Beauty Favorites: Summer 2015

Hello, everyone! Even though the summer sun has yet to set, for most people the end is near (due to school and work). Before I start my back-to-school posts, I’d like to share some of the beauty products I’ve been loving 🙂

There are a lot of items, but many of them can be used during different times of the year (I definitely do that!).

First up is my summer scent, Avon naturals refreshing body spray in pomegranate and mango.

I love this scent because it’s fruity and light, a perfect refresher in the summer heat!

Next we have the NYC smooth skin pressed face powder in translucent and the CoverGirl sensitive skin pressed powder in 250 creamy beige. (I did a swatch of the CoverGirl powder, but you can barely see it. I guess that’s a good thing!)

The NYC powder is $2.99 and can be found at Walmart, Target, CVS, and Kmart. The packaging is okay, it has a mirror, it’s thin, and stays closed, but it’s a bit flimsy. I got mine from my Fashion Design teacher because she was giving away makeup she didn’t want anymore (yay!). I love it especially for summer because my skin can get oily and this takes care of that quickly and easily! You just have to make sure you don’t pack it on because it has a slight white tinge (so I always blend it). As the weather gets colder I will definitely use it for setting my foundation, lipstick, and concealer (I usually don’t wear a lot of makeup daily in the summer because it’s too hot!).

The CoverGirl powder is $6.99 and I got mine on sale at Walmart. I’m not a fan of the packaging because I feel like it doesn’t securely close and it’s slightly bulky. It does have a mirror though! I like this powder to set my foundation or just wear alone in summer. It feels nice and isn’t too pigmented, which I like. I probably will repurchase because it looks nice on!

My next products are bronzers. We have the Benefit’s Hoola bronzer, L.A. Colors bronzer in Bronze Glow, and an obscure one from this brand BR (distributed by Rich On Cosmetics) called Radiant Pearl Face and Body Bronzer.

The first swatch is the L.A. Colors bronzer, which I got at the Dollar Tree. It’s gold-brown with shimmer that’s pigmented, but blends out nicely. It really gives you a sun kissed glow, and for one dollar it’s a steal! I will definitely buy this again because I personally love shimmer. It smells slightly like that old powdery scent, but not when it’s on your face. The packaging is a small and plastic and comes with a brush (I don’t use it). It’s pretty sturdy and closes tightly.

The second swatch is the Benefit bronzer, which is perfect for those of you who like matte shades. I have a sample size from my Sephora Beauty Insider birthday gift. It’s a light brown that’s pigmented and blends out while keeping it’s color. You could probably use this year round as a contour shade (definitely good for medium skin tones maybe even light). It’s very soft and doesn’t really smell like anything.

The last swatch is the BR bronzer (it’s shimmery) which actually has a highlighter in it! I love this because I mostly use it for that. The highlighter is a a cream-yellow-pearly white shade that blends out really nicely (it looks very pigmented but it blends into a nice pearly shimmer). The bronzer part is copper-gold and blends into a gold shimmer. In the pan the product looks bumpy and rough, but on skin it’s really soft and light. I like it as a slight sunny color for summer. (Okay, I got this at a shady store in a city kind of near where I live. It was one of those stores with everything in it; socks to makeup to home wares. All the prices were really cheap so this bronzer couldn’t have been more than $5)

Now we have my Sephora long lasting blush in rose sorbet. I couldn’t find it on their website, I honestly don’t know if it’s still sold but I got it for around $12

I’m sorry that you can’t really see the swatches! This blush is a sheer rosy pink with gold shimmer. It’s not very pigmented, but adds a nice flush to your face! It’s very subtle and soft, great for a little color in the summer. To be honest, I usually wear it year round but I did notice how nice it looks with my summer makeup. It really adds that final touch!

Okay, enough about powders! Let’s talk about eyes 🙂 I have two eye shadows, both of them are Tarte. They’re the emphasEYES waterproof Amazonian clay cream eyeshadow.

I really like these cream eyeshadows! The colors are gorgeous (shimmering taupe and shimmering moss), with a shimmer that isn’t too tacky. I used these in neutral eye looks at the beach and they stayed on! You can build up the color or keep it light, the texture is buttery (the swatches look patchy because of my finger, so I recommend a brush). I got them along with a ton of Bare Minerals eyeshadows for like a dollar at a basement sale (they were all new and unopened!). They’re $11 on their website but I only could find shimmering moss.

Next are all e.l.f. products, the Acne Fighting Gel, the Waterproof Lengthening, & Volumizing Mascara, and the Waterproof Eyeliner Pen.

The acne treatment comes in a roller tube and is completely clear. It doesn’t dry your skin out or cause it to flake. I liked to use this when I wasn’t wearing makeup or before bed because it was light and gradually reduced my blemishes. It has Salicylic Acid, so it does have a smell. It’s perfect for on the go and it’s easy and quick to use. Sometimes, though, it’s better to turn it upside down while applying so more gel comes out (it’s actually more like a toner consistency). I got it for $2 at a beauty supply store but I think it’s available at CVS.

The mascara is supposed to be waterproof, and it is for the most part. The formula is very wet so you have to wait for it to dry before you comb out your lashes, otherwise there will be fallout. It doesn’t clump and it does lengthen (I don’t know about volumizing), also it has great pigmentation (mine is in black). I got it for around $3  so I think it does a pretty good job for the price!

The eyeliner is a marker, and although it isn’t the most pigmented, its pointed brush is precise enough to add a subtle defining line (great for a natural look in summer). It also doesn’t really budge from my experience. It’s a marker so it can dry out quickly but mine is still working. It’s only $2 which is great!

Now let’s get to lips! I have three mini brilliant shine lip glosses from Sephora in Precious Pink (the lightest), Rosy Glow (the medium pinky shade), and Bronzed Beauty (the darkest).

I got these as a gift and I’m not sure that they sell them anymore 😦 These colors are so pretty! Precious Pink is a sheer light pink with almost a clear shimmer (perfect for layering over any color). Rosy Glow is that perfect medium pink with gold shimmer (all of these are sheer I think but they still have pigmentation). Bronzed Beauty is such a nice cranberry shade with gold shimmer. These look so relaxed and pretty in the summer, and they aren’t sticky!

Next we have the Estée Lauder Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in 26 Nectarine Shimmer, the Maybelline Baby Lips Crystal in 150 Mirrored Mauve, and the Clinique Chubby Stick in 07 Super Strawberry.

The Estée Lauder is a beautiful red-orange color that is moisturizing and pigmented. It stays on (it lessens in color while eating though) and is light, soft, and creamy. It’s the perfect red for summer because it’s fun and bright, but not too orange. I received it as a gift and I couldn’t find it online (I don’t know why, maybe it’s new? Or old?). The packaging is also super cute (and durable) for summer!

The Baby Lips is so moisturizing, smooth, and soft. I actually like the regular line too for summer because the colors are all bright (I couldn’t find the hot pink one I had, sorry!). The Crystal ones have shimmer, but I don’t think it’s overwhelming. Mirrored Mauve is a light, fun pink perfect for neutral looks. It’s only about $5 too!

The Clinique Chubby Stick is so perfect for summer because its a light, pinky-cranberry shade that really moisturizes your lips (do you see a pattern? moisturizing lip products are good! haha). It’s almost like a light stain that you can build up for more color. It just adds a little extra color to your lips! I like wearing this with the Bronzed Beauty Sephora gloss. I got this when my teacher was giving away makeup (it was unused, don’t worry!) but it retails for $17 at Sephora.

Okay, last but not least is the blending sponge from Sassy+Chic.

It’s obviously a knock-off of the Beauty Blender (but for a dollar!) and is similarly shaped. I think it comes to more of a point though. I don’t own the Beauty Blender so this isn’t a comparison, but I really like this Dollar Tree one. It’s soft and dense (not too dense) and gets the job done. It’s so easy to use and makes your makeup look pretty good! I’m lucky I got it because it sold out really fast 😦 But if you see one I’d pick it up because it really is nice (sorry it’s so dirty in the picture, I have to wash it).

Thanks for reading my first real post and I’m sorry it’s so long (and that it took so long)! Next I’ll probably do a set of back-to-school posts. Please tell me what you think in the comments and share some of your favs (and tell me if you have used any of the products on my list!). Look out for my next post 🙂