2017 Favorites

Hello!

For the past Januarys that I’ve had this blog, I’ve always posted my favorites from the previous year. So I thought to continue that “tradition” this year although it’s already the middle of January 2018. 

I’ve been planning on writing about this for a while now but I just haven’t had the time to write about it and take pictures. So… I prolonged making it until I’m free enough to do it.

Anyway…

Here are my favorites from 2017 to early 2018:

1. Sheet masks

Last December 2016, one of my friends gave me a set of sheet masks as a Christmas gift. The set came with three masks with different ingredients. At that time, I wasn’t really familiar with sheet masks.

Anyways…

When I used them, I loved them immediately. I guess it just feels like an extra step to treat your face. It felt nice because it felt really relaxing and it felt like I was treating myself. I also noticed that it did help my skin a bit. I’m not saying that it transformed how my skin looked but it did help give my face some extra moisturizing and some brightening.

After using all the masks in that gift set, I bought myself some more sheet masks. I’ve mostly been buying my sheet masks from The Face Shop especially when they have those promos where you could buy two for the price of one (or something like that). But I’ve also tried sheet masks from other stores and they basically work the same so you can buy them from any shop that sells them. Just check what they’re for so that you can get those with ingredients that your skin might need. 

I used to use the sheet masks every other week or sometimes just when I remember it so there were times when I used them once a month when I was super busy. But towards the last few months of 2017, I’ve been using them once a week or I alternate them with my Kiehl’s Calendula and Aloe face mask (which is on this list of favorites as well). 

I also found out about a trick to help maybe make the experience more refreshing for you. So… I learned that you could actually refrigerate the sheet masks before putting them on because it makes the mask colder therefore making them more cooling and refreshing on the skin.

2. Kiehl’s Calendula and Aloe Soothing Hydration Masque

In my previous favorites, I’ve posted about Kiehl’s products as well. I’ve been using their face/skin care products for a while now because their products seem to be working really well on my skin. I don’t really know why but my parents and I decided that it was worth the investment because it really did help a lot in clearing my skin up a bit and in lessening the redness on my face and the former spots where acne and pimples had been. I basically saw a big improvement on my skin when I used it so I’m continuing to use it.

Anyways…

I think in around the second half of 2017, I was able to try their calendula and aloe face mask because I was given a free sampler to try it out. I’ve been wanting to try it since I started using the sheet masks but the full size was kind of expensive so I didn’t push it right away. But ever since I was given the free sampler, I was able to try it and I noticed that it really did help in soothing my skin and lessening the redness. 

So… I tried to convince my parents if they could buy the full size one for me and they obliged just last November (I think?). I needed to convince them because as you may know, I don’t really have a job yet so I still need to ask my parents for money (But that will change soon, don’t worry!).

So now, I have the full size and I just finished the free sampler around two weeks ago. For the free sampler, I was able to make it last for a few months because I alternated it with sheet masks and I didn’t really need a lot of the product to thinly cover my face. 

3. Body Treat’s charcoal nose pore strip

I’ve also tried using charcoal nose pore strips this year. I’ve been hesitant about it before because I have a sensitive skin which could become irritated. And using products that you need to peel off might hurt more than those that you just put on your face. 

However, I found out that this doesn’t really irritate my skin so I kept using it especially when I feel like my skin needs a detox. I only use the nose pore strip because that’s the only area where I feel like I get some blackheads and where I get a lot of oil.

4. Maybelline’s Dream Satin Skin press powder (color: Nude Beige)

For my graduation last year, my mom decided to buy me my first ever press powder. She said that she decided to buy one for me since I needed it for my makeup for the graduation ceremony and so that I would have my own so that I wouldn’t have to borrow her press powder when I need it.

I was so excited about this because it was the first “real” makeup product that I owned. I was also happy because I felt like I now own a makeup product that’s actually for me because it matched my skin tone and everything. My mom’s press powder was not really my color although it’s close so I guess it was never really a problem but I’m just happy that I finally have my own.

5. Maybelline’s creamy matte lipstick (color: Pop of Pink)

So I have mentioned before that I’m currently looking for jobs now. And because of that, I’ve been invited to some interviews. In interviews, of course you want to look presentable. So my mom decided to buy me a lipstick to give my lips a bit more color especially when I put on my press powder. 

When we were buying my first lipstick, I was so excited because I got to choose what kind of formulation I would get and what color. I decided to go with a more matte looking one because I don’t really like having very shiny lips. I also chose a pink shade because I thought that it suited me really well and at the same time, it seemed age-appropriate on me and looks more youthful.

6.The Face Shop’s watery lip tint (color: Orange Scene)

Before I had my first lipstick, I bought myself The Face Shop’s watery lip tint. I bought it while buying some sheet masks. I finally bought it on that trip to The Face Shop because I’ve wanted it for some time because I always saw it near the cash register and was curious about it and how it would look on me. Also, my sister had one and whenever she would go out, she would wear it and it instantly helped her look good even without putting on other makeup products. When I asked her about it before I bought it, she said that it was good and that it dried nicely. She also said that it was good just to add more color to your lips.

However, I initially thought that they only sold one color of this lip tint so I just grabbed one then paid. I didn’t notice that what I got was kind of orangey red because when I grabbed it, it looked red to me. So when I got home and saw the name, I was hesitant about using it because orange isn’t really a good color on me unless it’s a darker orange or an orange with a brown tinge. But when I put it on, I was pleasantly surprised that it suited me. 

7. Maybelline’s Baby Lips lip balm

I think I’ve included other baby lips lip balm before in my previous favorites but they’re the ones with color. This one doesn’t have any color but it smells minty. 

I use it to keep my lips moist because before I bought this, I haven’t used any lip balms in about over a year or maybe even longer than that. And when I put on my watery lip tint and lipstick, I noticed that the lines on my lips were really noticeable and it seemed to make my lips look really dry.

I decided to try out this trick wherein I put on the lip balm and then I put on the lipstick or lip tint on top of it so that the lip balm serves as a protective and moisturizing layer. This trick really helped me because I notice that when I do it, my lips look nice and soft since the lines aren’t as visible as before. Also, it’s nice to note that it helps my lips stay soft even if I use the matte lipstick which could sometimes be drying on the lips.

8. The Body Shop’s Cherry Blossom fragrance mist

So this fragrance mist was given to me as a present when I passed my board exams. I’ve been wanting to try it out for years ever since I first saw it when I first entered The Body Shop. 

I really love it because I love florally scents that are not too overpowering and this one really fits that because you can really smell it but it’s not too strong that it makes you dizzy.

9. MacBook Pro and Seagate external drive

When I graduated last year, my parents’ graduation gift for me was a new MacBook Pro. My older laptop was still in good working condition but I had to replace it because I couldn’t bring it everywhere anymore because a part of the hinge for the screen broke so I can’t close it anymore. They decided to give me a MacBook Pro because I’ve always wanted one and they said that I earned it anyways so they bought it for me.

But, as I was using it, I realized that the internal storage wasn’t so big and that if I wanted to keep all my files, I had to use my external drive. But the problem was that my external drive was not compatible with Apple products so I had to get one that I could use for both my MacBook and other laptops or computers. That’s when I learned about the Seagate external drive. My parents and I looked around the shop where they bought my MacBook, we told them that what I needed and they recommended the Seagate external drive.

I included these things in my favorites because I really love them and I’m super grateful for them. They’re also things that I use everyday since I had them.

Photos taken from Google Images.

Photos taken from Google Images.

10. Kpop and Kdrama/Kshows

Of course I wouldn’t forget to include Kpop and Kdrama/Kshows in the list because it’s been one of my biggest favorites last 2017. It was the year that I started appreciating them and becoming a big fan so it needs to be on the list of my favorites.

So these are some of my favorites last 2017 until now. Most of them are beauty or skincare products because last year was the year that I’ve really started taking extra steps to care for my skin. I don’t really know why but I think I just wanted to step up my beauty regimen because I feel like I need to start caring for my skin better.

Last year was also a time wherein I learned to explore more of the things that interest me and so I was able to learn to appreciate more things last year.

So I have nothing more to say. I guess that’s all for now and sorry for the super long post but I hope you enjoyed reading this as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Bye!