I thought I'd start doing "favourites" posts here, because I'm always intrigued by other people's favourites. Most bloggers or YouTubers do monthly favourites, but I don't necessarily want to limit myself in that way; I've called them "Friday Favourites" so I can post as many or as little as I like (on Fridays). They will be beauty-related for the most part, but I will add other random favourites, too, like if I've read a particularly excellent book or eaten something really spectacular. So, without further ado, here is my first Friday Favourites post!
Viseart Eyeshadow Palette in 01 Neutral Mattes — The most silky smooth, finely-milled, ultra-pigmented matte eyeshadows I have ever used. Truly the only neutral palette you'll ever need.
Hourglass Ambient Bronzer in Luminous Bronze Light — Creates a most gorgeous, natural glowy warmth on the skin without being shiny or shimmery. I also like to use it as a soft bronzy blush on the cheeks. So great to fake a healthy complexion as we head into winter.
MAC #196 Brush — The most perfect foundation/concealer blending brush. It's dense so you can add more coverage effortlessly, but blends out like a sponge so make-up never looks cakey or streaky. The size and the angled top are excellent for using under the eye and around the nose.
MAC Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Oh, Darling! — I almost wasn't going to put this because it's sold out everywhere and going for $100 on eBay (seriously, I just looked it up), but it really has been my favourite highlighter since it launched. It's a weightless liquid-powder hybrid that imparts the perfect champagne gold colour with a gorgeous metallic finish and makes the skin look ultra-smooth and super luminous. Blends out like a dream, too. Honestly, I prefer this over the Becca highlighters. It's a damn shame that this is limited edition.
Chanel Le Vernis Nail Colour in 665 Vibrato — The perfect royal blue cream shade. Ultra-pigmented, self-levelling, no streaks, and no staining.
YSL Rouge Volupté Silky Sensual Radiant Lipstick in 3 Ultimate Beige — YSL's Rouge Volupté is definitely in my Top 5 lipstick formulas of all time (it's creamy with full saturated colour pay-off, dries down to a satin finish, and is comfortable to wear) and this shade is my ultimate MLBB; it's a medium rosy brown with a hint of mauve. I've been reaching for this more than any of my other lipsticks recently because it's so low-maintenance but looks so polished.
Carry On by Rainbow Rowell — I honestly didn't think I was gonna love this as much as I do. It's a novel that is based on a fictional fanfic that was originally introduced in Rowell's Fangirl (another favourite). It's described as "a ghost story, a love story, and a mystery." Basically, it's like a parody of Harry Potter, but featuring mages instead of wizards, vampire existentialism, and two gay boys as the main characters. It's funny, it's charming, and it's freakin' fantastic.
Raisin gelato from Love Gelato — Not rum raisin. Just raisin. The flavour of raisin without the gross shrivelled up texture of actual raisins. It has a hint of nutmeg or cinnamon in it, too. Absolutely, positively delightful for the fall season. Fuck pumpkin spice, this shit is where it's at.
Carrie Underwood's Greatest Hits: Decade #1 — I don't know why I'm into country pop all of a sudden, but Carrie Underwood makes it hard to resist. I was indifferent to her for a decade, and then I watched a video of her performing Guns 'n' Roses' "Paradise City" (which she absolutely, 100% slays), and now I'm obsessed with her. But, not obsessed enough to buy her entire catalog of music. Enter her greatest hits album. Highlights for me include "Little Toy Guns," "Before He Cheats," "Wasted," "Good Girl," and "Two Black Cadillacs."
What are your most recent favourites?
Girl, Apple Music - do it. As a person who listens to way too many types of music (bad for wallet), it's so nice! You can download albums for when you're not on wifi, and then listen to them in the car (bluetooth) and wherever else. I'm not a Carrie Underwood fan, despite loving country music, but she does have some songs that I like. Miranda's my favorite, though!
ReplyDeleteI have been eyeing a Viseart palette for a neutral palette! This one looks good, and there is another one that seemed mostly neutral that I was leaning toward. How many do you have?
And ooh, I didn't know Leigh Bardugo came out with a new book! Putting that on my list.
When you download albums through Apple Music, is it like downloading them as usual through iTunes? Or are all downloads included in the monthly price?
DeleteHaha, I am just loving Carrie Underwood all of a sudden. I don't like all of her songs, of course, but I think her brand of country is more widely appealing. I don't know a lot of Miranda's songs, but I do like "Something Bad" with Carrie, lol!
I have four Viseart palettes now (I just bought one with the VIB sale), but I definitely use the neutral mattes one the most -- on its own and combined with others. Well worth the money, IMO. Everyone's always griping about how expensive they are ($100 CAD), but it equals out to $8.33 per shadow and each palette contains 24 grams of product. So actually, per gram, it's about the same as Urban Decay's Naked palettes!
And yes, I loved the Shadow and Bone series so much that I couldn't wait for her new release. :)
Everything you download on Apple Music is included in the price. S & I share one (family plan), so it's $16.99/month total for both of us to listen to everything we want...it's perfect. So you can download albums for later (like if you're going to be leaving wifi) or jus stream everything all day if you are on a constant connection. I mean, you can stream on data, too, but that depends on your plan.
DeleteOh, wow. I spend so much more than that a month on music through iTunes. Gonna get into Apple Music ASAP. Thanks for the info! :)
DeleteHi, I remember a looong time ago (I think it was a couple years ago) you did a haul on some Body Shop products. I was wondering what you thought of the Shea lip butter and the Body Shops hand creams, are they any good? I've been looking for a good overnight lip balm and a hand cream since winter is coming. Thanks!! :)
ReplyDeleteHi Stephanie, I would say that The Body Shop's Lip Butters and Hand Creams are decent-to-good, depending on the formula. I still prefer Jack Black or Bite Beauty for lip balm and L'Occitane en Provence for hand cream, both of which I find to be more repairing than The Body Shop's, but if you stock up during their sales, they're well worth it. The Shea Lip Butter and the Hemp Hand Cream are definitely your best bets if you have ultra-dry skin. :)
DeleteDamn, those Viseart palettes are tempting.
ReplyDeleteI don't really know any Carrie Underwood songs but when she sang Heart's "Alone" during an episode of American Idol as a contestant, it blew my mind.
The Viseart palettes are maybe the best shadows I've ever used in my life. Which is really saying something. Like, if there was one palette that I had to use for the rest of my life, it would be the Viseart Neutral Mattes.
DeleteIt's funny because it's her performance of "Heart" that really made me curious about her! I was like, "DAMN, that girl can BELT." But it's this rendition of the song for iHeartRadio that really cinched it for me. She KILLS IT.