Monthly Favorites ::: Sept-Oct 2020

I didn't really have a lot of makeup items that I specifically loved in the month of September so I did not share a 'Monthly Favorites' post. But I feel like I have found a few items that I have been using and loving past two months! 😀 

So today, I am talking about the products that I have grown fond of in the month of September and October. Here we go -  

STILA Shimmer & Glow Liquid Eyeshadow in TWIG: I am pretty sure this is going to be in my Yearly Favorites 💓! I have worn this so many times this year, especially for special occasions. And more especially when I have Indian events where I get to dress up in full Indian Ethnic attires.  

It is a stunning shade; a dark coppery brown that immediately makes me feel and look sultry. I LOVE it! It is very easy to apply; I pat it on and just blend it with my fingertips. I do one eye at a time because it gives me enough time to blend it without having any sharp edges in my crease area! I think it has the perfect drying time. I get a little bit of time to play with it but I don’t need to wait forever to move/blink my eyes waiting for the eyeshadow to dry! I typically wear it all-over my lid and blend it on the crease with a dark brown shade. It is fast, super easy and yet it looks as if I spent a lot of time and effort in creating the eye look 😁. It also has tremendous staying power. Also, I can glam it up even more by layering glitter on top of it. I have worn this again for my festive glam looks this month. I am absolutely in LOVE!

DANESSA MYRICKS Colorfix Cream Color Foil in Alien: I am still trying to get a hang of the packaging and usage of the tube, it kind of squirts out a lot of products almost every time I use. It is a bit uncontrollable and thus annoying. But the product itself is soooooo good! It is a foil cream eyeshadow...when I say it's foiled...it's FOILED. It has a lot of multicolor glitter on a sheer base; it is described as rose gold with silver undertone in their website. I can wear it with warm shades and cool shades equally. It sets very quickly so you have work very fast but it stays put all day long! 

VISEART 12-pan Eyeshadow Palette in Editorial Brights: This was in my August Favorites and I am still having so much fun with this palette! Every time I pick up this palette to use (one or more shades), I feel happy. The looks come out great..all the colors show up as vibrant as they appear on the pan! I love the Yellow, and the Purple shades the most; they are simply amazing and you can already see I have made a little bit of dent in the yellow! The blue shades are a tad bit dry and takes effort in blending. 

URBAN DECAY 12-hr Glide-On Eyeliner Pencils: I have loved these eye pencils from UD for a long time. These are mainly from a holiday set I got some time ago. And I am constantly using them since the beginning of quarantine (from when I started to play more with makeup)! The shades here are mostly jewel tone colors and it matches with the eye-looks I have been creating! I love them on my upper lid but I have been mainly using them on the inner rim - it does not stay on my outermost corner (which is a problem I always have with any eyeliners) but I really do love them.

KEVYN AUCOIN Glass Glow Face in Prism Rose: Earlier this year, I got a sample card of this product with 3 shades with a Sephora order. I took it with me when I went home (to India) and to my 5-day trip to SriLanka and I loved using it! I did not really purchased the full size right away as I fountd the retail price of 38$ to be a LOT. Eventually few months ago, I found it in Beautylish at half of the price and I snagged it! I Love it! It is a liquid-y highlighter, a little bit sticky may be? But I do not mind it a bit! I will review it in detail in the coming weeks. 

RITUEL DE FILLE Inner Glow Creme Pigment in Delirium and Rare Light Creme Luminizer in Solaris: This brand has to be my most favorite discovery of this year. I tried their Bloodflower Color Nectar Balm (reviewed here) and Alchemist Highlighter which were in my past monthly favorites! This Delirium shade as blush is amazing; very flattering on my skin-tone especially during this time of the year. It is a beautiful orange, burnt reddish type of a shade and I love it. Solaris is a very unique highlighter in my collection! It is a warm champagne type of a shade with a very strong red-pink undertone. It almost has a flip to it! I find it very flattering on my tan olive skin-tone. It is not an everyday, wearable shade but I love how unique it is! 

JDGLOW Cosmetics Single Eyeshadows in Anomaly, Volcano, Prismatic, Lemonade, Unexpected, Good Gawd, Lavender and DEVINAH Cosmetics Single Eyeshadows in Salvatore, Blazed, Cleopatra, Kazookles, Rainbow Blossom, Confetti Kisses, Ilithiya: After researching for years, this year I finally have started to try out Indie Makeup brands! And I am in love! These eyeshadows are stunning! I have so much to say about these but I will reserve my thoughts for the dedicated review post! All you need to know is that I absolutely LOVE them! Absolutely! 

KOSAS Kosasport Lip Fuel in Pulse and BUXOM Evocative Petal: I have been having so much fun with eyeshadows that my love for lipstick is getting a little bit sidetracked. That combined with the current condition of the world with mask and all, has really reduced the number of occasions I have been able to use bold lip colors. I have been loving these two products though. They are very neutral and quite a perfect nude shade on me! Goes quite well with all the crazy colors I have been wearing on my eyes. (PS: The Buxom one has been discontinued!) 

That was it for this time! Almost 2 months for the Yearly Round Up! I am excited to figure out and compile the products that I loved and enjoyed all year round!

Love

~Arrru

Monthly Favorites ::: August 2020

So apparently, this is September. Some days I feel like 2020 is going very slowly and on some days I feel like it was March just moments ago! 

I shared in my Monthly Favorites post from May (see here: 'Monthly Favorites') how makeup has been a very positive distraction from all the chaos in the world during this quarantine. And I am still playing with makeup during weekends and I am still loving the process! This is one of the creative hobbies that is doing good things for me during these challenging times!

So here are the products I loved during the month of August -

VISEART Editorial Brights Palette: I had so much fun with this palette this month! So. Much. Fun! I shared in my IG feed how I have longed for this palette for years and I am so happy that I finally have it. All the colors show up as vibrant as they appear on the pan! I love the Yellow, and the Purple shades the most; they are simply amazing. The blue shades are a tad bit dry and takes effort in blending. 

I have created looks with all these shades, so I have enough info to write my blogpost and yet, I am still so excited to keep experimenting with the palette. Typically, once I have tested out all the shades in a new palette, I would move on to the next new (to me) eye product! The fact that I am still interested in playing with this palette is a tell tell sign for me that I am absolutely loving this palette. 

DANESSA MYRICKS Colorfix Cream Color in Matte "Primary Red": As anticipated, I have completely fallen in love with this Colorfix in Primary Red. This is the red of my dreams! Fierce and unapologetic RED! It took me a minute to figure out the best application technique but I think I have got the hang of it. I wear it alone or mix it with other cream formulas to get custom colors. I have been using it to create graphic liners and I absolutely love it.

MAKE UP FOR EVER Star Lit Powder in "Ultramarine": If the Colorfix above is the Red of my dreams, this is Blue of my dreams! You may or may not know, I am obsessed with this type of deep cobalt blue eyeshadows! And within the embarrassing amount of blue eye product I have, this is the most beautiful blue ever! This is a 'star powder'; it is an extremely refined powder that has a beautiful, soft but impactful shine! It looks simply gorgeous on the eyes! Its hella messy but I don't even care!

MILANI Ludicrous Lights Eye Toppers in "Pink-Aroo, Peach-Ella, Lalapa-Blue-Za": Sparkly eye toppers are my MOST recent favorite thing in makeup! Last few months I have worn them a lot and I just simply adore them! These eye toppers are fantastic; the shimmer particles in the formula are small but punchy; they shine so beautifully. All three shades here have a slight duochrome to them which makes them easier to pair it with more colors! I am also impressed with the wear time! I am still testing them out; but it's safe to say that I love them!

RITUEL DE FILLE The Alchemist Highlighter and  Color Nectar Pigment Balm in "Bloodflower" & TOWER BEAUTY Bronzino in "Best Coast": These has been a favorite last month and I am still loving and using them in my looks. 

Bloodflower is still an absolute favorite - I can wear it alone in lighter layer or increase the intensity to creating blush-draping type of looks. See my post here for detailed review! 

And yes, I am still enamored by The Alchemist. It has very visible but very intricate, beautiful glitter particles that just makes me sooooo happy. I have been creating fun, editorial looks which has made me feel like an artist 😀!

And yes, I am still using bronzino to create a fake sense of summer in my life, lol! I can read more about why I love the bronzino on my blogpost here.

NAILS INC "Naked in Neon" Nail Polish in "Knightriders Street": This is a set and I actually love all four shades in this set but this Neon green shade has my heart! I never thought I would find a neon green shade that would would look flattering on my skin-tone. It is very opaque in two coats, does not flake and on me it has lasted 10+ days. I have loved it since beginning of summer but I keep forgetting to add to my favorites list every month! Anyway, I am still gonna wear this even though the weather here has cooled down quite a bit.

Lip products: I haven't talked about lip products in a a hot minute. Mainly because between working from home, having no social event to attend and having to wear mask everytime I go out, Lipsticks has lost its intrigue. I only wear lipsticks if I am trying to pan something or to get a complimenting lip-shade to go with my eye looks. These are the products I have been using constantly to layer to custom color. Bite Beauty Cin Cin is a long time favorite, Ilia Beauty Nobody's Baby is kind of a neutral pink shade that I love to layer when I am trying to get a lighter version of my bolder lip shades - just like a wash-of-color. Lipstick Queen Magenta Fully Loaded, Berry Tacoma is relatively new but I am loving the formula and how easy it is to manipulate the shade.

That's it for this month! If you made it to this far, tell me what did you love this month?

Love,

~Arrru

Monthly Favorites ::: March-April-May 2020

I have been having a lot of free time during this quarantine! And I have been participating in a lot of different beauty challenges - some are just about eyeshadow swatches, some are on different makeup looks! I have not really been buying a lot of new makeup and as such I have been shopping my stash heavily and I have been loving it. Honestly, I have been loving this entire process! It is giving me an outlet for my creative energy and honestly, it is saving me from a lot of depression during this trying time!

Check my Instagram @arrru_t to check out some looks I did with these products!

Anyway, onto the favorites:

Base concoction: I never really talk about base products because I dont really get much fun out of them; not really much interest in foundation, primers or concealers. Whatever works, is good enough for me :-)! Lately though, I have been loving a glowy look! I have been mixing and matching these few products for my base! MUFE Ultra HD Foundation is my go-to foundation! The CoverFx Custom Infusion Drop adds a little bit of moisture to my foundation and the CoverFX Custom Enhancer Drops (read my full review here) adds that summer-y luminous sheen to my foundation! On a simpler day when I just want a lighter coverage, I use the Becca Backlight Priming Filter (read my review here) just bare face or underneath foundation! It gives me an health glow. I use the Smashbox Primer Water as primer or as a finishing spray! 

MAC Fix+: Do I need to say anything about this iconic product? There are so many new sprays in the market, but nothing like this! Read my review here. Off late, I have been using this to create liners out of pressed eye-shadows or have been using it as a finishing spray after I am done with my makeup! It just makes the whole look tie together and makes it a little more dewy!

Stila Aqua Glow Water Color Blush in Water Lily: Yep, blast from the past! These blushes from Stila were awesome! It has consistency between liquid and cream and is a godsend for my dry skin. I used it when I first bought it (read my full review here), and I recently pulled it out from my stash! I am loving the soft look it provides. I almost finished it up it though!

Becca Mineral Blushes in Hyacinth, Songbird, Lantana (reviews linked): There was a time when I used these blushes non-stop! Then my cheeks were buried in adult acnes so I stopped using blush all-together; it made me sad! But lately, I have started to use blush again! I have been layering these over other matte blushes; they have a subtle sheen to them! I just love how they add to my glowy-dewy #motd vibe! 

Laura Mercier Highlighter Palette: Another shop-my-stash discovery! I love the undertones of these highlighters! All these colors work on my medium tan skin-tone; the darkest I can use as a bronzing sheen! These are so soft and buttery; they dont really emphasize my textured skin and yet packs a punch! Read my full review here.

On to the fun stuff ---- a.k.a Eye stuff!!!

Laura Mercier Cavier Stick in Plum: This is such a soft eye pencil. So easy to apply on the inner rim , stays put and appears less harsher than a black kajol liner. Read my review here.

Urban Decay Electric Palette and Viseart Dark Matte: Viseart Dark Matte is my jam; I will never stop raving about it (read my full review here). I love wearing colorful looks and I use this palette 7 out of 10 times to use to these shades on the crease, lash-line or on the lid to ground my looks. This palette will always remain a favorite. I am also getting a lot of use out of my Electric Palette; I bought it on sale just before it got discontinued! I am so glad that I got my hands in the palette! I love the vibrancy of these colors - they are brilliant; pigmented, soft and easy to work with! There is not one shade that is dull! I love all the shades, my personal favorites are Chaos, Savage and Slowburn. And Freak!

MUG single eyeshadows in Voltage, Pixie Dust, Lemon Drop, Whimsical, Daydreamer and Colourpop in On The Fence, Sandbar: I think these shadows restarted my love affiar with makeup and creating new looks! I was building a spring palette for a makeup challenge and loved how cute these shades were! I created quite a few looks with these - basically these colors are bringing me so much joy! Really!

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Eye Liners in Emerald, Paradise Pink, Turquoise, Intense Amethyst & Cobalt : I have been a fan of these liners for a long time now! They are awesome. Waterproof and stays all day long! Lately, I have been using them to create shape and small lines here and there in my eye looks! I am loving all these colors for adding brightness and novelty to my eye-looks!

So, this was my rekindled love for makeup. What have been keeping you busy during this quarantine?

Love,

~Arrru

Monthly Favorites ::: January 2020!!!

Because I have been having lot of fun playing with makeup again, I thought I will talk about some of the product I loved during January. There are only a handful of products; some of them are rediscovery and rest are new to my collection.

STILA Shimmer & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow in Twig: I bought a set of these shimmer and glow and Glitter and glow eyeshadows from Stila a year ago. I reviewed it (you can find it here) and then forgot about it. Then during holiday season, I ordered a mystery bag from Stila which included this “Twig” shade in full-size. I have been regularly using it since. You can see that there is already dent in it! First of all, the color is stunning; it is dark coppery brown that immediately makes me feel and look sultry. I LOVE it. It is also so very easy to apply; I pat it on and just blend it with my fingertips. I do one eye at a time because it gives me enough time to blend it without having any sharp edges in my crease area! I think it has the perfect drying time. You have a little bit of time to play with it but you don’t need to wait forever to move your lids waiting for the eyeshadow to dry! I typically wear it all-over my lid and blend it on the crease with a dark brown and cream crease shade. It is fast, super easy and yet it looks as if I spent a lot of time and effort in creating the eye look :-) It also has tremendous staying power. I am very impressed and absolutely in LOVE!

ATELIER COLOGNE Clémentine California ColognePure Perfume Travel Spray: Yes, it is a sleek travel bottle and it has a FREAKING spray. Isn’t that great? I have loved perfumes from a long time. It’s such a niche beautiful house of fragrance. Among all the different type of scent they offer, I think I love “Clémentine California” the most. It is very fresh, florally but it is layered and complex. The reason to love it even more is because of its packaging. It is such a sleek bottle and just perfect for travel! It almost does not take any space in my makeup bag. I got a great value set quite some time ago and I am still finishing them up. I love them all, almost! And I am definitely taking 2-3 of these travel sprays for my upcoming travels.

HOURGLASS Ambient Lighting Blush in Luminous Flush (read full review here): Oh man! Another product that I have of rediscovered. This was a limited-edition palette from Nordstrom some time ago, but early in January I was doing a full makeup with re-discovered products and I pulled this out. And I have been using this blush almost non-stop. It is a refined rosy-shade and it immediately uplifts my look! Brings a certain spring and joy in the look actually :-) As it is typical for Hourglass powder, it has that subtle sheen but it does not emphasize any of my acne scar on my cheeks. This is available in their permanent line in full size or in mini travel size as well. 

LAURA MERCIER Velour Extreme Matte Lipstick in Fresh: This is new to my collection. My mom wants a new lipstick and I have been trying a few different products for her. This is a set I bought from Sephora when they had some sale on sale thing going on. The one thing I loved most about this is the shade. On Sephora website it is described as a deep pinky nude but on me it appears to be a very mature light plum shade – I love it, especially for wearing to work. I have gone through an entire tube of Mac Satin Lipstick in Amorous and I am trying to find a cruelty free replacement. Shade wise “Fresh” comes close enough! It is an “extreme” matte formula, so I do not use it 3 or more days consecutively but it has decent staying power.

From Top to Bottom: Hourglass "Luminous Flush", Stila "Twig", Laura Mercier "Fresh"

Wearing Hourglass "Luminous Flush" on cheeks, Stila "Twig" on eyelids, Laura Mercier "Fresh" on the lips

Hope you enjoyed! Anything that you have tried? I am not sure if I will be able to have February Favorites as I will be in India towards the end of February so. We will see!

Love

~Arrru

Beauty Favorites - 2017

I love editing my blog post for my yearly Beauty Favorites blogpost; I keep an alert mind about the products that I have used & loved the most throughout the year. And then when the Christmas holidays starts, I devote a day to take pictures and sum up my thoughts. For me, it is a creative process that gives me much joy!​​

This year, however, this process has not been that exciting or enjoyable. First of all, I have not been wearing or experimenting much with makeup this year. Actually, I have not been buying a whole lot of makeup (I think that's definitely a good thing). I also have not continued my monthly favorites series mostly because I don't have much to talk about. I still figured, that there are a handful of products that I have been constantly using this year; they definitely deserve some love :-)

Let's start with something glamorous!!

Diorskin Nude Air Luminizer in 001 & 003 (full review here): These highlighters cost me an arm and a leg. But they are so pretty! I have 001 & 003. 003 has been a strong candidate against Champagne Pop from Becca Cosmetics which is my all-time favorite highlighter to use! The powder here is soft, easy to apply on bare skin as well as over foundation and it has great staying power. The luxurious feel of the compact also makes me feeling special.

Marc Jacobs Beauty O!Mega Bronzer Coconut Perfect Tan in 104 Tan-Tastic! (full review here): I have a very detailed review of this here; I have explained why I was not 100% in love with the product. But this has been my most used bronzer this year. Even when I am not wearing any type of makeup I do love a bit of bronzers. The powder has a lovely smooth texture and is very easy to wear on a bare, just-moisturized skin. Also, now that it is winter, it shows up more on my skin allowing me to wear and love it more!

Nars Blush in Goulue: I was not able to wear wear a lot of blush this year, mainly because of acnes! But this has been my most used this year. It is a deep muted maroon-rosey shade. It gives my cheeks some healthy color. Very pigmented but easy to blend and has excellent staying power. It appears to have some sheen but on application the glitters does not really make my porous acne-ridden cheek look bad.

Colourpop Pressed Shadows in Come and Get It: Such a great shade. It is a bliss to wear in the morning - perfect one-lid color - I love it.

Laura Mercier Caviar Stick Eye Color in Plum (full review here): I simply adore this eyeliner. It's actually an eyeshadow stick and designed to be layered on the lids to wear alone on apply eyeshadow over it. I have used it that way but I mainly use it as eyeliner. You can see that it is a wider pencil so I can’t get any thin eyeliner shape, but I just slap it on and it immediately adds a definition to my eyes – makes me look alive! The texture of the product is so smooth and it glides effortlessly without any tagging! It is a bliss to use in hectic, task-heavy work weeks where I cannot simply bother to worry about my makeup. Also, you get so much of product! Not sure if I can use it up. I started using it in May and have not stopped since. 

Nars Dual Intensity Eyeshadow in Himalia (full review ): I wore this non-stop for the first half of the year, you can see the dip I made in the product. It is a beautiful beige-y gold shimmery shade. Absolutely brilliant for my rushed mornings. I just lightly pat it on my lid with my fingers and some days I dont even need to use any matte crease shades.  

Ilia Beauty Lip Conditioner in Bang Bang (full review here): I don't have a load of products from passionate green beauty creators. But I do love the ones that I have! This particular one is called a lip conditioner - a somewhat fancy name for what essentially is a tinted lip balm. Personally, I don't like such balms. I like to wear full pigment on my lips; not some “tint”. But this one has won my heart! It has such a smooth consistency - keeps my lips moisturized. The shade provides a subtle, easy hint of red. I love layering it over my everyday lip shades like Mac Amorous, Bite Beauty Meritage etc. to get that extra layer of moisturization and color. I have almost used up half of the tube and I can definitely see myself repurchasing. 

Mac Satin Lipstick in Amorous: I think I mentioned it in my last year's favorites (see here) too. I think about 60% of time this year, I have worn this to work. It is such a great everyday shade for my complexion. And because it is satin finish I don't find it drying at all. It stays put all day! Because of the subtlety of the shade, it is also very easy to layer it. 

Bite Beauty High Pigment Lip Pencil in Meritage: Another of my workhorse lip products this year. You can see, I almost finished it up. It is a beautiful everyday rose-ish color! It's a good formula, stays comfortably the whole day! 

CoverFx Custom Enhance Drops in Candlelight (full review here): It was in my last year’s favorites and it is still a favorite. About 90% of the time, I have worn foundation this year I have mixed a drop of this. I love the subtle illumination it gives me. 

NAILS Inc. Nail Polish in Rainbow Wishes (full review here): Last 3 year, there has been a nail polish that will jump out at me - that I have loved that year. This year, it took me a while to figure out. Nonetheless this beautiful soft purple shade with multicolor sheen has to be the favorite this year! It is beautiful, glamorous and easy to wear to work. I really enjoy it. The staying power is also very satisfactory!

Hope you all a had lovely holidays! Tell me about your favorites, this year?

Love,

~Arrru

Monthly Favorites ::: Feb-March 2017

I did not do a Monthly Favorites for January. I hate that I am not being consistent, I am using makeup in a regular manner, I am using a few new products as well but nothing has really, really excited me! I took another look on my vanity and these are a very few products that I have been using a lot and they are making me happy. They are not the ABSOLUTE favorites but for these two months these are the ones that I am enjoying!

Real Techniques Expert Concealer Brush: Let's talk about the product that is my most favorite in this brush. This is a thick, round eyeshadow brush with soft, short bristles! It is the absolute best brush for me to use on my crease when I want to have blow-out crease, when I want to have a really diffused blended transition of colors from lid to crease. It is fast and deposits eyeshadow in such swift manner. I am really loving it.

Becca Backlight Priming Filter (Full review here): This is in my Finish17in2017 Project Pan and I am trying hard to use it up. I love this product since I got it, but using it again reminded me of how I enjoy using it like a moisturizer type of product in the mornings. It immediately livens up my face and prepares me for blush and bronzer. I don't wear foundation but I love wearing bronzer, blush and highlighter. So this helps me evening out my skintone. I have swatched a pretty heavy layer here, but you can see how glowy it can look! It also smells nice and fresh!

Smashbox Blush in Passion Fruit: I did not have expectations from this when I bought it. I saw a value set and bought it. But it pretty good. It is a soft muted nude-y rose shade. Looks too pale for my skintone but actually it is an everyday simple shade. I have been a lot of heavy eye looks lately and I like how this goes with every crazy colour I want to wear that day.

Tarte Tarteist™ Clay Paint Eyeliner in "Bronze" (Full review here): First of all, I do not always have the time to fuss around with brush and the then squeeze the tube to get the product and work very hard to wear an even eyeliner. So I typically stick to liquid eyeliner pens. But I really do like the look when I use this one. It is a beautiful brown-bronzy shade which really compliments any type of shade of eyeshadow I am working with.

Benefit The POREfessional Face Primer: Such an OG product in the beauty community. It is also a product that Ulta or Sephora loves to distribute as samples or gift with purchase. I started to use it when I went home for my sisters wedding. I apply it on my porous areas on over my cheeks where I have huge crater like pores left from previous acnes. It does a great job in evening out my skin for foundation application and prevents my blushes from getting splotchy!

I sure do hope I have some better, more exciting things to talk about next month :-)

Love,

~Arrru

Beauty Favorites - 2016

When I started to think about my 2016 favorite products, I initially thought I will not have many products to talk about. But, now that I have finally sat down to compile the post, the situation has completely changed! Another thing to note here is that there are hardly any items that were released this year! Apart from that one palette everything is permanent product. All of these products are all “new-to-me” products. Also, there is no lipstick here! What a shocker!

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer Water: It appeared in my first-ever favorites post and it remained favorite till year end. I have very dry skin! Something like this is always intriguing to me! The name has 'water' in it, so it seems like a gimmicky product at an expensive price. But it really works! I got one last October in this travel size bottle in 2015 Sephora Favorites Superstars set (reviewed here) and I have been using it ever since! I already have bought a full-size! I don’t use it very, very often but I love how it makes my makeup application appear super smooth, every single time! No matter how carefully I exfoliate, I always end up with a few dry, flaky patches here and there on my face. Before I apply my foundation, I spritz this on my face, especially on the flaky, dry area. If I want to extend the wear time of my makeup, I spritz it again after I am done applying everything :-) My dry skin loves this product :-)

Becca Backlight Priming Filter: Like most of you, I also love a lot of Becca products! This is one of them. I got this in the Becca Blushed Radiance set (reviewed here) and I am halfway through that tube. I have another one in same size as this. I will probably pick up a full-size once I finish those. It gives me the faintest possible glow in the best natural looking way. I especially love to wear it during work days. I love the brightness it gives me! And the smell is amazing too!

MAKE UP FOR EVER Ultra HD Foundation: I have been blogging about 3 years now and I have never posted an individual blogpost on basic face products like foundation or concealers! My main interest has always been eyeshadows, lipsticks, blushes and highlighters etc., products that offer me varied shades and finishes to play with. But after much deliberation and research, I finally invested in my first ever high-end foundation earlier this year. And I have been in love with this foundation from Make Up For Ever. I was never a full-coverage kind of girl and I will never be! But I do appreciate a foundation that can make me look naturally flawless without looking cakey. I wore it for almost all the events during my sister’s wedding! It was hot and humid in India; and at the end of the day I could see a bit oil coming through but I did NOT look greasy. I also have severe acne issues. This cannot hide huge bumped-out acnes but I can somewhat minimize the appearance of them. In short, I love this foundation and I very happy with it. I mix Y445 and Y415 to get a perfect shade. I know, it is time consuming to mix for a perfect match but these are the shades that I have and now I am too broke to buy another shade :-)

COVER FX Custom Enhancer Drops in Candlelight: I had to really think hard to decide if this is truly a favorite! This year, a lot of company brought out a lot of highlighters. This is surely a unique formula for a highlighter. This is also extremely pigmented, so there had not been enough chances for me to wear this. But whenever I have, I could not help but realize how happy it makes me feel. Hence, I decided to include it here! I have Sunlight to but I prefer Candlelight more. My most favorite way of using it is to mix a tiny drop with my foundation, it gives such a beautiful sheen! I love it! I have a very detailed review of this here.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light: Powder is another product that I never talk about! I have very dry, patchy skin, if I ever have to get rid of my powders I will not have much trouble! Naturally, I don’t really have experience with a lot of powders. I came across this beautiful little compact during Sephora VIB Sale last year and I decided to try it. It is one of those products whose effect is virtually impossible to detect on the face or in photos, but you can clearly feel that it is helping your entire look come together in the most flattering way! It is also the best powder for me to use under my eyes. I use the littlest amount possible and that is enough to set my concealer without irritating my dry under-eye skin.

rms beauty Living Luminizer: I have a detailed review and swatches of this product here. I had to wait so patiently to get me hands on this product! So much hope, so much anticipation. I finally got it in Beautylish Lucky Bag 2016 (reviewed here) and I have been using it non-stop :-) It has certified organic ingredients, so you know it has that “good-for-your-skin” quality! It gives me such a beautiful, naturally healthy look and yet, if I want that “va-va-voom” highlighter finish, I can definitely build it up to get just that. Also, it stays put the entire day! I am “head over heels” in love with this.

rms beauty Buriti Bronzer: Once I got my hands on the Living Luminizer, I knew I had to try this bronzer. It is also a cream product. I use my fingers to pat it on and use a dense brush to blend it out. Over past 3-4 months I am constantly using this bronzer and highlighter, mostly during my busy week mornings! It is a beautiful golden-y bronze shade with a very, very soft luminous sheen in it! Perfect for everyday wear!

Colourpop Super Shock Eyeshadow in Rex: Blue eyeshadow is my weakness! I can never have enough! Rex from Colourpop is a very glam blackened blue. They describe it as blue glitter on black base. I can see that but the black base comes off more as purple-blackened blue. The glitters here are simply beautiful and it is just 5$. Whenever I apply this eyeshadow, it immediately makes me happy!

Makeup Geek Eyeshadow in Crème Brulee, Morocco and Cocoa Bear: I have been using Makeup Geek eyeshadows for a long time. But this year, I fall in love with these 3 shades. I am especially enjoying Crème Brulee (reviewed here). It is almost similar to my skin tone which is why it is very versatile for me. I can use it as crease shade or I can even use this to erase any mistake I do with other shades. Cocoa Bear (reviewed here) has been an old favorite. But I like Morocco (reviewed here) a little bit more because of how warm it is.

Urban Decay Heavy Metal Glitter Eyeliner in Midnight Cowboy: This eyeliner brings me pure joy :-) It made its entry later in the year but it instantly stole my heart. It is such a handy product for a quick, super-glam look. The thin brush like applicator is extremely convenient to draw a thin, crisp liner and it is also easy to layer over eyeshadow. It stays intact without any glitter glue! And it looks perfect with any kind of eyeshadow shade. I have used this in almost 5 out of my 7 looks in my 7 Days of Glitter with Arrru series. One the best finding of this year for me!

Touch In Sol Stretchex Stretch Lash Effect Mascara: I love natural lashes; as long as a mascara gives me separate defined lashes and is easy to take off at night, I don’t need a lot from mascaras to impress me. Having said that I have to agree that this was a surprise favorite. This one does not offer much volume but it gives me a lot of length! I love the brush too, it’s easier to use on my small eyes. It also comes off easy with cotton absorbed in hot water. I used it up long time ago, and typically don’t buy regular size mascaras, but if I need to I will buy this :-)

Wayne Gosh Brush 05: Another thing I got from Beautylish Luck Bag 2016. I rarely wore eyeshadows on my lower lash line before but after I had this brush, the situation has been completely changed. Every time I am wearing full-face makeup, I have to put some eyeshadow under lower lash line. This brush is so soft and easy to use, I LOVE it.

Viseart Eyeshadow Palette  in - 04 Dark Matte: A product that teased me for a long time before I invested in it. I don’t use this as often as I thought I would. But every time I do, I love the end result.  I have a full review here. I know that people loves Viseart palettes mainly for the formula but for me the best thing about the palette is the shade range here. Deep, dark, extremely pigmented and very sophisticated matte shades. I love the formula as well – it is very easily blendable, extremely pigmented and stays on nicely. But for me it’s the shade ranges that stands out. Every time I wear a colorful smoky look, I need some help from this palette. I especially wear a lot of blue on my eyes and the two blue shades here are my favorite to apply on the crease. The colors here have such a deep, sophisticated hue to them that I feel they grounds any kind of heavy, colorful looks! I absolutely adore the warm shades as well. My only complaint here is the absence of a matte black. I understand Viseart’s concept and understand why they did not include black in their “Dark Matte” palette. But I do feel the need of black every time I wear deep colorful shades! I had to open another palette.

I sincerely hope I get more chance to use this palette and get at much joy out of this palette as possible.

Penny Jar in Olivia Palermo x Ciaté London The Smouldering Eye Palette: I am including only the Penny Jar shade here because that’s the only shade that deserves to be here. I love the palette as a whole but it is not worthy of being “Yearly Favorites”. Anyway, this is such a gorgeous shade. It has grey purple-y base and beautiful multi-colored speckles across it. The glitters are very finely milled and are very prominent & quiet reflective. The base kind of disappears on my skin tone but those gorgeous glitters look so incredibly beautiful and elegant!  

I took this with me to India and My sister wore it on her mehendi ceremony with a Coral Saree! That coral shade with this gorgeous eyeshadow made her look so very pretty! This shade is my go-to glamorous eyeshadow whenever I do need to look glamorous but not overdone! I have a detailed review here and you can see a look with this shade here.

Pewter in Lorac Pro Palette:  I love this palette as a whole but it’s the shade “Pewter” that stood out this year. I wore it a lot during the first half of the year. It’s very similar to my skin tone so it is very easy to wear to work. It gives me a beautiful sheen and if I am in a hurry I don’t necessary need any blending matte shade. I love this shade! I have a detailed review here.

Wayne Gosh Brush 05: Another thing I got from Beautylish Luck Bag 2016. I rarely wore eyeshadows on my lower lash line before but after I had this brush, the situation has been completely changed. Every time I am wearing full-face makeup, I have to put some eyeshadow under lower lash line. This brush is so soft and easy to use, I LOVE it.

Deborah Lipmann Nail Polish in Mermaids Dream: I don’t know if I love the name more or the product or the tiny little bottle :-) I reviewed it here long time back. I love this shade, such a gorgeous mermaid blue with some beautiful glitters. It makes me feel so glamorous and grounded at the same time. I probably have this on my toes for 50% of the time this year :-) I have had it for 2 years now, and it has started to dry out a bit but I will use it for as long as I can!

Sephora Collection Instant Nail Polish Remover: Whoever invented this, has a truckload of blessings from Nail Polish lover all over the world! You dip your nails into the product, swirl it around for 5 to 10 seconds and voila – all your nail polish is removed without drying out your cuticles. Its super convenient, fast and very effective! I have been using it for at least 8-9 months and it has not dried yet! Absolute love!

Ulta Mirror: I bought this for 1$ guys, just 1$. And I cannot emphasize enough how useful of a tool it has been for this blog. This is not aesthetically pleasing at all and I don’t carry it in my purse. I also don’t like this shade of pink however for some reason I always end up with pink stuff these days. This, I keep in my living room. So, when I am reviewing a product this is the mirror I use to see and study, scrutinize and experience how my new makeup is behaving  throughout the day. My bedroom is upstairs and 3/4 th of the time I spend on my living room so this mirror helps me the lazy me to avoid going upstairs to see my makeup and application. It has two size, one is a good magnified side where I can see every crease and every pore and see how the makeup is behaving. Also, even though pink is not really my shade, I have to agree that it is easier to find whenever I tend to let the house remain messy!

Lipstick:

Pictured below are all the lip products I wore the most tis year! But unfortunately, they all failed to pass that tricky bar to be on my Yearly Favorites list. Don’t get me wrong, I adore all of them but when I closed my eyes to none of them popped up as “favorite”. I guess, they failed to give me that certain joy I look for when I compile my favorites post. But, I definitely think they deserve special mention.

Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Rupture: Of course, I start with a discontinued product. It is not long wearing but I love the formula and adore the shade. I wear it to work OFTEN and it is in my 17in2017 Project Pan.

Smashbox Always On Liquid Lipstick in Bawse: Red lipsticks are my most favorite shade of lipstick. This formula is worth trying if you have dry lips – it is super comfortable. The shade is very neutral. It is not my all-time favorite red shade but I have enjoyed this the most this year. Full review here.

Stila Cosmetics Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Beso: This is much brighter shade of red and I absolutely adore it. It is a very eye-catching red. This almost made it my favorites but lost for 2 reasons – 1.I did not wear it as much as I initially hoped. 2. On my sister’s wedding, I was counting on its amazing lasting power, but it faded a bit after 5-6 hrs. that disappointed me just a bit.

MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Amorous: Another shade that almost made it to my favorites list. I don’t even have a robust reason for not including it. I don’t prefer nude-ish lipsticks – so maybe that’s why! But apart from my bias, this is definitely has been worn a LOT. I love the shade, its neutral but with a unique purple undertone. I am very sure, it will be in my everyday stash for a long time.

Too Faced Melted Liquefied Lipstick in Fig: Another muted purple shade that I loved this year. I wore it a lot during the first half of the year, it does not last the whole day, but is very comfortable.

Marc Jacobs Le MarcLip Crème in Kiss Kiss Bang Bang: I feel so happy and pretty whenever I wear this. Creamy opaque formula, applies smoothly to give even coverage in single swipe and stays almost the whole day! This is a pinky nude shade which is perfect for everyday office wear on my medium skin tone.

As I age, my skin is getting more complex than before and I have started to wear minimal makeup during the week. Not that I wore a lot before! But, these were the products that I have been enjoying the most this year with my complex and difficult-to-please skin :-)

I hope 2016 was a great year for you and I hope 2017 turns out to be even better!

Happy New Year, folks!

Love,

~Arrru