Hey everyone, it’s time for my May Hits & Misses. I didn’t do one in April because at the time I just didn’t feel like I had enough products to include and as I was trying some new products, I couldn’t really give a full review without thoroughly trying them out.
Hits
Becca ‘Parisian Lights’ Shimmering Perfector — If you’re a long-time follower, you’ll know that I adore highlighter, I simply can’t get enough of them, they’re without a doubt one of my most favourite makeup products and this particular highlight is one of absolute favourite highlighters.
It’s such a beautiful colour and looks stunning on the skin. In the pan it looks like a light pink, but on the skin, it’s more of a golden sheen. It’s not shimmery, glittery or chunky. It’s very smooth and just glides on without being over the top or blinding. I travelled recently and this was the only highlight I brought with me; I didn’t even have to think about it. I have a full review on this highlighter here.
Bobbi Brown Extra Repair Eye Cream — If you’ve been following me for a while, you’ll probably remember my review of this Bobbi Brown cream (here) and I wasn’t a fan of it as an eye cream, it just wasn’t hydrating enough for that area. However, when I went away I forgot my lip balm and this was all I had, so I tried it as a lip balm and I have to say, it makes a fabulous lip balm.
It feels absolutely gorgeous on, and it is sticky, greasy heavy or uncomfortable. I particularly love to apply it before applying a liquid or matte lipstick as they apply so much better over it and look better too. My lips feel really lovely when I apply this and let it soak in for a few minutes. As well as being a good lip balm, I like to use this around my nostrils if I have a cold or my skin is particularly dry as it really helps with moisturising those areas.
It’s pretty pricey full price, it’s €56 / £48 for 15ml which I 100% would not pay, there are other lip balms I prefer that cost half that and less, so I definitely wouldn’t be splashing out on it, if you were thinking of this, I’d recommend to try and get a sample first, it’s too expensive to risk in case you don’t like it, it didn’t work for you etc.
Catrice Lip Foundation Lip Pencils — These lip pencils are my newest ones by Catrice and they’re probably some of my most used recently. I have two shades, ‘020 Caramel Blonde To Go’ and ‘030 Addicted To Café Au Lait’. Both of which are nudes (surprise, surprise 😂).
They are absolutely beautiful. Incredibly creamy, pigmented, smooth, longwearing and they apply easily and smoothly. They don’t drag on or scratch the lips when applying. They are only €2.80 each, which is amazing for the quality of them.
Clarins Skin Illusion Foundation — Clarins is a brand I never looked to for makeup, until last year when I got their summer bronzer and fell in love. It’s still one of my absolute favourite bronzers to this day. Recently I saw a lot of bloggers and influencers talking about this foundation, so I decided to get a sample and try it out, and boy am I glad I did.
This is without a doubt one of the nicest foundations I have ever used. It’s such a beautiful formula and it is so light on the skin. It’s perfect for my dry skin and doesn’t cling to dry patches or emphasise any fine lines. It’s very longwearing and applies smoothly, evenly and feels incredibly light on. It wears well and doesn’t oxidise, go patchy, separate, gather or slide around my face. I’ve sadly finished my sample, but I will absolutely without a doubt be repurchasing this. It’d be perfect for summer because of how light it is, but also because it’s so longwearing.
Essence ‘Satin Mauve’ Lipliner — This lipliner is one I’ve had for a while and always go back to, it’s without a doubt, one of my favourites for a nude-pink lip. I’ve been wearing it with Urban Decay’s Backtalk lipstick and the two of them together make the most beautiful pinky-nude lip. They are beautiful paired together; pictures don’t do them justice.
Essence’s lipliners are some of the best affordable ones on the market. They are smooth to apply, they don’t drag, pull on or scratch the lips when applying. They are very creamy and they’re longwearing too. Best of all? They are only €1.30 each. €1.30 for a lip liner that is as good as, and better than some other more expensive ones. You can’t beat them, same with Catrice. Two of the very best affordable brands.
GlamGlow Supermud Clearing Treatment — Recently my skin has been breaking out a little more than usual and as always when I have a break out this mask is the one I use to combat them. It’s amazing for breakouts and clearing them up, it is one of my favourite ways to combat spots, both the red, cystic ones under the skin (it draws them out) and those over the skin with white heads.
It is an amazing spot treatment, and if you have oily skin, it would be amazing, I think. I have dry skin, but I don’t find this to cause further dryness, that said, I only use it once a week, because for my skin, that’s enough. It’s expensive, but it’s worth it for me. Full review here.
Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel Full Strength Exfoliating Mask — I’ve had a sample of this mask for a while and only got around to using it this month. I got four uses from this mini and from those uses I actually quite like this.
My skin is baby soft after I use this. It’s quite a runny consistency and it does tingle when first applied, which is to be expected, however it doesn’t last and it’s not uncomfortable or sore by any means.
I have very mild sensitivity and have experienced no issues with it, however if your skin was more sensitive, I would stay away from this. It has a strong smell of vinegar both in the tube and when applied to the skin, however, once rinsed off there is no residual smell.
La Roche-Posay Toleriane Ultra Eyes — The Ultra Eyes eye cream was one I’d forgotten about until I found it in my stash, so I dug it out and I’ve been using & loving it since. It’s such a gorgeous, light cream that absorbs quickly and doesn’t feel greasy.
The Ultra Eyes eye cream was one I’d forgotten about until I saw Warren from Beauty Stylist Warren mention it on his Instagram Stories and I remembered I had some left, so I dug it out and I’ve been loving it since. It’s such a gorgeous, light cream that absorbs quickly and doesn’t feel greasy or heavy. My concealer applies and performs as normal without any issues.
Marc Jacobs Air Blush Soft Glow Duo in ‘Lines & Last Night 502’ — This blush is stunning. It is a cream and deep tangerine duo that looks beautiful on. In the pan it looks kinda scary, but it doesn’t come off nearly as strong on the cheeks (depending on how much you use of course), but they’re not overly pigmented so unless you are heavy handed with it, you won’t look like Aunt Sally.
Once applied, this goes nowhere. It has a super smooth texture and applies beautifully. It wears well for a good 8-10 hours without fading or wearing away unevenly leaving patches. It doesn’t oxidise and despite being tangerine in colour, it doesn’t appear orange on my pretty pale skin.
NARS Radiant Longwear Foundation — I’ve spoken about this foundation before (see here) and I’m speaking about it again because frankly, it’s amazing and one of the best and nicest foundations I’ve used. When I travelled recently, this was my foundation of choice and honestly, when I travel again, I’ll be bringing it. It is exactly as the name suggests it is — radiant and longwearing. I spent long periods of time on stuffy buses and trains, the weather was around 20°C – 22°C degrees and despite all that, this foundation held up amazingly.
Just like Clarins Skin Illusion, this wears well and doesn’t oxidise, go patchy, separate, gather or slide around my face. It doesn’t feel as light as Clarins Skin Illusion, but it certainly does not feel heavy. It is a really beautiful foundation and one I would reach for especially for long days because I know it won’t go anywhere, once it’s on, it’s on and it won’t move.
Soap & Glory Peaches & Clean Deep Cleansing Milk — This is my second or third bottle of this stuff, I love it. It smells like peaches and feels so nice on. I love to take 2-3 pumps in my hands and then gentle massage into my skin to break down make up before going in with a second cleanser.
This is wonderful for really breaking down makeup for quick and easy removal. It’s not great for waterproof makeup, but I don’t expect it to be, I usually need to use an oil for waterproof makeup, but for non-waterproof, it’s fabulous. It’s very inexpensive and is regularly on offer, too. Well worth picking up if you like a gentle but effective milk cleanser.
Superdrug Calm Skin Overnight Face Mask — The newest overnight mask I have and one I will 100% repurchase. This is beautiful. It has a very light gel texture that absorbs almost immediately upon application, it doesn’t feel sticky or tacky, it feels just like a moisturiser does. I love this both for overnight and for days when I’m not wearing makeup and want to give my skin an extra boost. It’s very light and doesn’t feel heavy.
I especially love it for using after the GlamGlow Supermud Treatment, it’s like an extra treat for my skin. It’s very affordable too, it is only £2.99 full price and regularly on offer, too. If you’re on lookout for an overnight mask that will help to calm, sooth, hydrate and moisturise your skin; this one is worth checking out.
Superdrug Calm Skin Soothing Face Wash — The newest face wash I have and the one I have been using pretty much since I got it. It’s fabulous and so affordable too. It’s very gentle on my skin, it’s effective without stripping my skin or causing further dryness. My skin feels clean and soft when I use this. It smells absolutely gorgeous too. I picked this up from Superdrug along with the Overnight Face Mask (above) and they were buy one get one half price, full price they are £2.99 each, which is super affordable.
Tatcha Luminous Dewy Skin Mist — This product is one that I have heard a lot about and I desperately wanted to try it so I ordered it from Sephora before Christmas and only got around to using recently, and I can see why it is so hyped up. It gives the most beautiful luminosity to my skin, but it doesn’t look greasy or shiny, just luminous. It’s really beautiful. The mist is very fine, so you won’t get blobs of product all over your face and it absorbs really quickly too, so no hanging around for ages waiting for it to absorb.
The smell is the only thing I dislike. It reminds me of something, but I can’t quite put my finger on what, but I really don’t like it. Thankfully, it dissipates once absorbed so it’s not around for long.
This is pretty pricey, $48 USD for 40ml, so if it’s something you want, I would wait until Sephora have a sale or maybe buy the mini version (12ml) for $20. It’s still expensive, but better than paying out double that if you dislike it.
Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in ‘Backtalk’ — The most beautiful pinky nude I’ve ever used. This is stunning. It is a beautiful warm, pinky-nude that would suit pretty much everyone, I think. I find a lot of nude pinks don’t really suit me because they are too light and they just don’t look right on me, but this more of a mauve shade, which is my favourite nude/neutral colour to wear.
I love the formula of these Vice lipsticks; they are incredibly comfortable to wear and very longwearing too. Backtalk is a comfort matte, but to be honest, I would describe it more as a satin or cream, I don’t find it matte at all, even over a lip liner.
Misses
La Roche-Posay Hydraphase Intense Serum — The Hydraphase Intense Serum is one I’ve used before and using it this month reminded me why I have about half a bottle left to use — I’m not a fan of it.
It’s exceptionally light, like a very runny gel and when I press it into my skin, it just seems to disappear into my skin, but without doing anything. My skin is dehydrated and very dry so hydration is something I need, and need a lot of, and this doesn’t really give my skin the hydration that it needs.
If you had normal or only slightly dry skin, this might work for you, because of how light it is, it’d be great for summer time or holidays where you wat hydration, but don’t want heavy products and because this is so light, it absorbs almost immediately, so it’s perfect for the warmer months ahead.
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