JUNE FAVORITES: HITS & MISSES

Hello again!,

June is my birthday month and needless to say, it’s the best month of the year. I am so excited to share with you guys my favorites particularly for this month because I was gifted some amazing products for my birthday.

So instead of blabbing on for days, I’m going to go right into the goods…

1.

STILA CONVERTIBLE COLOR BLUSH/ LIPSTICK

I heard so many lovely reviews about this blush in the past that of course I had to check it out for myself. This Stila compact is a creme blush that is very long lasting and iridescently glows on the apples of your cheeks. Not only is this product a luminous blush but also a natural- looking lip color. You may of heard of the NARS MATTE MULTIPLE blusher/lipstick which does exactly the same thing though I honestly prefer the Stila Convertible more as I think the formula is a little smoother. I purchased the color Lillium, a light beige- pink shade, and I find this tone to work really well with my relatively pale skin. These Convertibles are priced at $25, which I feel to be a pretty fair price considering this product is multi- functional.

2.

SMASHBOX PHOTO FINISH: BLEMISH CONTROL PRIMER

Smashbox recently came out with a new line of primers (i.e the Photo Finish Collection), some of which aid in hyper- pigmentation and oil. Wanting to see if these primers lived up to their hype, I purchased the Blemish Control primer ($42). This primer is definitely on the pricier side but I would still buy this product again because it works so well. I hate creamy primers that make you feel like you’re wearing pounds of makeup, so I was happy to find that this Smashbox primer was extremely light- weight. I have pretty tame skin but I do get a blemish every once in a while, mainly because I’m very sensitive to oil. Luckily, this is an oil- free formulation made without Parabens, Sulfates and Phthalates. Though this product won’t magically clear up troubled skin, it will help prevent breakouts and reduce unwanted shine.

3.

JUICE BEAUTY LOTION

~ $18

I was relatively unfamiliar with the Juice Beauty collection until recently when It was featured in one of my favorite Youtubers heyclaire’s “May Favorites” video (link down below). Juice Beauty is an all- natural focused brand that uses organic ingredients that both nourish and heal skin. The official description of this product is as follows:

“This luxurious body moisturizer combines rich jojoba and shea butter and a brightening complex of organic apple, lemon and grape juices, nutrient-rich essential fatty acids and age-defying Vitamin C and Peptides to replenish, nourish and firm skin from head to toe”. 

I really want to get further into this product line and try some of their natural face masks/ peels. I’ve only heard great things about Juice Beauty so I’m excited to give their other goods a go.

4.

YVES SAINT LAURENT: COUTURE PALLETE

~ $60

Ok, so this was definitely my big “splurge” item that I received for my birthday. This Saint Laurent compact is beyond beautiful from its golden packaging to its gorgeous shadow. I choose this palette in the No.10 colour palette which has sparkling midnight shades and two vibrant matte greens plus a sweet 50s baby blue. The pigmentation of this palette is unreal~ a sign of true quality. The YSL colour collection, as a whole, has a very Mad Men mod vibe to them which gives off a demure vintage look.

Here is a recent eye look I did a couple nights ago featuring the No.10 (don’t mind the hair in my face):

I am looking to purchase more YSL shadows as I love their palette collection and the fantastic quality of their formulation. Though these palettes are pricy, they are very worth it.

5.

URBAN DECAY FLUSHED PALETTE

I recently featured this Flushed Palette in my “What’s in my Makeup Bag?: Everyday & Travel” post. Here is a small excerpt from it:

~ $30 Urban Decay just launched this amazing 3-in-1 palette called the Flushed Palette that has not only a blush, but a shimmery highlighter and bronzer. Now highlighter and bronzer is an essential for me, but for an everyday look, it isn’t really necessary. With incorporating a highlighter and bronzer though, you can take your look from simple to radiant. This compact is very light- weight and relatively small, perfect for travel. I’m going to include it in my upcoming “June Favorites” so stay tuned for more about this awesome palette.

6.

LAURA MERCIER: Matte Radiance Baked Powder Compact

For a while I was looking for a really good highlighting powder because I have mostly creme- based highlighters. Once I saw Laura Mercier had a highlighting powder compact, I knew I had to try it. Now, I think this is my new favorite highlighter~ It’s sheer, luminous and build-able with a multidimensional matte finish. I usually apply this powder with fluffy fan brush in the usual highlighting areas (i.e under the eyes/ the inner corners, the “cupids bow” of the lips and the front of the nose). Priced at $36, this compact is a quality highlighter that I will most definitely purchase again.

7.

BATISTE DRY SHAMPOO COLLECTION

~$5-$10

I am convinced that everyone needs a dry shampoo~ Washing your hair everyday isn’t ideal for hair heath as natural oils nourish follicles and strands. Most dry shampoos are pretty much the same, but I have found that Batiste is a dry shampoo game- changer. Not only does Batiste get rid of grease while adding texture, but it smells amazing. There are a lot of different scents to choose from, but I recently bought Cherry which adds a little fruity scent. I am going to try the whole collection as now I think this is my official go-to dry shampoo.

8.

CHANEL VITALUMIÈRE AQUA FOUNDATION

~$45- $55

I also talked about this Favorite in my “Best Foundations for Summer” post a few weeks ago. Here is the except from it in which I declared my true love for this product:

CHANEL VITALUMIÈRE AQUA is an amazing ultra-light foundation that is infused with sun protectant, perfect for summer. This foundation acts almost like a second skin as it perfectly sinks in and feels like you are wearing an airy film. No one wants to cake on heavy, creamy foundation on a humid, sunny day, therefore making VITALUMIÈRE AQUA an ideal option for summer.

Now this foundation is not full-coverage so if you have particularly problematic skin with blemishes or hyper- pigmentation, you will need to use concealer in those troubled areas. VITALUMIÈRE AQUA works incredibly well for combination skin as well as oily skin- If you have more of a dryer skin type, I would suggest going with the VITALUMIÈRE, which has a more moisturized base, but gives the same effect as the Aquatic foundation.

Tip: These VITALUMIÈRE foundations are best applied simply using your hand to blend into the skin as they are so shear and light.

MISSES:

Luckily, I only had one dud this month, the ULTA makeup sponge, which I find to be a poor BEAUTY BLENDER knockoff. It’s awkwardly shaped and way too dense and hard to handle. A makeup sponge should be soft and squeezable for easy application, but this product just isn’t designed like that. Yes, it is less expensive than the BEAUTY BLENDER priced at about $5, but it is not worth it.

That wraps up my JUNE Favorites! I’m thinking about doing a NON- BEAUTY Favorites post sometime just for fun so make sure to check back in.

As always, thanks for stopping by!

link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZSo8k_zyOQo&list=PLkW9N_xWdlAvRm3SOBeOAPLWQ7tnpLZAK

(Heyclaire Youtube)