April Curated Must-Haves: Designer & Drugstore Beauty Edition

Time flies fast when you’re having fun…and extremely busy! April was a combination of both, mostly work-wise hence I was not able to blog as much. But before anything, I am so stoked to share with you that I, together with Dr. Reed (owner and medical director of the aesthetic clinic where I work), will be appearing in several episodes of a local lifestyle TV show showing different procedures we perform at our clinic (i.e laser skin resurfacing, Sculpsure laser body contouring, Botox, etc). I will be posting bits and bobs on my Instagram so please follow me there if you haven’t yet. Speaking of April, I would also like to share my curated must-haves, a.k.a products that I have used and worn so much the past month. And yes, it’s a healthy mix of drugstore and luxury brands, here we go!

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With so many mists and makeup setting sprays sold these days, how do you add one more to your growing beauty arsenal? Leave it to Pixi because they have a plethora of mists that cater to your needs. My recent favorite is no other than Vitamin Wakeup Mist. While this is marketed as a toner, I enjoy using it pre-makeup application and to set makeup post-powder application. For longevity, spray in between powder (i.e blush, spray, let it dry for few seconds, highlighter, spray, let it dry, etc). The subtle citrus fragrance is invigorating especially after being out and about and you need a quick spritz to hydrate your face. 

Another drugstore find, Ecotools fan brush is a must-have whether for highlighting or setting foundation or concealer with powder. I find that it picks up just the right amount of product hence cakey-look is never an issue with me. Just so you know, I don’t bake (and you shouldn’t too especially if you have dry skin, fine lines or wrinkles because you will only accentuate the problem areas). This fan brush came in a set from Ulta (the other one is sculpting brush). It’s the best $11 purchase the past month!

I mentioned about TV appearance and so my beauty blogger makeup artist friend Norah suggested that I need to powder sparingly and make sure that I use HD (high definition). While I didn’t end up using Make Up For Ever HD foundation because of longevity issues (I tried it several days before the big shoot), I fell deeply in love with the Ultra HD micro finishing pressed powder (yellow for medium skin). Applied with the fan brush I mentioned above, it sets my foundation (holy grail to-date Estee Lauder Stay In Place Double Wear Rattan shade) and more importantly concealer, like a boss. My makeup lasted way past 8 hours, a feat I must say!

Another favorite purchase is Dior Lacquer Lipstick in the shade Lazy, a stunning purple pink lipstick with balm-like texture. If you follow me on Instagram, you may have spotted this lipstick quite a few times. It glides beautifully and while it’s not long-wearing as I would’ve wanted it to be, the reapplication was never a problem because it does hydrate my lips tremendously. The shade is great for daytime wear and flatters any skin tone in my honest-to-goodness opinion.

Finally, let’s cover the creme de la creme of my April best in beauty, Tom Ford Cream and Powder Eye Color in Golden Peach. I haven’t really bought anything from Tom Ford because nothing quite excite me from the recent collection. However, when I went to Sephora few weeks ago to accompany a friend, I was totally smitten by this shade. I own several Tom Ford cream and powder and eyeshadow quads already so I was debating whether I should buy one or skip. But my impulse then was stronger than rationale so long story short, I caved in and couldn’t be happier! It comes in a pot with the creamiest of cream, almost mousse-like!  Twist open the top and you are greeted with the most pigmented soft gold eye shadow which you can wear on its own or as topper to cream eyeshadow. My favorite way to apply the latter is with a flat eyeshadow brush then buff with crease brush to soften the edges. Then I apply the topper with pinky on the center of the lids for added drama. Together, they create a stunning symphony of colors perfect for spring and summer!

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