July Favorites

August 01, 2015 in Makeup, Skincare

Unlike in June when I was desperately combing through my routines to figure out what my favorites were, in July the favorites came in quick - just a heads up this is going to be a long post! I tried a lot of new products this month, as I just couldn’t stop buying new things, and I found a lot of winners in the mix that I can’t get enough of now. Four of them actually came in one shopping trip (evidence in this Instagram picture) that was only two weeks ago, but I've fallen in love with them all the same. I've even got a little music favorite for you at the end, too!

Starting with skincare, the one thing I could not get enough of this month was the Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil. I wrote a whole review on it last week (here) because I love it so much. This has done absolute wonders for my skin, clearing up so much redness and old acne marks. It's made applying makeup in the morning so easy - sometimes I can skip base products altogether!

Before I get into the makeup bits, I wanted to also mention the Bumble and Bumble Brilliantine. I went out and bought it immediately after reading Grace's review on it. It's hard to explain what it does to my hair - it just makes it better, you know? All I've been doing every time I wash my hair is apply a little of the Bumble and Bumble Invisible Oil Primer, letting it dry a little, and working a dime-sized amount of the Brilliantine through before letting it air dry all the way. It really takes the puffiness out of freshly washed hair and gives it that "slept in" look - I can now wear it down without any heat styling and feel confident enough to walk out the door!

With all the strobing going on, I just haven't been able to stop buying highlighters lately. I'm completely addicted (check out my Highlighter Roundup if you want to see my collection) and constantly adding more to my wishlist - I'm currently lusting after one of the NARS Illuminators and a MAC Cream Color Base if you're wondering. One thing I've been slathering all over my face to really amp up the glow is the MAC Strobe Cream. It feels really nourishing on the skin and just really livens it up - I can't see any shimmer particles, but it gives such a dewy sheen. One of my highlighters I used in my Strobing Face of the Day post and a recent addition is the Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Highlight. I've been reaching for this so often since I got it because it's so quick and easy to apply. It leaves a gorgeous ethereal glow on the skin as well. Another highlighter love is the Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder Compact in Highlight 01. I haven't heard much of this one around the blogging world, but oh my is it a beauty. I'm not sure why it has matte in the name, because it's certainly not. It gives the skin a gorgeous champagne sheen that's easy brushed on subtly or built up for a more "wet" looking glow.

Lastly on the makeup front are a couple lip pencils on the two opposite ends of the price spectrum. Normally my go-to lip liners are MAC's Whirl and Soar, depending on if I'm feeling something more brown or something more pink, but the two I've got here are just a little bit lighter and more natural looking on me. The first is Milani's Color Statement Lipliner in All Natural (04). I've heard Claire Marshall talk about this one as a dupe for Charlotte Tilbury's Lip Cheat in Iconic Nude. This one is a peachy-pinky-brown color, similar to if you took most of the pink tones out of Velvet Teddy by MAC. It's a great nude color on me that goes with everything and never makes me look washed out. The formula of these lip pencils is lovely as well - they're even creamier than the MAC Lip Pencils, although you do pay the price with a shorter longevity. The other lip pencil I've been loving this month is the Marc Jacobs (P)Outliner Longwear Lip Pencil in the shade Prim(rose). This one is quite similar to MAC Soar, but again it's lighter. It's a really great match for my natural lip color, so I've been scribbling this one on the most often. This pencil is also incredibly creamy, but it lasts for-freakin'-ever. As in I got two fillings at the dentist yesterday with it on and it still looked perfect at the end of it. I'm in love.

I like including some non-beauty favorites every now and again and this month I've got a music favorite in the form of a Spotify playlist I made (tooting my own horn much?). I've called it Sinatra Etc, and it's all I've been listening to the entire month. I've got all my favorites from Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Judy Garland, and Billie Holiday, with some Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, and Connie Francis thrown in there for good measure. Give it a listen if you want - this period of music is definitely my favorite.

What were your favorites last month?

Brands I'd Like to Try More From

July 30, 2015 in Makeup, Skincare

I'll be the first to admit, my beauty stash is a little out of control. I can't go on a shopping trip and not come home with a horde of shiny new beauty products. I've come to have a bit of a "can't stop won't stop" attitude about it - trying new things is just fun. While I have a few standby brands that can do no wrong in my eyes, there are still plenty I haven't tried enough from - yet (cue maniacal laughter).

Fresh is a brand I've tried a fair few bits from (the most out of the three brands I'll be talking about), and I've fallen in love with every piece. I can't live without the Sugar Lip Treatments - the shade Petal has been living in my handbag since I got it, and Plum comes out in the wintertime. Another favorite is the Rose Face Mask - I've only got the little sample size here, but the full size has definitely made its way onto my wishlist. I love Fresh's packaging - I just want to buy everything and display it on my dream bathroom counter. The products just seem so simple and effective - top of my list to try are the Sugar Lip Polish, the Peony Brightening Night Treatment Mask, and the Seaberry Moisturizing Face Oil.

Another skincare brand I've been dying to try more from is NUDE Skincare. I've only ever tried a sample of the Advanced Renewal Serum and really loved it, despite not being its target audience. The brand's vision is really interesting - that nutrition is just as important for our skin as it is for our bodies. The products are formulated like a healthy meal you want to be eating - a balance of vitamins and minerals, omegas, and antioxidants. I'm especially drawn to the products heavy on the omegas, like the Perfect Cleanse Omega Cleansing Jelly and the Progenius Omega Treatment Rescue Oil (I'll be cracking into my sample of this ASAP). The Miracle Mask has made its way onto my wishlist as well (after reading its description a few times it's crossed over into "OMG NEED" territory).

As for makeup, I like to think I've tried quite a lot of it. I'd say I've tried at least one thing from every brand carried in my local Sephora, except for Smashbox, Buxom, and Make Up For Ever. One that I've only recently come to try is Bobbi Brown. I've heard nothing but good things from the brand, but as it's not stocked anywhere near me, I just never pick anything up. I got the Long Wear Cream Shadow Stick a few weeks ago and it has already become a firm favorite. Falling for the eyeshadow stick as definitely made me catch the Bobbi Brown bug - now I want it all. Brushes, skincare, makeup, you name it. Edging into the "can't resist a Sephora order much longer" section of my wishlist are the Hydrating Eye Cream, Full Coverage Face Brush, and the Pot Rouge for Lips and Cheeks.

Have you tried anything from these brands? If you have, let me know your top picks! And what brands do you want to try more from?

FOTD: Trying Out Strobing

July 28, 2015 in Makeup

Lately everyone's been talking about this new "strobing" trend. Apparently strobing is skipping the contour and using only highlighter to define your features. This is something I've been doing for quite awhile (because I'm too pale/unskilled to properly contour), but I never knew there was an actual name for it - I thought I was just dousing myself in highlighter. I've been trying my hand at more intensely highlighted looks and I'm obsessed with how it looks. Yes, I may look a little greasy (see evidence here), but being a dry- and dull-skinned gal this is totally fine with me.

New favorite place to take pictures: standing in my shower #whitebackground

On this day, I just started out by playing around and piling the most glowy products I had onto my face. I started by smoothing on a layer of the MAC Strobe Cream all over my face - this really adds an instant luminosity to the skin and banishes any dullness. On top I applied my glowiest base, the Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation. This brought a super dewy look to the skin, and I coudln't get enough of it combined with the Strobe Cream. To cover up any dark circles I used another glow-giver: the Estee Lauder Double Wear Brush-On Glow BB Highlighter. I blended this in a triangle shape under my eyes so I could also highlight my cheekbones with it.

I then used two different highlighters for maximum effect. I first streaked on the Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Highlight - I like the pearlized look it gives to the skin, and the stick form makes it super easy to apply. I put this on the tops of my cheekbones, on my browbones, above my eyebrows, down my nose, on my cupid's bow, on the center of my chin, and in the center of my forehead - so basically all over my entire face. To intensify this, I patted the Colourpop Highlighter in Smoke N Whistles anywhere where I wanted a stronger highlight (my cheekbones, browbones, and cupid's bow) - the icy silver shimmer and pink-toned powder really makes a statement. On the rest of my face I used the Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade in Medium Brown, Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerise Cream Eyeshadow in Marie Antoinette, Maybelline Lash Sensational Waterproof Mascara, Stila Convertible Color in Lilium, and Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Mother.

I couldn't believe how confident this look made me feel. This is quite embarrassing to admit, but I just could NOT stop taking selfies, trying to document the magnificent glow I had managed to give myself. Even if this is a quickly-passing trend, it's something I'll continue to do because I think it really suits my skintype. We all want what we don't have - the grass is always greener on the other side and all that (and now I'm singing the As Told By Ginger theme song), so seeing this amount of radiance in my skin was incredible. I won't be using quite this much highlighter on work days or anything, but I'm definitely going to start adding more than I used to.

Have you tried strobing? What do you think about it?