May Favourites
It's this time of the month again. It's time to talk about all my beauty/skincare/hair favourites I have been using throughout May (which by the way has flowwwwwwn by) and I have a pretty good bunch of goodies this month with a fair few newbies and some al time beauty staples which you'll find me banging on about most of the time. When it comes to beauty, May is a pretty good month as most brands are releasing new products, S/S collections and generally the shelves are bulging with products. So new products this month, we have a relatively new micellar water, a nipple balm for your lips, a brand I can't stop talking about, some nail polishes that haven't let my tips and a load of other amazing products. Due to a major product over load and having about 20 favourites this month (oops) I'm mixing things up a bit and will be splitting it into Base, Cheeks, Eyes, Lips, Skincare, Hair, Nails so it doesn't take you 20 minutes to read this post, buttttt you may want to grab a cup of tea with this one...
SKINCARE: Between new launches and some old favourites, I've been really into my skincare this month and have managed to pick up a few products along for a pre-summer skincare boost. I've been really focussing on boosting my hydration levels recently and I've found The Body Shop Vitamin E range has been totally fabulous - so fabulous I've managed to pick up half the collection. Each product in the range is packed full of goodness, ensuring your skin is recharged with moisture and stays hydrated throughout the day and night. The products I have been loving from the range are the Vitamin E Night Cream & Day Cream to moisturise, nourish and hydrate, the Vitamin E Toner to keep my skin silky soft and for a instant refresher throughout the day then the Face Mist has become an essential. One thing my skincare shelf has been lacking recently is an exfoliator, so the hunt began and despite falling deeply in love with the Oskia Micro Exfoliating Balm, I couldn't quite convince myself that spending £46 on an exfoliator was okay, so I headed to boots and stuck with a brand that is affordable and has high quality, effective products. You got it, it's Super Facialist and I picked up the Rose Brighten and Refine Facial Scrub. For twice a week use, this works really well at buffing away dead skin cells, revealing a brighter complexion and stimulating natural cellular renewal. My skin is left feeling radiant, soft and healthy all for £8.99. Another new product that's made it's way onto my shelf is the Soap and Glory Drama 5 in 1 Micellar Water- a cool cucumber/aleovero based water that removes impurities and revitalises, perfect for removing any last traces of makeup or for a quick clean in the morning.
HAIR: There's only really been one product thats really stood out for my this month in the hair department and thats the Charles Worthington Moisture Seal Rescue Masque. Enriched with Argan Oil and scented with a beautiful lime and mandarin smell, I use this twice a week as an intensive treatment to give my hair a really intensive burst of moisture and nourishment, keeping it soft and smooth, ready to style. The thick cream restores any dry ends giving you the ultimate shine boost.
NAILS: If there's been one nail polish brand I've been buying from and buying from this month, it's Barry M, these colours have been on and off my nails all the time and if I'm ever unsure on what colour to go for, I'll go back to one of these. Papaya is a spring-y coral, Eat My Dust is a beautiful pastel blue and Rosehip, my newest addiction, is a soft baby pink rose.
BASE: As we are heading into Summer, for me, makeup should be glowing and luminous with a lit from within look so to achieve this, I've been blending in some Soap and Glory Hocus Focus to the areas I want to glow the most, mainly focussing on my cheeks. With this applied, you are guaranteed glowing skin whatever product you put on top. From previous blog posts throughout May and Instagram photos, you've probably guessed what my go to base has been... surprise surprise it's the Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser. I've been really anti foundation recently and can't bare the thought of wearing so I've been reaching for this to give me a healthy glow and enough coverage to even out my skin tone but not enough to make me look like I've got foundation on or to feel heavy on my skin. Paired with my Estee Lauder Brush on BB Glow, I have perfected my go to base. The light creamy consistency of the concealer works beautifully with the TM as it brightens my eyes, corrects redness and adds an added hint of luminosity all over.
CHEEKS: The products I'm most excited about this month are definitely the powders and creams I've been slapping onto my cheeks. All three are relatively new products which makes it even more exciting for you as I'm not yapping on about the same products again & again and obviously finding new products you love is great. I've slowly gravitated away from the powder contours and have slowly moved towards the creams which all began when I picked up my Kevyn Aucoin Candllight and Sculpting Creamy Glow Duo from SpaceNK. This has hands down been my product of the month and Kevyn Aucoin has been my brand of the month - nothing beats it at the moment in my books! For a really natural contour then this is ideal and as it is slightly warm toned it doubles up as a fab cream bronzer, ideal. Oh and it is paired with the most beautiful highlighter which is my new fav product to fake that glow with. For the lazy days when I'm just going for concealer and a brow gel then I will reach for a powder bronzer and my go to recently has been Soap & Glory Solar Powder as it warms up my skin and adds a touch of bronze where the sun would naturally hit. To keep my glowy base and highlighted cheeks in place all day then I dust some Bobbi Brown Brightening Finishing Powder in Nude over the top which sets it in place without mattifying, it actually adds a finish touch of radiance.
EYES: My eyes this month have mainly involved me swiping on a shadow stick, giving it a little blend and adding a layer of mascara, lazy I know, but I loooove the finished look. For a subtle shimmer of lilac then my Clinique Chubby Stick Shadow Tint in Lavish Lilac is the one. When I'm not feeling purple, then I tend to lean towards my more luxurious eye shadow stick option - Chanel Stylo EyeShadow Fresh Effect EyeShadow
. I love everything from the bronze taupe shade to the cooling sensation on application, to the metallic finish. Long wearing, pigmented, blend-able and easy to apply all in about 10 seconds, is there an easier way to jazz up your eyes?!
LIPS: Joining in on the lazy eye club here, I haven't been doing anything too exciting with my lips recently and everyday has been a balm day. The famous By Terry Baume De Rose has been keeping my lips nourished and moisturised whilst repairing them and replenishing them of any lost moisture. With a beautiful rose scent and a nude-ish clear finish, you can't beat this stuff in the lip balm department. A recent addition to my makeup bag has been the Dr Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips - A multi purpose balm which can be used on lips, cuticles, nipples and any areas of dry skin, this is a really handy handbag must have. Despite all of these uses, so far I've only been using it as an over night lip mask to keep my lips super soft and to prevent any cracks.
So, May was a pretty good month for me in terms of a few too many SpaceNK trips, some amazing new beauty releases and finding a new found eye shadow love. June, you got some serious work to do.
What products have you been loving this month?