summer base

Recently, I've been switching up the my base; instead of covering my face in big patches of concealer in an attempt to even things out, I've decided to use some products that even things out and dab concealer where it's really needed.



1. Indeed Labs, Nanoblur

This has seriously been my summer saviour. It's supposed to leave your skin "camera ready" and fill in fine lines and whatnot, but I have yet to obtain these fine lines (fingers crossed I don't get them for a next decade or so).  So, I use this more for its glorious mattifying powers and primer-esque qualities. When you put this on, it gets quite tacky but I think it's the tackiness that keeps makeup from sliding off in the 34˚C summer heat in Hong Kong. Plus, it keeps my skin from getting too shiny during the day and hasn't broken me out yet - win.

2. Garnier Ultra-Lift Transformer

I used this daily throughout the month that I spent in the Turks and Caicos Islands - when it comes out of the tube, it's a white cream with these teeny little beads that I guess break open when you rub it onto your face and the stuff in the mini beads give you the slightest bit of healthy tint. It's supposedly an anti-age skin corrector, and it has a broad spectrum SPF20 sunscreen in it. It's super easy to throw on to make your skin look a little more alive without being too heavy for summer weather.

3. thisworks, perfect look skin miracle

This is awesome, it's an "instant tinted skin perfector that hydrates and brightens" and was the first of these 3 'skin brightening / perfector-esque' things that I purchased. It looks kind of orange-y when it comes out of the tube but when you blend it in, it somehow gives you this extra glow that is inexplicable. It is the ultimate product to use when you're going for that no-makeup makeup look.

4. Becca Bronzing Skin Perfector
As the name states, this is the bronziest of the bunch. When dabbed and blended out gently, it gives your face the loveliest bronzy sheen without the shine that the other two give - it's somehow a bit mattifying when it goes on. It's got a bit of sparkle but nothing too overwhelming and you don't look like a great big disco ball when you put it over your entire face (which I have done, evidently). This is probably the one out of the three that I lean towards most often for this summer since it seems to be the most shine-controlling.

5. NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Medium 2, Ginger 

I have been in love with this concealer since the minute I decided to purchase it after hearing all the hype about it. If you haven't tried this already, it's the most glorious concealer that will ever have the pleasure of gracing your face - it blends out perfectly and covers what needs to be covered without looking cakey and heavy.

summer to autumn: base

The weather in NYC has been sort of bipolar -- it's gotten cold and warm again a few times over the last month, but it's finally starting to really feel like autumn so I thought I share some of my transition-friendly choices.

1. Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturiser in Sand

I've previously done a more in-depth review about why I like it so much in this post and briefly mentioned it here, so I won't go into too much detail again, but this is currently my favourite choice of base as it gives my face a bit of a glow, and helps lock in moisture as the drier weather is starts to settle in. Sometimes when I want a heavier coverage, I'll whip out the Real Techniques Buffing Brush but 99% of the time I'll slap this on with my fingers.

2. Maybelline Pure Mineral Concealer in 02

One of my favourite concealers ever, mentioned here and here, so I won't go into a lot of detail. It really just is my go-to favourite -- it feels light on the skin, has a decent lasting power and covers what needs to be covered. 

3. Collection Illuminating Touch Brightening Concealer in 3 Glow

Pretty much every single makeup brand has one of these clicky-illuminating-concealer pen things and as Collection recently branched out to Hong Kong, I thought I'd pick another one of these up. I think this shade is a little bit too dark for me but as I've still got a bit of a summer tan, it seems to work quite well under my eyes. Nothing revolutionary, it's just another useful item to help conceal my dark eyebags.

4. Collection Shimmer Shades in 1 Way to Glow

I really do have to share how much I love this little quad. It has 4 shimmery shades that I absolutely adore; the champagney-white is perfect for highlighting, the rosy and peachy colours are great for perking my cheeks up a little, and the bronzier shade is awesome for adding that extra glowy tan to the high points of your face. All in all, it pretty much has all my ideal face shades, the powder is buttery soft and the colour payoff is excellent.

5. MAC Pro Longwear Bronzing Powder in Sun Dipped

This bronzer was part of a limited sailor-themed collection which launched last year I think? Anyway, the packaging is beautiful, it has a navy and white striped pattern on the lid and delightfully glossy instead of the typical satin black you get with MAC. I find this shade to give me the perfect bronzy look without making me look like an orange and as I've hit pan, I am rationing out my uses carefully.

mac frozen violet

Because I am so, so in love the MAC Paint Pots, I ventured to the MAC counter in hopes of finding another colour to add to my collection. This shade, Frozen Violet, struck me immediately as it reminded me a lot of the Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Illusoire which was to be my potential next cream shadow purchase because it is such a stunningly beautiful colour. However, having tried Emerveillé, I decided that the Chanel formula wasn't quite for me, compared to the MAC Paint Pots, it's not as great in terms of longevity. Don't get me wrong, I still love that squishy, mousse like formula and I will definitely continue using Emerveillé, I just figured this would be a good and less pricey alternative which would also last longer on my infinitely oily eyelids.

I absolutely fell in love with this shade when I first swatched it. It's sort of a taupe-y, eggplant-y purple with a fair amount of sparkle and glitter. Upon first swipe, it can be quite sheer, but it is easily buildable and, like all other cream shadows, serves as a perfect base for other powder eyeshadows. Although I do find this a bit dark to use during the daytime (I tried it once and I'm pretty sure I looked a little crazy whilst walking around running errands, but whatever), it is amazing for the evening. I've recently been using this a lot with one of my favourite NARS duos in Brousse, along with smudgy black gel eyeliner and of course mascara to create that dark smoky look that is sweat and humidity proof for those summer nights out. Depending on what powder eyeshadow you put on top, this cream shadow can be made to look more taupe or purple and the sparkles really manage to show through. This Paint Pot will probably be more well-loved in the winter months where I tend to darken up my daily eye makeup, but for now, it will been a staple in my evening makeup routine.

laura mercier tinted moisturiser

The Laura Mercier Oil Free Tinted Moisturiser has been one of the products that has remained well-used and stuck in my collection since I first purchased it. Back when I was younger, much more tan, and terrified of the cake-y and (to me) sometimes overly fake looking effects of foundation, this was well-praised and I turned to it as a sort of lighter alternative. As I would spend far too much of my time in the sun without protection, the first shade I purchased was Fawn, but now it is way too dark for my pasty face so I've ventured into the shade Sand -- still slightly dark for me during winter but it's been perfect for the last few weeks.

This product has been in and out of my routine, I find it depends on how much coverage I want, how blotchy I'm feeling that day and whether or not I can be bothered to deal with a multitude of spot concealing. However, the main reason I've been reaching for this lately is simply because my skin is constantly so dry. Even after I've washed my face in the morning and slapped on an army of moisturisers, I find myself with flaky skin on my nose and cheeks around mid-day. I have no idea how this happens at all but I do have an odd feeling that it has something to do with constantly coming in and out of intensely air-conditioned buildings and into 85% humidity. Anyway, this product gives my skin that teeny extra moisture boost, the perfect amount of coverage whilst evening things out, a radiant summer dewiness without looking overly oily and the SPF 20 doesn't hurt either.