Top 5 May Favorites

Hello!

Today I want to share 5 products that I've been using and loving this month. I don't usually write favorites post but two of these products are old favorites that I just have to share and three new ones that have added some fun into my regular routine.  

Let's start with the two products that I've used for many years which are the Shiseido Facial Cotton & Bioré UV Aqua Rich SPF 50+. 

Shiseido Facial Cotton

The Shiseido facial cotton is definitely a must have if you are into Korean or Japanese skincare. This cotton pad was originally created for Shiseido's softeners which are products you use as step number 2 if you follow the Shiseido routine. I talked a little bit about the important of using the right kind of cotton pads in a previous post and this is probably by far my favorite pad to apply toner and essence. Koreans and Japanese also use cotton pads to create their own sheet masks. If you've never tried a Korean or a Japanese cotton pads to apply your liquid skin care before please give them a try.  This small packet is for 40 pads and it's available at Sephora for $5 or 165 pads for $12. If you want to try something cheaper, Innisfree, Missha, Muji and Klairs all have great cotton pads you can try.

Bioré Aqua Rich SPF 50

The Bioré Aqua Rich SPF is 1 out of only 2 face SPF I use (a lot of SPF causes a break out) and I will explain why this makes it to the list and not the other one. I don't know if you can see it in the picture but underneath Aqua Rich it says 'Watery Essence' which is essentially the texture of this spf. It's super light and applies on clear. It has a light lemony scent and has no white cast. It absorbs like an essence or a very light moisturizer. It's also non-greasy and is fantastic underneath foundation/bb/cc creams. This unfortunately is not available in a store in the U.S. but you can easily find them on Amazon or Yesstyle which also carries a lot of Asian beauty products. The second SPF I use is the Coola Classic Sport Face SPF 50. Both have SPF 50 which is the minimum I will use and they both non-greasy. So why do I prefer the Bioré over the Coola? The Coola does not do well underneath foundation. I feel like the 'sport face' in the title is pretty accurate. This is the SPF I will use if I don't plan on wearing any makeup for the day. The final reason is pretty straight forward. The Bioré SPF is around $10 for 50 grams or about 1.7 oz and the Coola is $32 for the same amount.  

Smashbox Primerizer

The Primerizer is the primer that I've been using since last Fall. I had gotten a trial size of the product in a Sephora Favorites box I bought around Thanksgiving and I've been using it ever since and it's been great. This probably won't make it pass May as the weather gets hotter so I want to definitely include it in this month's favorite.  This primer is definitely different than other primers I have but I really enjoy using this especially when it's not super hot and humid. If you are interested definitely give the travel size a go (someone at Smashbox can't math and buying 2 of the travel size is $12 cheaper for the same amount as the full size). 

NARS Climax Mascara 

Nars Climax mascara is the only mascara I have in my collection. As a glasses wearer and short lashes bearer, I've been struggling with mascaras ever since I had to wear makeup doing plays in high school. The only mascara I would use prior to this is the Innisfree Skinny Waterproof Microcara which is still really good. So what changed? I started using a lash serum and now months later I have long enough lashes that will actually hold mascara. Now that I have lashes I naturally started to look for mascaras but then I encountered a whole new set of challenges namely my oily lids and mascaras that are stiff, smudges, clumps, and flakes.  

I have tried a lot of mascara from drugstore cult classics like L'oreal Lash Paradise, Maybelline Falsies, Covergirl Lash Blast to high end ones like the Benefit They're Real + Roller Lash, Urban Decay Perversion, Lancome Grandiose, Clinique High Impact among myriad of others. I pretty much gave up until several weeks ago when I was browsing at Sephora and the packaging caught my eye. To be honest at first I tried it on and it was okay. What made me decide to get it was because I had gotten home and forgot that I had tried on the mascara and when I looked at myself in the mirror I had these really great lashes that were still in tact, that didn't feel stiff  and wasn't smudging all over the place. I will say that if your intention is to voluminize your lashes this is not the mascara for you. This is also not marketed as waterproof but I haven't had a problem with it smudging while watching Avengers End Game. 

Natasha Denona Mini Lila Palette

Of course just several weeks after posting my palette collection I just had to buy a palette as if I didn't have enough. This wasn't on my radar but I saw it and I thought the colors were really pretty and inspiring and I think I just wanted to try another palette from the brand since I wasn't that impressed with the mattes in the Cranberry Palette (loved the shimmers and duo chrome shadows). In the Mini Lila Palette, the duo chrome shadow which is Blue Dahlia is what I wished the Becca Volcano Goddess shadow would give me but this is so much better. The mattes in here are significantly superior than the Cranberry palette and it's such a joy to use. I know that at the end of the day I am paying more for this mini palette than buying the regular palette but I feel like I'm also buying 5 shadows that I will actually use. Even in this size I don't imagine hitting pan on any of the colors by the end of the year so at the end of the day I don't think I'm saving more if I buy the larger palette with shadows I won't use. As of the time I'm writing this which is Sunday 05/26 I believe this palette is on sale for $12 for the Memorial Day Weekend sale. 

I've enjoyed selecting this May Favorites. Let me know if Top 5 Favorites should be a thing (maybe not monthly but seasonal? or themed?). As always thanks for reading! 

Until next time,
Jessica