Beauty Finds: BB Creams, Foundations and Concealer

I've gone through various stages of make up during my years of experimenting. I'm very particular with what I put on my face. Though I am blessed to not have sensitive skin nor acne problems, it's really, really, important to know what works best for you before suffering the consequences - trust me, it has happened to me before and I regret it.

Well, every experience is part of the learning curve. I purchased my first BB Cream at the age of eighteen, freshmen at college and surrounded by girls who placed cake full of make up on their faces despite not having any imperfections to cover what so ever. Though, at the age of twenty, I started being one of them putting, lol. I bought my first ever foundation and then it progressed to concealers at the age of twenty one (this year) when I learned the art of achieving Kim Kardashian's contour and highlight. Enough babbling, here are my favourite picks ranging from drug store to high-end products when it comes to the three make-up products mentioned above.

B  B    C R E A M 

If you're new to make up and you're clueless as to what a BB Cream is, well it stands for; blemish balm/base or beauty balm. What does this cream do? Virst of all, it's somewhat like a foundation, however it's offers light coverage. It also works as a sun-block, primer, serum and moisturizer. My favourite BB Cream of all time has got to be the Tarte's BB Tinted Treatment 12-Hour Primer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Suncream (nama taknak lagi panjang ke). Applying this wonder of a product is like applying powder. It oxides so well with the skin, allowing a smooth base, and let me just add - the coverage isn't that light as well! Usually, I'd be confident enough to pat this and some baby powder and be off to wherever I plan to go. Yes, and like its long name, it really does last 12 hours. I wore it for more than 12 hours once and my face wasn't oily at all. If you're looking for a drugstore BB Cream, Maybelline offers a good one (although it's not available in Malaysia) and another high-end BB Cream which I would recommend would be Laura Mercier's. 

F O U N D A T I O N 

They say splurging on a good foundation is worth the investment. I would agree, although for my foundation pick, the best would be a drug store product from L'Oreal. Recommended by Beauty Guru's, I picked the L'Oreal True Match foundation for less than RM 60. Why didn't I choose high end foundations? Well, I rarely use foundation. In fact, I'd only use them whenever I have events, or occasional mengada dress up days. If you don't use a foundation for too long, it'll eventually be clumped up, caky and well - damage your skin. The True Match foundation gives you a lot of coverage, it blends well and is smooth on the skin. Plus, one bottle can last you a long time - trust me on this. Two high end foundations which I would recommend would be Tarte's Amazonian Clay foundation (their foundation brush is also very good!) and Marc Jacob's Re(marc)able Full Coverage Foundation. 

C O N C E A L E R 

Amazing Concealers have got to be the best when it comes to one-toned concealers. They're expensive, but their level of coverage is beyond this world lol. When I worked in KLCC, I'd cheat my way down to Sephora whenever there was a meeting with someone important just to pat this on. I immediately bought a small tube once I got my first paycheck - haha! For a drug store alternative, I would recommend Maybelline's Age Rewind Concealer. A lot of beauty gurus recommend this, especially when highlighting and covering dark circles. However, for concealer palettes, I would definitely recommend MAC's. Mine has lasted me for about a year and though people are sceptical about this (since it's small) - it is worth the investment. It is my holy grail beauty product, a must carry anywhere and everywhere when I travel. Nice to blend, easy and creamy to apply. A cheaper option I would recommend would be NYX's. I've used my sister's before to colour correct and it does the job good for its price. 

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Remember, when buying make up it's best to consult the salesperson and tell them your skin condition so they can recommend what suits you best especially when it comes to these three things; BB Creams, Foundation and Concealers. It's important to have a good base make up before layering other products to your face. Hope these recommendations were helpful! x

Travel Tips: "Will Everything Even Fit?!"

Three more days till I fly off -- and I look at my luggage bag, stuffed like a fat cow.

"This is a disaster" I thought to myself. For weeks, I've been texting Syaz and Amir regarding what to wear. I've traded my packing checklist with them twice, I've removed 40% of the original amount of stuff I wanted to bring, I've even YouTubed efficient ways of folding clothes so more things can fit; but at this rate, bringing to heavy coats and with the amount of stuff I plan to buy in UK, I'll probably leave with a hefty excess baggage fee. Unacceptable. Thank god for Pinterest, I've found a few tips and tricks to pack light for the winter time!

1. V E R S A T I L E  P I E C E S

Let's put it this way, I'm not much of a colourful person when it comes to clothes. I have a lot of neutral mode pieces; black, camel, nude, brown, grey (lots, and lots of grey) which all go perfectly well together. Especially since it's the cold season, it's easier to layer up when every colour goes well together. I suggest bringing a white/blue shirt, so you can layer up with regardless of whatever coloured jumper on top alternatively and still look prim and classy. I love the whole shirt & jumper look, especially on men (hehe).

2. R O L L  ' E M  U P

One time, after one of our batch photoshoots, a friend of mine showed a way to fold clothes without it being crumpled. Of course, I didn't really pay attention to the steps, but rolling your clothes, pants especially, save a lot of luggage space. Then again, whenever I travel, the most pair of pants I'd bring is two-three; two pairs of jeans, leggings/sweatpants (I'd wear either one to board on the plane). 

3. W E A R  T H E  B U L K Y  I T E M S  O N - B O A R D

This, is another tip to save luggage space. Wear the bulky items in the plane; whether a jumper, your pair of boots, or in my case my beloved green cardigan. It's knitted and its hard to fold and roll. Bulky cardigans also make good blankets if the plane doesn't provide blankets or you're just too cold that one blanket is not enough. 

4. L I G H T W E I G H T  T H E R M A L S  &  F A B R I C S

This is one of the reasons why its very handy to have Uniqlo's Heat Tech. Their thin but works wonders as thermals. Wearing a single Heat Tech allows you layer on lighter fabrics on top. Trust me, you don't necessarily need to wear a jumper or layer a lot of clothes when you have these - you can put on a blouse, jacket and you're ready to go! This way, you don't need to pack on bulky sweaters/jumpers/hoodies. 

5. O R G A N I Z E  ' E M

I have travel bag organizers which work wonders whenever I'm packing - especially for segregating stuff like make-up, toiletries, chargers, scarves and even hair-ties. I bought mine at Daiso. I'd usually label them and put a list of things I had put in them. These not only help organize and save luggage space, but come in really handy when you're packing your stuff to go home (but let's not talk about going home - I haven't even gone yet lol).

6. "W I L L  I  W E A R  T H I S  M O R E  T H A N  O N C E ?"

It's important to question this in order to be judicious when packing. There's no need to pack stuff you'll wear only once, unless of course, you have an event. As for me, since I'm celebrating New Years and my birthday there, I've opted to just find an outfit there instead of bring something here. Focus on the basics. 

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Of course, these are just a few tips which I've learned and kept in mind when packing. Pretty sure you can find 1001 more online, though I hope it benefits some of you! Wishing everyone happy holidays and a festive end to the year! Eleven more days till 2016, I hope you make the most out of it, winks!