Monthly Favourites | August

So.. the end of August has rolled around, meaning that another month has been and passed us by. The end of August also more or less symbolizes the end of Summer too! :( Boo! The silver lining on that cloud, however, is that I can now write up a Summer Highlights blog post. Yay! For now though, here's the beauty bits I've been loving through the month of August:

Liz Earle 'Cleanse and Polish' Hot Cloth Cleanser - Original and Grapefruit and Patchouli

Yep, I was the last person in the whole world to try out Liz Earle's award winning and much loved Cleanse and Polish cleanser. I've included both variants in this favourites post, as I do use and love them both equally. I enjoy the Limited Edition version for a morning cleanse because of the more uplifting and invigoration sensation from the fresh citrus fragrance, and I prefer the original for an evening cleanse because of the calming and relaxing rosemary and chamomile extracts. These both leave the skin feeling so cleansed and refreshed but also soft and supple at the same time and I would recommend either of them to anybody.

Full Review of the Original C&P: here.

Full Review of the Limited Ed. C&P: here.

Vitage Vitamin C Skin Radiance Serum*

Not usually a product I'd expect to feature in a favourites post, as serums are a skincare step I feel a little bit iffy about - probably because I've never experienced one that has done any good for me or made a noticeable difference. This one was sent as a little surprise extra along with another product that I was expecting from Vitage and my first thoughts were very much 'hmm a serum, whatevs'. But, I put it to trial in good beauty blogger fashion and WOW. This radiance serum has claims to firm, brighten and even the skin tone and these are claims that I wish every radiance product would live up to. I really feel like this step before moisturising helps to add a natural luminance to my skintone and gives it a boost of health - so I pretty much like I eat vegetables for every meal of the day and drink gallons and gallons of water all the time! Although, when it costs £53.00 for 28ml, I have to say I'd expect nothing less than amazement. 

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush*

This has changed the way I apply my foundation since using this brush! Since the first time I used the Expert Face Brush I've not touched my Buffing Brush once, and it just doesn't even compare. Seriously, if you have the RT Buffing Brush and think it's good ..try this one instead! I find that for some reason the same amount of product goes further when using this brush (e.g. with the Buffing Brush I'd use 1.5 pumps of foundation, but with this I need less than 1, for the same coverage with the same foundation). The small brush head makes application more precise in fiddly areas like the nose and under the eyes, and the result is an amazingly flawless but still natural looking coverage. LOVE.

Full Review: here.

ELF Blush and Bronze Cream Contour Duo - St. Lucia

I have wanted to do a full review post on this compact duo, but I just haven't had the chance to get around to it yet. This duo has got a very lovely NARS-esque feel to it, and I'd pay so much more than £3.75 for it! What a bargain. (This picture is from the haul post when I first got it; it looks a little bit of a sorry mess now that I've stippled the hell out of it!). Two beautifully flattering contour shades in a perfect, matte brown shade that is so far from orange it is a ideal to chisel in some cheekbones, and a lovely rosey pink shade that makes a very pretty blush on fair skin. The consistency is super soft and creamy, they're not as soft as butter - they're softer than butter! And they stay as a cream formula too, none of this cream-to-powder nonsense. They blend really easily and have the staying power to rival absolutely anything in my make up collection. My one criticism is that they so, so pigmented that it can be easy to go a bit OTT and even a slight tap into the product with a make up brush can be a little too much - so go easy! (Swatches at the beginning and end of this post show one light swipe of each colour)

Maybelline 24hr Color Tattoo - On and On Bronze

Another product that I'm 10 hours late to the party with discovering how great it is. I really should just learn to listen to the hype that surrounds a product and buy into it straight away, instead of just dismissing them. Actually, I shouldn't encourage that at all - I already buy wayy to much! But why have I gone all of this time without the little marvel?! I have a sizeable stash of these Color Tattoos now, but On and On Bronze is definitely my most used and favourite shade. It's so wearable for so many different occasions and I'm pretty sure the subtle bronze colouring would be flattering on any complexion. I love wearing this as a one colour shadow for a simple day time look, or making it more intense as as base for other colours for a more dramatic look. It's also easy to smudge and use just as a liner, on either the upper or lower lashlines. Such a versatile product in a gorgeous shade.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Lipstick - #10 Rouge Buzz

I've recently entered into a full blown love affair with orange toned red lipsticks. Gone are my days of being restricted to solely fuchsia pink, and I've branched out into a different realm of bold. #10 Rouge Buzz is my absolute favourite shade from my Bourjois Rouge Edition lipsticks, and at first I compared it to Mac's Morange, but I've since been corrected and told it's actually more similar to Lady Danger (although I own neither of these from Mac so have struggled to compare accurately). The consistency is soft and creamy with a high glossy shine finish and average staying power, but it really is the colour that I'm in love with. It could just be me but I feel like it really brings out my eyes ..if you've got blue peepers then maybe take a look at this shade!

You can see an Instagram picture of me wearing this here and also here.

Full Review: here.

Bourjois Color Boost Lip Crayon - Red Sunrise

It's no secret that Bourjois has been on fire recently with their new cosmetic releases and I've really been enjoying a couple of their Color Boost lip crayons. We all know the drill now with these lip balm crayons and how they offer long lasting moisturisation to the lips with a strong hit of a colour, in a novelty format of a crayon style applicator. I'm personally a big fan of the lip crayon style products and haven't got bored of the endless releases of them yet! I am particularly loving Red Sunrise, from the new Bourjois range - one of their brightest and boldest shades, in a beautiful pinky red shade. For the moisturisation that these offer on the lips, it's really fantastic how pigmented and also long lasting the colour pay off is too. I love the glossy finishes of these ones too so that you essentially have a balm, colour and gloss all in one!

One last random favourite to throw into the mix, and that's my new blog design! I mentioned it briefly in my Cleanse & Polish post how happy I was with it, but now it is completely, 100% finished and I can't express enough how much I love it. Serena was absolutely amazing to work with: so quick and efficient, skilled and creative. She brought to life any ideas that I had and was done in less than a day, all for a very reasonable total of £20. It's exactly what I was hoping for and I do feel that it has a couple of very unique touches too it. If you're looking for a layout refresh, Pretty Wild Things is the place for you to go!

Thanks for reading!

Twitter | Bloglovin | Instagram | Facebook
--- Check out my September Gold advertiser, Lydia, and her amazing blog: Lydiarosexo.blogspot.co.uk ♥