2016 Beauty Favourites | Part 1: Make-Up

Hey everyone! Super sorry (again) for the MIA. I've been travelling a lot, had a lot of errands to run for over a week and Chinese New Year just came by, and oh, Happy Chinese New Year/Lunar New Year to all my Chinese readers!

Anyway, I've finally squeezed in some time to blog about my 2016 Beauty Favourites. Let's start with makeup.

Makeup

1. Etude House Face Blur SPF 33PA++ // Primer

This is a really top-notch primer that smoothens the skin, moisturises the skin, gives a smooth application for makeup, gives a bit of a sheen and glow to the skin and also, make the makeup lasts a long time for at least 10 hours. It comes with a pump which is a plus, and also is affordable and has an added SPF to protect the skin from the sun.

2. Too Faced Born This Way Foundation // Foundation

This foundation is one of the most popular high-end foundations on 2015 and it is raved by many beauty gurus. It has high and amazing coverage, very easy to blend and has a natural finish. It's also very long-lasting. It comes with a pump, which is another plus. It's not very drying but it does move around a little.

3. L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte 24HR Foundation // Foundation

This foundation is really out of this world, for me. I actually like this better than the Too Faced Born This Way Foundation (but I still love it nonetheless). It has high and amazing coverage, very easy to blend and spread around the face, very creamy and has a natural finish. It definitely lasts much longer than the Too Faced Foundation and the best part is, it doesn't crease as much and doesn't move around the face. It's not too drying or blotchy.

4. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles Treatment Concealer // Concealer

One of the best concealers I've ever used. It's really creamy so it's moisturising for the under-eyes, it covers the dark circles very well (because this concealer in shade Fair has a peach to salmon undertone), it blends like heaven and lasts a really good amount of time, which is impressive considering that this is very affordable.

5. The Face Shop Liquid Veil Concealer // Concealer

This concealer is excellent. It's super creamy and so easy to blend. It also comes with a doe-foot applicator, which is my favourite type of concealer. It has a good amount of coverage that covers pimples, blemishes, under-eyes and pimple scars quite well. It's also very affordable but unfortunately, it only comes in three shades.

6. Jeffree Star Skin Frost Highlighter in King Tut // Highlighter

Absolutely love this highlighter. It's such a beautiful gold highlighter that has amazing pigmentation, super easy to blend and it's huge. I personally thing I will never hit pan on this because it's almost as big as my face. This highlighter can literally blind anyone once they lay their eyes on you. It also lasts a really long time.

7. Too Faced Chocolate Bar Eyeshadow Collection // Eyeshadow Palette

One of my favourite eyeshadow palettes of all time. I've never seen a YouTuber hate or disliked this product, because it's just that good. The colours are so gorgeous and pigmented, so easy to blend, has a variety of beautiful colours that can go from neutral to bright to night-out looks. The best part is, it is made from 100% cocoa powder and smells like chocolate.

8. BH Cosmetics Shaaanxo 18 Eyeshadow + Lipstick Palette // Eyeshadow and Lipstick Palette

I personally love the eyeshadows more than the lipsticks. I'm sure you all would probably know (or not) that I love me some liquid lipsticks and not so much on the creamier lipsticks. The eyeshadows are so excellent. They are so creamy, smooth, pigmented and absolutely stunning, it's crazy how I bought this palette for only $15 ($10USD). The pans are really big compared to many other eyeshadows in palettes, they're just so easy to blend and long-lasting. The lipsticks however were not as great as the eyeshadows, but it works well too. It's quite pigmented, creamy, moisturising, but you'll need a lip brush to apply the lipsticks.

9. Holika Holika Jewel Light Waterproof Pencil Liner in #16 Black Plum // Eyeliner

I absolutely love the colour of this pencil liner. It's a matte purple plum shade which is so gorgeous and stunning on the waterline or the eyelid. It glides on smoothly, super pigmented, very affordable and very waterproof. I've done a waterproof on these baby and it's very waterproof, it really doesn't smudge off that easily. 

10. Etude House Play 101 Pencil in #38 // Eyeliner

This is also a really excellent eyeliner pencil. It's way more smoother compared to the Holika Holika Jewel-Light Waterproof Pencil Liner and glides on easily. It is also a retractable pencil so you don't really have to sharpen the edges or the tip of the eyeliner (it also comes with a mini and portable sharpener which is located at the back of the pencil). It's also a very pretty colour and comes with so many different shades you can never imagine (okay, maybe you can but... you know what I mean :D).

11. L'Oreal Waterproof Voluminous Carbon Black Mascara // Mascara

Amazing. It's one of the best mascaras I've ever tried in my life. It lengthens, curls and volumises (but it's also natural-looking). Not only that, it doesn't smudge, or clump and the best part of it, it's waterproof. Unfortunately, despite it's crazy amount of pros, it's pretty difficult to remove the mascara as it's super waterproof.

12. Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick in Celebrity Skin // Liquid Lipstick

Be prepared for many lipsticks being featured in this blogpost because... well, I bought over 10 lipsticks and been gifted about 5. Anyway, this lipstick is amazing. So amazing. The colour is a very pretty dark nude to brown shade. It doesn't have a yellow or pink undertone or anything, which I like. I just love a dark nude. Formula-wise, very impressed. It's very consistent, creamy, not drying or flaky and doesn't suck the life out of my lips. It's velvet-y and soft. The shape of the doe-foot applicator makes it easier to apply and fills in quickly because the doe-foot applicator is bigger than other doe-foot applicators from other liquid lipsticks from other brands. Best part about this is that even if you eat oily and greasy foods, the lipstick still stays on.

13. Kylie Cosmetics Lip Kit in Candy K and Exposed

2016 was the year for Kylie Jenner as some lip kits were sold out every few minutes once they were released on the website. I have to be honest, this lip liner and liquid lipstick were really good. Candy K is a really pretty dusty mauve-y neutral pink while Exposed is a nude-orange, perfect for everyday-wear. The formula isn't the best, but they're decent. Smooth, creamy, pigmented and not too drying. I like the lip liner more than the liquid lipstick because it's not as drying. They're also very long-lasting and don't transfer. The lip liner is super pigmented and smooth and it glides on so nicely around the lips. The liquid lipstick is alright, but a little bit drying and might turn cracky, but it's not too bad. The colours are really pretty and gorgeous, and that's why I love this lipstick.

14. ColourPop Ultra Satin Lips in Calypso, November and Screenshot

2016 was definitely the year for ColourPop as well and their ultra satins are bomb. They're so pigmented, creamy, smooth and easy to apply. They were not matte, but they dry a little bit of a matte, but they still have that little sheen on the lips. They're not drying at all (unlike their ultra mattes). Calypso is a beautiful mid-tone terracotta pink. November is a gorgeous warm peachy coral pink. Screenshot is a stunning deepened peach. The colours are extremely gorgeous and ColourPop has a wide range of different colours with different tones in many different finishes like mattes, satins, metallics and glosses.

15. ColourPop Matte X Lippie in Cami and Chateau

The formula for the matte x lippies are absolutely amazing. They're smooth, soft, pigmented, glides on easily and definitely not drying at all. I know I describe all my lipsticks like that, but trust me when I say this, they're so hard not to pass. They're lightweight, doesn't transfer, easily removed by makeup removers and lasts for quite a while. It does fade off if you eat oily and greasy foods. It's so affordable and it's in a crayon form. Cami is a mauve-y neutral pink while Chateau is a deep blackened red wine colour.

16. 3 Concept Eyes Dangerous Matte Lip Color in #808 Spotted

I never realised how amazing this formula is. It's creamy, velvety, smooth and pigmented. It really stays on for the whole day and doesn't transfer at all. It's in this gorgeous blue-toned red which really makes my teeth look whiter and brighter instantly whenever I flash a smile.

17. 13rushes Flat Top Foundation Brush, Jumbo Shader Brush, Tapered Concealer Brush and Oval Brush

13rushes is a Singaporean brand that provides high quality brushes. Their bristles and hairs are so soft and smooth, it's really satisfying when you play around with it. They all dry really quickly. The flat top foundation brush is soft yet firm and blends so well. It doesn't leave streaky lines and has a beautiful and natural finish. The jumbo shader brush is perfect for blending eyeshadows altogether and great for contouring the nose. It's soft and fluffy, but picks up product very well. The tapered concealer brush is perfect for blending concealer under the eyes and on pimple spots, scars, blemishes and marks. It's soft and firm, and blends beautifully, without leaving streaky lines. The tapered powder brush is mainly used as a highlighting brush, for me. It's soft and fluffy, and picks up products very well and blends beautifully.