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14 December 2018

My Spring 2018 Favourites

I haven't blogged in ages and I haven't done a favourites post in even longer, oops! I thought that I'd combine the previous months' favourites post into one and then it hit me: I haven't done any favourites posts during the past three months, so this is now my spring favourites post.

I've pretty much used the same products for months because that has just been the easiest. Between working full time, taking care of a baby, and running a household, there hasn't been too much time or energy for blogging or trying out new products! In today's post I'm only mentioning skincare and makeup products that I haven't mentioned in a favourites post before.


Skincare


I've placed three orders on Glow Theory (let me know in the comments if you'd like to know what I bought) and I've been trying to incorporate more Korean Beauty skincare products into my routine. The K-Beauty rituals absolutely fascinate me and who wouldn't want glass skin? My K-Beauty favourites of the past three months include the Pyunkang Yul Mist Toner, J.One Jelly Pack, and the J.One Black Jelly Pack. The Pyunkang Yul mist toner comes in a spray bottle (obviously) and I spritz it onto cleaned and exfoliated skin. It gives my skin a nice burst of hydration and everything just feels nice and plumped and refreshed afterwards. I don't like the smell, but luckily it goes away very quickly.

The two J.One products are, however, the stars of the show! At first I was a bit hesitant to use the J.One Jelly Pack (white tube) as the consistency is very weird: it's a clear gel but it's extremely tacky. When it comes into contact with your skin it almost turns into superglue. You can't rub it in, you have to pat it in. It creates a sticky base for whatever you put on afterwards. It is to be used as the last step in your skincare routine so it makes an excellent base for your foundation or BB cream. My makeup goes on beautifully and it stays put all day long. It really is quite an amazing product! I love the J.One Black Jelly Pack as a sleeping pack (at night, obviously). The product comes out as a blue-gray jelly and it smells good too. It almost feels cooling on the skin and it leaves my skin plump, juicy, and hydrated. I honestly don't know what else to write about it - just go and try it!



Other skincare favourites include the Nivea Q10 Plus C Anti-wrinkle + Energy cream and La Roche-Posay Anthelios XL SPF50 sunscreen. I was skeptical about the Nivea Q10 cream because if I'm being honest I'd much rather slap Nivea on my body than on my face. That being said, I did read a few positive reviews from bloggers I trust so I decided to try it. I can't say that this has revolutionised my skin, but I can say that on nights where I've used this, I wake up to clear and smooth skin the next morning.

I've been a bit slack with applying SPF to my skin, especially my face, so now I'm making a concerted effort to protect my facial skin at least. Some recommended the La Roche-Posay and I have to say, I quite like it. It's a little bit more tacky and greasy than, say, the Kiehl's SPF50, but it's a lot less greasy and sticky than what I used in previous years. Makeup goes on easily afterwards and I don't experience more shininess than usual.

Makeup


I've heard lots of overseas bloggers rave about the Catrice Prime and Fine Multitalent Fixing Spray and I'm really enjoying it. I haven't used it for the full three months, but for as long as I've used it I've like it. I like this more than the Catrice mattifying fixing spray (it smelled weird and made my lips tingle). I've used this both as a primer and as a fixing spray and I like it both ways. It makes my skin dewy without making it look oily.

At long last we have the Maybelline Instant Anti-age Eraser concealer in South Africa! When I saw it in my local Dischem I nearly fainted. I have it in the shade "Light" which I thought was going to be too light for me, but in actual fact is a good match. I apply it on my undereye area (on top of a bit of Benefit Erase Paste) and blend it in with a damp Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. I absolutely adore this concealer and will definitely repurchase.



Next up are two mascaras, Smashbox Full Exposure mascara and essence I Need A Miracle Volumizing & Strengthening Mascara. The Smashbox has a cone-shaped brush and I find that it does a great job at adding length and volume to my lashes. It's very black and it's not too wet so that it smudges everywhere. The essence mascara has an odd almost hourglass-shaped wand that also adds a good amount of volume to my lashes. It's supposed to tint your lashes over time but I can't say that I've experienced that (I don't use the same mascara each day). I love the packaging and since it's essence, it is super affordable.



My final favourites for spring are two eyeshadow palettes that look quite the same but aren't in the same price bracket: Smashbox Cover Shot: Neutrals eyeshadow palette and Makeup Revolution Reloaded Iconic Fever eyeshadow palette. The Smashbox eyeshadow palette is small and compact and contains eight shadows and a mirror. There are three matte shadows and the rest are gorgeous subtly shimmery shades. It's very warm toned and ranges from a rich camel brown to a deep dark chocolate brown, with bronzy red shades in-between. The Makeup Revolution palette contains 15 large eyeshadow pans and no mirror, but the price point is fantastic (R130 at selected Clicks stores). Nine of the shadows are matte and the rest are shimmery. This palette is also very warm toned but I feel that the difference between the different shades aren't as pronounced as in the Smashbox palette. Both palettes' shadows are buttery and soft, but I find that the shimmery shades in the Makeup Revolution palette don't layer as well on top of the matte shades as I would like them to, but maybe I should use it with Mac Fix+ spray or something.

And that's a wrap for my spring 2018 favourites! Which of these products have you used? Let me know in the comment section.

Until next time!

Hildegarde
xoxo