winter base

1. Vichy Aera Mineral BB

This BB Cream was something I bought when BB creams were a huge fad, but back then I wasn't big a big user of foundations or bases, and would simply dab concealer over my face where it was needed. I thought that Vichy was a good skincare brand so their BB cream couldn't be bad and decided to give it a go. When swatching at my local drugstore, I chose the darker shade which I still find to be quite light on me these days and I only use this when at my ultimate palest. I've been using this a lot during the winter months, both in New York and in Hong Kong as I feel like this is 'better' for your skin than putting an actual foundation on, but who knows if this is actually any better. Though it goes on a tad grey for my liking, it magically evens out my skin tone and somehow gives a bit of a glow. Bonus - this BB cream is paraben free, hypoallergenic, tested on sensitive skin and fragrance free and has SPF 20. 

2. Tarte Maracuja Creaseless Concealer in Medium

This concealer is full coverage to the maximum -- it's very thick and was almost difficult to squeeze out of the tube at first, but when dabbed over blemished with your ring finger, it blends seamlessly into the skin. It's heavily pigmented so even the thinnest layer will give you enough coverage, and is tacky enough that it's not sticky, but long-wearing. It's also meant to be creaseless and waterproof -- the waterproof part I find fairly believable as this does make it through a sweaty 45 minute long spin class, but it does tend to gather in my annoying undereye creases (even when set with powder) but that's the only place on my face it does that.

3. Collection 2000 Illuminating Touch in 3 Glow

This is a YSL Touch Éclat-esque type of thing with the clicky brush and the brightening concealer. I don't find this product particularly revolutionary or life-changing, but it helps at concealing my endless eyebags and is a nice item to keep in my purse for when makeup slips off. 

4. Laura Mercier Invisible Loose Setting Powder in Universal

I've already raved about this powder here so I won't delve into too much detail. This powder has been a long-time favourite in my collection, I've been through about three of these pots now, I pretty much use it every day, so it won't be going away anytime soon.

5. Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Exposed

 I mentioned this lovely blush here when I was favouring it during spring weather, but in all honesty, I've been favouring this blush ever since I purchased it.  The Tarte blushes are known for their long-wearing quality, and safe to say, it meets its reputation. This shade in particular, is the perfect everyday shade to give your face that extra bit of colour without being overpowering, and matches perfectly with a dark night-out eye.

6. MAC Pro Longwear Bronzing Powder in Sun Dipped

Like the prior two listed, this bronzer was also spoken about briefly here. I find that this is probably my favourite bronzer for the winter months -- it's not too dark to make your face look like a separate entity from your body, and it's also got a hint of shimmer in it to give you that extra glow-y look during the paler months. Even better - the packaging is absolutely fantastic, but unfortunately it is limited edition.

current skincare routine: all the other stuff

La deuxième partie of what is currently going on my face: the moisturizers and all the other extra bits. I shall reiterate that I don't use these products all at once every single day since I do like to switch it up a bit depending on what my skin needs.

1. Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion
 I remember despising this lotion when I was younger (though I think I may have had the gel version) because it made my oily skin extra oily. Now that my skin seems to have dried up a tad, I find this to be the perfect daily moisturizer in the mornings and nights. Before this, I was using a Nivea face cream which was okay but it wasn't quite locking the moisture into my skin and I think it may have actually been causing breakouts but I'm still not 100% sure. Anyway, as soon as I started using this, I've found my face to be perfectly under control (for the most part).

2. Cetaphil Daily Facial Moisturizer SPF 15
 Previously seen and mentioned here, I've given this a whirl over the last few weeks and it seems adequate and Cetaphil being Cetaphil, it doesn't make my skin break out or anything. However, I do have to say that it seems to sting my eyes a little when it gets too close. There was one instance I had put this on, done undereye concealing and my eyeshadow base and it stung so much the whites of my eyes had turned completely red so I had to remove all my eye makeup, chill out, and start all over again. Since then I've become quite weary about getting this near my eyeballs but on the rest of my face it seems alright.

3. Caudalie Beauty Elixir
I mentioned this briefly here, and I had my stint where I was obsessively using this every day morning and night but I've toned it down a bit now. I give this a spritz over my face whenever I feel like I've done my makeup and need a bit of a dewy-moisturized kick or if I just feel like spritzing it because it smells and is so incredibly refreshing.

4. Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil
I got a free sample of this when I redeemed some Sephora VIB points. This mini sample is fairly generous as you only need a few drops because a little goes a long way, so I expect this to last me quite a while. It's a dry oil and though I have somewhat put this aside since returning to a humid and tropical environment, I'll occasionally add this into my routine to get more of a glowy look. Also, since this bottle is so delightfully dinky, it's become part of my airplane routine -- a few drops of this stops dehydrating cabin air from drying everything out.