Hi, guys!
It seems that all my latest posts start with an apology so I'll just fast-forward to let you know that I'm almnost done with moving in into my new place so hopefully I'll get back to my regular blogging program really soon. I have many plans regarding Love at first brush which I'll share as soon as I get them going, but for the time being I'll share a very delayed post of my favorites from the last two months, July ans August (I figured I'll just combine them as I skipped July favorites). Enjoy!
HaircareBatiste Dry Shampoo Cool & Crisp Fresh is my first Batiste dry shampoo I ever tried (meanwhile I got another two, the cherry flavoured and the volume xxl one) and I love it, I now understand why all the hype around these. I does leave my hair grey but the residues come off quickly, but it makes the difference in the world if I have a bad hair day. So LOVE, LOVE, LOVE, I'll try all the available versions I can get my hands on.
Since cutting my hair a lot more shorter than I was used to, I definitely need to use more styling and texturing products. I had the
Garnier Fructis Volume Restructure Styling Mousse for a while but I actually started using this only during the latest months on wet hair, just to give my roots more volume before blowing it dry. I actually saw my hairdresser using the
Wella Professional Perfect Setting Blow Dry Lotion on my wet hair before styling it and I was impressed how well it hold the volume without leaving too much build-up on my hair and scalp, so I bought it. I've been using it non-stop since then.
I used up the oil elixir express leave-in conditioner from Gliss (review
here) so I bought the
Schwarzkopf Gliss Ultimate Color Express Repair Conditioner which I love even more as it also gives a nice shine to my dyed locks. And it smells divine! These leave-in conditioners from Gliss are really a big hit as they do the job and they are pretty affordable. Not to mention they come in so many versions.
Skincare & BodycareI'm not much of a toner user (even though that I should) but when I saw this
Nivea Acqua Effect Purifying and Mattinfying Toner, I was imediatelly hooked. As the not so proud owner of an combo to oily skin, I'm always on the hunt for mattifying products. This toner actually smells pretty good, not alcoholy at all and it does mattify my skin without taking away the moisture. Another skincare obssesion I had these last 2 months is
La Roche-Posay Anthelios AC Matte Extreme Fluid SPF 30. I've been searching for a trully mattifying sunscreen that I can use daily under my makeup for as long as I remember and finally I found this guy which is not insanely expensive, it does mattify my skin for almost the entiere day and it has a pretty decent SPF 30. Of course, I'll never be without this, I wore every day and I'll try searching the tinted version of this as it does leave an white cast which I have to cover with BB Cream/foundation/powder.
I have a thing for flavoured body washes and my newest obssesion is the
I Love... Minty Choco Chip Revitalising Shower Gel. The name says it all, this little guy smells like legit chocolate mint ice cream, it's like smelling an After Eight mint chocolate. I struggle not to eat it:)))!
I only got to hit the beach for three days this summer but I almost used up the
Garnier Ambre Solaire After Sun Refreshing Hydrating Spray with cactus extract as my daily moisturiser. Actually I'm kind of lazy when it comes to apply body cream/body lotion/moisturizer so this was pretty handy as it's in the form of a spray. It's very light and it smells realy good!
My last favorite as far as skincare goes is the
Sephora Face Cleaning Brush. I've been using it almost every day since I got it at the begining of July and I saw a real difference in how clean my pores look and I have fewer breakouts. Of course I have to sanitize it really good once a week as to not spread the bacteria around my face.
Nail PolishesMy nails routine suffered quite a lot during these last months as I didn't have much time to take proper care of them and to change my mani 1-2 times a week as I normaly do. I've been using the
Rimmel London 60 Seconds Nail Polish in 925 Sky High on my toes a couple of times and I loved it, the color just screams summer, the formula is so opaque and creamy and it does dry in 60 secs. Another nail polish I wore quite a lot was
NYX Girls Nail Polish in Plain Jane, a beautiful nude peach cream color which goes wonderfully with my bronzed skin.
Makeup As far as makeup goes, I kept my routine quite simple (BB Cream, concealer, powder, a splash of blush and mascara, eyebrows and a summery color on my lips) for an every day basis. I did however tried to incorporate some of my colorful palettes when trying to do some more elaborate looks.
Sleek Acid Palette and
Sleek Original Palette saw the most use this summer (alongside my beloved Naked which was featured in last months favorites), both for matte and shimmery looks. Acid is great for fun neon colorful looks as it includes some pretty cool shades of pink, plum, yellow, green and orange and also some cool toned shimmery shades of grey and blues for night looks. It's a versatile palette for fun looks and I always combine these pops of color with other eyeshadows to vamp it a little.
Sleek Original Palette contains all shimmers and a matte black. It goes from some rose gold tones to some blues and greens so again this a versatile palette just for adding a pop of color.
To remain in the eyeshadow section, I have to mention the
L'Oreal Colour Appeal Eyeshadow in Rose Quartz. It's so great for a wash of color on the lid but also to build up the color for a really dramatic Barbie-like look.
Let's just take a moment to contemplate this mascara.
Essence I Love Extreme Crazy Volume Mascara is hands down the best mascara I ever tried. I can't believe how incredible this is so here's my rant: it's inexpensive (around 3 euro), it give insane volume, it curls ther lashes without the help of a curler, it's really black, it doesn't smudge, it dries quickly and it makes me look like I wear falsies which I don't. Don't just believe me, just try it!
Milani Shadow Eyez 12 HR Wear Eyeshadow in 10 Almond Cream is great as an eyeshadow base. I never had a jumbo eye pencil so creamy and opaque. It kind of puts NYX's Milk Jumbo Pencil to shame. I use it also to highlight my inner corners and brow arch.
I've been using a lot my
Kiko Skinny Fit Kajal Pencil in Nude to line my water line and bring out some light to my eyes and
Rimmel London Scandaleyes Waterproof Khol Kajal in Bronze for softer, smudgier looks.
Also to highlight my inner corners I've been using a lot the
Sephora Nano Eyeliner in Pearl Beige. It's so quick and creamy that I prefer it to highlighting shadows in powder formulas.
Farmasi Happy Face Pressed Powder in 06 is also one of the hidden gems that I discovered this summer. It doesn't have a matte finish but more like a dewy, satin finish which I love. It evens out my skintone like nobody's business and I often wear it alone when I don't want/have time to do my makeup.
My most used blush was
Milani Baked Blush in Corallina, a pretty shimerry peach coral blush which goes really well as a highlighter also on bronzed skin.
Sephora Touche Lumiere Lissante Brightening and Smoothing Concealer in Clair Light was also a staple in my every day quick makeup routine, it's great to conceal fatigue traces and brighten up the complexion. Being yellow also helps to concealer dark circles.
Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder doesn't need too much rave, it's simply great for contouring, for bronzing up the face and it's a perfect transition shade for my eyelook.
Onto my brows, I discovered that I don't actually to buy the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade because I can use my
NYX Gel Liner and Smudger in Charlotte on my brows as it's almost the same dark brown color that I need. Now I'm sure that using a gel eyeliner on the brows is not something that's usually done but for me it works, it doesn't smudge, it doesn't look unnatural and it gives such a nice definition to my brows. You can try it if you're a brunette like me!
I've been applying the said gel liner on my brows with the help of my
realTechniques Brow Brush from the Starter set which helps to either create a very natural eyebrow look or to go all the way and create a really defined look.
For my lips I've been using summery colors, ranging from nudes to really bright oranges and reds. My favorites from the bunch were:
Rimmel London Apocalips Lip Lacquer in StellarMaybelline Color Whisper Lipstick in Lust for blushRimmel London Lasting Finish Lipstick in 240 UndressedFarmasi Rouge Lipstick in 04NYX Butter Gloss in Peaches and CreamRimmel London 1000 Kisses Lip Liner in Natural from D-U (Stellar, Lust for blush, Undressed, 04, Peaches and Cream), left Natural
from D-U (Light Clair, 10 Almond Cream, Kiko Nude, Pearl Beige, Bronze, Corallina)
Love at first brush
