August Favourites
Hello everybody, I hope you’re all well. I cannot believe we’re at September 2014 already, summer has gone by so quickly…infact this whole year has been such a blur, I can’t believe I’m weeks away from entering the second year of Uni ._.
I have five favourites from the month of August, so lets begin.
Benefit Hoola Bronzer – £23.50 – link
When I first purchased this, I can’t say it was love at first bronze. If you happened to read my first impressions posts, you’ll know I found this disappointingly light….to swatch. Everytime I swatched the bronzer on my hand it just wouldn’t show up clearly at all and I guess I just judged the stuff too quickly. Going through my collection of bronzers for my new mini series (bronzing on a budget) I decided to actually put this to the test using my RT contour brush and I was very impressed! It gave a great shadow-like illusion, whilst adding some warmth to the face too. My face is a lot lighter than my hands, around NC30-35 and this shows up nicely. The actual box packaging with the brush and all…I’m not so sure on yet, but Hoola has a giant thumbs up from me!
E.L.F Brow Kit in Medium – £3.95 – link
I certainly dismissed this little thing when I first purchased it several months ago, and I have made a surprising discovery with it too read this post here if curious ^_^. Now for less than £4….and just over £2 in the 50% off sale this is well worth your pennies, with a wax on one side and a powder on the other you can choose whether you want super strong brows, subtle or a mix of the both. Personally I don’t use the powder side for my brows, but I have been loving running a little of the wax to outline them and then taking a spoolie to distribute the product through them all and achieve a naturally groomed look.
I purchased two of these baked blush and when I first swatched them I thought they looked too shimmery for my liking. However this month I’ve found myself picking this up quite a lot throughout the month, because it adds a beautiful glow to the cheeks and the colour, a medium-deep (slightly toned down ) pink looks gorgeous with bronzed skin and without! Its a lovely shade for achieving that flushed look, like you’ve been for a jog (ha .__.). Because it is a little shimmery on the skin you don’t need a highlighter here, so its like a multi-function blush and I’m really impressed! Unfortunately I also dropped it on my wooden floor hence the smashed up bits, but it’s nothing a bit of rubbing alcohol cannot fix ^_^
Real Techniques Complexion Sponge – £ 5.99 (currently on sale) – link
All the talk in the beauty world about these sponges certainly got me curious, but I just couldn’t let myself spend over £15 on the beauty blender! Hearing so many good things about the RT equivalent, it was a no-brainer for me, I had to buy this. Now aside from the tear in it ._. I have to say I have really been enjoying this with my thicker foundations to achieve a flawless finish, but mainly to blend out highlight for when I’m doing the whole full-face-of-makeup look. The flat edge and the point are both really useful, and although its a bit odd bouncing a damp sponge against my face, the finish you eventually get it worth it! If you prefer to go for full coverage foundations I think brushes are the way to go, but its worth picking this up to have around/play with and see if it works well with whatever bases and concealers you use. On a side note – I HATE how grubby it looks on a permanent basis, despite scrubbing away with my Dr. Bronners
Nuxe Reve de Miel Ultra Comfortable Day Cream – £23 (currently on sale) – link
I purchased this in a sale for around £15, which is very reasonable for high-end skincare but not exactly budget friendly. It kind of sits in the middle. Anyway I have been using this consistently for several months, and although its not been the ONLY reason, my skin which was more on the dry spectrum, is now very much on the normal side much to my delight. I have grown to love this cream, as much as everyone loves the Nuxe Reve De Meil Lipbalm. Not only does it feel nourishing but it makes a good base for my makeup and a little goes a long way, so this will last me till next spring I’m sure – which really is getting my moneys worth.
And those are the products that have been floating my boat recently. I’m in a bit of a tricky situation with makeup right now because I’m trying to use up products from brands I won’t be buying again due to ethical reasons, but at the same time I’m breaking into lots of new makeup too from Bourjois, Makeup Revolution and Essence.
I’ve started to make a full makeup inventory, and apart from the pain of listing out every single item of makeup item I own, I think it will be very helpful in making sure I do start to use everything, rather than recycling the same bits and bobs all the time. (Well at least I’m trying D:)
Thanks for reading!