The June Edit

As another month draws to a close, I like to share my favourite products of the month. Some are old favourites, some are new, but the following products are all things that I have been regularly reaching for and loving over the month of June. Yes, I realise this is somewhat late given we are in week 2 July, but better late than never right??

Illamasqua Powder Blush in Hussy

 

I had a Myer gift card recently so I thought it fitting to use it to try out some new products. I have heard so many good things about Illamasqua products, and after recently harmonising their prices in Australia with the States, I figured this was the time to make a purchase. I walked over to the Illamasqua counter with the intention of purchasing "Katie", a pastel pink hue, not dissimilar to Mac Well Dressed. As I was perusing over the blush options, a pretty coral shade caught my eye. (I am a SUCKER for coral lips and cheeks!) The next thing I knew I was whisked over to a makeup chair by the salesgirl, having this coral shade applied to my cheeks. When I went to purchase this product, the sales girl explained to me that the fluorescent lighting bleaches the colour of the testers so the product may appear a little darker in the packaging. (BTW, has anyone EVER heard of this??) When I opened up my product at home I was CONVINCED this was the wrong colour. This was not the pretty coral shade I had fallen in love with, but a darker petal pink shade, albeit VERY similar to my Mac Prom Queen blush form the Archie's Girls collection. Not happy. So this blush sat in my drawer for a few weeks, completely rejected out of my disappointment that I had not purchased a coral blush. (TOLD you I am slightly obsessive about coral). I finally gave in and reluctantly tried this product out....and completely fell in love! Such.a.pretty.colour! Perfect for the winter months. These blushes are such a beautiful quality. They last ALL day and are so pigmented that I find I need to pat the product on the back of my hand before applying and build the colour from there. Nobody is cute in clown cheeks! I have plans to purchase a few more shades from their collection, they have a really great range of colours. At $28 in Australia, Illamasqua blush is much cheaper than Nars and Mac, thanks to the company fighting to reduce Australian prices. Now you can enjoy a high end blush for $10 more than a drugstore line, or cheaper even. (I am looking at YOU Boujois and Physicians Formula!)

Illamasqua Gleam Cream Blush in Aurora 

This was an impulse buy when I purchased the above blush. The sales girl used this product to finish off my look/upsell and I loved the finish. Having never used a cream highlighting product I was excited to try this for the winter months, when my skin is, how can I put this,...completely dull and lifeless! I know everyone experiences this problem to varying degrees, however I would actually file this complaint under my biggest skin concern. I have made it my life mission finding products to increase my "face glow". This in turn has led to an obsession with highlighters, luminising foundations, glycolic acid treatments and the list goes on. So now you can understand y vast intrigue with this product. I obviously like this product as it has made it onto my June Edit. Its easy to apply with fingers, lasts all day and adds a pretty sheen to the tops of my cheekbones. Is has in fact swapped out my Mac Soft and Gentle (GASP!) this last month. This product was only $28 also, and can be purchased from Illamasqua counters as selected Myer stores. 

Nars Creamy Concealer 

This is hands down my new favourite concealer. Like many people I always seem to find my concealer getting cosy in the fine lines around my eyes, which I really don't appreciate to tell the truth. I have been searching for the perfect eye area concealer for the longest time and decided to try this Nars new release. At $35, I was surprised at how inexpensive this concealer was, in relation to everything else in the Nars range. I have heard whispers that Nars are looking at price alignment just like Illamasqua, so perhaps this product is testing the waters a little before they go ahead and slash prices. So I purchase this product in the colour Chantilly, which I will admit is way too light for my skin, however I did this with the intention of using this as an undereye highlight also. Hello two in one, goodbye cakey undereye area! I am loving this product so far. As I mentioned above, I am not experiencing any creasing and the doe foot applicator make this product super easy to apply. No more concealer nails, from digging out product from a tiny container. Oh and I forgot to mention, although I thought giving my rave review, this was obvious, this concealer has great coverage also. 

 Schwartzkopf Hair Powder 

Have I been living under a rock or what?? Somebody please explain to me how it has taken fine,limp haired me soooo long to cotton on to hair powder? This little bottle is my new miracle product. Being the fan of a voluminous bed head style on most days, this product is my saviour for creating textured, pumped up roots, especially on second and third day hair. I do find that i really need to work the product in, otherwise it makes my roots a little light. Can somebody please hurry up and invent a brunette version of these products? I find that hair powders and dry shampoos are always marketed to blondes more so, as brunettes always experience the product affecting their hair colour. I know Batiste has a brunette dry shampoo, but I have heard this product actually deposits colour into your hair, which I am also not a fan of.

NYX Nude Peach 

The perfect peach gloss. I have ditched my beloved lipstick collection this month in favour of this super easy and ridiculously pretty gloss. It is stupidly cheap (think less than $10) and I find it deposits a good amount of sheer colour to the lips, even without a lipstick underneath. The staying power is quite good for the price and if you love cherry Starburst like moi, you are going to LOVE this scent! I have received so many compliments this month on this gloss, and several girls in the office have gone ahead and ordered one for themselves. NYX should start paying me commissions!

Nars Blush in Orgasm 

It seems this post is all about me being super late to the party on every other product. However, its better late than never right?? This product is a prime example of this. Easily, Nars best selling blush colour, this gorgeous peachy pink product is much revered among the beauty community and has fast become a staple for a fuss free everyday look. This blush contains gold flecks throughout, which makes is great for winter as it will lift your complexion and make you glow. No need for a highlight here! I find this blush can be worn subtle but it also build really well if you are looking for more of a statement cheek. I also feel like this is one of those few blushes that actually would work quite well on any skintone. It really is the prettiest, most wearable blush I own.

Nars Laguna Bronzer 

Yet another product where I am completely L.T.T.P (late to the party). I have really struggled to find a bronzer I love. After a couple of purchases I wasn't completely blown away by, I was hesitant to make another purchase without full research (nerd alert!). Enter the much hyped Laguna Bronzer. I don't feel like there is much I can say about this product that has not already been said. Its a slightly shimmery bronzer, but not in a disco ball way and I find it blends really easily. I love this bronzer for contouring (although it would REALLY help if I had the Nars Contouring Brush...le sigh...), and I find that it is not too dark for my vampire skin. You do get a large amount of product, which I think helps to justify the price. It is about twice the size of a Nars blush. (See my swatch post to see them side by side)

Too Faced Boudoir Eyes Palette 

Okay, first off, lets all just stand back and admire the packaging of this product for a moment. Adorable right? It is so small and portable, so perfect for the makeup bag!  I receive this little palette as a gift from my sister in May, and have found myself reaching for it constantly ever since. I have never used any Too Faced eye shadows before, and now I am scratching my head trying to figure out why. There are the creamiest, most pigmented shadows I have ever used! They are just beautiful to work with and blend so, so easily. The idea behind this palette is to create sultry "bedroom eyes" looks, using the nine colours in the palette which range from soft pinks, greys and neutrals, moody purples and a striking black with gold specks. The palette comes with three little cards on how to create three different looks with the palette. Of course you can mix and match as well, no use always playing by the rules is there? That's not fun. I find myself creating smoky neutral looks for day really easily with this palette despite the fact that the "Boudoir Eyes" name but lead you to believe this is a night time palette. I am eager to try more of these palettes. I have my eye on Summer Eyes and Smoky Eyes in particular, and cannot wait to play with my Boudoir Eyes palette further and discover more and more looks.

So they are my most coveted products for the month of June. Let me know yours, because I LOVE trying new things. 

Jen xox

Kate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash Review

I have a confession- I am a total skincare nerd! Being someone who was thankfully blessed with quite good skin (it doesn't mean I do not have my share of complexion concerns), I will admit I am somewhat obsessive about trying out new products in hope of finding total perfection. I know, I know, I sound a little cray, what are you going to do! My latest skincare hunt was for a new cleanser. Despite liking the products I have tried from the Yes To line, I will admit  was bitterly disappointed with the Yes To Blueberry Smoothing Cleanser. My skin always felt like it had a film on it ( "smoothing effect" perhaps?) and I am extremely sceptical as to whether is cleansed my skin at all. When my tube was FINALLY empty (or near enough so I did not feel wasteful), I sounded out a little whoop of joy and hightailed it to Mecca Cosmetica. I already has an idea of what I wanted, after all, the skincare nerd always undertakes extensive research on these things. Enter Kate Somerville. I cannot say enough good things about the Kate Somerville Gentle Daily Wash. Let's start from the very top... 

I love that the packaging on this product is so simple and fuss free. The plain white tube with single colour text...it just looks so chic sitting there in my shower. The product dispenses through a hole in the cap which appears when the cap is twisted, which I thought was kind of cool. (Maybe I am sad??). 

Anywaaaaay...I was really surprised at the size of the product for the pricepoint. 120ml or 4 Fl.oz for $35.95. Pretty good in my opinion for a higher end product. I think Kate Somerville has harmonised their prices globally, as there is minimal price difference between Mecca Cosmetica and Sephora USA, which pleases me greatly! Did I mention this product smells amazing? It isn't too heavy on fragrance, but it does have a botanical-spa type scent, which is my favourite kind. I won't lie, my mission is life is to transform my bathroom in to a day spa... 

I am also loving the consistency of this product. It is a gel formula so it works really well with my beloved Clarisonic Mia , but I find it is great all on its own too. (Especially since SOMEBODY hasn't charged her Clarisonic in a week...oops!). I find it makes my skin feel really clean, with the teensiest touch of squeakiness, which I like as it really makes you feel the job has been done. I was also surprised how well it cleansed, for a gentle product. I was tossing up between the Detox Cleanser and Gentle Cleanser in the store, and the salesgirl ended up convincing me to try the Gentle formula as the Detox formula is apparently quite drying if you are not an oily/acne prone type. In my previous experiences with gentle formulas, I find they are so gentle they do not appear to do anything? Has anybody else found this? 

I am loving how Kate Somerville have eliminated a lot of common nasties found in a lot of skincare products. There are no parabens or sulfates, which I love. I am not overly pedantic about the whole "natural ingredients only" thing, but I do like to switch out products where I can find an equal or better natural substitute. Did you know that your skin is a living breathing organ? There has to be SOME merit in treating it nicely right? I mean, product you put on your skin is immediately absorbed into your system, so if these products are full of chemicals, that really can't be healthy... See below for a full list of ingredients for this product. 

In conclusion I am really enjoying this product and will definitely be repurchasing. It is relatively affordable (especially if you live in Australia), and it is a more natural alternative to some of the other cleansers on the market. Not only, for a "gentle cleanser", this product has by far exceeded my expectations. Kate Somerville Gentle Daily Cleanser has earned itself a very secure little home in my shower caddy. 


INGREDIENTS
-Lavender Essence and Natural Sage: To soothe the skin

Water, Sodium C14-16 Olefin Sulfonate, Cocamidopropyl Betaine, PEG/PPG-8/3 Diisostearate, Glycerin, Acrylates Copolymer, Silicone Quaternium-8, Saponins, Butylene Glycol, Chlorphenesin, Sodium Hydroxide, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Disodium EDTA, Potassium Sorbate, Sodium Benzoate, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Oil, Zinc PCA, Citric Acid, Limonene, Linalool.


Jen xox