September Favourites

I actually cannot believe that tomorrow is October. I know we say, "where did the time go?" all the time, but was it not just New Year's last week? Either way, I'm super excited for colder weather and christmaaaaaas! Too soon? Maybe, but I cannot wait. Anyway, it's September favourites time and I surprisingly have quite a lot of products to talk about!

If you follow me on Instagram, you probably know that I've been all about a fairly minimal makeup recently, especially when it comes to base products. I've mostly just been wearing the Clinique Super City Block (post here), but if I feel like I need to take it up a notch I'll use some of the Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation as well. I'm pretty sure I've said this a million times, but this foundation is a real gem. Even though I've been keeping it simple, I've also been loving wearing MAC's Melba Blush. It's a gorgeous neutral rosy shade, and while it looks like nothing special in the pan it looks lovely on the cheeks!

I've been paring back my brow routine as well recently (mostly because I have to wake up at an ungodly hour for class and I'm lazy) and just using the Anastasia Brow Wiz Pencil in Medium Brown. I like a much more natural look recently, and this does the trick! Eyeshadow hasn't really been on my mind this month, but when I did want to wear it I've been reaching for my MAC Single Eyeshadows that I haven't used in an age! I have a ton of these cluttering up my drawers again, so I'm thinking about depotting. I wrote a post about the Clinique Pop Lipsticks last week, and although I've only been dabbing a bit of colour on the formula is so nice! I'll pop a link to that post here.

We all know I've been freaking out about the Supers by Glossier this month, so I'll let you read this in-depth post (here) and not waffle on about them. But, I will say that Pure has been my absolute favourite. I actually think I'm putting way too much on and going through it too quickly, so I need to calm down!

What have you guys been loving this month?
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Five Fab Moisturizers

With the cooler temperatures sneaking up on us (at least I'm praying they will in the south), I've been trying to make sure my skin doesn't get too dry. I go pretty drastically from slightly oily skin to extremely dry skin when the seasons change (probably because we have super extreme temperature differences), so it's always good to be prepared! So, I'm gonna talk about a few of my favourite moisturizers for the transitional period. I will say once it hits real winter in the south I only use one of these, but I'll talk about that in a mo.

The Glossier Priming Moisturizer is a great one for during the day. It kind of sets down, which sounds weird, but it makes a great base for makeup and keeps my skin hydrated! I don't use this a ton in the summer months as my skin gets a bit too dewy, so I'm excited to pull this out again. As a little extra, I've included the Glossier Balm Dot Com as well. We all know I'm obsessed with the stuff, but during the colder months it really really helps heal chapped lips and split cuticles! Another great day moisturizer is the Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base. I don't know how this really works, because it's super rich but somehow makes my makeup last a really long time. Very confusing. But it works so well when my skin is a little dry and helps prevent my foundation sticking to dry patches! It is oil-free, but contains Shea butter, so if you have oily skin I would try a sample out first (although most reviews say oily-skinned people are loving it too)!

Another awesome Bobbi Brown one is the Hydrating Gel Cream. This one if great if you find that your skin stays a little oily during the winter as it's a gel texture. It sinks into the skin really quickly but still offers a lot of hydration. And often oily skin happens because your skin is actually dehydrated, so it's important to use moisturizer! The Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream is another one that's pretty lightweight but still packs a punch. It's got Fresh's Super 7 Complex, which is basically 7 'super ingredients' to help with radiance, anti-aging, and hydrating.

My absolute favourite face cream all-year round is the Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream. It's pretty rich, but still sinks easily while also providing a ton of hydration. I use a little of this in the summer because it goes a long way, but when my skin gets really dry I slap this all over my face and it feels wonderful. It's got Squalane, a natural emollient, which not only helps to hydrate on contact but also pulls moisture from the air throughout the day so your skin stays hydrated. Because of its light texture this one is also great for all skin types! This cream launched in 1970 and is still one of Kiehl's' best sellers, so that must say something, right?

Those are my favourite moisturizers of the moment (although some I've been using for quite a while). What are your favourite moisturizers/skin healers?
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Glossier: The Supers

Okay, let me start off by saying that I know I get really overdramatic when I really like a new product. But The Supers by Glossier might actually be bottled magic. These launched two weeks ago, and I stayed up until midnight like a wally to order them even though they weren’t being released until morning. Anyway, I jumped on them the second they launched. You can purchase all three as a set for $65, or separately for $28 which considering how expensive serums are nowadays (usually one for $60) is a steal. I obviously just had to get the set (for reviewing purposes, yes?), and have been pretty much in love since first use. The idea behind the Supers is that we’re more than just a “skin type” and that our skincare should reflect that. I don’t know about you guys, but my skin changes moods pretty much daily and I’m always having to use different products. So they’ve released Super Bounce, Super Pure, and Super Glow to combat your different skin needs!

Super Bounce is a concentration of hyaluronic acid and B5 vitamins to help rehydrate tight and thirsty skin. This one is a little thicker than the others in terms of consistency, and more milky in colour. Vitamin B5 restores elasticity in skin, and my beloved hyaluronic acid helps skin retain moisture. For a little science here, hyaluronic acid is like the OG humectant. It’s actually a natural element of skin, as in your body actually produces this stuff. Hyaluronic acid is amazing because one gram can hold up to SIX liters of water! Did I just blow your mind?

Super Glow is a concentration of vitamin C and magnesium to help with dull, tired skin. It’s a light, water-gel consistency and blends effortlessly into the skin. Vitamin C helps to brighten, and magnesium actually energizes the skin cells. Magnesium is another skin hero (Glossier really really did their research here, man). It’s the fourth most prevalent mineral found in cells and the third most abundant in sea water! It helps to restore cellular magnesium levels and is necessary for the enzymes that regulate repair of DNA (hello, anti-wrinkle!). Magnesium can also tackle skin allergies like eczema, because it’s often a sign of a magnesium deficiency. 

Super Pure is a concentration of niacinamide and zinc to help calm redness and breakouts. This one is also a super light-weight watery gel and although the ingredients sound scary, my skin absolutely loves it. Niacinamide soothes redness, and zinc calms blemishes (because it’s antimicrobial and antibacterial aka a super-ingredient pun intended). To me, Niacinamide sounds like some scary super-chemical, but it’s actually a form of vitamin B3 and can actually help strengthen the skin’s outer layers (say what?). I’m now loving this super-ingredient because it helps with skin texture, which is one of my main concerns. 

The first night I got these I used Pure alone, because I was having pretty bad breakouts. When I looked in the mirror a few hours later, I was amazed by how calm my skin looked and my pores even looked smaller (No, this obviously doesn’t actually shrink pores, but it did reduce their appearance). In the morning some of my breakouts had actually cleared up and my scars seemed less angry (Note: I don’t have extreme scarring by any stretch of the imagination, just some red discoloration). The next morning I used a combination of Bounce and Glow and my skin looked so bright and fresh that I ended up only wearing concealer, and I’ve been wearing less and less foundation ever since. I love the watery consistency of these not only because they’re easy to blend in, but also because it means they aren’t chock full of filler ingredients that make serums feel all ‘silky’.

Recently, I’ve been applying Pure to my jaw and nose since I break out along my jaw a lot, Bounce on my forehead and cheeks, and Glow under my eyes and along my cheekbones. This has made my skin look super healthy, and Bounce has somehow reduced the crease in my forehead (again, magic?). They produce such instant results I don’t even know how to describe what’s happening to my skin. I usually wait at least of month of continued use before reviewing a skincare product, but I immediately saw a difference after applying and knew these were something different. I will say that the other night I applied all three all over my face in layers, and I think it was a bit much for my skin as it didn’t look very nice in the morning. I think since these are so concentrated, being smart and using a little moderation is the key.

If you guys would like to get 20% off of your first purchase (which makes these even cheaper, yay!) you can purchase through my link, here. 

Have you guys tried the Supers yet? Which is your favorite? x

Clinique Pop Lipsticks

If these aren't the most photogenic lipsticks you've ever seen, you're lying. I love products that are coloured on the outside, and they look so pretty sitting on my vanity! These are, of course, the Clinique Pop Lipsticks. They are colour and primer combined, and meant to last upwards of eight hours! (We'll see about that). Clinique calls these a "modern-velvet" finish, but as you can see they do have a bit of shine. This definitely sets down a bit as you wear them, to more of a satiny finish. I definitely wouldn't say they last eight hours, especially not the darker colours. The more nude ones, I could wear for four or five hours before it's mostly faded. But, obviously, the darker colours need more attention and I always wear them with a lip liner.

I have seven beautiful colours, so I'll run you through my thoughts! First up in the swatches (down at the bottom, eek up close lips) is Beige Pop, a beautiful pinky nude. This one is pretty opaque, and I'd generally wear it with a darker liner so I don't look like a ghost. Nude Pop is probably my favourite of the bunch, it's a tad darker than Beige and a beautiful everyday colour. My lips but better territory.  Plum Pop is actually a very pinky-mauve so the name is pretty deceiving! This one's also quite pigmented and is one of the longer-wearing colours. Love Pop is pretty similar to Plum, with a little hint of a berry undertone and a bit of shimmer. I usually hate shimmer in my lipsticks, but this is very pretty!

Literally not a clue what possessed me to get Poppy Pop, as I never ever wear bright lips. It's so gorgeous though! It's a bright orange-red that doesn't make my teeth look too yellow, some kind of miracle there. It doesn't show up very well in the search, but it's much brighter and more neon in real life. I obviously had to get a red, Cherry Pop is a beautiful super blue based red. This one isn't as pigmented as I'd like, so I definitely wear a darker liner underneath. Still pretty, but not super dreamy. Cola Pop is Autumn lip perfection. I was a bit worried about this one, but it's actually kind of sheer and looks gorgeous with a darker liner underneath. It's almost a burgundy-red that leans more brown.  I don't really know how to describe it honestly, but it reminds me of the ABH Rum Lipgloss. This one also doesn't really show very well on camera. Much more pretty in person!

I think Clinique made some pretty big claims that they didn't really live up to with these. But, despite that, they are still beautiful lipsticks! Some of the most comfortable in terms of feeling on the lips, and fairly moisturizing as well. They have just come out with matte versions, so I need to get my hands on those ASAP!

Have you guys tried these lippies yet? Let me know your thoughts!
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