Summer Favourites

Hello all.  Today I'm going to do a favourites post.  As I've not been blogging for very long, and my beauty obsession is still in its infancy, I thought I'd do a Summer favourites post, rather than one specifically for August.  It's a bit late for August now anyway!  I decided that I must have used a product for over a month to include it in my favourites, so my newest purchases are not included.

First of is Neutrogena Visibly Clear 2-in-1 wash and mask.  I bought this on a whim as I wanted a face mask, but it was the only product available.  I instantly loved it!  It's fast replaced my old Nivea face wash as my favourite.  I also use it as a mask, and it's great for that as well.  It is white in colour with a chalky consistency and a very slight grain to it.  It really gets all the dirt out, leaving my face feeling squeaky clean and slightly tingly.  I can't remember how much I paid for it, but I suspect it was about £3.50.  I'd definitely buy it again (once I've used up my stash on my Beauty Diet), and am currently trying to ration it so I don't run out of it first!

Secondly is Orange & Geranium Shower Gel from Neals Yard Remedies.  My Mum gets this for me for Christmas every year, and I look forward to it each time!  It has a really unusual, warm smell that I can't get enough of.  I was very surprised when I first tried this out as I don't really like the smell of either oranges or geraniums, but together, they are genius! As I've explained in my earlier Beauty Diet posts, I had so much shower gel and bubble bath for Christmas that I've not bought any more since then.  This was my favourite shower gel gift, so I saved the best for last!  Again, as I'm trying to use up my stash of mini hotel shower gels, I'm rationing the Neals Yard shower gel to make it last longer. 

Thirdly is my Mineral Veil from Bare Escentuals.  This is the only Bare Escentuals product I've tried, and I've been using it all summer long.  I hadn't used loose powder for over a decade, but I've totally converted after trying this.  It is almost weightless, feels great on my skin, really sets my make up and stops me from getting too shiny.  It's made me want to try more Bare Escentuals products, and I will, once my wallet allows me!

I'd heard good things about My Biggest Lashes by Prestige, so I decided to fork out.  I think I paid £9.99 for the mascara which isn't too expensive.  It's quite easy to apply and really does make my lashes look longer and thicker which I love.  My eyelashes really don't curl well, and it doesn't improve their curl-ability, but I've never found anything that does!  It is a quite dry formula which I like, as I'm always getting mascara transfer all over my eyes, and it has a large, traditional brush.  I'd buy this again.

Sorry this is so yucky!

One of the things I've really got into over the summer is concealer palettes and quads.  Having terrible skin, they've transformed my life!  I used  a rubbish No. 17 concealer for years, but I've not looked back after trying this Hide It palette from Technic.  It is soft in consistency, there are two colours to mix for a match to my skin, there is a highlighter and a red-reducer, and it covers up really well.  I bought it from Amazon for under £5, and I'm onto my second palette already (which is also running out).  That's the only problem, it runs out too quickly!

I've been mainly rotating two lipsticks throughout the summer.  The first is Thrills from the MAC To The Beach collection.  It's a beautiful orangey red colour with flecks of gold shimmer in a frost finish. Just a perfect summer colour! Although it's slightly drying on my lips, I can't get enough of the colour.  As it's LE, I bought a back-up as well!  

The second lipstick I've been loving is Mademoiselle from the Chanel Coco Rouge collection.  I've reviewed this here, but it's so good I had to give it a shout out!

This ELF Minty Lip Gloss in Boston has been a firm favourite, despite a bad packaging failure.  The black cover to the lid is cracked and keeps twisting off on its own, leaving the applicator stuck in the tube!  The gloss itself is red with gold flecks, and goes perfectly over MAC's Thrills. It's not that pigmented, but I love the minty tingle it gives my lips.  I'm not sure if it makes my lips look bigeer, but at £3.50, I'm not complaining.

Finally, this has just squeaked into my favourites.  I think I've been using it a month, but I love it so much, I'm going to include it anyway.  It Lip & Cheek Stain from The Body Shop in Bronze Glimmer.  This was free on the front cover of In Style last month and I snapped it up.  I love using it on my lips before applying lipstick, as it makes it last longer.  This also works really well with Thrills, asn the shimmery golden orange really complements its colours.  I've also used it on my cheeks and it gives an unusual, subtle shimmer.

Here are swatches of the lip colours in different lights - neither photo does them justice:

L-R: MAC Thrills, Chanel Mademoiselld, ELF Boston, The Body Shop Bronze Glimmer

Thanks for reading!  xx