Sunday, February 7, 2010

My January Loves

Hello everyone!
Seems like January just flew by in a blur and it's already February! Over the last month, there were some products I found myself using over and over again so I thought I'd share with you my loves of the month. Better late than never right? ;) So here goes in no particular order...

1. Physicans Formula Talc-Free 
Mineral Wear Pressed Powder
This is a finely-milled pressed mineral powder comparable to MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural but with a slightly more matte finish. It's great at keeping my oily skin under control. No matter how much you apply on, it never looks cakey. I love this!

2. NYX Rouge Cream Blush 
in Glow

The NYX Cream Blushes are very pigmented and creamy so a little bit goes a long way. I use this alone to give my cheeks a soft glow from within or pair it with a powder on top and use it as a base Either way, this blush stays put all day even on my oily skin. For $6, I think the quality of it exceeds the price and it's comparable to more expensive ones, like the MAC Creme Blend Blushes.

3. ELF Shimmering Facial Whip 
in Lilac Petal

This is a highlighter that comes in a small squeeze tube. It's a great dupe for the Benefit High Beam. They are both pigmented, similar in texture and give off the same glow. I prefer the small packaging of the ELF Shimmering Facial Whip, however. It's easy to squeeze out the exact amount I need (which is not a lot at all!) and I can just throw it into my makeup bag. Best of all, it's only $1 off the eyeslipsface.com website. What a steal, no?? :) 

4. Vichy Dermablend Skin Concealer

Although I've been trying out other concealers, I found myself coming back to this one.  It's very creamy and and pigmented so it works great for my undereye area. My dark circles stand no chance against this concealer - it's really a dream to use! The Amazing Cosmetics Amazing Concealer is another great concealer similar to this, but I find the texture slightly more drying for me.

5. NYX Concealer in a Jar 
in Beige 
For discolouration and any blemishes on my face, I like to use this concealer because the colour is a perfect match for my NC20-25 skin.
Again, this is very creamy and pigmented. It completely covers my blemishes and doesn't budge all day. It's comparable to the MAC Studio Sculpt Concealer but costs much less for only $5.  


6. Rock and Republic Contrived Blush 
in Kinky
This is scary hot pink colour in the pan, but looks great once you put it on. My camera doesn't capture its true colour so I added a picture below for you to see.
Image via: rockandrepublic.com
It's truly a hot pink colour!
I can't get enough of this :D

On the left, I used a light hand and it gives a soft pink colour. On the right, I layered a bit more on to deepen the colour. You can definitely go even darker. The blush is very pigmented and you can layer it on depending on the intensity you want. It's probably the most expensive blush I own but it's HUGE (much bigger than your average blush) so this will last me forever.

7. L'Oreal Voluminous Mascara
in Waterproof
I don't necessarily wear mascara everyday since I don't bother if I'm just going to school. On the days I do wear mascara though, this is my weapon of choice. It holds the curl on my weak lashes, is smudge-proof, lasts all day, and gives me a false lashes effect.  
 I haven't found another mascara better than the L'Oreal Voluminous. A close one is the Covergirl Lashblast, but the stubby wand is harder to work with. I've heard great things about the MUFE Smoky Lash but when I tried it out, it didn't hold the curl for my lashes :(
I really wanted it to work too.. oh well!

I've picked up other mascaras from L'Oreal as you know from my previous haul post. I'm waiting to get a new camera before I do a review because my current camera is not focusing very well anymore. It's sad when your pictures come out blurry :(

8. ELF Studio Line Powder Brush
This is the flat-top powder brush from the ELF Studio Line.

Those of you who have tried this will know what I'm talking about when I say that it's one of the softest powder brushes I've ever used. It cost just $3 but has beat out more expensive brushes I've tried. Its bristles are very dense so it works great for applying powder. I love this brush and have even bought backups ;)

9. ELF Mechanical Eyelash Curler 
in Pink
Another great ELF product I've been loving!
I was using the Shiseido Eyelash Curler prior to this, meant for Asian eyes. The ELF curler is slightly curvier and actually works better for my eyes. 
What makes me love this eyelash curler so much is the large padding that it comes with. Normally with other curlers, I have to be careful because pinching does occur, but with the ELF curler, I've never had any problems with pinching at all! I attribute that to the padding, which lets me curl my lashes quickly without worry. It's awesome!

10. Maybelline Waterproof Liquid Liner
I've tried several liquid liners but this one by far lasts the longest. I've cried with this on during movies and sweated with it on at the gym. It stays put like no other liner I've used before.
Whether you want a very thick or a very thin line, the wand works great. For $7 it's comparable (and even better) than some higher end liners. This is definitely a staple for me!

That's it... 
all 10 of my favourites! 
It's surprising that a lot (actually MOST) of these products happen to be drugstore products. The price can be deceiving sometimes I guess ;)


What are some of your favourite products lately?
If you care to share, I'd love to hear some of yours too!

Until next time,
♥ Anita

29 comments:

Juicygirl... said...

Hey great post I love my elf brush I use it to apply my foundation as well as powder lol that hot pink blusher looks amazing :) thanks for following my blog btw xoxo

D's Beauty Corner said...

Voluminous is one of my favorites too, every time I wear it my lashes just feel so lush and voluminous!

How do you like R&R cosmetics? I've always been curious.

Babybubblz said...

I love the ELF brush! I own 3 of them, they are great for any face product.

Catherine said...

Great January favorites! It's so interesting to see what people think about lash curlers. The Shiseido was actually too curved for me lol!

Cristina. said...

loving the concealer and rock and repbulic blush!!

. said...

Thanks for sharing! The concealers look so good and creamy! The MAC studio whatever concealer I got recently is really...dry? It has a tendency to sit in the dry-lines I get under my eyes. Not ideal really xD Maybe I should try some of the ones you suggested!

Angelique said...

Love this post! I want to try the Nyx concealer & get myself that ELF brush. I'm always iffy on buying brushes.. good to know this is a good one :]

Oh, yeah & I want to try that Maybelline liner :]

Miss Shopcoholic said...

nice list! =)

Karleigh said...

Hey Anita, thanks for following =D
LOVE your blog, esp this post with lots of NYX goodies! I LOVE NYX but its sooo hard to get here in the UK =(

how does the cremeblush compare to MACs?!

xxxx

DinaXYYan said...

I love the ELF Powder Brush too :)

sugarmizbunni said...

Hey swtexcape thanks for ur comment^^ Actually its my first time adding text and stuff into my photo :p glad that u like it. Ya I always thought all Laneige product is good, guess its not always the case i guess :) how disappointing.........Take care hv a bunniful day :D

PixyEla said...

Hi there,
I just recently found your blog & following now. :)
Nice review of these products & I read the full review for the ones you linked to. I have the ELF powder brush too & I love it. ^^
Currently I'm loving ELF's Healthy Glow Bronzing Powder.

Unknown said...

Lovely list!!!! I had issues with my ELF eyelash curler, the first one had the jelly thingy fall out every time I used it, the 2nd one I ordered did the same this but did it from day one, versus the 1st one which didn't do that until couple months later :( So I got the Shu eumera and it's my favorite thus far :)

I also love that elf powder brush!

vivien said...

ahh anita you've helped me out on so many things! I've been debating on buying the Amazing Cosmetics concealer but it would have been such an expensive buy! I'm definitely going to give most of these products a try, I've been looking for a cheaper alternative to all the expensive brands. Thanks for the swatches hun!

Susie said...

Maybelline's liquid eyeliner is my favorite too! Lol :)

Ee Von said...

arghh i want everything! it's all not available here except for the nyx concealer which i already have. thanks for the recommendations! :)

Sharlene said...

oooh i love the benefit high beam its soo shimmery!

<33

Jessica Mai : said...

Thanks for visiting my blog girl!

Great post too! I LOVE Loreal Voluminous!

How do you like the R&R cosmetic line?

XO,
Jess Mai
maiphilosophy.blogspot.com/

*Anita* said...

thanks girls for your comments <3 it's so interesting to see what works and what doesn't for everyone! :)

Kim Axani said...

Totally love the affordable loreal and maybelline eye products you listed! They're definitely a couple of my favorites, too. Great blog; love the layout =)

Stephanie C said...

I am in love with the NYX cream blush and the Rock and Republic Blush too! I might have to look into the NYX concealer also! Can't beat $5!

I love that ELF brush too. Who woulda thought a $3 brush would be so awesome?

Great post Anita!

Musicalhouses said...

Great Jan favourits! The elf curler seems to have changed over time...I ordered it awhile ago and it looks different from your photos of it..and i've always wanted to try out the NYX concealer, it looks really nice in your reviews!

Anonymous said...

Oooh! I've been wanting to try the ELF Eyelash Curler! It looks cute, and it's inexpensive, plus everyone says it's great! I think I'm definitely going to buy it now, thanks!

Anonymous said...

OMG do you live in Vancouver? I saw your post below and all the stuff was from Daiso!! I've bought/used like half the things you've shown there!

Heehee I'm so excited because it's always cool to see locals blog! :)

I love your favourites post! Looking at what products others love is always so helpful! I should do one soon too :)

BTW. my name is Klaudea :) Nice to meet you.

C. said...

thank you for your comment! youre so sweet as always. wow those are some good favorites!

i wish i could wear creme blush but its so hard for me - boo. i would to see you wear this blush sometime and yes the elf powder blush is very nice!

Klaudea said...

You are so sweet! Thanks for your comment I feel so special :D

Cynthia Z said...

Hi Anita thanks for stopping by n leavin a comment. Out of yr favs i've tried only Loreal Voluminous. That blush and eyelash curler look so cute!
♥XX♥

anatanoting said...

i like your top ten favorites!

veronicaa said...

where can i buy ELF products?
i'm a canadian and i have never seen them before. :)
<3
Veronica
http://fashi0npassi0n.blogspot.com

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