The Ultimate Affordable Luxury Beauty Edit: My Latest Loves
Again, I discovered these beauty products on TikTok; this app has seriously upped my beauty game.
Dear Substack,
I am writing to you as a self-proclaimed beauty fanatic who’s discovered how strongly social media can open my purse strings. While my salary hasn’t gone up—in fact it’s gone down because I switched to part-time at my job—my spending towards the beauty industry has moved up the scales.
I don’t know if it’s something I will regret but I am a person who tends not to make decisions that result in buyer’s remorse. So far, I have been proven yet again to be right about my choices (or at least most of it). And to share the wonders that I have recently added to my arsenal, here are some reviews of the products I believe everyone must at least try once.
Huda Beauty Easy Blur Natural Airbrush Foundation
Did you catch my video on how amazing this shade match is? Here (I’m using 300N Latte):
I like this foundation also because it doesn’t break me out and doesn’t clog my pores. It doesn’t streak halfway throughout the day and has a medium coverage. I did not notice any significant oxidation throughout the day, and it does blur my pores, as it says it does.
At S$61 per tube it is a little bit on the expensive side but quality foundation is one makeup item that I will splurge on because it covers the largest part of my face and is the first thing in contact with my skin after sunblock.
You can get it on Sephora here.
Charlotte Tilbury Airbrush Flawless Finish
Maybe I’m delusional but I suspect this powder is so pricey in Singapore because of import taxes? I love it, to be honest. It’s another product that has a skin blurring effect and at my current age, living in humid Singapore, I need all the help I can get to erase my pores. It’s very light and my skin feels breathable in it.
Granted, the mattifying effect does not last, and I have to reapply this several times throughout the day if I don’t layer it with a loose setting powder (again, I live in Singapore). That said, it gives my skin a nice, glowy, even finish, and I can see how fans of this product who live in more forgiving climates wax lyrical about it.
One Size Ultimate Setting Powder in Ultra Pink
I discovered this product by chance while searching for reviews on the Huda Beauty Easy Bake Loose Powder and decided to get this one purely because it seems to keep the skin matte for longer. Who knew I would one day apply pink coloured powder all over my face, but here we are.
I had to buy a separate powder puff (got these ones from trusted Korean brand Fillimilli on Shopee here) to use with this powder. It does brighten up the skin and is close to translucent in shade, so it doesn’t change the colour of my foundation beneath. I apply my base makeup in this order, which has worked really well for me: liquid foundation, compact setting powder, loose setting powder (this product).
Fenty Beauty Match Stix Matte Contour Skinstick in Amber Suede
I just had to get this contour stick in this shade when I saw so many reviews raving about it. This new-ish shade from Fenty is ideal for cool-toned Asians like me, and is so easy to use! It goes on very smoothly and blends so well with a contour brush. I should totally do a tutorial on using this contour stick—it’s really close to fool-proof, I’m not kidding.
I do not think I will use another contouring product for quite a while now.
S$50 on Sephora Singapore; I will repurchase!
MAC M·A·Cximal Silky Matte Lipstick in Lady Danger
If this isn’t THE red lip of the season, I don’t know what is. Before this, I already own Russian Red, which is a cool, blue-toned red-carpet type of red. Definitely a must-have in any glam woman’s collection.
But Lady Danger also holds its own so well. A bolder, more daring shade of red it is, seeing that it’s also much brighter. Both shades bring out the whites in my teeth and both are so, so, so wearable for that extra confidence boost. The formulation is non-drying as well. I truly love it so much.
It’s a say-no-more kind of situation we’re talking about here.