Unlike in June when I was desperately combing through my routines to figure out what my favorites were, in July the favorites came in quick - just a heads up this is going to be a long post! I tried a lot of new products this month, as I just couldn’t stop buying new things, and I found a lot of winners in the mix that I can’t get enough of now. Four of them actually came in one shopping trip (evidence in this Instagram picture) that was only two weeks ago, but I've fallen in love with them all the same. I've even got a little music favorite for you at the end, too!
Starting with skincare, the one thing I could not get enough of this month was the Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil. I wrote a whole review on it last week (here) because I love it so much. This has done absolute wonders for my skin, clearing up so much redness and old acne marks. It's made applying makeup in the morning so easy - sometimes I can skip base products altogether!
Before I get into the makeup bits, I wanted to also mention the Bumble and Bumble Brilliantine. I went out and bought it immediately after reading Grace's review on it. It's hard to explain what it does to my hair - it just makes it better, you know? All I've been doing every time I wash my hair is apply a little of the Bumble and Bumble Invisible Oil Primer, letting it dry a little, and working a dime-sized amount of the Brilliantine through before letting it air dry all the way. It really takes the puffiness out of freshly washed hair and gives it that "slept in" look - I can now wear it down without any heat styling and feel confident enough to walk out the door!
With all the strobing going on, I just haven't been able to stop buying highlighters lately. I'm completely addicted (check out my Highlighter Roundup if you want to see my collection) and constantly adding more to my wishlist - I'm currently lusting after one of the NARS Illuminators and a MAC Cream Color Base if you're wondering. One thing I've been slathering all over my face to really amp up the glow is the MAC Strobe Cream. It feels really nourishing on the skin and just really livens it up - I can't see any shimmer particles, but it gives such a dewy sheen. One of my highlighters I used in my Strobing Face of the Day post and a recent addition is the Clinique Chubby Stick Sculpting Highlight. I've been reaching for this so often since I got it because it's so quick and easy to apply. It leaves a gorgeous ethereal glow on the skin as well. Another highlighter love is the Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder Compact in Highlight 01. I haven't heard much of this one around the blogging world, but oh my is it a beauty. I'm not sure why it has matte in the name, because it's certainly not. It gives the skin a gorgeous champagne sheen that's easy brushed on subtly or built up for a more "wet" looking glow.
Lastly on the makeup front are a couple lip pencils on the two opposite ends of the price spectrum. Normally my go-to lip liners are MAC's Whirl and Soar, depending on if I'm feeling something more brown or something more pink, but the two I've got here are just a little bit lighter and more natural looking on me. The first is Milani's Color Statement Lipliner in All Natural (04). I've heard Claire Marshall talk about this one as a dupe for Charlotte Tilbury's Lip Cheat in Iconic Nude. This one is a peachy-pinky-brown color, similar to if you took most of the pink tones out of Velvet Teddy by MAC. It's a great nude color on me that goes with everything and never makes me look washed out. The formula of these lip pencils is lovely as well - they're even creamier than the MAC Lip Pencils, although you do pay the price with a shorter longevity. The other lip pencil I've been loving this month is the Marc Jacobs (P)Outliner Longwear Lip Pencil in the shade Prim(rose). This one is quite similar to MAC Soar, but again it's lighter. It's a really great match for my natural lip color, so I've been scribbling this one on the most often. This pencil is also incredibly creamy, but it lasts for-freakin'-ever. As in I got two fillings at the dentist yesterday with it on and it still looked perfect at the end of it. I'm in love.
I like including some non-beauty favorites every now and again and this month I've got a music favorite in the form of a Spotify playlist I made (tooting my own horn much?). I've called it Sinatra Etc, and it's all I've been listening to the entire month. I've got all my favorites from Frank Sinatra, Rosemary Clooney, Judy Garland, and Billie Holiday, with some Ella Fitzgerald, Dean Martin, and Connie Francis thrown in there for good measure. Give it a listen if you want - this period of music is definitely my favorite.
What were your favorites last month?