My Hong Kong trip is just over a week away - it's time to put a shopping list together. I have ideas on what I'd like but I don't know which brand to go for. This is where you can help! Have a read of my list below and I want to know your recommendations :-D
Liquid foundation - I'm using Shu Uemura's Face Architect Smoothing Fluid Foundation at the moment (in 554). I like it and the colour is a good match but I want to try something with a longer wear and medium to high coverage. I have combination skin so I don't want a very rich formula. Recommendations I've received so far include MAC Pro Longwear and Estee Lauder Double Wear.
Concealer - I bought Laura Mercier's Under Eye Perfector and Secret Concealer last year. They certainly helped but I'm always looking for an HG concealer. Should I try the famous YSL Touche Éclat or Bobbi Brown's popular corrector and concealer?
Eye pencil - Eyeliner is my #1 make up item - I can skip foundation but I always apply eyeliner before I leave the house. Try as I may I cannot master a liquid eyeliner so I'm in the market for more eye pencils. I prefer pencils over kohl eyeliners because it is easier to sharpen the tip. My requirements are pretty basic - easy to use with mininal smudging.
Lipsticks - Summer is coming and I want to wear bright fun shades. On top of the list is coral, but I'm always on the lookout for pretty pink and reds. Tara from Keeping up with me raved about Dior Addict so I'll give that a try. I'm also going to try MAC's Prep and Prime lip liner on Tara's recommendation.
Face primer - I finished my Shu UV under base mousse a while ago and I'm using FOA's base face primer right now. Cclarebear recommends NARS Pro-Prime Pore Refining Primer or Make Up Forever HD Microperfecting Primer. What do you use?
Eyeshadow quads: I like eyeshadow quads because the colours are always complimentary and it's easy to take one and put in the gym makeup bag. One of Emily Quak's recent tweets reminded me of Chanel's Les 4 Ombres and they sure look pretty. Now which one(s) should I get?
I also want to pick up a few more Chubby Sticks and I'm sure I'll discover other goodies once I'm there.
The floor is now open - I look forward to all your suggestions :-D
So much to consider :D
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to eye pencils I love the urban decay 24/7 ones, they last amazingly on me, I'd love the get a full set eventually :)
Concealer wise for under eyes I like the skinfood salmon dark circle concealer, I hear the touche eclat is more of an under eye illuminator.
Lipstick wise I will be making sure I get my mitts on nars schiap this year and gloss I'm thinking you should get is Laura Mercier lip glace in Bonbon :)
I don't really use a primer these days, I'm just on the hunt for a awesome sunscreen :)
Not sure about chanel shadows, never used them myself :)
The products you should splurge on are foundation and concealer. If you want a longwearing medium/buildable coverage foundation, definitely get your hands on MAC Pro Longwear - it has a matching concealer which is excellent too that I wear every day.
ReplyDeleteIf you have leftover $$, YSL Touche Eclat is worth geting, but it's a highlighter, not a concealer. It will brighten the under eye area but if you're trying to hide anything except a small amount of darkness, then it won't function as an effective concealer.
A creamy concealer + touche eclat = holy grail ;)
Eyeshadow is something you can definitely afford to skimp on. Just get a good eye primer (urban decay primer potion and a mac paint pot) and any cheapie eyeshadow will be fine over it. Depending on your budget (hehehehe what budget??) you can just buy a stack of mac shadows and put them in a palette. You'll need to go to a pro store for that though.
With lipsticks... you should try Illamasqua. So many good colours and the textures are amazing.
Also, while you're in HK, pop by Sasa and stock up on at least 1 bb cream. Sasa in Hong Kong is my dreeeeeeeeam.
Can't wait to see photos of what you get :)
I only got back from HK in May but I'm so envious you're leaving in a week! There are so many fantastic brands over there it can be so overwhelming deciding what to try.
ReplyDeleteLiquid foundation: I haven't tried MAC or Estee Lauder foundations myself but I've heard great things about the ones you mentioned. I love Make Up Forever's Face & Body but you need to build up the coverage for it. It feels fantastic on the skin though! I don't have it yet but Lancome Teint Miracle is another good one (looking to get it myself!). I also like Clinique's Even Better Foundation.
I second Clare - you should stock up on some BB creams! On most days I just wear BB creams as it's so easy to apply and provides excellent coverage. My picks are the Skin79 and Missha ones.
Concealer: I love MAC concealer in general and the Select Moisturecover is great for under-eye. Like Jade I also like the Skinfood Salmon Dark Circle concealer cream.
Eyeliner: I wish Urban Decay was available in HK!! I'd recommend the Make Up Forever Aqua Eyes pencils. They are FANTASTIC. I also really like the GOSH pencils Velvet Touch eyeliners which you can get from Watsons.
Lipstick: Chanel Rouge Coco Shine - heaven in a lipstick! These feel sooooo good and the colours are just gorgeous. Romance is a very pretty pink. I'd also suggest the YSL Rouge Voluptes for a really creamy lipstick.
Primer: I like the FOA primer too and I'm currently trying the Nude by Nature Mineral Primer which works quite well too. I too recommend Make Up Forever's HD Microperfecting Primer, I use 1 which is great for redness.
Eyeshadow quads: I haven't tried Chanel eyeshadows so I can't help you there. I second Clare in getting a MAC pro palette. When I was building up my makeup collection about 2 years ago, I went to the MAC store at Elements and spent an hour choosing shadows! The palettes are so much more affordable too and the makeup artists are so helpful.
I say check out Jill Stuart stuff too. The products are so beautiful =)
Definitely stock up on Chubby Sticks!! Hopefully they will have more stock by now too. When I went in May nearly every store was sold out and I had to visit half a dozen counters/stores before I could get them all. They are half the price too!
Happy shopping hun! I look forward to seeing what you get ^_^
I might be the wrong person to ask ... I pretty much use only Shu Uemura (how's that for brand loyalty!) but they have a new foundation called the Illuminating Foundation. It's a richer formula than the Smoothing Foundation and has more coverage. I was worried it would be too rich as I have combination skin as well, but it's been great. The shades are the same as the Smoothing.
ReplyDeleteHave you tried gel eyeliners? I can't apply liquid either (so hopeless at it!) but I've discovered the new Shu gel and I really like that.
Have fun in HK!
I haven't been to HK in such a long time! Here are my rec's :)
ReplyDeleteFoundation - I do recommend MAC Pro Longwear! It really does last, just be careful with colour matching i'm between 2 colours so needed 2 bottles to get my right colour.
Concealer - I really like Benefit Erase Paste for heavy duty concealing, I haven't tried YSL Touche Eclat but i'd like to!
Eyepencil - my go to is Too Faced Foiled Liner in Black Beauty, it's soft, creamy and pigmented! I also quite like the Urban Decay 24/7 pencils too
Lipstick - Eeep! lipstick is hard! My favourite Coral is a cheapie Maybelline Coral Crush. I do like MAC Lustre finish lipsticks and Illamasqua have a great range of colours.
Primer - I've not had much luck with primers, the one I do like and always go back to is the FOA one or the Natio one is also quite nice!
Eyeshadow Quads - Fill a MAC palette maybe? or if you don't have it already get the Urban Decay Naked Palette (not quite a quad, but the best thing in the whole wide world!)
Hope this has helped :)