Thursday, August 9, 2018

5 Most Used Products: July 2018

I have been testing a LOT of makeup products this summer. This year I have discovered a lot of new favorites, continued enjoying old favorites and unfortunately tried a few duds. 

In order to really keep the list to just my five favorites, I decided to be mindful and really keep track of which products I used the most last month.  

In no particular order, here they are:

Makeup Revolution's Conceal & Define Full Coverage Conceal And Contour made it into my hands when my cousin, who is also a makeup artist, sent me a tube in my shade (C2). Social media has declared this product a perfect dupe for Tarte's Shape Tape. Believe it or not, I have never tried Tarte's version, but after using this one for weeks I don't see any reason to buy a different one. The creamy texture works great for covering up my under eye circles. A little goes a long way, and it layers easily making it an ideal choice for just about any age.  The doe-foot applicator makes it easy to paint the product on to highlight or contour the face. The best part is, this amazing product comes in an assortment of shades and costs less than $10 per tube, which makes it great for tucking a nice assortment of them into my makeup artist's kit.   

Next, is a product that I have been using since the day it launched. I have repurchased this multiple times over and own it in all of the available colors. I am referring to no other than Charlotte Tilbury's Airbrush Flawless Finish Skin Perfecting Micro-Powder.  The brand's signature gold packaging will have you pulling out your mirror for touchups just to show it off.

I use the color Fair to set my concealer, and Dark to contour as far as my personal makeup goes. In my pro kit, I keep each shade to use on clients of many different skin tones and ages. 

Not everyone knows this, but Charlotte Tilbury was the creative genius behind Tom Ford's makeup brand previously. Now we can enjoy her expertise in cruelty-free form with all the luxury we desire. 

I have tried so many pressed powders over the years, and this one truly stands out. It is absolutely my holy grail powder, and there isn't one thing I would change about it. No need to mess with perfection. 

Truly this brand does most things really right. Also on my list is Charlotte Tilbury's Filmstar Bronze & Glow Face Sculpt & Highlight. This rectangle-shaped palette includes a mirror,  bronzer with a touch of shimmer in it and the most beautiful grown-up highlighter imaginable. 

I love a bronze glow in summer, but my super pale skin requires me to slather on the sunscreen daily. I use this product to fake a realistic looking summer tan, applying it with a large brush (I love the bronzing brush from Marc Jacobs Beauty) anywhere the sun would naturally hit. The shimmer in the bronzer is subtle enough for daily wear, yet creates just enough glow that I could skip the highlighter altogether if I wanted to. 

That being said, the highlighter in this palette is one I highly recommend, especially for women over the age of 35. I have always enjoyed the dewy look left behind by a good swipe of highlighter.  Unfortunately as I have gotten older, I see that too much of the shimmery stuff can end up bringing attention to my fine lines or texture on my skin. This highlighter, especially when paired with the bronzer in the palette and worn over the pressed powder, creates a more mature radiance that will leave people thinking you just got back from summer vacation. 

To apply this product I use the fourth item on my list:

If you read this blog regularly, then you have seen me mention this brush before. It is a contour brush (Couture Body Definer) from Furless Cosmetics. The shape and size of it make me reach for it quite often. I love it for its intended purpose of contouring, but also find it gives the most beautiful blend to blush and highlighter. 

I find many blush brushes to be far too large for my liking. This brush allows me to be as precise as desired while applying and blending like a dream. The bristles are ultra soft, making this a no brainer to keep in my pro kit. At $19.99 you really can't beat the quality for the price. I believe I will order a few backups to keep on hand. It is limited edition,  so I better stock up while I still can. 

Last, but not least, is the Thirsty Palette from Jeffree Star Cosmetics.

It should not surprise anyone that I included this palette in my July Favorites post. I've already written a few other posts using it and find myself reaching for it much more than anticipated. 

With two rows of matte shadows, and one row of metallics, I can create a large variety of looks without having to reach for any other shadows. There are enough neutrals and warm tones to compliment most eye colors, and the bright pops of color are surprisingly wearable. Despite wearing this palette more than any other that I own, some of the shadows look untouched in the pan. This is because I need so little pigment on the brush for a full coverage application. I assure you, I have used every color in this palette many times over.

The metallics are very beautiful, and I particularly love the color choices. Maybe I am a bit old for the playful names and overall vibe of the palette, but it really does make me happy to look at it and to use.  This is the first product I've tried from the brand. Needless to say, I am looking forward to trying more as the brand expands. 

What products did you reach for the most last month? 


All products in this post were purchased by me. I occasionally do receive a blogger discount from brands, but no one is ever promised a positive review. All opinions are 100% honest. This is not a sponsored post. 

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