July Favourites

This month I have purchase a few new things which I have loved so I thought there would be no better way of showing you than a favourites post.

I have been looking for the perfect bronzer for a while now as I own the Bourjois 'Chocolate' Bronzer however I found it a bit too orange to be worn all year round. When I was looking at the No7 make up with a £5 voucher in my hand I stumbled across the Starfish Bronzing Powder. There are two sizes, a matte dark shade and a light, shimmery shade and when both are mixed together, gives a beautiful 'sunkissed' glow and makes me look more alive. Even though the packaging is plastic and doesn't feel very luxurious, it holds a mirror which is really useful and the starfish design adds a nice touch. I really love this product and I have been using it literally every day of July on the days I wore make up.

I have been loving lip products this month and the three that I have been rotating are the Revlon Colourburst Lipbutter in Peach Parfait, the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Lip Balm Stain in Honey and the Bourjois 3D Effect Lipgloss in Corail Idyllic. Peach Parfait is a shimmery peach shade which is very subtle, but gives a bit of oomph to your lips. (If you are a glitterphobe you will hate this!) It is similar to the Bourjois Lipgloss but a bit more opaque and deeper in colour. My favourite is possibly the Revlon Balm Stain as it stays on all day and the colour can be worn with any outfit or make up combination.

On a day to day basis I don't tend to wear foundation and save it for evenings, events or bad skin days. However, I have worn the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream in the shade Universal Glow nearly every day. I must admit, it adds hardly any coverage which I personally like as my skin is blemish free most of the time. When I first squirted it onto my hand to apply it, I nearly ran for the hills as the shade I have comes out literally orange. I have found that using my fingers to apply it works best and once you work it into the skin, it gives a lovely radiant glow. As it is summer and I have a slight tan (which is still fairly pale), it does not look orange on my skin at all so darker skin tones will definitely get on well with it, however in the winter I am not sure I would be able to get away with it so I might look into getting the colour Light. This is my first dabble into BB creams and so far I really like them and am interested in any others if you have any suggestions.

Another product I have used and used in the month of July is the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze. I use my fingers to apply this to my lid and lower lash line then use another favourite, the e.l.f. bamboo bending eye brush to blend out the edges. This creates such an easy eye look with a bit of eyeliner and mascara but I always get compliments on it!

Left to Right: Honey, Corail Idyllic, Peach Parfait, Starfish Bronzing Powder,  On and On Bronze

So, that is the round up of my favourites this month and I have really enjoyed all of the products I mentioned. Above I have included swatches which I hope you like as personally, I really enjoy posts that include a lot of photos and swatches. I am impressed with the make up Revlon and Maybelline are producing at the moment as they aren't brands that have stood out to me before.

Hayley xxx

Glossybox: July 2012

This is just going to be a quick post to give you a sneak peak of what I received in my July Glossybox. The theme of this one is surrounded by festivals and includes five samples plus a bonus product. Also, as a quick side note, my camera has gone to repairs so I am borrowing a snazzy DSLR which will greatly improve picture quality for the next few weeks.

Probably the most disappointing thing I received in my box was yet another perfume. I don't mind getting the odd sample here and there however I have for every single box I have got so far whereas other peoples boxes haven't. This may have been something to do with my profile as you can select sample preferences and I had selected 'all'. I have since narrowed it down to only skincare, makeup and haircare. Anyway, this is the Bex London  Londoner Urban Fragrance which actually smells ok however the full size bottle is a whopping £8.

This is the Paul Mitchell Moisture Mist which I was quite excited about as moisture/cooling/refreshing sprays are something I have wanted to try ever since the infamous Caudalie Beauty Elixer came onto the scene. This one has a bit of a twist however as it can be used on  both the skin and hair which is great for the summer. The full size is a reasonable £9.25 for 250ml and the sample I have is a very generous 100ml. The smell isn't in your face at all and I look forward to giving this a go.

Above is the Jelly Pong Pong Lip Frosting which is a multifunctional cream gloss which can be used on the lips and cheeks. I have used it on the lips and it gives a nice sheer colour however seems too greasy to be used as a blush however I have yet to test it on my cheeks. Mine is the Irish cream pavlova scent which smells delicious. This is priced at £10 for 15ml which I think is quite a lot for a mediocre gloss.

I was very excited to receive an eye gel in my box as I don't yet use eye creams because I deem myself too young. However prevention is the best cure and I planned to start using an eye cream/gel casually once I found one that was light, decent and not overpriced. This Monu eye cool gel claims to revive and tone tired eyes as well as reduce puffiness (which I don't especially need) and dark circles (which I really do need.) The sample is  20ml which is actually more than the full sized version which is just £15 ml and priced at £16.95. This is one of the reason why I love Glossybox as I get to try great products that I usually would not spend my money on.

This is the Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse  which is basically a dry oil which you can apply to your face, hair and body. I plan to save this to use in the Autumn/Winter months as my skin gets dry (and when I say dry I mean extremely dry!) If you were to purchase this product yourself it would set you back £17.50 for  50ml.

The last product I received was the bonus product which was a trio of Elizabeth Arden products. I got the Gentle hydrating Cleanser, the Optimizing Skin Serum and the Gentle Hydrating Cream SPF 15 which are all part of the Visible Difference skincare range. I look forward to using these and if you present the card at any Debenhams Elizabeth Arden counter you receive a free deluxe sample which I will definitely try and get my hands on.

That's it for the Glossybox round up. I have seen some other boxes which included the HD bows kit which I was so jealous of because I wasn't a subscriber last year when it got put in the boxes and really wanted it then. Ohhh well my brows will have to endure the MUA clear mascara for a little while longer. What was in your Glossybox that wasn't in mine?

Hayley xxx