Finally I am back with another update on my Project 10 which I had embarked on late last year. This time round, it is focused on the blushes that I've kept. This category was more difficult than bronzers and contouring powders, because I use blush on a daily basis.

Honestly speaking, I used to be a stickler for having a matching blush to match the tones of my eyeshadows and lip products in the past. Now, I'm pretty much up for anything that adds a natural flush to the cheeks. It's because I am going quite light handed with my blushes these days, and I rarely do wear much eye makeup on a daily basis, so even if the tones do clash, I personally don't think it is that obvious. That being said, to each its own and I personally chose to keep blushes that are satin-finished (for a more natural effect on the cheeks) and are generally a neutral /slightly warm pink for that natural flush. I gave up my stronger shades, such as my NARS Liberte blush as that intense warm orange shade could be a little difficult to work with for my natural daily makeup (even though it hurt, because it was such a lovely shade!)

So let's dive straight into my 10 single blushes that I've kept after the purge.

Makeup Store Blush in Sugarpink
I rarely hear Makeup Store being talked about but their cheek products are really nice to work with! I had 4 blushes from that and I did enjoy the run while it lasted. I gave the other 3 away and kept the shade Sugarpink. However, at the time I am typing this, I googled and realised that this is a discontinued shade! This is a neutral pink that adds a lovely light flush to the cheeks. I enjoy the formulation of these, as they are soft and finely milled, so working with them is a breeze.

April is here, which marks the beginning of the second quarter of the year. I almost typed new year because it still feels pretty new to me, despite the fact that 3 whopping months have already past! When I told my friends on April 1 about how it was the beginning the second quarter of the year, they giggled and reminded me that it sounded like financial quarters! That's true. But thinking this way definitely has some benefits.

It's been a while since I've written a favourites post and that was mainly because I fell into a routine with my previous favourited items that I did not really experiment with others. However, I made a conscious decision to incorporate new products in the last month. my acne was much more manageable so I tried out more skincare goodies and after Project 10, I felt more excited to use my makeup products.

Forest Rhapsody Green Nectar Marine Hydrator Serum*

As per usual, let's talk a little bit on skincare first. I recently received some items from Forest Rhapsody to try and while I have not managed to try all of the items out, I did particularly enjoy their Green Nectar Marine Hydrator Serum. This is a lightweight hydrating serum that incorporates the ingredients, green nectar, sea kelp, chlorella and healing plantain leaf extract and classic calendula flower extract to soothe and calm the skin while hydrating it thoroughly. This serum is indeed really light weight and I find that it gets absorbed into my skin in seconds! It works well when layering with other serums too, making it an easy addition to my skincare routine. In terms of hydration, this serum does the job wonderfully. My skin recently became a little drier than normal (it could be the insanely hot weather recently or my diet) so adding this in helped tremendously. I did not notice any dry patches around the sides of my nose and my cheeks whenever I use this, and my skin also did not feel tight throughout the day. That said, I also think that this serum can work lovely as a makeup primer as  it temporarily eradicates dryness while leaving the skin silky smooth. This serum can be bought on Forest Rhapsody's website or at Naiise stores country wide.

Vichy Idealia Lumiere Illuminating Moisture Peeling Care*

Since I have finished my Loreal Revitalift Centella Microessence  (I love it and featured it here and here) and my CosRX AHA solution, I decided to try this one out. This essence contains glycolic acid (an AHA which you know I'm all about) to help gently exfoliate the skin, and blueberry polyphenols and black tea extract which are meant to help improve the radiance and texture of the skin surface. I've been using this for about 3 weeks now and I do enjoy it as part of my night-time routine. It basically is a product that combined the 2 that I was using previously! The essence, as the name suggests, is very fluid and goes onto the skin with just a few taps. I like to use this right after I wash my face and before I apply my other serums and moisturiser. It is very lightweight and has no particular scent to it, so it is extremely easy to add it into my routine. In terms of effects, I would say that it helped to maintain the glow on my skin that I've worked hard for through the use of all my chemical exfoliating products over the years. In terms of reducing dark spots and wrinkles, I can't really attest to it just yet as 3 weeks is pretty short time of a trial. Overall, I do think this is a great way to get into chemical exfoliation if you're new to it as it is extremely gentle while still getting the benefits of the other ingredients in the essence.

April Skin Magic Snow Cushion in Shade 23*

Just at the beginning of last year, I still remember how I used to dislike cushion makeup and I never really saw the reason behind its popularity. Boy, I see the light now. It just boils down to personal preference and time that one is willing to allocate to doing their makeup. Before, I was all about foundation, concealer, brushes and all the works. Now, my makeup routine has been simplified dramatically, so I definitely see how cushion products like this April Skin Magic Snow Cushion is extremely useful. The coverage of this cushion is great and it helps to reduce the appearance of my red scars that are a result of my acne. Application is also extremely quick and with a few pats, this foundation is blended onto my skin perfectly. I actually rarely set my entire face with powder these days, but I find that this cushion foundation kind of sets on its own after a while. So usually I would apply this, then I'll move onto my eye makeup. Right after, I would apply concealer and set the concealer with powder. Lastly, I would sometimes use a little bit of powder blush and highlight over the cheeks and despite not setting the base, I did not notice any patchiness or streaks. Overall, this is one handy base makeup product and I do thoroughly enjoy it. However, there are only 3 shades and while I am already using the darkest shade in 23, it is still a little too light on my skin (I am roughly NC 25-30 now). I hope they expand their shade range!

Eleanor Couverture Powder Foundation in 01 Bright*

Since I had received this powder in the lightest shade a while ago in a PR event, it wasn't suitable to be used on the face so I thought to try it out for under the eyes. Man, I'm so glad that I did. This powder foundation works really well in setting my undereye concealer and adding an additional layer of coverage for my dark circles. I've tried using powder foundation to set my concealer before, but usually that would make my undereye area really dry and emphasise the creases under the eyes. However, this powder foundation is very finely milled and when applied, my undereye area feels extremely smooth. It could be because it contains squalane, a moisturising ingredient that our skin also naturally produced by our bodies, but decreases over the years. The added coverage is great too, as it helps to further eliminate the darkness while adding more brightness.

Pixi Reflex Light Eye Reflection Shadow Palette*

I haven't played around with a new eyeshadow palette in a long while! Recently, I was sent this Reflex Light Eye Reflection Shadow Palette from Pixi Beauty and while I was slightly hesitant at first as it contains all shimmer shades, I do really enjoy these as an all-over-the-lid shadows. My favourite shade from the palette has to be Brilliant Bronze (Second row, right side). It is the perfect bronze that works so well in smearing it all over the lid and working it gently into the crease. It adds enough oomph to my lids without being over the top. The shadows are great to work with, both with a brush and a finger. The formulation is lovely; the shadows feel creamy to the touch and pigmentation is decent. It isn't as pigmented as say, Urban Decay, but it is easy to work with and layer on. For me, personally, one swipe of the finger is enough pigment for me for my everyday makeup. I do still wish that there was at least one matte transition shade in here, but regardless, I do feel like this works well in offering options for shimmer shades.

Massage TPE Lacrosse Balls 

I know, this seems like a strange addition but I absolute love them!  I tend to have really tight shoulders and my back usually feels quite uncomfortable if I strain it/carry heavy loads etc. I like to do some form of restorative yoga at night before bed and adding these lacrosse balls to roll out the back was a life changer. I tried out some myofascial release yoga in the past few months, and I loved how my body felt after. Thus, I decided to get my own lacrosse balls (or tennis balls, if you prefer) . Usually I can't get to the area in between my shoulder blades and since we should not foam roll out backs (due to our lumbar spine), this helps to ease the tension along my spine. I simply put these two balls along my spine and slowly roll them along. I also place them on my tighter areas and just lay there for a while to help the muscle and fascia release. These are pretty solid and I foresee them lasting a long time (previously, my tennis balls broke when I rolled on them haha). I got mine off Shopee for a really affordable price too.

One of the easy to digest books that I've read recently. He breaks down why we face certain issues in modern life, such as lack of energy, stress and the feeling that there is never enough time and offers both eastern practices and modern day practices that can help with those issues. I find this book really relatable and while I am not familiar with eastern practices such as Qigong and herbs just yet, it is truly interesting to see how there are multiple viewpoints and solutions to everything in life. It is extremely easy to understand and it helped me to think of issues that I've never thought about before. One part of the book that really opened my eyes was a section about stress. He mentioned how in modern day life, we no longer face any immediate life dangers such as predators in the wild and that results in is our stress bucket not being calibrated regularly, causing us to be stressed by many small things in life. That definitely resounded with me and it also made me realise that the small things in my life should not warrant the amount of stress that I give it. I definitely recommend you picking this book up for a read!

March really went by in a blink of an eye! Hopefully you had a good one!

What are some of your current favourites? 

Till then,

So I think I am ready to put it out there. This is the best face mask I've tried in a very, very long time. Really.

I mentioned this Himalaya Naturals Neem Face Pack or now known as Himalaya Purifying Neem Mask in my April Favourites last year, and since then, I've tried more face masks but I keep going back to this. There's just something about how this mask extracts impurities from the skin while not overly drying my skin out.

This purifying face mask contains neem, fuller's earth and turmeric, which are great ingredients for the skin. Neem is known for preventing acne, curing acne scars and making the skin glow. Fuller earth helps treat oily skin, remove blackheads and whiteheads and reduce scars and lastly, turmeric has anti-inflammatory and anti-septic properties, which are great for people suffering with acne like myself.


This mask claims to reduce excess oil secretion, clean clogged pores and prevent the recurrence of pimples, which I can attest to. I've been using this mask pretty often (about 1-2 times a week) for the past month, and I can see a difference when it comes to the blackheads on my nose as well as the acne on my cheeks. My acne seems to be much tamer and I get breakouts less often!

I like that it comes in a squeeze tube instead of a jar as it is much more convenient and hassle-free.IT also doesn't dry out as compared to those in jars! I had my first tube for almost a year (that was before I rediscovered it and fell in love) and it worked perfectly. Just remember to give the tube a little shake before dispensing! The mask applies easily onto the skin as it has a slightly runny texture and it has a slight herbal scent to it. It's not that overpowering and I find that I hardly notice it after a minute or two once the mask starts to dry.


Whenever I wash the mask off, my skin just feels purged without feeling tight. My skin honestly feels so clean (but not squeaky clean as that means all the moisture has been stripped!) and fresh. I love this after a workout especially, as it just cleans off all the gunk that has been trapped (and we all know how some gyms can get a little grubby!). Overall, the little bumps around my cheek area was noticeably reduced and my pimples decreased in size with just a few uses so it is definitely a staple in my skincare routine. Best part is that it is extremely affordable! I always stock mine up from iHerb as it is much cheaper than in stores! It's about SGD 7.50 on iHerb while see it in Watsons for about SGD12. Even without the affordable price tag, I do think this is worthy of a place in your skincare routine and I hope that you will try it out!

What is your favourite face mask? Give me some more options to try! 

Till then,