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28 February 2019

Monthly Favourites: February

Just like that, it's been just over two months since Christmas! It's like time speeds up more and more each year. There are a lot of favourites this month, both skincare and makeup.



Skincare

As far as skincare goes, there's a lot of new stuff I've been loving this past month. The Cosrx Low pH Good Morning Gel Cleanser was part of a K-Beauty travel bag I bought from Glow Theory. I've been using this cleanser in the morning when showering. It's a clear gel that smells like tea tree oil (one of the main ingredients). It lathers up instead of foaming and it cleans my skin without stripping it. My skin feels fresh and clean afterwards. Another K-Beauty product that made the cut is the Cosrx Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence. It contains 96% snail excretion (apparently no snails were harmed in the making of this product) which sounds terribly disgusting but it has so many skincare benefits. It's apparently good for hydration as well as taking care of scarring, premature aging, and dry patches. The essence is quite sticky and if you're wondering, it doesn't smell like anything. I take two small pumps on my palms and pat it into my skin after using a toner and before using my serum. I don't think I've used it long enough to say if the claims are valid (I've used it for a couple of weeks and it barely looks like I've used it!) but I can feel that it certainly hydrates my skin. The third and last K-Beauty product for this post is the newly-released Huxley Secret of Sahara Good Night Sleep Mask. At R435 for 100 ml this is quite inexpensive for a sleeping mask, in my opinion. It's formulated with prickly pear cactus extract which is the new buzzword in skincare (as far as I've read). It is high in antioxidants which is always a good thing for a skincare product! It also includes Vitamin E and hyaluronic acid. It's a silky gel cream that sinks into the skin beautifully. The next morning I wake up with plump, clear, and hydrated skin. A definite winner.

Another overnight mask that I've been loving this past month is the Bioderma HydraBio Moisturising Mask for sensitive and dehydrated skin. It's a white gel cream that reminds me of the Avene soothing mask, just a but thicker. I slather it on at night after all my toners and essences and it sinks into the skin completely. This also leaves me with soft and plump skin the next morning. The last skincare favourite is a new lip balm that I discovered after losing the lipbalm I always carry in my handbag. The La Roche-Posay Cicaplast Barrier Repairing Balm can be applied to the lips and anywhere else where skin is dry and chapped. It contains 5% Panthenol to soothe and repair skin. It's a thick cream and it tastes sweet (I always taste lip balms, ok!). After applying it to my lips I can still feel it's there an hour later, which to me is quite amazing. It doesn't feel waxy or greasy on the lips, it just feels like a comfortable creamy lipstick. I recently fell and have scabs on my arm that started to dry out and itch. I applied the balm to the itchy area and within two applications the itching was gone and the area felt hydrated and supple.

Makeup


There were two oldies from the drugstore that I used this month but I don't think I've ever mentioned them in a favourites post. The first is the NYX Blush in "Pinched" which is supposedly a dupe for NARS' Orgasm. It's a beautiful pink with golden shimmer running through it. I find it really perks up my complexion and especially on mornings where I don't have time to apply blush AND highlight, I just use this. The second oldie is Benefit's Erase Paste. I believe this has been repackaged and renamed as the Boi'ing concealer, but I could be wrong. This little pot is perfect for your handbag or travel bag. It's a salmon concealer, a corrector, to be more specific. I use it on the dark circles under my eyes to counteract the blue hue of my skin. Afterwards I go in with my normal concealer on top. It's very creamy and blendable and it does the job of hiding my dark circles.

I bought the Wet N Wild PhotoFocus Pressed Powder in "Neutral Beige"  a while ago but I've only recently started using it. It's a pressed powder and I use it with a big fluffy kabuki brush to dust over my T-zone to set my makeup in place. It's a nice little compact, the packaging is sturdy, and the powder does the job of setting my makeup. I do, however, have to be light-handed with this as it can look cakey if I pile too much of it on. Another Wet N Wild product that made the list this month is the PhotoFocus Natural Finish Setting Spray. I love the dinky little bottle and the spray is quite fine and even, no one likes big droplets of water ruining their makeup! It makes my makeup last throughout the day and it doesn't make me look shiny or too matte, it's just the right middle ground. My last favourite for the month is the essence I Need A Miracle Volumizing & Strengthening Mascara. It's supposed to have a lash tinting complex that tints your lashes over time, but I can't speak to that. The wand is slightly hourglass-shaped and the bristles are far enough apart to comb through your lashes, coating each one in mascara. At first I didn't really like it, but as the formula dried down slightly, I've been loving it more and more. This is a super affordable mascara and it makes my lashes look thick and long. There is no clumping and it transfers minimally to my brow bone. All in all, I really like this mascara.

Which of these products have you used before? Let me know in the comment section!

Until next time!

Hildegarde
xoxo

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