February Favorites

Hey, beautiful people! It is almost spring season and before the Basant touched base with Pakistan, the PSL fever is running strong. Did you find yourself completely caught up in the craze? I thought I will be harder to sway since I am not too keen on sports. ... but it had me. It totally had me! We should give due credit to the efforts to revive the cricket spirit in Pakistan.

Oh, and we have had an overdose of RED through the Valentine's Day. Did you guys celebrate? I had a quiet midnight detour to Subway for sandwiches - haha, and a surprise rose and balloon :D It was a surprise since we had exchanged the gifts prior to the V-Day and was primarily occupied with my Sister-in-Law's wedding events.

The #30DaysOfMakeup self-challenge was going strong and I will update you all on that in the next post, hopefully. Till then, let's have a look at which products made it to the February Favorites:

MAC Lipstick in Chili - The users describe it as something of a dark red. I do find that it has red undertones, but predominantly, it looks more like orange-brown on me. It probably was one of the first MAC lipsticks I got in my collection. It reminded me of mid-90s when I would watch my Mom sporting a similar shade. This month, I had an ongoing #30DaysOfMakeup challenge for my own self. In that, I tried different lip colors and daily makeup usage for at least one item. It has been a wonderful experience which I shall pen down separately. On fine morning, I took out this lip shade and worn it in multiple swipes. Not only did it speak volumes of professional finesse, but also stayed put for over 12 hours. Yep! More than half a day. I did not use any lip primer or any special technique for applying this. Just the good old direct swipes from the lipstick bullet. I sipped green tea, munched peanuts and corn, drank water multiple times, pursed and pressed my lips, unintentionally wiped my mouth with tissues (lightly), and just led a normal work day. It transferred in the beginning of the day, but then reduced to more of a stain. I glanced at my reflection at a store display mirror in the evening and was surprised to see the color going 70-80% strong. It stayed put until I used Simple wipes to get my makeup off at the end of the day. That alone earned it a special spot in the Favorites <3

MAC Lipstick in Impassioned - It has been a month of rediscovering MAC. The preamble to me using the MAC lipsticks is same as above. Another "transforming" experience was with Impassioned. I do need to say that I tried different MAC lipsticks from my stash through the #30DaysOfMakeup, but there were just two which made a lasting impact on me - Chili and Impassioned. So, this one is a bright pink-coral shade with warm undertones. On me, the coral in the lipstick becomes more pronounced. I never quite understood how my lips or the skin absorb certain undertones and intensify the other. Let me know if you feel that's a thing or am I being too particular. Okay, so Impassioned - I had been avoiding Impassioned for quite some time since I am not too keen on its coral impact. I decided to give it a shot (when I eenie-meenie-mynee-moed aiming at the MAC lipstick holder in the drawer, lol). For the first couple of hours, I was too aware of my lips. It transferred tremendously, but the next 10 hours, its balmy feel died down and it became like a rich pigmented stain. The pink became more obvious and I couldn't help but appreciate how flattering it had looked. It brought on a warmth to my cheeks and turned into a comfortable bold. Definitely one of my good-lipstick days :)

DMGM Photo Finish Concealer in Shade 02 - It was an impulse grocery trip purchase while I try to test different concealers within affordable and high-end range(s). As my aim is to test the concealers vouched for by different people, I brought this one home in a shade that has strong medium-pink undertones aimed towards covering dark circles. On many levels, this is not the best concealer out there. I will elaborate on these pointers in a separate post. I love about this is the moisturizing creamy effect under the eye area with medium-sheer coverage. Sadly, my dark circles are not fully concealed by it and I find it to be on the sheerer side. So much so, that it cannot adequately cover the orange correctors underneath. However, I enjoy the natural look that I get and I can sport this throughout the day without any creasing. It is a good buy for those with minimal dark circles and medium complexion.

Tarte Maracuja Oil - I have not yet explored the benefits of Maracuja Oil as listed on Tarte website because you need to incorporate the same in your routine for over a couple of weeks to feel any noticeable difference (or the lack of it). I was on the lookout for a drop or two of oil to mix with my foundations during colder weather. The quantity and drop-dispenser has been the most helpful in controlling the right amount of product that I want to mix in the foundation. So far, I have tried oil mixing with Estee Lauder, Masarrat Misbah and MAC foundations without any complaints and it does make the finish luminescent enough come across as dewy and healthy. I cannot comment on the skincare benefits as of now, but I did has not caused any breakouts, so all's good on that front. I will update as the weather changes and my skin becomes oilier.

Real Techniques Blush Brush - I wonder why I have not mentioned this in the rave reviews before. This brush makes my blush application easy peasy. I don't have to fret and switch my brushes for different formulations. It works perfectly for cream, powder and mouse blushes. I tend to apply my liquid or lacquer brushes my fingers. If need be, this works well for sheering and blending the blush till it is wet. I like my blush pigmentation to be strong, so the issue with such intense color payoff is that they are harder to blend into an even finish. Real Techniques Blush Brush in dense dome-shaped bristles ensures that you are able to pick the right amount with a light handed and be able to be get a diffused look of rouge on your skin. A thumbs-up for me through the years.

That is it from my side. Let me know of your favorites this month and which ones of these have you tried - how has your experience been? I would like to know it all right here. Bless me with your love and comments.

Cheers,

Bia