June’s Beauty Bag

This month there weren’t too many purchases and to be honest I spent more time on some old favourites as the new products were not so great. Without being completely negative, I think it’s important to share the not so good products, as I get annoyed when I waste my money, so I don’t want you to do the same. Something else happened this month that made up for my disappointment.  This month I got to update someone else’s beauty bag.

Before I get into that, a quick run down of what I got my hands on this month. First up is a hair product and one that I may have got a little carried away with. I won’t go into too many details as there is a hair post coming soon. For reasons that will be explained at a later stage, I thought I would try the Charles Worthington Style Setter Salt spray. I’ve only used this a few times and on first impressions it’s good, but not for my hair type. This is probably a bit of a tease but let’s just say if you have wavy hair and need a little something, then I would give this product a go.

My next newbie was inspired by Rimmel’s Kate Shadow Stick in shade Deep Amethyst  which I love. I use it as eyeliner and besides the fact that I love the colour, this product doesn’t budge! Feeling brave enough to try a new colour, I bought  Maybelline’s Master Smoky Eyeshadow pencil in the shade Smoky Navy. Unfortunately from the word go, I was not happy. It comes with the pencil on one end and a smudger thing on the other. Before I even got to use the product, the smudger came right off the pencil! It could be a case of bad luck but I hate it when I buy a new product and it’s broken! Hate is a strong word so I hope you can feel my annoyance!

On to the pencil itself; the colour is gorgeous and it goes on nicely. The first time I tried it, I didn’t really give it a fair go. You all know by now that I have oily eyelids and find most eye products end up on my cheeks. So, there I was, off to visit a friend, I had hardly any makeup on and no eye primer. By the time I got home I even scared myself in the mirror as it looked like I was wearing blue blush not blue eyeliner! The next day I thought I’d do it right so I did my face as normal and used my saving grace, Urban Decay’s Eyeshadow Primer Potion. No joy. By the end of the day the liner on my lid was still slightly visible, but the liner on my lower lash line was completely gone. I will not be using this again!

As you can see, hardly any new products, but some old favourites to mention. I already spoke of the Urban Decay eye primer which I love and would never give up! I’m still using the L’Oréal’s Infallible 24hr Matte Foundation (see full review here) and my thoughts haven’t changed. It is a great product and I have found that because I have a bit more colour on my face, I can use even less foundation and I still get great coverage and staying power. I know some people switch to BB, CC, EE creams in the warmer months but I prefer to stick to my foundation and use less of it but that’s just me.

Now the fun bit. This month I was lucky enough to have some bathroom time with my sis. Mrs P, as fabulous as she is, is not quiet as into skincare and makeup as myself.  Now I’m no expert but I know her, I know her skin and I know what has worked for me so that was the base for my advice. After many conversations about the importance of washing your face morning and night and removing makeup, we progressed to cleansing and serums. To be fair, Mrs P was using a cleanser but I’m a fan of the double cleanse so that was step 2 (after wash your face of course!). Next up, serums. I have to say I am completely addicted to Vichy Aqualia Thermal serum (see original review here and update here). As far as I know, Vichy is not available in Oz, but I love the product so much I sent her home with a bottle. I also threw in the La Roche-Posay Serozinc as this too does wonders for my skin and I wanted her to try it. I have to say the results from Serozonic are not as visible as lets say the Vichy serum but it has such a cool, calming effect on my skin that I wanted her to feel the same.

I know not everyone cares for skincare or makeup but can I just say, skincare routines are not just about removing makeup. Taking care of your skin is like taking care of your health, your teeth, your back etc. It is the time I put aside for me. Granted it is only 5 minutes or so but  I do it for me and that is something I hope Mrs P and hopefully you too, get from all my beauty and makeup chat. I wash my face, take care of my skin and wear makeup because it makes me feel good and who doesn’t want to feel good? If you don’t wear makeup or don’t have money to spend on skincare products, that’s completely ok. We are in a very fortunate position these days because there are great budget brands that do amazing products and yes you need to wash, cleanse and moisturize your face everyday, whether you wear makeup or not.

Until next month, wash your face, please.

xo