Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine: still love it, but haven't been reaching for it as much as I was. With it being late Spring/early Summer I've been using lip products containing an SPF - hello, Softlips vanilla! Occasionally I'll layer some of the Korres over my Softlips, but not often. I think I'll be addicted to this again come Fall and Winter though!
Stila Illuminating Finishing Powder: again, not reaching for this as much...maybe a few times a week vs. every day as I was in my last review. I think because I naturally have a bit more color to my face due to the sun, I'm not wanting to use any bronzer. But I have been adding some of the illuminator to the tops of cheeks every so often, layered over my new favorite blush that I'll talk about a bit later. I'll probably start reaching for this more once the weather starts changing and the color is zapped from my skin.
Clinique Even Better Makeup: still using this, but not every day. I've been going back and forth between this formula and Clinique Superfit, which is a better color match for me during the Summer. Still love the finish and coverage!
Clinique Lash Doubling Mascara: LOVE this mascara! After the horror that is CoverGirl LashBlast (see here), I really appreciate this a lot more. Still making my way through some "sample"/trial-sized tubes, but will definitely be buying a full-sized once those are done. And I'm surprised I'm enjoying a non-waterproof formula as much as I have, even in the warmer weather. It doesn't sweat off and give me raccoon eyes.
Clinique Acne Solutions Spot Healing Gel: still using it, still loving it! Just bought my second bottle/tube.
Clinique Moisture Surge: haven't had the need for this as much since my skin hasn't experienced any dry patches lately, but I'm still reaching for it on occasion. I know it will be on heavy rotation once the weather changes though.
Lacura Q10 Anti-Wrinkle Night Cream: I've been alternating this with another wrinkle cream that I'll talk about below. I haven't even gotten half-way through the jar even after all this time, but I think once it's done I won't be repurchasing it for a few reasons, mainly being that I can't find it anymore. A little sad about it since it was such a great value, but I'm keeping my eyes opened, maybe I'll stumble upon a jar when I'm least expecting it.
Now on to the NEW products...my April-June favorites!
Freeman Avocado & Oatmeal Facial Clay Masque: I found this in the back of my bathroom closet while I was searching for my stash of gradual tanners...it's amazing the stuff I find in my bathroom sometimes. I've never been too fond of masques since they seemed to always make my skin worse, not better...obviously I know now that it was just the masque working and pulling out the impurities, but at the time I guess I just didn't feel it was worth it to look like even more of a pizza face. Now that my skin is in relatively "good" shape (*knock on wood*), I was hoping it wouldn't wreak havoc and it didn't - yay! My routine is this: I gently wash my face to remove any oils or dirt, pat dry, slather on the masque, cruise the 'net for 15-20 mins., then jump in the shower and wait until the end to rinse it off. I feel like it tightens my skin and gives me a nice glow. I also think it helps keep oiliness at bay. My makeup usually looks pretty awesome for the next few days after I do the masque. For now I'm only doing it once a week (usually on the weekend since I have more time) but I think I may amp it up to twice a week and see how it goes...hopefully it's not too much for my skin. It's cheap too! $4-$5 at Walmart :)
Clinique Youth Surge SPF 15 Age Decelerating Moisturizer: I received a small jar of this during a Clinique promotion and at first I thought it would just get tossed aside and never touched since I didn't need a new moisturizer. So it sat there for a few weeks until I got an email from Clinique touting it's wrinkle fighting abilities. I was intrigued! Up until then I was happily using my Lacura and loving it, but that night I tried the Youth Surge for the first time and I was sold! Now, I realize the formula I have is meant to be used during the day, but honestly, with my oily skin it would be way too heavy to use under makeup. In fact, I have a hard time imagining it used all over my face. I only use it in my problem areas: around my eyes and between my brows, that's it. Once I'm through with the sample jar I'll probably purchase the "night" version of this...but I think it will be a while until that happens since I've barely made a dent after using it for a few months...really, a little goes a long way. It melts into my skin and almost immediately I can see it diminishing my lines. I really can't say enough great things about it, but I do wish it were cheaper :( $48.50 is a tough pill for me to swallow, but like I said, a little goes a long a way and if it works, it's definitely worth it!
ELF Natural Radiance Blusher: I ordered a few things from ELF over the Winter when they were offering free shipping on a relatively small order...usually, their shipping is outrageous, and even if they do offer a free shipping promotion you need to spend $20 on products, annoying. Some people are lucky enough to have an ELF display in their local Target. The closest Targets to me are a least a 40 min. drive, no lie, and none (so far) carry the product line. Anyway, I had always heard mixed reviews on ELF but wanted to decide for myself. The blush colors I ordered were Coy (a muted brownish-mauve) and Innocence ( a baby doll pink). Warning: the pans are small! They actually look more along the size of an eyeshadow, but for $1, not too bad I guess. Coy is a nice color for my skin tone and a little goes a long way with this, I barely have to touch my brush to the product to get a nice sweep of color. Bad news: it crumbles like crazy. I've resorted to dumping the excess blush into a different small container so I don't waste it. A pain in the butt, yes, but again, it's $1! Innocence is such a pretty color in the pan, however, I really have to layer it on to see the color on my cheeks. But it's worth it because the color is beautiful. It gives me that "blush from within" look that I've never been able to achieve with other blushes. This color doesn't crumble nearly as much as Coy does, so I find it easier to use...obviously consistency isn't ELF's strong suit. So while my review mentions a lot of faults, I'm willing to look past them for the color alone and how well they look on my cheeks. Now if only I could find the ELF products in an actual brick and mortar store I'd be a really happy girl!
Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray: I learned about this makeup setting spray in a YouTube video, but I can't for the life of me remember who it was or find the video so I can link it for you, bummer. I was hesitant to order it (from Sephora, my happy place) because of the price, but after I got it home and tested it out, it's worth it's weight in gold I tell you! A must have for the Summer months for sure, when the heat and humidity cause your makeup to melt and virtually disappear in a matter of hours some days. All you do is apply your makeup as you normally would and then once you're done you mist about 2-4 pumps over your face, that's it. It sounds bizarre, I know, but it works. The mist is so fine that it dries in seconds and it doesn't smell odd or feel strange at all, in fact I think it feels kind of nice :) They claim your makeup won't budge for 16 hours, which I guess it's quite possible depending on your skin type, but for my oily skin I'd say it gives me about 5 hours before I see some shine, and by some, I mean pretty minimal...of course, totally dependent on what I'm doing. But overall, I'm very, very rarely touching up my makeup anymore, only occasionally blotting, and I'd say that's pretty awesome for this oily-skinned girl!
And that's a wrap! Hopefully I've introduced you to some new things and peaked your interest a little bit. Let me know if you use any of the mentioned products (and if you love them/hate them), or if you plan to try them out. See you back here in a few months for part 3, my July-September favorites!
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