August Favorites
August was certainly the perfect month to truly put products to the test- thanks to the heatwave/humidity that overtook the NYC area. Below are products I kept reaching for, during the month of August.
1) Morphe x Jaclyn Hill - Armed and Gorgeous palette
The long awaited Morphe x Jaclyn Hill vault - although released mid August, certainly took the place of my other palettes.
The sold out Armed and Gorgeous palette in particular- was my most used product. I purchased the four palettes in the collection at Ulta Beauty, on the day of the release. Although the palettes have been very controversial over inconsistent swatches/pigment, etc, I have not experienced any issues with mine.
The Armed and Gorgeous palette- which features stunning warm tones and golds, is perfect for everyday looks that can be spiced up with vibrant metallics.
See swatches below:
I find the metallics to have amazing pigment and the mattes are blendable and buttery. I feel like this palette has a great mix of browns, golds and neutral shades to create various looks.
The color Coin, which is a gold with green tones is my absolute favorite shade and looks stunning on the lids. See a post of my look using the shade on my instagram page.
2) Too Faced Born This Way concealer
Too Faced Cosmetics really came a long way with their new Born this Way Multi-Use Sculpting Concealer. As I reviewed before, the coverage is full and almost matte. The product is very long lasting and under eyes appear brighter and creaseless. Let's be real, since I've purchased this product I've been using it literally everyday. It's definitely taken the place of my Tarte Cosmetics shape tape, and that's even hard for me to believe. The Too Faced concealer does not make my undereyes appear dry such as the Tarte one does at times. It also stayed put throughout all of the humid days and nights of August.
When I first purchased the product, I chose the shade Vanilla, however after a few uses I noticed it was too yellow for my under eyes. After weeks of checking in to Ulta, (since they were always sold out) I exchanged it for the shade Almond.
The product works amazing when set with powder. My favorite to pair with it is the Huda Beauty Easy Bake loose powder in Cupcake (which brings me to my next favorite of the month).
3) Huda Beauty Easy Bake powder
The Huda Beauty Easy Bake loose setting powder was my favorite setting powder of the month, and pairs perfectly with the Too Faced concealer.
The powder is finely milled, does not have flashback and covers fine lines. I love setting it on my face (on my undereyes, forehead, chin) for about five minutes to really let it settle in and then brush it away for a flawless airbrushed finish.
The powder does have a strong scent similar to the faux filter foundation- so just keep that in mind in case you are sensitive to scents.
I find myself using this powder more than my die hard Laura Mercier translucent one. It is not drying under the eyes and makes the skin look so smooth. I was fortunate to receive this in PR- however had I not received it, I still would have purchased it, since it was on my list.
4) Nars Radiant Longwear foundation
Credit: www.makeupalley.com
The Nars Radiant Longwear foundation was a favorite of mine in August. The product has full coverage, is long wearing and most importantly does not cake up - even in humidity.
I apply the foundation with a damp beauty blender and my shade match is Mont Blanc. This was actually the first Nars foundation I've ever tried.
I love how it's comfortable on the skin, and not too matte to the point of it being super dry. On multiple occasions; I've used this without primer and the formula stayed put just as well.
5) Stila Shimmer and Glow liquid shadows
Stila Cosmetics Liquid shadows will always be my fav, but these three vivid colors had my heart this past month. Vivid Sapphire, Amethyst and Jade are by far the most stunning jewel tone shades I've seen. I created so many summer looks with these shadows. I love how they make any look pop, and they're so easy to use without the fuss of loose glitter all over the place.
I have a growing collection of the Stila shadows, but these three are definitely my stand out shades. They have a long lasting effect on the eye and do not transfer on to the brow bone like other glitter shadows do.
The shadows even held up well in humid heat which was the real test.
Hope you all enjoyed my favorites this month. Let me know what your favorites were in August or what products you recommend or would like me to try out!
Talk to you soon!
