Daily staples I can't live without (Spring 2012)

It has been quite a while I have posted about my monthly/seasonal favorites - forgive me for the absence. But this time I'm back with even more promising products, which have earned a daily staple status in my beauty routine. I tried my best to short list them down to the products I use to create a 'minimum' face - that is, the minimal number of items I have been using lately for my to-go look. As I'm always in a rush, eyeshadows are a bonus instead of essential. 

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 in Nude

Giorgio Armani High Precision Retouch Concealer in 3.5

Lunasol Skin Contrast Face Powder in 01 Glow                    

This tinted moisturizer by Laura Mercier is my first foray into the sea of TMs. I picked a shade online without trying at the counter - and it's perfect for my complexion during early spring. It's moisturizing but I guess would be a bit too thick for Asian summers, oil control isn't the best I tried (shows signs of oiliness by afternoon). Since I got tanned in summer, I figured I'd better use it in early days of Spring and Summer. I like mixing it with a few drops of liquid highlighters / illuminators (Benefit Girl Meets Pearl) and together they give a perfect glowy effect! 

The texture of Armani High Precision Retouch concealer is runny, but it comes with an application wand made with pointed bristles, which is very handy and precise when you want to conceal small blemishes (fingers just don't come into any use when it comes to minor post-acne discolorations). It does a fairly well job in concealing under eye circles (mine are pretty intense). 

Lunasol is famous for being expensive (!) and their regular sized jar of loose powder is no exception, the jar I featured in the pic came from their last year's holiday set, which contains 6g and would last me forever. The powder is slightly shimmery (hence it is named 01 Glow) but once applied, it didn't show or reflect glitter/shimmery on your face. It is only after a few hours that your face will become naturally radiant and glowy, I believe it's the secret GLOW in this powder that is working its magic on dull complexions.

MAC blush in Pink Cult

Giorgio Armani Smooth Silk Eye Pencil in #2 (matte coffee bean brown)







I got Pink Cult blush from MAC Jeanius Collection about last year? Pink Cult is the perfect-perfect pink on my cheeks I swear. In the pan it looks dusty and dull and yet when applied, it's the most gorgeous pink I've ever seen on my cheeks. My cheeks look healthily and naturally flushed, pigmentation is extremely high. Shade itself is perfect for work. Whenever I can't decide what blush I'm wearing that day, I reach for Pink Cult. (It's being re-promoted now in Reel Sexy Collection so if you don't have a dusty pink blush in your stash, it's your time.)

Earlier on I finished my Dollywink Pencil liner in brown, and Armani's Smooth Silk Eye Pencil is a timely replacement for it. It's matte, glides on my eyelids easily and is water-resistant (in Armani language, water-resistant is different from water-proof. The latter is completely intact from water while the former will 'slide' water away, at least that's what I"m told). The other end of the pencil has a sponge smudge tip for blending to create a sultry look.

Sara Happ The Lip Slip One Luxe Gloss Balm

Giorgio Armani Rouge d'Armani lipstick in #103







Previously I blogged about Sara Happ's One Luxe balm which comes in a plastic jar. The jar had been consumed by me and now makes a return in the format of a tube. And it has become a gloss balm instead of just a balm. There's tiny tiny shimmers in both the jar and tube versions and personally, I prefer the tube as application is more hygienic and I could carry this around in my purse. This beats every lip balm (even Jack Black's) I tried. Texture is buttery smooth, it heals chapped lips and hydrates them like no other, even in weather below zero degrees celcius. Size of the tube contains a generous 14ml (the jar version is 15ml), when you don't know what to wear for your lips, slip into this gloss balm.

You're probably not going to believe I picked yet another shade of a beauty item without swatching it in person. And results do confirm that blind picks often turned out to be the new Holy Grails in my beauty routine. Rouge d'Armani in #103 is my go-to pink-beige for days I don't want to think about what to wear on my lips. Even my eagle-eyed hubby noticed and complimented me when I wore this (haha)! It's really the perfect my-lips-but-better (MLBB) shade on my NC25 skintone. Applies evenly onto lips, albeit formula a bit drying and not long-lasting enough (below 2 hours for me). I surely love this for the shade / color but there might be better formulas out there (Edward Bess Ultra Slicks!).

What are your spring favorites? Let us know in the comments!