MONTHLY MUST HAVES | FEB 2020
Ok, this is a new monthly feature that I've decided should be a thing. It's going to be a post of my absolute FAVOURITE new products of the month. The one's worth spending your hard earned cash on. It's more than likely that these babies will have been featured in my #5faves. However, those videos only last 24hrs on stories, and my archive gives you the top line on why I love them, but this will be the place where I explain why I think these newbies are banging and worth your buck. Let's go!
Glossier know what they are good at. Cool makeup that you'll actually use. This is the newest edition to the fam. The sky wash shadows come in 7 shades. They are a liquid to powder eyeshadow that give a diffused wash to the eye. The shades are earthy. Mimicking the colour of the sky on a clear day, with Cornflower blue. The best orange in a sunset with Burnt Sienna, and the colour of a freshly cut grassy area, the kind that have the, 'Do not walk on me' signs, with shade Fresh green.
At first I found the pigmentation slightly weaker than I imagined. But I soon realised that these are special because they are totally buildable. Whether you want a subtle wash, or a full on mono shadow, you can get the look. Blend with your finger or with a fluffy eyeshadow brush. Don't buff immediately as it diffusers it too much. Pat it on with the brush or fingers, then buff. These shadows are definitely a welcome add on to anyone's Spring makeup routine.
I love Weleda. Any brand that's been going for nearly 100 years has got to be good. I also love a bath. A lot. Infact I have one every night and this has become a regular occupnment .Firstly I love the scent of lavender, I find it so relaxing and love how it makes my house smell. This is also a milk which makes the skin super soft. It's really an all round brilliant and affordable product.
Ohhhhhhhh my! Who remembers the pressed pigment See-quin shadows that I couldn't stop going on about?! Well these are a liquid version. The are a highly pigmented foil shadow and are gorgeous. A lot of the time, liquid shadows crack immediately after you put them on the lid. However, these go on smoothly and last.
I have 6 of the shades and they are all lovely. The copper (Copperazi) is the stand out. It would look beautiful on any skin tone, and looks great all over the eye or as an accent in the centre of the lid. These are a great way to add a bit of oomph to your look. Pat on with fingers or with a flat eyeshadow brush.
The original Fenty gloss bomb, shade glow, is forever my favourite gloss. Firstly, it's not sticky, Hallelujah!
I mean I have no idea why brands continue to make sticky glosses. No-one wants hair stuck to their lips Karen-FACT! These glosses are also super high shine, the applicator is perfect. It's bigger than most, but somehow works. And now the Fenty team have extended the range with some new shades, and I couldn't be happier.
Glass slipper-A clear version. It's actually quite hard to find a great clear gloss so, Ta-dah! Here you go.
Sweet mouth-a pearly pink that has the most beautiful sheen.
Hot Chocolate-A shimmery chocolate shade that somehow suits everyone.
If you're gonna buy one gloss this month, make it a Fenty.
I'm always on the hunt for the next best lip balm. I suffer from dry lips and cold sore's. So keeping my lips hydrated is key. I avoid anything with petroleum jelly in it. Yes it's a good barrier, but it adds no nutrients to you lips. Using it is kinda like eating junk food when you're hungry. It fills a gap, but doesn't add anything to your body. This one by Medik 8 is my latest find. £19 is quite spenny for a lip balm, but this one has a lot of goodness in it. Firstly, I have to say, Medik 8 products are brilliant. Their R Retinoate and Glow oil are 2 of my fave skincare products ever.
Mutiny is a gel-like balm. The formula is intensified with plant sourced sea buckthorn oil, which infuses the top layers of the lip skin with omega oils. This visibly repairs and restores it's natural barrier. Which helps to heal dry, chapped lips.
The natural squalane in the balm replenishes lost oils, and the Multi-weight hyaluronic acid, retains more than 1000 x it's own weight in water. This leaves the skin super hydrated.
So yes, it's £19, but as you can tell, it's full of the goodness that the cheaper balms just can't offer.
Neals yard remedies are a wondeful brand. Back in the day, I used to manage the Covent Garden Benefit boutique, so I was around the corner from the Neals yard store. Anytime I felt I needed a lift, I'd pop in and stock up on tea and skincare. The White tea mist is still a staple in my kit. This new cleansing melt is wonderful. It's a micro-emulsion of natural sugars and oils. These bind to water to give a triple texture effect which then melts away makeup. I've tried and tested it and it removes even the toughest, most waterproof products. Below is a video of me using it on the glossier skywasvh shadows which are extremely long wear.
So if you have been searching for a natural, organic, hydrating cleanser, look no further.
Oh yes, I LOVE A good mascara, but I'm not gonna lie, they're hard to find. There are sooo many mascaras out there, but 90% of them are rubbish. This baby is in the 10% of good-un's. This is one coat of the mascara. Look at those lashes!!
The lashes look thick and volumised, and the pigment is super black. It also comes in black/brown if you prefer a softer finish. I rushed a bit on application, so could have seperated the lashes a bit better, but this just proves that it even looks great when ya rush it!!!
The wand is synthetic, there are a ton of bristles, all of which are quite short which I like. The bottom of the wand is slightly wider than the top. This leaves your lashes looking lifted and defined. The formula is conditioning which means you don't get horrible crusty lashes. All in all, it's a brilliant mascara at an affordable price.
This is an interesting formula for Lauder, as base wise, their hero is the Double wear. However, this is a makeup and skincare hybrid with an SPF45, and I love it. It comes in 20 shades. not enough in my opinion.(I'm shade Desert beige btw). However, the team say that they have matched the shades to their Double wear, which has 55 shades, and that due to the stretch of the formula, there's a shade for everyone. So we'll see. The great thing about Lauder is that they listen to their customer. So if more shades are needed, I'm sure more will be made.
According to Lauder, this is coverage with care. The formula is infused with ion-charged water, probiotic technology and chia-seed extract. All of which are excellent for the skin. The finish is natural, buildable and glowy. My dream combo. At the same time it covers redness and imperfections. It really is an all rounder.
This is me wearing it with no filter (I never filter any of my pics on any of my social channels)
This is a great base if you're looking to change things up for Spring/Summer. Remember, your skin should look like your skin.
Before we chat about these lipstick, I've got to encourage you all to go and watch the Kevyn Aucoin documentary on Netflix, Larger than life. It's so inspiring and so tragic, but really gives you an insight into how incredible Kevyn's team are. Still creating the most beautiful products that he would be proud of, years after his death. These new lipsticks are another great example of that.
They come in 3 finishes, Shine, a glossy, non-stick finish. Slightly sheerer than the other formulas. Cream, a full pigment creamy finish. And matte, a full pigment matte formula. Each of the formulations come in 6 shades.
SHINE
Shades from left to right
Suspicious
Rose Rin
Belle of the ball
Enigma
Fatal
Poision berry
CREAM
Shades from left to right
Immaculate
Thelmadora
Modern love
Legendary
Wild orchid
Blood roses
MATTE
Shades from left to right
Uninterrupted
Explicit
Infinite
Devastating
Confidential
Blood roses noir
I've used these lipsticks on shoots over the past couple of weeks and they are so gorgeous. The give an even coverage to the lip, they last, the colours are very universal, and the slim line applicator is sleek and easy to control. If you're looking for a new lipstick, then these are my faves right now.
These liners mean business. They say they're long-wear, and that's exactly what they are. This is the second Fenty addition to this months faves. The brand are certainly doing a lot right at the moment. These liners are bold. There's no subtle brown in the collection, and perhaps that's why I love them. Fenty encourage you to experiment. And a liner is the perfect way to do that. Adding a pop of colour along the lash line is simple and effective. Don't try and make it perfect, just get as close to the lash line as poss. Resting your elbow on a table can help. And then leave or blend slightly with a pencil brush to soften the look. There are 22 shades in the collection. These are the 6 shades that I have.
The shades from left to right
Sea about it
Bad bride
Cherry punk
Grillz
Cute ting
Spa'getti strapz
The pencils are self sharpening which means that you twist the bottom to get more product. They're not super pointy so aren't ideal for a classic flick. But you can absolutely apply them using an eyeliner brush too. The formulation is creamy and, I've already mentioned it, but these are SERIOUSLY long wear.
So that is the end of my February 2020 monthly faves. These are genuinely the products that I am loving this month, and that I think are worth your money.
Let me know below what your Feb faves are, and if you've tried any of the above.
Until next time,
Love & lipstick,
Lisa xx