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 😊
No comments:
Post a Comment