A short one for today, thought I would share a small selection of things that are preparing me for the summer!
1. Sun Bum Sunscreen SPF 30, always an essential when you are out and about during the summertime. Sun Bum is one of my favorite brands for Sun Screen because there is something unique about the smell that I really enjoy. Plus the packaging is pretty cute.
2. Sun Bum SPF Coconut Lip Balm, not only should you protect your body but you also have to protect your lips as well. I love the smell of Coconut so this comes with me in my bag on the go.
3. Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer, This has been a go to favorite of mine for that summery bronze. I love the packaging and the formula is so fantastic. Added bonus- it smells like a beachy vacation
4, Tony Moly Pocket Bunny Facial Mist, As the weather gets hotter its nice to spritz your face with a little moisture. Not only to cool you down but to help makeup look freshened after a long day. This one from Tony Moly smells really nice and its SUPER ADORABLE!
5. Hourglass Illusion Tint Foundation, My go to foundation as of late ( full review here X) it feels so light on the skin and gives a great amount of coverage and dewiness.
6. Polka Dot Sunglasses, kind of a no brainer that when it gets sunnier out you would need sunglasses. These are my favorite ones. They were pretty cheap from Target from a couple years ago. I still love them to bits. I have an affinity for anything polka dotted.
7. Pistachio Brûlée Eau De Parfum, I picked this little perfume up from Urban Outfitters. It wasn't pricey at all and it smells freaking delicious on the skin.
HAPPY JUNE 1st!!
What are some of your favorite summer essentials?
Let me know in the comments below!
- A
Hello lovelies, I have yet another Covering Your Bases post to share with you all today. Today I will be covering The Bodyshops new(ish) which is their Fresh Nude Foundation. If you want to know my thoughts on this foundation just keep on reading!
Packaging//Design: The packaging for this product is nice and simple, minimalistic which I do enjoy quite a bit. It is glass so its something that you might have to be careful with when traveling but it isn't so huge and bulky. It has a pump dispenser which is always an added bonus and it dispenses nicely.
Color Range//
This range comes with 16 shades. All of which have nature inspired names which is pretty neat and represents The Body Shop brand quite well. From the lightest shade, which I have with me today Chelsea Porcelain to the darkest shade which seems to be Tuscany Chesnut ( listed on the website). I really like that the shade range is nice and large to try and accommodate all skin tones. I always appreciate that. For me, miss pale princess the shade Chelsea Porcelain does me just fine. Normally, I like match best with a foundation that has a slightly more golden undertone however the next shade up in this particular range wasn't exactly cutting it for my skin so I stuck with the fairest shade which is a little more pink toned but so subtly so you can't really tell. I am pretty certain that one could find a pretty good match with this range due to its size and varying undertones.
Application//
This is a very lightweight and refreshing feeling foundation. I think this must be due to some of its ingredients like aloevera and English rosewater. I think even though I love using my trusty beauty blender I would say this particular formulation is best applied with a brush due to the fact that it is a more sheer foundation you will get more coverage with a brush and also a sponge will suck up a lot of the product.
Coverage//
On The Bodyshop website they describe the Fresh Nude foundation as having a semi-matte finish. I kindly disagree with that description and standby that this foundation gives more of a dewy finish when applied but, it does have an extremely natural look to it. Its not airbrushed or caked on it really mimics the look of freshly moisturized skin. On my dry skin that is a winning situation. On more oily skin this would have to be set with at least a little bit of powder. This foundation can be built up a little bit but know that you won't get it to a full coverage look on its own. At the most this product can get to is a semi medium coverage. It is meant to be light coverage. If your looking for heavy duty coverage I would either mix this with something or look to another foundation.
Overall Thoughts//
Normally, I like a more full coverage, perfected skin look. I adore my Too Faced Born This Way foundation for that kind of look. However, for a day where I am not doing much, one where I really have to rush out the door and have little time for makeup this foundation is perfect. Its very quick to blend into the skin and because of the aloe-vera and rosewater it calms down any redness I may have making it not a priority to have a fuller coverage foundation anyways. It feels extremely fresh which makes it perfect for spring and summertime wear ( as long as you have a good facial SPF to go underneath for summertime). I think this foundation would be ideal for the minimal and natural makeup lover and also good for sensitive skin types.
The price on this foundation is $25.00 which isn't too bad ( you are getting around 1 fluid ounce which is typical of a lot of foundations) plus, The Bodyshop offers good discounts from time to time especially if you are a member of the Love Your Body Card which will give you 10% off.
Have you tried this foundation? what are your thoughts? let me know in the comments section I would really love to hear from you.
That about wraps it up for my thoughts today!
Hope you are all having a great week!
See you soon
- A
So I thought since traditionally it has taken me quite a bit of time to post something I would share some of the pretty beauty bits that I have picked up. Some a little while ago, some much more recently (as in this afternoon kind of recently). The Sephora VIB sale just started today. It will be going on until the 13th and then it there will be 10% off available to Beauty Insiders. GO GET YOUR SHOPPING ON!
So anyways lets get into the haul!..
I want to start off with the bits I have gotten from the drugstore because I really love them its like finding a real hidden gem. The first I wanted to mention is the Loreal Paris Brow Stylist Definer. I think that this aside from the NYX Micro Brow is the BEST dupe out there for the Anastasia Brow Wiz Pencil. The Loreal one I am liking even better than the Micro Brow because its a little bit more pigmented and less scratchy. The spoolie at the end is also very nice as well. I highly recommend this if you were thinking about the Anastasia Brow Wiz because this is only $8.00!! (BARGIN!) and the two are so incredibly similar.
The next item from the drugstore I am really kind of obsessed with. The Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer is gorgeous. The packaging is adorable and the formulation is soo unbelievably creamy. Sometimes even when I am not putting on makeup I will open this up just to touch it because it is that buttery and smooth. Its a very subtle color that is mistake proof, very good for natural makeup. It adds a little bit of warmth to the skin. Also, I need to mention that this smells SO GOOD! Like pina colada coconut bliss (if you don't love scented makeup I would steer clear of this product because it is pretty strong in the compact), but I love this product so much. Two thumbs up.
Next up I have a new primer to play with. It is the Sephora Collection Beauty Amplifier Afterglow Primer I just got this so I have not had much chance to play around with it yet but when I swatched it on my hand it looked very pretty and luminous which was what I was after because I have been in a summery makeup mood lately and I want all that glow. So, if I end up really loving this I am sure it will land itself in a favorites post.
Next I have two Too Faced Products that I have purchased recently. I have been wanting one of their Love Flush Blushes for forever and a half and I finally decided to pick one up. The one I got is in the shade "I Will Always Love You" (which is great because that is a lyric to one of my all time favorite songs. I will leave you to guess what that is...If you can we are best friends), but aside from the name and the ADORABLE Polly Pocketesque + Bunny PACKAGING I loved the color of this shade which is a beautiful peach shade which I thought was perfect for spring and summer time.
Too Faced always has the cutest packaging which goes the same with this next exciting purchase The Peanut Butter Jelly Palette I finally got my hands on it. I wanted to pick it up in store and every time I checked my local Ulta it was sold completely out until this afternoon! I saw only one left and practically leaped for it. I am a sucker for warm shades in a palette and this palette has them galore plus some fun purple shades which I don't use often but now that I have this palette I definitely want to try them because they are beautiful. The pigmentation is really wonderful in this palette and the palette itself is very lightweight and slim which makes it really perfect for travel. Also, again this smells wonderfully of cocoa and peanut butter I am so happy to finally own this palette!
Speaking of palettes I also wanted to show my support for youtuber MannyMUA who brought out his own palette in collaboration with MakeupGeek. It was very difficult to get a hold of which is kind of why I wanted to showcase it here at least once in this haul (it might still be available but I am not sure). I really love this palette a lot. Especially that deep red shade called "Mars" which is RIDICULOUSLY PIGMENTED it's insane! you barely you have to touch it with a brush to get that intense pigmentation. I love to support the creators I watch when they come out with products that capture my interest and this palette is no exception. Congrats to MannyMUA (if you are not subscribed to him already I highly suggest you do so) and may he continue to bless us with more beautiful work just like this palette.
Only three more to go! I recently got to visit the Sephora in Boston, MA in the Prudential Center and it was literally breathtaking! It was so huge with tons of brands I had only seen online it was amazing. Makeup Nirvana~ I saw that they had the full line of Anastasia Beverley Hills which got me very excited. I of course wanted to try one of their famed liquid lipsticks I chose Pure Hollywood which is one of their lighter nudes. I am really liking this formula a lot. Its not too drying at all which is the winning ticket in my book when it comes to liquid lipsticks and it does not crumble or anything. Very pleased with that one as I am with Anastasia's gloss formula. If you know me personally and my makeup preferences you would know I am not big on gloss at ALL. I hate that sticky feeling and since I have long hair it can spell disaster. However, this gloss that I picked up in the shade Tara really impressed me. Its not a extremely sticky gloss it gives that shiny look which I am starting to like now, also smells like vanilla cake. These glosses are very pigmented, the color I have here is a warm terra-cotta brown which I think is very pretty. I think the price of their glosses is also very agreeable at $16, not bad.. not bad at all. Really, really liking that one lately.
Lastly, I picked up some new brush cleaner. Again, from Sephora Collection. I used up the Solid Brush cleanser from the Beauty Blender brand and I was going to pick up another when I saw this little one that was only $8 and decided I would try it out and see how it compared. I will let you know how that fares soon in the future.
And there is my little haul. I feel as though there was a strong theme of scented makeup in this haul. What can I say I am being lead with my nose this year when it comes to cosmetics. Be sure to take advantage of the sale while its still going on! 15% off your entire purchase! I hope that you enjoyed this post! Let me know in the comments below if you did and if you have made any fun beauty purchases lately!
See you all (hopefully!) really soon! I have been busy getting prepared for my older sister's wedding happening later on this month! Craziness!!
Hope you all are having a great week (happy shopping!)
-A
