June Favourites

I must warn you; I have a lot of favourites this month and even whittling down to this meant I've had to exclude products I really like from this list! It was my birthday and I think the residual 'yay new things' mood stayed with me throughout the month so I treated myself a bit too (needless to say I will not be doing much of that during July)

Of course a fair few birthday presents have made it into this list, of the ones I feel I've had a chance to use properly. I couldn't not mention the Stila Eyes Are the Window Palette in Soul (£30, review and swatches here) as for the first half of June I barely wore anything else. It's probably my perfect everyday neutral eyeshadow palette with gorgeous packaging, buttery powders and a great balance of warm vs. cool tones and shimmers vs. mattes. A product I've used even more from my Birthday Haul is the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Mood Exposure (£28). Dear lord, I think I've found my beauty soulmate... the one I could probably give up every other blusher in favour of... I love the glitter-free 'glow from within' effect of these blusher/highlighter combining products and this shade is mauve, dusky pink and slightly plummy at the same time. Everything about this blusher is perfect for me! 

I also got a few fragrance bits for my birthday I've been loving. Firstly is the heavenly Jo Malone Candle in Sweet Almond and Macaroon (£42), which is every bit as delicious and sweet as it sounds without being sickly or overwhelming. I was also given a gorgeous Summer fruity-but-floral personal fragrance in the Jo Malone Nectarine Blossom and Honey Cologne (£42 for 30ml). The compact size means it's the one I take for trips away. I have a second favourite fragrance (excessive, I know...) which I've actually had a while but didn't have a chance to use properly before this month as I was using up some others: Diptyque Oyedo Eau de Toilette (£75 for 100ml, post here). It's just beyond gorgeous; a woody-but-fruity citrus and cedar wood combination. I melt every time I catch a waft of it! 

This month there have been two lip products I've fallen for. Firstly the Nars Audacious Lipstick in Anna* (£24, review and swatch here), which is a gorgeous mauve/dusky pink that's more than a nude but less than a bright. It has the creamiest semi-matte texture and maybe at some point I'll pick up another shade. Secondly is the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment in Honey (£18) which I picked up from their store in Marylebone (FYI they also take orders so give them a call for the details). I've wanted to try these for ages and I haven't been disappointed! Honey is a gorgeous warm nude 'my lips but better' and the formula is so moisturising and comfortable.

Next up are my more drugstore picks. A new addition but already on it's way to Holy Grail Status is the Charles Worthington Volume & Bounce Texturising Spray (£6.99). I'm always paranoid that my hair looks flat when worn loose and straight but a few spritzes of this in the roots, a bit of scrunching and it has so much more body. I've had so many more compliments on my hair since using this (to be fair, one or two were once I asked if anything looks different, but the majority were un-prompted!) Again, a newer purchase is the L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic Mascara (£10.99), but with mascaras when you know, you know! I prefer a rubberised wand and favour length and definition so this is doing all the things for me and has become my go-to for the daytime. For ages I didn't pick up anything from the Limited Edition Collection but Topshop's Parma Violet Nail Polish (£6) caught my eye (see it in action here) and I've since fallen hard for it. It's literally the pastel-lilac-blue shade of Parma Violets and the brush is so easy to use and the formula doesn't go gloopy; it's nice and opaque and dries really fast.

I'm on a little bit of a skincare hype at the moment, and whilst it takes me a while to full make up my mind there are a few that already have me converted. You can read my full thoughts here and here. Firstly is the Pixi Glow Tonic (£18), which is a cult product for very good reason! It's essentially a toner/chemical exfoliant gentle enough for daily use. By removing dead skin cells it helps uncover fresh new skin. I've also found a bit of an improvement in old blemish scars. A similar favourite (also packed with these magical AHAs) is the REN Glow & Go Kit (£12), which contains the Glycolactic Radiance Renewal Mask and the 1 Minute Flash Rinse Facial. The mask is a fruity gel formula, which has a similar effect to the Glow Tonic but is more intense and concentrated. The Rinse is an odd, gritty toothpaste-like texture and again it gives immediate, impressive glowing results. Rounding up this category is the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate (£36), an overnight oil treatment I've been using a couple of times a week. I genuinely did a double-take the first time I went to brush my teeth in the morning after using this and saw the results in the mirror! My skin looks and feels considerably softer, plumper, more awake and less dull.

After my birthday I finally caved into the By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Bronze Moon (£29). These are eye-wateringly expensive (though I did have discount code) and with amazing alternatives like KIKO's out there, I resisted for a very long time. Bronze Moon is a beautiful, multifaceted bronze-golden shimmer and the texture is just unreal. I've pretty much worn this everyday since I got it so at least I'm getting my money's worth! 

I'll finish up with my book favourite: Pretty Honest by Sali Hughes (from £4.99, full review here). I got it for my birthday and I'm really sad I only have a couple of chapters left as this has been such a great read! It's rare to find a beauty guide genuinely helpful for those of us already well-versed but this is, as well as being witty and more-ish. It's split into bite-sized chapters on different beauty topics and I'm already seeing the difference taking Sali's advice has made.

What do you think of my June Favourites? If you've tried any of these I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments!

 

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