Hey Everyone,
Before I get into my June favourites (yay, I'm actually on time), I quickly wanted to announce the winner of my June giveaway. After counting all of the entries for my June giveaway, I used random.org to generate a number between 1 and 328. The number that was generated was 210, so, the winner of my June giveaway is White Lotus Flower. Congratulations, I have already sent out your package.
1) MAC Paint Pots in 'Rubenesque and Indianwood': While I have always used paint pots (mainly MAC's 'Painterly) as a base for powdered eyeshadow, this month I have embraced a more simplistic eye look and worn both 'Rubenesque' and 'Indianwood' alone as an all over lid color. 'Rubenesque' is a peachy-gold tone cream shadow with fine flecks of golden glitter that sparkle and shine in the sunlight. 'Indianwood' is a deep brown-bronze colour with a hint of gold that is perfect for both a daytime and nighttime summer smoky eye. Both paint pots are fairly creamy and are easily applied to the lid using either a brush or your fingers. Once on the lid, these do not smudge (trust me, I've tried) and last throughout the entire day. I do plan on doing a cream shadow comparison between MAC's paint pots, Makeup Forever's aquacreams and Benefit's creaseless cream shadows, so be sure to check back for that post.
2) Makeup Forever High Definition Powder: When I first purchased this translucent powder at last year's Toronto Imats I was not impressed. After hearing so many rave reviews about how this HD powder gave the face a perfectly flawless appearance, I was disappointed to find out that this powder did not hide all of my blemishes and actually gave my face a very powdery finish. Not wanting to waste my money and trying to use up some old products, I decided to bring this powder with me to Nashville and give it another go. While it still doesn't give my face a completely flawless look, when worn lightly (read very lightly), it does help fill in large pores and helps even out my skin tone. Because it is completely translucent, I like to use this powder at the end of my makeup routine (after foundation, blush, highlighter, etc.) to help set my makeup and give the face a nice, smooth look.
3) Chanel Soleil de Tan Bronzer: Two years ago I would never have dreamed of spending $60 on a bronzer (just thinking about it makes me a little queasy), so I had really high hopes last summer when I finally bit the bullet and bought the always raved 'Chanel Soleil de Tan'. Thank god I was not disappointed! With its somewhat creamy, somewhat gel-like consistency, this bronzer is amazing. It is easily blends into the skin giving the perfect bronze (not orange) glow. I like to use this bronzer as both a contour and all over face product. While I could go on about how much I love this bronzer, it really is one of those products you have to use to understand, so I highly encourage all those wanting to try this famous Chanel product out, to bite the bullet and buy it.
4) MAC's Powder Blush in 'Eversun': When I first got this blush in a charity pack at my first ever MAC Warehouse sale, I really didn't see myself ever using it. Not only is it a fairly dark bronze colour (and I am usually very fair) it has somewhat large flecks of silver, green and gold glitter. This month, in an effort to give myself some colour, I decided to try it out. Of course, I love it! While I definitely wouldn't apply this over the entire face (unless you want to look like a glitter bug), this blush looks amazing when lightly applied to the cheeks (on top of Chanel's Soleil de Tan) for a nice summer glow. I do have an extra pot of this blush to add to my blog birthday giveaway, so be sure to check back for that.
5) Joe Fresh Cream Blush in 'Melon': For me, one of the hardest things about doing the Project 10 Pan has been not being able to buy all of the gorgeous cream blushes that have come out this summer (blush is my weakness!). Luckily for me, I purchased Joe Fresh's Melon, a gorgeous, bright, pink-coral coloured cream blush back in early spring. This super creamy blush blends nicely into the skin giving the cheeks a powder-like finish and because it is so pigmented, only a tiny amount is needed to give the cheeks a perfect pop of summer colour. If you live in Canada and have access to the Joe Fresh line, I highly recommend you pick up this blush.
6) MAC Lipstick in 'Lustering': If you were to come to my house and look in my lipstick cupboard (cupboard?!..yes, this is why I started a project 10 pan), you would definitely notice my weakness for bold colours. While nudes can look nice on the lips, I love adding a pop of colour to the face using a bright pink, orange, coral, purple, etc. lipstick. This month's hands down favourite is MAC's 'Lustering', a bright berry pink that glides on smoothly, giving the lips a really glossy appearance. While I like a really bright look, those who like a more tuned down look can still use this gorgeous colour by applying it to the lips and blotting some product off with a tissue. Because this lipstick is one of MAC's 'lustres', it is super moisturizing which is an added bonus for my always dry lips.
7) MAC's Lipstick in 'Impassioned': While somewhat similar in colour to MAC's 'Lustering', MAC's Impassioned lipstick packs more punch (this lipstick is not for sissies). As one of MAC's 'Amplified Cream' lipsticks, Impassioned is less glossy and more pigmented. Because of its coral (rather than berry) undertone, 'Impassioned' gives the lips a neon-like look which we all know is one of the biggest trends for summer. If you are not afraid of colour and have been looking for a bright neon lipstick, definitely check MAC's 'Impassioned' out.
8) Bold and Colourful Watches: As someone who doesn't always have the best choice of clothing (have you checked out your local plus size section lately), I honestly believe that accessories can make or break an outfit. As with my makeup, I like to wear a lot of bold and colourful pieces of jewelry. While away in Nashville at the beginning of the month, I found a store selling $10, colourful, rubber watches. These watches, which have a fake diamond encrusted face, came in a variety of bold colours including orange, coral, yellow and teal. At only $10, surprisingly these watches are really great quality. My only regret? Not buying more of them for gifts and giveaway prizes. Oh well, there's always next year.
L-R: Sea Jewels, Forever21, Sea Jewels, Earthbound Trading Company
9) Beaded Bracelets: After watching several videos by Lorraine Stanick of The Current Custom on youtube, I fell in love with her Chan Luu beaded wrap bracelets. When I found out the price however ($300-$500) I knew I had to find a cheaper alternative. After scouring stores in Nashville, Michigan, Bayfield and in my city I found a number of different beaded bracelets that which, while looking good on their own, look even better stacked. If you too love the look of beaded bracelets, I highly suggest you skip the Chan Luu prices and check out your local accessory stores.
L-R: The Bay, Earthbound Trading Company, Homemade, Homemade.
10) Bold Rings: I have always believed that bigger is better when it comes to rings (well most accessories really). I love how even the plainest of outfits can be 'spiced-up' by a large ring (read half the size of your hand). From flowers to bows to large stones, big rings are in and I for one will continue to sport this trend all summer.
L-R: Impassioned, Lustering, Melon, Eversun, Soleil de Tan, Rubenesque, Indianwood
As I have mentioned before, favourites posts are my favourite posts to both read and write and I really hope this post has inspired you to try out some new products or trends.
I realize I have been somewhat neglecting this blog lately and that changes here on out. I have some really fun post plans and I always love getting requests for certain posts from all of you.
Have you tried any of the products talked about above? What are your monthly favourites. Be sure to leave your June favourites link in the comment section below so I can see what you have been loving for the month of June.
xx
Alicia
