I can’t believe it’s almost June - where is the year going? I had a pretty hard time putting together this post because I bounced around from product to product so much this month that it was hard to pinpoint what my real favorites were. Favorites posts are some of my favorites (haha) to read, so I soldiered on.
As I said in my Current Skincare Loves recently, I’ve really been having a skincare moment. As much as I always cared about my skincare, I think it really peaked this month. I tried so many new things and found out what really works for my skin. My two standouts of the month were both featured in the Current Skincare Loves post - the Mizon Apple Smoothie Peeling Gel and the Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask. You can read the Loves post to see a more in-depth review, and also the New Exfoliators post I did for more information on the Mizon Peel, but I’ll just say that these really helped my skin this month. I was having a bit of a rough time with it at the beginning of the month, and I think it was these two heroes that really sorted it out. They’ve both got permanent spots in my skincare routine now.
As for makeup, there’s a bit of old and a bit of new. I revisited my one-time favorite undereye concealer, the Estee Lauder Double Wear Brush-On Glow BB Highlighter in the shade 0N, earlier this month when my hours at work got changed. I have to get up at 5:30 now! I love getting home earlier, but I had to pull out the big guns to fix my dark circles. This concealer is so incredibly brightening - I’m sure my picking the lightest shade available helps, but there’s something about this that really brings light to the face. It takes me from an extra in The Walking Dead to Cheery Human Being in a minute flat. It feels super lightweight and never gets cakey or creases under the eyes, but it’s still pigmented enough to cover my stubborn bags.
Another old favorite (I mentioned it back in my November Favorites last year) is the By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Misty Rock. I’ve noticed lately that everyone seems to be talking about these again, so it made me want to pull mine out from the cobwebs. I don’t know why I ever stopped using it though, because it’s truly one of the most beautiful products I own. This has come in handy for those early mornings because it’s so quick and easy to throw on the lids and blend out with my fingers or a brush, and it makes it look like I put a lot more effort in than I really did. Score.
I’ve also found a few new makeup bag staples this month. Speaking of cream eyeshadows, I mentioned in my Makeup Lately post that I had been wearing the Origins Ginzing Brightening Cream Eyeshadow quite a lot lately. It’s the perfect product to throw on for early mornings because it’s quite lightweight and sheer, but the subtle champagne gold shade really brightens the eyes. I miraculously don’t need to use a primer with this one, so it’s been super easy to slap on when I’ve stayed in bed too long and need to get out the door as quickly as possible.
When I saw that Stila was coming out with liquid blushes, I was all over that. Sometimes I get a little mad at myself for my VIB Rouge status at Sephora, but this was not one of those times - Rouges got early access to the Stila Aqua Glow Watercolor Blush, and I snapped up the shade Rosewater as soon as I could. I’m not a huge fan of the packaging - as you can see from the photos, it’s a little messy - but the product inside is lovely. It feels really cooling on the cheeks, so I can tell it’s going to be a hot weather staple for sure. You only need the tiniest amount and it blends out on the cheeks like a dream. The shade Rosewater is a lovely neutral pink color, similar to Stila’s Lilium, so it goes with everything. I really want to try out one of the brighter shades, though - I think it would create a beautiful flushed look.
My last favorite of the month is the Clinique Pop Lip Colour + Primer in the shade Plum Pop. When the bigger bloggers started posting the pictures of the entire set they were sent, I was seriously swooning. I love how they’ve designed the packaging - you get the sleek look of the silver and the square shape, but also the practicality of having the color of the lipstick on the outside, too. I absolutely love the formula of this lipstick. It’s so creamy and pigmented but sets to a nice satin finish on me. It never feels dry and yet lasts so much longer than your average creamy lipsticks. The color is beautiful too - although it’s called Plum Pop, it’s more pink with just a hint of that plum. It makes for a really flattering, wearable lip for every day. I can’t wait to try out more shades from this line.
What were your favorites this month?