Behind The Frames: The One and Only Tag

There has been an interesting tag floating around called "The One and Only Tag". Since I tend to cheat with tags a lot and answer questions with more than one product, I thought this would be a fun challenge.

The concept of the tag is that there is only one question in relation to several categories:

"If you could only have one ______, what would it be and why?"

Let me tell you, it was painful to do this tag but I managed to narrow it down to my favourites.

PRIMER

This one is no surprise to those who read my blog. The Arbonne Makeup Primer* was my first ever primer and is easily still my favorite. There's nothing like a good primer that helps create a smooth canvas for your foundation. The price is the only thing stopping me from purchasing endless backups.

BASE PRODUCT

My favourite foundation seems to change fairly often but at the moment, I am loving the Maxfactor Facefinity Foundation* for the medium coverage it offers and the fact that it does not wear off within the 6 hours I usually have makeup on. Another major reason is because it does not break me out *happy dance*

POWDER

Because of my blemished skin, I prefer to use a pressed powder on top of my foundation to achieve flawless coverage. The Australis Pressed Powder is a great affordable powder that could be equivalent to its luxury counterparts. It is super fine, soft and provides coverage for those who need it.

CONCEALER

Over the years, I have simply been using one concealer. The Maybelline Fit Me Concealer is always what I use, only due to the reason that it never seems to run out. Plus, I received another one as a gift so it looks like I will be using this concealer for a very long time! But I do think it is a nice concealer that is easily blended out, although its lasting power could be improved.

BLUSH

Despite owning way more blush than I need, I always gravitate towards the BYS Blush in Candyfloss if I want a blush that is easy to slap on and is fuss free. It seems that they have changed the colour to a more coral shade and still kept the name Candyfloss, but the one I own from a few years back is a light pink that looks super natural on fair complexions (swatches at the end of this post).

HIGHLIGHTER

I hardly use highlighter but there was an occasion where I popped on the Essence Cream Blush in Ice Bomb and quite liked the results. Even though it is a blush, I prefer to use it more as a highlighter because the colour does not really show up on my skin but it does give a nice peachy sheen.

EYEBROW PRODUCT

I can already feel the judgement, but I actually do not do anything to my eyebrows. No filling in, no shaping, no nothing. On good days, I simply give them a brush through with my Ecotools Eyebrow Brush and that is my eyebrows done. I personally just do not like how I look with filled in brows.

BRONZER

If highlighter was a rarity, bronzer is reserved for those high heels and tiara-worthy events. I have given up the fight in trying to contour my non-existent cheekbones and I have already embraced my pale complexion so bronzer is really not a necessity for me. I believe the last time I touched a bronzer was for my high school formal in an attempt to look slimmer in photos (don't think it made a difference to be honest).

MAKEUP BRUSH

I mentioned this in a recent post all about my favourite face brushes but the Real Techniques Buffing Brush is my most treasured product for buffing in foundation and I cannot live without it.

MASCARA

Doing this tag has made me realize how weird of a person I am when it comes to makeup, but mascara is yet another step that I consider superfluous in my routine. Having monolids that weigh down on my short, sparse lashes means that any mascara will struggle in holding them up. But, the Maybelline Falsies is definitely one of the better mascaras I have tried that actually hold a curl and make my lashes slightly more visible.

EYESHADOW

I tend to opt for single eyeshadows simply due to convenience and the one I reach for the most is the Essence Single Eyeshadow in Cappuccino, Please! I just adore satin, champagne shades like this that are super easy to just sweep all over the lid for a brightening effect.

EYELINER

The Essence Gel Liner will always have a special place in my heart and I still have not gotten over the fact that it is discontinued. Its lasting power and ability to withstand smudging has proved its superiority over all eyeliners that I have tried. Only downside is that it is a bugger to remove but so worth it.

LIPGLOSS

Another product that I have raved about in the past is the Napoleon Perdis Luminous Lip Veil* in Pretty in Peach. If you hear me talking about something that smells like lychees, it is this. It is more creamy rather than glossy and is not annoyingly tacky, hurray!

LIPSTICK

Phew, we have finally reached the last category. This one was the hardest because I have the ultimate soft spot for lipsticks. For the sake of the tag's strict rules to only choose one, I chose the Essence lipstick in All About Cupcake but do bear in mind that there are probably three other lipsticks that are on par with it. Basically any creamy lipstick that is a neutral, light to medium pink is guaranteed to be a favourite of mine.