2016 felt like a breeze! It was so fast that I felt like I was always running out of time haha. Nevertheless, 2016 was definitely a good year! There were a lot of lessons, adventures and memories that the last year brought me that I will surely value and treasure for the rest of my life.

When it comes to beauty products, there were also a lot of new things that I discovered and got to try last year. I recently went back to all my 2016 favorites posts to see which of those products I actually used and liked the most. You may have seen these products already and I know at times I usually post them again and again haha. That just goes to show how much I use these products and how much I want to make the most out of them.

Anyway, here are my top favorite products from 2016.

• SKINCARE

I've used this Avene Thermal Spring Water Spray so much last year ever since my mom gave me one from her stash. Until now, this is is my go-to water spray and I use this mostly to dampen my Real Techniques sponge when applying foundation, CC or BB cream. I also use this to moisturize my dry face and also for relieving itchy areas of my body.


I also discovered this Avene Light Hydrating cream last year when it was given as a free sample when my mom stocked up on their products. This is so good! It's not very thick and heavy but it is so effective on removing dry, patchy areas on my face that their other moisturizer (Cleanance Emulsion-Lotion) can't do. I mainly use this in the morning since it has SPF on it.

I haven't stocked up on the Biore Micellar Water again but it's definitely one of my favorite products of 2016. I used it so much last year because it was so good in removing makeup from my face. I even used it after I wash my face in the morning or at night. I'm currently using a different micellar water at the moment, which is the one from Garnier, but this Biore one will always have a special place in my vanity.

• HAIR PRODUCTS

There are only two products included in the hair catergory. The first one is the Organix/OGX Argan Oil of Morocco. This is really good! I got this from a set way back and I've used this so much last year. Aside from smelling so good, this works very well in taming and moisturizing my hair.


The other product, which is a late discovery for me, is this CO LAB Dry shampoo. I've tried other dry shampoos before but this is the best one so far! Other brands of the spray type usually leave a white residue on the hair that is so hard to remove while powder ones are sometimes a bit too difficult to apply because it scatters all over the place and you really have to blend it out well. However, this dry shampoo from CO LAB doesn't leave any white residue and it's very easy to use as well. It doesn't make my hair sticky or stiff even if I use loads of this.

• MAKEUP

  FACE:

There are only two products that I've used consistently last year. These are the LA Girl BB cream and Bourjois 123 Perfect CC cream. I didn't like these two at first but after using them for quite a while, I eventually learned to like them.

I sometimes use the LA Girl BB cream on its own as a primer. I love that it minimizes and hides my pores. It's also so good for "no makeup makeup look" days. However, out of the two, I like the Bourjois one more. This CC cream is really good because it gives a very dewy, natural flawless finish! It can be a bit drying so I always apply this with a damp makeup sponge.


For concealer, nothing beats this NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer for me. I love this product because it is not drying to use and it conceals my dark circles very well!

  EYES/EYEBROWS:

This Maybelline Lash Sensational mascara has been my go-to mascara last year. I love that it separates and coats each strand to make it look much longer and thicker. However, don't expect too much volume with this mascara unless you use loads of this on your lashes.


For eyebrow products, only two products have been my go-to last year. I loved using this Essence Make Me Brow Mascara to tame, tint and add volume to sparse areas of my brows. This is said to be a dupe for Benefit's Gimme Brow since it also has fibers on it that adds volume to your brows. The other product is this eyebrow pencil from Daiso. Aside from the fact that this is very affordable, it's so easy to use and does the job pretty well!

  CHEEKS:

This blush is a no brainer kind of blush for me. When I don't want to look too made up or when I don't know which blush to wear, I'd usually go for this blush from Essence. This works well with different looks and it's so good for everyday wear. I also love the fact that this is very cheap for 5g of product.

  LIPS:


For the lips, I used these Colourpop Liquid Lipsticks so much last year. I learned that I love the satin formula more than the matte because they're more forgiving on the lips. I find the satin ones are more comfortable to wear. My favorite ones are Lumiere 2, Echo Park, Dopey and Alyssa. Lumiere 2 is the only matte liquid lipstick out of this bunch.



On days when I don't want to wear lipstick or liquid lipsticks, I'd usually go for these lip tints from The Face Shop. I have a pink shade and a red one. I wore these tints all the time ever since I received them as part of my friends' birthday gifts to me. Aside from the cute package and being very affordable, I love that they're so easy to use and very comfortable to wear.

That's it for my 2016 Favorites! So excited to try new products this 2017. Hope you enjoyed this post and for much more in depth review of these products, check out my 2016 monthly favorites posts here in my blog. 😊

APRIL 2016

April has been a wonderful month for me. Despite the very hot weather, which at times stressed me out and made me much more irritable, there are still a lot of things that I was grateful for. I started off this month with a trip to Tokyo with my family. We went on the last day of March until the first week of April so we were there on the very day that the Cherry Blossoms were in their full bloom. We even witnessed Hanami at Ueno Park! I also got to spend more time with my friends (mostly pigging out haha) and with my relatives since we celebrate a lot of birthdays in our family during this month! Because of these, I was reminded to appreciate life more and to be grateful even for the little things. Always take the time to appreciate moments like these in your life - no matter how big or simple it may be. 

Now, on to my actual post! Here are the things I've been loving for the month of April. 😊

This month, I've enjoyed using my Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream. I know that I've talked about this already here in my blog but I enjoyed this CC cream much more this summer. Since my skin isn't dry during this time, I was able to make this work even without using a wet sponge. I also like the light to medium coverage and the finish that this product gives.

For blush, I've been going for a natural look during this month using my Canmake Cream Blush in 08. It is a red cream blush that gives a soft and dewy look. I like that it's very light as well and that it gives a very natural flush of color on your cheeks. I purchased this in Odaiba and you can see this product in my Japan Haul here.

For the lips, I only used the Essence Longlasting lipstick in 07 Natural Beauty and the Maybelline Creamy Matte Lipstick in 681 Vibrant Violet. I was supposed to give this Essence lipstick away because I wasn't sure if it suited me well. But I eventually fell in love with this shade because I've noticed that it gives a very natural, plump look to the lips. It is one of my favorite MLBB shades now. 

This next product is part of my recent Japan Haul which you can check out here. It's the Shiseido Senka Perfect Whip Cleansing Foam that I purchased at Don Quijote. It's a very gentle cleanser that doesn't make me break out. I also love the fact that a little amount of this cleansing foam goes a long way. You only need a little amount to make it foam, and it even feels so fluffy and soft on the face haha! 

I'm still a noob when it comes to falsies but I've been enjoying using these ones from Daiso Tokyo. This is also part of my Japan Haul which, again, you can check out here. These look very natural but still adds that extra oomph to your lashes. I also like the fact that these are very easy to apply. I use my Shiseido Eyelash glue when I put them on.

There are also a lot of non-makeup items that I enjoyed this month. I really like this mirror that I recently purchased from the Robinson's Department Store. It actually has two mirrors inside it. The first one is a normal plane mirror while the other one is a magnifying mirror. The magnifying mirror doesn't magnify your face too much (if you know what I mean haha) so it works pretty well when you're applying makeup. This is perfect when I'm applying eyeshadow, mascara or eyeliner.  I like that this mirror is very compact and I actually picked this up because of its design.

I also enjoyed using these toe socks that I purchased from Daiso Tokyo. I never thought that these would be so comfortable! I also love the design that is printed on it. I only bought one pair though! I wish I hoarded more haha!

For food items, I ate so much of these marshmallows that we bought from Daiso Tokyo. These are the softest marshmallows that I've ever tried in my life!! They're sooo good! My favorite out of this bunch is the Grapes flavored one but we already finished that up so it's not in this picture anymore haha!

I've also been addicted to this French Vanilla Cappuccino from Hills Bros. I also tried the other flavor which is the English Toffee but I liked this one more. This box comes with three sachets and is around P80-90.

I also tried these Mint flavored teas from Coffee Bean (CBTL). I've stopped drinking tea for a while because I was using my Crest Whitening Strips which I featured here. But I missed Mint tea so much!! I love that this tastes so refreshing, and is really very calming and soothing. 

That's it for my April 2016 Favorites! I know that this is a very late post already but I hope you still find it useful if you want to try any of these products too! 😊

I don't use this everyday but it's still a great staple in my makeup stash which I might repurchase if ever I get the chance in the future. 

You can use this on its own or you can layer this on top of your favorite lipstick. It's also perfect for day or night wear whichever you prefer! I could even imagine that this would look really good on top of a nude shade of lipstick too! 😁

On me this lasted for about 4-5 hours. At the third hour mark, I find that I start to get a teenie tiny bit oily on my t-zone but nothing too serious that a puff of powder couldn't fix.