All Time Favourites: Makeup

Base makeup

• Smashbox Photofinish Primer - use a tiny thin amount with your fingers to blend out - this will smooth out pores and textures very well, just don’t use too much! Best for normal-combo skin, this will give too much slip for oily skin and won’t be hydrating enough for dry skin.

• Numbuzin No.3 Porcelain Base-skip Tone Up Beige - a very blendable tone-up cream / SPF that mixes well with illuminating primers. I use this as a replacement for foundation sometimes since this doesn’t accentuate skin textures.

• NARS Creamy Concealer - most common shade for asian skintones is Custard (I’ve tried to find dupes for this and I hate to love this because this runs out in 3 months for me. I typically use this for blemishes but if I’m feeling lazy to bust out the IT Cosmetics bye bye undereye I’ll use this for dark circles too.

• The Dior Forever Skin Correct Concealer - most common shade for asian skintones is 1.5N - but keep in mind this will oxidize a little. This is very similar coverage than the NARS and is more creamy and a little less drying, the shade 1 or 2N is much more neutral than the NARS (Custard runs a little yellow sometimes).

• IT Cosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer - get the mini sizes - Either #13 for more lighter skintones or #20 for medium skintones is good for most light medium skintones - it will last a looong time since you only use a TINY bit at a time, I’m talking well over a year. ONLY use this for undereyes though - this doesn’t dry down so it’s more suitable for that area. Set with a setting spray or a lightweight powder for the best finish.

• Maybelline Fit Me Concealer - I don’t have many drugstore items in my kit, but this one is my absolute favorite lightweight concealer (for more natural coverage). It blends like a dream and has a skinlike finish, I usually will carry shade 11 or 22 with me and use shade 11 as a natural highlight.

Longwearing eye makeup

• Kiss Me Heroine Make Long & Curl Mascara in Brown - I love the look of lighter colored brows and brown liner and mascara for fair skintones - it doesn’t feel too stark on the face and is so much softer.

• Kiss Me Heroine Make Retractable Eyeliners (great soft gel liners, similar to the consistency of the UD 24/7 liners but don’t need to sharpen) - almost a little too soft so only scroll out a little at a time!

• L’Oreal Telescopic Waterproof Mascara in Black (love the wand on this, but I only use a thin layer of this as a base to really hold up lashes and separate them for a clean look prior to applying false lashes).

Favourite blushes and contour for asian skintones

• EM Cosmetics So Soft Blushes/Bronzers - I have this one in Terra and it blends beautifully on top of a bit of primer/foundation and is best for outer face contour. It is actually SO SOFT like the name says. I’ve tried the Fenty contour sticks and those are dry and really drag across the skin (only thing about the Terra color is that it is a little too warm-toned to be used as a proper contour shade for more fair/cooler skin types). Also a gripe about EM Cosmetics is that the shipping to Canada is a bit of a bummer (bit more costly and maybe a 2-3 week wait)…but I will still keep buying from them haha.

• For a cool-tone contour I really like the Peripera Ink V Shading in shade 03 Hazel Grey - this is great for nose contour or outer face contour if you’re more on the neutral/cool tone side, it’s less pigmented than MAC Omega so its easier to blend out and looks more natural.

• Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blushes - Favourite color for light skintones is Joy, and Believe for light medium skintones. Do not get the matte finish versios of these, they are harder to blend! The radiant finish shades are the best - a little goes A LONG WAY too. If you get one you’ll probably never run out. 3 tiny dots for the cheeks, a dot on the lip, and a little tiiiny dot each on the eyelids for a monochromatic, healthy look. (I don’t have any other powder cheek favorites because I find creams/liquids tend to look the most natural on the skin.)

Best lippies

• YSL Rouge Volupté Shine Balms - I have very sensitive lips and everything makes them dry and peel except these lipsticks. My favourite shades of all time have been discontinued though so I’ll update here once I find new fav colors.

• Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask - so nice, I normally dislike all fragrance but these just smell delicious and you always wake up with supple lips after!

• Elizabeth Arden 8-Hour Cream - for super dry chapped lips! (don’t use every day though!)

• Select MAC shades (will update soon with swatches!)

Best setting sprays

• Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish Setting Powder - um… I have never known a love like this before I used this product. Hands down the best pressed-setting powder I’ve ever used, it really blurs out skin texture. Just use a super soft bristled brush with this and a light hand because the powder is very soft.

• MAC Fix+ - This basically only is water and glycerin, but it’s very multi-purpose for mixing, priming the face and setting powder products (note: it is not a long-lasting makeup spray).

• Morphe Continuous Setting Mist - Is hands down the best makeup setting spray and has the finest, most even mist! (I like it better than the Urban Decay and the MUFE one because those literally can feel like droplets on the face). This setting mist will create a small film almost over the skin and will ensure the longevity of your makeup.