August Favourites

FAVOURITES (& FAILS) 

MAKEUP

• Colourpop Ultra Glossy Lip 'P.S.' - P.S. might just be the gloss of my dreams. It's a gorgeous coral with gold shimmer that makes my lips look so plump! I'm in love. I'm not a massive fan of lip gloss but this colour has just won me over. It smells like vanilla pastries and isn't sticky at all, so I'm really glad I decided to give the Colourpop glosses a try, they've exceeded my expectations. 
• Colourpop X Kathleen Lights Lux Lipstick 'Scorpio Moon' - Scorpio Moon is the exact purple I'm always looking for, similar to my Kester Black nail polish in Peony, that grapey mauve. I just find the colour very flattering on my skin tone and the lux lipstick formula is beautiful. 
• JD Glow Cosmetics Lip Gloss 'Peach Kiss' - This gloss is so beautiful!!! Stunning peachy nude (bonus: it's properly orange toned!) that's not sticky at all!!! I've been so impressed by everything I've tried from JD Glow already and I can't wait to try more. 
• Jeffree Star Cosmetics Blood Sugar Palette - When this palette was released I talked myself into not wanting it, but after months of thinking about it I finally decided it was something I wanted in my collection and I am so glad that I did choose to buy it. The mattes are so smooth and soft and blend even more effortlessly than those in the Androgyny palette. I love the colour scheme and think it's very diverse, and know I'll be able to create countless looks using the palette. I couldn't be happier with it really. 
• Juvia's Place The Zulu Palette - This palette is incredible. I have quite a few colourful palettes but this is easily my favourite, I love the metallics (especially the pink to gold duchrome!!!) and the mattes are really easy to work with and have beautiful colour payoff. The only disappoint for me is the hot pink, which I thought was going to be red based on photos online, but it is still beautiful nonetheless. 
• MAC Pro Longwear Nourishing Waterproof Foundation 'NW13' - Surprisingly, this foundation is a little light on me, however, I love it. It's really long wearing, looks beautiful on the skin, doesn't get cakey, and doesn't cling to dry patches!!! This is definitely my current holy grail foundation, but I do still love my Rimmel Lasting Finish 25 Hour. This is definitely something I'll repurchase in the future because of how little product I need to cover my entire face, I really think it's good value despite being a little smaller than a standard foundation. 
• Colourpop No Filter Foundation Natural Matte Foundation 'Fair 05' and 'Fair 10' - I was pleasantly surprised by this foundation, I heard some mixed reviews of this but it worked really well for me. I ordered two colours because I wasn't sure what would match me best and they both do! Fair 10 is my perfect colour, and I love how lightweight the foundation is. The finish looks like skin and it doesn't cling to any dry patches or break apart when I get oily. I think this is perfect for combination skin, or at least perfect for my skin. 

CANDLES

• WoodWick Vanilla Bean 275g - I love the WoodWick candles, strong scent but not so strong that it's nauseating, and of course, the wick crackles as it burns so it feels like you're sitting by a fireplace. I really like this scent in particular and will be sad to see this candle finished up, it's a beautiful comforting scent for winter. I find that the Colourpop glosses almost have this exact same scent, which is odd, but I'm not mad about it. 
• Glasshouse Candles Venice (Peach Bellini) 60g - The Glasshouse candles are amazing, their scent throw is really impressive, if this is lit you can smell it throughout the house. Venice is a beautiful warm peach scent perfect for winter or summer. The little 60g size can burn for hours so I think it's great value, but I would love to get myself a 350g. I want to support Glasshouse in particular because they're an Australian brand, and their products are just great. 

FAILS

Unfortunately this month I discovered a couple products I just really didn't enjoy, so I might as well vent about them here. 

MAKEUP

• Colourpop No Filter Concealer 'Fair Neutral 10' - This is one of the concealers from the first release so the names of the shades have changed, but I know this was one of the lightest shades. Unfortunately, this oxidises very quickly. The colour isn't impossible to work with, but it does go quite yellow and much darker than it appears in the tube. I have two unopened backups of this concealer in different colours that I'm really hoping will be fine because this is a product I want to love!
• Essence Matt Touch Blush '10 Peach Me Up!' - I used to love this blush, but after using cream blush for months and getting used to a sheerer wash of colour, I find that this is too pigmented for me and it's just difficult to work with. It might just be the brush that I use, but I find this really difficult to blend and because it's so pigmented it can look patchy. I also think the colour just doesn't suit me, it's too baby pink, and I prefer corals and oranges more. I don't think I'll be buying any more of these, but maybe the satin blushes. 
• Morphe Single Shadow 'Aloha' -  I don't know what the issue with this colour is, but it just doesn't pick up on a brush at all. I thought maybe it had hard pan so I scraped a layer off but still, it won't pick up, even swatching with my fingers. Really disappointing because it's a beautiful teal colour that I was so excited to have, but it just sucks. 

NAIL POLISH

• Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear  'Bamboo Shoot' - I bought this because I liked the colour, and I had Big Teal from the same range that I really enjoy. However, this polish is just a disaster. It is streaky, gloopy, and does not dry!!!! I generally wait 5-10 minutes for my nails to dry before doing anything, but when I'm wearing this hours could have passed and I'll touch something and they'll smudge or pill up and peel, or a textured imprint will be left behind. It is marketed as "extreme wear" but chips very easily which is disappointing. I hate the work that I have to put into the polish, but I do like the colour, and at this point I just want to use it up. 

Iz 🦀 

Sample Empties #2

SAMPLE EMPTIES

MAY - AUGUST

• Mecca Cosmetica Mecca-Morphosis Hydrating Moisturiser (foil packet) -  I got this in a Beauty Loop box and I have to say, I'm not a fan. This stung my under eyes and areas were my skin is sensitive really bad. It was really thick like a heavy cream but it did sink into the skin quickly, I just don't think this is something I want to try in the future because of the stinging/burning sensation I experienced.
• Mecca Cosmetica Mecca-Morphosis Transforming Cleanser (foil packet) - I liked this cleanser and might try it again in the future, I don't think it really 'transformed' but it did leave my skin very clean and bright - didn't irritate my skin in any areas which is a bonus! 
• Smashbox Photo Finish Primerizer (foil packet) - I really liked this primer, I used it on top of my regular moisturiser, and loved how hydrated it made my skin feel. I just think I had a really good skin day thanks to this primer, it blurred my pores a bit and yeah I just really enjoyed it. Will definitely be picking up a couple of the travel sizes of this as they have half the amount of product of the full size but are a third of the price. 
• Fresh Rose Face Mask (foil packet) - I know I've tried this before and said I didn't really like it but I had another foil packet of it laying around that needed to be used. I think this did moisturise my skin somewhat but I did use this after going through my regular skin care routine, so it may not have been the mask that did anything. I absolutely hate the scent of this so I won't be buying this or trying another sample. 
• Clinique Chubby Stick Cheek Colour Balm '02 Robust Rhubarb' 2g - I really enjoyed this blush but the colour wasn't my favourite. Super easy to work with, beautiful finish, and got me hooked on cream blushes. Would consider purchasing the full size (in another colour) considering how long it took me to use up just the sample size. 
• Clinique High Impact Mascara 3.5mL - This mascara is okay but it's not my favourite. I like it for everyday wear/natural looks but it doesn't build very well and always gets on my eyelids because the wand is too fat. I still have one other sample of this that I'll use but I don't think I'd ever buy the full size. 
• NuFace Prep-N-Glow Cleanse + Exfoliate + Hydrate (foil packet - one wipe) - I got this in my latest Beauty Loop box and while I didn't like this previously I think I've changed my mind on it, I still think the exfoliating side was a bit rough but the cloth smelled like watermelon candy which I liked. I just used this to clean my skin and not remove any makeup so I couldn't really see a visible difference but it did leave my skin feeling very clean. I don't think this is something I would purchase, unless I was travelling. 
• Mario Badescu Botanical Exfoliating Scrub 14mL - I got this little tube in a beauty loop box and I really enjoyed the product, however, because the exfoliating bits are so small I found it difficult to get it all off my face, and they could be a bit harsh at times. This sample took me months to use because I only needed the smallest amount and felt like I only needed to exfoliate once a week or once a fortnight (so I didn't aggravate my skin). I think I will purchase the full size of this, unless I come across something a bit gentler that does as good of a job. 
• Origins GinZing Energy-Boosting Gel Moisturizer 15mL - Another little beauty loop sample that I really enjoyed! I loved the scent of this (sweet orange!!), and loved how quickly it sank into my skin, however I think this would be better for someone with oily or combination skin because I felt that after it had absorbed into my skin I still felt dry. I would consider purchasing this, but maybe only in summer when my skin is less dry. 
• Tatcha The Rice Polish Deep Foaming Enzyme Powder 1g (foil packet) - Okay so I really liked this exfoliator - it didn't irritate my skin at all and wasn't scratchy like the Mario Badescu exfoliator, it just felt like a soft clay mask, but my skin felt very smooth and clean after using this. However, the full size is $95 and I just can't justify that at this point in my life. I will happily use samples of these when I come across them but I'm not going to buy it anytime soon, maybe in the future though. 

Iz 🦀

Empties #6

EMPTIES 

JUNE 21 - AUGUST 9 

• Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes 25 Pack - I really like these wipes because they're gentle and have already got backups that I'll use since finishing this pack. I also have some others I want to try just in case these stop working for me. 
• Nivea Original Care Lip Balm 4.8g - This was alright, it was hydrating and didn't make my lips flake so that was a bonus. Depotted this into a Carmex container once it was nearly finished and it didn't dry out at all. Might repurchase in the future but I think I'll just go for carmex instead, do have some backups of other Nivea balms that I will use first. 
• Essence Lash & Brow Gel Mascara - This brow gel works for me but I have some others that I think I'd like to try before I repurchase it. Have gone through several tubes of this already. Didn't have an issue removing the stopper this time like I did previously.
• Mitchum 48HR Protection Shower Fresh 50mL Deodorant - I have backups of this to move onto but I'm thinking about switching to an aerosol deodorant for a little while as this one leaves marks on my clothes. Unless I find something new that works for me I will continue to use this though. 
• Nivea Repair & Protection SPF 15 Lip Balm 4.8g - An accidental empty, used about half of this and then it broke/fell out of the tube and onto the ground :(. I don't mind the Nivea lip balms but they aren't my favourite, I still have one in my collection to use but after it's finished I think I will move on to a new tub of Carmex or maybe the Fresh sugar lip treatment. 
• Aveda Be Curly Curl Enhancer 25mL - I liked this curl cream, but not the scent of it and I don't think it was any better than my Keune curl cream. The travel size went pretty fast and the full size is pretty pricey so I don't think I'd repurchase this. 
• Nivea Hydro Care SPF 15 Lip Balm 4.8g - This was the last of my Nivea lip balms and I think I'm going to move on to something new from now on. I like the packaging and size of these because they're convenient to carry around but my lips don't stay hydrated when I use these. Think I will move on to using Carmex from now on. 
• Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes 25 Pack - I like these wipes and will continue to repurchase them, they're gentle and get the job done. 
• Mitchum 48HR Protection Powder Fresh 50mL Deodorant - I'm kind of getting sick of using this because it leaves marks on my clothes but I'm very sensitive to aluminium so I can't switch to an aerosol. So, I'm conflicted but I'll keep using this. 
• E.l.f. Makeup Mist & Set 60mL - I don't really know if this was good or not because the spray on this was so bad that it was really difficult to use, it sprayed way too much out at once and it didn't evenly cover my face because of the way it would spray. I can't tell if the product helped with my makeup's longevity at all so I don't think I'd repurchase.  

Value of products used up: $59.70 

Iz 🦀