Beauty Favorites for 2017 (Makeup, Skincare, etc)

I've always been a low-maintenance, cleanse with soap type of girl. But last year, I began experimenting more on my skincare and makeup, thanks to the wonderful world of Korean Beauty!

Although a bit costly when I started (nightly Althea online purchases, hehehe), I just love my nightly pat of serum.





In here I will list all my honest to goodness faves from last year, mostly Kbeauty finds but I also have a lot of local and Japanese faves. If I already bought them the second or third time, then it says a lot how much I love them! Here goes:

1) Sheet Masks

My recent go-to night regimen are face masks just because they are so easy to use! They are also easier to bring than jars and bottles whenever I go on a staycation or during travels. Favorite brands are Innisfree and Boom De Ah Dah (available in Korea).

2) Double Cleansing

Aside from the more popular Banila Co. Clean It Zero, I discovered our local version of a balm from Human Nature called Human Nature Bare Necessity Cleansing Balm. They are more affordable and guaranteed cruelty-free and all-natural.

Both works like magic in taking off oil-based makeup and impurities from my face, and the easiest first step before I wash my face with cleanser. Both available locally in their respective stores.

3) Foam Wash

I first tried facial foam wash with Biore Uru Uru 2-in-1 cleanser. It's super fun to use with all the bubbles, plus foam wash penetrates more into your pores to remove makeup, dirt, oil, and impurities. Alternately, I also use Beach Born's Witch Hazel Wash (with refill available) which is good for acne prone skin.

4) Straight Brows

Big fan of the look! As someone with thin, arched brows like most Pinays, it took me a while to achieve this. I started by requesting brow parlours, showing photos of Korean stars as my peg. Straight brows make me look younger, I think, haha! After all my trial and errors, my favorite is Benefit's brow waxing services because they get what I want and they are pain-free too. A bit pricey at Php 700, but super achieve talaga.

Products I use for my brows: Benefit Ka-Brow and Karadium's Pucca browcara:


In love with my brows here, hehe:

5) Cheap and Effective

If you find the products that really suite you, you just buy it. Extra 1000 points if they are fairly affordable! My favorites: Careline Jelly Tint that gives me natural blush all day, and the highlighter in Bobbie Cosmetics' Insta-Runway Ready Contour Kit. I received so much compliments whenever I use this highlighter!

6) Coverage

Also a part of my affordable finds, Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence + iWhite BB Holic in Beige + Innisfree No Sebum Mineral Powder are my Holy Trinity in everyday makeup coverage! They give me flawless looking skin, and they are all well-priced well too! I also finished a tube/tub of these na, and have to buy again because super okay ang combination nato sakin.

7) Pimple Patch and Pads

I also finished a tub of the CosRX One Step Pimple Clear Pads which I think helped my skin clear up. Now I am trying to save my second tub bilang medyo mahal sya (around Php 1000).

This is also my second pack of CosRX Acne Pimple Master Patch, and I think I will need more! Pag biglaang magka malaking pimple, I just stick this overnight and bumababa sya agad, getting all the pus! I even wore one out pag nahihiya ako sa pimple ko during the day, haha, and para lang syang band-aid sa face hehehe.

8) Monthly Facial

I guess no secret na to, I am a fan of Flawless' Acne Control Facial and I am not even sponsored for this a! I am on my second 8+4 Card with them, so whenever I have the time I really visit them once a month. Home facial scrubs and everyday skincare routine can only do so much, but I feel that monthly facials thoroughly cleanse my pores from deep dirt and accumulated makeup, etc.

9) Lotion for Insomniacs

A viral product, I bought a tub of Sleepy when I saw them available in Lush Shibuya. Learned that its main ingredient is lavender, which is said to be comforting and relaxing. I use this almost every night, and feel ko super effective sya sakin who sleeps around 5am na, or baka all in the mind lang? But all the people I know who uses Lush Sleepy will really attest that it is effective din for them.

10) 10-Step Skincare

I started the 10-step skincare with so much devotion to the routine, and it did worked like magic on my skin! These days medyo shumoshortcut na uli ako, but I will try to get back on it na uli soon kasi super okay.

Some favorites that I discovered through this routine: Moisturizers that are water-based like Laneige Waterbank Moisture Cream and iWhite Korea Aqua Moisturizer Whitening Vita.



My other runners-up that are not on this list are cushion foundations and velvet lip tints (PeriPera). I only recently tried the popular PeriPera, but hindi pa ako super fan coz gel lip tint talaga ang kumakapit sakin. But will see if I will love it eventually since I plan to bring it na everyday. Meanwhile, I used around 3 brands of cushion foundation (including Laneige), and hindi ko naman sila naubos. I loved using it and super cute and clean pa ng packaging, but parang mas tube-and-sponge type ako sanay.

What are your 2017 Beauty Faves? Are they also on this list, or is there something that I must try? Tweet me @anagon! :)