Hits and misses 2012

Well I can't believe it's already almost the middle of January 2013. Where is the time going? 
As a true beauty junky I have tried a lot of products in 2012 and thought it would be fun to recap some of my favorites and not so favorites.

Hits
1. Revlon kissable balm stains (shdes:honey, darling and sweetheart)

I have very pale lips so without lipstick I almost look ill. Enter the world of stains. I love lip stains because the touch up is minimal. But didn't like the traditional stains that tend to dry my lips. Also the shade selections were pretty limited.
Revlon kissable balm stains look like fat crayons and addresses the issues I had with the other stains. This balm stain is moisturizing and is so easy to use. Just swipe it like a lipbalm.
Honey is a neutral mauve that I wear almost daily.
Darling is a light violet that is also wearable during daytime. Both however leave a stain that is deeper than what you see in the stick. I think this all depends on your chemistry as the stains don't look the same on all people. It lasts almost 5 to 6 hours and that means I only need to touch up once and look 'healthy'. 

 

2. Shiseido perfect refining foundation.
A recent discovery that I am enjoying very much. This foundation is very thin and seems to be hard to work with. However it actually gives a very good coverage and is easy to blend. The SPF 16 in the foundation is also a nice plus.
With this I don't need concealer and on my combination skin lasts upto 8 hours!  Bought mine at the Duty free shop in YVR airport for $38. 

3. L'oreal professional Vitamino colour conditioner
My hair has been chemically straightened, permed and coloured constantly. I tend to colour my hair every 2-3 months and am amazed that I still have decent hair left! I wash it every 2 days as it is heavily processed and extremely dry. When it comes to shampoo and conditioner I tend to like Japanese or Korean brands but noticed lately that they weren't working so effectively. The Viamino conditioner was a recommendation from a salon. It is $17 for a measly 200ml but worth every penny. My hair is light and soft and not weighed down at all. The hair feels super moisturized without the waxy film (like Pantene or Dove). Loving the results and hoping this will last a while. 

Misses

1.  EOS lipbalm 

This lip balm comes in such a cute packaging and was crazy popular amongst the beauty bloggers and YouTubers. I had ordered mine online because Canadian drugstores were not carrying them at the beginning of 2012. While I love the package, the lip balm itself and the shape doesn't do much. The balm is waxy and does not help with the chapped lips. It is also not cheap ($4 - 5 each). Definitely will not be repurchasing.

2. elf  Complete Coverage concealer

I tend to like elf products - what's not to like when you can get makeup and tools for $3 or $1! The Studio line is my favourite from elf and I enjoy the 50% off sales they have often. 

While I don't wear concealer every day, at times I look in the mirror in the afternoon and think "shoot, I should have brought some concealer to cover those spots..". Enter the 4 pan concealer palette which was very promising. Alas, the colour is great but the staying power is not. The formula is a thick cream, but does not go on too thick. The coverage is sheer and wears off in less than an hour! So my search continues. 

My daily make up routine

I am a minimalist when it comes to my daily makeup. While I own a whole array of products and try them out often, Monday to Friday makeup is done in 5 minutes or less.

Typically the products I use on a daily basis include:
Foundation - I always use my fingers because it is the fastest and the easiest. If I am in the mood to use a brush, I have been trying the Shiseido Perfect Refining brush.
Nars Sheer Glow or Shiseido Perfect Refining foundation is what I am using lately.

Blush - currently using VS beauty. I prefer pink over peach tone. Using the duo fibre brush, I sweep a light dust of this on my cheeks.

Eyebrow pencil - Shu Uemura
I always return to this pencil. It looks like a drawing pencil; the magic of it is that it works with the oil on you eyebrows but never too dark as some other eyebrow pencils I have tried. Because my hair is brown right now, I use the shade 6 (bought in Hongkong). Seal Grey (Shade 2) is another one I use - when my hair is darker.

Eye liner - I prefer pencil over liquid because it's fast. Current favourite is Dollywink and The Faceshop Make me Star in Bronze.

Mascara - curl with Shu Uemura culrer first. Using Heroine Make Volume and Curl (please refer to my eyelash post here)

Powder - to set and control the oil. Revlon Colorstay or Shiseido Aqualabel
Because I have an oily T-zone without powder I will look quite greasy in a couple of hours. Dust the powder lightly with a big fluffy brush all over.

Lipstain - Revlon Kissable Lip balm stain. Will be doing a review in these soon.

I almost never touch up my make up during the day. The only thing I do is use the Clean & Clear oil blotting film as my T zone can get oily by 11am and powder my nose in the mid afternoon.

Mascara review - Covergirl Lashblast original waterproof

I am a big fan of mascaras. As always I use waterproof ones to hold the curls in my lashes.
Typically I use the Maybelline Falsity original and Heroine make kiss me volume and curl (regular repeat buys).
Covergirl lash blast is a very popular drugstore mascara that gets good reviews online and on YouTube. I have purchased and uses this a couple of times and I have a love and hate relationship with it. Because the brush head is so big,  I find it a bit difficult to apply cleanly. The bristles are short synthetic ones.
The mascara itself is pretty wet initially and I like it after a few weeks after it has been opened.

How I apply this is to use the tip of the brush to coat the roots of my lashes first. Otherwise it can be clumpy. Then I coat carefully from roots up. Again it takes time otherwise I can the mascara on my eyelids.
Pro is that multiple coats can be applied without making the lashes look too spidery. Also it gives very good length and makes the lashes very black. After about 8 hours this does smudge a bit on my bottom lids.
I always use the cleansing oil to take it off as it is pretty tenacious.