Vanitea Makes up : Face of the Day #1

This has been my go-to routine for the weekends. I don't vary in terms of base products too often. I have a tendency of purchasing way too many foundations and I have recently made a pact with myself to keep it to 2 at a time. One for night and one for daily use. 

Starting off with primer, I am using the Smashbox Photo Finish Light Primer. I have this in a smaller size, just because I've been wanting to try it out first and also I travel quite a bit so this makes for easy packing. Then I use my new foundation, L'oreal True Match Foundation. I will be posting a separate review for this soon, but I do mix W2 and W3 together to get a better match. If I am having a bad skin day, which I usually am, I go in with my MAC Select Cover up Concealer  to cover up any blemishes and dark circles I have. To top it all off, the highly raved about Rimmel Stay Matte Powder, that obviously lives up to its reputation of being affordable and working great. To give my face some shape and a less pasty complexion, I use NARS Douceur as a bronzer, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle as a highlighter on my cheekbones, and MAC Melba Blush on the apples of my cheeks. 

After my base makeup is done, I use my Givenchy Eyebrow Show to give my brows some uplifting and Maybelline Great Lash Clear Mascara to keep them in place. Using a little bit of MAC Satin Taupe on my lids, I head on to mascara. I usually either use eyeliner or mascara, but today, I decided on going with curled lashes instead. Using my new favorite mascara, L'oreal Telescopic Shocking Extensions Mascara. I use one coat of this and layer a coat of Clinique High Impact Extreme Volume Mascara, giving my lazy Asian eyelashes the lift and the curl it needs to make me look more awake. 

On days that I tend to wear monochromatic outfits, I like to use a pop of color on my lips and recently I fell completely in love with Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipsticks in their Kate Moss Collection.  For a more daytime look, I tend to just smudge it on my lips instead of full on coating it and using lip liner, just to make it less dramatic. I am using number 107, which is like a plum-y red that's perfect for the Fall, but honestly, if it works it works. Don't let a season confine you in certain trends. If you want to wear pastel in the winter and it works for you, go for it.  

I hope you like this type of blog posts. I apologize for the photo being slightly washed out due to the awkward Central Coast weather in California where the weather decides to be cloudy and extremely bright, but not sunny. 

Thanks for reading! 

Vanitea Reviews : Eve Lom Cleanser.

The cult-favorite Eve Lom Cleanser has finally landed in my hands!!!! Actually, that was a lie. As you can see from the second picture, I've already used it for a while. 3 weeks to be precise. I'm about 1/3 way to needing to purchase a new one, so I anticipate another month or so of usage before having to shell out another chunk of money for this.

The cleanser comes with an instruction sheet that teaches you how to properly use the cleanser in the best way possible. It apparently takes 5-10 minutes to complete the entire process. Most days, I am too lazy to stand there in my bathroom, massaging my face for anything more than 3 minutes. But, on days that I'm feeling especially tired, I would use about 5-6 minutes, applying pressure on the forehead, cheeks, chin, and neck. Let me just say....it feels, smells, IS, amaaaaaaazing. It has a slight herb-y smell? I'm not exactly sure what scent it is, but personally, I really like it, but I can definitely see it being a huge hit or miss with people. The texture is almost slightly grainy and balmy, hence the label of  cleansing balm. Once you apply it to DRY skin, it becomes an oil that removes every smudge of makeup you have on. Even eye makeup! I run a basin of warm-hot water in my sink and dump in the muslin cloth. I squeeze most of the water out of the cloth and lay it on my face until it cools. Once you remove the cloth, you can literally see your makeup on it. Repeat the process a few times while rinsing out the cloth and making circles around your face for extra exfoliation. 

This cleanser has really improved my skin and optimized my skincare regimen. My blemishes have become less frequent and my extremely sensitive and red-prone skin has become more calm and less blotchy. I use less foundation, which is definitely a good sign that my skin is improving, not just blemish wise, but texture and tone wise. 

I've heard a lot of good things about balm cleansers and have been wanting to try one out for a while. The more popular one among bloggers is the Emma Hardie one, but since I'm in the U.S, it is not as easily accessible as Eve Lom. I purchased this one at the Space NK counter in Bloomingdales for $50 USD/ 1.7fl. oz. Yes, it is very pricey for such a small product. Honestly, I thought about returning this after getting it, just because it was just so darn expensive. Now, that my skin is so much better, how can I return this! 

What do you think of balm cleansers? Have you tried this one or is there another one you would recommend?