Beauty Awards - July 2017 Edition
Tried + tested by yours truly! Without further ado...
SUMMER STAPLE: La Roche-Posay Anthelios MINERAL Tinted Ultra-Fluid Lotion. I wrote about this product in a previous post and I still stand by how amazing it is. I live for the dewy, healthy glow it gives my skin while simultaneously blurring pores and I love how easy it is to swipe on before dashing out the door to play in the sun. It's also the perfect base for adding a little bronzer and blush to further the glow and look natural, yet polished.
{Buy it here.}
GO-TO GLOW: Stila Heaven's Hue Highlighter in Kitten. This nude pink shimmer gives me the perfect glow and I love the way it feels. It's silicone based so it feels bouncy to the touch and melts beautifully into skin. Bonus points for the gorgeous compact it's encased in.
{Buy it here.}
BROW DOWN: Benefit Ka-Brow! Cream-Gel Eyebrow Color. It's a cream. It's a gel. It's both!! AND it's waterproof. This little wonder really does it all. It looks soft and natural, plus it can stand up to a sweaty day at the beach or a balmy evening. Ka-pow! I was lucky enough to score this as a cute sample package from Sephora's fall preview event that has not one but TWO shades in it, and a very generous sample of each to boot. A little goes a long way and I'll be living off these samples for months to come!
[Buy it here.}
HEAVY HITTER: Kevyn Aucoin The Etherealist Skin Illuminating Foundation. I don't always wear foundation but, when I do, I turn to this one immediately. It provides amazing coverage while maintaining an incredibly lightweight feel and it delivers loads of long-lasting moisture thanks to the hyaluronic acid it contains.
{Buy it here. YXE girls, get yours locally at Le Lash Boutique!}
CELEB ENDORSED: Becca x Chrissy Tiegen Glow Face Palette. I scoped this out online when the launch was abuzz but it didn't grab my attention and I wasn't going to buy it just because of the hype. Fast forward a few months and I am gleefully clutching the palette in the checkout aisle of my local Sephora. I just needed to see it in person and you do too! I am blown away by what one palette with only 4 shades does for my skin. So many looks, so much time saved.
{Buy it here.}
DRUGSTORE DISCOVERY: Physicians Formula Murumuru Butter Bronzer/Butter Blush. I picked this duo up at Shoppers Drug Mart as a set (usually sold individually), mostly because everyone raves about the smell, and was pleasantly surprised when it delivered so much more than a yummy scent! I love how light + blendable both products are thanks to the trifecta of seed-extracted butters they contain, the healthy glow they give when used together, and I am definitely addicted to that piña colada scent that takes me straight to Hawaii.
BOUJEE BUY: Givenchy Prisme Libre Enhanced Radiance Loose Powder in 01 Mousseline Pastel. I picked up this product because, if you're familiar with the Givenchy color correcting loose powders, you know the struggle of trying to mix all 4 finely-milled shades equally. (Like all struggles, it's real.) This handy little travel size pot is all 4 shades pre-mixed to perfection. Problem solved! Plus, how adorable is the teeny tiny pouf?!
{Buy it here.}
IN A PINCH: Red Carpet Kolour (RCK) in Light and Medium. For anyone who hasn't tried RCK, I highly recommend this genius product that gives legs the perfect sun kissed glow while masking things like discoloration or the fact that you haven't shaved since last week. I mix the Light and Medium shades together in the summer when I have a bit more color from the sun and I even use a small dab on my arms, shoulders and collarbone to get rid of any chalkiness or uneven skin tone. It's a tan in 5 minutes, which is all it takes to set so it doesn't rub off on clothes. Just make sure you wash those rose gold-stained palms thoroughly post-application!!
{Buy it here. YXE girls, get yours locally at Two Fifty Two Boutique in University Heights!)
LUSCIOUS LIPS: Oribe Lip Lust Creme Lipstick in The Nude. OMG this color. Absolutely gorgeous. Insert ALL the heart-eye emojis here. Soft yet hydrating with a slightly matte finish, it's the perfect complement to all of your sun-kissed makeup looks this summer. I usually have difficulty finding a nude that covers how dark my natural lip color is and also gives warmth to the face rather than looking like, well, death. This will forever be in my makeup bag from now on! Doesn't hurt that it comes in the most beautiful marble bullet either.
{YXE ladies, source yours locally at Capelli Salon Studio. YQR girls, Sara Lindsay's The Makeup Store will have you covered! As for anyone hoping to order it online, it's available here but you better make that shipping fee worth it - ouch!!}
GO-TO GLOSS: It's a 3 way tie! For soft shimmer and long-lasting hydration, it's Eve Lom Kiss Mix Colour in Demure. The shea butter and hyaluronic acid work together to deliver both moisture and plumpness. When I still want something soft, but a little less girl-next-door, I turn to GlamGlow's new POUTMUD Wet Lip Balm Tint in either Birthday Suit or Love Scene. The tint is barely there yet looks sexy AF and the mint tingle is a total bonus. And, when I want to dial it up full-tilt with something that delivers both high gloss and high pigment, I collect NYX Butter Gloss like candy. You can't beat the price point, the wide spectrum of shades, or the mega-luxe texture that really does feel soft as butter (minus the grease!). I like neutral shades such as Creme Brûlée, Angel Food Cake + Tiramisu and I also love the NYX Butter Gloss INTENSE collection for even bolder shades like Black Cherry Tart. Why am I hungry all of a sudden?
{Buy Eve Lom Kiss Mix here, GlamGlow POUTMUD here, and hit up your local drugstore beauty aisle for all the NYX glosses!}
SUMMER SCENT: Beach by Bobbi Brown. A pleasant discovery in the Sephora Beauty-on-the-Fly aisle (aka the black hole to all of my dollars), I picked this up in rollerball form so I could put it in my purse and roll on the go. It smells like my favorite summer things - sunscreen that's been soaking into sun-kissed skin, with notes of sand and surf... Seriously, it's all in there and I don't know how BB did it. The scent is simply heaven.
{Buy it here. Note: rollerball no longer available via Sephora but can be found here. Take 15% off your first Bobbi Brown order with WELCOME15}
SURPRISE STANDOUT: Ciaté London Dewy Stix Luminous Highlighting Balm. Or, as I like to call it, "gorgeous skin in a stick". I waited not-so-patiently for the Sephora restock on this and I'm so glad I did! Worn on bare skin, it gives the most delicious dewy glow when swiped across cheekbones, nose and Cupid's bow. Worn over makeup, press it along those same areas (rather than swiping) and watch your skin take on that lit-from-within radiance. Then, watch it work overtime when you use it on eyelids. Game changer! Suddenly that wet, glossy eye look in every summer editorial is all yours and the best part? It works on bare lids and under/over shadow to give color some extra oomph! Give it a try and fall in love like I did. You won't be sorry.
{Buy it here.}
MVP: NARS Liquid Blush in Orgasm. I'm a big fan of most things NARS and this new product they released just before summer was an instant win in my books. While I'm not super-crazy about the weird applicator (a hard plastic tube that could totally hurt you if you sneezed mid-blush), I love the control of application and the way it blends out beautifully and sinks into skin. It looks especially pretty on bare skin over some bronzer to fake a "lounged in the sun all day" face.
{This shade currently sold out at Sephora; other shades available.}
I would love to hear what products YOU have been putting in high rotation this summer!
Stay tuned for my July roundup of skincare + hair products - coming soon!
