JUNE FAVOURITES

You knew it was coming... but we are now over half way through the year!

I'm quite glad to be on this half of the year now; the weather's nicer and I've got a few things that I'm now looking forward to, like holidays, my friends wedding and the thought of not having to do uni work come September is pretty amazing!

I originally was deliberating over whether to actually do a favourites this month, as lately I've been being pretty good and not buying much make up at all. I say that like it's a big achievement, but I've just remembered that May included a haul post and considering it's only one month since then, maybe I haven't been doing so well... hmm. 

Anyway, I had a look around and there actually has been quite a few products, mostly old, that I have been regularly using and loving this month. First up, Lauren's Way Solution 60, which you can read a full review of 'here.' I like to keep up a tan all year round, however as it's now pretty warm outside - if you're in the UK, hopefully I've picked one of the warm days/hours to post this and not a torrential rainfall day. I've been reaching for this product due to it's quick developing time and it gives a gorgeous colour too.

 Next, to go along with the bronzed look, is the Bare Minerals Ready Color Boost, in The Beach is Waiting and the fan brush. They  came as a set, called The First Resort,  with a lipgloss included, which I like but I don't love as much as these two products. Originally, I looked at the set and thought, I don't really want the lipgloss, I don't ever use shimmer bronzers so really I don't need this. However, I really wanted the fan brush and I'd seen Casey Holmes and Amanda Ensing mention this in one of their youtube videos and well, I just needed it. As I work in a department store, on one of the make up counters, I also get a pretty okay discount, along with my points card, meant I only paid £17 for a lipgloss, brush and bronzer, now who wouldn't turn that down? The packaging is a gorgeous reflective bronze colour, the brush is so soft and works amazing when applying the shimmer/highlighter shades to the cheekbones, to give a really healthy glowy look. 

Speaking about the glowy look, that leads me on to the next product, MAC's Skin Base Visage. You can read the full review 'here.' I bought this last year some time and used it religiously for months, but for some reason stopped this year and have only just found it again. It has shimmer particles in it, which give a gorgeous fresh glow to the skin which under make up are very pretty and subtle. If you've read my 'Skincare Saviours' post, you'll know that my skin has just been doing whatever the hell it wants to lately and for the first time in 21 years it feels slightly dry. The Skin Base Visage is so hydrating that I've been constantly reaching for it. On the topic of dry skin, I've been constantly using The Body Shop's Moringa Body Butter, as it's so nourishing on the skin. My boyfriend bought me a Moringa Body Butter last year and as he chose it, it's now one of those special scents to me as I know he likes it. It's also such a summery scent that I love using it this time of year. Obviously this isn't the same pot, but every time it runs out I just have to repurchase. 

The MAC Prep + Prime highlighter in Radiant Rose, has been a staple of mine every month since buying it last year. I'm surprised it still seems to be going strong, as I use it all the time. It's amazing for brightening the under eye, I keep trying to not use it, to be quicker and use less products but I always look at my under eye and think, no I have to use it, it's just so good!

I've always loved false eye lashes and have been trying to wear them successfully and failing quite often for so many years. I think it's only this year that I've been able to successfully apply all of my eye make up and then add the lashes and actually have them stay on and not mess up my make up. I think the Duo eyelash adhesive has had a lot to do with that. It works really well and keeps the lashes in place all day. I think I may just get the white version next time as it dries clear anyway, as sometimes the black can get a little messy. My favourite lashes lately have been the Ardell Demi Wispies as they're fairly natural looking but so full and long, they're really lightweight and comfortable to wear. When I haven't been wearing false lashes, I've been reaching for the L'oreal False Lash Flutter mascara. It's a great mascara for both length and volume and works great on the lower lashes too. It's not my holy grail but it's my favourite out of the ones I've currently got on the go.

I hope you all had a great June! What were your favourite products?

MAC PREP + PRIME SKIN BASE VISAGE

I hope everyone's starting to feel very festive as December is here! I think I'm still under the illusion that somehow we're still in July or something, as it cannot possibly already be the end of the year! I recently included the MAC Skin Base Visage in a haul post and after using it everyday since, I've decided to share my thoughts as it's a good'un and perfect for this horrible cold weather. 

I had heard good reviews from Jaclyn Hill and Casey Holmes about one of the MAC Prep and Prime primers, however I hadn't properly found out each one, so when I went into MAC I just went with what I preferred the look of, which consequently wasn't actually the one either of them recommended. (Jaclyn recommended Natural Radiance Skin Base Visage and Casey recommended Skin Refined Zone Treatment).  Anyway, the Prep + Prime Skin Base Visage that I chose is supposed to calm and soothe the skin, blot away excess oil and even out skin redness, which as a result will improve your foundation application. It contains a lot of fruit extracts, such as grape and also contains green tea and caffeine and obviously a lot of other stuff that I have no idea about. 

Packaging

What's not to love; black + lots of pretty glitter? It has a pump application which unlike most pumps, actually gives just the right amount of product in one or two pumps, so you wont be wasting any product. There is 30ml in the tube, which may not seem a lot, however you don't need much so it appears to be lasting well. 

Texture & Application

The product inside is white with pretty little shimmer pieces. It's a creamy but light weight texture that glides over the skin so easily. It leaves the skin feeling very soft, smooth and fresh. It's also great for this time of year when our poor skin is generally getting drier due to the cold weather, as it feels really moisturising too. The shimmer pieces add a very subtle radiance to the face which is really nice and definitely not overpowering as it is so subtle and just gives a nice and natural glow to your make-up. 

Product Claims

The product claims to calm and soothe the skin, which I would definitely agree with as it leaves the skin feeling hydrated and very smooth. It also claims to blot away excess oil, which I would agree with for myself, however this time of year my skin has become a lot less oily than it was in the summer so it's only the T-zone that is a little oily. I do think that it gets rid of any shiny-ness that I have before I apply it and I don't seem to get as oily during the day, however my skin isn't majorly oily anyway so I don't know if this would be the case for those of you with oily skin. I don't have much in the way of skin redness so I can't comment on that claim, but it definitely does make for better foundation application. 

Longevity of Make-up

The first few times that I used this product, I remember looking in the mirror at my make-up, after a long day at uni or work and my make-up looked nearly identical to when I had applied it. I do think it definitely helps your make-up look great through out the day and after using the primer I do feel like my make-up now stays on a lot longer than before, when I was using different primers. 

And a not so good note...

One issue that I have found recently is that the primer doesn't seem to help much in the way of the pores on my nose... eeww... My foundation application doesn't seem as smooth in that one area as it does on the rest of my face, so I have now started to use Benefit's Porefessional on my nose. This may not be due to the primer but it is the only bad thing that I have noticed since using the primer. 

It is priced at £20.50, which is a lot, but I think it is the best primer that I have ever used and I will definitely be repurchasing this product or something very similar, especially for the colder months, when my skin really needs the added hydration and radiance. 

Have you tried this product or any of the other Prep + Prime range?