(Part 3) Best products from r/muacjdiscussion

I have my nail tech license, so I have access to the professional products and equipment, but I’ve found a lot of alternatives to the ‘mainstream’ giants in the nail industry. If you go into the nail section of Cosmoprof and SalonCentric, they’re usually dominated by OPI, CND, Essie, and Gelish. CND’s Shellac was probably the first/most prevalent/recognizable gel polish that became familiar to the public, so much that “Shellac” became a catch-all name for gel manicures (similar to names like Q-Tip, Band-Aid, or Kleenex). For a long time, a gel manicure was likely requested (or listed in the salon service menu) as Shellac, regardless of the product line that was used. I was trained on the CND Shellac line when I first learned gel polishes, but I never went on to purchase a single CND Shellac polish/base/top coat. I do own the remover and prep, because it came in a kit for their Brisa gel, but I still don’t own anything “Shellac”. The big thing that I’ve learned? With these giant brands that become industry standards, I’d say that the high price of their products is generally: 75% (a product bearing a brand name that a non-nailpro can see in your supply kit and instantly recognize, therefore they’ll be more likely to have confidence in the products that you use and trust your professional knowledge/skill) and 25% (a popular product that is trusted within the industry).


I have a pretty varied mix of gel polish products, which I started building by stocking up when Cosmoprof and SalonCentric would heavily discount a new batch of OPI and Gelish, and supplemented my stock with Gelaze by China Glaze (which is extremely affordable, compared to OPI/Gelish/Shellac). Of the “big brands”, Gelish is my favorite. But I’ve branched put away from the “mainstream brands” and have found a lot more unique (and affordable) products through nail artists on instagram and by just falling into nail-related rabbit holes on amazon. You can absolutely build a solid stash of gel polishes and supplies without breaking the bank. Here’s what I would recommend:

-Cleanse/Remove: You don’t need a special to remove gel polish. It’s one of those products that are easily packaged and promoted as a “must have” part of the product line. You can soak off gel polish by using a file or buffer to remove the top coat (basically until the surface is no longer shiny), then soaking for a few minutes with those little foil wraps and 100% acetone. If you prefer to not use acetone, the polish can be 100% buffed off with a 120 grit file or buffer. Gel polish cleanser, which is used to clean the natural nail before application and to remove the sticky layer after the gel cures, is 99% isopropyl alcohol. 99% is the most effective, but I know that some cleansers that you can get at Walmart and the like aren’t 99%. I picked up a cheap cleanser and a bottle of acetone at Walmart (Onyx Professional brand) and they worked just the same as my professional brand products. I recommend the little rectangular buffers (you can buy a good amount at Sally’s for cheap) and a 100/120 grit zebra file. The final thing here is lint-free nail wipes. You can find them in the nail aisle at Walmart, which is a great thing because I could only find the damn things in pro stores forever. If I’m being cheap and doing my own nails? I just use paper towels, as long as they aren’t the quilted/soft ones. Never toilet paper, it’s way too crumbly.

-Prep/Base/Top Coat: I’ve tried a few, but Gelish has been the most effective for me. It’s also lasted FOR-EV-ER. You can get the full size of pH Bond, Foundation, and Top It Off in the Gelish Terrific Trio Kit on Amazon for $30.99. This an excellent price and the only way I’ll purchase these items, because they’re individual prices are ridiculous.

Curing: This is where I circle back to my rant about the professional brands and how they can get away with ridiculous markup by slapping their name on a product. A few years ago, OPI and CND both unveiled their ‘cutting edge’ LED nail lamps. This was when the industry was moving away from UV and embracing LED. Gelish also had a very popular lamp at the time. If you went into any salon, you were probably going to see a lamp by Gelish, OPI, or CND. These came with $200-450 price tags. My reaction was basically “fuuuuuuck that”. I bought a basic UV lamp for $20 on eBay and a little LED on amazon for $40. I’m still using them, 4 years later. This is a knockoff version of the CND lamp, and the one that I’m looking at to upgrade from my first LED. Here’s another option, which is similar to the one I currently use.

-Read the reviews when you buy nail products on amazon, but pay attention to the complaints. Some negative reviews come from faulty products, but a LOT of them come from people who have no idea what they’re doing.

I kinda wrote a book here, but if anyone ever has a nail question, shoot me a message and I’m happy to help or make recommendations!!

Do you wear liquid lipsticks? Yep!

Do you exclusively wear liquid lipsticks? No, but I wear them way more often than my bullet lipsticks.

How does lipstick reapplication fit into your life? At work, it's no big deal for me to go to the bathroom and retouch my lipstick. My purse has a mirror in it so I can retouch in my office if I don't feel like walking down the hall. If I'm going out, I usually wear a lipstick that I know fades evenly or is close to my lip color so it wearing away doesn't look too bad since I might not always have a chance to touch up.

Are there certain colour families you prefer in liquid form to bullet form? I prefer bold colors in liquid form since they dry down completely matte. I feel like any type of shine makes the lipstick look sloppy on me. I don't mind bullet lipsticks in nudes since I sometime like a little shine on those.

Is there something about liquid lipstick production that really works for "online brands"? I think a lot of the online and indie brands focus more on trends and right now, liquid lipstick is a huge trend.

Have you tried the slightly older liquid lipsticks? I had one MUFE Aqua Rouge lipstick. I wasn't overly impressed with it. It was fine.

Did you try any of the long lasting liquid lipsticks from ~10 years ago or before? How does the formula compare to current formulas? When I was in high school and early in college, I would wear the Covergirl Outlast Double Lip Shine. That stuff did not budge. I'd put it on in the morning and wouldn't have to touch it up all day. It was a project to get it off at night! It was much closer to a stain (super thin and liquidy) than today's liquid lipsticks.

Can liquid lipsticks be too drying/emphasize wrinkles to the point that they only look good on people with lip injections? I think they can emphasize lines, but I never notice it unless I look really closely at my reflection in the mirror. From a normal distance, I think they look fine.

Any comments on how this liquid lipstick trend has coincided with the browny/mauvey nude trend? I love that it happened that way! I love brown lipsticks and I love matte lipsticks. Combine them, and I'm in lipstick heaven.

How do companies' attempts at metallic lips fit into this? I haven't been paying attention to the metallic lipsticks. I don't care for that finish on me.

What is your preferred size/shape applicator? Which brands get it right? Which don't? I LOVE Jordana's applicator. It's so easy to get a precise line. I really dislike the brands who have a long flat applicator.

Do you prefer ultra-matte finishes on your liquid lipsticks, or are you okay with a little shine, less longevity, and more comfort? Ultra-matte all day, every day! I've never been bothered by the dryness of liquid lipsticks.

What would be your ideal liquid lipstick formula? Do any brands come close? I love formulas that completely dry down and there is absolutely no tackiness left. Jordana, Colourpop, Aromi, and KVD all pretty much do that for me.

Will lip gloss ever be poppin' again? It seems like it's starting to come back in a big way, but I honestly don't ever think it went anywhere. Matte lipsticks are just having their moment. It kind of reminds me of red lipstick - sometimes other colors will be more popular, but it's still a classic color.

Edit: Fixed a misspelling.

HEY EYESHADOW I do a lot of this shit yes okay.

• I apply eyeshadows after I do my foundation/powder/etc. I almost always use brushes, but if I want some extra pop I'll use my fingers.
  
• Honestly, I only use powder shadows. Cream ones tend to crease on me, even when I use a primer, and it's annoying as heck. I use both pressed and loose, because I looooove indie eyeshadows. The only time recently that I've used a cream shadow was to do this dramatic punky-smokey thing for my Tonks costume for the cosplay night at work. It was NYX Black Bean, and I used it as a base to do everything else over.
  
• P R I M E R. Oh my god. I need eyeshadow primer, because otherwise everything gets eaten and creases like crazy. I'm not especially oily, but I guess my lids are, because everything will crease like crazy after a few hours if I don't use primer. I also have a few types--the ELF one, the Fergie one, the new WnW one, and now the UD Primer Potion because I really liked my sample bottle and ended up picking up an old packaging full-sized for $10 at Nordstrom Rack. I also have the Makeup Revolution mixing liquid or whatever, I keep meaning to try it for liner and then forgetting.
  
• I have a relatively small group of eye brushes, actually. I use the ELF C brush for a base (which also sets the primer), the ELF contour brush for crease and lid colors, and then some fluffy blending brush from an Ipsy bag for blending or light washes. I also have a Buxom brush I got at TJ Maxx for $4 that's really good for laying on color! And as for wielding, I tend to choke up on the handles for better control. I have to be careful with color placement, or else it gets lost. Also, I'm just really picky about things like symmetry and placement.
  
• I mean, I dunno if there's any shadows that are better than the others as a general sweeping answer. I have lots of eyeshadows, and I love all of them. I have an ELF 144-color palette that's actually really amazing, especially considering it cost like $15? All the colors are pigmented and blend pretty well. It has a perfect magenta that I've been using for my eyebrows, too. Plus I have all three of the Naked dupes from Makeup Revolution, plus the W7 dupe of the Naked Smokey, and they all rock. And I mean, I have a couple random mid-range shadows (a sample of something from The Balm's Nude Dude palette, plus a Buxom single), two mid-range palettes (Stila's In The Moment and Tarte's Swamp Queen), and a lot of indies, and a good amount of drugstore, and I like and use all of them. I do some research to see if things will be decent before I buy them, but generally, I'm almost always happy.
  
• I think "most used" would maybe be one of the Naked dupes, but I try to use most of my stuff? I have so much, and I get bored, so I try to mix it up.
  
• My eye shape is round, I guess? But my eyes are very deep-set, and I lose a lot of lid space and crease when my eyes are open. I talked about this on the eyeliner post, too, actually! Because of that, I tend to stick to the same general shape of application, because it's what looks good and doesn't get lost. Like, a cut crease on me would be difficult, y'know? And I'm not sure if I like smokey eyes, since they get so lost in the crease, but my coworkers said that it looked really great and intense on me, so maybe I'll play with that more.
  
• My eyes are dark brown, and I have fair neutral-leaning-warm skin with freckles. I try not to pick things that are super clash-y, but there's a lot of room for me since I'm relatively neutral-toned. My eye color doesn't really affect my choices, most days! Although when I wear my blue contacts for cosplay, it affects things a little. Mostly because I look way different with blue eyes, somehow? I dunno. I tend to be a little less dramatic with the blue contacts.
  
• NOPE I have no idea what I'm doing but it's worked so far for liner. I always do it after my eyeshadow and just kinda try until I like it.
  
• I mean, I don't really remember the mistakes I've made. I just kind of tried until I liked how it looked, honestly.
  
• I think I watched a tutorial for a smokey eye once, but for the most part I don't really follow tutorials? I think I said it last time, but there's just certain looks I stick to because they work for me.
  
  AND HEY LET'S TOSS IN SOME PICTURES FOR REFERENCE? Some of these are old but it gets the point across. First, minimal makeup with no eyebrow raise, so you can see how little lid space I end up with. | Very basic makeup because I was an extra. | Just blue eyeshadow, no other colors. | Semi-glam Supergirl for Halloween this year. | Makeup for a friend's wedding. | And finally, a closer look at my shadow placement!

This set on Amazon is really good and super cheap.

I got Sephora's #10 crease brush which is amazing but discontinued so I'll likely be looking into more Sephora brushes. I was really impressed with the performance of their natural hair brushes (I had only owned their synthetic brushes before).

The rest I have gotten from Coastal Scents. I have hooded eyes, so YMMV, but the Classic Blender Doefoot Brush Natural is my absolute favorite for transition shades. It is extremely dense and I use the sharp edge of it to have super clean lines with my eyeshadow at the outer corner.

The Classic Flat Powder Brush Natural is my other favorite, which is really good for under eye powdering. I love it as a blush brush although that's because I apply blush kind of unconventionally (I have found my blush to look better if I swish this flatter brush back and forth from my hairline to the apples of my cheek rather than moving a rounded brush in circles).

If you want a typically sized and shaped blush brush, Classic Large Powder Brush Natural is wonderful. Super soft.

I tried so many different storage solutions as my makeup collection grew. I got tired of wasting time every morning trying to find the one lipstick or mascara or whatever I wanted to use. I decided that I needed a rolling cart with some drawers so that I could store different items separately. I was got inspired by a picture I saw on Amazon, of all place, while looking for an inexpensive yet attractive rolling cart. They don't really exist, so I decided to DIY this, haha. I normally hate crafting but this has been kind of fun to do.

I bought this clear 10-drawer rolling cart (really, the drawers are more translucent than clear) from Michael's for $30. I also bought some purple glitter sticker letters and some purple and gold sticker decorations (butterflies and flowers), some rectangular chalkboard stickers, and some gold patterned washi tape. With the letter stickers, I labeled each drawer with the broad category in there ("face" for my primer and foundation; "eyes" for my eyeliners, brow products, mascaras; "cheek" for my blushes and highlighters, etc.). I then put the chalkboard stickers on each drawer on the opposite side of the drawer from the glitter letters, and created pretty metallic gold borders for them with the washi tape. On the chalkboards, I have a more granular/specific labeling of what's in that drawer (helpful because I have two face drawers, two eyeshadow drawers, etc.)

I put these pretty lavender-scented drawer liners in each drawer (had to cut to size, but there was enough) for decoration and scent. Then, for some drawers with smaller items like pencils and lipsticks, I bought these white plastic drawer divider buckets that were on sale at Michael's - they were like 3 for $3. My eye buckets are organized by item (eyeliner pencils in one, brow products in another, mascaras in a third). My lip products are organized by color family (browns/nudes, reds, pinks, and purples/berries. Might have to split the browns and nudes up soon).

The last touch is for my makeup brushes - part of the reason I bought the thing is because of the nice shelf on top, so I ordered these mini Mason jars painted in different shades of gold from Etsy, plus a smaller set with two taller jars for my longer brushes by the same seller. They just shipped Friday, hooray! So when I get those, I'm going to put them on top, and organize my brushes in it by function (face, eyes, etc.) and size. I also have my setting sprays on top because I always forget to do that, and I'm considering buying a little gold tray for it, but I don't really think I need it, haha. We'll see how I feel after the jars get here. Also my daily brush cleaner is on top and that's gone a long way towards helping me remember to actually clean my brushes every day.

This has helped me soooooo much not only in getting ready in the morning - doing makeup is so much more enjoyable! - but also in recognizing what I actually have in my stash and preventing me from buying dupes. When I had the mess in a drawer, a lot of times I'd swear up and down I didn't have an X and after I brought one home I'd realize I did have X, I just couldn't find it in my f'in makeup drawers lol.

I'd share photos if I was at home, but I'm not! But next time we have one of these and I have the jars, I'll share.

Yep! There's lots of recipes floating around that all end up being pretty similar, but this is basically what I do (though I've been experimenting lately with buying ones at the store for the convenience, so far Native brand seems to work best for me). I generally kind of eyeball it until it looks right so these are proportions rather than exact measurements.

Ingredients: coconut oil, shea butter, cocoa butter, arrowroot starch, baking soda, tea tree oil

Melt equal portions of the oil and butters together (I do 2-3 spoonfuls of each), coconut oil will make it more liquidy, shea butter will make it more thick and creamy, and cocoa butter will make it more solid so you can adjust the proportions to get the texture you like. You can also add beeswax to make it more solid (like if you wanted to use it in a stick) but I haven't tried that. I usually melt by floating a plastic bowl on top of a bowl of hot water, they'll all melt pretty easily with water as hot as the tap will go.

Once they're melted, add in a half cup or so of arrowroot starch and mix in with a fork until combined. (You can use cornstarch, but I like the texture better and feel like it's more effective). Add more until the texture is like a soft frosting. Add half a teaspoon of baking soda, mix thoroughly, then add 2-3 drops of tea tree oil and mix. You can add more baking soda, but it's better to start with less because too much can cause irritation rashes. I often do closer to a teaspoon. (A lot of recipes say to use 1/4 cup or even do it as a third of the ingredients, but that's way too much imo). The tea tree oil is for odor prevention, it's not necessary but I think it does make a difference.

This makes enough to fill two containers like this which lasts me a few months. It'll harden slightly once it cools, but should still be pretty easy to scoop with fingers, and can easily be remelted if you want to tweak it later.

I'm really low tech with my mirror lol. I was using one like this, but from NYX, for YEARS. Like 5 years probably? And it was great because I can set it on my desk and adjust the angle almost any way I'd like and it gives me a good full-face view. There's nothing fancy about it, and it folds up neatly, so I put away when not in use and then my desk can be used for just regular desk stuff lol.

I recently switched to this because I wanted something with lights as the overhead lighting in my bedroom is terrible. It's ok, I wouldn't recommend it or write home about it for sure. It's a bit less easy to maneuver and I find the brightness of the light to be quite jarring, even though you can adjust it, it is somehow bright but not bright enough? As if the lights don't really reach my face when I'm sitting down at my desk. I wish it was rechargeable instead of battery powered because who can be bothered to keep batteries around lol so I use the USB cable to power it which is just like ugh, another cable dangling off my desk.

I also always have a compact at hand for looking at things up close, the Innisfree My palette case (medium) is my favorite lol.

I need mirror help but my room is quite small so it's hard to find something that works and can be put away after use.

Nope, because most cute boxes absolutely are not tight enough to put in a bag and not worry about them. Descriptions will say the inner lids are tight but from personal experience, they're not tight enough to be totally leak proof. Anything that says the 2 layers are secured together with an external elastic band is not leak proof.

If you plan to microwave your lunch, I absolutely recommend boxes of various sizes from Glasslock. The lids have 4 snaps, and I haven't had one leak soup on me. The downside is that they are pretty heavy.

If you aren't fully committed to the bento box meal life of fanatically packing things in tight neat compartments and you're also looking for plastic food storage, I highly recommend Snap Lock, especially any multipack. They're usually lots of pieces for around $20, and they're tight enough to transport yogurt. I didn't dare try soup. The multiple little boxes make it easier to pack multiple little things, and I just drop them in a lunch bag to keep them in one place.

If you like to pack salads, this one from OXO is really good:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B014FYZU9C/

But because you asked, I started looking around and oh my god, Bento&co (https://en.bentoandco.com/) has a bunch of really nice ones. You can browse there to see what style box you prefer. It's a great selection.

This Foodman style looks really promising. Looks like the seal for the compartments go all the way up to the lid.

wow, I want to buy so many bento boxes now. They're so twee, I love it.

Brand: Beauty Bakerie

Reason: The first lipstick I've ever tried that actually held up to the promises and stays on for someone who likes bright colors but hates reapplication.

Product: A Lip Whip Series like Gabby Douglas got. I would make a bunch of colors because I've always been about bright lipstick and I would want to choose colors to reflect that. The first color would be a bright red, like my first lipstick [Revlon's Strawberry Suede] (https://www.amazon.com/Revlon-Matte-Lipstick-Strawberry-Suede-005/dp/B00560QOPE) because it was bold and everything I loved in a color. I first started wearing makeup in early high school and quite frankly, the brightness of the lipstick essentially forced me to not be shy. I'm a pretty loud person now and I think the fact that I didn't do "natural" makeup like everyone else forced me to be confident. Then, I would also have a reflective lip topper shade that was a blue and yellow duochrome, and finally I would want to make a semi-transparent berry shade with them that would blot out well if you wanted to, just become sometimes people want a "natural" look.
I would make them permanent if I was doing this since I think all of these could be easily marketed (maybe not the glitter but hey, who doesn't like glitter?)

Packaging: It would be the same except instead of the blue top I would get a silver top. I think it would just go better with the colors.

Intended Audience: Girls my age, so the 21-25 demographic of people who still can afford to wear glitter lipstick but also have a need for a more natural color and a simple red lip.

Price: Slightly cheaper than the normal stuff (45 for all three) but still generally the same cost. I'd probably give a discount code unless the money was getting donated.

Names: Big Mouth (Strawberry Red), Add A Little Pizazz (Glitter), Naturallllll (Berry)

I just made mine the other day! They're roughly organized by store or function:

Vanity, makeup storage/organization, etc:

• JackCubeDesign 31-Hole Acrylic Brush Holder - I prefer the look of this over other options I've seen for brush storage with lids. This would be lovely for double-headed brushes.
  
  
• Brush Works Artist Easel Pro - storage for up to 75 brushes, it looks nice, and I've read that it's well constructed/quite sturdy.
  
  
• Stratford Farmhouse White 5-Drawer Rolling Cart or this Country Style 5-Drawer Metal Wood Chest - I'd love either of these for storage!
  
  
• I'm really hoping to find a mirror similar to the discontinued Target Project 62 Round Vanity Mirror on Marble Stand, and it's been more challenging to find sometime similar than I expected. We can’t hang anything on the walls in our apartment, and I need a mirror that’s heavy enough that the cats can’t knock it over.
  
  Sephora:
  
  
• First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Wild Oat Hydrating Toner - just look at that gorgeous ingredient list!
  
  
• Laura Mercier Candleglow Sheer Perfecting Powder in Shade 1 - I've had my eyes on these for a few years now. I've heard whispers that these might be discontinued soon, so I'm hoping to snap one up soon!
  
  
• Maison Margiela - 'Replica' Travel Spray Set (Jazz Club, Whispers in the Library, By the Fireplace)
  
  Chanel:
  
  
• Rouge Coco Lip Blush in "420 Burning Berry” - I'm interested in trying these, but not enough to go get them myself. I love a lip stain/oil/tint, and positive reviews found them lovely as a lip color and blush, non-drying, etc. Negative reviews found them patchy and drying.
  
  
• Top Coat Eyeshadow Veils in "317 Carte Blanche" or "327 Penombre” - I've had a hard time finding good swatches/reviews online. I've swatched them both irl, and they're both to die for.
  
  
• Gloss Top Coat in “Lunaire" - I've never met an eye gloss I didn't love. These are less "wet" than most eyeglasses, but the tradeoff is that the glossy finish wears away much quicker. Still, I'd happily add it to my growing horde!
  
  
• Cream Eyeshadow in"840 Patine Bronze”(https://www.nylon.com.sg/2019/01/chanel-looks-to-asia-for-its-2019-spring-summer-makeup-collection/) - it's beautiful, it's bronze, enough said right?
  
  
• Rouge Allure Ink Fusion in "826 Pourpre”
  
  
• Baume Essentiel Multi-Use Glow Stick in “Sculpting" - I have the shade "Transparent" and it's everything I'd hoped it would be and more. I'm sure the same would be true for "Sculpting" too.
  
  Other Makeup:
  
  
• Real Techniques 1413 Setting Brush - can never have too many of these!
  
  
• Sugarpill Pressed Shadow in the shade “Tako” (matte white) - I've panned one and am eager to replace it!
  
  
• Glossier FutureDew Oil Serum hybrid
  
  
• Luxie Mini Detail Eye Brush Set - I've never tried Luxie brushes, but I've heard very good things about this set in particular.
  
  
• Chantecaille Luminescent Eye Shades in "Giraffe" or “Lion" - words fail me <3

City Color is kind of a no name brand, but my mother bought me the whole kit they sell on Amazon for last Christmas and I. love. them. They feel so soft, almost creamy, and they're very very reasonably priced. Ten bucks for four of them. They don't skip, they're not patchy, they slide on beautifully and evenly. You do have to be aware when you're applying them because they are super pigmented and can get out of hand quickly, but they're also easy to blend. They're some of my most used blushes. The orange/red one is amazing. Gives me a "just came in from the cold" type flush. I didn't think it would work because I skew cool in terms of undertones but I get compliments when I'm wearing it.

Only issue is the packaging. The clear plastic can pop out of the case pretty easily if you're not careful.

Sorry, I'm probably not helping (no one needs four different blushes!!), but if that urge for matte blushes just bugs you incessantly, this can be an inexpensive way to scratch that itch.

I have super dry skin, and layering a moisturizing toner under my skin care in the morning and at night makes a HUGE difference for me. It's an extra layer of moisture, but since it's a toner and not a lotion or cream, it layers well. I use this one: https://www.amazon.com/Cosmetics-Conditioner-Facial-Lotion-Hyaluronic/dp/B001ET65K0, which I buy either in an Asian supermarket or at a Japanese import store, but I'm sure there are others. This one works great though and is super cheap. My skin really, really like hyaluronic acid, which is great for dry skin. I also use a face oil after the toner, and the oil makes a world of difference. If I skip the oil, my skin is sad. I've used physician's formula's argon oil which is really thick but which I liked. Right now I use Shea Moisture's argon oil, which is much, much cheaper. You can find it in the hair care aisle of Ulta. It might be worth looking into a face oil.

As far as face moisturier, I feel like if you like the lubriderm, keep using it and try a face oil under it. But if you want to try a face moisturizer, I do like Olay's line, especially their night cream with retinol which I used for a full six/seven months.

I'm sorry - I made a mistake! The Moisturizing Bomb is actually in [squeezey-tube type packaging] (https://www.yesstyle.com/en/belif-the-true-cream-moisturizing-bomb-75ml-75ml/info.html/pid.1060679344) (which I am still excited about, but isn't accurate for what I told you). It was actually a different moisturizer that isn't available in the US that's in a [proper sealed jar-type packaging] (https://www.yesstyle.com/en/belif-the-true-cream-water-bomb-75ml-75ml/info.html/pid.1061866549). It's called the True Cream Water Bomb, not the Moisture or Aqua, which is interesting! The TesterKorea site has a different picture now then when I checked earlier, or maybe I just misread - they do have the larger 75ml size, but the link shows it in a tub. I'm sorry if I got your hopes up!

Oh wow, I love Faceonomics! That blog has been so, so incredibly helpful; I've found some of my favorite skincare off of her recommendations! I agree, she really does have amazing skin. :)

Thanks! My great-aunties still press oil in an old-fashioned way - what they describe in [this link] (https://www.thoughtco.com/ancient-history-of-making-olive-oil-4047748) under "Making Olive Oil" and "Olive Press Machinery" is close. We didn't press olives, but the process was pretty close. Now my mom has an oil press - something [like this!] (https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B004H2SDTM?ie=UTF8&tag=udfblog-20&linkCode=as2&camp=1789&creative=390957&creativeASIN=B004H2SDTM) :)

If your skin tone is on the lighter side then Asian BB creams are your friend. They come in a limited color selection and mostly in light shades but they are totally awesome!

My HG is the Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream. It’s hella cheap but great coverage and glowy. I do set with powder to make it last though.

I used to use the Skin79 Beblesh Balm but it’s a little grey tinged. But I got compliments on my skin most times I wore this. Very moisturizing and you get a lot of bang for your buck. Took me forever to go through it.

IT Cosmetics CC cream has a better shade selection (not huge but better than Asian BBs) but it’s going to cost more. Same with Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer. Both formulas are very silky and easy to blend. The Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer comes in an oil free version as well.