Time for the weekly favorites post. I was hoping to get more done in between on other posts but didn't happen. So this week I'm loving a few nude lippies (no big surprise there), some gel blushes and a few other things new and old. First up this Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balm in Vanilla Beige. This is a squeeze tube balm with a dreamy vanilla scent and pinky beige tint. It's extremely comfortable on the lips and super easy to use (and love). It has shea and murumuru seed butters, vegan waxes and a natural vanilla flavor. It's quite addicting to be honest. It leaves my lips totally hydrated. The tint is pretty sheer so I don't see the need to buy a non-tinted one, plus the tube is huge it will last me forever. I just grabbed the Gisou Honey Infused Leave-In Conditioner. I have a love-hate with the brand, I love how their products make my hair feel but sometimes their scent can be a bit too sweet and overwhelming for me. I needed a new leave in conditioner so I grabbed it. I like it. It's creamy and thicker than some, but not too heavy like some others can be. I like this better than the Dae one I tried recently which was too heavy for my hair. This adds gloss and shine without being too sticky or weighing down my hair too much. So it's a good product. The scent is not as strong as the shampoo so it's pretty tolerable, a little sweet. For now I'm enjoying this.
Twelve Beauty is not a new brand for me. The founder Pedro is a genius. Their newest launch is Dara's Water is fantastic. It's a micellar water without being a micellar water. It doesn't use surfactants, it uses natural sugars and humectants instead. I love the enticing glass bottle (with a pump) so overall packaging is luxe. The texture of this is water light, like a light essence. I massage it onto dry skin then splash with water and rinse. It has this weird texture that almost foams a little when you rub it on the skin just FYI. It's very non-drying and really a unique product overall. I look forward to testing it more before I give a final review. I've been using it as a morning cleanse but need to test it on makeup still. Hermes Paprika Brasil is one of those unique scents I just adore. It takes forever to go through a bottle it's huge. It has this intoxicating, unique scent. I definitely love it more in the warmer months. It’s kind of tropical and balmy with a slight woody and almost spicy edge. If you like resin scents or airy tropicals you should give it a sniff. It has a nice warm feel to it. Top: clove, paprika, pimento, Heart: green leaves, iris, Base: precious woods, reseda.
I'm really getting into the Cipher brand now that I've tried Night Shift. This is a multi-focal night treatment (that can be used in the day as well). So this has brighteners like niacinamide, potassium azeloyl diglycinate (azelaic acid derivative), alpha arbutin & licorice root, a triple enzyme complex (think DNA repair enzymes) from green microalgae, plus soothing/hydrating hyaluronic acid, madecassoside, plumping tri peptide (palmitoyl tripeptide-38) and acai/hemp seed fatty acids. So it's calming, nourishing and repairing plus brightening all in one. I like PAD (potassium azeloyl diglycinate), hemp, cica extracts and I think DNA repair enzymes are really interesting. It has a nice glossy, creamy gel texture. It's fairly thick but still in the medium range. It goes on easy like a hydrating all in one treatment. Those with oily skin can get away with this as a moisturizer, those like me will use as a layering serum. I look forward to seeing more exciting things coming from this brand. So I was totally curious about the new MAC Lustreglass Sheer-Shine Lipstick and while I grabbed two it's really the shade Thanks, It's MAC! that stole my heart. This taupe pink nude has a hint of silver sparkle (nothing big or gritty as y'all know I hate that) and adds a nice glossy, pretty pigmented wash of color. I love the vanilla scent of MAC lippies. This formula is a bit more hydrating and glossy than the Lustre formula. I would love to see more shimmering shades in the line as they seemed mostly like creams. I grabbed Hug Me as well but it's really this shade I loved more.
I've been playing with some new gel blushes the last few weeks. I do love a cream blush normally and with the heat being 90+ with 90% humidity a gel blush seemed like a great thing. I've been trying the Armani Neo Nude A-Blush which is a water based gel blush that blends easily into the skin. It has a long lasting watercolor like finish on the cheeks. I grabbed shade 32 Brown but it's really more a pink rose nude brown. Very natural. It does have alcohol so I try to not use it daily because my cheeks are my main dry area anyway with rosacea and masking aggravating it. It doesn't feel overtly drying, it's more gel like. If you like a natural watercolor effect that lasts it's nice. I recently grabbed MORPHE Cream Blush in Leave A Comment. For $12 I saw it on Ulta one day and snatched it. It's a creamy gel blush kind of akin to Glossier Cloud Paint but a hint more sheer and lighter in texture. This one is pretty hydrating but still has a thin creamy gel texture. It's sheer yet easily buildable. I do two layers. This shade is a natural peachy nude pink which is my type down to a T. It sets down and lasts pretty well, at least 6 hours. It's nice I quite enjoy it. It's been especially great for summer weather.
Top to Bottom: MAC, Summer Fridays, MORPHE, Armani, Cipher
