I’m in the midst of finals so forgive my lack of posting this week! I’m pretty active on Instagram, though. Here are a few products I’ve started using and loving lately.  There are some older ones that I started using again in the mix too.  These aren’t my April favorites, but I want to start doing monthly favorites again. I go home for summer next week so if I start feeling super ambitious and less of a scaredy cat maybe I’ll even do a video.

My whole routine now is so light and airing on the side of I could give a shit… I really could but I still like beauty so it has to be some type of elaborate routine.

Youth To The People Superberry hydrate + glow oil.  That is a looooonnngggg name.  I love face oils for many reasons; they’re hydrating, and they make your skin look dewy so basically whats not to love?  Maybe if you’re oily nothing but I’m dry, so I have lots of love for face oils.  I was actually surprised by this one because its very light and absorbs really quickly into the skin.  This isn’t a bad thing!  I just have a few more oils that I love with a thicker consistency, so that’s what I expected for this. I’ve been wearing it at night time with moisturizer and in the morning under makeup.  Personally, I could go with a thicker oil at night because I’m dry but this is hydrating enough! Its great for under makeup.. which is scary to a lot of people but it absorbs so quickly and makes you dewy. This is an effective everyday oil, and it smells amazing! Sort of like a tropical kiwi.

Mario Badescu cucumber and aloe spray.  I’ve always loved this and I’ve gone back to using it as a hydrating mist and setting spray.  This is my favorite scent.

Dr. Jart. Cicapair drops.  If you like the Dr. Jart Cicapair cream you’ll love this.  It’s a lighter, serum-like consistency that cancels out redness. I will say this isn’t as full coverage as the cream which is good and bad.  The cream has full coverage with SPF which is what I like BUT it has a noticeable white cast that it leaves to the skin. The drops are lighter, add a dewy finish but aren’t as full coverage or have SPF.  I love the drops since I can cancel out redness without looking paler. The drops also layer very well with sunscreen and makeup.  I use the drops and then layer over them with sunscreen and concealer. If I’m really red I’ll use a hint of the cream for extra help! I like the drops more since I can still look tan.  I think they’re a great, lighter option for summer!

DE Umbra tinte. I’ve talked about this sunscreen before. It has a slight tint and sheen that it adds to the skin. It’s my favorite and I don’t even have a desire to try other sunscreens because I love this one so much.

Super Goop SPF setting spray.   I wish more brands would come out with something like this. It’s a great concept if you don’t like the feeling of sunscreen and its great for reapplying throughout the day. The smell is a little chemically.  It’s cooling on the skin but not refreshing like other sprays. It’s a spray sunscreen so expect that.

Tarte Shape Tape.  I always go back to this concealer because it’s so good.  I love the full coverage since I don’t wear foundation or bb cream.  I will say, I think it can look cakey with foundation if it’s not sparingly used! It can also a tad drying so I have to prep my skin for it and sometimes I can’t use it under my eyes.  Why do I love it? Its full coverage, easy to blend, it matches my skin and it has a skin-like finish. It’s just the perfect concealer and its a staple in my collection that I always go back too.

Nudestix Bronzer in Bondi bae. I love cream bronzers and this one is no different.  It has a more orange bronze tone but it doesn’t look orange when you apply it.  It’s good for warming up the skin and it’s easy to blend.

Bobbi Brown crushed lipstick in Sazan Nude.  Everyone needs to own this! Its the perfect nude color that looks like your lips but better. It has a stain, blotted look to it and that’s super flattering and my favorite kind of lip.  It’s SO comfortable and creamy to wear.  I LOVE it.

Hi all! Here to share my thoughts on some hyped up, new, makeup releases. We have the Summer Fridays Jet Lag mask which is huge in the skincare/blogger community since blogger Marianna Hewitt created it. Then we have the Milk makeup serum stick, a Morphe bronzer and some new influencer releases.  I’ve had pretty good luck with all of these products so here. we. GO!!

Nars Fort de France highlighting powder. I didn’t need more highlighter… I never do but I made an exception because this one is so smooth and gorgeous on the skin! Its more subtle, lit from within and far from being in your face and blinding. I’m over intense highlight! This doesn’t emphasize texture and it melts into your skin with a setting spray.  Nars makes the smoothest highlighters in the game and this one is awesome. I will say you really benefit by using setting spray to get rid of the powder look.  Would I buy again? Absolutely!

Ole Henriksen Truth Serum.  I love a vitamin c serum ever since I first tried Drunk Elephant C- Firma. Is this as good as Drunk Elephant? No but it does brighten and help retexture skin.  Its not as potent or fast working as Drunk Elephant but its way cheaper! If your skin doesn’t dramatically need brightening or overall help I would say try this!  I really like it and it reminds me of Drunk Elephant just not as fast acting or strong.  Its still a good serum for brightening and smoothing skin and I like it. Would I buy this again? Yes $15 for a good sized mini is an awesome price.

Natasha Denona chrome lid pot. I love this for a subtle eye shimmer/ easy eye look.  Its so easy and you can use your finger to apply it.  I haven’t used this for an intense all glitter eye so I don’t think its the product for that but its great for subtle shimmer and color to the lid. Would I buy again? Yes, I want the brown/lavender iridescent flip one!

Flower Beauty Concealer. This is a good concealer but the color is off. The range isn’t great. This is light medium and its a bit too yellow/green for my skin!  I’m pretty yellow too.  I love the coverage this offers and how easy it is to blend.  It also wears for a while on the skin. I said I like this better then Shape Tape and I used Shape Tape the other day since its more my color and guys…. I just don’t think you can beat Shape Tape! But this is only a fraction of the price at $9 and I think its one of the better high coverage concealers at the drugstore! Would I buy again? Yes but I need more shades because this one is obviously not a match when I wear it.

Morphe Brontour I am SHOOK by this bronzer.  This is the most gorgeous, luminous bronzer I’ve tried in a while!  I love that I have a matte/contour option in this to add more definition to my cheek bones.  Definitely an awesome concept by Morphe and great execution because this is such a good bronzer.  This color isn’t too orange or muddy looking, I got the shade ‘Celebutante’ and its SOOOO easy to blend into the skin.  Its pigmented so use lightly but definitely worth picking up! Would I buy again? HELL YES!

Bliss Marshmallow Mask. I LOVE the texture of this mask. What does it do? I’m not entirely sure but my skin does feel nicer and smoother after washing this off.  Its also pretty soothing….ok read the description, its smoothing and radiant. Radiant is a good description! I agree! Would I buy this again? oh yes!

Summer Fridays Jet Lag mask!  I understand the hype, guys I do and I understand every awesome review I’ve read on Instagram! ( I have yet to read a bad one. )  This mask is very hydrating and I see why it would be so good on a plane.  (I plan to try it on my plane ride home in 2 weeks!) It left my skin noticeably plumper and glowing..kinda like a huge glass of water for your face.  It has peppermint extract so I felt it tingling on my skin a little bit.  I’m pretty sensitive so it left me a little red but it did go away soon after. Would I buy this again? yes!

Essence Pure Nude highlighter. Needing a cheaper, everyday subtle glow? Look no further because this is for you. I got this because its supposed to be a dupe for the Hourglass ambient lighting powder and it is! I use this more as a setting powder all over my face when I feel like using one and it sets my concealer with a gorgeous, luminous sheen.  You can also use this for a subtle highlighter and its equally as pretty.  It nails the glow from within look.  I totally recommend this as an Hourglass ambient lighting powder dupe or as a subtle highlight. Would I buy again? Yes!

Bobbi Brown lipstick in Sazan Nude. This is a collab with blogger and YouTuber Sazan Hendrix. I love her instagram and her YouTuber videos so I knew I had to grab this after seeing its sheer, nude coloring. This is one of the best lipsticks I’ve ever used.  It’s so hydrating, creamy and comfy to wear. I never really went for Bobbi Brown in the past because I considered it a more mature brand and I’m wrong. I have very dry, chapped lips and this lipstick wore so nicely and kept my lips moisturized. I would go as far to say thats its one of the best lipsticks I’ve ever used.  I love the color, its like your lips but better and I will definitely be adding more to my collection. Would I buy again? 100% YES!

Dr. Jart Tiger grass camo drops. If you like the tiger grass cream, you will love this.  Meet tiger grass cream’s lighter, thinner sister! hahah. I would describe this as a color correcting treatment with a serum texture.  You need about three drops and it’ll even out redness into your skin color. I go in with 2 more if my cheeks are really red from sleeping. Since this is a much thinner texture it also doesn’t give the whitecast that the cream has. I need very minimal concealer when I use this and thats it.  Makes me a very happy girl! I really love this product and I reach for it daily. It also layers really well with an oil, moisturizer and sunscreen — no pilling experienced! Would I buy again? OH yes, I expect a repurchase.

Bliss Honey Lavender Moisturizing mask. This mask gives me Farmacy honey potion masks vibes.  Its similar in color but lighter in texture, non sticky and doesn’t warm on the skin. It does still offers the same amount of hydration.  This has a subtle lavender smell to it which I love.  Its not a Farmacy dupe but its a good hydration mask and I enjoy it. I’ve been needing a good hydration mask and this checked that box. Would I buy again? Yes!

Milk Makeup watermelon serum.  I wasn’t going to buy this at first because it sounded gimmicky but I saw good reviews on sephora.com as well as Instagram so here we are.  I really like using this! I use this in the morning as a primer for my skin and makeup.  My skin is pretty sensitive and it has never done well with a morning and night serum but this one is totally ok so far.  It wears really well under my oil, moisturizer and sunscreen — no pilling experienced.  I do agree with its hydrating and brightening claims!  This gives my skin life in the morning and it has diminished an acne scar I had on my forehead and my skin overall just looks brighter.  I’ve been using for a week and I do notice a difference.  I am using the Ole Henrikson Truth serum but not as consistently so I do believe that this is helping. Besides that I love the handiness of  Milk Makeup’s stick products. Would I buy again? Yes!

Essence Make me Glow Liquid bronzer. This is not a bronzer, its far too light and shiny even if your pale and love glow. This is a champagne, gold liquid highlighter! Its one of the easiest products to blend out and the glow it gives is gorgeous. I think this is one of the easiest liquid highlighters to blend out.  I have the Charlotte Tilbury beauty wand and sometimes I have a hard time blending that out and the product dries in the shape of the sponge applicator on my cheek within seconds.  I never experience that with this; its great, cheap and needs to be talked about more! Would I buy this again? Yes!

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I’ve mentioned before my love/hate relationship with Glossier.  I have yet to find a product from them that I really like; their concealer broke me out pretty badly and boy brow is just okay to me!  But they did refund me for the concealer after leaving a review on the website…they wrote me a really nice email and I truly applaud their customer service.   They also have a store opening in LA and I’m lying if I said I wasn’t a hint excited!  Sooooo they’re doing something right.

Have we seen enough of Lidstars on social media?! Probably? But, in my search to find a Glossier product I truly love — they aren’t bad and here’s my take!

I got the shades fawn – the purple, grey and herb- the green color.

Claims: to be a creaseless, wash of color that won’t move or fade and will last 12 hours!

Thats a big promise.

Fawn:

I really like this color. It’s a pretty light, smokey, taupe color.  I have very oily eye lids and without a primer my shadow is gone in an hour. I was skeptical about the no primer claim.  I got around 5 hours without a primer, just Lidstar applied to the lid before I noticed the color fading.

These aren’t very bright or pigmented so I applied more to compensate for that. After 5 hours the color faded but was still visible.  They didn’t smudge or crease! I’m happy with a 5 hour wear. I only wear these out so I won’t need 12 hours of wear.

Herb:

I absolutely love these green color with brown eyes. I feel like eye shadow is boring for brown eyes and this is fun!

Herb oh herb. This guy is patchy. When I applied one layer it was fine but very subtle in color and almost hard to notice that its even green. Once I started to apply more the first layer got patchy and some of the color got removed with the applicator.   Very hard to work with. I put some bronzer in the crease but it was still patchy.

I tried this with a brush and that does help with the patchiness!  The green color just isn’t as intense as I’d like. You can make this work but you have to work with it.

I found this one to wear longer then fawn without fading but its a patchy mess so what you gain you also give up something in return. This one didn’t smudge or fade.

If you want a pigmented, green shimmer shadow get this one.

Overall, I would say these are like the Stila magnificent metals but for day!  They are definitely a wash of color so don’t expect a glittery eye look. I do like that they’re pretty easy to apply/ use.  Except for Herb as he’s more high maintenance. 😉

I’m happy I got these because its a fun eye look without looking over done.  I think I’ll reach for fawn more just because its easier to use.  Fawn is more day appropriate of the two colors versus herb which is darker and smokier.

Glossier also has 4 other colors in more pinky tones. I don’t like pink shadow so these colors were an easy pick and I’d still pick herb even though its patchy.

Would I buy again? Yes. Rating out of 10? 7.5.