Hits & Misses | July 2019

Hey everyone, I am back with a new post after taking some time off from blogging.  I mentioned in a recent Instagram post (here) that I am going through some health issues at the moment and because of those, I can’t post as regularly as I would like to unfortunately.  I’m still blogging, but not as much as I was previously although I hope that you’ll still stop by and enjoy the posts that I do publish and I hope that over the next while I will be able to blog more regularly because I really miss it. 💖

Today’s post is, as you can tell by the title, my current beauty favourites. These are some products that I have been really enjoying using over the past number of weeks and I’m still using them, so I figured rather than a monthly hits and misses, I would do this post as it seems more relevant to everything I want to talk about than products I use in a specific month (if that makes any sense 😂🙈).  There are quite a number of products I want to talk about, so I’ll get straight into it.  If there are any products you’ve been loving lately, let me know, I would love to hear from you! 💖

Hits

Charlotte Tilbury Bar of Gold Highlighting Trio & Hollywood Flawless Filter – Charlotte released this highlighter trio last Christmas, and, at the time, it was one that I contemplated buying, but considering the amount of highlighters I have and the fact this was €55, I didn’t think I would get the use from it, and decided against it, however I was recently given it, and it’s quickly become one of my go-to products as of late.  It’s simply beautiful. 

The highlighters are incredbly smooth, even smoother than the Anastasia Amrezy Highlight (review here) and they are so smooth to the touch.  The lightest shade reminds me a lot of the highlighter in the L’Oréal Glam Bronze Duo in Blonde Harmony (review here), but it is a smoother formula.  I love how well these really blend into the skin and give a gorgeous glow, but wout being over the top or blinding, they just give the most beautiful glow.  

I initially didn’t think I would get use from all three shades, but I do.  A suggestion by Lauren from Beauty With Lauren of mixing all three shades together works so much better than using individual shades, for me personally.  As well as highlighters, the two darker shades (the rose gold and brighter gold) work beautifully as eyeshadows too.  

If you’re a long-time follower of mine, you will know that this product is a staple for me, especially as I have dry skin. I simply can’t be without it. It’s amazing and gives the most stunning dewy, glowy finish to my skin, but without being oily, greasy or overly shiny.

I love it under and over foundation, but also mixed in with my foundation, which has been my preference as of late.  I dab my foundation/base product on along with this and buff them together to give me a gorgeous, dewy, healthy complexion and I love it. It looks beautiful and even in the heat, it lasts well. Full review here.

MAC Aladdin Collection ‘Always One Jump Ahead’ Highlighter & ‘Whole New World’ Lipstick — MAC’s Aladdin Collection has to be one of my favourite collections from them.  I loved everything about it and although I wasn’t planning to get anything, when ASOS emailed me a discount code and I spotted these in stock, I decided to get them.  They were the only two things that I really wanted, but most definitely, did not need. 😂🙈

This highlighter is stunning, both as a highlighter and an eyeshadow.  MAC describe it as a blush, but for me anyway, it’s definitely not a blush, it is far too glowy to be a blush.

It gives the most beautiful golden glow to my skin and looks fabulous.  The formula is so smoothly and creamy to use.  It just glides on and doesn’t look chunky or glittery.  If you see this in store, definitely check it out, it’s absolutely beautiful and well worth picking up.

If you know me, you’ll know I love a bright, bold pink lip, especially at this time of year and this is one I have been reaching for over and over again.  It’s a stunning vibrant pink, that has a blue hue in the bullet, but when on the lips, that hue is undetectable. 

It has a gorgeous formula, that’s not drying and didn’t tug on my lips when applying.  It is very slightly sheer, so I like to apply a liner underneath for full opacity and colour payoff.  It’s a long-lasting lipstick, however, it does perform better and last longer with a liner underneath.  Without a liner it will last for around 4-6 hours and with a liner, up to 10 hours. I didn’t find the lipstick to feather or bleed with or without a lipliner.

Marc Jacobs See-Quins Gitter Eyeshadows in ‘Copperazzi’ & ‘ Gleam Girl’  — Marc Jacobs released these eyeshadows as part of their Christmas 2018 collection & I had been dying to get them, so finally I did, and oh my god, they were worth the wait!  They are amazing!  I absolutely adore them. 

They are incredibly pigmented, so only a little is needed as they go a very long way.  They’re a buttery, creamy formula and they apply so smoothly and wear really well.  There is a little bit of fall out from them, in partiular the glitter particles, however, the fallout wipes away easily without streaking or leaving glitter behind. 

They apply and perform well both with and without a primer, however, I do find that there is slightly less fallout if I pat them on over a sticky base, but other than that, there really isn’t a noticeable difference.  I’m not sure if these are still available, but if they are, they are well worth picking up

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Tint — This has been my go-to complexion product of late.  It’s exactly as the name suggests – a hydrating tint.  This does not give full or even medium coverage, it gives barely-there coverage, which I am loving at the moment, especially when mixed with my beloved Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter.

These two together give the most beautiful light base that is glowy and dewy, but not greasy or oily looking. Because they are light, they don’t feel heavy on the skin and when I’m wearing them, I don’t feel like I’m wearing anything other than skincare to be honest, that’s how light they are.  I’ve been using this tint for around a year now, and it’s a firm favourite of mine, especially for this time of year, where you want something, but not full coverage and not a foundation, this is a nice medium between a full and bare face. 

On its own this tint has a matte finish, but it doesn’t look dry, heavy or cakey, it just looks healthy.  I love that my own skin still comes through so it’s not masked over. The only European stockist I can find for this is Amazon UK, however I usually buy mine from Walgreens as it is regularly on offer.  Full review here.

Tarte Clay Pot Waterproof Shadow Liner — This is a beautiful light pink cream eyeshadow that is perfect for giving a bright-eyed appearance, especially on days where I look tired and need some brightness in my life!  It’s a very light pink shade, but it isn’t stark, it’s just a really nice pink shade.  It is called Rose Gold, but personally, I wouldn’t describe it as rose gold at all.

It has a very light creamy texture and formula which applies and blends easily, doesn’t crease or fade and lasts all day.  I’ve worn this for up to ten hours, and there is very minor wear showing, despite it having been on for so long.  It’s super pigmented, so only a little is needed and it works well both with and without a primer.  It’s so easy to use for a quick eye look, just sweep a little over the lids and blend up through my crease, add mascara and you’re good to go.    

Misses

Although this post is titled ‘My Current Beauty Favourites’, I do have a couple of misses that I would like to include, there aren’t many, but even still, they are products I’d like to include and explain why they are misses for me. 

Boscia Everyday Gel to Mousse Cleanser — This was a big disappointment  for me.  I’ve heard great things about Boscia products, so I had high hopes for this one and when I saw it in TK Maxx for €3, I snapped it up! 😂🙈 Unfortunately, this did not work for me. 

It stipped my skin and caused two painful, cystic spots that were sore, red and angry looking and took ages to clear up, even now they are gone about two weeks, I still have two marks from where they were! I’m hoping that over time they will fade and become less noticeable, because even through some foundations, they are still visible and I have to add concealer over my foundation just to try and hide them. 

After I used this my skin felt tight, uncomfortable and very dry, so it’s not something I can use.  Maybe if you had normal or very oily skin it might work, but I’d be wary of recommending it given how drying it was for me personally.  It was only €3, which I’m glad it was, because had it been full price (€15 or €18 IIRC) I would be a lot more disappointed.  

Moschino ‘Fresh Couture’ Eau de Toilette — I’ll cut to the chase with this — I don’t like it at all.  This, to me, smells like Zoflora and a berry scented bleach mixed together.  It’s awful.  I like Zoflora for cleaning, but I don’t want to smell like it, and I absolutely don’t want to smell like I’ve been dousing myself in a mixture of Zoflora and bleach! 

It’s quite a strong scent too, so if you are sensitive to smell, I would avoid it or at least sniff it in a shop before purchasing it.  Altough it had a strong scent, it did fade over about 4-5 hours, which I was happy with.  I sprayed it on myself while rushing out the door one morning without smelling it previously, and boy did I regret it! Normally I like a perfume to last, but I was glad when this dissipated!

What products have you been loving recently? Let me know in the comments, I would love to hear from you!

Thank you for reading, until next time, take care xx

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