July Favorites

I don't typically do monthly favorites just because I don't rotate out products as much as many other youtube or beauty bloggers do. But if you have read any of my previous travel/ packing blogs, you know that I have packed some variety of products to use too. So I figured, since these were different from a lot of my usual products...I could just show you which ones I opted to use the most this month.  (I'd also like to mention that having less products has been extremely relaxing because I don't feel so stressed out that I have so much to use up!) Without further comment, here are my July Most Used Products.

 Eyes Products:

Shadow: I have opted for this little trio from 

LA Colors (it's in the shade Nude) and love it.  Obviously I have

hit pan on two of the shadows.  I find this versatile and just very easy to use in 

very busy mornings.  This is also a really great basic trio where 

you can just add on shimmery or glittery shadows to bring it to an evening/ dramatic look. 

Look at those dents!

Liner: I have gone back to my gel liner roots! (and now expanded to liquid!)

I love this gel liner from ELF and believe it'll be one of those

that I'll always fall back to. The coffee color is great because it's still not as dark as black, but dark enough to line.  The liquid liner is something I've gotten into,
I've never previously been a fan but it's awesome to make a dramatic eye.
The shade Midnight is also nice because it's a dark navy.

Primer/Base: Of course, If you have been following my blog for a while,
you will know that I am in LOVE with my NYX eyeshadow base in
Skintone.  This small pot has lasted me for over a year and it still is running strong.  It does not
crease on me and I just find it makes my eyeshadows stay SO long.

Mascara: Benefit Badgal mascara is such an oldie but a goodie.
This was my first mascara (not same tube...this is a new one) that I got and was introduced to.
I find this one gives me dark but long lashes.  I keep coming back to this mascara!

Face:

Concealer: I have been loving my ELF Studio Line Under Eye Concealer and Highlighter due.

Ok scratch that, I love the concealer part of the due, I dislike

the Highlighter portion of it.  I have a whole review up on this product, so check it

out to find out why I like it so much!

Blush: Yep, I'm still working through my Rimmel London Blush.  

This is a great dupe for Benefit's Dandelion, the only downside is that I no longer see this

at my drugstores.  (womp womp womb) I like that I can be a bit heavy handed 

with this blush, and still not turn out looking like a clown. 

It's also great because it leave a slight sheen on the cheeks so you don't really need a 

highlighter. 

Bronzer: At home I use the Physicians Formula Bronze Booster, but that thing

is SO clunky.  So I opted to take along a sample of Hoola bronzer

from Benefit.  I like this bronzer, but haven't quite fallen in love with it. 

Finishing Powder: If you keep up with my previous "trying to finish out 

products" you'll know that I've been working on a different product, but I didn't want

to possibly risk smashing my powder in flight, so I opted to take the NYC Smooth Mineral Loose Finishing Powder in Natural Veil.  I'm not a huge fan of loose powders

because they cause a huge mess.  But this summer I've been using the heck out of it!

Body/ Skincare:

St. Ive Apricot Scrub: Oh my gosh, I forgot how much I actually love this product.

After finishing out my large bottle, and vowing to not buy another face wash until my big bottles were done, I almost forgot about how great this makes my skin feel.  I think I'll have to break my ban and purchase this again. 

bebebeauty Face Experts: I picked this up here in Poland as a makeup remover and I love it.  

It's best explained as a milky, makeup remover lotion.  I had a different brand 

but same product a long time ago and loved it.  This doesn't sting my eyes

and takes off EVERY bit of makeup.  

Nivea anti-perspirant Stress Protect: The USA doesn't mass market this product, but in some Polish

markets you can get your hands on this. At first I was skeptical because it's liquidy and I just

couldn't believe that if I had to use heavier duty stick deodorants back home,  this would work.  

Needless to say...I think I'll be picking up a few extra of these to take home!

Randoms!

Vitamin C Tablets: SO many people have been sick and even after going to 

the doctor and getting meds, they still can't shake their colds, so these tablets have been a staple

for me.  I pop one of these a day into a bottle of water, and just drink. It

tastes like lemonade too!

June Most Used

Hey everyone!
   So June came and went so quickly! It's been crazy in my area with the weather, upper 80's up to 100 degrees for most of the month!  What I realized when it comes to monthly favorites is that I might not use a lot of different products in one go, but I re-use or rediscover a lot of what I have because so many colors are similar to each other. I will try to omit a lot of the products I use a lot, because it gets repetitive and if you are wondering why I repeat some of these all the time, it is really because I haven't come across other products that I like as much as that one, or haven't gotten them. So let us start, these don't go in any specific order it's just whatever I grabbed out of my bucket first.

1. Jergens Natural Glow Face Daily Moisturizer in Medium: Yes I got into the Youtube rage of sunless tanners and bought this one. I have to say though, I don't like it for its basic purpose. I used it on my face and it had a strong scent that bothered me a lot, was oily, and even had me breakout. So I had this little bottle in my room and decided, hey! It's still a sunless tanner so I can use it on my body and at least finish it out. What I had to do because it still had a scent that was strong, was slather on an extra lotion with a citrus scent. But even then it smelled a little bit through. I won't repurchase this product because just the smell made me too self-concious.

2. Bath and Body Works White Cherry Blossom Body Splash: This was one of my favorite purchases from years ago. I remember when this product came out for the first time, and I still see why I love it so much. I like it even better than plain cherry blossom. It's light and summery, with the floral scent but it also smells like sunshine. Now you'll think I'm crazy for saying something smells like sunshine, but I'm sure you can all relate with that bright and sunny scent that when you step out of your house and take a deep breath in, and feel the sun on your face...it's just the sunshine scent haha.

3.Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Hot Magenta (03): I bought this color like 5 years ago, and felt like I could not pull it off so it sat in my nail polish box until I went hunting again.  It's such a fun and bright color. It has a metallic finish and only needs two coats. I would say that it's a dupe for OPI Pompeii Purple. It's so much fun to look down and see that awesome pop of color!

4. Elf lipstick in Seductive: So this was a product that I put into my rut bucket and I was nervous about it. I usually stayed with pinks or glossy looking lipsticks that looked like I was wearing a tinted gloss. I wore it to work for the first time with some Elf Studio Minty Gloss in San Diego and got so many compliments. It ended up creating a lovely coral shade but still muted within the red range. It has a more matte finish, but definetly worth the 1 dollar I paid.

5. Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Mellow Yellow (27): If you haven't noticed a pattern I love Sally Hansen nail polish. I feel like it doesn't get as much love, and this particular line gets only mentioned for the printed nail polish strips and for the crackle. They have so many colors in the Xtreme Wear line, and Mellow Yellow is that perfect mix of passing for a pastel and passing for a bright color. When I put it on, it made my hands look more tanned. Like that perfect extra boost to be a little darker.

6. Physicians Formula Bronze Booster in Light to Medium: I've learned a lot about bronzers recently and can say this bronzer has become a favorite. I use it mainly to contour and for the next and chest blending area. It has gold shimmer in it and a light floral-ish scent, which really doesn't bother me because it's pleasant. My dislike is the bulky packaging, but hey I won't cry over spilled milk.

7. Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips for Blue Eyes: This was the first PF product I ever bought. I will state that it is all very shimmery and I pretty much only use 4 colors from the palette.  I love using the third shade from the top as an all over color, and its just bronzy and brown enough for me to blend out and go out. As great as it is, I never use the blues in the palette so I won't repurchase the product because paying 11.99 for something I use only 4 of and the bricks are small...yeah I can find something else to use.

So those are my top most used of the month. Has anyone else use these?

Happy Shopping! (specially those shoppin the stash! :) )

May Most Used Products

Hello all! Well, it is the end of the month, and of course I have a decent bunch of products that I have been using. This month I have been working on shopping my stash and rediscovering certain products. I have so many makeup products that refuse to die out so it was a why not. I will also include the products I finished out this month, and if I plan on repurchasing them. 

1. Maybelline Falsies Volume Express in Very Black: I have just found this mascara to be awesome and makes my lashes so lush! I didn't have to wait for the formula to thicken either. It did take a few tries to get used to the brush, but this is a great product!


2. Benefit Lemon Aid: This product is of course going to be on my favorites list because I use it all the time and even have a back-up of it. It takes a long LONG time to use up, and it is basically an eye primer that has a yellow tint to it to remove any veins or discoloration in the lids. It does wonders for my eye lids and has never creased for me. While it is a little more expensive item, I got a hold of the product on ebay, brand new and in box for 6.99!


3. Wet N Wild Kohl Eye Pencil in Black: I am still working on this eye pencil, but I really only use it to line the lower waterline so that might explain it haha.  I find this product to be a great one, and really has lasted me months and I still have a good chunk of it left to get through. This is just the standard wood pencil product and a gem because it is so inexpensive.


4. Benefit Boxed Blush in Dandelion: Another product that does not want to die! This blush is very light pink with gold and pink reflects in it. This is my all the time and any time blush and I find I can wear this product day or night, winter and summer. During the summer I use it more as a highlight because it just is shimmery enough for it. It leaves a lovely and almost innocent hint of color on the cheeks. 

5. Clean and Clear Morning Burst Moisturizer: This is a product that I am not really loving, because this particular Morning Burst formula leaves me a little greasy/ shiny but I am really trying to finish this product out so I can go try something else.  It does moisturize the skin and really has no scent, but I am really ready to say good bye to it! 


6. Clean and Clear Deep Astringent for Sensitive Skin: This is such a great product. I use this every two to three days in a rotation and just find that it catches all the dirt from my face. I have been using this particular product for about 5 years and I really don't think I will stop using it. 


7. Harmon's Face Value Hydrating Toner: To be honest I bought this product because a close friend of mine kept going on and on about the need for a toner and how it's so amazing. So I went to my local discount beauty store and got this one. It's supposed to be a Harmon's dupe for a L'Oreal product. It works the same as my astringent and don't love the product. I don't think I'll be buying it again once I finish out the bottle, it takes up room on my counter!

8. Dove Clinical Protection Deodorant in Energize: I bought this deodorant on a whim and thought "hey it'll be summer, I'm starting at the gym and running outside and my car has no air conditioning so why not". I don't like it. First off, It's a cream texture (think gel deodorant) and while I really prefer the solids, I gave this a try. I feel like it just doesn't work for me and feel the need to keep using body sprays to feel comfortable. My solid and cheaper deodorants feel like they do a better job. Although I love the body spray version of this product, go figure!


9. Color Workshop Gold Eyeshadow: This is one of those very VERY old products that wore off the name. It was a product sold in CVS years ago and was one of those boxed sets. I typically thought that since they were so cheap that I would not like the payoff. Oh my goodness was I wrong. The golds and bronzes in those palettes are amazing and so soft! This month I wore a lot of the gold tones and just blended them out. Yep I am in summer mode already because the New York area has been seeing 80+ degrees for at least a week!

10. Sinful Colors Timbleberry Nail Polish: I have been painting my nails so many colors and just really haven't found my absolute favorite color, but I did wear this color two-three times this month and figured that maybe that meant it is my "favorite of the month". It's a red/ coral colored polish and is just fun. It's a nail polish that just makes me feel very happy and goes with a lot of my wardrobe. 


Now this month I finished out a few products too. These are the ones that I'm done with and if I will rebuy them: 


1. Avon Skin So Soft & Sensual Hand Cream: This was a great product and never left my hands feeling greasy. It has just a classic hand cream scent and soaked into my hands very quickly. While I loved it, I have so many hand creams to get through, I think I will pass on buying it again. 

2. L'essence de Provence linen water in Lavendar


3. InColor by Jordana Lip Shine Natural Glaze in Pink Grapefruit: A sheer gloss with a brush applicator, light grapefruit scent, and hint of color. It's not really an OH MY GOSH I NEED IT product. I used it, finished it, and will probably find another gloss to finish up. I have so many glosses that I think I will pass on buying it again. 


So lovelies, what products did you love this month? Which ones did you finish up? Any changes for your summer routine? Have a great day (or night!)


xoxo Ema