thank you to my sponsors (hehe)

i love this pic! see how my cheeks shine?

i don't have special regimens, and i use only the affordable products on my face. always i avoid to be high-maintenance.


it was interesting coz when i was in highschool i had oily skin, but in mid-college when i went to dubai i must've left my oil glands at home coz my skin started to dry.

then my skin thought it would be funny to try all skin types coz when we transferred here in bahrain i started to have combination skin - oily on the t-zone and dry everywhere else.


anyways, my daily regimen 101. (with matching reviews in fairness)

to start with, i wash my face in the morning only after i take the shower. they said the stuff you use on your hair reacts with your sensitive face and more or less it might be the cause of your skin problem. i just use normal soap, although using clean and clear, belo or skinwhite soaps shows better results.

my secret weapon - bare escentuals skin rev-er upper. it preps my face for mineral foundation, and helps it last longer.  although it smells weird, it really makes a difference using this first before foundation.



then my daily face routine is to buff bare escentuals mineral foundation, then my mineral veil and finally - clear radiance.



the fine mineral powder foundation hides the discolorations and pigmentations, while the mineral veil gives a "soft focus camera lens effect" (no lie, this is the one i can't not do coz it gives my face a soft finish), and the clear radiance gives me that glow on my cheeks.

i started using these since i saw their video, and i never bought another foundation again.  i really do not want heavy makeup, and this is perfect for me.  it's so light, you wouldn't even feel like you're wearing foundation.  and it's really pure, the tagline says 'you can even sleep with these on your face'.  plus it lives up to its name with regards to effectiveness.  and easy to apply, which is the number 1 reason why i use it since i usually wake up 30 minutes before our office starts.  who wouldn't want to use this?

unfortunately they are available only from US, so i buy on ebay to stock up way before i run out.


if i want a dewy look ill use the body shop's illuminating vitamin e cream on my cheeks. it's tested and proven, and it was so convincingly beautiful that ariane actually started using this when i finally told here why my cheeks are glowing, after months of her asking me.



and at night-time if i want sparkles ill probably dust my fez with penshoppe's face it face glitter. it doesn't have big glitters, just small fine ones perfect for your face.



and for my most healthy-looking blush! ive been using it for 6 years now. it's also a good lip stain but it fades fast. it's just perfect as a blush. ariane became an avid fan, too. i've been getting the most compliments saying i have natural healthy-looking cheeks because of this baby:



in the afternoons when i come back to the office and i want a darker blush i use bourjois' rose amber blush. it helps contour my face to eliminate chubby cheeks! ariane asked me about this blush too but it didn't work for her coz we have different skintones.



for mascaras i either choose avon black waterproof mascara if i want dark eyelashes, or the body shop's brown mascara to accent my brown eyes, or borjouis deep black mascara if i want lengths. i got this for free and i wasn't expecting much from it but it is awesome because it makes my eyelashes look longer and it looks so natural!  the body shop makes my lashes thick, while avon makes them long.




for face brushes i never use anything else with mineral foundation except for this facebrush from bare escentuals called flawless face brush. i love it coz it's so soft, it makes the mineral powder feels like silk on my face! the next one is an angled blush brush, good for contouring your cheeks. the two ones are from hongkong and im not using them except if my facebrush falls on the floor on one clumsy morning.



i wash these with jared's shampoo by the way:





then the lips. these are my favorites: the battered one is the body shop's born with it strawberry lipbalm for a more healthy looking slightly-red lips. ariane tipped me that. i use it everyday and it's always in me bag, then penshoppe's fruity pout lip jelly if i want mega awesome glossy lips, and my everyday balm, chapstick, which never fails me. i always stock up on this when im in manila.



for lipsticks, well, i don't really use lipsticks coz i hate their smell. plus i hate their quick disappearances when i needed them the most. i use nivea 10-hour extreme resist lipstick, which comes in a creamy tube.  so far, the longest it stayed on my lips was 5 hours.  i don't use the attached gloss though, coz it looks so oa for normal days...



this is a staple in my bag: a mini-mineral veil and the body shop's retractable brush. for oily t-zones.




then at night if i feel grubby ill wash with my sister's neutrogena, otherwise just my favorite whitening soap again. then loreal's pore tightening toner. if i have remaining makeup on ill wipe it with a makeup cleanser (my sister left me with givenchy clean-it-all), and i moisturize. always i moisturize.





in all fairness, i know every girl has their own, be it quick or time-consuming, as long as you're comfortable with it.

these are all basic, and i know i will add more come salary time. i will gladly update as soon as i have a new pretty discovery!