Products I've Been Using on a Daily Basis: NARS, Benefit, Anastasia, Clio, Aritaum

Hi Everyone :) I'm back with a new blog post! I wanted to share some products that I've been using on a daily basis. I really hope you guys enjoy my reviews on them! <3 

1. NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer (my shade: Alaska- light with a neutral balance of pink and yellow undertones)

I bought this product probably around the winter time when I visited Korea last year and have been using it ever since. At first, I was a bit skeptical to buy this product because $43 was a lot for a tinted moisturizer... not even a BB cream. However, I tried a sample of it and bought it the following day. I first came across this product because I heard it does a really good job of hiding dry patches--something I struggle with a lot and it really does its job. Because I have dry skin, I still apply a moisturizer before this product and use it as a light BB cream/ sunscreen. It does a very good job of evening out skin tones. It doesn't conceal scars but does cover redness very well. It has SPF 30 so I don't use a sunscreen but instead apply two thin layers. This moisturizer comes in a pretty broad range of shades--one shade comes in two different tones (pink and yellow). As a sample, I tried Finland, which is the lightest shade that has more of a pink undertone but settled on Alaska, which is also the lightest shade but has more of a yellow tone. I would definitely purchase this product again without any hesitation. 

2. NARS Light Reflecting Pressed Setting Powder &

I've been using the Pressed Powder for sometime now and I don't hate it or love it. It does a good job of holding in the oil but there isn't anything special about it. It does make your face makeup look less cakey because the powder is translucent but I feel there are cheaper products in the market that will do the same or even better. My mom received this as a gift and gave it to me because she likes powders with coverage. I would not purchase this product because I've used powders that have worked better than this one. For anyone looking for a good setting powder, I highly recommend the Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition Loose Finishing Powder. This powder comes in a couple of shades, so it provides a little more coverage and it makes your face look flawless and feel like silk. I'm using the NARS Pressed Powder because my UD Powder expired :/. 

3. NARS Blush (Orgasm)

Left: NARS Translucent Setting Powder; Right: NARS Orgasm

I don't think I have much to explain about this blush because it's already so popular. I hopped on the bandwagon and bought this product. I've been using it almost every since the day I bought it and absolutely love it. My take on the color is a light coral/ pink shade with gold shimmers. I feel that this shade would look really good on several skin tones and the staying power of this blush is amazing as well. It lasts a full day without fading. 

4. Benefit Fake Up Concealer (my shade: light)

I always passed by this product at the mall and finally got my hands on it. I was looking for an under-eye concealer because although I still love my Bobbi Brown Creamy Concealer for my under-eye, I noticed that it always seeped into my creases throughout the day even after putting on eye cream. I felt this product would work well because the outer layer consists of a moisturizing balm with the concealer in the center. I didn't expect much from this product, but I really like it-- though I don't quite love it. Because of the moisturizing balm, it doesn't give the best coverage to the under-eye. This may sound a big confusing... I like the product but it doesn't provide the best coverage? So what I do is use my Maybelline Fit Me Concealer as a base for concealing my under-eye and apply this product after. It keeps my under-eyes very moisturized throughout the day and keeps the creases away for a longer period of time. I recommend this product to people who are looking for an under-eye concealer and do not have crazy dark circles. In my opinion, it doesn't work too well in concealing other parts of the face either--at least not alone. 

5. Benefit Sugarlicious Blush 

                                            

I got this Benefit Sugarlicious Beauty Kit for a birthday gift from a friend (thanks Janice Ha <3) and I really recommend the Sugarbomb Blush. I really love Benefit blushes because it has awesome staying power and it smells SOOOOO good. At first, I thought this color wouldn't look good on my pale skin, but I fell in love with the color as soon as I tried it. With a strong orange tone, I feel it's perfect for the spring and summer time. I tried this on my twin sister, who is darker than me, and it had a slight bronzer effect for her. I will definitely be buying the full size once I finish this one! 

6. MEMEBOX Soothing Sista Eye Shadow Palette 

I was in a search for a new eye shadow palette after realizing that my NAKED palette expired far too long ago. I didn't want to buy another NAKED palette because I literally used like 3-4 colors and I had particular shades that I wanted-- pink/rosy/ brown/ shimmery tones. Although they may not seem quite particular, I had specific shades in mind but couldn't find a palette that had all of them. I wasn't willing to buy these colors separately because it would have been too expensive. I follow "Soothing Sista" on Youtube and saw that she created a eyeshadow with Memebox and fell in love with the colors. They were exactly what I wanted--the shades look good just by themselves and work really well together. With shipping, the product was around $18-19, which is very well-priced for 4 eyeshadows. The eyeshadows are very pigmented and are buttery, so the color goes on super smoothly. The only eyeshadow that I'm a bit disappointed in is 'Bae Area' because the shimmers kind of clump together (more so because that was my favorite color in the picture, prior to buying the palette). Other than that, I'm super happy with my purchase! 

7. Aritaum Mono Eyes Eyeshadow (shade: No. 93 Social Light- 소셜라이트) 

Pinks and oranges shimmers are my favorite eyeshadow shades because I feel it complements pale skin very well. It also looks super pretty when you put it below your bottom lash line. When I was in Korea last winter, I went to 3-4 Aritaum's to buy this particular shade because it was sold out everywhere. This eyeshadow is a coral/ orange shade and has a generous amount of gold shimmer. The color is very build-able and is very pigmented. It was about 5,000 or 6,000 WON in Korea so about $5 when converted to US dollars. The only downfall is that the packaging breaks apart so easily so the side of the black plastic cracked. I handle it with care every time I use it because the color is so pretty. Because I don't know how to work well with matte colors and because I feel shimmery colors look better on pale skin, I always tend to be attracted to eyeshadows with a lot of shimmer. I feel that a lot of road shop cosmetic stores in Korea (i.e., Etude House, Aritaum, Innisfree) come out with a lot more obvious shimmer shades rather than matte. So, if you're ever in Korea and you like shimmer, I highly recommend that you visit the road shops. 

8. Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara

Before buying this product, I bought the new Benefit Rollerlash Mascara that doesn't require you to curl your lashes prior to applying mascara. It definitely work -- you don't need a eyelash curler. However, because it wasn't a waterproof formula, it smudged on my under eye within a few hours after application. Unfortunately, it wasn't working for me so I returned it and decided to try a drugstore mascara. One product I don't like to spend money on is mascara because it hardens up quickly and I feel that drugstore ones work as well as the expensive ones. It was hard choosing one mascara among the crazy number of mascaras at Target but I was recommended this product by a Target employee who worked at the cosmetic area. She said this mascara gives very good volume without clumping the lashes together and it really does! I'm super satisfied with this mascara and recommend the waterproof formula. 

9. Anastasia Perfect Brow Pencil (shade: Caramel) 

This brow pencil is already so popular so I will review it very briefly. It applies super naturally and the pencil is thin enough for you to draw single eyebrow hairs on areas that are sparse. There is a very good color selection. I've used the eyebrow powder version prior to this pencil and it works just as well. I also have the brow gel in Caramel but I don't recommend it because it has slight shimmers in the formula that doesn't make the brows look too natural. 

10. Clio Gelpresso Waterproof Pencil Gel Eyeliner (Shade: No. 4 Dark Choco)

My last product! So I bought Clio Eyeliner at Olive &Young in Korea because a sales lady said it worked super well. It seemed quite so because there were only a few left. I've always used gel eyeliner but wanted a pencil version of an eyeliner because it was annoying always needing a brush. This product was the perfect solution. It's a dark brown liner with shimmer. I never believe it when a pencil liner says it is waterproof because all of them smudges. This eyeliner does smudge but a lot less than other pencil liners I've tried. As I set my face makeup with a setting powder, I set the liner with a dark brown eyeshadow and I feel it really does a good job of keeping the liner from smudging. I really recommend this to people looking for an eyeliner to tight line or one that gives a someone natural look. 

Thanks so much for the read! Hope my reviews were interesting and helpful! <3 

                                               

 

  

PRODUCT REVIEW: BOBBI BROWN, MARIO BADESCU, NARS

Bobbi Brown Extra Face Oil

This is literally MY HOLY GRAIL PRODUCT. I never understood people when they called a product their "holy grail" until I bought the Bobbi Brown Extra Face Oil. After using the First Aid Beauty Ultra Face Cream and realizing that it wasn't working for my skin, I bought the well-known Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream. I thought I was going to LOVE it at first because I heard so many good things about it, but my face started stinging/burning every time I used it. I let the stinging/burning sensation pass the first few days because I thought I had gotten sunburned. This tingly/stinging sensation occurred even when using the First Aid Beauty Face Cream. As stupid as I may sound, I didn't realize that I was allergic to both the moisturizers for months until recently. After realizing that I was allergic to something in the moisturizers, my skin problems (random pimples, red bumps, uneven skin tone) made complete sense. I was very shocked that I was allergic to the Kiehl's moisturizer... After doing research, I came upon this oil. I remembered seeing a couple of Korean celebrities using this oil on television in their skin care routine, which was another reason why I wanted to try it out. I was obviously allergic to something in cream moisturizers so this face oil sounded a lot more appealing. The product description on Sephora states that its a "blend of oils, including sesame, sweet almond, olive, and jojoba" -- basically a bunch of natural oils with vitamin and such.

Okay, now I will discuss my personal review on this product. The first night I applied this oil I loved everything about it--the smell, the light texture, and the quick absorption. The Bobbi Brown makeup artist and many reviews stated that a small amount goes a long way for this product. Therefore, I did not want to apply a heavy amount, especially because it was an oil formula. At first, I was a bit iffy applying such a small amount because I felt it wouldn't be enough to moisturize my face but I didn't apply more because I wanted to see if a small amount was enough as the reviews stated. Before applying this oil, I only applied the Clinique 'Dramatically Different' Moisturizing Lotion.

Morning came around and I really noticed a difference in my skin. My skin tone looked a lot more even and it looked super hydrated. It made my skin look so flawless that I didn't want to wash my face in the morning... The makeup artist said that this product can also be used as a day moisturizer, so before putting on my makeup I applied a small amount and really massaged it into my face. AH! My skin felt and looked SUPER moisturized -- it gave me a dewy finish. I LOVED IT. My face makeup always looked good the moment I applied it, but after thirty minutes, it turned super cakey because my skin always lacked moisture. I finally found my SOLUTION. Also, because the oil worked to even out my skin tone, I found myself using way fewer products on my face because I didn't need to conceal the discoloration as much.

I know there are a lot of people who may be a bit hesitant to apply oil on the face because it can clog pores and bring out the nasty blackheads/ whiteheads. I was a bit worried at first too, but after using the oil I noticed that my whiteheads shrunk a lot.

One con about this product is that the packaging. It comes in a glass jar with a small hole on top, which is a bit inconvenient to use. It does not even come with a dropper. The way I get "a small amount" is by placing the palm of my hands over the hole and quickly flipping the jar upside down. I find the oil left on my palms to be enough. This was the method I saw Korean celebrity Park Soo-Jin use with this product. I then rub the oil to make it warm before massaging it onto my face.

Other than that, it works wonders.  It will definitely be something I will be repurchasing. For 1 oz, it costs me $63 (~68 w/ tax :/). It is a bit pricey, but I think it is really worth it.

**I apologize for this LONG "review." I wanted to share my whole experience with this product. I was SUPER excited to share it! :)

Mario Badescu Hyaluronic Eye Cream 

After running low my Kiehl's Powerful Wrinkle Reducing Eye Cream, I began to look for a cheaper option. I heard that you don't really need to invest in an eye cream, especially people in their early 20s. I wanted to look for a mid-range, hydrating eye cream because the Kiehl's eye cream, which was ~$45, did absolutely nothing for me. While researching, I came across this eye cream, and it sounded perfect for me. I was excited to try another Mario Badescu product aside from their amazing drying lotion.

Let me first start off my saying that it is SUPER hydrating. I noticed a BIG difference the morning after applying it. My under eyes always looked cakey after applying concealer because it was so dry, but I don't have to worry about it anymore. It works really well for day and night. Remember dryness around the eyes is what causes wrinkles! I will definitely be repurchasing this. The price for this eye cream is $18.

NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils in Dragon Girl

I'm starting to really get into lipsticks. I still have a fear for them, but I'm slowly finding a solution. I got this particular color because I saw several Korean celebrities using it --Nana& Lee Sora on Roommate; Gong Hyo Jin; Taeyeon from Girl's Generation (i dont always buy things they use but this color red/pink really stood out). It was also recommended on Korean blogs. I don't have the courage to apply this full out on my lips, but I use it to make a gradient effect. Because it is matte, I always exfoliate and moisturize before applying it. It has a staining effect because it is matte so you don't have to reapply as often. The price is $25.

I hope you guys enjoyed my reviews. If you have any further questions, feel free to ask!

With love,

Ahra <3