A face full of favourites feat. YSL Séductrice

January of the new year is almost over, and the world hasn't imploded, yay! But seriously, I know time is time and the universe doesn't care if for us a new year is some sort of reset, but I do care. If you have hope and good intentions, good things will happen. If you're depressed and burdened, well, good luck. Trivial new beginnings aside, I wanted to share some things I've been loving.

I didn't do favourites last year because I honestly don't buy/use enough stuff to come up with a list. Sure, there were a few things, but then I got distracted and then I fell out of love with some of them. But, the ones that have stood the test of time (2 years) are here for your enjoyment, all also demonstrated on my face!

I'm going to start off with the oldest item on my list, the one that would have been in last year's favourites - Yves Saint Laurent Blush Volupté in 02 Séductrice. I'd mentioned lusting after that colour in my Baby Doll review and I did end up getting it. I'm sorry, I never took pictures of it when it was brand new and untouched. I was too into it, but then, for every 10 times I wanted to use it, I'd only allow myself one, because I was so determined to preserve the embossing and still take the photos. You can just barely tell where the Mondrian print and YSL branding was. I failed at getting pristine pics while also denying myself using it most of the times I'd wanted to. But this is why I wrote this post, this is as „new“ as my blush will look anymore, I've photographed it and am now free to use it EVERY DAY!

Honestly, I love this blush. I tried taking multiple pictures in daylight to capture just how nice it is, but didn't quite manage to. This will be a theme in my favourites though, everything I love is kind of a perfect match for my colouring. Séductrice is a very pale warm pink. It's not like Baby Doll, you can dig your brush in there hoping to get more pigment, but there's a limit and you can't go past it. It's impossible to over-do this blush.

On me, it's the perfect, natural pink, which I wish my skin would be when I get flushed, alas, naturally, I turn red. It's delicate, but long lasting. The powder is soft and silky. I can't say enough good things about it, it's my perfect nude. I don't know how it would work on someone darker than me. You can see further down, that even swatched, it just barely shows up on me (just the pink, minus the center shimmery part, though it doesn't make a huge difference). It seems to be pigmented, just extremely light, so it might just show up on darker skin as a pastel pink, which is a super pretty look, in my opinion.

Moving on with face products, the Kanebo Sensai Triple Touch Compact had been on my wish-list for a very long time. Their loose powder is incredible, and I really wanted to have a pressed version for on the go. Unfortunately, at least here, the only options are pressed powder foundations, which are all too dark, have lots of coverage and are not mattifying, or the Triple Touch Compact, of which the TC-01 Light colour is actually usable on me. 

The powder in this compact is sadly not the pressed version of the loose powder I love so much. I imagine a true translucent version would be very firmly pressed and you'd get hardly any kick-back from putting your brush into the pan. This powder is incredibly soft and crumbles quite easily. I've not used it a lot at all, and I started seeing the grooves of the pan underneath after just a few uses. It looks much more like powder on the skin, whereas the loose powder doesn't add any perceivable texture, just softness and blur. 

The reason I really enjoyed this compact is because of how all three products worked together. I initially wanted the powder and took the „two“ concealers as bonus products. The colour concealer is very buttery soft, which I thought would be a disaster on my combination skin, but it doesn't irritate me at all. I've never found a concealer that would actually cover my pigmentation spots, they always show through any product, and this was no exception. It did however diffuse their appearance and worked fine under my eyes. 

The product I thought I'd have no use at all for, is what they call a transparent concealer, the white stuff. It seemed like an utter gimmick to me, or something only applicable to deep lines, which I don't have, and yet, THAT'S the product I hit pan on first. As I said, the powder didn't really provide the soft focus blur I'd hoped, but I still used it with a wispy brush under my eyes and in the t-zone, and switched to a foundation brush to buff it into the areas I wanted more coverage (which this powder provides), but it's the clear concealer that in fact gives that blurry quality to the skin. 

I used the compact mainly while traveling and I loved the quick, natural look that all three products, when used together, provided. I'd use the clear concealer on and around my nose, where my pores are most visible, as well as between my eyebrows; I'd use the colour concealer under my eyes and on the more glaring scar clusters; and I'd use two different types of brushes with the powder to set and to add coverage. It was hot and I was doing a lot of walking, no makeup (on me) would have lasted past midday, so looking natural yet put together, and being able to get ready fast was key. 

A criticism I have is that the design of the compact isn't very user-friendly. I like multitaskers, but the different sides of this compact are tricky to access and not ergonomic when used. The plastic insert, protecting the pouf from the powder, is just flat and always falls out the minute you open the thing. 

And of course, you go through the product fast. I hate pallets because you use up contents at a different rate and every time something is gone, and you can't replace it, the item becomes less and less useful. While the Triple Touch Compact is a nice product, I'd recommend using all of it whenever you reach for it, so everything gets used up more or less at the same time. I'm not sure if I'll re-purchase it when it's gone, but I really enjoyed the simple, natural look it provided during hectic travel days. 

I got the L'Oreal Infallible Pro-Matte foundation in 101 Classic Ivory last fall in the US. I got this based on a youtube review, and initially, didn't like it. I also picked up a Revlon foundation on that trip, which seemed to take the cake, but then their roles switched.

The colour is too dark and orange for me, at first. Besides the challenge of finding a colour that's light enough, something that's a major problem for me is pilling. No matter how thinly I apply a moisturizer, most foundations will pill upon application, this one does that very little.

Yes, it's not an ideal shade match, but it's acceptable. Yes the squeezy tube is very thin and flimsy, the tip is wide and makes a mess in the semi translucent cap, but I really like it. I'd say it has medium coverage and it works well with fingers, brushes as well as a sponge. The foundation gets better after application, it blurs itself and adapts slightly to your skin colour. At the end of the day, it wears better than anything I've ever tried. It has a soft focus effect that lasts on my combination/oily skin, and its compact packaging, while kind of cheap-feeling, is a win.

A former colleague of mine got a Beauty Blender/soap set freebie at an event that she wasn't using, and kindly passed it on to me. I'd been curious about the egg-shaped sponge for a while, but couldn't justify the price. It costs as much as some very decent foundation brushes, and you don't have to throw those away after half a year. Well, this sponge is pretty special and I like it.

I don't use it daily, but sometimes, it's a lifesaver. Remember the pilling problem? White dots gathering into pores? Well, the effect is greatly minimized if the foundation is applied with a damp beauty blender. Also, I live in Northern Europe, and for nearly half a year, the sun only gets up at about 10 A.M. (and it's dark by 4 P.M.), so this tool is extremely helpful if you're applying your makeup in the dark, and it's really hard to tell if there are harsh line with artificial lighting. The BB is almost guaranteed to blend everything.

I also find it works faster than a brush. Overall, I still prefer a brush, because the bouncing motion is more fatiguing. I use it a few times a month. I've had it since last March and I just noticed a tiny bit of foam missing today. I'm not sure I'd run out to replace it once my current one is obsolete, but I really like having the Beauty Blender option.

The only other tool I want to mention is the Wayne Goss eyeshadow brush nr 06. I placed an order with Beautylish while waiting for a flight, and had it shipped to a friend in the US. It wasn't the only brush I ordered, but it's the one I actually love.

I'd spent a long time choosing which eye brush to get and settled on the 06 because it seemed like it would work as a lay-down brush, but it wasn't the typical flat and stiff shape of one. I honestly wasn't expecting much, but ended up being blown away. I didn't know an eye brush could have such lovely, soft and flexible bristles. I'd compare them to the ones in my Kyureido blush brush. It is so gentle on the skin while still incredibly efficient. I use it for laying down shadow, in the crease as well as blending. I adore it, and want more... (yikes).

Continuing with eyes, I'd researched Inglot shadows online and when I was in NYC, I went to their Time's Square store and assembled two pallets. Overall, I like the shadows, I think they are good quality and great for the price. My favourite by far though is the matte warm grey in nr. 342. I kind of got it because I needed to fill a space in the pallet, and I'm so glad I did.

I have versions of all the other shades I got, but this is unique to my collection. I'd never gotten the mid-done grey/brown matte shadow craze, but now I get it. It's stunning in the crease over other shadows, or on its own, just to create depth, and I love it under the lower lash-line, it creates the most beautiful, understated shadow. I'm wearing it in my crease, outer corner and underneath the lower lash-line in the look. Highly recommend this eyeshadow!

Eyebrows are sort of my thing, so I'm always on the lookout for a great eyebrow pencil. I do have my holy grail one, but I decided to explore the drugstore side of the spectrum, just in case I'm missing an affordable gem. I came across the Maybelline Brow Satin in Dark Blond and I'm now on my third or fourth one. It's a retractible pencil, the formula is very long lasting and it's a nice match for my red hair. I traveled with it, because I didn't want to rely on a pencil sharpener, and it worked very well in sweaty, hot weather and very long days.

It's not perfect though. While I like that it's retractible and I don't mind the size of the tip, I do dislike the thickness of the plastic walls housing the product at the very tip. It's difficult to explain, but I wish the plastic would taper seamlessly and wouldn't have that abrupt, thick wall between the tip and itself. The reason why this bothers me is that you (I mean I) use a pencil at an angle, and with a design like this, the tip has to be twisted out quite a bit for it, and not the plastic edge, to actually touch your skin. I hope that makes sense.

Also, the other end of the product. I don't know why this is, but both my current favourite brow pencils have entirely useless stuff on the flip side of the pencil, neither come with a freakin spooley. I just... Ugh. The Maybelline comes with a sponge tip that's spring loaded and picks up a bit of powder in the cap every time you unscrew it. For me, it's completely useless. Occasionally I'll use the powder just to use it, but the tip runs out of powder after about 2 strokes (so you have to close it again etc) and it's too sheer and imprecise to use, for me. I would rather it had a spooley, but for the price and overall convenience, I guess I can't really complain.

Rounding up the eye (area) category is the Clarins Waterproof Cream Eyeshadow in 01 Golden Peach. I wanted this to potentially replace the Dior Chimere, as my everyday one colour look, unfortunately, it does not. I'm wearing it all over the lid in the look, and if you can see it, that's great, because I don't.

Initially, the shadow is very pigmented, but once you start spreading and blending, it becomes virtually transparent, and the only thing that's left is the rather old-fashioned, white pearly sheen. If you try and apply it thicker, it looks and feels awful. Once it sets, it forms a film, you can feel it stuck to the skin every time you blink, and it makes even the youngest of skin look crapey and old. Sounds terrible, right? Well, there's an upside.

While I can't see it on my lids, I've been told by others they can and it looks nice. But that's not its saving grace. This eyeshadow is an incredible base. Everything I put over it lasts unbelievably well right up to the point when I'm ready to remove the makeup. Powder shadows, other creams, that crease like mad on me, even ill-behaved eyeliners that transfer and gather in the creases of my lids, all wear beautifully. I use this shadow virtually every day and when I run out, which will not be soon, because you need so little, I'd gladly re-purchase it, if Clarins still make them.

And finally, of course I managed to forget something, is the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 05. Sorry, it was in my coat pocket while I was taking pictures of everything else. I'd wanted this very one for several years and finally got it last summer. I've been quite disappointed in lip products and have preferred to stick to what I know and love, so my hopes weren't very high for this, but I needed some retail therapy at the time.

I'd only ever been interested in the 05 shade because it's the only colour that doesn't look entirely clear on me, there's a slight peachy pink tint (again, sorry there's no swatch, but I am wearing it in the look). I love this stuff! It's moisturizing and comfortable on the lips, without being sticky (unless it's windy and my hair is down, then it will stick to the gloss). It's the comfort and ease of a lip balm with a more elevated and refined look.

The lip perfector even got me through an 8 hour flight! I couldn't find my usual lip balm, but had this in my jacket pocket, and when I opened it, the pressure in the aircraft made the product just start pouring out like crazy. I applied the mess to the back of my hand and put the cap back on as quickly as I could, and applied the „wasted“ product thickly all over my lips. This was after the meal had been served and there was still a lot of doing nothing to come, and by the time they served the coffee and sandwich 45 minutes before landing, the Clarins was still very much on my lips, which is probably around 6,5-7 hours since application. That's amazing! I had to make a mental note to not use it again because of the whole expanding/exploding tube situation, but it was incredibly effective despite the little mess (and of course I forgot this on my next flight).

Much like raindrops on roses and whiskers on kittens, these are a few of my favourite things. Nothing mind-blowing, shocking or terribly unique, just flattering, lovely products I'm glad I've discovered in the past many months. Hope you enjoyed the mini reviews and the look I created!

XO- Or.