Change, however, is an integral part of the beauty industry and month after month new products are introduced. Try buying a fashion magazine – any fashion magazine – and you will find enough advertisements to leave you excited, confused, and dizzy all at the same time. Instead of resisting change and stubbornly adhering to habit, it sometimes pays to take a chance. As I happily discovered, my basic beauty box is all the merrier, not to mention efficient, because of the addition of some wonderful beauty loot.
Lancome Juicy Tubes Pop – It’s exactly like Juicy Tubes, the adorable cult favorite in yummy flavors and colors except that this has a minty feel. I love how it makes the lips look kissably luscious while keeping them fresh. Juicy Tubes has the distinct quality of giving your lips ultra shine minus the "I-just-enjoyed-a-plateful-of-lechon" look. I am on my third tube now. The first two I had were unceremoniously taken hostage by two friends of mine who tried it and loved it. Instant addicts, I call them. Grab a tube now, it will make your smackers look and feel yummy.
Lancome Blanc Expert with Mela-No Cx – It’s an advanced whitening compact foundation with spot-minimizing dual action and SPF 25 to boot. I ate something that made my face break out like crazy. Instead of going around with my head covered with a paper bag, I turned to this powder compact to tide me over the natural healing process. Believe it or not, it worked. It really minimized the spots. I even know of someone who used this after she had her warts removed. While waiting for the scabs to fall off, she camouflaged her spots behind a veil of this heaven-sent powder. Best when set with a mist of Evian or Shu Uemura’s Depsea Water Therapy.
Lancome Idealist Refinisher – I heard many wonderful things about this product and it was only during a plane ride home that I had the chance to purchase it from the duty free shopping service offered on board. I tried it and became an instant convert. Not only did it deliver on its promise to make my skin look instantly more even-toned, it also made my skin feel velvety smooth. I especially like using it as a base, it makes everything glide on smoothly. Another plus factor, it has the most refreshing scent (I’m not sure if it’s citrus but it sure smells like it) that definitely perks up tired, dull skin.
Lancome Juicy Rouge – I love it for the way it glides on smoothly without sacrificing both the color and the shine factors. Whereas Juicy Tubes subtly tints the lips with color, Juicy Rouge colors it more definitively.
Shu Uemura White Recovery – Makes my complexion appear more transluscent and fair without making me look like a beauty victim whose face was dipped into a tub full of kabuki makeup. Naturally white is the key word here and this powder compact delivers just that. Of course, it goes without saying that you have to find the shade that matches your skin tone.
Shu Uemura Paradise Fluos in Water Lily – Truth be told, I honestly did not know what to use this for when I bought it. I grabbed it simply because I found it too cute to resist. I was in for a pleasant surprise because I now find it indispensable. It is a pearly white-pink concoction that I use for my eyes and face. Even for those no-makeup days, applying some on the eyelids instantly open up the peepers and with just a coat of mascara I’m all set. I also like using it to highlight the cheekbones after applying some blush. The very subtle, iridescent glow it gives always makes for a very pretty picture.
Shu Uemura Blush in P Red 14 and P Amber 83 – The former gives more intense color so use it very sparingly. The latter is perfect for contouring the cheekbones naturally and can also be used as blush. It can even be used as eyecolor, too, its neutral shade being very versatile.
Shu Uemura Depsea Water – Although it comes in a lot of different scents, my personal favorite is bergamot. I find it an essential tool to flawlessly set makeup and make it appear more natural. Cakey looking foundation is a thing of the past and should be banished forever. This will help ensure you do not step out of the house looking like your face will crack. Spritz a fine mist on newly made up face. Can also be used to freshen even face untouched by makeup.
Inuovi Refresh – This is a skin distressing treatment that restores the skin to its optimal condition within eight hours. It has a relaxing blend of essential oils such as green tea, chamomile, lavender, bergamot. This cream delivers its calming and restorative promise.
Inuovi Eyeliners – I find doing eye makeup very challenging – both eyes never seem to look quite the same when done by my very amateur fingers. Thanks to the consistency of Inuovi’s eyeliners, sporting the smokey look is made much easier. I have a blue one that comes with a twist pen and one in ebony that you have to sharpen pencil-style. I find it easy to blend the two colors, they are very forgiving of mistakes. All I have to do is draw them on lightly, blend and it’s all set. I just make it a point to stay away from a stark black color as this makes the eyes seem smaller and when applied the wrong way, makes the eyes look muddy too. Blue, brown, or gray tend to flatter more.
Nars Eyeshadow Duo in Mogambo – If you should only have one eyeshadow duo in a brown tone, let this be the one. I have yet to find a more flattering shade of brown that will suit any skin tone, from the fairest to the darkest. The lighter color can be used as a base to highlight while the darker color, that surprisingly has a reddish raisin-colored undertone, can be used to line and contour. Together with my favorite Bobbi Brown eyeliner brush (I swear this brush really makes applying powder eyeliner so much easier) I use the dark powder wet to create a line and I just smudge it to soften the edges. Eyes are done in less than 5 minutes. It’s foolproof makeup at its best.
Nars Blush in Deep Throat – A dusting of this peach powder gives you a natural blush that makes you look like your skin has been wind-kissed. Perfect for those with fair complexion as it gives a peaches and cream effect. Especially nice too for those "I’ll-just-put-on-powder-and-lipgloss" days.
One last thing, while I’m pretty sure you religiously take care of your skin (all women do) I can’t be sure about your other-halves. Keep in mind that your man’s skin needs just as much TLC as yours do, if not more, given their rigid outdoor activities. Make sure then that he wears his sunscreen and at night, rub some cream on his face too, especially in the eye area. Do not leave it up to him because unless he is a metrosexual male, he will never do it consistently enough for it to make a difference. Even if you have to rub it in as he is sleeping, do so. If you do not feel comfortable sharing your cream with him, Nivea has recently launched a line that has been especially formulated for men. Start his skin care regimen tonight, if you haven’t yet. Years from now, he and his skin will thank you for it.