Lullabies and Lippies

... Aaaaand since I had gotten rid of more than half my collection, I thought it would be okay for me to purchase one, new lipstick. Just a teeny, tiny baby single one. (Oh please don't let this turn into a vicious cycle..) For my one, new lipstick purchase, I wanted a color that I could wear everyday either with a full face of make-up on or even with minimal product - I chose MAC Mehr.

MAC Mehr is described as a dirty, blue pink. Despite leaning more on the cooler side, this shade can be easily pulled off even by those with warmer skin tones. I normally can't pull off pinks that are even the slightest bit cool-toned, so I was pleasantly surprised to find that this works as a nice, everyday shade for me.

One swipe only

One search on Google will tell you that this shade is one of MAC's best-selling ones, and I can totally see why. It's neutral enough to wear with a smokey eye, yet is the perfect shade for even just a face powder-brows-mascara-blush kind of day. It adds just the right amount of color to bring life to your face and make you look polished! I can see this working for a wide range of skin tones, too.

Another thing I love about this is that you can go really light with this by just dabbing the lipstick on to your lips, or you could go full-on Kylie Jenner and wear this over a deeper lip liner with mauve/brown undertones.

This shade comes in a matte formula, so I make sure to exfoliate my lips first to get rid of any flakiness prior to application. Another thing I noticed is that this lipstick can accentuate lip lines if applied too heavily, so be careful not to go overboard with this one! Staying power is approximately five hours with light snacking and drinking in between. Eating a full meal or something oily though, will require me to touch up.

MAC Mehr has become a permanent fixture in my handbag. I might even go as far as saying I have finally found my holy grail MLBB lip shade. (I never thought this day would come!) Definitely a keeper in my books. If you ever have the chance or you're in the market for a new lipstick, I really hope you give this one a whirl!

MAC Mehr on my lips

People always say marriage changes everything.

I don't agree.

In terms of your relationship with one another, being husband-and-wife is not all that different from being boyfriend-and-girlfriend, especially if the both of you have full-time jobs. Say, for J and myself, we still message each other throughout the day when we both have down time at work, and we still go out on dates whenever we can - exactly how we did prior to getting married. The only difference is that now, we see each other at the start and end of each day, and we get to share meals with one another more often (which is my favorite thing!) I will say though, that there have been a few pleasant surprises that came alongside marriage. Some of which are:

1. No more curfew

This only applies if you have strict parents. In my case, I have a super strict dad whose incessant "Wru" texts would begin as early as 8:30PM; who would insist that I be home no later than 10:30PM; who would ground me for the next week in case I am not home by 10:30PM. Don't get me wrong, I'm not here to rant LOL. Especially now that I am about to become a mom myself, I understand where he is coming from. But it is such a different experience not having to ask permission all the time anymore, and not having curfews on date nights. LOL Might seem shallow, but those with strict parents will totally get me.

2. Spending habits

Okay, being married doesn't change your spending habits much, especially when you're living with your in-laws. Being pregnant does. I rarely ever shop for myself these days! The only things I do purchase for myself are maternity clothes simply because I can't fit into my regular clothes anymore LOL Whenever I'm about to spend money, I'm always asking myself "should I spend xxx amount for this or just save up for baby's things?"

3. Weekends have become more hectic than weekdays

Out of the three, this came as the biggest surprise. Ever since we got married, J & I found ourselves stunned at how much faster our weekends seemed to fly by. Between running errands, attending childbirth classes, and having dinner with our families, it's rare that we get to have quiet date nights alone. And since we're expecting a little one soon, I can't help but feel a bit worried about how we'll manage to spend quality time as a couple in the near future...? Huhu please help, your suggestions are most welcome!

That said, marriage doesn't change a whole lot of things, having a family does. Being a first time mom-to-be is exciting as it is terrifying, but it's an adventure I'm so thrilled to be taking!

Since I have normal to combination skin, I've always been slightly terrified of highlighters for fear of looking like a greaseball. Lately though, I've learned the secrets of subtle highlighting to get that glow-from-within we're all (well, at least I'm) after! Not a fan of the intense highlighting we see all over Instagram (and I mean the one that looks like a big stripe of flash!) - I think it looks unnatural and just too much for day-to-day. Just my two cents, whichever makes you happy though! ;)

Finding the right shade

In finding the perfect, subtle, everyday highlighter, I think the most important thing is to find the shade that's perfect for your skin tone. Not really much to say here, except that you have to try them on your face to really see how it will look on you. Swatching on your arm will not be the most accurate - trust me, a few of my favorite highlighters (that I will be sharing with you below) look completely different swatched on my arm and applied on my face. I have light medium skin with warm undertones, so I find that highlighters with a golden undertone work best for me. If you have cool undertones, try highlighters with a pearly or pinker undertone.

Texture is key

In order for your highlight to look truly skin-like, you want a very fine, satin texture in your highlighters. Big chunks of glitter are definitely out of the question. My two favorite highlighters (listed as #1 and #2 below) look almost matte in the pan, but on top of my cheeks, they give the most natural, satin, skin-like glow!

Use the right tools

What tools you should use really depends on the kind of effect you're after. If you want a more intense highlight, use a fluffy, but dense brush. I prefer a light wash for everyday, so I love using a fan brush for my powder highlighters. It deposits a small amount of product with each swipe, so you can slowly build up the product until you get your desired intensity. For liquid or cream highlighter though, I love using my fingers to apply. I find the warmth from my fingers helps to melt the product on to my skin for a more seamless finish.

Also, remember that when it comes to highlighting, less is definitely more. You want to look dewy and fresh, not glittery, and definitely not oily.

Here are some of my favorite highlighters of LIFE!

1. Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder in Highlight-01

If you're a make-up junkie, then you've probably heard of the million and one praises this has gotten from the online beauty community since its release. Even make-up artists swear by this, and I can totally understand why! In the pan, it looks almost just like a face powder. When I swatched it on my arm, I was like meh, this may not even show up at all on me! I was so glad the sales associate at the Laura Mercier counter insisted to apply it with a brush on my face because OMG I was blown away! It gave me the most natural, skin-like glow. I even looked at myself up close in the mirror to check ('cause I'm a skeptic like that) and this did not emphasize my pores whatsoever. The texture is a very finely-milled satin, so it goes on seamlessly on to your skin. I love this stuff. If there's one highlighter I'm going to harass you into purchasing, it's this one! GO GET YOU SOME!

2. Essence Pure Nude Highlighter in 10 Be My Highlight

I think this is a total dupe for the Laura Mercier one I mentioned above because a.) it's also baked, b.) it also looks just like a face powder in the pan, and most importantly, c.) it gives the same effect on the skin. I use this and the Laura Mercier one interchangeably, depending on my mood. Honestly though, if I were to dip my brush into either one of these without looking, and apply it to my face, I would not be able to tell which I was using.

The best part is that this is totally accessible at most major department stores nationwide at less than PHP400 a pop! Love finding drugstore dupes for high-end products!

3. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal

I only have one liquid highlighter - this one from Becca. Honestly, I got it because I saw Miss Universe 2015 Pia Wurtzbach use it in her everyday make-up tutorial LOL I don't know what I was expecting from this, though I was pleasantly surprised with the fresh, dewy look it gave me when I applied it with my fingers. The shimmers in this are so fine, they do not come off the least bit gritty on your skin. This is a nice option for those with drier skin types.

4. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Pop

For day-to-day, I will choose any of the above three highlighters in this list, but I do have a more intense option for special occasions or say, a night out (who am I kidding, I rarely go out at night.) This one by Becca in shade Champagne Pop is probably the most hyped about highlighter in the online beauty community. Beauty YouTuber Jaclyn Hill (whose highlight is always.on.point!) collaborated with Becca to come out with this particular shade that is said to be universally-flattering. Personally though, because of the golden peachy undertones, I think this suits warmer skin tones more. This is definitely a very pigmented and intense highlighter, so be careful when you're going in with your brush because it's really easy to go overboard with this! I prefer using a fan brush to apply because then, I can slowly build up the intensity.

Have you tried any from the bunch? Let me know your thoughts!

❤,

N