It's so hard to resist buying new makeup, especially if you consider yourself as a beauty enthusiast. I’ve told myself time and time again that I don’t need to buy a new lipstick or blush, but that didn't stop me from testing out these beauties. Heck, I've even strongly written it down on my NY’s resolution that I'm only repurchasing makeup that I've already used up, but nothing happened (LOL!).

With so many brands and products in the market, it’s difficult not to get enticed with the new product offerings, especially when they are being so raved about by your favorite beauty vloggers. In the past year, I’ve collected a total of 33 42 new makeup which I think will be my go-to essentials for 2019.

From drugstore and Philippine local brands to high-end products, I’m giving a rundown of my new collection, beginning with base makeup!

Before I got into the K-drama wave, I was already an avid user of Korean beauty products for years. I don’t remember what my first K-beauty product was, but I believe it was a BB cream from Nature Republic. And although my relationship with BB creams is short-lived, there are still plenty of products which remained loyal to me. Mind you, I don't have the best skin in the world (and I blame genetics for that, lol!), but my skin has improved tremendously over the years.

Trust me: I’ve gone through so many bottles, tubes, and jars of western and Korean beauty products, but I have an affinity with the latter’s formula because it’s best suited to Asian skin. And I’ve got to say, I already knew which ones benefit my skin the most. I wasn’t born with the best skin but I saw the improvement after regular use of these products. Now that I understand what my skin loves, I always restock on my 14 holy grail beauty stash whenever I set foot in Korea.

Korea is one of the best places in the world to shop. Not only are the products affordable, but they are of good quality, too. Staying in Myeongdong, Seoul this 2018 allowed us to access so many shops within walking distance from our hotel.

When I shop in Korea, I usually spend a bigger percentage on skincare items because I use them daily. Although Korean fashion is so cute and feminine, it’s usually focused on trendy pieces which can go out of style quickly. Being the basic human being that I am, I skipped on clothes. Nonetheless, I still got myself a few items on a whim! After all, I was only in Seoul for four days.

Other than my usual must-buy in Korea, I also picked out new things I’ve yet to try. So what have I spent my money on? Keep reading to find out!

Sunnies Face is another business venture of the Sunnies company, popular for their line of sunglasses, optical wear, and cafe. Now introducing their makeup line beginning with matte lipsticks called Fluffmatte, the well-known brand in the Philippines has been raking in sales for their new product. Affordability and millennial style are the brand’s strongest edges, but we shall see if these new lipsticks are worth the hype or just another local lipstick brand.

I swear by my Longchamp Le Pliage bags as durable, everyday work bags where you can throw in anything and they will stay strong for years. Because of its quality, I thought of owning the Le Pliage cosmetic case as well. Fast forward to three years later, my everyday pouch has stood the test of time in every bag that I carry.

I got my Longchamp Le Pliage Cosmetic Case at Duty Free Fiesta Mall, which was around Php1,800-2,000 at that time. I picked it up because the size was roomy enough to carry my cosmetics and other essentials, but small enough not to consume a huge space in my bag. The most important thing: it’s lightweight.

Singapore is one of the top ten countries in the world with the highest cost of living. In Asia, the country holds the top spot. The expensive rent is a given, but you can always resource cheap food through hawkers and food stalls you can find everywhere. But how about toiletries? Well that’s a different story.

If you’ve been to Guardian and Watsons in Singapore, you’ll be shocked as to how expensive toiletries can get. For example, the same well-known napkin being sold in the Philippines at around Php 80 for a pack of 20 will cost at SGD 6.90 in Singapore (Php 276; 1 SGD = 40 Php conversion rate as of posting). A global brand feminine wash that’s Php 194 for 250ml at home will cost at SGD 13.90 (or Php 556) in Singapura.

It’s difficult not to convert prices, especially if you’re trying to save money. So I asked my friend (Thank you, Jore!) where she buys her toiletries.

We Filipinos love to take care of ourselves. Whether male or female, we’re very conscious of our personal hygiene, how we look, and how we smell. Part of our daily schedule includes taking a bath or a quick shower, and it’s normal for us to do this more than once a day. Even during fall or winter travel when I literally don’t sweat, I make it to a point to bathe before getting out of the hotel (with my hair still wet – just can’t break the habit!).

Using beauty products in our daily lives is like drinking water for survival. Thanks to the Philippines’ abundant malls, supermarket and drugstores, my beauty must-haves are always just a few minutes away from home. I don’t need an expensive face wash to keep my face clean or a luxury soap to make my skin smooth and moisturized. All I need are these 10 beauty products that I constantly repurchase for my face, hair, and body.

Lip products are my weakness when it comes to makeup. They’re cheaper than any type of makeup and they come in different colors and finishes. They’re very affordable so it’s easy to build a humongous collection just by buying lipstick, lip pencils, and all those kinds of makeup creation intended for your lips. If I have to choose only one makeup that I can’t live without, it’s got to be a lip product.

I used to own nearly a hundred lipsticks from different brands and I’m not even a beauty blogger nor a makeup artist. I’m just addicted to makeup! But I sold and threw out many of those because I can’t finish everything in my makeup stash. One thing’s for sure – from using local, drugstore, mid-range, high-end to a couple of luxury brands – I can now share with you my 6 holy grail lip products.

If you read my post on my go-to base make-up, you’ll know that I have combination skin gearing towards the oily side. I’ve tested a number of foundations and other products before settling down with my base makeup favorites. Now, I’ll go through my top picks when it comes to lasting face make-up.

Not only do I have an oily T-Zone, my skin is also slightly sensitive to some face make-up products. I don’t normally look for ingredients that may irritate my skin (which I should do), but my skin just literally speaks to me when it doesn’t like something. I get acne or these little bumps that clog my pores.

No matter if they’re local or high-end, narrowing my search for my holy grail face makeup products has come to an end. Let me show you my top picks and why I love them!

When it comes to getting my full makeup done, I always spend more time on my eyes than the rest of my face. My tiny eyelid space has gone through many eye makeup products, but now I’m glad I don’t have to spend too much money figuring out what works for me.

Eye makeup is very important to learn, because it can transform one’s look from dainty to dramatic. Whether I’m aiming for a simple everyday look or I want to show my makeup blending skills, I always find myself gearing towards these five holy grail eye makeup products.

These days, people often comment on how good your makeup is just by looking at your brows. It’s true. I get complimented with my makeup, but they first look at how well I shape or did my brows. Makeup techniques have definitely evolved over the years but one can’t deny the fact that when you have good eyebrows, your whole makeup game perks up.

Even if you don’t have a full makeup on, you will still look put-together just by having brows that are well-groomed and well-shaped. Over the years, I tried a TON of different eyebrow products to make my #browgamestrong. From affordable to high-end ones, I narrowed them down to these four types of holy grail eyebrow products.

Picking my holy grail makeup products was three years in the making. I have combination skin (oily on the t-zone and normal to dry on the perimeter of the face) which made it difficult for me to find the perfect foundation that doesn’t easily melt on the face, especially under the hot and humid weather of the Philippines. In addition to that, I have yellow undertone so it was difficult to find a drugstore foundation that matches the color of my face and neck.

Being a makeup enthusiast, I’ve been trying out and collecting makeup for years. I think it started about two years ago when I began to seriously collect drugstore, high-end, and Korean makeup. I got a lot of help from watching beauty vloggers on YouTube and made a handful of trial and error myself. Right now, I seldom test new makeup anymore because I find myself gravitating to these holy grail base makeup products I swear by.