August Favorites

I'm doing favorites a little bit early this month, because I don't plan on blogging at least for a week with the holiday! I really can't believe that summer is almost over, but I will say...come Monday morning my house will be ALL decked out for autumn. It is definitely our favorite season, so we are very happy to see it come!

This past month I have been loving a few things, so much so that I haven't really dabbled in much else. Not really a rut, just a hard core obsession lately!

First on our list is the L'Oreal Total Repair 5 System. I have the Shampoo, the Conditioner and the Damage Erasing Balm. These are totally unlike any drugstore hair system I've used before. First of all, they actually work. I know that you can't "undo" split ends, but you can sure as heck add moisture and shine and get the appearance and feel of healthier hair. One use of the conditioner and my hair was totally transformed. It made it smell amazing, feel amazing and actually looked a lot healthier. I use the conditioner daily and the balm about 3 times a week. It's amazing. I like to apply after I shampoo and condition and then wrap my hair up on top of my head and leave it at least 45 minutes before I rinse. This is a nighttime product for me. The balm is so thick and the jar is massive. Definitely worth it.

This system is to repair the 5 main signs of damage, split ends, weak, rough, dull dehydrated hair, and it really does repair the appearance of damaged hair for me. Moreso than most other products I have ever tried. These 3 products just makes my hair so happy and feels so dramatically better. I am definitely going to be trying other products in their line, they have a dry oil that looks pretty tempting!

For foundation, I have been trying to use up some of my collection before buying anything new. I never really loved the Revlon ColorStay Whipped Foundation as much as the formula for normal/dry skin. It's alright but was too matte for my liking and I just don't love the finish of it on it's own. So there she sat, until I decided I needed to force myself to use it.

I have been using a little scoop of the ColorStay Whipped on the back of my hand and adding 1 pump of the L'Oreal Magic Lumi Light Infusing Primer. I apply with the Real Techniques Expert Face brush and have just been so impressed. It's glowy, but it lasts ALL DAY and doesn't transfer. You get the longevity of ColorStay but it's so glowy and pretty and looks so fresh. I have managed to use almost 3/4 of my jar of ColorStay this way and will definitely be repurchasing that as my next foundation! (Please excuse my rained on hair)

 

L'Oreal leGloss lipglosses. L'Oreal appears to be my favorite contender this past month. I have really been enjoying their products and definitely haven't been disappointed by L'Oreal yet. Hands down my favorite drugstore brand at the moment.

I've already done a full review of the leGlosses but they are definitely top notch in my book. Color payoff, scent and texture are all perfect. The packaging is classy and exactly what I want in a lipgloss.

So that's it for my current favorites! Hope you all have a great Labor Day weekend and we will see you in September!

L'Oreal Colour Riche leGloss

Man, L'Oreal is sure making a run for my favorite drugstore brand. I've never tried their lip glosses before but I saw an endcap at Walgreens the other day that had several shades of the leGloss lipglosses on sale for $1.98 (!!!!). Total steal since these normally retail for around $8.

 

I grabbed 2 at that price and really love them both. I chose Florid Pink which is a perfect daytime creamy medium pink and Raspberry Flush which is a lovely bright pink.  I will definitely be on the hunt for more of these. I am a total gloss girl and these check all the boxes for me.

Super pigmented. Wonderful feel on the lips. Amazing smell. Cute packaging. Great color selection. Check, check, check and CHECK.

These stay on the lips about the same as an average lipgloss, the main difference is these are not sheer glosses. They are very pigmented, but in a workable way. Compared to say, the Rimmel Apocolips, The leGloss is much more wearable and easy to apply.

These smell wonderful. Slightly cupcakey but not sickly sweet or too immature, it's a more grown up vanilla-ish scent which I really love.

So for me, these have quickly become my all time favorite glosses. Any colors you would recommend??

Essence Effect Nails 3D Nail Pearls

I am kind of having a little love affair with Essence beauty products. I tried a few things on my trip to Ulta and now keep finding fun little Essence products at Fred Meyer's.

I have been eyeing these little nail pearls in "Candy Buffet" for a while but wasn't sure if I would like the texture on my nails. I totally pick at anything that feels out of place, which is why I never do fake or gel nails. I just peel them right off the second they start lifting.

At less than $3 I thought these would be an affordable way to try this funky trend and not be disappointed if it totally sucked. Well, it doesn't. The colors in these pearls are so fun and pretty and would go with a million different polish colors. With this perfectly girlie pink, it reminds me of cake sprinkles, teeny tiny ones.

I applied these to my ring fingers over L'Oreal Taste of Romance. I applied 2 coats of the pink and then poured the pearls over my ring finger. I lightly pressed to insure they stuck. The directions said you could apply a light top coat to seal them and I wish I wouldn't have. It slightly faded the pearls. I would skip that step to keep the pearls the bright colors.

 

Suprisingly, these don't feel wierd on. The pearls are so small that they don't make your nails look huge and wierd. They lay nicely and cover the nail really well. I wouldn't say this is a long lasting look, but definitely fun for a few days!

What do you guys think? Have you tried any other nail pearls? Any tricks to making them last?

June/July Favorites

I didn't miss June favorites on accident. I just didn't have enough products that I was using to justify a whole post about it. I generally like to have 5 or more products to talk about in a favorites, if I haven't used anything new or loved anything special, I won't do a favorites.

So...I've been trying some new things and loving some new things over the past 2 months and they definitely justify their own favorites post!

Also...AUGUST.

1. Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. I have a whole post about this magic little brush. I am so mad at myself for waiting this long to buy one, I will never be without one again.

2. NYX blushes. Particularly Dusty Rose and Pinched. Again, super irritated that WE CAN'T GET NYX where I live. This is a 2 hour trip or an online purchase only for me. But, these are amazing blushes. Super pigmented, cute packaging and great price. Love.

3. Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Honey. Long time favorite, definitely my favorite out of the whole collection but recently fell back in love with it on a business trip. One application in the morning lasted through an all day class, coffees, lunches and still looked and felt pretty nice. Just love this classic color.

4. Sally Hansen Quick Dry Anti Chip Top Coat. I also have a whole review of this, but suffice it to say that I will never buy Seche Vite again. This little red bottle seriously makes a manicure last at least 8 days on me. CHIP FREE. Amazing!

5. Essence Get Big! Lashes Mascara, waterproof and regular versions. These definitely have to dry out a bit before they get awesome, they are very wet mascaras. But after about a week or two, these get amazing. Super huge brushes, awesome buildable mascara and it doesn't clump or get flaky. For $3.99, a definite repurchase.