February Faves!!

February faves time!

There hasn't really been any discoveries for me in the 'base' part of applying my make-up - I'm still reaching for either my Clinique Stay Matte foundation or MAC Studio Fix Fluid depending on my schedule - but I have been using Revlon's Photoready Skinlights face illuminator to brighten up my complexion a little bit more. It has definitely been doing wonders at making sure my face isn't dull looking, but at the same time not to sheeny shiny. I just apply it with my fingers and pat it on my cheekbones, forehead and tad bit on my nose after I put on my foundation, and voila. Done.

I've also really been loving the Cheeky Blush Trio from Make Up For Ever that came out as one of their limited edition sets for the 50 Shades of Gray franchise. The colours absolutely gorgeous and pigmented, and can double as eyeshadows! You can check out the rest of my thoughts about it here, as well as my review on the other sets part of the collection.

For my eye game, I've been reaching for my Anastasia Beverly Hills eyeliner in Lavish (a bronzy, metallic brown), Maybelline's new Lash Sensational mascara and the new Sephora XL eyelash curlers. These curlers are pretty awesome, and don't pinch my eyelids, so that's a plus! And of course, my Naked 3 palette has been my go to this month - what with my associating February with rose and pink toned everything. And I have fallen back in love with it! And as much as I do like the double ended eyeshadow brush it comes with, I've been using my Sephora crease brush (73) to apply and blend, and it is an absolute dream!

I particularly love Limit and Nooner from the Naked 3 palette together, and for a nice pop of colour, Buzz is amazing placed on the center of the lids!

Here's how they look applied on to the lids (and please don't mind the untamed, undone eyebrows!!!)

Limit all over the lid, Nooner in the crease/outer V, and a bit of Buzz in the center of the lids. 

For lips, I've seriously been on a pinky nude kick! Despite it being the season where almost every girl likes to rock a dark, vampy lip, I've been leaning towards the lighter scale with Make Up For Ever's Aqua Rouge waterproof liquid lip colour in the shade 3, MAC's Oxblood (from the Toledo collection), and BITE Beauty's matte cream lip crayon in Gavi. But you know, I can't resist a nice red as well, and I've been loving the NARS matte lip crayon in Cruella. Did I mention by the way that I'm loving matte finishes too? Hah!

Swatches (l-r): MUFE Aqua Rouge lip colour in 3, MAC Oxblood, BITE Beauty's Gavi and NARS Cruella.

Other beauty favourites have been my boscia Clear Complexion toner (which has really, changed my skin's life and I'm so glad to have it!), the L'Oreal Total Repair 5 hair oil to combat the dryness my hair's been facing with all this cold, and my Jo Malone Peony & Blush Suede perfume. For nails, I've been loving the Nails Inc polish in Alexa Cashmere (a textured, light pinky mauve) and my Deborah Lippman polish in Ya Got Trouble (a metallic duo chrome bronze).

For non-beauty related favourites, I've really been loving my blanket scarf from ALDO. With the crazy weather getting to me, this baby has been keeping me pretty warm while I'm out, and I love the fact that it's large enough to use as a poncho type scarf when it gets a bitty chilly during my classes. Speaking of keeping warm, I've been loving Davids Tea's Cold 911 tea - perfect for when you've got a sore throat and feel down in the dumps cause of the weather. For sweet pick-me-ups I've also been treating myself to Milk Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups from President's Choice (not that I don't like Reese's Pieces, but you know, this was on sale) and burning my Bath & Body Works Butterscotch toffee candle. I promise, these four things are absolute essentials for curling up in bed with a good book every night! 

My tune of the month would definitely have to be Neon Jungle's Louder. And my gosh, how have I never heard of them before? This music video came up on my recommendations playlist on YouTube, and my gosh, I'm in love. They're a British girl group that I believe started off on YouTube, and they are pretty kickass! Their single Louder is just amazing - the beat, the lyrics, the melody - just, everything about it I love!! Also go check out Braveheart, Sleepless in London and their cover of Lorde's Royals. Seriously, amazing.

And as a bonus, because let's face it, I can be quite indecisive, my other tune of the month would have to be Nick Jonas's Teacher. While the official lyric video does kind of make me cringe (it's quite sensual and creepy to a certain extent), I still love the beat! It's quite raunchy in its own way, but I can't help dancing to it the minute it comes up on my iPod. Love, love, love me some Nick Jonas. Haha!!!

So that's this month's round up! What have you been excited about this month?
Happy discovering!

January Faves!

Woo! First monthly faves post of 2015! Let's do this! Surprisingly enough, there weren't that many new discoveries this month and instead I've re-discovered some old loves. 

For my base, I've really been loving the Clinique stay-matte oil-free foundation and my oh my, why did it take me so long to discover this? It's super light weight but it's got great coverage! A little goes a long way with this baby, and it stays put all day. If like me you've got combination skin that's acne prone, try this one out!

To add a bit of colour to my cheeks, I've been reaching for the STILA custom colour blush in sheer coral. This blush actually works with your skin tone (something to do with the pH and all that) to "create the perfect colour" that matches you. I'd always been quite cautious of applying blush cause I'm terrified of putting on too much, but this one takes all the worry away. Just apply and blend a little, and let the magic of this blush do all the work.

For eyes, I've fallen back in love with the Naked palette (the first one) that's got all the warm neutral colours that works wonders for all skin tones I think. As a quick everyday look, I like to put the Naked eyeshadow all over the lid and Buck in the crease, using the eyeshadow brush from Flower and blending it out with the Sonia Kashuk blending brush. If I want to add more depth, I apply a tad bit of Darkhorse to the outer-v, and voila! Done. Easy peasy. Eyeliner wise, I've been using the Anastasia eyeliner in Gilded if I can't be bothered to do the whole fluidline and brush thing. It's super easy to apply, so it's great if I'm running late!

To complete the eye-look, you can't forget mascara, and I've really been liking the Covergirl Full Lash Bloom mascara. It definitely makes my eyelashes look extra wispy and lengthened, though not as volumized as I like. So for the times where I want the extra oomph (and I have the time), I've been using the Ardell fake lashes in 105. I'd never applied fake lashes before, but these are super easy to use! And plus, they look quite natural, so it's perfect for everyday. Not too over the top POW! but it definitely makes your eyes pop. 

For lips, I've been on a whole red/mauve kick, so this month's round-up includes the Revlon lip butter in Sugar Plum (a nude-type mauve), the NYX lipstick in Thalia (a dark nude), MAC's matte lipstick in Stunner (deep blue-red, from the Nasty Gal collection) and MAC lustre lipstick in 5-Alarm (a sheer pink-red, from the Red Red Red collection).

My other favourites include the Bvlagri Jasmin Noir perfume (I've finally brought my big bottle back from the Philippines, woop!), the boscia luminizing black mask (the mini I've got has run out, and boy, did I rush out to buy myself the full-size bottle), the boscia clear complexion willow bark spot treatment and The Body Shop Vitamin E moisture cream (if you remember, I wrote about this one in my long-haul travel kit and since then I've bought the full size tub) which, as it says on the label, is super moisturizing. A little goes a long way with this (the mini one lasted a little over a month!) so it's super worth every penny.

For nails, I loved the Sephora Formula X polish in Wunderkind, and the Deborah Lippman mini polishes in Luftballoons (the multi-colour glitters) and Ya Got Trouble (a copper-burgundy metallic blend).

As for my non-beauty faves...

I've been using the Forever 21 faux-crocodile skin purse so much, and I'm in love. It may look small but you can fit so much in there! Love love love it! I've also been loving this scarf that's got Filipino sentences written all over it (Filipino pride yo!), this Nescafe Cappuccino sachets I brought over from the Philippines, and this Hot Buttered Rum candle from Bath and Body Works. 

And oh, how could I forget this yogi berry tea from David's Tea? The minute I walked into the shop along Bank and Third, I smelt it and knew I needed it. It's super fruity, and tastes amazing either hot or iced. And with a little milk too. If you love fruity flavoured teas, do check this one out! 

As for my jam? Ed Sheeran's Thinking Out Loud. I know, I know, it's been out for a while now and yes, I listened to it then but I don't know - I wasn't crazy about it. Now I'm just really, really in love with it. Maybe it's cause I've had to listen to it on the radio so much and finally know what the lyrics are, who knows? And besides, the video is pretty kickass, so you know, if you haven't seen it yet, check it out (click the video above!) 

What have been your favourite discoveries (or re-discoveries) this first month of 2015?

Happy discovering!

December Faves!

Wahey! It's time for monthly favourites again! This one is going to be a bit over the place, mainly because I was in Canada for half the month, and in the Philippines for the other half. Man, you gotta love Christmas! Am I right?

I've been using my NARS Sheer Glow Foundation (in Stromboli) for half the month, and my NARS Tinted Moisturizer (in St. Moritz) for the other. Pretty standard stuff. I've been applying them with the Sephora perfect sponge and I quite like it! If you don't know if sponge applicators are the right tool for you (or you don't want to shell out the money for the beautyblender), I think this is a nice alternative - though, yes, I have been eyeing that beautyblender for quite some time now. Mhmm... To add a little more colour to my cheeks, I've been loving the NARS blush in Almeria (part of their holiday collection) and it is gorgeous! It's a plummy pink that gives a nice flush on my skin and urgh, it's beautiful. 

For eyes, I've been using the Maybelline Colour Tattoos in Pomegranate Punk and Chocolate Suede. These two colours just really compliment each other, with that nice deep purple pink all over the lid and dark brown in the crease. I blend them out with the Urban Decay eyeshadow in Buck (I've got it as part of the Naked palette). This combo is so quick to do (you can apply the colour tattoos with just your finger) so if you're ever in a rush, swish these colours on and you're good to go!

Special mention too to the Rimmel Scandalous Eyes Eyeshadow stick in Blackmail (008). For a bolder, smoky look, I've been loving putting Pomegranate Punk all over the lid, and applying Blackmail on top and just blending the two out. It's so pretty! Try it out if you can!

For lips, I've been loving quite the bold colours, with the occassional nude for lazy days. In this round-up I've been reaching for NARS Short Circuit (LE, from the Guy Bourdin Holiday collection last year), L'Oreal Color Riche Collection Exclusive lipsticks in Blake's Pure Red and Laetitia's Pure Red (I swear, they are different!). My nude? MAC's Oh, Oh, Oh from the Archie collection last year. As scary as it looks in the tube, it's absolutely gorgeous on the lips!

Swatches of my fave lippies (L-R): Short Circuit, Oh,Oh,Oh, Blake's Red and Laetitia's Red. How beautiful are they?

I've also been loving the Snow Kissed Berry hand cream from Bath & Body Works (which, oh my, is super moisturizing on my poor hands in this cold winter!), the Urban Decay de-slick make-up setting spray, my mini NEST rollerball in Midnight Fleur, Essie's Toggle to the Top lacquer (cause when else can you wear sparkly red polish?), and Revlon's Copper Penny and Iconic nail polishes - the two polishes combined (you know, nail accents here and there) just look beautiful together! Try it out if you haven't!

And like always, here are my non-beauty faves!

 I have got such a sweet tooth that when I found these Chewy Chips Ahoy Ice Cream Creation a.k.a. bit-sized pieces of heaven, my mind exploded with sweetness and joy. It is a struggle to not grab another box anytime I walk into a Walmart or Loblaw's! And my god, the size of them just makes it so easy to gobble them up - so approach these with caution if you spot them. I swear, I need to stay away from these if I intend on sticking to my diet next year...

 My absolute favourite discovery this month - Ipuddo Philippines, a ramen place founded in 1985 in Hakata, Japan (you can read my post about it here). The shiromaru motoaji is absolute heaven - the soup, the meat... urgh... *drool* I'm addicted, and Ipuddo has ruined all other ramen places for me. That is how amazing it is. I believe the first international branch opened in New York in 2008, and now they've expanded, with over 70 branches all over the world. And I'm absolutely thrilled my parents took me to the branch over at SM Megamall. If you see a branch anywhere near you, go in, have some ramen and swoon over its amazingness. Damn... I could use some of it right now

And my jam this month? Hands down Text Me Merry Christmas by Straight No Chaser ft. Kristen Bell. Granted, the song came out mid-Novemeber but I've been listening to this non-stop! I absolutely find it hilarious and sweet, and it's such a great *ahem* modern way to get into the holiday mood. If you haven't heard if yet - which I highly doubt - have a good listen to it!!! No kidding, this song has been on repeat on my iPod, in the car, on iTunes... Text me Merry Christmas, send a selfie too...

Have you made any good discoveries this month? Any suggestions?

Happy discovering!