From the K-Beauty shops of Seoul to the cinemas of Berlin, our lives seem to influence what we love each month. I fell headlong into the wonderful world of K-Beauty, while Astrid went full-on glam for Berlinale, the famous movie festival.
Dorit’s favourite beauty products
With my trip to Seoul just a few weeks behind me (and thanks for that killer cold you gave me, Korea!) I think it’s quite understandable that my favourites are very much influenced by trying out the many, many things I bought. And I’m ready to point out some faves!
Missha Signature Real Complete BB cream
That’s actually not a new favourite – I received some samples of this waaaaaayyy back and loved, but didn’t buy it (foundation overflow!). I paid about 19€ for it, while you can get it for kind of the same amount at amazon or ebay. It doesn’t have that grey undertone that many Korean foundations have, and it actually comes in four shades. I get away with both No. 21 and 32, while the first runs towards NC15 the latter is about NC20. I use a beautyblender with it, and the coverage is medium.
As per usual for a Korean BB cream, this is all about combining skincare properties with an spf and and colour. Fiddy here describes the skincare ingredients way better than I could. There’re some nice ones and not many potentially harmful ones. The added SPF25 is a nice plus (I wouldn’t rely on it solely, though). As a foundation that is marketed towards those with sensitive skin, this excels. The finish is nicely glowy, but still natural. It never settles into fine lines or pores. It also never turns into the realm of cakeyness and it holds up for a whole day. I still have to use concealer, although it covers minor imperfections well. I use a powder over it to both tamper down the glow and to prolong the weartime, and it has everything I could wish for a foundation.
Peri’s Ink Velvet
I bought two of the peripera Peri’s Ink Velvets, but this one (Love Sniper Red, No. 9) remains firmly on top of the list of my favourite reds and liquid lipsticks lately. It’s a semi-matte liquid lipstick that doesn’t dry down completely like matte liquid lipsticks usually do. But the stain it leaves means serious business. I’d recommend that you really concentrate while applying it, because the stain will not budge. Nope. Nada. Nein. Non. It’s also seriously the most comfortable liquid lipstick I’ve ever worn, it doesn’t feel tacky ever and the wine red colour is beautiful. It has a doe foot applicator, and while the original coating will wear off when you eat a meal, the stain lasts forever. I got it in Seoul at Olive Young, but you can easily get it on amazon or ebay, or online retailers like W2, Jolse, Roseroseshop. It comes in 14 shades, and I paid about 7€ for it. Conclusion? I need more shades.
Etude House My Little Nut eyeshadow palette
Etude House My Little Nut eyeshadow palette in Lucky Red Little Nut is from their Holiday collection, and we’ve a love-hate relationship going on. While the colours are gorgeous, intense and swatch well on my arm, the fallout when applying them on the eyes is insane. Honestly, it’s worse than from loose pigments or MAC’s mineral eyeshadows. I’ve nevertheless worn it constantly over a tacky base (and applied my foundation and concealer afterwards!), because especially the red is just stunning. All colours are very pigmented and shimmery/glittery in various degrees. I bought mine (you guessed it) in an Etude House shop in Seoul for about 12€. If you really want it, you’ve to turn to ebay at this point. But then, I wouldn’t really recommend it, which is a bit strange for a favourite item, but there you have it.
Astrid’s beauty favourites
One thing that kept me going on a dark February in Berlin is the Berlinale film festival. It’s the biggest (in terms of audience and theater) film festival in the world, and their selection of films are always interesting no matter your taste (just have to find them)! So three of my favorite products in February helped me to get ready quickly for cinema hopping (and look glamorous at the same time!).
MAC Viva Glam Taraji P. Henson
This shade is just so fabulous! I’ve a review written on it here. It’s not overly drying (it’s still a bit dry though, don’t expect moisture, but MAC seemed to have tweaked their matte formula to make it a bit more comfortable?). There’s also an accompanying lipglass. It’s also very easy to re-apply throughout the day. The gorgeous fuchsia color feels more modern than just your average red. Recap: The Viva Glam proceeds go towards charities helping people with HIV/Aids and is one of the nicest charities of beauty brands. They don’t donate 2$ or something, but give the whole amount you spent on this lipstick. Also, Taraji Henson is a total boss (both in her movie Hidden Figures and on the red carpet). MAC couldn’t have a better spokesperson for their cause. It also doesn’t hurt that the shade is so flattering on a multitudes of skintones. It’s available for approximately one year, so get it while you can!
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette & J 5521 Hakuhodo brush
It’s the perfect palette for that subtle glow. I don’t think they are kidding when they claimed to be “the only highlighting palette you’ll ever need” (62$ at Sephora). It’s the most finely milled highlighting powder I’ve ever used. (It also featured in my favourites before, showing clearly how much I love it!). Using it with the Hakuhodo brush makes it feel even more luxurious. The J 5521 is made from goat hair and is about $38. It’s “teardrop”-shaped, wonderfully bouncy and soft. It’s an absolute dream to both apply and blend products on your face with it. Tip: the Hakuhodo brush is so nicely domed that you can use the tip for a more precise placement of the highlighter when needed.
