Happy Fourth of July and long time no favorites post. Summer means getting rid of the grime on my face. African Botanics Baobab Clay Oxygenating Cleanser is one of my favorites for that purpose. This clay based cleanser is combined with other botanical actives and it has serious grime busting power, plus it’s enjoyable to use and isn’t drying or stripping. More HERE. Also recently a favorite for summer is the Arcana Viritida Cleansing Balm. This isn’t a new favorite, I’ve loved it for a while. This gel oil balm has an earthy scent and is fabulous for warm weather (and cold). It just has a nice warm feeling to it and pairs great with the African Botanics. In the summer I also love a nice sea scent. That’s all I wear. Tom Ford Oud Minerale is a nice light yet sexy sea scent. Think sea salt, aquatic notes, oud, pink pepper, Styrax & seaweed. Apparently it might have been just discontinued. Which is a shame. It’s a great dirty sea scent. Review HERE.
Jordan Samuel Skin Performance Eye Gel has become a weekend favorite. This eye gel has green tea, caffeine, peptides & golden chamomile. It’s thicker and more hydrating/moisturizing than an average eye gel. Honestly I’ve never had such a hydrating eye gel. It could almost be an eye cream. And it has this cool pink pearl in it. I adore wearing this on the weekends in the morning as it gives me a nice depuff. Själ Cela Intuitif Light Cellular Renewal Crème has become a solid favorite for me. So glossy and creamy yet smooth. It has this light kind of bouncy texture, like pudding. I was totally surprised by this to be honest. I was thinking gemstone cream, pricey wasn’t going to be good. I was wrong. It’s light yet nourishing enough and lasts all night long, gives me really plump skin in the morning. Love the cool square blue packaging as well. This Glytone Hydra Lipid UV Mineral Sunscreen actually surprised me as well. It’s sheer, light in texture, not heavy or greasy and has no white cast. I use it on Ella in the daytime as her moisturizer and sunscreen. It’s easy to rub in and doesn’t pill. Honestly PR mineral sunscreen can scare me as it’s not always good, but this one really blew me away for a mineral. I would actually repurchase it once it’s out. It’s not too heavy and hydrating but it’s not too drying either. Really just a nice overall mineral SPF.
I grabbed the new Lisa Eldridge Elevated Glow Highlighter in Cosmic Rose. It has a nice frosted glass bottle with a large doe foot applicator. This is a liquid highlighter with a kind of thicker gel cream serum texture. It’s sheer and can be built up by layering. It looks really natural and has a nice soft illuminating feel, no glitter here. It is similar to the Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Filter but I think it’s better. Same applicator and ability to use it as a highlighter only or as an all over luminous base, but this one is sheerer and less dewy so I like the formula better. Not a fan of the doe foot applicator as it’s messy around the edge and the sanitary aspect of putting the wand back into the jar bugs me, but I wipe the edge on my clean hand then apply from my hand and don’t put the applicator to my face. Cosmic Rose is described as a light/medium rosy gold and that’s accurate. It has a rose tint but it’s not totally rose like some, it has a gold hint to it as well. It’s perfect for my light/medium skin. MAC launched blue brown pigment in a Prolongwear Paint Pot and I am all here for it. I love the non-creasing, all day lasting cream eyeshadow formula. Stays put and doesn’t budge. Bougie is described as a red-brown with green pearl but honestly it’s just like blue brown. Has the red brown base and the shift looks blue to me. It’s too hard for me to wear it on it’s own (too red and makes me look ill) but it looks fab over a brown base like Danessa Myricks Colorfix in Celebration. Celebration makes the best base for just about any eyeshadow that you can’t get away with on it’s own. Probably one of my favorite makeup items I own.
Top to Bottom-Arcana, Lisa Eldridge, Danessa Myricks with MAC on right half, MAC, Glytone, African Botanics, Jordan Samuel Skin, själ:
*African Botanics, Glytone gifted but all thoughts are my own.
