August 2011 Favorites

Hello lovelies,

Just remembered that today is September 11 and I'll say a silent prayer for the lives of the people who were lost during the attack and their families.
I'm late again but I suppose better late than never, right? Here are recaps of last month's favorites. I find it hard for me to review the products that I purchase because I can shamefully admit that I really can't keep up with my hauls. I think the monthly favorites sort of help me briefly go over the new products that I recently tried or the products that I am falling back in love with.

1.  Sally Hansen Luminous Matte Pressed Powder (deep/fonce). If you want a powder to contour your face. I would suggest that you try a matte pressed powder such as this one. Picking a couple shades darker than your natural shade will do the trick. I reach for this powder more often than so. It has a smooth and silky texture but doesn't feel chalky. This shade is leaning on the warm side and probably more suited for warm skintone.
2.  MAC Trip Warm Eye Shadows. You may recall this palette in one of my hauls. I apologize for not getting to the review yet. You may still be able to find this it at your local CCO, which is where I got mine. I believe the colors in this palette are from the permanent line but it's conveniently packaged in one palette for a friendlier price tag. Colors include: Shroom, Bagatelle, Expensive Pink, Trax, Embark, and Humid. I love all the colors in this palette. They work very well and most of them are suited for day time wear.
3.  Kat Von D Angeles palette. I love the neutral shades in this palette. I've found myself using them quite often. I haven't tried the blue shades but overall the shades are pretty and the pigmentation and texture of these shadows are good. I got it on sale on Sephora's website but I'm not sure if you can still get it for the sale price.
4.  Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Eden. This primer has a nude color to it. I find myself liking this more than the original/clear formula. The colors of the eyeshadows seem to blend and pop even better with this primer. I also really love the new squeeze tube packaging. It works so much better. The only con I can think of is that it may not be suited for darker skintone.
5.  Lush BIG shampoo. This was part of the Volume + Shine head case set that I purchased. I was intrigued that it contained sea salt. The scent was ok, not the best or worst I've smelled but I did love how my hair feel when I used this. It definitely does give your hair softness and bounce.
6.  Lush Veganese Conditioner. This was also part of the Volume + Shine head case. I like the fresh citrusy scent. Gives my hair just the right amount of condition without weighing it down.
7 and 8.  Bumble and Bumble Let it Shine shampoo and conditioner. I redeemed my 500 points at Sephora for this set, which also included a shining spray (not pictured here). I think the scent is what love the most about this product. I didn't feel like it did anything different to my hair but the scent is amazing and I think I'm becoming addicted to it. I would recommend you take a whiff at it when you stop by Sephora.
9.  Aveeno Smart Essentials Daily Detoxifying Scrub. Love the scent. It has a fresh, sweet, and flowery scent to it. Contains some scrubbing agents but it's very gentle. Perfect for daily use.
10. Boscia Luminizing Black Mask. I got this mask from a Sephora skincare set so this is not the full-size product but I am now considering getting the full-size version. It looks like you painted your face with black paint after you apply it, lol. Creepy but fun. It takes about 15 minutes to dry and this is where the fun begins. This is a peel off mask. You can literally feel it peeling the dead skin out of your face. With that said, you must avoid getting the product on your eyebrows cause it's gonna hurt. If you have sensitive skin, you should probably avoid this mask. Some may feel the peeling sensation a bit harsh but for myself, I think it's moderate and tolerable. After the peel, I wash my face and it feels smooth and fresh, like I have new skin.
11. Josie Maran Argan Oil. I haven't committed myself to purchase the full-size bottle because it's quite expensive and I wasn't sure if it was worth it. So I've been trying the small half ounce bottle because I have some dry patchy area on my body. I love how gentle, smoothing, and moisturizing this makes my skin feels. I wouldn't bathe myself in this, mainly because I can't afford to but this is good to use for some problem areas.
12. Dior Addict 663 Rose Broderie lipstick. This was like my go-to lipstick last month and the reason for that is because it's a very wearable shade that goes with anything. It's a cool toned mauvy pink. The pigmentation is good although the formula has a bit of slip to it and feels more like a gloss on a stick. Surprisingly, the color last for a good 3 hours at least and I really love how moisturizing it feels on my lips.
13. Victoria Secret lip liner Nude. This is definitely one of my favorite lipliners. Even though I don't use them on a daily basis. I love how creamy and easily it applies and this goes perfectly with my DIOR lipstick mentioned above. One of the thing that really annoys me about lip liners is if they skip, tug, and don't deliver color. This has like one of the best lipliner formula I've tried. The shade isn't completely nude. It's more like a muted soft pink with a very slight sheen.
14. Beauty To Go, The Scent Genie. If you recall, I purchased this from Wal-Mart in one of my recent hauls. Unfortunately, this was the only design that was available in the store I purchased from. This supposedly works just like the Travalo atomizer and I was pretty impressed at how easily it worked. No fuss. No mess. You pump the fragrance right into it. Definitely, a great alternative to some of the fancier, more expensive atomizers out there. I think the packaging is cute.
15. Zoya Pandora nail polish. Have you gone nude with your nails yet? This seems to be one of the latest beauty trends, I think. Pandora is one of my favorite nude polish I have in my collection because of its color and pigmentation. It has a slight sheen to it and a muted pink undertone. This color looks polished and sophisticated.
16. ELF Concealer Pencil & Brush. I really like this pencil concealer. It's perfect for targeted spots and to keep it in your makeup bag for touch ups. I quite like the formula also. It glides and covers well. The attached brush is also a plus. It really helps blend out the concealer for a seamless finish. The only thing I hate about this product are the caps. The one for the brush never stays in place and I'm not too crazy about having a pencil sharpener cap for the concealer. The idea was good but how it was designed was tacky because it leaves the product exposed to air and whatever can get in there. Plus the caps looks messy and dirty because some of the product get stuck on the sharpener blade. As you can see in the picture, I lost the cap for the brush side, lol. The product is great. It's the packaging that sucked.

That is pretty much it for my August favorites. I hope you find my brief overview helpful. I seem to always get stuck in a rut and using the same products. What can be an easier way to switch things up? Any suggestions?

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