Monthly Favorites: September 2016

Hi everyone!

EDIT: I just realized my blog turns a year old today! I posted my first makeup review on this very day in 2015, and it's been an amazing adventure. To my blog, happy first birthday! You are a constant source of creativity and inspiration for me, and I'm so glad Arlan and I started you together. Despite my busy schedule, I hope you know I love you and I will always try to make time to post on you. :) And to all my readers - thank you so much for going through my beauty journey with me. I appreciate your time and kind words so much. THANK YOU, and I hope you stay as I continue to develop and expand my blog. Here's to more years of beauty blogging! ♥

It's been a while since I did a monthly favorites post because (A) I've been super busy with work; and (B) I didn't really have any new favorites. I didn't want to repeat myself from the previous month or force myself to find other products I only sort of liked, so I decided to skip a month altogether. However, I have been stress-shopping and hoarding a bunch of stuff in the past month, and several acquisitions have made their way into my daily / weekly routine. And I decided to do something new with this post: I'll link photos from my IG where I'm using a specific product onto the product name so you guys can see them in action. With that said, let's have a look at my September favorites!

TOOLS

Philips Sonicare 2 Series: This is more of a hygiene tool, but I had to include it in this month's faves because I've just been loving this electric toothbrush so much! It makes my entire mouth feel absolutely clean, and it's just so easy to use. This was a gift from my dad last Christmas, but it's only recently that I used it and discovered how awesome this tool is. Thanks dad! :)

Watsons Eyebrow Razor: There's always something off whenever I get my eyebrows professionally done, so I've learned to groom my own brows and be in control about how they look. This eyebrow razor from Watsons has been helpful for grooming the hair on above and between my brows. I find it to be sharp enough that I can get a nice clean shave without being afraid of cutting myself. Plus they're cheap and come in a pack of three - sulit!

Generic Mini Brush Set: I've recently gotten interested in contouring my nose because it looks really nice in photos, but the common methods taught in YouTube tutorials look hilariously fake on myself. So to get natural-looking definition for my nose, I've been relying on these four brushes - two for application and two for blending. These came from a mini brush set I never really paid any attention to, and I'm glad they've found a place in my makeup routine.

SKINCARE

St. Ives Fresh Skin Apricot Scrub: Although I swear by the gentle power of gel-type exfoliators, I decided to give this facial scrub a try and I've been liking it so far! The beads are small, fine, and not too packed together so they don't feel too abrasive against my skin, but I always make sure to use just a pea-sized about and apply with very light pressure, just enough to buff the surface of my skin. I use this and a gel-type exfoliator once to twice a week, and I like how it makes my skin feel very soft and supple after every use.

Celeteque Dermoscience Hydration Facial Moisturizer: This was the first ever moisturizer I used in college, and it's still one of the best ones I've tried until this day. I often refer to this as "concentrated water" because it's very lightweight and skin-friendly just like water, and it absorbs and moisturizes my skin in only a few minutes. Plus it's highly affordable and easy to find in local department stores. Great stuff!

Sudocrem Antiseptic Healing Cream: I learned about this from @toniiisia who said this helped improve her skin woes, and oh my gosh, this stuff is amazing! I've only been using this for a few days, but this miracle has done amazing things for my skin: it dried and healed a stubborn zit that's been on my forehead for weeks, and it smoothed out the problematic, comedone-filled skin on my nose. I still have to test it further, but I am simply LOVING it so far.

FACE

Maybelline Superstay Better Skin Foundation in Ivory: In my most recent review, I gushed about the Maybelline Dream Velvet Foundation, but I may like this one ever more! I plan to do a full review on it, but to give you a little teaser: this medium coverage foundation wears naturally and beautifully on my oily skin, and I love it. If you want to find out more, you need to wait for the review. ;)

Maybelline Dream Satin Skin Two Way Cake in B1: Recommendations are one of the best ways to discover new products. One of my high school classmates told me she loved this powder, so I decided to try it out. As a setting powder, this does very little to control any oil and shine. However, I love using this as a finishing powder over my setting powder to give it a smooth, silky, and naturally-airbrushed finish. This also works nicely as a touch-up powder by the end of the day because it adheres very well to after-blotted skin and wears great even through sweat.

e.l.f. Beautifully Bare Finishing Powder in Light/Fair: I use this powder to highlight my nose and under eyes, as well as to blend out my setting powder. I enjoy pairing this with the Maybelline Dream Satin Two Way Cake because they both have a soft and finely-milled texture that work well together to make my skin look so smooth. Some might think two powders are too much, but I beg to differ.

EYEBROWS

Eyeko Tinted Brow Gel: This universal-colored tinted brow gel has decent hold that keep my brows in place for most of the day. I enjoy how small the brush is too, as it gives me more control when combed through my long brow hairs. And the universally-flattering tint is a neutral brown that is neither too warm or too ashy to match my dark hair. This is pretty much my ideal brow gel, but the one downside? This retails for $25 - quite pricey for a brow product, but I received this as a gift from my sister so I'm glad I got to try it out for free. Don't think I'll be repurchasing, though.

Bench Paint Box Brow Lasting Eyebrow Mascara in Gray: On the other hand of the price scale, this little guy costs less than PHP 200 but boasts even better hold and pigmentation. I love this shade because it's uncommon for eyebrow gels or mascaras to lean on the neutral/cool side of brown. What I enjoy most is that it even has tiny little fibers that help add volume and fill in the gaps I have in my brows. It can get a little messy because the brush isn't as nicely shaped and sized, so I recommend taking your time whenever using it and having a clean spoolie nearby.

EYES

Morphe 35O Natural Glow Palette: I know I gave this palette a lot of criticism when I first reviewed it, but I have been using it non-stop since then that I've kinda reconsidered my feelings. I find every color in here to be right up my alley, and most of these shadows have decent pigmentation and blendability. I stand by my opinion that the darker shades fade easily and a lot of the colors are repetitive, but I still use quite a lot of them, and have learned to overlook these little shortcomings. And while I still feel this palette has been over-hyped and locally overpriced, I'm willing to let bygones be bygones and admit that I absolutely love it. And if you're interested in getting your own, I highly recommend doing some research to find the most reasonable deal out there.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette: After realizing I could fathom spending a crap ton of money on the Morphe 35O, I decided to splurge on my first high-end palette by getting the Modern Renaissance Palette, and I am completely in love with it. The quality of these shadows are unlike anything I've ever tried and the colors are ABSOLUTELY STUNNING. I wish there was a metallic cranberry somewhere in there, but besides that it's so freaking perfect. I am definitely looking forward to purchasing more palettes from ABH.

LIPS

Jordana Twist and Shine Balm Stain in Terra Crave: The Revlon Kissable Balm Stain in Honey is my OG balm stain and I still love it to this day, but I always wanted something less mauve and more natural-looking. This is where Terra Crave comes in - a warm terracotta with a pink undertone and stain. Like most balm stains, this applies sheer with a punch of pigment and a long-wearing stain. It feels very nourishing on the lips and smells like fruity candy which I just enjoy so much.

Sparkle Cosmetiks Matte Lipstick in 09: I tried this lipstick out of curiosity when the IG brand Sparkle Cosmetiks established a booth in a nearby mall. This is a pretty mauve-pink shade that looks and feels matte when worn. It lasts a decent amount of time, doesn't smell like anything, and stays relatively comfortable on the lips throughout the day. It does wear off and transfer when I eat or drink, but I still like it.

Jazzy France Lustrous Lip Gloss in Perfect: This gorgeous burnt orange liquid lipstick applies smoothly and dries down to a flat matte finish. This lasts pretty well through a few drinks of water and maybe a meal, but any bit of oil will break this down completely. I would have given it additional points for coming from an affordable local brand, but Jazzy France recently did a price hike because this product was doing well in the market, which they previously did when their sister brand's Pinkies Collections Matte Lipsticks started getting popular. I hate it when brands become greedy and opportunistic, so I definitely won't be purchasing any other products from them for a while.

Color Kill Mega Matte Liquid Lipstick in Lotus Petal: Online swatches left me expecting to receive a terracotta nude, but it's actually a vibrant warm coral pink that surprisingly looks flattering on me, despite my shying away from bright lip colors. This formula applies like a creamy liquid, dries considerably quickly and wears very comfortably throughout the day. However, I find the applicator to be rather large and not as precise as I'd like it to be, especially for my smaller lips. There's also the issue that this has a tendency to smudge if my lips touch something else, but I overlook it because the color's really pretty.

Gerard Cosmetics Hydra Matte Liquid Lipstick in Everything Nice: I've always been curious about this brand, so when I saw a shop offering this particular product at a sale price, I immediately grabbed the opportunity and bought it. No regrets here because I freaking love it! The color is the perfect everyday shade and is said to be a dupe for the Kylie Lip Kit in Ginger, but not that it really matters. The formula goes on thin on the lips and stays super comfortable that I experienced no drying at all. Its most surprising quality is the lasting power, as this soldiered though eating Mang Inasal chicken and drinking soda directly from the glass, with only minor fading in the inner center of my lips. Freaking amazing!

OFRA Cosmetics Long Lasting Liquid Lipstick in Charmed: KathleenLights said she loved this formula and I can see why. This applies like a mousse and eventually sets to a comfortable matte finish that does not dry out my lips. This too wears incredibly well as it survived a large bowl of instant cup noodles, which is both oily and wet, and emerged looking perfectly untouched. You get a whopping 6 grams of product in one tube, and the warm medium pink color is also really, really pretty. I'm eyeing Pasadena and Mocha next. ;)

Give Me Glow Liquid Lipstick in Berry Smoothie: Last minute entry right here! I've only had this for a few days, but let me tell you this is STUNNING. First of all, the color is a gorgeous dusty rosy berry that applies a liquid and dries down matte quite instantly. It's neither drying nor hydrating, and it also powered through a meal of pork steak and rice with very minimal wear. PORK STEAK! One of my favorite oily Pinoy dishes ever! So incredibly impressed. I got mine from @toniiisia as well, and I am definitely planning on getting more soon.

Whew, that was a loooooong one! Thank you for going through my September favorites with me! I hope you all enjoyed reading this post and learning about the things I discovered and have been loving the past month. Have you tried any of these products, or did anything pique your interests? What are your current favorites? Let me know in the comments below because I just love hearing back from my readers. Thank you again for visiting my blog, and I hope to talk to you all again very soon. Take care and till next time! :)

♥♥♥

All opinions and photos on this blog are my own, and all products reviewed have been purchased with my own personal funds, unless stated otherwise.

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