September 2014 favourites

Last month my favourites were quite late, so I'm getting them in early this time :)  Since I've been on maternity leave (well, technically annual leave as my maternity leave starts today) I haven't worn much makeup as I've just been sat at home every day.  However, on the times I have ventured out or just felt like putting on makeup - these have been some of my most reached for pieces.

Liz Earle hot cloth cleanser

This is probably my 4th time of buying this, but this time instead of opting for the pump bottle which is smaller, I went for the bigger squeeze bottle.  I'm not sure if anyone else has found this, but I've found the formula in the squeezy bottle to be a bit wetter, meaning I need to use a bit more than before - but that aside, it's fab for removing makeup and leaves my skin feeling lovely, soft and well cleansed.

Kiehl's midnight recovery oil*

I haven't been using this long enough to form a proper review of it - however the times I have been using it I'm absolutely loving it.  I use 3 drops at night, warm it in my hands, and then rub it into my face.  By the morning my skin feels like velvet.  It hasn't broken me out or anything negative, it's only made my skin feel lovely.

Benefit Browzings* & Gimmie Brow*

As you might know from previous updates, for my brows I've always been a fan of the HD Brow kit, and up until a couple weeks ago, I'd never tried Browzings.  I bought a Gimmie Brow in dark months ago and loved it - it's MUCH better than the Maybelline equivalent (which I'd tried first).  When I went to a Benefit blogger event, the lovely Lisa gave me a full brow treatment and these products, which are both in light - not a shade I would have picked out for myself.  However, the look is so much more natural and gives me fuller looking brows than my old HD Brow kit - I'm really impressed with these.

Makeup Revolution Super wow matte lip pencil*

While not all of these shades were ones I'd regularly wear, this one in particular I adore - the shade is Maria.  Each of the shades in the collection are 'Blondie' themed :)  These are perfectly matte and stay put for a long time.  My biggest tip is to apply it with a lip brush first so you can get a nice defined line.

Mavala nail polish in Iridescence*

This lovely purple shade has been living on my toes for the past couple of weeks.  Today I'm taking off my gel nail polish (apparently, if I need a c-section, they'll take it off anyway) and replacing it with this to match my toes, all ready for hospital.  I'm going to take nail polish remover with me just in case, but at least this will be easier to remove than gel!  The first coat of this goes on quite thin, but the 2nd coat fixed it and gives a lovely opaque colour.  Top it off with a clear top coat and it'll last for days too.

Makeup Forever HD Foundation

I picked this up earlier in the year and forgot I had it - but oh boy am I glad I rediscovered it!  I've just realised I haven't reviewed this yet either!  It gives a lovely near-flawless finish, it stays matte and stays in place for a long time.  It's medium-buildable coverage and evens out the skin-tone beautifully. This is one of the best foundations I've used, it's got a sterling reputation for a reason.

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Top 3 foundations for Summer

Welcome back to the next instalment of my favourites for Summer series!  Today it's all about foundation, and whilst I haven't shown these products in place on my skin, I have done in previous reviews, and besides, this isn't a big review, it's more of a favourites :)

Makeup Forever HD foundation

This I picked up in Sephora when I was in France in Jan.  It hasn't suited my skin that well until now, I can thank pregnancy for that (and Origins skincare!).  My skin the last few months has been rough like sandpaper, dry and covered in spots.  I've been foundation free for most of that time, and actually got myself out of the habit of wearing it every day (which is very empowering!).  This lasts really well, it's medium-buildable coverage but looks really natural on the skin.

What surprises me about this, every time I'm wearing it and I feel like maybe I'm looking oily and patching, when I look in the mirror, it looks pretty much perfect!  It's long wearing and deals with little dry patches really well (better than my Chanel velvet foundation).  If you can get to a Sephora or get your hands on this, I highly recommend it - mine doesn't have a shade on it, but it was the lightest shade they sold :)

Chanel perfection lumiere velvet

I reviewed this recently, it's pretty much my favourite foundation at the moment, despite it not being perfect.

It's not heavy and I'd describe it as light-medium coverage.  It evens out your skin tones great, and sets to a really matte finish (it's basically made for oily skin!).  It lasts a long time on the skin, the only drawback is that if you have any dry patches, it will highlight them and not look great.  So take my advice, exfoliate first to get rid of as much of that dryness as possible, then moisturise and prime. That'll set you in good stead :)  If you're lucky and have oily skin with no dryness (huzzah!), then you needn't worry about that :)

** TIP **

It's not going to be for everyone, so I'd recommend popping to your local Chanel counter if you're thinking about getting it, and ask if you can apply it yourself to try it on.  I always recommend this as often the ladies (or gents) at the counters will apply it too heavily or different from how you would, meaning you might get different results from it.

Rimmel Match Perfection

Last but certainly not least, the wondrous Rimmel match perfection foundation (my shade is 010 Light Porcelain).  I've been recommending this to people for a while, after seeing Tanya Burr rave about it, and on the back of that getting it myself and loving it.  (thanks Tanya!)

This is one of those foundations that sets really well (matte), you'll need to apply a setting powder on top of it, and you won't be shine-free for the day if you have oily skin like me.  However, in spite of that it's a really great foundation.  It gets rid of all the redness on your skin and sets you back to neutral so you can add in the colour and definition where you want it :)  It's a purse-friendly option great for everyday use (review here) :)

So there's my top 3 foundations for the Summer, what 3 would you recommend for being good in the heat?

 

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