I don’t
understand where February went. Wasn’t it just Christmas? Wasn’t it just New
Year’s Eve when I was sitting on the couch bumming it out in my flannel
pajamas, a blue clay mask on my face and reading Cold Mountain, while my parents
watched a jazz concert on PBS? Cool people stay in on New Year’s Eve by the
way…
Even though
I’m in severe denial about how quickly time is passing, February was a month of
great beauty finds for me. This is a lengthy post, so grab some tea, sit back
and relax.
I tried two
foundations this month. The Becca
Radiant Skin Satin Finish Foundation is a beautiful product. I have the
shade Olive and it is a perfect match for my skin tone. This is a medium
coverage foundation that as the name implies, has a satin finish. This works
well with my oily skin, blends likes a dream, and wears wonderfully. In fact it
looks better the longer I have it on. When I have a long day, this is the base
I grab for. If you are looking for a foundation that gives you flawless skin
without looking cakey and too made up, look no further. The second foundation
is the L’oreal True Match in
the shade W6 Sun Beige. I resisted buying this for a while, even though there
is a ton of hype around this foundation. I finally caved and purchased it at
the end of January. I’ve been missing out. This is a fantastic foundation at an
even better price. It’s medium coverage, doesn’t lean too dewy or too matte and
wears well. It lasts for hours on the skin and like the Becca Radiant Skin,
I’ll reach for this when I know I’m going to have at least a 10 hour day. I
like the Becca a little more than the True Match, but you can’t beat the price
of the L’oreal; $8 compared to the Radiant Skin’s $42.
thebalm Cindy Lou-Manizer. I’ve lusted after this product since it was release almost two
years ago. After finally getting my paws on Cindy’s champagne counterpart Mary
Lou-Manizer and loving it, it was time to get Cindy. Cindy Lou-Manizer is a
soft, warm pink highlighter. It isn’t as shimmery, pigmented and intense as the
Mary Lou-Manizer, so it’s perfect for those days when I’m not trying to have my
cheekbones to resemble high beams. It pairs well with my mid-toned mauve-pink
blushes like NYX Mocha and Laura Geller’s baked blush in Sateen Subtle Berry.
Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector
in 01 Rose Shimmer. This is another hyped up product
I resisted for a while. I just didn’t believe a lip gloss/lip balm hybrid could
really be. That. Good. And even after
I got this, I wasn’t initially blown away. When I first tried this I was like,
“Okay, it’s just a lip balm that smells nice and barely adds any color to my
lips.” Duh Alana, that’s the point! This gives the lips a beautiful sheen that
isn’t too glossy. It’s moisturizing and just enhances the lips. It’s supposed
to be understated, plus it smells lovely, like vanilla. The texture is smooth,
creamy, not too thick and not too thin. There is a very subtle shimmer, but it
is so subtle it doesn’t translate to the lips at all. In fact, it took me weeks
to see that there was shimmer in this product. I have used this product
everyday this month. It stays in my handbag and I grab this whenever I need to
moisturize my lips throughout the day.
NYX Butter Gloss in Crème Brulee. This is a beautiful gloss. It’s creamy, nicely pigmented, smells
of vanilla and melts into the lips. Crème Brulee is a milky pink-nude shade.
I’ve been wearing this alone when I’m in the mood for a paler nude lip and I’ve
also been layering this over MAC’s
Cremesheen lipstick in Peach Blossom.
Those two are a match made in heaven. If you’re a fan of soft nude-pink lips,
this is your combo. Go do yourself a favor and put these two on your face.
Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara
(non-waterproof). It was time for me to put the L’oreal Miss Manga mascara down and give
another mascara a chance. I decided on the Maybelline Mega Plush because I liked
the color of the packaging. Once I tired it out, I decided that I also like the
product. That’s always a bonus. I favor length over volume in a mascara and this
gives me great length. I have really long lashes anyway, so I can generally
make any mascara work, but this one is quite nice. It doesn’t make my lashes as
long as Miss Manga, but I sill like it. It doesn’t smudge on me, even though it’s
not waterproof and people have asked me if I’m wearing false lashes, even my
parents. Dear Parental Units: No, I am not wearing false lashes. They scare me.
No glue is going anywhere near my eyeballs.
I acquired
two more Real Techniques
brushes this past month. I’ve been eyeballing the Expert Face Brush for a while now and I’ve really been
enjoying it when I use it to apply foundations that tend have a more fluid
texture. I really like it with the Becca
Radiant Skin, L’oreal True Match
and the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua.
Because this is a denser brush, I can really get precise application and it
blends foundation in flawlessly. I’ve also been putting the Stippling Brush to good use. I
strayed away from concealer this month (except underneath my eyes, because the
hereditary dark circle struggle is real). I’ve been using the stippling brush
to apply more foundation where I think I need it, mainly on my cheeks and it
covers up any hyper-pigmentation flawlessly without looking cakey.
Fresh Umbrian Clay Face Lotion. I was in the market for a moisturizer to use in the morning. I
stumbled across this Fresh one that was formulated with oily skin in mind. It
claims to control oils while gently hydrating and toning the complexion. I
really, really like this stuff. It really does keep my face less oily and I
find that I don’t need to blot my face as often throughout the day. I also like how it smells, like
cucumbers and citrus with a hint of floral. I have a back up.
Origins Plantscription Face Oil. I like this face oil
so much that if I were to describe to you in person my love for it, I would
just make incoherent noises. My skin drinks this oil up. I use three drops at
night and one drop in the morning and my skin is more radiant, bright, even,
smooth, soft and more youthful. Granted, I am in my 20s, so my skin is already
youthful, but it’s still improved the texture of my skin. My skin has the texture
of my 17 year old self and that almost 7 year gap makes a difference. If you’re
into facial oils, you may want to look into this gem by Origins.
Those are
all my monthly favorites for the month of February. This was definitely a long
post, but I hope you enjoyed it. I like taking the time to write these more
lengthy posts, there is something satisfying about it.
What were
your favorite products from this past month?
- Alana