Best in Beauty 2015 -Makeup and Hair

I apologize for not being able to blog for a while, December is the busiest month work wise and I had to get everything done before my long winter holiday. In Japan Christmas is a working day but the winter holiday is pretty long that everyone spends time with their family to welcome a new year. As I am off until the 3rd of January, I picked up my favourite products I discovered in 2015 to share with you all.

Maihada CC Cream (REVIEW)
This CC cream is what I have been wearing on my day off. It's perfect for when you do not want to wear foundation, concealer, highlighter and powder on, because it covers all the imperfections of your skin and makes it look flawless and dewy, yet very natural. I have the lighter shade and it's a perfect match for NC20 skin I guess. The texture is very light yet moisturising enough, this is a perfect BB CC whatever cream.

Three Shimmering Lip Jam / Moon Whisper (REVIEW)
I just wrote a review on this lipgloss the other day, so am not going into too much details. All I can say is that this is the pink I was looking for.

Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation (REVIEW)
This is the foundation I wear on daily basis. As mentioned in my 'My Base Makeup Routine' post, it is one of the foundations that give dewiness to oily / combination skin without making it look shiny or oily. It hides my pores on the cheeks, gives a flawless finish with a natural glow to it. I also LOVE the lavender scent.

Bobbi Brown Instant Pretty Eyes and Cheek Palette (REVIEW)
The eyeshadow palette that I used the most in 2015. Grab yours if you ever see it at Duty-free, it's such a lovely palette that you won't regret spending money on. Though I do not use the blush much, the eyeshadows are worth the money themselves. They last ages on the lids which means I can rely on this palette when I have a long day at work. It's also tiny that can fit into my makeup bag easily. The matte brown shade is my favourite, although it's a little hard to blend, it makes the whole look sophisticated somehow.

Max Factor Creme Puff Blush / Nude Mauve 
I am about to hit the pan. That's how much I adore this blusher. I got it back in August when I went to the UK. I wasn't sure about this blush because I thought shimmery blush would emphasises the pores on my cheeks, so I only purchase only one. I came back to Japan and tried it on, and it blew me away! It's such a beautiful blush that makes my skin look AMAZING. It does not emphasise the pores at all, instead it gives such an amazing glow and warmth to the skin, making my face look sculpted. I would buy all the shades, and 5 of Nude Mauve next time I go to the UK.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
I had heard a lot about this primer, and I bought a mini from House of Fraser to try out. Now I regret that I didn't buy a bigger one! It naturally covers the discolouration on my lids, while creating a perfect base for eyeshadow to stick. Since I started using this eyeshadow primer, my eye makeup never smudges or get ruined, even on a long long day at work -I'm talking about 17 hours of wearing makeup. I will 100% repurchase once I've used it up, but I doubt I would in the near future, as a tiny bit goes a long way.

Percy & Reed The Perfect Blow Dry Spray
My hair cannot be the same without this product. I have no idea what's in it, but it gives natural volume in the hair by spraying it before blow-drying. It also protects the hair from the heat, and leaves such a beautiful scent in it. Though it does not make my hair feel crispy or tacky, it definitely makes it thicker and voluminous. I love everything this spray does, I cannot live without it.

Fudge Urban Texture Spray
Another product I regret not buying a few at least. This candy-scented hair spray gives serious volume in my hair. Yes it makes it feel a little tacky, but I don't care because the volume lasts all day and the scent is to die for! I am definitely buying their dry shampoo, styling mousse and salt spray too next time I go to the UK.

I will reveal other favourite products of the year on the 31st! Don't miss it ;)

Three Shimmering Lip Jam Moon Whisper

Three Shimmering Lip Jam / Moon Whisper  3,240yen
If you ask me which Japanese beauty brands I recommend, I would answer THREE and ADDICTION. ADDICTION is like a Japanese version of NARS, and THREE is...well, very unique and different. THREE is famous for their beautiful shop in Aoyama, Tokyo called THREE AOYAMA where you can shop their products, have healthy food and experience their relaxing treatment. The layout of the shop is simple yet sophisticated, and their café serves healthy and yummy food and drink. Their spa is open from 7:30 in the morning, and though I have never had their treatment, I heard it's amazing. One thing you need to be careful is that they reject any customers who have tattoos -even a tiny one. They opened THREE AOYAMA a few years ago but I've been a fan of the brand for more than 5 years I believe. Possibly since their debut.

First of all, their skincare products smell divine. If you like a spa-like aromatherapeutic scents, you will love their products. Their oil cleanser is one of their best-sellers. Secondly, their makeup products are also lovely they always bring out very simple, conservative yet beautiful products.

Though I do not buy high-end makeup products often, I couldn't resist purchasing this beautiful lipgloss when it came out as one of their holiday limited products in November. A couple of days before the launch, I went to THREE AOYAMA and tried this lipgloss on. I didn't expect to like it much, but it was one of the most beautiful lipgloss I had ever tried. On the launch day I purchased it online from Isetan Website.

There are 4 limited shades came out in November. They contain 'moonlight pearl' that makes your lips glowing from within. My shade is Moon Whisper, such a beautiful yellow toned pink. The texture is very comfortable to wear on the lips, not too sticky yet stays on the lips for a couple of hours without touch-up. I also like the fact it doesn't have fragrance which makes it suitable in any scenes.

It instantly brightens up the complexion once applied and gives such a gorgeous glowing effect to the lips. It makes them look plumped and 'juicy' -though I hate the word for some reason- and I cannot rave enough about it. Blue toned pink looks awful on me, so I usually avoid pinky lip products but this one is absolutely beautiful. The glitter particles are super tiny that you don't feel at all, yet the effect of them is visible.

The chic packaging design under the theme of moon and dark sky is also unique. I've been wearing it almost every day since I got it, as it goes well with any kind of makeup. It looks beautiful with natural makeup, and it enhances the whole look worn with smoky eyes. Though it's pink, it's not a kiddish pink -it's such an elegant pink for grownup women. I highly recommend this shade if you have olive or neutral skin tone, or if you are looking for a natural pink lipgloss.

THREE AOYAMA

My Autumn Skincare Must-Haves

Though I have pretty oily skin during summer that all my makeup melts throughout the day, I suffer from dryness during winter -which is why I call my skin type combination rather than oily. December started and the air is getting colder and drier in Tokyo that instantly spoil my mood. I love trying out different skincare items though I have some products that I completely rely on when my skin becomes unstable.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream is definitely one of those products. This unscented cream seems very simple and kind of boring, but it basically mends the skin and make it look plumped. Even when I have rash due to some kind of allergy to new skincare products that my skin doesn't agree with, it heals the skin within a couple of days of use. It hydrates the skin whilst keeping the skin surface feeling smooth. I used up my first jar now that I am ready to repurchase. Though, I might wait for a while as I just ordered the moisturiser from First Aid Beauty which I have heard works similar to this one.

Terracuore Damask Rose Dew Oil that I mentioned in the past (HERE) can be used in different ways. I usually use it as serum, but it can be used right after the cleanser to softens the skin, or you can of course mix it with a moisturiser. The mix of rosehip oil, almond oil, avocado oil and safflower oil makes your skin feel soft and hydrated.

It smells like rose perfume in the nicest possible way, though I do not like a rose scent, but this one is an exception. It smells divine that I recommend to ANYONE. This is definitely one of the best smelling face oils out there. This none-greasy oil protects the skin from dryness, and balances out the oil production.

Hada Labo Gokujyun Premium Oil Jelly that you can read an in-depth review HERE has been living in my makeup bag. During the colder months, my makeup tends to look cakey and kind of powdery though I only use liquid foundation, and that can be fixed with a product like this. I LOVE how light it feels on the skin. It can be used in the morning, night and during the day -basically ANYTIME! This is what you want to keep in your bag all the time, ditch your vaseline and grab this one instead!

I use Trilogy Everything Balm  when my skin requires even more hydration. This is quite an oily balm that I rarely use, but when my skin feels very dry that Gokujyun Premium Oil Jelly cannot even fix, I rely on this balm. It smells very 'natural and organic'-like, which not everyone would love. I definitely smell something like ylang ylang or patchouli. The great thing about this is that you can use it on your hair, nails, hands, face...everywhere on your body. Apparently this is one of their best-selling products, and I understand why. It's slightly more tacky than Gokujyun Premium Oil Jelly but it works wonders on my skin. This mini that came in one of the look fantastic beauty box is super handy!

Do you have any products that you cannot live without during the colder months? Let me know!