2018 was a year of experimenting. Before this year, I was just a shopaholic who loved owning makeup items that are highly raved by these amazing youtubers but have no idea how to put makeup on properly. I still don’t, but now on good days I’d manage to pull together a decent look which is alright I guess. Anyway, I was basically a collector of cosmetics before that - which admittedly, is a complete waste of money. So my new year resolution for 2018 was to not be lazy to put in more make up, and to at least look presentable with it. In a way, I guess I have this new year resolution to thank because otherwise I wouldn’t have been able to recommend anything make up related in this post. Ha!

• Fenty Beauty Flyliner

One thing that is at the top of my list is definitely the Fenty beauty flyliner(!!!!). I really cannot rave enough about this eyeliner. If you have super ultra oily eyelids, this is THE eyeliner for you. I’ve been on the search for a good eyeliner that can last well for the longest time ever - I kid you not, even Kat Von D’s eyeliner does not work for me. It doesn’t smudge, but it kind of ‘disintegrates’ on me. That’s when there’s black flakes around my eyes and my eyeliner seems to have disappeared a bit. It’s terrible, really. Anyway, I was pretty much in despair, because apparently Kat Von D's is the best out there & even survived when a girl got into accident (there was a tweet that went viral). It was also just around the time where Riri came out with this eyeliner. It's even better than the tattoo liner, and works perfectly on me. I’m on my second one now & already have a back up in case I run out. 

Charlotte Tilbury’s Walk of a Shame was a surprise for me. It was a last minute impulse decision to purchase during the Black Friday sale. I mean, I didn’t even research much about the lipstick before carting it out. I usually do, to at least see the lip swatches on people with similar skin tone as me (lip colors tend to come out weird on different people, so that’s what I usually do to minimize disappointment). The color turned out to be really flattering universally & it’s the perfect red lipstick for me when I want some color on my lips - nothing too loud, it’s the perfect wearable red for everyday wear. Also, it does not make your teeth look yellow (very important)!!!

I bought this about 2 years ago, and didn’t really use it until 2018. It’s a very natural blush, again, nothing loud for everyday and very flattering. I like that it’s buildable, so it's hard to go overboard with the blush. Compared to the famous Clinique blush which I have (in Melon Pop), this is way easier to use. Melon pop is very pigmented and 1 swipe makes me look like a monkey - I don't really recommend it for beginners.

This is really good for dry lips! Especially if you have post-Nimegen lips like mine. I started taking Nimegen late last year, and my lips were basically so dry and flaky that lipsticks got too tricky for me to apply it on. Although, if you still prefer to use a lipstick for dry lips, I recommend the Shiseido VisionAiry Gel lipstick - it truly glides like a dream. The reason it's not mentioned as a favourite is because the colour that I got (Shizuka Red) made my teeth look yellow and frankly speaking, isn't flattering on me. But I'd say it's worth testing the colours out and once you've hit a colour that looks good on you, it's probably one of the best lipsticks out there in terms of the formula.

• Minon Amino Moist Mask

Whenever you need to calm your skin down after a mistake a.k.a. using a rogue product that stings on your skin, especially when you've had one too many peels/chemical exfoliators, or simply just want a relief from dry, sensitive skin - this is THE mask for you. And because it's made for dry, sensitive skin, I think it wouldn't go wrong if you feel like you need something comforting and hydrating. I'm not too sure whether it'll break out oily skin so feel free to share your thoughts in the comments section below!

• Elta MD UV Sport Broad Spectrum SPF 50 Sunscreen

I bought this off amazon after seeing how Dr Dray (on youtube) love it so much. It makes me feel well protected because it's intended for sports and I'll need all the protection I can get in sunny Singapore. More importantly, it does not contain alcohol like the majority of the sunscreens out there, which always makes me slight panicky. I love Anessa's Perfect UV Skincare milk, but it reeks of alcohol. I know sometimes alcohol is needed to be present to stabilise the formula (?) but in my simple mind, it's just easier to go for products without alcohol to be safe.

• Etude House Soon Jung 2x Barrier Intensive Cream

Perfect for sensitive skin, it's a comfortable moisturiser and helps to seal in everything you've applied in the previous skincare steps before. Effective, and fragrance free. Basically an affordable moisturiser that won't go wrong.

• ELF brushes

In general, ELF brushes are of really good quality without an exorbitant price tag. I either got mine from Walgreens or purchased from the ELF website direct. In both case, I'd use ezbuy ship-for-me to help me with the purchase. I'm sure they have many good ones but the few I've tried and loved are: Ultimate blending brush (perfect to buff foundation in), Flawless Face brush (I use it to apply blush).

• Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief

Love the pale pink colour of the cream, love how light it sits on my skin, how it does the job without adding fragrance in it. Another one of my comfort skincare product, but is quite pricey to be honest.

• Hourglass ambient lighting powder

Got this during a sale and at first I wasn't sure about it because of how subtle it was & it didn't seem like anything special. But I found myself reaching out for this on days where I want my skin to look a bit more radiant, but still natural. It's an acquired taste for sure.