u/Lusterpancakes

I am a huge base product girly, and NARS bacame my go-to brand for offering the perfect range of finishes, from radiant to natural to super matte!! I love mixing them depending on the day, even blending in the Maybelline Lifter Plump foundation for a seamless "no-makeup" look. For spot concealing, NARS Soft Matte is unmatched, but for the under-eyes, the Dior Forever Skin Correct I use this with Nars creamy concealer in the shade Biscuit to correct dark pigments paired with the Haus Labs brush is pure sorcery, totally worth the splurge. To lock it all in, the One Size Ultra Pink powder completely lives up to the blurring filter allegations.

Speaking of One Size, their products are definitely worth the investment for the longevity alone. I love the Til Dawn Glitter Waterproof Setting Spray in Brown Sugar!! it gives the same incredible hold as the original formula but with a subtle shimmer that's perfect for parties. I'm actually waiting for another
new product to arrive in my mail! It's the One size Product Til Dawn Bronze Veil Waterproof Setting Spray!! but honestly, anything from One Size is pretty much a guaranteed holy grail when it comes to keeping makeup locked in all day.

So... for my Base Products:

• NARS Natural Matte Longwear Foundation (Valencia)

• NARS Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer (Sydney)

• NARS Soft Matte Complete Foundation (Siberia)

• Maybelline Lifter Plump & Glow Foundation (220)(This is not yet available here in the Philippines, I pre-ordered it from US)**

• Dior Forever Skin Correct (2W)

• NARS Soft Matte Complete Concealer (Praline)

• NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (Biscuit)

• One Size Ultra Pink Loose Setting Powder

• Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette (Volume II)

• Anastasia Beverly Hills Powder Bronzer (Beach Bum Bronze)

• Stila Heaven's Hue Highlighter (Kitten)

For blush, I’m sticking with a local favorite: Glam Hour Artiste Rouge's. I'm on my 4th pan now, regardless of the noise surrounding the brand, this formula is a standout powerhouse. It is incredibly long-lasting and beautifully pigmented; that does not disrupt your make up base and the longevity alone completely won me over.

For dimension, the ABH Powder Bronzer is buttery and effortlessly controllable, while the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette is my holy grail that I can't get my hands off!!. Pair those with Stila’s Kitten highlighter, and it’s literally glass skin in a pan. Will definitely repurchasing this over and over.

On a quick de-influencing note, the Patrick Ta Major Dimension Duo eyeshadow just wasn't worth the investment. There are far more vibrant and luminous formulas on the market.

As for my tools, investing in the Haus Labs concealer brush was a total game-changer. It has the perfect weight and completely eliminated my struggles with patchiness, creasing, and under-eye separation. On the other hand, Morphe brushes are highly underrated IMO, I love that they use silver ion-infused bristles, so the synthetic fibers naturally repel bacteria to keep your face cleaner while diffusing powders beautifully.

And for my Makeup tools/brushes:

• Haus Labs Triclone Skin Tech Concealer Brush

• Makeup by Mario F4 Dual-Ended Complexion Brush

• Morphe Brushes:

-M107 Paddle Cream and Liquid Flat thin Brush

-M243 Slanted Cream and Liquid Brush for
Contouring

-M201Angled Powder Blush Brush

–M204 Cream Liquid Blush Brush

-M133 Concealer Brush

-M363 Eyeliner Brush that can be used for brows

To wrap this up, I’ve definitely fallen hard down the luxury beauty rabbit hole. This isn't to say high-end automatically means superior, but now I understand the overall performance and how beautifully these formulas sit on the skin is just on another level. As a former local makeup junkie, it’s hard to go back. Looks like I'll be investing more in high-end while keeping only the drugstore and local gems that I know truly work for me.

If you made it this far, thanks for reading! Comment down below if you have any questions about any of the products😇