July's Makeup Haul
For June’s makeup haul, I listed all my purchases from high end, to high street. For July’s purchases, I wanted to switch it up and organise purchases into different categories… I know, what a rebel! So here are my honest reviews on products purchased and used, and you know you can’t expect anything less than honesty from me, so enjoy! Xo
SKINCARE:
Aesop
For those of you wondering, I haven’t suddenly grown a full blown beard as the shaving products were for my husband! Moroccan Neroli Post-Shave Lotion - £37 for 60ml - claims to pacify and soothe irritation straight after shaving. His verdict was that he really likes the lotion (he better, for £37!) as it was calming without any feeling of irritation which he normally experiences when he shaves! The Moroccan Neroli Shaving Serum - £27 for 60ml - claims to soothe and allow for a close shave. Though he liked it, he compared the foam to Gillette and said it’s easier to shave with the Gillette as opposed to this product. However it is obviously less irritable on the skin so a 50/50 verdict for this product. I’d say they’d make perfect gifts (especially the post-shave lotion!) for your other half, brother, or father!
https://www.aesop.com/uk/p/skin/shave/moroccan-neroli-shaving-serum/
https://www.aesop.com/uk/p/skin/hydrate/moroccan-neroli-post-shave-lotion/
Resurrection Rinse-Free Hand Wash - £7 for 50ml - (clearly a hand wash made for Jesus himself) The hand sanitiser is perfect for travelling and I somehow feel due to Aesop’s reputation and ingredients, it is gentler on my hands. Of course it contains alcohol which would normally horrify me for skincare products, but for hand sanitisers, it’s a must to kill all those dirty germs! You don’t even want to know what lurks on your food trays on the plane or the Eurostar #justsaying
https://www.aesop.com/uk/p/body/hand/resurrection-rinse-free-hand-wash/
Beauty Pie
Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a huge Beauty Pie fan, especially the skincare. I’m already a devout fan of the JapanFusion collection (what I lovingly call JAFU) so when I saw their Hydra Prep Lotion - £6.79 for 150ml - I was sold! The beauty of Beauty Pie is that you can’t go wrong. Their recommendations are normally stellar and also with the price point, it’s cheap as chips compared to other skincare products on the market (where you consider remortgaging your house)!
Do I love it? Put it this way, I am already finished with one, and have ordered two more. The annoying thing about Beauty Pie is that they’re always running out of stock, so if you have a firm favourite, you have to stock up. This product has already become my bae! It’s like a toner, hydrator and exfoliator in one. It’s gentle on the skin and I love using it day and night just before applying makeup or straight after cleansing. BIG THUMBS UP from moi!
https://www.beautypie.com/japanfusion-hydra-prep-lotion-step-1
The Super Stem Cell Moisture Shot Serum - £7.92 for 50ml - is perfect for dry skin but is lightweight enough for those with oilier or combination skin types. When I encountered hotter climates, I wore this (without a moisturiser) with SPF on top, and felt it was enough. It has Korean aloe-vera-infused super fluid moisture serum (must be why I like it ;)) and couldn’t recommend it enough. Since it’s a glass jar, I decant it into a travel friendly bottle for my trips away.
https://www.beautypie.com/super-stem-cell-moisture-shot-serum
I love the Plantastic range, my favourites being the Nourishing Shea Butter Hand cream (super moisturising but smells like arse) and love love love the Apricot Butter Cleansing Balm which I use with the BP exfoliator cloth. It was a no-brainer then, to try the Micropeeling Super Drops - £7.62 for 50ml - which is supposed to refine your pores and gently exfoliate the skin. Though I primarily have dry skin, it’s very combination with oily areas. Over the years, I’ve noticed enlargened pores around my nose/ cheek area, hence why I purchased this. Instead of applying this during the day, I apply a few drops at nighttime and at the recommended dose of twice weekly. I have only tried it twice and in honesty, haven’t noticed much of a difference. Maybe it is something I’ll have to use more of before I notice results. Let's see!
https://www.beautypie.com/plantastic-micropeeling-super-drops
Double- Sided Organic Cleansing & Exfoliating Cloths - £5.41 for 3 cloths - this is a game-changer! I didn’t know a cloth could give me so much joy in my life and at £5.41, that works out to £1.80 per cloth. It’s obviously reusable but after a while, when you throw it away, there is no guilt about it. I use this hand-in-hand with the Apricot Butter Cleansing Balm and it works like a dream duo, it’s the Jay Z to my Beyonce. It literally melts and removes all the makeup from your face and though it’s white, all the makeup comes off the cloth when rinsed with water. Must get this!
https://www.beautypie.com/double-sided-organic-cleansing-exfoliating-cloths
I love Beauty Pie, skincare and face masks so when BP started to sell sheet face masks, I immediately added them to my basket. The Uber Youth Hyaluronic Sheet Mask - £19.96 for 5 sheets - promises many things and though it’s not terrible, I was left really disappointed by it. I find sheet masks (especially Korean ones) give an instant oomph, boost and glow to the skin. My skin is normally softer, more hydrated and plumped after a sheet mask but this just didn’t have the same impact for me. The price is expensive for BP standards, as it works out to be £5 per sheet. At the retail price of £60, that works out to £12 per sheet which is extortionate and seriously NOT worth it. This is a definite miss for me.
https://www.beautypie.com/uber-youth-hyaluronic-sheet-mask
FACE:
Becca
I’m quite fussy with concealers but this was recommended to me by a friend. I normally hate long-wear, and thick concealers but lately I have found that it provides coverage quickly with minimal fuss! I shade matched myself for the Ultimate Coverage Longwear Concealer - £21 for 6g - in shade ‘Latte’. I initially liked it a lot, but as I began to wear it more, I started to notice more lines under my eyes as the day wore on. I have many faults but lines under my eyes are not one of them. I normally prep and set under my eyes the same way and therefore, this was a new experience for me. I’m 50/ 50 with regards to this consistency but maybe I’ll try it again for evenings out, rather than during the day and test to see how it wears.
https://www.johnlewis.com/becca-ultimate-coverage-longwear-concealer/latte/p3679037
Chanel
I wanted a compact pressed powder to carry in my bag. Natural Finish Pressed Powder - £38 for 15g - is perfect as the pressed element means no messy spillage in your bag, the sponge helps with application and the mirror for emergency cases. I originally wanted the Charlotte Tilbury pressed powder because I’ve heard good things about it and as it comes in a pretty rose gold packaging, but it doesn’t come with a bloody sponge! I like the Chanel powder and it does what I need it to do. Besides, you can’t go wrong with a classic Chanel right?
The Healthy Glow Luminous Colour - £42 for 12g - is a bronzer and I’m not impressed. It’s supposed to be a ‘golden’ colour but it’s quite orange and one of my biggest bronzer pet peeves, is having an orange tone to my skin. I do not want to look like Trump’s cousin today, tomorrow or ever! I will try it one more time before delicately passing it onto someone else who may appreciate it more than me.
https://www.johnlewis.com/chanel-les-beiges-healthy-glow-luminous-colour/medium-light/p3228435
The Soleil Tan de Chanel - £40 for 30g - is a creamy bronzer and literally famous and seemingly loved by many. This is what made me want to try it. My mistake. Just like the powder bronzer, I find it far too orange and anything that makes me look like Trump’s twin, makes me want to vomit. Maybe it just looks particularly orange on my complexion but generally my tone is quite neutral so…. This is again a pass for me which is a shame as I desperately wanted to like it.
https://www.johnlewis.com/chanel-soleil-tan-de-chanel-bronzing-makeup-base/p1697410
The Les Beiges Eau de Teint - £48 for 30 ml - has literally sold out everywhere in the UK (the lighter shades anyway). I managed to grab one in Paris in the shade ‘Medium Plus’ and even then, they only had one left. It’s a relatively new launch so when I queried why there are stock issues everywhere, the sales assistant told me that the brand had not anticipated how well it would do as a new launch and understocked the product. Very intelligent move. Not. You can use it standalone to warm the complexion or mix it in with your foundation to warm it up. in honesty, I didn’t think this would be organgey because when you look at the shade in the bottle, it’s a cooler brown but applied on the skin…sigh it’s orangey. BUT, I will give this product the benefit of the doubt and try it mixed with foundation for when I get a deeper tan. I love the consistency of it (gel-like formula) but the colour is trying my patience. The moral of the story? Chanel bronzers clearly only come in 50 shades of orangey brown.
https://www.johnlewis.com/chanel-les-beiges-eau-de-teint/light-deep/p4071381
Charlotte Tilbury
I was initially a bit skeptical to try the Hollywood Contour Wand - £29 for 12ml - as I normally hate liquid or creamy contour products. I tend to stick to powder contour products which always work the best. When I attended Sofia Tilbury’s masterclass, she used the wand in medium/ dark but I found it to be too orangey. It worked on her model as she had a lot of fake tan on. No shade, just the truth! The ‘light/ medium’ shade however, is the perfect cool brown tone. I had no expectations whatsoever but after the first few applications, I was prepared to eat my words. It’s such a brilliant contour wand as it’s precise, lasts all day and doesn’t disturb the base under it (ie. move the foundation). I now swear by this product and will definitely repurchase!
https://www.johnlewis.com/charlotte-tilbury-hollywood-contour-wand-light-medium/p3314670
Jillian Dempsey is a brand I hadn’t heard of until I came across her Cheek Tint - £26.50 for 3g - in the Harrods beauty hall. I really liked the colour of ‘Petal’ which is a slightly flushed pink tone and though I was excited to use it, it’s a bit ‘meh’ as a blusher. The colour doesn’t last which is disappointing and the formula is not as easy to blend without moving the base underneath it. At £26.50 I have tried better creamy blushers, or better yet, pinch your cheeks for free.
https://www.harrods.com/en-gb/jillian-dempsey/cheek-tint-p000000000006426701?colour=petal
Kevyn Aucoin is a cult name and brand and though it’s not cheap, you know anything KC is going to have a high quality about it. I was introduced to the Glass Glow Face Gloss - £26 for 30ml - in shade ‘Prism Rose’ in Harrods and what a beautiful product. Yes, I have enough highlighter products to illuminate 100 elephants but there is something about GOOD highlighters that get me excited. This is no exception. Again like contour products, I’m a bit wary when it comes to creamy or liquid highlighters but I was sold when I saw the finish for this product. As the name states, it literally gives you that glassy finish on your skin and even works on top of powder products. Instead of applying directly to the skin, I would advise putting the tiniest amount on a small brush and dab where you want that glow. Yes, you’ll be seen from space but who doesn’t want that!
When I recently travelled to Paris, I came across a Sulwhasoo counter in the famous department store Galeries Lafayette. I was surprised to see a standalone counter as this is a Korean brand and they don’t stock this brand in London. Sulwhasoo is a reputable beauty brand in Korea and is definitely more of an upmarket brand. Since I have skincare coming out of my bumhole, I decided to give that a skip for now and came across this beautiful blusher, Radiance Blusher - 46 EUR or £42 for 10g - in shade no.2 or ‘Coral Harmony’. Swirled together, it’s the perfect peachy colour and has fast become my favourite blusher even though I have tonnes! My biggest regret is now not buying the pink version ‘Rose Harmony’ (original I know). I know it’s pricey but powder blushers last forever and the quality is really worth it!
https://www.galerieslafayette.com/p/blush+radiance-sulwhasoo/56841148/94024?version=v2
EYES:
Beauty Pie
Until now, I have primarily purchased and used BP’s skincare line but this time, I decided to venture into makeup by purchasing the Ultra Colour Pro Gel Eyeliner - £3.54 for 1.2g - in ‘Turkish Coffee’ (standard dark brown) which promises to be long-wearing. It fulfils that promise but... when you first apply it, the consistency is quite “wet” and being a contact lenses wearer, I have to be really cautious to avoid getting it on my lenses. One time I managed to do this accidentally and it ended up smudging on my contact lenses, and irritating my eyes all day, in the most annoying long-wearing way! Would I purchase it again? Probs not. For this price point, and since I wear it in my waterline, I prefer L’Oreal Infallible Gel Eyeliner for £4.99 which is creamy but doesn’t get attracted to my eyeballs, whilst lasting all day.
https://www.beautypie.com/ultra-colour-pro-eyeliner-967862
Charlotte Tilbury
I bought into CT’s The Classic Eyeliner - £16 for 1.1g - in ‘Sophia’ (brown tone) because it’s described as a powder eyeliner. I love buying eyeliners, especially longwearing formulas, because I wear it nearly everyday and I run out of them very quickly. I originally wanted the one in ‘Audrey’ which is black but they had sold out and so I settled for brown. I do prefer brown over black as I feel like it’s a softer day look and is more forgiving if you make an error. Do I love it? It’s nice and I do enjoy using it but would I buy it again? I’m not sure. It’s a bit of a hard formula and that sometimes puts me off eyeliners, as you don’t want to apply pressure in the area that is most delicate. I’d like to try the black one before I make up my mind completely.
https://www.johnlewis.com/charlotte-tilbury-the-classic-eyeliner-powder-pencil/sophia/p2127468
You’re going to be able to predict what I’m going to say, but I’m really particular about my mascaras…okay, so I’m fussy about makeup in general but then at least you guys know that when I recommend something, it is really worthwhile! I have used CT’s Full Fat Lashes Mascara - £23 for 8ml - before and really liked it but since it was a long time ago, I wanted to try it again. Sofia Tilbury swears by it as it is more of a natural mascara that you can build upon. Having used it a few times now, I was reminded why I liked it when it first launched as it separates and curls your lashes. It doesn’t have the instant OOMPH impact but it is buildable so you could always layer in the evening. Lash serum + LVL + excellent mascara = sexy AF eyelashes.
I own almost the entire collection of shades in the Colour Chameleon Eyeshadow Pencil - £19 for 1.6g - and wanted to add Golden Quartz to the happy family. What I particularly love about these eyeshadow pencils is that if the colour is deep enough, you could use it as an eyeliner and eyeshadow in one. I swear by the formula because once it dries, it driesss. It’s set (for life). It’s a creamy eyeshadow formula in the form of a pencil which does need to be sharpened. For a pencil that needs to be sharpened, this lasts surprisingly longer than any other eye pencil, because although it’s creamy, there’s still a bit of hardness (if that makes any sense at all!) My only one criticism would be that it doesn’t come with a sharpener, which obviously is a marketing ploy to make you buy theirs at an additional cost of £5.
Chanel
Chanel’s Stylo Ombre et Contour Eyeshadow - £25 for 0.8g - really is a clever little product. I purchased it primarily to act as a cream crease colour for my lids, as it creates the perfect shadow colour (unlike their bronzers #slightshade) however, if you really wanted to be WILD, it is such a versatile product. Other than using it for your eyelid crease, you could use it as a shadow, eyeliner or even creamy contour (if you’re confident with your blending skills!) I highly recommend it, especially if you’re travelling and need a product that functions on multi levels.
https://www.johnlewis.com/chanel-stylo-ombre-et-contour-eyeshadow-liner-kohl/p4133455
M2Beaute
I love lash serums and love the M2 Beaute - £80.90 for 5ml. I purchased it years ago when I saw results on my friend’s lashes and since then I was sold. When I first started purchasing it, Amazon was the only place you could buy it and back then (in the good old days), it was around £60. In the last year or so, the price has massively increased to £81. This may sound expensive but Selfridges and Harrods have begun to sell it at an inflated £128. It’s the exact same brand and formula FYI, unless unbeknownst to me, they have an additional secret formula of cherub tears! I do feel after many years of using it, though it still produces results, your lashes get used to it and so maybe it’s worthwhile switching to another brand temporarily. I’ve also heard good things about Revitalash. You apply it like a liquid eyeliner after cleansing your face and last thing at night or when you’re eye makeup free. Be warned that if you take breaks, the effects will eventually wear off. Your lashes won’t fall out and it’s perfectly safe to use but the length will gradually reduce to normal human being lashes.
https://www.selfridges.com/GB/en/cat/m2beaute-eyelash-activating-serum-5ml_277-3002835-54000001/
BROWS:
Charlotte Tilbury
Though I love my Glossier Boy Brow, I wanted to try CT’s Legendary Brows - £18.50 for 0.6g - in ‘Supermodel’ (perfect cool brown for darker hair) due to the much thinner wand/ spoolie. What I like about it is that you can never apply too much, so it’s great for people with both thick and thin brows. Plus, it contains castor oil which is great for nourishing and encouraging brow hair growth. Although in 0.6g’ worth, I’m not sure how much castor oil this would contain... maybe 0.00006g, who knows!
https://www.johnlewis.com/charlotte-tilbury-legendary-brows-supermodel/p3152027
Accessories:
Beauty Pie
Like I said earlier, I normally stick to skincare on BeautyPie but I really wanted to branch out and try a range of items. One of the two brushes I purchased was the Seamless Foundation Buffing Brush - £5.04 (originally £28). I have tried a lot of makeup brushes in my lifetime and again, quite fussy with quality and hard to impress. Though my favourite foundation brush remains to be the IT cosmetics Heavenly Luxe Complexion Perfection brush for £35, this is a close second; albeit a fraction of the price. It’s easy to use, buffs the product smoothly on the skin and is easy to clean.
The Pro Perfect Setting Powder Brush - £5.86 (originally £28) much like the foundation brush is good quality for the price and does what it says on the tin. It’s very soft and fluffy which is perfect for powdering larger areas of the face such as forehead, cheeks and chin. For under the eyes, and around the nose, I like to use a mini fluffy brush. What I love best about these brushes are that if you look after them, they really last a long time and therefore make a really good investment, at a fraction of the BP price.
Continuing with the BP theme, I also got the Limited Edition Lip Makeup Bag - £11.87 for medium and £12.29 for large. The print is in collaboration with New York graphic designer Laurie Rosenwald. I really like using the bags for travel as the two sizes offer versatility, the print being easy on the eye, and it’s washable.
https://www.beautypie.com/face/accessories-1000/large-cosmetics-bag
https://www.beautypie.com/face/accessories-1000/small-cosmetics-bag
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I will be reviewing Lisa Eldridge’s and Gucci’s lipstick collection in two separate blogs therefore keep your eyes peeled for those bad boys!
Until next time xo
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All pictures on this post are my own.
