August Favourites

So I realllly had to think about my monthly favourites, because to be honest, there's been so many! With the weather being so up and down, and I've had quite a busy month, which means I've been using and loving a lot of products. But I picked my essentials that I haven't been without this month to share with you. 

And here they are...

Origins Super Spot Remover

As I said, it's been a busy month, which means I've been breaking out more than usual, but this little bottle has been a saviour. You basically apply this on any blemishes or even on red areas left by blemishes and it helps to dry them out so they heal quicker. You can apply it as many times as needed, and I really do notice the difference after a couple of applications. It's pricey for a spot treatment, but the bottle lasts for ages!

Maybelline Falsies Flared Mascara

I bought this mascara a few weeks ago after watching Tanya Burr (pixi2woo on You Tube) use it in a tutorial. I have quite long eyelashes anyway, but this mascara really accentuates them. The wand is perfect to work with and it doesn't clog or clump my lashes as some mascaras do. I don't think anything will beat YSL's Shocking mascara which is my all time fave, but I'm enjoying using this at the moment. 

Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair

Now, this is certainly one of my most expensive skincare items, but I just can't be without it. I apply this nightly as part of my skincare routine before moisturising. It comes with a handy pipette and the lady on the Estee Lauder counter in Selfridges suggested 3 drops would suffice daily. I find it really helps lock in moisture, smooth and even out my skin tone. This product also helps if you have any scars or discolouration of this skin.

Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre

I love this moisturiser, it is a staple favourite of mine and I don't think I'll ever change. For a while I couldn't find anywhere online that shipped this product to the UK. This product is only available for purchase in France as far as I am aware. Then I hit jackpot and found it on a website called Love Make Up, I was so excited I purchased it straight away. Their delivery was excellent, arriving the next day!! I often use this moisturiser in place of a primer. 

Elizabeth Arden's Pure Finish Bronze Powder

This bronzer is part of Elizabeth Arden's Rose Aurora make up range, in which all the products are lovely. I have this bronzer in the shade, Soft Radiance. I've really enjoyed using this bronzer this month as I've been slightly paler than usual and it gives the most gorgeous hint of colour when contouring through the cheeks. I also love the packaging to this product, it really screams premium beauty and I love my bronzers to have a mirror. 

MAC's Pressed Blot Powder

When the weather is as warm as it has been (humidity wise, obviously we've had no sunshine), this product is my saviour! I literally cannot leave the house without this on, or else a few hours later my foundation will look oily and my face will feel awful. I powder this all over my face after applying all my face make up, especially when using liquid foundations and/or cream bronzers, blushers etc. This is a sheer powder, literally just to take that shine off the skin, although I think MAC say there is a small hint of colour. Mine is in the colour Medium/Dark.

Dior Addict Ultra Gloss

I have been wearing this lipgloss so much recently. It's so pretty, and glides over so many lipstick colours. This is in the shade Negligee Pink, which is a really light pink colour. It's so glossy and the packaging is gorgeous. The only thing I'm not 100% on is the applicator which is like a little brush, and can sometimes mean you get gloss overload on your lips. Regardless of that, I am a big fan of this product.

Maybelline Baby Lips

I wasn't sure whether to include this in my monthly favourite or not as it's not available in the UK, but I had to leave it in as I love it so much. This product is basically a coloured lip balm, but it is so moisturising, smells amazing and glides on so easily. This colour is Pink Punch and is a perfect 'every day' colour. This product is perfect for dry lips and really locks in moisture while giving off a gorgeous colour. Come on Maybelline, sort it out and release these in the UK! I want to buy more! :)

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

This is definitely my 'go to' foundation at the moment for day to day wear. I normally don't use pharmacy or drugstore foundations at all, but after trying this foundation I was pleasantly surprised. It's so cheap, and I actually got it even cheaper in Savers for £4.99! Cannot believe the value. This foundation promises anti fatigue and radiant glow and I honestly think it does what it says on the tin. When I started wearing this foundation I had so many compliments on how awake and fresh my skin looked. It has a slight shimmer to it, but you can't see this once it's on the skin. It also smells amazing, (is that strange?). I have this foundation in Soft Beige and have just repurchased a new one. No doubt I'll be back to my MAC Pro Longwear for the winter months, but for now, I LOVE this! 

So that's it for my August Favourites. I tried to keep the amount of products as low as I possibly could, but there are so many more I could talk about. Have you tried any of these products, what are your thoughts?

Saturday Haul

OK, so I think most of us have a slight obsession when it comes to shopping, but I think mine may be getting out of hand. Popped in to my local town on Saturday to go to the post office (yes... just the post office) and just couldn't resist Boots or Superdrug. These are the only two shops in my local town that you'd probably have heard of... anyway, I couldn't help myself. Here's what I bought.

L'oreal's Nude Magique BB cream

I had originally intended to purchase the Maybelline BB cream for summer, however since the sun has only reared it's head recently I decided to opt for this BB cream instead to try. It was £9.99 from Boots and I got mine in the shade Medium which seems perfect for my skin tone. It comes out as a white cream with little dots in it, these dots are what L'oreal call 'Smart Pigment Capsules'. Once you start applying this to your skin, the cream transforms in to a light covering foundation that blends and hydrates your skin. I've only worn this the once so far, but I'm really liking it for summer coverage.

imPRESS Press on Manicure

I am totally addicted to these press on nails for nights out at the moment. They are so quick and easy to use. I was a bit of a sceptic at first after using glue on nails in the past which seem to fall off after an hour, but these stay on for daaaaays! I saw this cute design and couldn't resist. This design is called Chic Mystique and I purchased them from Superdrug as they were a pound cheaper than boots! :)

Barry M Lip Paints

I picked up these two lipsticks from the Barry M range as they have an offer at the moment where you can get 2 for £7! I've never tried Barry M lipsticks before so I must admit I was a little sceptical. I normally prefer moisturising lipsticks as my lips get so dry, but I thought I would give these a go anyway! I bought the shades 53 Coral and 151 Sunset. I have worn the Sunset shade which seemed to dry my lips out just slightly, so I teamed it with a lipgloss which helped. Looking forward to trying these lip sticks out a bit more! See swatches below.

Top to bottom - Barry M Lip Paint in 53 Coral, Barry M Lip Paint in 151 Sunset and L'oreal Rouge Caresse Lipstick in Fashionista Pink

L'oreal Rouge Caresse Lipstick

I picked this Lipstick up as there was an offer on L'oreal products, where if you bought a product you got the second for half price. So after purchasing my BB cream I got this lipstick for the delightful price of £3.99! The shade I got is Fashionista Pink and is from Boots again (gotta love those advantage card points!). It's an incredibly sheer moisturising lipstick with a tint of baby pink. I've worn this a few times already since Saturday and I love it for a day to day lipstick, especially in summer. Left my lips feeling in a great condition as well! See a swatch above!

Collection 2000 Shimmer Shades Blushalicious Blusher

No.7's blusher in Damson has been a staple favourite of mine for the summer months, but I decided I fancied a change. I had originally picked up a Rimmel blusher which also combined four shades, but then saw this one and realised it was half the price and I also liked the colours better! It was only £3.99 from Boots. I normally don't look at the Collection 2000 range, only to repurchase my lasting perfection concealer, but I'm sure glad I did as I think this may be my new fave summer blush! There is a slight shimmer to the shades but for a subtle day look, the shimmer isn't too overwhelming.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Instant Radiance Shimmer Touch

I have been looking for a high street highlighter for such a long time, but never found anything worth purchasing. Even though I normally prefer a powder highlighter, (this one is liquid based), the colour was so lovely I thought I would give it a try. I bought mine from Superdrug for £4.99 in the shade Shimmering Sands, they also do a Rose coloured one. I tried this very briefly and although it isn't the most noticeable highlighter I've ever used, it certainly brightened up my cheek and brow bones.

MUA Intense Glitter Eyeliner

I have to say, I'm a BIG fan of MUA products. They definitely win the 'budget make up award' in my opinion. I bought this eyeliner in Jade Jewel for £1 from Superdrug and I absolutely love the colour. It's really pigmented and glides on so easily, even over eyeshadow on the top lash line. I tried this gently blended in to my lash line with MAC's Sumptuous Olive eyeshadow and it looked really great. Definitely brightened up the look for summer, and was a nice change to my gel eyeliner i normally wear. All in all, I'm a fan of MUA products when on a budget!

 

MUA Intense Glitter Eyeliner in Jade Jewel