I can’t believe April is just about over - it seems like my birthday was just the other day! I’ve got quite a few favorites this month, most of which were birthday presents either from others or sneaky little gifts to myself.
I’ll start with my absolute favorite base at the moment - the bareMinerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream. I’ve mentioned this briefly in a few posts this month, but I’ve been wearing it pretty much every day. It gives the perfect amount of coverage for me (keeping my fingers crossed for another great skin month in May, too), and it’s the first tinted moisturizer I’ve tried that actually still feels moisturizing. You can really feel it sinking in and nourishing the skin, so much so that once it has sunk in, you really don’t feel anything on the skin. I love this because I usually can’t handle the feeling of something like a heavier foundation on my face for too long. Despite it drying down and setting, it still leaves the most beautiful glow and leaves me looking totally healthy and radiant.
On my cheeks I’ve been loving the Stila Convertible Color in Lilium. I finally got my hands on this on my little birthday spree (thank you, Brett!), and I finally understand the hype. It feels so creamy and fresh on the skin yet still lasts all day on me. I haven’t tried it on my lips yet, but judging how it performs on my cheeks I don’t think it would dry them out or anything. It leaves a dewy glow (without having any shimmer) that’s perfect for spring. The color Lilium is the perfect neutral pink, so it goes with absolutely any look. I really want to get my hands on a few more colors, especially the neutral Peony and vibrant Poppy.
Another creamy cheek product that I treated myself to as a birthday present is the Kevyn Aucoin The Creamy Glow in Duo 4 - the contour & highlight one. It has cream versions of his Sculpting and Celestial powders, and after using it I think I may have to pick up the powder versions once summer is over. The contour color is absolutely perfect and looks very shadow-like even on my pale, cool-toned skin. The highlight is really beautiful as well and gives the most natural glow - I’d say it’s a more golden version of the RMS Beauty Living Luminizer. Despite coming in the tiniest packaging, you only need a small amount, so I can see this lasting ages - after using this every day all month I haven’t even made a dent in either shade.
Something I’ve had on my lips nonstop this month is the MAC lipstick in Brave. It’s the perfect neutral/MLBB color for me, so it really enhances my lips and draws some attention without being too bold or in-your-face. I absolutely love pairing it with the Soar lip pencil.
Another pick from MAC is the Eyeshadow in All That Glitters. I got this from my sister for my birthday along with Patina, but I fell so in love with All That Glitters that I haven’t gotten the chance to use Patina yet. I mentioned this in my Top 3 Single Eyeshadows post despite only having it for a couple weeks when the post was published. It’s quickly become my go-to color for a quick wash all over the lid - it’s the perfect brightening, shimmery peachy-pink that looks great with lashings upon lashings of mascara.
Last on the makeup front is a new favorite brush - the Real Techniques Bold Metals 200 Oval Shadow Brush. This has gotten a bit of hype recently, and it’s all true. It’s quite a large brush, and honestly at first I thought it was too big to be practical, but it just means you can sweep on your eyeshadow in mere seconds. The brush has a fluffy quality as well like the MAC 217 that makes it great for blending. A one-stop brush for shading and blending? I’m sold.
My next favorites are all jewelry bits that I got for my birthday. My boyfriend got me this beautiful circle ring from a shop on Etsy, and it’s become a ring that I pretty much never take off except to shower and sleep. I love that the circle is silver and the band is gold. I got a pair of the rose gold arc earrings I mentioned both in my Birthday Wishlist and April Pinspiration posts from my parents, and I’ve pretty much worn them all month. They’re perfect for my minimalistic style, yet still make a bit of a statement as they’re like nothing I’ve ever seen before. They’re so easy to pop in as I’m rushing out the door and go with everything. Lastly is my new beloved Daniel Wellington watch. I got the Classy Bristol watch with the rose gold hardware (of course). I have a chunkier rose gold watch from Michael Kors, so this makes a perfect more minimal alternative. I’ve been wearing it nonstop because it’s so dainty and complements any outfit (see a theme here?).
What were your favorites this month?