July Favorites!

Seeing as it's August now, may I present my July favorites! I have a pretty wide variety this month and I'm very pleased with all of them.

1.) The Body Shop Body Butter in Satsuma

I've been loving using this on my arms to help with the bumps that I get. It's incredibly moisturizing and smells amazing, like oranges. My love for this particular product has made me really want to go out and try more of The Body Shop's body creams!

2.) Victoria's Secret body spay in "Sexy Little Things Noir Tease"

Even though the name is a bit of a marathon, I love this fragrance. I featured it in a haul recently and have been loving it instead of perfume. It's light but still smells amazing, and I would definitely recommend checking it out.

3.) T&M Hair Perfume in "Social Butterfly"

This is an amazing product. I received it in my Glymm box this month and love the scent - it smells like vanilla and coconut, with a little bit of musk. It lasts forever when sprayed in hair and is a very cool product.

4.) Essie polish in Ballet Slippers

This is my new favorite nail polish. I bought it for a very frugal reason (Emily from the Bachelorette said she liked it.... Don't judge) but as it turns out it is phenomenal. This polish is opaque in just two coats, which can't be said for most light pinks. I love how finished it looks on the nails as well. Keep a look out for a nail of the day post on this soon!

5.)  OXY Triple Action Medicated Acne Pads

I got these from my mom because she happened to have them and gave them to me when my skin was acting up. I've been loving how they really clean my skin well and I'm positive they have significantly reduced the amount of blemishes on my skin while I've been using them.

6.) Makeup Forever Mist and Fix

Since it's been so hot where I live, this is amazing just to cool off and revamp my makeup. It's also amazing to spray on after applying powder to avoid cakey-ness, and it sets my makeup very well so it lasts all day.

7.) Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream in Light/Medium

I did a whole review on this product in a past blog post (link here), so I won't say too much. However, this gives me a bit of colour, smells amazing, and has a decent amount of coverage. I truly love this product.

8.) My brow routine: MAC "Omega" eyeshadow or Two Faced "Velvet Revolver" eyeshadow, Tweezerman Browmousse gel, Two Faced brush from the Natural Eye palette

I've been loving this combination of products for my brow routine lately. The brush is amazing and thin so the powder looks natural, and these shades of eyeshadow suit my hair colour perfectly. The gel is also very good, particularly because it doesn't get crunchy or visible.

9.) Highlighting routine: Hana K. brush and MAC Mineralized Skinfinish in "Lightscapade"

I love this highlighter because it isn't shimmery or glittery, but rather leaves an amazing glowy sheen on the skin that looks incredibly natural. I used to apply it with a fan brush but actually prefer this much denser, flat-top brush because it fits the shape and size of my cheekbone perfectly. I highly recommend the MSFs from MAC - though they're pricey, I think they're definitely worth the investment.

My song of the month has been "Bare" from the musical by that same title. It's an amazing song, full of emotion and beautiful music. 

That concludes my July favorites! I'm sorry they're going up so late - I had the pictures taken on the first of August, but didn't get around to typing and arranging this post until today. What has been your favorite product this month?

Requests!

Hey guys! I was just wondering if you had any requests for posts on this blog! I have a few ideas in mind but I'd like some input on what I should blog about. The sky is the limit :)

Thanks!

Haul - Sigma and Wal-Mart!

Today I have a haul! I got all of these things yesterday from Wal-Mart and I also received my order from Sigma. 

First, I got my package in the mail yesterday with my Sigma brushes in it! I was so excited to receive these since the only foundation brush I have is a flat one, and the only brushes I have are from Costco and Quo. The two brushes that I ordered from Sigma were actually a special deal that they had on for two of the Sigmax brushes. If you're interested in checking out this set, I'll link it here.

This duo is $24 on the Sigma website and I had a 10% off code for January (0112XJML). I got these brushes for about as cheap as they could come and I decided to go ahead and get them instead of putting them off. 

These came packaged really well, in a sort of wine bottle type bag with a little card talking about all of the Sigmax brushes. The two brushes that came in the set were the F84 Angled Top Kabuki and the F82 Round Top Kabuki. These both will be really great for applying foundation. I haven't used either yet, but when I have used them for a bit I might do a review.

Initially, I was very pleased with them (I still am!). These are the softest brushes I own and they feel really well made considering I only paid about $12 for each brush. Compared to MAC, that's wonderful. 

Next I went to Wal-Mart and I picked up a few things. The first thing I decided to try was a Wet n Wild  trio, because I have heard so many fanastic reviews about their eyeshadows. I was debating on the Comfort Zone palette, which has eight mostly neutral eyeshadows in it, but I decided to pass because I figured I would never use the greens that are in that palette.

The trio that I picked up is called "Walking on Eggshells". This was the most neutral palette that was in store and I only ever wear neutral eyeshadows, so I thought this would get a lot of use. 

Let me just say that the pigmentation on this palette is phenomenal. My initial reaction upon swatching this was one of absolute glee - I only paid about $4.50 for this product, and you get quite a lot of eyeshadow in each pan, and they're super well made and pigmented. The bottom colour is a sort of pearly pink, the middle is a shimmery chocolate brown, and the top is a gold-toned white, and they are all gorgeous. I am so pleased with this product and I definitely recommend this brand of eyeshadows.

Lastly, I just picked up some less interesting products. I got two masks from a brand called Freeman, which doesn't test on animals (a major plus). I got a hydrating goji berry one and a peel-off cucumber one. They were each $3.50 so it was a great deal, and I am super excited to work with these and see what they do with my skin.

I also got a dry shampoo spray. Currently I had been using cornstarch mixed with some essential oils (which I swear by! Click here if you want to see how to do it), but I was just in the mood to try something else, and possibly compare it to my cornstarch method. The one that I picked up was the TRESemme Fresh Start Smoothing Dry Shampoo. This is for straight and normal hair and mine is anything but - however, I figured since I straighten my hair so often I needed something that could smooth out any frizz, so I thought this would be a good buy. I looked at the ingredients and this actually  has cornstarch in it, so it should work reasonably well.

That concludes this haul, and thanks for reading. If any of you have tried any of these products then let me know!

Quick Tip: Cleaner Skin

Do you find yourself consistently cleansing your skin at night but still waking up with blemishes on your face in the morning? Well, this can be attributed to your age, your skin type, the time of the month, and many other factors. However, I have a special little trick that can ensure your skin is getting super clean every night.

If you don't take off your makeup at night, it will build up on your skin and clog your pores, causing acne and various other issues. However, even if you're using a cleanser, this may not be enough.

I do suggest investing in a small pore cleansing pad (these are sold at Sephora for $5, here) or even something bigger, like a Clarisonic. To ensure your skin is completely clean when you go to bed, however, I suggest first rinsing your skin in warm water, then cleansing, then rinsing with cold water. What this does is the warm water opens your pores, which allows the cleanser to get in them and clean well. The cold water closes them back up again so that if you get a faceful of toxins when you open the bathroom door, these will have a harder time sinking into your pores.

For those reading, do you have any skincare tips that you swear by?

Flawless Skin.

So, I don't have it. Flawless skin. I get zits. :'( But I work towards finding lightweight products that still have good coverage - and I think I found some that work for me.

If I were to do a foundation routine, I would start off with my moisturizer and then skip the primer. Next I'd apply a foundation or tinted moisturizer - Maybelline Mineral Power Healthy Perfection Liquid Foundation in the shade 1, Light.

 

This foundation is positively amazing. The shade I have matches my skin tone perfectly, and when applied with a damp sponge it looks natural but still flawless. You only require a small, pea-sized amount to cover your entire face, and one coat will definitely tone down any blemishes or redness. When I applied two coats to my face I was astounded at how amazing my skin looked, but I don't want to waste this product so I typically only apply a single coat. Priced at about $8, this is a total steal. I would definitely recommend checking out this foundation.

Next I would apply a concealer underneath my eyes and on any visible blemishes. I use the Maybelline FIT me! Concealer in the shade 15, Fair.

This concealer surprised me when I first used it. Upon first glance it seems like a typical concealer, one that you can get from the drug store at a cheap price and that kind of covers up your blemishes but can look cakey or sheer. However, upon further inspection it comes out of the tube by way of a doe-foot applicator and applies with a very thin consistency. When rubbed in, it thickens up and covers blemishes amazingly. I am surprisingly in love with this concealer now, and it isn't very expensive (I don't know the exact price, however). This concealer is what has made me want to try the entire line of FIT me! products.

Lastly, I set everything with a mattifying pressed powder. I'm thinking if I do end up trying the rest of the FIT me! line, I will end up getting the powder (shown above). However, I'm currently working on my Sexy Mama Anti-Shine Translucent Powder by the Balm. 

I'm a big fan of this powder and hit pan on it long ago. If you are someone who gets a lot of shine on their face, this is an amazing option. It reduces shine and it sets any concealers, foundations, or otherwise. I love it because it doesn't make one look cakey or powdery, but still helps to make me feel like my foundation is set and stuck on my face. It's my most expensive product at around $20 but it's definitely worth it.

So that's my foundation routine in a nutshell... If you're reading this, what's your favorite foundation?

All of these products are available at Shoppers Drug Mart. The Balm products are also available at Sephora.