days, so I will update this blog with any Paris skincare haul then. Maybe I’ll even go to the biggest Sephora in the world, which is in Paris, if I have time. Definitely looking forward!

Favourite Products of 2018 (Face Category)

Favourite Products of 2018 (Face Category)

2018 was when I felt I really perfected my complexion makeup. I have very, very, VEERY large pores on my nose, and face in general, and it took a lot of experimenting to get those potholes covered up. I also had oily skin in Singapore, but in Germany it’s becoming combination, with dry, flaky cheeks and oily T-Zone. The worst thing about my pores is that foundation will sink into them and I’ll look like I have polka dots on my nose, quite visibly. Many times I washed off the foundation in frustration and rather just go without makeup. On the plus side, I don’t have much dark circles so I am unable to tell you what is the best concealer with the highest coverage. I still apply concealer but more to brighten than to cover.

Favourite Primer

I don’t like silicone primers as they settle into my pores and make them look huge. It is counter-intuitive as silicone primers are usually known to be pore fillers, but that’s how my pores work. I’m not sure if this is cheating but my favourite primer is the Nivea Post Shave Balm for Sensitive Skin. I believe this was a trend some years ago started by NikkieTutorials, and I love it so much. The trick is to apply it right before the foundation, before it gets absorbed into the skin. It’s really just a moisturizer, but I can get 100ml of it for 4 euros, which can’t be beat. It smoothes out fine lines and minimizes pores, and it looks so great that my friend wanted to declutter all her primers after I introduced this to her. I have this in an empty pump bottle, so I don’t have a real-life photo for you guys.

Favourite Foundation

I discovered the LA Girl Pro Matte foundation this year, and it is so good for my skin. It is a soft matte, which means it doesn’t emphasize dry patches, and it fades off gracefully throughout the day. This is an important point, as I had this other foundation that was also matte, but it would fade off in patchy, messy chunks, and it looked so gross throughout the day.

Anyway, the LA Girl Pro Matte is so good that I have three bottles in different shades. I originally ordered this to sell on Carousell, but it was so good that I kept all three since the shades weren’t that different and I could mix it for when I’m lighter or darker.

2018 was also the year I dabbled with wax-based foundations like RCMA, Mehron, Kryolan and Ben Nye. But they are really finicky to use, they would settle into my pores and creases, and if I used a lot of powder to set it, it looked really cakey and dry. If I didn’t use enough powder, they would slide and rub right off on my oily skin. So I use them mainly for spot concealing and carving out the brow or lips, and they are great for that.

Favourite Concealer

I feel like I’m a terrible concealer reviewer since I don’t have dark circles to cover. All concealers work the same for me, and I haven’t met a bad one yet. The one I use the most comes with a doe-foot applicator, such as the Catrice Liquid Camouflage, or the Makeup Revolution Conceal and Define. It’s just easier to apply and blend in for me. I'm actually shocked that I'm almost done with the Catrice concealer. The Makeup Revolution concealer in C5 is just nice for my skin tone, and I used the C2 for brightening.

Favourite Powder

I have only three loose powders right now with me, the RCMA No Colour powder, Laura Mercier Translucent powder, and a pure Cashmere talc powder I ordered from a wholesale site. My favourite is hands down the RCMA, and I’m almost done with my first bottle after three years. It’s scary how long these powders last. What is even scarier is I split the first bottle with my friend so I’m only done with half of the 90g bottle after three years, despite using powder to bake my whole face. These suckers last and last... RCMA is just very light and you can pile it on without it looking dry or cakey. Even the Laura Mercier one can look cakey if you get too heavy handed, and the pure talc is just a mistake in Germany. It gets so cakey fast. I do have a bag of pure silica somewhere that I wanna try next, it’s supposedly really good for oily skin and a dupe for the Makeup Forever powder, which is 100% pure silica. 

Favourite Bronzer

I thought about this for a long time, and I have to say my favourite bronzer is in the Kat Von D Shade and Light Contour palette. I like to mix the two lighter contour shades and it gives such an “expensive” look. I have no idea what I mean but I just look posh and well-groomed with that. For singles, I have been using the Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer in Bronzer, and if I’m being honest, I used it because of the hype. Every time I put it on, I see nothing. But at least it doesn't make me look bad, and it’s pretty natural.

Favourite Blush

I’m not a fan of blush because I go to great lengths to conceal my rosacea, and putting on blush just seems to negate the whole effort there. My favourite blush is the Milani Luminoso, but it’s quite shimmery, so sometimes I also like using the Studio Makeup blush in Apricot. It is somewhat the same shade as Luminoso, but it’s matte. Studio Makeup is such an unknown brand, I only heard of their nine pan eyeshadow palettes that was in Boxycharm some years back. I liked them but they didn’t make the cut to Germany.

Studio Makeup On the Go palettes in Cool Down and Warm Up that was in Boxycharm

Favourite Highlighter

Essence Pure Nude Highlight. Hard Candy Tiki. No difference between these two on my face. Just a subtle ethereal glow with no shimmer or over-the-top highlight.

Favourite Setting Spray

Skindinavia Oil Control Makeup Finishing Spray. This will really prolong the wear of the makeup and stop it from transferring even if you touch your face with a tissue. I spray it into my sponge and press it into the skin, instead of spritzing it on my face like a crazy person. This method uses much less product, and it pushes the product into the skin. Otherwise the mist will just be sitting on my facial hair. I bought the large bottle of 236ml from Beautybay when it was on sale for Black Friday. It works out to be cheaper than drugstore setting spray per ounce, and I have never looked back. 

Favourite Face Brush

The Real Techniques Point XL brush is so dense and comes to a pointed tip, which is perfect for bronzing up the face. It picks up a decent amount of product and it's so soft too. I just love the shape overall, and I want to get the other sizes. 

Honourable Mentions

My favourite pressed powder is the LA Colors Mineral Pressed Powder in Fair. It is so smooth that I use it to blend patchy eyeshadows, and also to blend my entire face makeup with the Buffing Technique. If you're not familiar, the Buffing Technique is using a face blending brush that is nice and fluffy, and dabbing it in a little pressed powder before buffing it into your skin in circular motions. It will give such an airbrushed and blended look, especially if you're a beginner who is heavy-handed with blush or bronzer. This techniques saved my face when I was a beginner and applied bronzer until I could see it in the mirror. Needless to say, by the time you see it in the mirror, it is too much and you look like you are doing a mud mask.

I have discovered many gems this year, and I hope to continue to discover more gems at drugstore prices in 2019. Thanks for reading to the end of this post 😊

Favourite Products of 2018 (Eye Category)

Yes it's kinda late for this post, but I thought I should do it anyway. There will be three categories, eyes, face, and skincare. I'm not really a lip junkie so there is no point having a lip category. Today's post will focus on eye makeup.

Favourite Brow Product

Ok so I once bought the Anastasia Brow Wiz a long time ago, and I loved the fine tipped pencil. It was, however, too ridiculously expensive for my cheap taste, and I used it way too fast for me to be repurchasing it every couple of months. These thin brow pencils don't last at all, but they are so convenient and look so natural that I started looking for dupes. I tried a few Nyx Microbrow pencils but the shade range was just too warm for my brows. I prefer a grey tone to match my black hair, and it was so difficult to find one that was light enough that wasn't brown.

I also tried the LA Girls Slim Shady but it also didn't have any grey shades. 

Finally, I chanced upon this obscure Korean brand J.Muh on Roseroseshop.com, and I ordered the Slim Eyebrow Pencil in Grey Brown. It was only about 2 USD then, the price has now risen. And it's the best brow pencil I've used. It's greyish brown, not too pigmented, fine tip, easy to twist up, and has a great price. I stocked up and bought about 10 to bring to Germany, and I use up one every two to three months. Here's the link in case anyone is interested. 

J.Muh Slim Eyebrow Pencil in Grey Brown

Favourite Eye Primer

I have to be honest and say that I don’t really notice a difference in my eye primers, maybe because they are all touted as holy grails by other people in the makeup world. I have the Wet and Wild Photo Focus, Milani Eyeshadow Primer, Nyx Glitter Glue, Mac Paint Pot in Soft Ochre, and Etude House Proof 10 Eye Primer. The one with a slight advantage is Etude House as I feel it’s not as drying as the others and eyeshadow don’t turn out as patchy. It comes with a doe-foot applicator which is pretty convenient. The worst is probably the Wet and Wild one, but it’s still very good at making my eyeshadow look more pigmented and prevent it from fading off. So yeah, another Korean product in my Favourites, I swear it’s the last.

Left to Right: Wet and Wild Photo Focus, Nyx Glitter Glue, Milani Eye Primer in Nude, Etude House Proof 10, and Mac Paint Pot in Soft Ochre at the bottom.

Favourite Eyeshadow (Single)

I need a whole category for this because it’s so awesome. The Australis Metalix eyeshadow is a glittery cream that brings the bling. It is SOOOO sparkly, and it also stays on the lid for a good time without transferring or creasing. I got them in Singapore for about $4 each, which is insanely cheap for such a product. I bought almost all the shades that they had, and my favourite shade is Guns and Rose Petals. It elevates any boring eyeshadow look to the next level, and I used it on all the people I applied makeup for in 2018.

Top to Bottom: Australis Metallix in Lana Del Grey, Plum Diddy, Gold Gaga, Pearl Jammin', Guns and Rose Petals

Favourite Eyeshadow Palette

Ok this was a really difficult category because I have so many palettes and they serve different purposes. I didn’t want to include the newer palettes, so I have to say the MVP (Most Valuable Palette) of the year is Elf Mad for Mattes in Summer Breeze. This is the second Mad for Matte palette, and it’s full of warm rose tones. I used this on all my clients this year because it blends so easily, and gives a nice and soft wash of colour on the whole lid. It is also compact and easy to bring out in my kit. When working on others, I value blendability over pigmentation. It can be so hard to blend a pigmented colour on someone else’s eyes, and people who are new to makeup don’t really like overly pigmented eyeshadows. This palette is simple and pretty, I used it on EVERYONE with no difficulty.

Elf Mad for Matte Summer Breeze: The swatches are soft but smoooooth

Favourite Eyeliner

I really downsized my eyeliner collection when I moved to Germany, so I have a total of less than 5 right now. My favourite is the Maybelline Master Liner which I bought on sale at a Malaysian pharmacy. It is not very black, but it sure stays on forever. I have oily lids and watery eyes, so it’s a real challenge for any eyeliner to stay on my eyes. Before I found this, my favourite was Miss Hana, a Taiwanese Brand, and Essence Gel Liner pen which was discontinued. The only complaint I have for the Master Liner is that it is not black enough for me.  I added a generic Morphe Eyeliner as a comparison for the lack of blackness of the Master Liner. That Morphe Eyeliner is completely crap, it rubs right off my hand immediately even if I set it with black eyeshadow. Looking at the swatch, I am starting to doubt if the Master Liner was supposed to be black at all, or did I grab a brown and assumed it was black? Edited: Lol ok I got the dark brown one... Apparently the black one has BK-1 at the bottom while mine has BR-1. Hmm, ok I guess I have to forgive the pigmentation then, it's my own fault. This is supposed to be the Asian version of the Maybelline Unstoppable Eyeliner Pencil. I definitely need a better eyeliner pencil.

Left swatch: Maybelline Master Liner

Right swatch: Morphe Eyeliner in Dark Room

Favourite Eye Brush

Everyone is so into that Mac 217 brush shape and size, but it’s just too small for my crease. It is so popular that you would be hard pressed to find another type. This year, I discovered the Morphe 504, which is a blending brush that is bigger than an average blending brush. I love that I can use it for my crease to diffuse the colour evenly, and it fits my crease so well. It’s not like I have big eyes, but I have a big face in general and in proportion, my eyes are larger than the average person. Morphe animal hair brushes are not the softest, in fact some are downright prickly, but this one is soft enough for me and I love the bigger size. In the photo, I placed it next to the Morphe 433 and 441, which is the dupe for Mac 217 and 224 respectively. 

Left to Right: Morphe 433, 441 and 504

So that is it for the eye category. I will follow up with the face and skincare posts soon, before I head back to Singapore next week. I did not include any any mascaras because I am not happy with all my mascaras right now. My favourite is the Essence I Love Extreme Crazy Volume in the pink tube,  but it's not waterproof and I left it in Singapore. I'm in the market for waterproof mascaras that would give me the same volume, and I haven't tried out any yet as I want to finish up my current ones first. 

BH Cosmetics Weekend Festival Palette

Aaaaand it's here! The BH Cosmetics Weekend Festival palette that I have been lusting over! I ordered it from Beautybay when it was on sale for 13 Euro, which was a really good buy for me. When I got it, I was so overwhelmed by the colours that I couldn't use it immediately. Instead, I used the Makeup Revolution Iconic 3 palette that I bought together with this, just to warm myself up to this.

I know I said I will do five colourful looks if I ever got this palette, but let's start with one first. Immediately I was attracted to the light blue shimmer shade, and also the bright pink. So I used the brown as a transition in my crease, then I laid down the Nyx Glitter Primer, and tapped the light blue shimmer all over my lid. It was SO PIGMENTED. I was so shocked to achieve that level of pigment without using my fingers. There were some fallout but very minimal, and mostly on my waterline.

Finally, I dusted some bright pink in my crease to intensify the colours and almost ruined everything with a liquid eyeliner. I had to go back in to cover the ugly strokes of the eyeliner with a black eyeshadow. I used the darker blue for my lower lid, and that was pretty much it.

Here are the product pictures:

This palette is soooo good, I am in shock. It is the best colourful palette that I own right now, that's for sure. The mattes were pigmented and easy to blend, and I know I say that for Makeup Revolution also, but this is like 10/10 whereas Makeup Revolution is like a 7 or 8.

I did a rearrangement with Photoshop for this palette last month just to give me an idea of what colours they have. I find that palettes with very messy colour layouts really annoys me, so I like to rearrange them to a more cohesive look.

I am so impressed now that I want to get more BH Cosmetics palettes, but I am also torn between not wanting to spend more money on palettes this month. I can't wait to try other colourful looks with this palette. I am also very interested in the green shimmer shade in the top row in this palette.

The swatches were kinda lackluster considering how the shadows performed with a brush, but it is really more important that they perform well on the eyes than on swatches. Nevertheless, I wonder if I simply lucked out using the light blue shimmer on the first try because it popped even in the swatches.

Overall, I can see what the hype is about, and it is much better than even my Morphe Jaclyn Hill palette, and on par with Juvia's Place Masquerade palette.

Morphe Jaclyn Hill Palette

Juvia's Place Masquerade Palette

I am unsure of how to make colours even more bold than I am currently doing. Somehow I feel they all look wearable on me, which is strange because all the Youtube tutorials I've seen are so colourful it's almost scary. Maybe I will try a rainbow look next time.

Makeup Revolution Redemption Palette Iconic 3

Today's look is based on the Makeup Revolution Redemption Palette Iconic 3, which is a dupe of Urban Decay's Naked 3 palette.

Top: Urban Decay Naked 3

Bottom: Makeup Revolution Redemption Palette Iconic 3

This palette is full of rosy and greyish purple tones, which is really unflattering on me, apparently. It is too cool for my neutral skin tone and the greyish tones really kills any life that I have in my skin. I got this palette for 3 euro on Beautybay, together with another palette that I will be reviewing soon.

I saw a review on youtube that compared the various dupes for the Naked 3, and the reviewer raved about the Makeup Revolution version, saying that it is even better than the original. I used to have the original but I gave it to my niece who liked it more than me. I cannot even remember using it more than once so I can't gauge for the formula of the Naked 3.

This palette is nowhere near as good as the Reloaded series, in my opinion. I did 3 looks in total and they all looked the same. It is not as creamy and pigmented as the Reloaded palettes, but it ain't bad for the price. I guess I'm just really over the colour of the Naked 3.

Here are the swatches:

Swatches for Makeup Revolution Redemption Palette Iconic 3

On a side note, I love the glowy look I got on today. I used the Buffing Technique with the Essence Pure Nude Highlighter, which is a really soft and natural highlighter, and buffed it into the whole face with a stiffer brush.

Essence Pure Nude Highlighter

Then I set my face with the Balea Water Spray in Melone, which is a dupe for the Morphe Continuous Setting Mist.

Top: Balea Water Spray Melone

Bottom: Morphe Continuous Setting Mist

I am so happy with the Balea Water Spray as it has glycerin as the second ingredient and that helps to give a glow, moisturize, and make the makeup stick to the skin longer. It also has a very fine mist that doesn't leave you with large droplets of water. It was only 1.49 euro at DM, and I will be stocking up in case they change the formula for summer.