2017 favorites

Happy new year and happy 2018! I wanted to share my top 10 favorites  of 2017 with you.

10. NYX Away We Glow in 08 moon glow - I ran out of my beloved Becca shimmering skin perfector in pearl and replaced it with NYX for two reasons: 1) I'm a grad student on a budget, and more importantly, 2) There is no known universe where I could finish a full size shimmering skin perfector. The mini spotlight size took me 2 years! The NYX isn't a perfect dupe (not as gel like of a texture, doesn't blend as well over powder), but is 90% there and meets my needs perfectly. Like everyone else on the planet, glowy skin and I were friends all year long.

9. Whole Foods organic lip balm - I went through about a dozen of these in 2017, 50/50 lost vs. used up. I love the honey vanilla version, it moisturizes without irritating my skin and only costs about $3. Sold for life <3

8. Sheer glossy lips - My skin is too dry and I am too impatient for the perfectly carved out lip line and matte liquid lips. I need my skin and lips to feel comfortable and I'm permanently running late, so for me that means tinted lip balm, glosses, and sheer lipsticks I can apply on the bus without a mirror. Some of my favorites: Urban Decay and Too Faced La Creme lipsticks layered over lip balm, Clinique almost lipstick in black honey, Fresh tinted lip balm in rose and petal, and Bite's (discontinued?!) lip gloss in currant.

7. My Japanese brushes - My everyday brushes never fail me and I'm still amazed that some of these brands aren't more popular. Chikuhodo, Hakuhodo, Koyudo, and Mizuho all have some relatively affordable brushes (MAC or MUFE price range) that blow everything else out of the water in terms of quality. I like more natural and sheer looks with powder products, so my soft natural hair brushes deliver. Pictured: Hakuhodo tapered candle 5521, Hakuhodo J521 eyeliner, Chikuhodo Z-5 large eye shader, Mizuho PM11 brow brush, Koyudo 035 medium shader, Hakuhodo K022 blush/powder . I don't think everyone needs these exact brushes, but I do think it is worth buying high quality brushes of which ever shapes you use every day.

6. NARS Laguna - Check out that huge pan! I wear bronzer everyday and Laguna was easily my most reached for this year. Even on my cool toned fair skin, this is never too orange. I don't know how, but Laguna always makes me look healthy and pretty.

Fresh Sugar Cream Lip Treatment in Blush & Buff review and swatches

I love Fresh so I was so excited to see the new sugar cream lip treatments pop up in my local Sephora! I got samples of Blush and Buff to try.

I chose Blush because I can't resist mid tone mauve pinks (similar in tone/concept to Buxom Dolly or Bite Currant) and the Sephora SA talked me into a sample of Buff because she said it was the sheer balmy one. I have no idea why they are selling Buff as a sheer balm - it is a strongly pigmented coppery nude.

As you can see, the texture of the Fresh sugar cream lip treatment is thick and goopy. Both of these shades contain shimmer. The texture of the product seems inappropriate for the packaging they chose - these are so thick and pigmented that they should be in liquid lipstick style tube and wand applicators instead of a squeeze lip balm type tube. They are much too pigmented to apply with your fingers or without a mirror.

Swatches
 

Skinfood rose essence tinted lip balm #2 review & swatches

I have a tinted lip balm addiction, and today I bring you swatches and a review of one of my favorite affordable options. The Skinfood rose essence lip balm comes in two variants - #1 is a clear treatment balm and #2 is tinted rosy pink. I bought mine for about $5 on Rose Rose Shop, but the price varies slightly on retailer and currency conversion.

I like this product for natural makeup looks and weekends - tinted rosy pink balms add shine and definition to the lips without the intensity or coverage of a traditional lipstick.

Bare Minerals Pop of Passion Lip Oil Balm - Rose Passion [review]

Today I bring you a review of the new Bare Minerals Pop of Passion Lip Oil Balm in Rose Passion. I love trying out tinted lip balms, because my lips are always dry and they are work friendly. I chose the shade Rose Passion because it looked like a nice muted red rose pink and most of the line is made up of brighter shades. I bought mine for $16 at Ulta.

If the color Rose Passion doesn't float your boat, I swatched the entire line of Pop of Passion Lip Oil Balms here.

Bare Minerals Pop of Passion Lip Oil Balm swatches

Today, I have quick swatches of the new Pop of Passion Lip Oil Balms from Bare Minerals. The line of tinted balm stains contains 8 shades and retails for $16 for .11 oz.

Bare Minerals Pop of Passion swatches (L to R): Nude Passion, Peach Passion, Pink Passion, Rose Passion, Candy Pop, Tangerine Pop, Punch Pop, Plumberry Pop

My top 5 affordable Asian beauty favorites

I've been buying Asian beauty products for awhile now and have built up a substantial collection, so I thought it was time for a favorites post! Behold, my current top 5 affordable beauty products from Asia: Etude House I Need You A to Z sheet masks, The Face Shop Lovely me:ex Design My Eyebrow auto pencil in No. 1 Grey Brown, Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher in No. 06 Grapefruit Jelly, Skin79 VIP Gold BB cream, and Skin Food's Rose Essence Lip Balm.

All of these products are price equivalent to American drugstore items and are great options for people new to Asian beauty. The price will vary based on where you purchase, but I have had good luck RoseRoseShop.

3 coral lip stains for spring

I know it's only early March, but it feels like spring is here early! I really like corals, from blush to eyeshadow to lip colors, and I can't help but going on a coral overload when the snow melts. This last year, I have gotten into lip stains and it's been a struggle to find lip stains that stain true to color, wear for a long time, and don't wreck havoc on my dry lips. Today I bring you my favorite 3 coral lip stains - may you also celebrate the onset of spring by sitting inside all day at a desk wearing coral lips!

Empties & Mini Reviews - Too Faced, NYX, Elf, Bare Minerals, Jack Black

I was inspired to share some empties today after doing an end of summer collection purge. All of the empty products below are *actually* makeup & beauty products. Anyone else get angry about body scrub and candle empties? Let's check out what I used up recently:

• NYX Butter Gloss in Creme Brulee (BLG 05)
• e.l.f. Essential Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear mascara
• Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm in Grapefruit & Ginger and Lemon & Chamomile
• Too Faced Shadow Insurance
• Bare Minerals Lash Domination mascara (black)

 Let's get into the mini reviews:

New Eos Visibly Soft Lip Balm - Coconut Milk & Vanilla Mint review

I didn't care for the original Eos lip balms because I found them more waxy than hydrating. I recently saw the two new lip balms from the Visibly Soft line, Coconut Milk and Vanilla Mint, at Target for $2.99 so I picked them up. I bought these because the packaging advertised them as being more moisturizing then the original formula and the stripes are cute.