Beauty Matters #1: Current Makeup Staples
In which I make a new segment on my newsletter where I ramble about anything beauty-related
Hello there!
My ADHD-addled brain likes to initiate stuff, so allow me to start a new segment here, aptly titled “Beauty Matters,” where I talk about beauty products, routines, and whatever’s floating my boat in the beauty / fashion / lifestyle space. I like to geek out on beauty products and routines, and if I were given the chance to write or talk about beauty in any platform, I will gladly accept it.
To start this series, I’m going to talk about my current makeup staples. Although I switch up products from time to time, the products that I will be featuring here are the ones that I reach for often lately.
My makeup routine at the moment is a bit of a mixed bag, but these products that I will be featuring have helped me pull a look together— no matter the occasion. These products help me look like I have my shit together on a work day, or that I’ve made an effort to show some love to myself.
BLK Cosmetics Life-Proof Airy Serum Foundation - When it comes to shopping for foundation, I tend to be picky about it. I’ve had unpleasant experiences with a lot of foundations in the past, since they either broke me out, or the shade range was a mismatch for my medium-tan olive skin tone. (For the latter though, I’ve learned to work with it through rounds of mixing and matching.)
Recently, I picked up BLK Cosmetics’ Life-Proof Airy Serum Foundation in Latte, which is probably my dream foundation in a bottle. It goes on like a tinted moisturizer, and it doesn’t really sit on top of my skin. It feels like almost nothing. In terms of finish and coverage, I would say that it has a natural, skin-like finish, and it can cover up acne marks, redness, and discoloration.
As for its lasting power, I found that it can last for around 6-8 hours on my oily-combination skin without a primer. However, I did notice that it’s not transfer-proof, since it leaves stains on my mask. I can live with this though, since I prefer makeup to have this lived-in feel, rather than having it looking cakey.
In terms of shade range, I think that BLK Cosmetics needs to do better. I got the darkest shade (Latte), which is perfect for my medium-tan olive skin tone. Having a shade range that’s limited can feel alienating for beauty lovers with darker skin tones. Not to mention, it also perpetuates the colorism that’s present in Filipino culture.
Horrible shade range aside, I will still buy this for its skin-like finish and the ease that comes with it. I will still hold on to the hope that BLK comes out with more shades of this, since Filipino beauty comes in different tones too.
BYS Matte Bronzing Powder - This bronzer is probably one of the most flattering ones I’ve tried yet. While I’m a fan of Vice Cosmetics’ Aura contour powder-slash-bronzer in Porshur, it has a warm, orangey tone that can almost show up as a blush on my skin, whereas this one has a more neutral brown tone. Its tone and finish can be versatile enough to add warmth and structure to my face. It’s also a great base color for eye looks too, since I like to use my bronzer as eyeshadow.
The Face Shop Gold Collagen Marker Eyeliner - I usually don’t splurge on eyeliners, brow products, and mascaras. Heck, I don’t even buy eyeliner that much because I have poor motor coordination skills. However, when I stumbled upon this eyeliner during a trip to the mall, I immediately fell in love with it. Its design resembles a Sharpie pen, and it feels less flimsier than other marker eyeliners, which is an upgrade from the ones that I used to have.
What I like about this eyeliner is that it makes application easy. I can do a cat-eye look now, or I can do a puppy liner look (which is flattering for people with hooded eyelids!). It’s a bit pricier than the eyeliners that I usually purchase, but this one is worth it since it makes eyeliner application easier. As for staying power, I recently did a slight wing. I noticed that the eyeliner lasted from 9:30 am to 7 pm on my oily eyelids!
Vice Cosmetics Gandoll Flexi Brow Shaper and The Face Shop Designing Eyebrow Pencil - I’ve been using the Sunnies Face Lifebrow brow gel for around a year now, and while it has everything that I want in a brow gel, I still have a lot of gripes about the brand, particularly with its ties to the Marcoses and its seemingly exclusionary branding.
Vice Cosmetics, on the other hand, is proudly queer-owned and screams Angat Buhay in terms of its branding and vibe. It’s one of those few Filipino brands that dared to have a fairly expansive shade range of base products, as well as products that cater to various aesthetics.
Now going back to the product— the Gandoll Flexi Brow Shaper is apparently a locally available dupe for the NYX brow glue. I haven’t tried the OG one yet, but I do find this one to be good in achieving the feathered brow effect. However, when using this brow gel, I found this to be a good primer of sorts in filling and defining my brows. My brows last longer whenever I do this gel-before-pencil technique. As for the brow pencil I’m using at the moment, I’ve been using The Face Shop’s Designing Eyebrow Pencil in Gray Brown, which is flattering for my dark brown hair!
Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Unapologetic - Before anything else, Revlon lipsticks are usually a hit or miss for me. I don’t know what is up with their color stories and formulas, but some of their lip colors either flatter me to the high heavens, or that they’re unflattering or uncomfortable. Luckily, this lipstick falls into the spectrum of flattering lip colors and formulas. On the US website, this shade is described as a “creamy rosy mauve,” which is almost accurate on my lips! Color-wise, it pulls more as a warm neutral rose on me, which I find completely flattering! When dabbed lightly, the color reminds me of Merit’s Signature Lip in Baby, which is a lipstick that I’ve been eyeing on for months. As for its longevity, it performs like your regular cream lipstick, but it leaves a pretty rosy stain after.
Nature Republic By Flower Sheer Tint in Rose Maze - I’m pretty sure that this purchase was very much influenced by NCT 127, but I’m glad that I picked this up! Color-wise, this reminds me of Glossier’s Generation G in Like. In terms of its formulation, it transfers minimally, and it feels comfortable and powdery. I like wearing this tint on days where I don’t really want to fuss about my lip color. I’m already thinking about getting another color from this line of Nature Republic tints. Should I get Crush Plum or Chilli Rose / Warm Cinnamon next? Hmmm.
Anyway, these are some of my current beauty picks! Let me know which ones are you curious about!
Until the next brain dump,
Lea