This month’s beauty edit is pretty heavy on makeup; safe to say I went ham on the concealers this past month, all in search of ‘the one’. I don’t often get worked up for a beauty sale, but couldn’t resist when I spotted Priceline were offering 1/2 price off most makeup lines, which was ample temptation for me to stock up on some new (to me) drugstore makeup.
The Makeup Edit
Dior Backstage Face & Body Foundation in ‘2WO’ | I thought we’d kick off the makeup edit by talking about my most recent foundation purchase: the Dior Backstage Face & Body. I’d seen this everywhere on my Instagram, and it’s safe to say that curiosity got the better of me; I decided to splurge on it during a spontaneous trip to Sephora with my sister. Given I only had one foundation that was a match for my winter skin, I think it’s safe to say I was craving a second option to mix things up.
The formula of this is quite wet and has more of a thin consistency. I find it applies best sparingly with fingers, or with a fluffy brush, focused on the areas where you want coverage. The way I use it, it gives me light coverage; it balances out my skin tone, helps to reduce the appearance of redness and blemishes, with a dewy, natural finish – almost like I’ve applied a little too much moisturiser. Considering my complexion has a tendency to get quite dry during the colder months, this is a bit of a skin saviour for me. It stops my skin from looking dehydrated, by adding luminosity and glow – two things I absolutely love in my base products. Overall, it’s exactly the kind of winter base I have been looking for, and I’ve really enjoyed using this (pretty much daily) throughout the month of July. Definitely a keeper!
Marc Jacobs Accomplice Concealer in ‘Medium 33’ | Back in June, I was fortunate enough to attend a Marc Jacobs Master Class with the one and only NikkieTutorials. One of the hero products that she introduced that evening, was the new Accomplice Concealer. Straight off the bat, I knew I had to try it. I opted for shade ‘Medium 33’, which admittedly my be a touch darker than my skin tone, however I find it works a treat for brightening up any darkness in my inner corners due to the peachy undertone. The formula of this is incredibly thick and it is seriously high coverage, so a little goes a long way. I’ll apply this using a small kabuki brush from Sigma, pulling product straight from the tube and then working it into the areas where I need coverage, and I always apply underneath foundation. Any redness I have completely disappears with this product, though I will say you do want to make sure you have a super hydrated base to start, as otherwise it can settle a little on the top of the skin. Ultimately, a bit of a hero product for me, and one I’ve used daily since adding it to my collection.
L’Oreal True Match Concealer in ‘3N Creamy Beige’ | Priceline recently held one of their 1/2 price makeup sales, and I made sure to seriously take advantage of the discount. One of the first things I picked up to try was this concealer from L’Oreal. I’d not heard much about this, but the packaging and applicator reminded me of the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer (a product I still need to try), so I thought I’d give it a go. I absolutely love this concealer. It’s got a thin, consistency which is very easy to blend out – again I use a brush – and I like the vibrant peachy undertone. It’s the perfect counterbalance to the purple tones under my eyes. Because the formula is so creamy, it will initially crease if not set with powder. Usually, I’ll wait until creases appear, and use my finger to pat them out; after that, I don’t have any further problems with creasing.
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Concealer in ‘Light’ | This product has a serious cult following. I actually tried it a few years back but couldn’t remember how I felt about it, so thought I’d give it another go. I opted for two colours as there were no testers available: light and medium. I find that this works best when applied over the top of a dewy foundation. I’ve been using it more sparingly as my current strategy with base products is that a little goes a long way. Again, I’ve blended this out primarily using a brush, which I find to be most effective. And I can see why it’s such a beloved product. It’s easy to work with, and the colours are fairly neutral but brightening at the same time, and have more of a medium but buildable coverage. I’ve seen this complaint before, but I don’t love the sponge applicator, though I don’t think I’ll let that stop me from using this product. One thing I didn’t find that this worked so well over is any textural patches on my skin. I have some redness and texture around my chin – a side effect of having eczema on my face – and while this does give me coverage, it doesn’t provide me with a super smooth finish. Overall, a decent concealer from the drugstore, and one I’ll happily keep using on rotation.
Marc Jacobs O!Mega Bronze in 106 Tantalize | One of my favourite products of the month is this bronzer from Marc Jacobs. I’ve completely given up using my Beached Bronzer from Urban Decay in favour of this. The power is finely milled, blends out beautifully on the skin, and I find it doesn’t have a powdery finish. It looks more flawless and creamy, a little how I’d expect a cream bronzer to perform. Oh, and the pan is enormous. There’s 25 grams of product in there, and the mirror is giant, which makes it a good size for travel (assuming you don’t have another option).
NYX Ultimate Shadow Palette in ‘USP03 Warm Neutrals’ | I’m a sucker for eyeshadow. No matter how many palettes I already have in my stash, it’s the one thing you can bet I’ll keep buying. What sold me on this palette was the colour story – pink and brown toned neutrals – and the balanced mix of mattes and shimmers. I’ve used this quite a bit since buying it, and have to say I think it’s a good basic palette for every day. The formula isn’t very powdery so you don’t get a lot of kick up, yet it blends out quite nicely on the eye. Perhaps the only downside is that it isn’t anywhere near as pigmented as my shadows from brands like NARS or Anastasia Beverley Hills, but I don’t necessarily mind that. Sometimes it’s nice to have an eyeshadow option which is softer and will easily translate for a day/office makeup look.
NYX Matte Liquid Liner | My sister is a bit of a whiz when it comes to makeup, so I love chatting to her about what products she’s using at the moment. This liquid liner from NYX came highly recommended, so I thought I’d give it a go, as an alternative to my safe zone; the felt tip liner. And it’s been a total winner. While I initially found the brush style applicator a little tricky to manoeuvre, after using the liner for a few days I got the hang of it. It’s solid black, incredibly pigmented, and doesn’t budge once set. Plus I love the affordable price point. Definitely one I’ll be repurchasing for sure.
L’Oreal Paradise Ecstatic Mascara | Of all the ‘new in’ beauty products I shared on my Insta-stories, this was the one I got the most DMs about. So many of you love this, and having heard good things, I was curious about giving it a go. It’s worth noting, I’m exceptionally tough on my mascaras. I look for volume, length, and a formula that won’t budge or smudge. And unfortunately, this wasn’t the ‘one’. A lot of the advice I was given about this mascara was that it was best when it dried out a little, and that I should remove excess product from the wand.
This has a bushy natural fibre wand (tick!), which picks up excessive amounts of product from in the tube. I found that unless you wiped this on the lip of the tube, your lashes would look quite clumpy – not quite the look I’m going for. It adds a lot of volume (tick), but I found it didn’t do much to add length to my lashes. Perhaps the biggest problem for me was how much it smudged on my brow bone – much more than any other mascara I’ve tried, which I think might be down to the very wet formula.
If you want some serious volume, and don’t have the same issue I have with mascara smudging, then this could be one worth trying, though I’d recommend trying to snap it up during one of Priceline’s 1/2 price cosmetics sales.
The Skincare Edit
Clarins Multi-Active Jour | After blitzing my skin with new launch after new launch, I’ve decided to take a back seat on trying out new skincare products. The only “new” addition to my daily routine has been this day cream from Clarins. I did some work with them recently to promote their multi-active collection, and quickly fell in love with the range. This feels ridiculously soft on the skin, sinks in quickly, and provides a good base for make up. It’s not tacky or sticky, and doesn’t leave my complexion feeling greasy. It has more of a satin finish to it. There is a light fragrance to the moisturiser, but I find this to be pretty inoffensive. If I’m after an extra hydration boost, I’ll also add in a couple drops of the Clarins Lotus Oil which I find works a treat with my combination/oily (but dehydrated) skin.
The Beauty Edit
Jo Malone Hair Mist in ‘Wild Bluebell’ and ‘English Pear & Freesia’ | Newly launched to Jo Malone’s permanent collection are this duo of Hair Mists, in ‘Wild Bluebell’ and ‘English Pear & Freesia’. I’m a big fan of Jo Malone fragrances in general. They pack a punch, and I love the ability to layer up fragrances to create a sort of ‘custom’ scent. Unlike their perfume range, these are designed to be spritzed into your hair; they’re infused with organ oil and vitamin B to add extra nourishment to your locks. I’ve been pairing these two together. They’re a fun way to add a bit of extra dimension to your scent profile for the day, though I think if you wanted them to be multi-purpose, you could also use them as a traditional style perfume on your pulse points as well.
