June Beauty Roundup

I know these beauty posts are few and far between at the moment, but I promise to try to share my beauty trials more consistently going forward as I venture into new territory with BBs and CCs and mattifying-hydrating-miracle-concealing-setting-unicorn fairy dust powders…

I’ve really been getting in to beauty blogs lately (there must be about 20 beauty blogs for every fashion one, they’re hard to ignore!), so have a list of products I want to try as long as my arm (MAC Fix+! NYX liquid lipsticks! Everything Urban Decay!).

I’m slowly learning the lingo and realising that my makeup and skincare routines are woefully lacking. Also, there is a product for everything. But it’s not necessarily going to be the right product for you, so you’ve got to try at least five first before you find THE ONE. This beauty lark sure is complicated, but I’m getting there.

Anywaaay here are a few things I’ve been trying this month, including both the highs and lows (*these are mainly PR samples, but that doesn’t affect my reviews, promise!*).

BENEFIT POREFESSIONAL

I’ve been using both the matte rescue gel and instant wipeout masks (not pictured as I was too impatient I couldn’t wait to use them!) for a couple of weeks now to target my pores, and I’m pretty chuffed with the results.

Pores are the kind of problem area where you’re never going to see a huuuge difference, but using these does seem to slightly minimise the appearance of pores. With the masks in particular there isn’t a big visible difference, however they do leave the area feeling softer and smoother. They’re cooling on the skin and can sting just a tad, but that really just convinces me that they’re actually doing something!

PURISKIN RESURFACING CREAM AND FORMULA

Birchbox recently featured Puriskin’s Resurfacing creams, which claims to treats scars and marks on the skin’s surface, such as bruises, razor bumps and stretch marks.

I’ve been using the trial pots of the resurfacing cream and formula interchangeably for a couple of weeks now. They appear to do pretty much the same thing and the consistency is pretty much identical – the only difference between the two seems to be that the cream is scented while the formula isn’t.

I’ve been using these at least once a day on acne scarring on my face and stretch marks on my thighs, though I have yet to notice much of a difference to either. Sometimes products such as these are slow burners so it’s possible that they need to be used for longer for perceptible results, so will keep you updated. However overall the creams apply well, absorbing into the skin easily without any greasiness, and leave the skin feeling soft.

BENEFIT OXYGEN WOW BRIGHTENING MAKEUP

On first trial I wasn’t overly impressed with this brightening foundation, but was forced to start using it regularly when my usual foundation ran out. However it’s slowly winning me over.

It claims to give hydrated looking dewy skin, and it certainly does what it says on the tin whilst being oil free. Personally this isn’t super ideal, particularly in summer, as I find I can end up looking a bit greasy by the end of the day, however this is more down to my skin type and lack of mattifying setting powder (shout out in the comments if you have any recs please!).

Overall the foundation applies well with fingers and provides a smooth and even coverage, and would be best suited to those with dry skin. I reckon it would be ideal used as a winter foundation to brighten dull complexions in the colder months, when looking greasy is less of an issue.

URBAN DECAY GWEN STEFANI BLUSH

I knew I had to get my hands on the UD x Gwen Stefani collection as soon as it was released, as I used to be a huge Gwen fan (Love Angel Music Baby was the anthem of my pre-teen years!) and still love rediscovering the No Doubt archives. I think she’s an amazing woman and her makeup is always seriously on point, so was psyched to try this blush palette.

The palette contains four blush shades, a highlighter and a bronzer, which actually took me a while to figure out. I’d assumed they were all blush shades so was somewhat perplexed by the non-blush appropriate shades! They’re quite light shades so would be suitable for fairer complexions – I’m not convinced that all these shades suit my olive complexion. They’re very pigmented so a little goes a long way, and the blushes contain shimmer so are more evening appropriate unless you want to go round with glitter cheeks!

Though I’m not quite ready to ditch my go-to cream blush just yet I am enjoying experimenting with these and think the colours work nicely in tandem with the bronze and highlight.

RODIAL INSTAGLAM CONTOURING AND ILLUMINATING POWDERS

When it comes to highlighting and contouring I’ve only ever really dabbled in the trend, however these Rodial illuminating and contouring powders may just change my mind. They’re super subtle and buildable which is ideal for everyday wear. The contour powder is slightly grey-toned as opposed to the usual dark browns which tend to look a bit harsh – this feels much more realistic as a contour shade. The illuminator is a very light champagne shade with a slight shimmer without being too glittery. This needs quite a lot of building to really be obvious, but is great if you want to achieve a subtle glow.

SJÄL INTENSE HYDRATION CREME

I’ve been using this less now that warmer weather is finally making an appearance, but this product was such a revelation during the colder months when my skin was really dry and chapped. This creme is ideal when your skin is super dry as an emergency moisturiser to combat dryness effectively – I used it when I was getting bad colds that left my nose red and raw.

It’s so intensely moisturising that I’d find when I put it on before bed I could still feel it on my skin in the morning. It can be a bit heavy and greasy so wouldn’t be used as an everyday moisturiser, but if you need something to quickly treat areas of excess dryness it’s perfect.

What beauty bits have you been trying recently? Have you used any of these? Let me know if you want to see more beauty featured!

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