It's time once again for us to sit down and chat all things makeup! We'll be covering off new products I've picked up, what I think of the latest launches, which products I'm on a mission to use up, my go-to look right now and more.
The look I'm into
It's no secret that I'm all about a lighter base these days and I'm currently loving the Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation (Shade 8) | £32 | review. It gives a medium coverage and looks fresh and radiant on the skin without being overly shiny. I can't believe it took me so long to try this! I've been using a few other Charlotte Tilbury products lately too, in terms of bases. Definitely check out the post I linked if you want to read more about them, but another highlight from the post was the Magic Away Liquid Concealer* (Shade 7) | £24. It's one of those 'fresh but flawless' concealers that reminds me of the Maybelline Eraser Eye but with more coverage and a better shade range!
On the cheeks, I've been reaching for the Maybelline Face Studio Chrome Extreme Highlighter in Sparkling Citirine | £8.99 | review | and my old favourite: the Milani Baked Blush in Bellissimo Bronze* | £10 | review. The Maybelline highlighter has to be the most intense, blinding formula I've found at the drugstore! The colour itself is a really yellow (almost olive) gold and I'm obsessed. Belissimo Bronze is a go-to shade for me when I'm wearing a warm look with browns and golds - it just adds that hint of warmth to the cheeks. It has a nice sheen to it and it's impossible to over-apply!
For lips, I've definitely been having a moment of appreciation for my MAC collection! (I reviewed and swatched the lot here.) I've been loving their Matte Lipstick in Strip Me Down (discontinued) and Satin Lipstick in Mocha | £17.50 each. Strip Me Down was limited edition but Taupe is pretty similar (just a touch darker and more browny-red) if you want to get this sort of look - I swatched them both in the collection post. However I just like the more beige warm brown nude tone of this shade. I do find the bolder and darker colours from MAC can be a little drying but the nude shades (in my experience) feel very creamy on the lips. If you don't want to go all-out matte then the Satin formula is creamier and more sheeny. Mocha is a bit of an unusual shade - a sort of pinky-brown nude - and one of my favourites.
A few other mentions
I recently did a post with the product line of the Blink Brow Bar and one of the things I will 100% be buying a replacement of when I run out is the BBB London Conceal & Lift Matte* (Medium) | £19 | review. It's amazing for getting sharp-looking brows - I was previously doing this with a little pot of concealer and an angled brush but this has both a creamy highlighter and a flat brush in one pen.
I'm also super into my Hourglass Caution Extreme Lash Mascara* | £25 | review | right now! It just gives my lashes amazing volume without the clump and makes them look so dark and dramatic. I'm a little bit obsessed... I normally don't go for high-end mascaras but this one got me!
New additions
It's so weird that I have multiple MAC lipsticks in this post because I usually neglect them within my makeup collection. When I was strolling around duty free on the way out to Italy a week or so ago, I picked up their Matte Lipstick in Marrakesh | £17.50. This isn't a shade I'd ever come across before, which surprised me! It's a gorgeous rich reddish-orange brown.
I also treated myself to the Urban Decay Petite Heat Eyeshadow Palette | £26 | which was gorgeous paired with Marrakesh when I was away. I used this palette every single evening on holiday and I'm so glad I picked it up! I did like the look of the Naked Heat when launched but I just felt like the shimmers weren't that special and all my looks with them would be more or less the same. A lot of people were kind of annoyed that instead of being a companion to it's big sister palette, this does just take the mattes from the Naked Heat and put them into this little compact, but that actually worked for me! I think this is going to be my next 'If You Buy One Thing This Month...' so I won't go on for too long here, but if you love warm shadows: definitely check this out because the colours are gorgeous and they blend like a dream.
Ok, so it probably doesn't surprise you that as a blogger, I get a lot of products in the post from brands and PR companies - quite a lot of the time it's out of the blue and I put the products in a basket to deal with at a later date! Before I went on holiday, I decided I really needed to pick out some products to test when I got back and amongst the stash were two things from a brand I'd never heard of before. They don't have the best website ever but I was curious to give these products a go. The brand isn't cheap but what I've tried has seriously blown me away!
The first is the Foundation* (Beige Deep) | £37. I'm just going to put a controversial opinion out there and say that I think I prefer this to the Bare Minerals one. It has such a lovely level of coverage, applies beautifully (it doesn't cling to dry patches) and looks radiant despite being a powder. It's easy to build up, doesn't get shiny throughout the day and really lasts on me. Thank you so much to the PR company who sent this for actually taking the time to find a shade that works for me!
I also have the Blush in Coral* | £25 and the Pink Kabuki* | £19. Before receiving this product, I'd never tried a loose blusher like this, so I was kind of apprehensive! I used the kabuki to apply this as it's quite small and the bristles fit nicely into the filter, however I don't think this is necessary - just crack on with whatever drugstore powder brush you normally use. I definitely over-applied this the first time but it goes on so evenly and wears beautifully throughout the day. I love this warm, deep coral matte colour too. Overall I'm really happy to have discovered this brand!
Stuff I'm using up or panning
The look I'm into
It's no secret that I'm all about a lighter base these days and I'm currently loving the Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation (Shade 8) | £32 | review. It gives a medium coverage and looks fresh and radiant on the skin without being overly shiny. I can't believe it took me so long to try this! I've been using a few other Charlotte Tilbury products lately too, in terms of bases. Definitely check out the post I linked if you want to read more about them, but another highlight from the post was the Magic Away Liquid Concealer* (Shade 7) | £24. It's one of those 'fresh but flawless' concealers that reminds me of the Maybelline Eraser Eye but with more coverage and a better shade range!
On the cheeks, I've been reaching for the Maybelline Face Studio Chrome Extreme Highlighter in Sparkling Citirine | £8.99 | review | and my old favourite: the Milani Baked Blush in Bellissimo Bronze* | £10 | review. The Maybelline highlighter has to be the most intense, blinding formula I've found at the drugstore! The colour itself is a really yellow (almost olive) gold and I'm obsessed. Belissimo Bronze is a go-to shade for me when I'm wearing a warm look with browns and golds - it just adds that hint of warmth to the cheeks. It has a nice sheen to it and it's impossible to over-apply!
For lips, I've definitely been having a moment of appreciation for my MAC collection! (I reviewed and swatched the lot here.) I've been loving their Matte Lipstick in Strip Me Down (discontinued) and Satin Lipstick in Mocha | £17.50 each. Strip Me Down was limited edition but Taupe is pretty similar (just a touch darker and more browny-red) if you want to get this sort of look - I swatched them both in the collection post. However I just like the more beige warm brown nude tone of this shade. I do find the bolder and darker colours from MAC can be a little drying but the nude shades (in my experience) feel very creamy on the lips. If you don't want to go all-out matte then the Satin formula is creamier and more sheeny. Mocha is a bit of an unusual shade - a sort of pinky-brown nude - and one of my favourites.
A few other mentions
I recently did a post with the product line of the Blink Brow Bar and one of the things I will 100% be buying a replacement of when I run out is the BBB London Conceal & Lift Matte* (Medium) | £19 | review. It's amazing for getting sharp-looking brows - I was previously doing this with a little pot of concealer and an angled brush but this has both a creamy highlighter and a flat brush in one pen.
I'm also super into my Hourglass Caution Extreme Lash Mascara* | £25 | review | right now! It just gives my lashes amazing volume without the clump and makes them look so dark and dramatic. I'm a little bit obsessed... I normally don't go for high-end mascaras but this one got me!
New additions
It's so weird that I have multiple MAC lipsticks in this post because I usually neglect them within my makeup collection. When I was strolling around duty free on the way out to Italy a week or so ago, I picked up their Matte Lipstick in Marrakesh | £17.50. This isn't a shade I'd ever come across before, which surprised me! It's a gorgeous rich reddish-orange brown.
I also treated myself to the Urban Decay Petite Heat Eyeshadow Palette | £26 | which was gorgeous paired with Marrakesh when I was away. I used this palette every single evening on holiday and I'm so glad I picked it up! I did like the look of the Naked Heat when launched but I just felt like the shimmers weren't that special and all my looks with them would be more or less the same. A lot of people were kind of annoyed that instead of being a companion to it's big sister palette, this does just take the mattes from the Naked Heat and put them into this little compact, but that actually worked for me! I think this is going to be my next 'If You Buy One Thing This Month...' so I won't go on for too long here, but if you love warm shadows: definitely check this out because the colours are gorgeous and they blend like a dream.
Ok, so it probably doesn't surprise you that as a blogger, I get a lot of products in the post from brands and PR companies - quite a lot of the time it's out of the blue and I put the products in a basket to deal with at a later date! Before I went on holiday, I decided I really needed to pick out some products to test when I got back and amongst the stash were two things from a brand I'd never heard of before. They don't have the best website ever but I was curious to give these products a go. The brand isn't cheap but what I've tried has seriously blown me away!
The first is the Foundation* (Beige Deep) | £37. I'm just going to put a controversial opinion out there and say that I think I prefer this to the Bare Minerals one. It has such a lovely level of coverage, applies beautifully (it doesn't cling to dry patches) and looks radiant despite being a powder. It's easy to build up, doesn't get shiny throughout the day and really lasts on me. Thank you so much to the PR company who sent this for actually taking the time to find a shade that works for me!
I also have the Blush in Coral* | £25 and the Pink Kabuki* | £19. Before receiving this product, I'd never tried a loose blusher like this, so I was kind of apprehensive! I used the kabuki to apply this as it's quite small and the bristles fit nicely into the filter, however I don't think this is necessary - just crack on with whatever drugstore powder brush you normally use. I definitely over-applied this the first time but it goes on so evenly and wears beautifully throughout the day. I love this warm, deep coral matte colour too. Overall I'm really happy to have discovered this brand!
Stuff I'm using up or panning
I'll start off by updating you on the products I've discussed in my last two Makeup Monthly posts. As you can see, ColourPop's Super Shock Shadow in Desert (discontinued) | $5 | is on its last legs! I may have to throw this before it's fully finished because it's becoming kind of unusable. It's a great base for eyeshadow with it's slightly pearly beige colour so I've been using it daily. Another product I'm making good progress with is the Urban Decay Beached Bronzer in Bronzed | £23 | which you can see I've got quite a lot of pan on. It's just a great everyday matte bronzer for the summer months with its warm tone. The packaging is now very scratched and the mirror has cracked, so I'm looking to use this up ASAP!
I also have two Too Faced products I'm working on using up / panning that I introduced last month. I'm slowly but surely cracking on with their Love Flush Blush in Baby Love | £25 | though I foresee it taking a good while for me to make any progress. It's a great everyday matte-look peachy-mauve nude blusher. I also have their Hangover Primer | £27 | and there's not much left of this hydrating cream base left! Hopefully I'll have finished this by next month.
I'm only adding one new product to the mix this month, as I have enough to focus on! As the weather is getting cooler, I think I'm going to save my matte Too Faced Peach Setting Powder for nights out and switch to an old school classic for everyday wear: the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light | £42 | review. For the price-tag, I was definitely expecting this radiant baked setting powder to change my life! It didn't quite do that but it is a nice powder if you want something that's not matte and will give a gorgeous, radiant look to the skin.
I'm only adding one new product to the mix this month, as I have enough to focus on! As the weather is getting cooler, I think I'm going to save my matte Too Faced Peach Setting Powder for nights out and switch to an old school classic for everyday wear: the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light | £42 | review. For the price-tag, I was definitely expecting this radiant baked setting powder to change my life! It didn't quite do that but it is a nice powder if you want something that's not matte and will give a gorgeous, radiant look to the skin.
As always, I have one beauty launch that excites and the other...not so much! I point blank refuse to discuss Christmas releases right now - I will either do that in a future Makeup Monthly or (if you're interested) I can do a post on 5 Holiday Releases I'm Excited About & 5 I'm Not. The launch I'm interested in for this month is the Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Collection | £69. At the time of writing this, the palette is sold out but the blusher is still available and I'm debating whether to wait and see if the quad comes back or accept I don't really need it and just get the blusher! I've never tried Charlotte's blushers but have wanted to for ages and her eyeshadow palettes are always a treat - I also love the warm, romantic tones in this collection.
Image via: charlottetilbury.com
One thing I don't care about is the Becca Volcano Goddess Eyeshadow Palette | £38. I think they maybe shot themselves in the foot by teasing the intriguing-looking outer packaging (that got everyone excited) and then when they showed us the inside...it was this... I think if the packaging had matched the product inside, we'd have all passed over this release but many of us were expecting maybe a super warm-toned palette with vibrant reds, yellows and oranges and maybe a pop of blue. This is all very muted and I can't imagine who wouldn't already have these colours in their collection if they're remotely interested in makeup. Sometimes you can get away with basic colours if you have a really famous formula but, although quite a lot of people like their matte palettes, I've not heard enough buzz around their shimmers for me to think this is worth it.
Image via: cultbeauty.co.uk
That's it for this instalment of Makeup Monthly - let me know if you agree or disagree with my thoughts on the launches I'm excited about and not so excited about or if you have products you'd put in either category! Have you tried any new makeup this month? What have been your go-to looks?
Don't forget to follow me on:
Disclosure - products marked * were sent to me for consideration however all opinions remain my own.
That's it for this instalment of Makeup Monthly - let me know if you agree or disagree with my thoughts on the launches I'm excited about and not so excited about or if you have products you'd put in either category! Have you tried any new makeup this month? What have been your go-to looks?
Don't forget to follow me on:
Disclosure - products marked * were sent to me for consideration however all opinions remain my own.
Read more posts from this series here!
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