Hello, everyone! What a break it has been. I am making a comeback, rejuvenated refreshed and ready to create content after becoming a licensed esthetician! It has been a long journey and an evolution, to be a bit dramatic, but I'm proud to have made it back here here. This post took me an entire week from start to finish as I'm rusty beyond belief.
It feels a bit unfamiliar since this is my first foray into blogging in over a year, and I'm learning everything all over again with a new camera among other aspects, so I decided to start with what is essentially a list of the products I've loved this year and am continuing to use into the Fall season.
Grab that cup of coffee or tea and let's get started!
I don't know about you, but summer can't come fast enough! I love seasonal transitions because that's just an excuse to try more makeup and revisit oldies but goodies that I don't wear all year round. Summer is probably my most drastically different makeup routine, though, because I pull out all the neutrals and long-wearing products since I get sweaty even if my skin is dry. Finally I can give the mattifying Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Foundation a fair trial in hot weather which has been often lately here in sunny SoCal! I, on the third attempt, found a darn near exact color match in 180 Warm last week. It is just a bit brighter than my forehead's natural tone when worn alone, but a quick dusting of bronzer fixes that! It's a very photogenic formula and it layers well, buildable to medium full coverage.
My boyfriend tagged along with me on this Sephora trip and he helped me shop for Sephora Collection #Lipstories Lipsticks since I had been seeing rave reviews on Instagram and wow, for $8 they're a steal. We think the packaging and theme for the collection is cute! The formula is phenomenal for the price, pigmented and not drying, lots of variety in finish and color range. I went in looking for the cream in Tan Lines but I walked out with and fell in love with the matte in Brunch Date which is a perfect nude against my medium kind-of tan complexion. It's not every day that I fall in love with an affordable new product especially because my lips are so finicky so I give both shades two thumbs up!
Now Kat Von D's Tattoo Liner is a cult classic that most of us have tried at one point or another, but I've started wearing it again recently because I like being able to get super close to the lash line. I don't wear such heavy liner looks any more, so I love that the razor thin pen keeps my lines straight. The formula doesn't bleed or transfer which is super important for my oily eyelids. Now it has taken me years to give this a try, but I just got around to testing the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara because I needed a standard non-waterproof formula to wear during the week, something easy to wash off without pulling out my eyelashes. This formula doesn't flake off and it surprisingly held my curl pretty well. I'd definitely buy it again.
sponsored by sephora
That rounds up my essentials for this summer, what are yours??
One of Sephora's most anticipated sales of the year is fast approaching so it is time to prep those carts! VIB Rouge level members will get first access on the 18th and VIB can start shopping on April 19th and BIs on the 20th. Everyone can shop until the 24th. VIB and VIB Rouge members will receive 15% off. The code required for the discount is ROUGESPRING.
Here are all my recommendations split into categories, but please take most advantage by focusing on Christian Louboutin, Tom Ford, Christophe Robin, Tatcha, Burberry, Hourglass, Chanel (fragrance only) and other brands that are almost never discounted.
SKINCARE + BODY
I go through skin care faster than most people, despite testing everything. Moroccanoil is known for their hair care but their body products are just divine! I dug the Souffle out of my storage recently and fell in love with this liquid gold so I'm ordering one in Rose. I am also loving the new packaging of Tatcha's Dewy Mist and moisturizers. Some of my current skin favorites are the Kate Somerville cleansers, SK-II brightening products, Caudalie's serums and Fresh masks. Do try First Aid Beauty and Ole Henriksen if you're looking for more affordable fare that actually works!
MAKEUP
My latest obsession is MUFE's new brow liner, which I will feature soon but the only makeup in my basket is the Louboutin Pencil Eyeliner! Let's round out my top five recommendations with the Louboutin Matte Lipsticks, Burberry Eyeshadows, Tom Ford Soleil cheek products (tutorial coming soon), and Louboutin Liquid Liner. If you need nail polish, I recommend Dior Gel and Louboutin The Nudes. Please scroll through the products below because these are truly my favorite makeup items, things you absolutely need to try.
HAIR + TOOLS
Nothing makes my hair look smell and feel quite as good as Christophe Robin's. I've dabbled with so many brands and as much as I love Oribe and Miriam Q (which I buy at SpaceNK), I always go back to CR. I cycle through his products based on what my scalp and locks need, but I suggest you try the Rose conditioner and Sea Salt scrub first! And yes, I still love my T3 blow dryers and curling irons, but the new Dyson and BioIonic tools for styling are pretty darn awesome.
FRAGRANCE
Best news of all though, Jo Malone is now available at Sephora! I absolutely adore the body cream as well as the cologne in Nectarine Blossom & Honey, English Pear & and Freesia, Blackberry & Bay. The candles are lovely but I burn through the candles too quickly, hence I would only recommend hers for decor purposes. My favorite fragrances are featured in the carousel but in case you want to know my favorite brands, check out Chanel, AERIN, Atelier Cologne, and Tom Ford. Right now I am wearing bright fresh scents due to all my working out.
NEW + POPULAR
I wanted to include this last category to feature some awesome freshly launched goodies like the DryBar and Hourglass and a few trendy products that I haven't personally tested yet such as the Milk highlighter. Many of the trendy picks are highly rated online, piqued my interest, and are well-loved by my blogger buddies too. I never write off brands or products because they don't fit my luxury beauty niche, but I simply don't have enough time to try and test everything that's trending. I at least stay up to date as much as I can and keep you in the loop!
February was probably one of the most nerve-racking, stressful months of my life! But I discovered some awesome beauty products and learned so many things about myself, interior design, and construction, which made it a wonderful Leap Year month after all! I finally starting moving into my apartment, and despite it being a slow and tedious process, I couldn't be happier. I'm still in awe and relief that most of the work is done. I hope each and every one of you has been well and are looking forward to an even more exciting March with me! xo
This video is dedicated to my must-have products from Sephora! I always look forward to de-stressing after a long day of overseeing construction and renovation with a fabulous beauty goodie these days, so I wanted to share what I have been loving most recently. I basically stick to the essentials since I'm always short on time. Sephora has been expanding and offering many more niche brands as well as exclusive products so here are the holy grail winners in my perspective!
The holidays are my favorite time of year to get dressed up, but it can be hard to find time or inspiration because there's always too much to do! I tried to show you a look that can be done quickly but still look amazing in pictures without looking too dramatic in real life. Although there are a lot of concealers and prep involved because of brightening up the complexion, I thought it was necessary to demonstrate all the steps because many of us are sick and/or sleep deprived right now!
On Eyes: Strange, Limit + Nooner, Blackheart, Dust and Factory
As stated in the introduction, I used several new products that I ordered from Sephora. It's always difficult to use products for the first time on camera, but the risk paid off this time because the Surratt products I chose this round are phenomenal. His lip products I've tried in the past were average at best (too drying), but the Surratt brow pencil and highlighter really surprised me! I've already ordered a few more in different colors to see how they perform, so keep an eye out for updates soon. I hope you find the video helpful and enjoy all the beauty chit chat! xo
Although I mostly shop online, I walked into Sephora last week to browse and do a little research. I was happy to see items from my wishlist that were out of stock on the website — like Sunday Riley's duo! There were so many incredible deals, I couldn't resist purchasing a few items for myself. I also bought several mini-sized and deluxe-sized holiday gift sets to split up into goodie bags and to use as stocking stuffers, so I wanted to share my ideas in hopes they may help you! I tried to pick as many affordable yet worthwhile products as possible xo
Sephora's most exciting sale is right around the corner! The VIB ROUGE Event starts on the 6th, but I've got my basket prepared already because I know exactly what I need. I've been head over heels for Guerlain lately so it's no surprise I've chosen a couple goodies to try. My obsession with those eye patches might seem over the top, but I'm indulging only because of the discount!
My current cart situation.. this may or may not change! ><
I love the Beautyblender sponges in the micro mini size to blend out concealer and apply Laura Mercier's Secret Brightening Powder to set the concealer. Hence I'll be stocking up on another set of the micro mini sponges. This is a new trick that I planned to reveal in my November Favorites video, but I will share it here on the blog first because of the sale!! I know the reviews aren't stellar, but these little sponges are very useful if you have smaller features or prefer precise blending, especially with products like cream contour or cream highlighter.
Let's shift to skin care since this is always a hot topic for me. I love the new Sephora exclusive Sunday Riley Good Genes + Luna Oil set because they're travel friendly but not sample sizes. They're two of my favorite products from her skin care lineup, expensive but worthwhile. TATCHA rarely goes on sale, so stock up on their amazing cleansing oil! If you're on a budget, I highly recommend First Aid Beauty. I use their Ultra Repair Lotion on my body and the Eye Duty Triple Remedy when I'm too lazy to apply eye cream and concealer separately. Other must-haves are my daily use sunscreen by Eve Lom and Laura Mercier's scrub which smells heavenly.
If you're interested in recently launched makeup, I highly recommend YSL's Touche Eclat Blur Primer and Burberry's Fresh Glow Powder Foundation or Nude Glow Pressed Powder. I've discussed both in my detailed HG Powders review here! I also recommend Burberry's wet/dry single eyeshadows and Makeup Forever's eyeshadows. Sephora offers a lot of color makeup, but I find that these two brands produce the smoothest, creamiest, and most pigmented eye colors. If you want lipsticks, look no further than Louboutin Silky Satin and YSL Rouge Pur Couture!
Foundations are always popular during sales because this is a tough makeup category since good base makeup can get expensive fast. Armani is now offered at Sephora, so I suggest trying Armani's famed Luminous Silk foundation if you have dry skin and Lasting Silk if you have normal to combination skin. Other base makeup that I like for Fall/Winter is YSL's Touche Eclat Foundation and Makeup Forever Ultra HD. If you prefer loose powder formulas, I love Smashbox Halo and Laura Mercier Mineral Powder. They are both capable of sheer to medium coverage, and the best part is that neither option will break the bank.
Now for fragrances! The two I wear most often are YSL's Black Opium (for evenings) and Burberry's My Burberry (for daytime), and I have reviewed all of them this year. The My Burberry Eau de Toilette is a little brighter, more youthful but as long lasting as the EDP on my skin, which is quite rare. I opt for the EDP when I have a meeting or when the weather is cooler. Since I wear Black Opium at night, I have a Black Opium 0.33oz travel size bottle in my cart because I want to keep it in my purse for emergency (re)application!
Of course we can't forget T3 Micro! I have converted all my friends, family, and even fellow YouTubers. It's not that hard to convince them because T3 Micro produces gorgeous, high quality, high performance tools. My favorites are the Bodywaver and new Twirl Convertible 1.25 inch. Their latest PROi is undeniably the best on the market because it is extremely quiet considering how powerful the motor is. I also recommend stocking up on cotton by Koh Gen Do whether you want them to apply toner or to use for DIY masks. I also like MUFE's synthetic brushes, Tweezerman classic slant tweezers, and hair brushes like the Tangleteezer because it can be used on wet hair.
