I have more favorites this month than usual. I've just been trying out a lot of new products and a lot of those impressed me immediately. It's a bit of everything, skin care, makeup and other summer essentials. I am also trying to add non beauty favorites into my favorites posts as I feel you get a look into my other areas as well. I love clothes and accessories as much as my beauty products, although I buy less of these.
At first I didn't see much results. Especially not in the way I expected it. Niacinamides are often used in brightening formulas and I expected that this would brighten up my discoloration around the mouth. It might have brighten it a bit, but not to an extend I expected. However, this is a must have product for oily skin with huge pores. I have quite big pores on my cheeks and since I have combination skin those look even bigger in hotter months when I have oilier T zone. This product actually makes my pores look smaller and what I like the most, I don't get as oily as I used to. It definitely helps to control the sebum production. Must have for me in hotter months.
A'Pieu Pure Block Natural Sun Cream
Finally a sun cream for the face that doesn't smell of alcohol and doesn't leave a white cast. It has a thinner consistency that spreads into nothing. No white cast or heavy feeling on the skin. It has lovely refreshing citrus scent to it. It makes it seem like my skin is well hydrated, but not glowy or dewy. I'd say it gives a velvet matte finish to the skin. With the SPF of 45 it's all I need in the summer months.
Annemarie Börlind Intensive Care Capsules
I can't even say why exactly I like it, but whenever I used this in the evening my skin in the morning looked perfect. It looked plump, hydrated, smooth and nourished. In this little pot are 60 capsules. You take one and break off the top and apply it to the skin. It feels like a light oil on the skin. A bit greasy, but lightweight. They contain vitamin C and E, ceramides and lycopene-rich tomato extract. It's basically a bomb of ingredients for anti aging and adding moisture to the skin. It's probably one of the best skin care products I've tried so far. This seriously takes care of all my skin's issues. I'm already hating loving it, because it's expensive, but oh so good.
L.O.V. EVENelegance Foundation Brush
I got a few of L.O.V. brushes to test out and out of all the three this one impressed me the most. I love straight cut and short bristles for foundation brushes. For some reason they make buffing foundation into the skin easy and give you a nice coverage. I liked this one from the get-go. It has dense enough synthetic bristles that feel soft to the touch as well as on the face. This blends my foundation well without leaving stripes all over my face and I just love the shape of it. I did clean it a few times and a few bristles fell out, so I'm hoping that it doesn't happen every time I clean it. I also love the convenience of this, because it works great with thicker foundation as it spreads them a lot quicker than if I would use a makeup sponge. It's a great on the go brush.
Paese Artist Rice Powder
Again one of the products that have seriously impressed me. It looks like a regular loose powder and it has a white color. It's super finely milled and blends into nothing. Rice powder is known for its absorbing properties and that is exactly why I love it so much. It's probably one of the few powders that actually absorbs my oiliness and keeps it from getting oily through the day. It doesn't make my skin matte for the whole day, but for an impressive amount of time. Actually even more than my Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder. It gives you a satin vail over your foundation and almost blurrs the skin. It doesn't sit into pores or look cakey. This is also nice for under the eyes, because it makes the skin's surface really smooth. It has quite noticeable scent to it. I can't say what of, it's sort of baby powder and fruity scent. I like it though.
Avon Glow Bronzing Pearls Radiant Glow
Avon has a few versions of these bronzing pearls. I haven't tried many yet, but these are my favorites. Radiant Glow has a mix of three colored pearls. One are more bronzed mauve, others are pink and one are light peachy. Mix them all together and you get a pinkish tinted bronze shade. I assume that this would look a bit different on different skin tones. If I apply it lightly, I get a very light bronze shade. If I apply it heavier, it becomes a more pink toned bronze. So what I usually do is, I apply it lightly all over my face and then go heavier on the apples of the cheeks. I like it so much, because it's such an effortless products to use. It has nice pigmentation with one swipe and gives you a natural pinkish bronze as well as a natural pinkish flush of color on the cheeks. Basically a bronzer and blush in one product. It has a nice sheeny look, but not too shiny. Very skin like.
You probably knew these would be in my favorites. I just adore Colourpop Super Shock Shadow formula. Both of these shades are perfect for summer. Coconut for that bold pop of blue and Kathleenlights can be paired with any look to give you a touch of warm glamour. The formula is creamy and crazy pigmented. They stay in place for the whole day and don't loose their intensity.
These two are a nice addition to my most used Zoeva palettes. Issues is great for adding additional peachy warmth to my crease and I love to combine I Owe You with other brown matte shades to put on the lid. Pressed shadows have also amazing pigmentation, blend like a dream and are very long lasting. I can't wait to get more of these.
Kiko Extra Sculpt Volume Mascara
I didn't like it at first. But once the formula got a bit drier, it grew on me. This is supposedly KathleenLights' favorite drugstore mascara. Because here lashes always look amazing, I was curious to try it out. It's definitely a volumizing mascara. It gives you lots of volume and also doesn't clump the lashes as much as some other lashes, although I wouldn't apply it too much. Because my lashes are quite thin and tend to clump together, I use it in combination with Maybelline Lash Sensationl mascara. Maybelline gives me definition and Kiko on top gives me amazing volume and thickness. If you're looking for a volumizing mascara and have fairly long and separated lashes, you'll love this one.
My new favorite pink nude shade. Whenever I want something matte that will go with most makeup looks I reach for this one. It's just such a versatile shade that would suit many. This is also my favorite matte lipstick formula as it's super smooth to apply, lightweight and has good staying power, but doesn't make your lips dry.
If you're looking for a perfect orange red shade for the summer, look no further. This is probably my new favorite orange red shade. The formula is creamy enough to use on its own, it applies smoothly, doesn't feel heavy or drying and has a fairly good staying power. The shade is just everything. Pair this with a bronze eye look and you're good to go.
Whenever my lips are dry, I reach for lip gloss formulas. This one is more like a really pigmented liquid lipstick in a perfect warm caramel brown color. It goes with every look and feels oh so comfortable on the lips. I have it in my bag to just slap on whenever I feel my lips are a bit tight or I wan't something shiny and glossy.
I've been spraying this on for the whole month. Well on some exceptions I also used Yves Rocher Malaysian Coconut, but that probably happened two times only. For some it might be too strong for the summer, but I love it. It's the perfect mix of sweet and oriental. If you like sweet scents, but want something more sophisticated with an oriental twist, then you'll love it. It's a very sexy fragrance.
Avon Sun Magic Tan Self-Tan Bronzing Mousse With Firming Complex
I used this twice and I loved it. I was always afraid of self tanners, even though I secretly wanted to try them. Cheaper ones made my skin patchy and it sort of turned me off from trying new ones. But this one is so nice. I used it with a Kiko self tanning applicator (basically a sponge glove) and it worked great. With self tanners is all about even application. I also moisturize drier parts like elbows and knees where it tends to look darker or catch on dry patches. I used it once in the evening and I applied very, very little. The effect was still very much noticeable in the morning. I only got a bit of uneven tone on my legs, which was totally my fault, because I didn't spread it out evenly. So I repeated application on the next day and on the third day I had such a nice tan. I have a light skin tone with yellow undertones so it looked very natural on me. Bronze shade with a yellow warm undertone. Naturally, my tan tends to go more olive, but because I have so much yellowness in my skin, it looked natural too. I didn't get any weird orange tint (but keep in mind I applied it really lightly!) and it didn't have that strong burnt smell the next day. When you apply it, it's a mousse that has a tropical kind of coconut and pineapple scent to it. In the morning you get a faint burnt scent, but not too bad at all. Tan lasted about a week.
I have to include this blogger event in my favorites. It's basically the only blogger event I attend and it's because it's the closest to my home town and I get to see my fellow Slovenian beauty bloggers in person. This year I met some new people, had a few too short chats (wish I would have time to speak with more people) and also learned about new beauty brands. It went by too fast, which usually means it was a lot of fun. You can read more about it
here.
Deichmann Red Bag
My non beauty favorite of this month has to be this cute little red bag from Deichmann. I love these smile concept bags and I love small bags in general. So many women that I see love to wear huge bags. I am a small person as it is and I hate wearing huge anything on me. Even though I stuff my mini bag with things in all the cracks, I always opt for a smaller size. This one fits my long wallet, a tiny makeup bag and a phone. I also always choose safe choices for bag colors like nude or black, so this red one is such a nice change. It goes with literally everything and gives a boring basic outfit a pop of color. Plus I adore gold details (it seems hard to find gold details on bags - usually they are silver). Can you tell I am in love? Just look at my Instagram feed, I feature it on so many photos.
C&A Leopard Pencil Skirt
You would rarely see me in a skirt, because I always thought I have footballers legs (muscly), but I have been getting into wearing skirts more often. I especially like a pencil shape. Usually these can come too long for me, since I am so short. Or they feel too tight around the thighs. This one is perfect. I bought it last year. It has a silver base with black and dark brown leopard spots. You know me and leopard prints, I just adore those. It's again one of those classic colored pieces with a fun leopard print that goes with everything. It also has the most stretchy and comfortable material to wear and isn't too tight. I love it and wish I would have more skirts like these. I've been on a hunt for a good pencil skirt this year and I found nothing that would fit me perfectly. Any suggestions?
Lucifer
I have certain tv shows that just obsess me and I can't stop watching them. I have one last episode to watch of Lucifer (don't spoil it for me, if you've already watched it!) and then I'll probably go into a depressing mood, because I have to wait until October for the next season. Thank you Sabina for that! It's a fun crime, drama and fantasy all in one. Lucifer Morningstar is actually the devil (from hell) that has been cast out of heaven and has decided to go on vacation on Earth. He is funny in a sarcastic way, narcissistic and always says the truth, even though no one beliefs him, when he introduces himself as the devil. He starts to work with a homicide detective Chloe Decker who actually becomes an important part of his life. He has no knowledge of human behavior, his feelings or morals. As the series go on, angels come from heaven and complicate his stay on the Earth. It's a truly funny show with a detective action feel to it.
