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!

Best in Beauty 2014 -Makeup

BASE
As mentioned in my previous post, my skin has changed from dry to combination in the past year or two, and it was my mission to find products that make my makeup stay put all day!

E.L.F. Cosmetics Makeup Mist & Set
I originally wanted to try the setting spray from Urban Decay, but as they don't ship to Japan, I tried out this affordable alternative from E.L.F. And it was surprisingly good! It helps my makeup stay put all day, and the best thing is that my eyebrows would stay as they were in the morning until 11pm. As I am extending quite a bit of the end of my eyebrows with my eyebrow pencil, I tend to end up with shorter brows without the ends at the end of the day especially in summer. But one or two spritz of this spray sets them completely and they never go away.

CANMAKE Lasting Multi Eyebase Waterproof
A very good eyeshadow primer which is only 500yen. This tiny tube lasts for more than 6 months which is also a good thing. I don't see a need to invest in an expensive primer!

Kiehl's Micro Blur Skin Perfector
Such an amazing primer!! It really does blur the pores on my cheeks, and makes my foundation goes on smoothly on top. My first tube was kind of defective and separated inside of the bottle, it ended up squirting weird liquid every time I tried to use it. My second tube has been great and NO liquid comes out at all. They said it tends to separate a little bit, but when you squeeze the tube and only water comes out, that is definitely defective. You should contact the customer service if you come across that kind of issue. Anyway, it smells amazing, it felt like burning my skin at the beginning but that was because it has 'a lot of nutrients are concentrated into this formula' as the shop assistant explained. After my skin has been repaired completely, it doesn't irritate my skin at all.

Diorskin Star Fluid Foundation
The shade #20 Light Beige is too orangy to my skin unfortunately, so I am mixing it with my LUNASOL Cream foundation which is a tad too light for my skin. I like to apply this foundation with Dior Star Fluid Sponge which looks like a black egg, as it goes on semi-matte when applied with this particular sponge, and it coves the pores really well. It's medium coverage and semi-matte, yet it still reflects the light and makes your skin look healthy. It's suitable for oily to combination skin as well, for those who do not want a dewy finish yet want to avoid a completely matte skin.

EYES and CHEEKS
For eyes, I enjoyed coloured eyeliners last year, though I was a 'black liquid eyeliner kind of girl' for more than a decade! For cheeks, I found amazing products that I am completely in love with.

L'Oréal Paris La Palette
I cannot live without this palette. The quality of each eyeshadow is amazing, and the shades are perfect for people who love taupe like I do. I haven't worn any other eyeshadow since I got it from lovely Danniella from Famous in Japan.


MAC Alluring Aquatic Collection Extra Dimension Eyeshadow
Definitely the best packaging of the year! I love this shade 'Soul Serenade' which is a very deep taupe which is perfect for a simple smoky look.

Visee Color Impact Gel Liner

In Japan, coloured eyeliners were on trend towards the mid-end of the year. I LOVE these pencil eyeliners from Visee, as they glide on so smoothly, easy to blend, and never budge after being set completely. I love the burgundy shade and the taupe shade called Winter Orchid, which was limited (you still can purchase it on my website HERE).

No7 Stay Perfect Shade And Define
I LOVE this kind of cream eyeshadow in a stick form. I love this shade Cool Mink, such a beautiful and subtle taupe that is perfect for a daily use. It helps eyeshadow on top to stay put as well, and you can of course wear it on its own. I want other shades such as coffee bean, too!

Dolly Wink  Liquid Eyeliner  in Dark Brown
I don't think I've worn a black liquid eyeliner to work for months now. This is such a gorgeous brown liquid eyeliner, which is easy to apply and the colour is perfect. It's not too warm, and pretty pigmented. The brush is thin and does not dry out. I would repurchase it over and over again!

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush
My shade Blissful is such a pretty peachy pink which is perfect to wear on daily basis. What I like about it the most is because it's not too pigmented. Drugstore blushes tend to be TOO pigmented that you need to be really, really careful to apply otherwise you will end up with super red cheeks like apples. But this is is subtle, elegant and very beautiful on the cheeks. Also the staying power is amazing for a powder blush.
  
Majolica Majorca Puff de Cheek in Cherry Mix
I didn't expect to love this blush this much, but I DO!! The marble patterned blush gives a beautiful and natural flash on the cheeks within seconds.The puff is so fluffy (with a cute ribbon on top), and the effect the marble blush gives is just amazing. You need to have this blush in your life. I'm 100% not saying that just because I sell it on my website (HERE), I sell it because I love it this much. I'm not trying to make profits here, I wanted as many people as possible to enjoy the product, and help them in a country where Majo / Majo isn't available to purchase. You can read an in-depth review HERE.

LIPS
...and a sneaky eye product ;)

Heroine Make Long & Curl Mascara Waterproof
Well, I forgot to include in into the eye makeup category but I love this mascara without a doubt! Japanese mascaras tend to stick your lashes together to make them 'thicker' which makes you look like you only have 5 lashes, but this one doesn't do that at all. It separates and lengthens without clumps.

L'Oreal L'Extraordinaire
I am in love with this shade Nude Ballet.I purchased Rose Melody but it's too pinky to my liking. It's more like a lip gloss, but the pigmentation is beyond an ordinary lip gloss formula. It smells fruity (not the typical L'Oreal scent) which I like. I love how glossy and plumped it makes my lips look.

OPERA Sheer Lip Color
A lip gloss in a lipstick form? How handy! It literally looks like I'm wearing a lip gloss, but much less sticky and greasy. My shade Salmon Pink is such a pretty peachy pink which I wore a lot during summer. It's so tiny that fits into my smallest purse.

Carmex Ultra Moisturising Lip Balm
I literally cannot live without Carmex!!! These are the only lip balms that work during winter. I love the lime one the best, and am keen on trying out the vanilla one someday.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy
The shade Innocent is such a wearable shade, and it stays for hours and hours on the lips. If you don't have time to reapply a lipstick, this is the one you should apply in the morning. You just need to apply a lip gloss or lip balm on top throughout the day for an instant update.

It's become the longest post ever!!! Thanks for reading x