Everyday Simple Look

I'm a work-at-home mom so I don't really wear makeup on a daily basis. However, there are times when I do have to step out of the house for some errands and sadly, the absolutely bare-faced look doesn't work so well for me. (Ha!) The fact that I need at least five products to look natural is a running joke I share with my teenaged cousins. All I say is that in a few more years, they would too get to where I am and when that time comes I'll be laughing and gloating *insert evil laugh*

For those of you in the same 30-something boat, here's a shot of the products I use for my everyday simple look

So we have a pressed powder by Garnier,, NYX Above and Beyond Concealer, Maybelline Collosal mascara, MAC Pink Swoon, Benefit Girl Meets Pearl, and Avon Simply Pretty lip balm. The three tools you see there are the Ellana angled kabuki brush, the ELF stippling brush and a cute animal print powder puff I bought from Suesh.

So here are my thoughts on this daily go-tos:
Garnier pressed powder - it's pressed so it's easy to use, no mess. I like applying it with the Suesh animal print puff rather than use the standard powder puff that it came with, because that one doesn't hold up to weekly washing. As a plus, this powder has SPF 15, not really enough to rely on for good sun protection but better than nothing, I guess.

NYX concealer - Since I've been following a fairly decent skincare regimen complimented with my Clarisonic, my skin is the best it has ever been! I can now get away with no foundation, just concealer for the undereyes and around the nose where redness is.

Maybelline Collosal mascara - I know that Maybelline created the Magnum version for Asian lashes but Collosal works better for me because I have a slight natural curl and decent volume. I would say that this is my HG but then again, I haven't really used that many mascaras so I don't know if there is something better. My only rant is that the Collosal version is not that easy to find locally.

MAC Pink Swoon blush - I just prefer pink blush over peach and MAC blushes are fairly decent. Pink Swoon is matte, so no glitters and all the better for everyday.

Benefit Girl Meets Pearl highlighter - I bought this because of AskMeWhats and I love it! I stock up on the deluxe sizes whenever I find them just because they are more travel-friendly and less fussy than the original packaging.

Avon Simply Pretty lip balm - I try to wear lip balm when I'm not wearing lipstick and I guess it works because I have smooth lips.

Ellana Angled kabuki brush for buffing in powder and ELF stippling brush for the blush. These are pretty much the brushes that I always leave out on my vanity and when I'm not doing eye makeup or contouring, I don't need anything else.

How about you, what products do you use everyday? Do share!

NYX Extreme Matte Lip Cream in Stockholm, Swatches and Review

Ever since I discovered Mac lipsticks, I rarely stray from the brand especially since I don't really wear makeup everyday and a single bullet takes me ages to finish anyway. But NYX matte lip creams have always been something I wanted to try out, even though I am not a fan of mattes in general. When I attended the Maven event a few weeks ago, I saw that Digital Traincase had a booth there and I was able to swatch me some of the lip creams. I took home Stockholm (P280).

NYX Above & Beyond Full Coverage Concealer Review, Swatches

Last Thursday, after being stranded and unable to go home for a few days because of the flooded impassable roads, I felt badly in need of a pick-me-up. I have ran out of cream concealer and was fully intending to buy another tub of MAC Studio Finish at the end of the month but while browsing through some beauty blogs, I noticed that the NYX Above & Beyond Full Coverage Concealer appears to be having some good reviews. So I headed over to Digital Traincase and ordered me some. I got Beige and Orange.

NYX Above & Beyond Full Coverage Concealer in Beige and Orange. Don't let the pictures fool you-- they are darker than they appear in the pictures. Beige is perfect for me and I am NC 30, light-medium.