July Favourites

This month I've been obsessed with skincare, and Bobbi Brown if you couldn't tell, but not really wearing much makeup. So this favourites post is going to be fairly focused on skincare.

The first thing I've been absolutely loving is the Bobbi Brown Balm Rinse. I did a post on it here if you want to read more, but I love that it makes my skin feel really really clean without being stripped. It can also be used as an overnight mask which I've been doing around my nose for some extra hydration. I also talked about the Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base in that post and I'm still loving how smooth it makes my makeup go on. I've somehow been having quite a dry skin spell even though it's hotter than Hades in the south this summer. Honestly I've just been slicking this all over my face and wearing a tiny bit of concealer.

The Origins Original Skin Serum is a fairly recent purchase, but I adore it so much that I had to feature it. This is one that can be applied morning and night and is supposed to help with skin texture and brightness. I'm going through a bit of a purge stage right now since I'm actually taking care of my skin, all of the gunk is coming out. I've had those annoying little bumps and this has already helped with smoothing them out. It also makes your skin SO soft. Like I actually can't explain how amazing it makes my skin feels. Definitely one to try. Because I've been breaking out a bit, I've been using the Bobbi Brown Foundation Stick as a concealer and it is amazing. All over the face I find it a bit too heavy coverage, but it is absolutely wonderful for spot concealing.

The Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara is pretty much all I've been using. I'm a huge mascara layerer, so this is really unusual. I just can't get over how voluminous this makes my lashes look without being clumpy at all. My final favourite is my beloved pair of Desi x Quay High Key sunnies. I am as blind as a bat without glasses, but I can't help but wear this a feel absolutely fabulous as I run into bushes, trashcans, and one time a poor lady having lunch outside at Panera. Sorry, love.

What have you guys been loving this month?
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Bobbi Brown Pore Perfector

If you saw my post the other day about picking this up over the YSL Blur Perfector then you know that I was instantly impressed. The Bobbi Brown Skin Smoothing Pore Perfector is a lotion like powder that contains a "blend of powders" to perfect the skin. And perfect it does.

I am not a fan of usual makeup primers, as I can't stand that silicone feel on my skin. I'll usually use something like the Bobbi Brown Face Base or Glossier Priming Moisturizer. Those I both love and they make my makeup go on smooth, but this makes my skin itself look so amazing. I've had pretty large-looking pores lately, and in this summer heat my skin gets greasy pretty quickly. Because of that I haven't been wanting to wear heavy bases, but my skin isn't really at a place where I'm okay not wearing makeup (unless I'm just running errands). This Perfector, however, makes my skin look beautiful. It really smooths out the skin and although there's still some redness the even texture just makes it look so much better.

I often find that similar products tend to dry out the skin, but like most of Bobbi's other products this is actually quite hydrating and very comfortable. It's also meant to have skincare ingredients that over time reduce the appearance of pores. This doesn't mean it literally reduces the size of pores, which I think is why there's a few not-so-great reviews of this products online. Pore size is genetically determined and they cannot be resized physically. However, this product is supposed to help them be less noticeable, I suppose. I obviously haven't been using it long enough to attest to that, but I will check back in if I do notice a difference.

For now, this is a gorgeous makeup primer or just skincare product for no-makeup days! Have you guys tried it?
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Nars Hardwired Eyeshadow in 'Stud'

In my most recent post I told you I picked up this little Angel from Sephora and I already want to show you it in all its glory. Two days later. NARS' Hardwired Eyeshadow in Stud is a soft pewtery bronze in this absolutely gorgeous metallic finish. I honestly could just stare at it reflecting in the light all day. You might initially think that this is a normal shimmery taupe but there is something very different about it. I've tried swatching it next to several similar shades and it really stands out. I love that you can wear this formula quite sheer or build it up to be super metallic. I will say that there can be a wee amount of fallout if you're not careful because of the glitter. I've been applying with my finger instead of a brush and that seems to make a big difference. I'm so glad they re-released this shade because it is really, really beautiful. Now I must decide if I need any of the other shades, hehe.

Have you tried the new Hardwired shadows yet? What did you think?
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Sephora Haul

I went into Sephora today with the sole purpose of picking up the YSL Blur Perfector Compact, because lets be real, that is the most gorgeous packaging in existence. But on my merry little walk over there, the Bobbi Brown section caught my attention (as always) and I happened upon the Skin Smoothing Pore Perfector. At $38 I thought, "hmm, how will this compare to YSL?" So I put a bit on my hand and holy mother of makeup gods it looked like I'd used FaceTune on my skin. So I snatched this sucker up and left the beautiful YSL compact behind. Obviously I haven't used it on my face yet, but I'll pop up a review after I use it properly.

Since I saved money by not buying the compact, I figured I could treat myself to something else (logic, yes?). I ended up picking the NARS Stud Hardwired Eyeshadow. I really regretted not getting this when the Steven Klein collection came out so I'm happy to have it now! Fingers crossed they'll bring back Mortal. They also had a little event going on where you get a free Kat Von D Lock-It Concealer Creme mini so I got the shade Light 11. This has been talked about a lot recently so I'm excited to give it a try. They're extremely washed out in this photo but I asked for a sample of the Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Eye Cream to try out and she also gave me some of Clinique's Pep-Start Eye Cream. Kate raves about the Fresh cream so I can't wait to see what I think.

Also, makeup p0rn because this eyeshadow is so gorgeous I could cry.

Have you guys picked up anything new recently?
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