Most Loved : July

August already, which is something I am finding hard to fathom. It feels like only yesterday, as cliché as it sounds, that I was beginning my post graduate course and pining over the thought of moving out of home one day, sigh. Now I can officially say “we’re moving in this month” and “I will be a qualified teacher soon.” I’ll stop the end of month musing there, and get on with the task at hand: sharing my most loved products of July!

 

Eyes were kept fairly neutral, with my Urban Decay Naked 2 getting some long awaited love. I hold a huge amount of love in my heart for the original Naked palette from the brand, but the second instalment sat unloved in my drawers for quite a while. I’ve been using Bootycall as a brow + inner corner highlight, Pistol as a nice crease shade and Busted when I want something a bit darker. The newest addition to my palette collection took a few weeks to steal my heart, but I can now say I am in love with the MAC Bare My Soul palette from the Temperature Rising collection.  I've also been popping a bit of my Beauty Attitude Jumbo Eyeshadow Pencil in Busted Brown in place of a traditional eyeliner, to add a nice frame to my shadows. If I’ve felt like a little pop of colour on my lids, I’ve barely stepped out of the neutral realm in using my Chanel Illusion D’Ombre in Epatant.

 

I do apologise for the reoccurrence of the cheek colours in each monthly round up post, but my love for these two shades really does know no bounds. The Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed is the easiest shade to throw on, and I find it adds a warmth to my face that nothing else can. A pop of bright colour on the cheeks is almost always Chanel Pink Explosion, which looking back was a wonderful choice on Chris’ behalf for Christmas 2013. I have expressed my love for the idea of a new Chanel cheek shade each festive season, and this year I’m once again happy for him to hold the reins and select a shade for me to fall in love with.

Pink is yet again the theme of my lip choices this month, with my motto being the brighter the better! MAC Girl About Town is an amazing, long lasting and flattering lipstick from a brand that is often hit and miss in regards to lip products in my opinion. I’ve been wearing it a little too often this month, but it makes me smile wide and that is all that matters, right? For something a little more inconspicuous I’ve been turning to L’Oreal Colour Riche in Velvet Rose*, which has gone well with Busted + Busted Brown that I mentioned earlier. The other lip product that has captivated me is one I am not fully in love with, purely because of the lack of lasting power (even compared to other lip glosses) The Laura Mercier Lip Glace is Sweetheart is such a lovely shade that indeed leaves the lips glossy like a glass reflection, and the scent and flavour is so divine. It doesn’t stay around for long, though it must be said that having such a sweet scent makes reapplying quite an enjoyable task.  

How dark do you shadows go on a day to day basis?
Do you have a beauty tradition like our (will be) annual Chanel blush?         

*Marked items provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

May Favourites

The cold mornings are yet to deter me from playing around with my makeup, and I found quite a few things to love during May!

I really enjoyed the skincare products I used during May, my skin was pretty well behaved and sometimes I begrudge the 6 week cycle I work with in terms of skincare and the like. Being able to trial new products is a wonderful part of being a blogger, but it can also be frustrating when I find products that really work for me.

 

Cetaphil Derma Control SPF30+ Moisturising Lotion*- I have been using this as my day lotion, and I love that it knocks the sunscreen step out of my routine as well, saving me time every morning. This is a really nice lotion, and I love the sturdy lightweight packaging, and the fact that the formula is non comedogenic and therefore great for acne prone skin like my own.

Aveeno Positively Radiant Night Cream*- I normally find it really hard to fall in love with a night cream, as often they are too heavy or rich for my skin. This strikes the perfect balance between hydrating overnight and being lightweight, so I think this would work for both dry and oily skin types.

La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo- Am about to run out of this and am on the hunt for my next tube. I saw online that my local pharmacy should stock it, so I have my fingers crossed that they have it on the shelf as I find it helps with the overall appearance of my skin without drying out my face as some anti-acne products do.

Like most months, blush is something that I just couldn’t leave out of my May Favourites. I have been alternating between bright pinks and apricot tones for my cheeks, tying in my lip colours to that in an effort to channel this post from Estee.

MAC Cream Soda blush- Still loving this apricot tone blush from the Archie’s Girls collection, it has been in my favourites a few times and I’ve been wearing it a few times each week since Chris bought it for me (pretty good considering it was a consolation choice, as I hadn’t yet gotten my hands on Prom Princess from the same collection!)

Chanel Pink Explosion- One of my very favourite blushes, this hot pink shot through with shimmer lasts all day on the cheek and is a beautiful bright pop of colour to brighten up a dreary Melbourne day. I would definitely recommend the Chanel Joues Contraste blush formulas, I love the two pans that I have and I hope to collect more for my collection.

Too Faced Boudoir palette- I have an in depth post on this coming up, suffice to say I absolutely adore it and have used it a whole lot since it left Mecca Maxima in my clutches.

MAC palette- I made this little quad by popping Woodwinked, Patina, Performance Art and Nylon in an empty 4 pan to create a nice neutral palette for myself. I use Nylon in my inner corner and have been loving mixing Woodwinked + Patina together lately.

Carmex Peach*- My love for these knows no bounds, I love this shade and the pink tint as well. They feel nice and minty (from the camphor) and glide on easily, and the colour is enough to brighten up my face without looking too overdone. This peach tone works really well for me when paired with the Cream Soda blush.

The extra things that have been making me smile this month!

Kit Cosmetics Cuticle Oil*- For once in my life, I am making an effort with my nails and hands! I have been loyal to using hand cream and cuticle oil more often and am starting to see a difference, which I am elated about. This cuticle oil comes in a polish style bottle and I find it really easy to apply and rub in, which again encourages me to load up my fingertips more often.

Elizabeth Arden Mediterranean perfume- I love mini versions of perfume bottles, and this was a bargain I picked up from Priceline quite a while ago. I love the fruity floral scent which contains mandarin, peach, plum with some magnolia and orchid. The main reason for its place within my May is that every time I wore it around Chris, he commented on how amazing I smelt. A definite winner!

Have you switched up your skincare routine for winter?

What blush shades have you been wearing lately?

*Marked products were provided for consideration. Honesty, always.

 

What's On My Face // Placement Edition

 

I began the daunting task of my first rounds of student teaching over a month ago now, and though at first I shook like a leaf and was constantly lost, I am absolutely loving the chance to sink my teeth into what will hopefully be my future career. Since I'm used to wearing bright eye looks to work and university, the change to a teaching position means I've had to evaluate my look. I decided that though my school is quite casual in style I would still tone down my makeup, at least until I get to know the students and they are comfortable around me. I'd rather be known as 'that teacher who helped me with the tricky question' than 'that teacher with the cool eyeshadow!', you know?

 

My face staples have naturally been lazy morning staples such as Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Exposed and Australis Curve Ink liner*, but I’ve been throwing a bit of essence Hot Chocolate liner in as well. Chanel Troublant and Stila Glaze are top lip picks, and Chanel makes another appearance with the Pink Explosion JC which lasts all day long on my cheeks.

My default eye look has been a simple one that I trust will last the long work day, and I'm really happy with how it has been working and lasting for me so far. As always, I set a base of MAC Painterly paint pot to give the shadows something to adhere to and to stop them from creasing up as the day goes on. I then go in with my Maybelline Bad to the Bronze Color Tattoo, which creates a nice bronzed chocolate base for my eye. I use my fingers for both of these cream products, and then I head in with a sweet of Maybelline Silken Taupe to ice up the look a wee bit, and just add some interest. It’s quite a strange mix that I stumbled across, but I like the way it makes my eyes pop and is easy to apply.

 

What makeup look do you turn to for work days? Do you tend to wear neutrals to err on the safe side?

*Provided for consideration. Honesty, always.