Summer Beauty Favorites
So 2019 hasn’t been the best year of blogging for me. I skipped doing a winter and spring beauty favorites, but I’m not getting summer get by! I realized I didn’t really try that much new skincare over the past few months. And most of what I tried I either disliked, or just liked. There’s nothing wrong with liking a product, but I want my favorites to be solely comprised of products I LOVED. After racking my brain, I picked out 6 beauty products I tried and loved this summer.
Pat Mcgrath Labs Skin Fetish Foundation
$68.00 for 1.18 oz/ 35 ml via Pat McGrath & Sephora / $65 via Bergdorf Goodman — also available at other retailers outside the US
If you read my review of this foundation earlier this summer, you probably aren’t surprised to find it in this post. I won’t go into all the details— but this does it all. It has buildable coverage, wears well throughout the day, doesn’t emphasize the texture on my skin, and comes in easy to use packaging. The only downside is that it’s pricey.
Kjaer Weis Blush in Blossoming (Follain PR)
$56.00 for the full size via Follain; you can also buy a refill!
I love me a cream blush. And this is one of the creamiest blushes I’ve tried! It’s very easy to apply with my fingers, and so creamy I don’t even have to warm it up. It is quite pigmented and a few dabs is enough for a fully flushed look. It’s a medium rosy shade that at first, I was afraid would be ashy. But thankfully it does not have a strong white base.
The most impressive part about this blush is how wear it lasts on sweaty, oily skin. Even in the dog days of summer, running around the city, sweating my face off, this blush stuck around. It would get a little patchy around the spots where my glasses rest on my cheeks, but it wore well otherwise. It’s not something I was expecting with such a creamy formula.
I think the shades look better IRL than online. A lot of the shades look like they would be too light and ashy for my skin tone, but in real life they’re a lot more pigmented.
Natasha Denona Cranberry Eyeshadow Palette
$48.00 via Sephora & Beautylish, £41.00 & Cult Beauty
This 5 shadow palette was made for me. I’ve gotten use out of every single shade, together, alone, mixed in with other palettes. They’re easy to apply and last well on my eyes throughout the days. I’m particularly partial to the shimmer shades. They have a dimensionality to them that elevates them beyond a simple monochrome look. Whenever I wear the shimmery pink/ purple shadow, it looks like I’ve done a full on eyeshadow look rather than quickly swiping on a single shade! They apply with little fall out and minimal blending. They work just as well with my fingers as they do with my brush. And over an eyeshadow primer, I’m able to wear them with minimal creasing for a solid 12+ hours.
It’s difficult for my to capture their beauty in my photos; I highly recommend going and swatching the palette in stores if you fancy.
Youth to the People Sleeping Mask (PR)
$48.00 for 2 oz via Sephora, YTTP, Shen Beauty, & Anthropologie
So I may be cheating a little bit by including this, because I’m pretty sure I loved it in spring (…and winter) too. BUT I couldn’t let this post be without a skincare favorite so please, let me cheat in peace!
This mask does everything that a sleeping mask should do. It locks in moisture and keeps my skin hydrated all night long. My skin is happy and dewy and plump in the mornings after using it overnight. I use other stronger brightening products to claim this has singularly has a brightening effect on my skin, but it does have a vitamin c derivative which could potentially be adding to the *glow*.
Star ingredients include prickly pear, acai, goji, maqui, all wrapped up in a base of sunflower seed oil. It has a slightly fruity scent — the ingredients list has it listed as “natural fragrance” and I remember reading somewhere it’s not essential oils, but rather fruit extracts. Unfortunately, I don’t remember the source.
It has a light creamy consistency that layers well over oils, balms, moisturizers. Even with the richest oils, it doesn’t pill.
Hourglass Arch Brow Volumizing Fiber Gel in Dark Brunette
$28.00 via Sephora, Nordstrom, Barney’s, Bloomingdale’s, & Neiman Marcus
For a long time, Glossier Boy Brow has reigned supreme as the almighty, crowning jewel of brow gels. I looked high and low (Essence, Charlotte Tilbury, Anastasia Beverly Hills, & more) to see if I could find something even more. The journey was essentially pointless because Boy Brow was almost perfect for me, but I don’t regret it because it brought me to the new best of the best, brow gel. I generally don’t use anything besides brow gel because it’s all I really need (and I’m lazy.)
This brow gel does it all. It gives volume and adds texture to my brow hairs. It darks them and adds depth to my brows. It pushes them up to give me that pseudo-editorial-esque brushed up brow look. There’s a longer side to brush brows up, and a shorter side to back brush and add even more volume. Most importantly, it does not clump!! Every other brow gel I’ve tried picks up too much product which I inevitably have to wipe off to finesse the perfect amount of product on the brush prior to application. This Hourglass gel requires no finessing and for that, I give it the number 1 brow gel spot.
Chantecaille Nail Sheer in Polaris
$28.00 via Space NK, Barney’s, Bloomingdale’s, Neiman Marcus, & Bergdorf Goodman
I generally don’t splurge on nail polish because you can find any color under the sun for under $15. BUT wowza, the Chantecaille Nail Sheers are in another world. I ended up with all 3 (1 was PR) and I don’t regret it at all. Polaris was the first shade I bought and it’s my favorite, but all 3 in the collection are beautiful.
This is my go to polish when I want to hide how gross my nails look. It looks good with one layer and it looks good with 5 layers. It looks good on it’s own and it looks good layered over other polishes. I’ve even applied a fresh layer over a week old chipped layer, and it still 👏 looks 👏 good 👏
It’s easy to apply and dries quickly. Minus the price, there’s nothing I don’t like about i!
