It's funny how I say that I'm restraining myself from buying makeup, and there's only one familiar face in my April favourites. But I blame it on Korea. Most of these products showed up in my Korea haul, so let's start with the familiar one before we move onto introducing the newbies. 

I am completely and utterly smitten over Estee Lauder Pure Colour Envy Matte Lipstick in Unattainable (review). It's a plummy-red shade that's been whipped out all four seasons and is currently my go-to bright shade. It's a satin finish but with the staying power of a matte lipstick. Plus, this Estee Lauder lipstick has a magnetic lid which makes it all that more satisfying. 

I flirted with a lot of different concealers in the past year, but I think I've finally settled down with the 3CE Waterful Concealer in 01. It's an extremely lightweight concealer that's almost hydrating - in other words, under eye concealer heaven. As if this wasn't enough, the wear time for this concealer is amazing. It's gotten me through 12-hour work days with my concealer looking better than how I'm feeling. Plus, it comes in a squeezy tube, which is probably my favourite concealer method for the under eye area. 

Another 3CE product that made its way into my favourites is the Pot Eyeshadow in Baby Latte. I imagine this is what melted metal looks like on the lids - and this is my conclusion after I applied this pale gold eye shadow with fingers. Imagine how gorgeous it would look when applied with a damp brush! I would say the one thing that's slightly annoying about this eyeshadow is that there definitely is fallout - however, it's something I'm willing to overlook purely because of how gorgeous it wears. 

I've been wearing the granhand. Fragrance in Kissin since the day I got it in Korea. It's quite the gender neutral scent, and with notes of pepper, sandalwood, and amber (as I gather from the website), this scent is like being buried in a blanket fort while sitting by the fireplace. Plus, can we talk about the packaging - the hemp labels and simple product details allows the product to stand out from other fragrances and brings that 'down to earth' vibe that matches perfectly with the scent. Also, they stamp your name on the bottle. I mean, c'mon, who doesn't like customised packaging??  

If you're following me on Instagram, then you've probably seen this nail polish pop up multiple times in my instastories. I was on the desperate hunt for a rainbow holographic nail polish after seeing it all over Allison's social media. And of course I'd find it in Korea. I didn't know about WAKEMAKE before this trip, I wasn't even sure of the brand name until I did a google search. But their Nail Gun nail polish in VVIP (Silver) is exactly what I was looking for and more. The rainbow holographic is so beautiful without being tacky, and has a futuristic touch. I normally don't apply nail polish when I'm on vacation as I can't deal with chipped nails - but I just had to try on this nail polish and it stayed on for 3 full days before there was minimal chipping. What's better? The shine was incredible and lasted the whole time I wore the nail polish. Definitely my favourite nail polish at the moment. 

Last but not least, a lifestyle favourite. I have a major caffeine problem, and while I'm not a coffee snob (my only requirements: black coffee that doesn't taste like sink water), I refuse to be in near vicinity of instant coffee. Then I found KANU instant coffee. I picked up a box of the instant Americano when I was in the supermarket, not expecting anything at all and just hoping that I would be able to swallow the end product. But boy oh boy, was I pleasantly surprised. If you gave me a cup of this coffee and told me a barista made it, I would've believed you and asked you for the name of the cafe. I'm kicking myself for only buying the 30-pack box and am already researching where I can buy it online. 

All in all, April has been quite a month - what has been some of your favourites from April? 

I wrote of my first impressions on the Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer (£17.50) and I'm happy to report back that it's good enough to have made it into my monthly favourites. This is everything I had hoped the NARS Creamy Concealer would be, except at a lower price. It's medium to full coverage, liquidy and won't dry out my under eye area. Plus, my favourite thing about this is the applicator. I don't think I've ever come across a applicator as soft and flexible as this one before. It's almost like the applicator is softly caressing my under eye area when I apply the product. Nope, it's definitely not as weird as I made it sound. 

I've gone back to using my Urban Decay Naked Basics (£23) for a quick and simple eye look. I mix together Naked 2 and Faint for a subtle crease definition while sometimes adding a touch of Foxy and Venus all over the lid if I'm feeling particularly fancy. I'll also like using Naked 2 as a contour shade if I decide it's going to be a wild 'buying coffee' errand run. I live an exciting life. 

I have my usual monthly lip product round up - but some of you sharp eyes might have realised something's different. I haven't been reaching for my brights as frequent in the past month - or rather, I should say, when I do, it's either MAC All Fired Up or Flat Out Fabulous, which both made it into last month's favourites. But back to present day, I've been reaching for more neutral shades in the past month as things have been generally quite low maintenance. MAC Faux (15.50), a mauvey pink with slight grey undertones, has been my most used lip colour the past month. I recently did a whole post on my MAC lipstick collection where you can find a more detailed review and swatches of said colour. 

Another neutral shade, but this time more beige, that I've been loving the past month has been the Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick (£5.49) in 03 (swatch here). I'm still on the fence about the scent, but I really can't fault the formula of these lipsticks. It's an easy to wear pale neutral shade with hints of peach to make it wearable. 

Last but not least, another neutral, easy to wear shade that I've been quite enjoying is the Wet N Wild Megalast Lipstick ($2.75) in Rose Bud (swatch). A little more brighter than the previous mentioned, this rosey pink is a matte lipstick that makes a low-key statement. One of my favourite formulas, this one will easily last a good 5-6 hours with constant coffee breaks and light snacking. 

I'm looking at the roundup of my favourites from the past month and it's quite interesting. On one hand, none of these products are really all that surprising, but on the other hand, it's quite unusual that there's practically no colour in the selection. It's been quite the monochrome month, I suppose. What are your monthly favourites?  

I've been toning down the makeup spendings since I moved back to Taiwan. I'd like to think that it's mostly because I'm more than happy with my makeup collection - which I am - and am now more sensible with money (read: I'm batshit poor). But let's be real, my mum's horrified reaction when she saw all the makeup I owned and the following lecture is probably what's stopping me from raiding the Korean makeup stores that seem to be on every street corner here. 

Anywho. That ramble has a point, which I probably should've made like, three sentences ago. There's a difference between products worth the money and those worth investing in. I've gathered together some more products that have a performance record well beyond their price tag and worth those hard-earned pennies. 

I've been quite vocal about the Urban Decay Naked Basics (£23) since back when this blog had a culinary name. Fast forward 2.5 years later and I'm still very much in love with this palette. Depending on your preferences, both the original Naked Basics and the Naked2 Basics are worth investing in as matte eyeshadow palettes are already rare enough and for the each shadow to be insanely high quality is like finding water in the desert. Plus, it's not just an eyeshadow palette. Old dog, new tricks. Break the rules, think outside the box.   I like to bring this little one when I travel as I can also use the midtoned shades for contouring and the one shimmer shade as a highlighter.

Another old love that's been well documented on the blog, the Bobbi Brown Corrector (£19) is one that you need if you have serious dark circles. Like bold, capital letters NEED. I've always had this little pot of perfection in my makeup bag since, well, since I started wearing makeup. It works wonders at colour correcting even the darkest of pits, meaning that you minimise the potential for major undereye concealer cake-up when piling on concealer after concealer in vain. 

I haven't talked about the Jouer Matte Moisture Tint (£30) in a while, but it's still well loved. This is a tinted moisturiser that's different from everything else on the market. It's a satin/matte finish that seriously looks like real skin when applied and wears ridiculously well throughout the day. I mean, it'll look good when you first apply, but it'll look fantastic three hours later. The mousse-like texture provides coverage on par with a light foundation while feeling weightless on the skin. Plus, travel friendly squeezy tube? Uh, yes please. 

So guess who's done some shopping lately? I call it a post-dissertation celebration. Or a treat yourself. But I much prefer the former as it feels like I've justified the plunge in my bank account. It's also been a while since I properly sat down and played with makeup. Put the two together, and it was only natural that this post was conceived.