Makeup I Cannot Leave Home Without

For some reason, I cannot leave the house without any makeup on (no matter how little or made up it may be). It's some kind of a confidence booster I guess. So here's a short list of what I can and cannot go without:

(1) Brow powder - I cannot leave the house without applying brow powder. I use Nichido Eyebrow Liner Duo Kit. My brows aren't naturally well-shaped. In addition, they tend to thin out towards the end. Although I don't groom them in a thin line (I go for somewhat full but not so bushy brows), I still need brow powder to add some definition.

Nichido Eyebrow Liner Duo Kit

(2) Eyeshadow - I love applying eyeshadow if I have enough time. But eyeshadows are not necessary for me, especially when I'm in a hurry.

(3) Eyeliner - Another makeup product that I cannot do without. My HG eyeliner is Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in Towne Care (Black). I apply it using either Bare Escentual's Bent Liner Brush or Elianto Flat Liner Brush. I use the latter more often. I used to own an ELF Liquid Liner and I am pretty satisfied with it. I am now planning to get their Waterproof Eyeliner Pen which is more practical to use when on a hurry.

Benefit Cream Liner in Towne Car (Black)

4) Mascara - I am not a mascara person. My mascaras are usually reserved for special occasion makeup (LOL). I just usually curl my lashes before I head out of the house. I have only 2 mascaras by the way (Clinique and Maybelline) which I am guessing are already clumping inside their tubes because of neglect and non-usage. Haha!

Fanny Serrano Mini Lash Curler

(5) Foundation - Just recently, I find foundation application necessary whenever I go somewhere. Earlier on in my makeup life (LOL), powder would be enough when I go out of the house. But I fell in love with the coverage that powder foundation gives. I sparingly apply it using my Bare Escentuals Handy Buki Brush when I don't have enough time.

(6) Powder - I think this is a no-brainer, for an oily-skinned girl like me, powder is my salvation. I apply my powder using a brush (either a mineral powder foundation brush or a mini buki brush).

Avon Powder Foundation (left) and Avon Pressed Powder (right)

(7) Concealer - A definite essential, however I'm still on the hunt for my HG concealer. I liked Avon's but I want to try mineral powder concealer next.

(8) Blush - Nah, not really an essential for me. The reason? I am acne-prone so the skin over my cheeks are somewhat red from post acne marks (but trust me, it's not that bad... well not as bad as it used to be back in high school and college, Haha!)

(9) Lipstick - Yes, definitely. I use an almost nude shade for day wear and a pink shade for night wear. Click here to see my lipsticks.

My NYX Lipsticks

I do not use/own the following cosmetic products so they are definitely not on my list of essentials:
(1) Lipliner
(2) Makeup base - I just simply use my Nivea Sunblock for this purpose.
(3) Eye makeup base
(4) Bronzer/Highlighter/Luminizer/Contouring Powder - I plan to get a bronzer soon though.
(5) Lipgloss - Yes ladies, I do not use lipgloss. I don't want to further emphasize my already thick lips (LOL).

So there you go, if and when I get better at applying makeup, I am sure to definitely add more essentials in my list. But for the time being, these are the makeups that I cannot leave home without. Till my next post lovelies! Xoxo!

Avon and Ever Bilena Mini Haul

On the very few chances that I get out of the house (LOL), I always see to it to come by our local mall (which is along my way home anyway). One day, I needed to post a package for one of my buyers. So before taking the jeepney ride headed home, I swung by Nepo Mall.

I have been wanting to get a powder foundation from Avon but told myself to just wait till it's on sale. There's this one stall there that stocks up on Avon products, hence you don't have to wait for days for your order to arrive.

I bought the Avon Simply Pretty Shine No More Dual Powder Foundation SPF 13 in Almond. They didn't have any testers and these foundations come sealed so there is no way for me to check the actual color. My only reference for color is their brochure. I was originally planning to buy the darkest shade (Natural) but they don't have available stocks for it. And so I settled for Almond (this foundation only comes in 3 shades by the way). The SA reaffirmed my choice by saying that Natural would be too dark for me. I bought it for PHP 199.

Then I checked Robinson's Department Store. I went straight to their tiny cosmetics section. As I was browsing through the stands of different local makeup brands, I decided to go for Ever Bilena. I bought 2 Ever Bilena Single Blushes in Tan and Brown. I personally like sun-kissed, natural look so baby pink blushes (and other blush shades for fair-skinned folks) are a big no-no for me. Each blush is sold for PHP 100.

There's another kind of EB blush that comes with a brush applicator. It is prized at PHP 150. Both blushes (the ones that I bought and this other kind) are 4g in size. So when you come to think of it, you bought the applicator brush (which is no good in my opinion) for an additional PHP 50. Who would want to waste PHP 50 on a useless brush right? Hahaha!

Oh well, enough of the talking, here are some photos of my latest mini haul:

Avon Simply Pretty Shine No More Dual Powder Foundation SPF 13 in Almond (top)
Ever Bilena Single Blush in Tan (left)
Ever Bilena Single Blush in Brown (right)

click to enlarge

Labels at the back

Quick swatches (no flash)
I can't seem to see a big color difference between the blushes.

with flash

I will try to do some reviews on these products as soon as I can. Enjoy the rest of the week lovelies! ^_^