HG ROUNDUP: MAKEUP AND SKINCARE PRODUCTS

Hello! I’ve been SUPER excited to do this post for a long time – even before I wanted to start this blog, because being the perfectionist that I am, the list I was compiling in my head was never good enough. But here are my all-time HG products:

1. Bioderma Sensibio H2O

This product along with the Kiehl’s products I will talk about later SAVED my skin.  Last year I had the worst acne I’ve had all my life – erupting constantly on my cheek and chin area, with blocked pores deep under my skin.  I’m still in the process of healing, but this product takes off my makeup so gently yet powerfully.  I have combo skin that gets dry in the winter and is sensitive sometimes and my skin loves this product.  Will repurchase until I die.  Shop it here.

2.  Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cleanser

Again, I will talk more about my battles with acne in future post, but switching over to gentler products such as this really helped save my inflamed, swollen skin.  This cleanser is REALLY worth the $26 price tag. The consistency is like a thick gel, and it does not foam up.   I clean my face with it after wiping off my makeup with the Bioderma and it leaves it very clean and NOT DRY, and without a filmy residue like a foam cleanser would.  Wiping my face with toner on a cotton pad left no residual makeup.  Also, the 150ml bottle seems to last forever because you do not need a lot of product – I bought it in December, use it 1-2 times daily and now it is August and I’m still not close to finishing the tube.  Shop it here.

3.  Kiehl’s Ultra Facial Cream

This product is complimentary to the cleanser, as well as the toner (which is amazing too, but decided not to list it).  Ideally you should use all three together.  This cream leaves my face so supple and smooth and feeling truly moisturized inside out – as long as I use a very little amount all over my face.  It has lasted me at least 6 months because of how little I needed.  Using too much made me oily, but it did not contribute to breakouts, although it is not oil-free.  One thing I would say is that I would not use this in the summer because it is too rich – for now, I use the Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream. Shop Ultra Facial Cream here.

4.  Kiehl’s Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado

Keeping it short, this eye cream is delightfully creamy and rich when you first apply it, then as you spread it out with your fingers it somehow thins out to a watery consistency.  It is so moisturizing yet not sticky and heavy on your eyes.  I would say that it is worth what it costs, considering other eye creams out there.  Also, this product works well with younger people who need an HG eye cream but not for anti-aging purposes.  Shop it here.

5.  Clean and Clear Persa-Gel 5

In all honesty, I was going to return this product because it gave me the worst allergic reaction I’ve had ever to a skincare product.  I already knew I was allergic to Benzoyl Peroxide from another medication I used to use (which was 2%), so it sounded crazy that I continued to use this 5% BP product albeit it causing my face to redden and my eyes to swell up.  I decided to keep going with it because I know my skin gets used to products.  It effectively dries out my pimples, EVEN the big foreboding cysts that take a week to mature and hurt a lot.  I find that my pimples either heal faster, never come to maturity, or dry faster so I can extract them safely.  Shop it here.

6. Benefit High Beam

I don’t know how I was okay with my makeup before using this liquid highlighter! Now I HAVE to use it – highlighting your face brings out your features and makes your face more 3-dimensional.  I love applying it on my brow bone, cheekbones, cupid’s bow, and of course, my (lack of a) nose bridge.  For me, it makes a hell of a difference when I have High Beam on my nose, because I really don’t have much of a bone there.  Only problem I have with it is that it tends to dry quickly, so blending it quickly is a must.  Shop it here.

7. Nivea Fruity Shine Strawberry

This drugstore lip balm leaves my lips moisturized, supple, and gives it a hint of a reddish pink colour which is amazing for my naturally pale lips.  Great for when you don’t want to try too hard but want to look healthy!  It also tastes like strawberry too and it is hella cheap so are you sold yet?  Shop it here.

8. Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Dark Circle Concealer in Light

This affordable drugstore concealer is another must-have item that brightens up my entire face and compliments my foundation.  I wear a lighter colour than my own skin tone so it brightens up my under-eye area and creates more dimension in my face.  For higher undereye circle coverage, I first lightly shade in my dark eye circles with a pink lip pencil – it sounds crazy but it works, watch this video and you will be mind blown.  Then I use the Maybelline Concealer on top and blend it out with a beauty blender toward my outer corner and as well down to my cheeks – the consistency on this concealer is perfectly thin to use on the eyes and coverage is very good.  Shop it here.

9. Cover FX Natural Finish Oil Free Foundation & Cream Concealer

I first learned about CoverFX when I was 15 buying my first foundation to cover my acne at the time – it was developed at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto to target people who suffer from skin problems like rosacea and acne.  It has been my first and only suitable foundation and I probably won’t try anything else soon.  Other foundations and BB creams in the past have broken me out and blocked my pores so I have come back to this brand.  It is quite pricey but in my opinion it is worth it especially if you are acne prone too.  It gives a dewy medium coverage and it buildable to full.  I usually put it on first in a thin layer all over, then mix it with the concealer to cover problem areas, then finally spot treat the small imperfections with the concealer.  The concealer is awesome as well; it is very thick, almost a clay-like consistency but the only downside is that its colours are limited.  I use N30 or G40 for foundation (depending how dark I am) and Light for concealer.  Shop them here and here.

10. Innisfree No Sebum Mineral Powder

My friend recommended this to me a year ago and I have been loving it ever since.  This powder has a pleasant smell and gets rid of facial oil so well.  After I use it my face is velvety smooth and dry to the touch in a fresh way.  I use this to set my foundation or just to absorb oil when I need to.  100% HG product!  I would definitely want to try more Innisfree’s products in the future.  Shop the powder here.

11. Biosilk Silk Therapy Serum

The ends of my hair are hella damaged and hella dry, and this product has been nourishing my hair and keeping it tame for almost a year now.  The consistency of Biosilk is a very thick liquid gel, and I apply it on wet, towel-dried hair.  Again, damaged hair cannot be repaired obviously but after I use this and dry my hair, it feels smooth and healthy and much more manageable.  Shop it here. (I prefer to buy this at a hair product shop at Pacific Mall – costs around $35.)

12. Shiseido Tsubaki Shining Conditioner

This conditioner is actually HG for making my tangled, unruly, and dry hair all smooth and shiny and amazingly soft.  It has Camellia oil which is amazing for the hair and skin.  I tend to use a lot of this conditioner so it coats my hair well and leave it in there for at least 5 minutes in the shower for it to take effect.   I am honestly a shampoo/conditioner nomad so finally finding this conditioner that I can depend on is quite awesome.  It is designed for Asian hair so if you have that it will probably work well on you.  Shop it here. (I prefer to buy this at T&T supermarket though, sometimes they have sales.)

I hope you enjoyed this post (if you made it this far), and Follow me for more stuff to come! 🙂

xoxo

Boki