Quarterly Favourites #1

Some new changes! I decided to follow a new set-up for my Favourites posts. Although these are my favourite to write (oh, the irony), I am not as inspired to write them monthly anymore. Or rather, I should say I don’t have that many unique favourites each month to show you. There are some months where I’m still in love with the previous month’s favourites or where I haven’t tried anything new. Or worse yet, where I don’t like anything. So instead, I’m combining 3 months of favourites into one. I think this is more realistic anyways – I use products for months on end!

If you hadn’t already noticed, I completely skipped February because I didn’t use anything particularly new. I probably only had two favourites so a post seemed pointless on those two items. My January Monthly Favourites still stands, of course, but for a moment, let’s just pretend I’m starting new and showing you my favourites from January to March.

To change things up a bit more, I am including lifestyle favourites too and not just beauty!

Okay, let’s start.

Featured in this post:

[Beauty/Skincare]
Sleek Makeup Face Form in Light
NYX Away We Glow Liquid Highlighter in ‘Moonbeam’

[Apps]
WeChat
Nike Training Club (NTC)

[TV/Films]
Tunnel (K-drama)
Despicable Me 3

[Miscellaneous]
LIVARNO Shoe Rack (at Lidl)
Pentel Energel XM Retractable Gel Pen 0.7mm*

*Linked is a pack of 12. What I purchased is a single from Waterstones.

Beauty/Skincare

Given my recent Hong Kong Super Beauty Haul post, perhaps you were expecting this section to be fuller? I haven’t actually gotten round to opening majority of the items since I need to finish other ones first. However, having said all that, everything I’m talking about in this category is new! (But within reason…you’ll see.)

I purchased the Sleek Makeup Face Form in Light a few days before I left for Hong Kong, but never actually opened and tried it till March. (FYI – I didn’t take it with me.) I had not yet tried Sleek Makeup but I have always heard amazing things about its inexpensiveness and pigmentation so here was my chance.

Sleek Makeup Face Form in Light – swatches | The bronzer appears a tad warmer than it actually looks in real life. I am not a bronzer person per se but I rather like this tone!

I can see this as a great palette for travel or on-the-go! The packaging is so sleek and slim – it’s a perfect size really to chuck in your bag. Most importantly, the product itself creates a natural, healthy and glowy look that’s versatile for everyday or for more glamorous occasions. The contour is the right tone, it’s warming but not too warm. (Apparently it’s a dupe for the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil bronzer?) The highlight is natural to my delight and does the job. The blush is my favourite for sure – a peachy, corally pink that gives you such a lovely glow. I’m in love.

NYX Away We Glow Liquid Highlighter in ‘Moonbeam’ – swatches | Unblended vs. Blended

In that same haul, I purchased the NYX Away We Glow Liquid Highlighter in ‘Moonbeam’. Believe it or not – I’m only just about getting into highlighters now! I always expressed a great disinterest to highlighters (especially chunky ones) because I don’t like the idea of adding texture or unnecessary shine to my face. However, I realised that there are some really nice, natural but glowy ones on the market…so something for everyone. This one in particular is the type that leaves a nice sheen on your skin so nothing crazy yet it’s still highlight-y and impactful. I want to get State of Flux and Crystal Glare next!

Sadly, no skincare to share this time! Maybe next?

Apps

The voice message function is very well-used on WeChat by Chinese natives. I know this is available on WhatsApp too but A) WhatsApp is not available in China and B) the voice message function doesn’t seem to be popularly used?

I recently downloaded WeChat in order to contact my cousin in China since WhatsApp and many other apps are blocked in the country. (As a side note, it’s fine in Hong Kong, just not in Mainland China so if you have a Google phone, get WeChat before you travel!) This app is virtually used by everyone who has a smart phone – it’s ridiculous but I can totally see why. It’s honestly a Instagram/Twitter/Facebook combined into one! You can instant-message or send voice notes with ease, download stickers (like emojis), upload ‘moments’ which are essentially photos, along with a short written statement. The best part is the security because only your friends can see your profile and vice versa so no stalking. (Considering the Facebook scandal, this is very important!)

Now, you probably already know but at the moment, I am working on getting back into fitness so that I can be just that – fitter. On my old phone, I downloaded the Nike Training Club (NTC) app and loved it. It’s been  about two years since I’ve used the app but I firmly remember it being very interactive, and having very useful and enjoyable workouts. Now that I’ve re-discovered it again, it has improved a lot! The app runs a lot smoother now and instead of downloading every single workout, you are in-control of what workout you want to download. You can also review each workout move visually, one-by-one before doing any of it which proves useful if you’re a beginner/novice or just worried about form.

TV/Films

Shock fact: I don’t have a Netflix account. 

But I do watch quite a bit of k-drama and here’s another recommendation: Tunnel. I finished this series in a week – it is so good. It follows the serial murders of young women in a Korean district but the murderer has not yet been found. These murders, that start in roughly 1985, introduces us to the main character Park Kwang-Ho, a cop investigating on this particular case. It has everyone driven up the wall because the murderer is extremely clean and meticulous. Some events happen, and Kwang-Ho time-travels 30 years later into the future via a tunnel, and it is 2016. Everything has changed except the exact same type of murders start taking place again which can only mean the murderer is still on the loose…

If you love a good thriller/mystery/suspense drama with a tinge of melodrama, then this is it. The writing is incredibly rich and the characters, although quite sorrowful, are very relatable.

Admittedly, I don’t watch near enough films but I did get a chance to view a couple on the plane to and from Hong Kong! I particularly enjoyed Despicable Me 3. I know, what a big kid. But I always think it’s great to watch an animation film once in a while – it really gives nothing but positive vibes! I got a few good chuckles out of it too which is always a good thing.

Miscellaneous

These last few favourites are seriously random. However, it’s made quite the impact in my lifestyle.

The first is a LIVARNO Shoe Rack, which may sound so ridiculous to put in a favourites, but has made the house so much more tidier because of it. I bought it for no more than £20 at Lidl before sitting in my living room for months until I decided to DIY it from its flat-packed state. What I love in particular is that it’s discreet since there is a cover so the shoes don’t have to be on display. Of course, I did have a previous shoe rack but that one was quite useless since it was on a tilt and shoes would fall off easily if the rack wobbled even slightly. I no longer have to worry about this problem!

The shoe rack probably comes off as being quite boring in the photo, but in the actual living room, it looks great! You can see my old shoe rack still on the side there.

Each pair of shoes has its own slot which makes it so much easier to organise (and protect) shoes that are not in-use.

The other ridiculous favourite is a pen. More specifically, the Pentel Energel XM Retractable Gel Pen 0.7mm. To be honest, I’m surprised that I haven’t talked about this yet because I’ve loved it ever since I bought it from Waterstones. It’s a very smooth-writing pen that makes journalling, note-making or writing in general, that much more enjoyable. The nib is sharp so it doesn’t bleed, nor is the ink hard either – it just works and it’s comfortable to hold. I am actually quite picky when it comes to pens but this one makes me want to write all the time!

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Feel free to share what your favourites have been down below! ⬇️ I have been quite inactive due to new things happening in my life – perhaps I will share soon? Who knows.

I imagine that my next quarterly favourites post will be at the end of June which seems miles away but probably not, with the speed that this year has been going so far… Anyhow, this new set-up will give me so much more flexibility in producing fresh new material so I can’t wait to share! See you soon.

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