The September Beauty Report

Another month has gone by and it's time again for my beauty round-up of the products I loved, the ones I didn't love and what I've been testing out! Apologies that the images are slightly 'bitty' - I've actually moved house so had to take them at various times, I hope you don't mind too much.


Favourites

Estee Lauder Double Wear Nude Cushion Stick Radiant Makeup | £28 | review | This is pretty much my perfect everyday base at the moment. I find the packaging makes it so quick and easy to apply and it's such an easy formula to build on. You can sheer it out so it's hardly more than a tinted moisturiser or build it to be medium-full coverage. It gives a very natural finish that looks radiant without being at all greasy and is pretty long-wearing too.

Makeup For Ever Pro Light Fusion Highlighter in 02 Gold* | £28 | review | It takes a lot for a highlighter to truly 'wow' me these days but this one managed it! I do have a few of these true gold-toned highlighter shades however I think this is my favourite formula-wise. Despite having a glitter-free finish I find this gives that really intense highlight that I love. The formula is so smooth and easy to blend out too.

MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural in Give Me Sun! | £24 | As a long-time fan of the MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural face powder, I don't know how it took me so long to try this bronzer shade! I will be doing a review of this soon but I find the formula just as easy to blend and difficult to go overboard with as the face powder. It looks so natural on the skin and just adds a really nice warmth.

Blank Canvas Master Series Palette 1* | £29.36 | review and swatches | I feel like I've been in search of my perfect matte eyeshadow palette for a long time and I think I've found it this month! Every single shade in this palette is right up my street and there's even a single champagne-gold colour which is amazing because even when I go for an all-matte eye look, I need that inner-corner highlighted! The formula is so smooth, so pigmented and blends out beautifully; there's genuinely not a single dud in this palette. If you love warm neutrals and just want some easy mattes to work with then definitely check this out!

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita II | £16 | review | At long last Kat Von D is available in the UK through Debenhams and it isn't ridiculously expensive! I actually picked this up back when I went to New York but I've only recently become a bit obsessed with it. I do like this formula, though it's not my all-time favourite it's still good and comes in SO many shades! It's very fluid but still fully opaque on the lips; a lot of people say it's drying but I personally don't find it to be too much. It definitely needs re-applying once during the day but I'd still say the wear-time is good. The shade itself is a gorgeous very warm terracotta-brown nude that's such a perfect transitional colour.

ColourPop Matte Lippie Stix in RAYEzor | $5 | Sorry to be a pain but this has actually been discontinued! I threw it into my bag because I was ordering something else and had received an email saying it was our last chance to get this product. I love the non-drying, creamy matte formula of this range by ColourPop, though be warned it isn't a true matte finish. This is a really nice brown-peach nude.

MAC x Taraji P. Henson Matte Lipstick in Strip Me Down | £15.50 | It honestly feels like ages since I last got a new MAC Lipstick but this collection piqued my interest and I decided to get my hands on the nude lipstick. This is such a gorgeous shade for medium to dark skin tones as it's a warm beige nude shade. I absolutely love the colour as an everyday option (think a mixture between Velvet Teddy and Taupe) and it's definitely one of the creamier matte formulas I've tried from MAC despite it's amazing wear-time.

Lancôme Juicy Shaker Lip Gloss in Vanilla Pop | £18 | I really appreciate a hydrating, fuss-free lip colour and this ticks all the boxes for me. It's a lovely rosy berry shade and although it has a gloss to it, it isn't at all thick or sticky. It isn't long-wearing but leaves my lips feeling so soft and the colour fades very evenly.

Caudalie Make-up Removing Cleansing Oil* | £18 | I've really been enjoying removing my makeup with this lightweight oil recently. It's not heavy, it doesn't leave any excess and doesn't break me out at all. It's very gentle on my eyes despite being really effective at removing even waterproof black eye makeup. I just use 2-3 pumps, massage it into my skin and remove it with a damp muslin cloth, which gets just about everything off!

Avene Hydrance Optimale Hydrating Serum* | £17 | I've been using this stuff every single day since it arrived and it's so hydrating! It has a water-based formula that absorbs so well into my skin, leaving it soft and hydrated. It's so lightweight too which makes it perfect for my combination but dehydrated skin.

Hair is Fabric Hydration Support* | £25 | I rarely switch up my haircare routine but this has become indispensable for me! It's a 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner that leaves my hair feeling clean and fresh but not at all stripped. It's a lightweight texture but still nourishes my hair without leaving it greasy or leading to product build-up. For those busy mornings I can't recommend this enough!

Disappointments

I've actually not tried any products that let me down this month - hurray!

Products on Trial

Paul & Joe 20th Anniversary Makeup Collection* | £64 (currently reduced to £32) | In this set you get a beautiful patterned shopper bag (which folds up into a cute cat face) and a little floral pouch along with three makeup products. The Face Colour is actually a really nice blusher formula, especially because it has that 'nicely crumbly' texture that allows it to apply smoothly and evenly with minimal effort. Sadly it's just too light to be too much of anything on my skin tone. It's a very light peachy-pink with a bit of a sheen to it. However the packaging is really pretty and I think fair people would probably appreciate this. The Pressed Compact Duo is another product that just isn't for my skin tone; it's split half and half between a semi-translucent setting powder and a very light pinky-white highlighting shade. It comes in gorgeous packaging and the texture of the powders is very nice and smooth however it's one for fair skin; you can get a natural highlight by mixing the two or take them separately to set your makeup and illuminate. How pretty is the packaging and colour of the Lipstick? It's actually a sheer but quite vibrant pink; it feels moisturising on the lips and adds a nice wash of colour. I can see it suiting a lot of people and it's the sort of thing you can just throw in your handbag and know it will work with pretty much any everyday makeup look. 

Paul & Joe Sun Protection Body Mist* | £12 (currently reduced to £6) | This has to be the cutest packaging for any sunscreen I've ever tried and it's so compact to throw into your bag. It has a slightly milky colour but an almost water-light texture on the skin that doesn't feel sticky or leave any excess on my skin. I really enjoyed using this during the heatwave! It gives SPF20 which isn't loads but feels about right for the late UK summer.

Makeup Designory Lipstick in Mai Tai* | £15.50 | I really wish I'd got my hands on this shade earlier in Summer because it's such a nice shade! It's a moisturising formula that's opaque but has a bit of a sheen and itsn't really creamy in texture. It's a pretty pinky-red shade that's everyday-appropriate. It isn't really long-wearing but I didn't really expect it to be.

Makeup Designory Eyeshadow in Berrywood* | £14.95 | This was a pleasant surprise; it's a lovely brown matte with reddish/berry undertones. I was impressed with the colour payoff of this and the smooth, easy-to-blend texture that isn't remotely chalky. It wears well on my eyelids and is a really nice shade as we head into Autumn.

Salon Science ReProtectant Thermal Creme* | £12 | I am always on the lookout for affordable but effective hair care products so have been trialling the Swiss Grape range from Salon Science for the past 6 weeks. This is a heat protection spray that I personally just like to use on my hair when it's damp (I opt for a dry spray in between washes). It has a very lightweight texture and doesn't leave my hair feeling sticky or heavy with product. It's not greasy but does help my ends retain some moisture and any heat stylers to glide over my hair a little more smoothly. Whilst I still prefer a dry spray, this isn't a bad option at all.

Salon Science Retextuluxe Conditioner* | £12 | A product I'm a little more enthusiastic in recommending is the conditioner from the same range. My one complaint is that the packaging makes it so you have to really squeeze to get the product out, however the conditioner itself is great. It immediately makes my hair feel softer and smoother after rinsing and once I've dried my hair, it looks much healthier. It doesn't leave any greasiness behind or build up on my hair but still really moisturises it. Overall if you're after a new conditioner that's moisturising but lightweight in texture then definitely check this out.

Salon Science ReCorrect Leave-In Treatment* | £14 | I recommend only using a small amount of this leave-in treatment after washing, conditioning and towel-drying your hair - the first time I used it I think I definitely applied too much product and it felt quite heavy! However I tried again with this cream-based product a few more times and did find it hydrating and nourishing but overall it was nothing out of the ordinary. If you really like to use the same brand for every step of your hair routine then check it out but overall I just have products that feel nicer on my hair and give more noticeable results.

Salon Science ReGlosse Smoothing Serum* | £12 | This was actually a really good find and I've been using this both on towel-dried hair before blow-drying and when styling my hair when my ends just needed smoothing or looked in need of some moisture. It has a nice non-sticky and grease-free texture that still does the job of leaving my hair looking and feeling healthier and sleeker.

Salon Science Retextuluxe Shampoo* | £11 | I've saved the best for last! Although this has the same annoying packaging as the conditioner, I can definitely forgive it because I love this shampoo. It actually comes close to the Philip B White Truffle Shampoo for me, which is £60 so I'm very glad I got to try out this option at less than 1/5 of the price! It just leaves my hair looking so incredibly shiny and healthy but thoroughly clean at the same time. I sometimes struggle to get excited about shampoos and often shrug and thing 'well it does the job', however this is a product I can definitely recommend if you suffer from dry or dull hair.

What do you think of the products I tried this month? What new products have you been using during September? 

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*DISCLOSURE - PRODUCTS MARKED WITH AN ASTERISK ARE PR SAMPLES/GIFTS OR PURCHASED WITH GIFTED VOUCHERS. ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN. 

PLEASE VISIT MY DISCLOSURE PAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION.