May Favourites

As yet another semester of uni winds down, my life gets busier than ever. Unfortunately I haven't been deviating too far from a simple, day routine as far as make-up goes, so no new favourites in that department. I do have some great things to share, so grab a cup of tea (which btw, I've been loving T2's Creme Brulee!) and have a squiz:

 

Brushes

I bought quite a few Sigma brushes when I was promoted at work, as a reward to myself. My absolute favourites this past month have been the F80, a flat-topped kabuki brush and the E11 for eyeliner. 

The F80 is perfect for buffing on liquid foundation; the synthetic bristles have the perfect density whilst the flat top makes foundation blend into your skin really easily. I have found the best application is to put a bit  of foundation on my face, and then buff it in with the brush, rather than dip the brush into the foundation. Dipping it in causes the product to get too deep into the bristles, and it ends up wasting quite a lot of product. 

The E11 is my new favourite brush for gel eyeliner. Far out is my line precise with this. As you can see in the above photo, the brush bristles are quite short, and again - they're quite dense meaning you have a lot more control over where the product ends up. 

 

Cleaning

I picked up some brush cleaner from Napoleon Perdis last month, and whilst I really, really like it, I was conflicted about adding it in here. For a start, it's quite expensive at $40 a bottle for 250mL. You know how they say scents are the best way to trigger a memory? Well, the first time I used this the smell of it took me straight back to being a kid, with an injury and my dad using isocol on it before popping on a bandaid. This smells EXACTLY like rubbing alcohol. And I'm kind of convinced that's all it is... I couldn't find the ingredients listed anywhere online (they're definitely not on the bottle) and NP wouldn't reply to my tweets about it. I asked the store assistants where I bought it and they assured me it was gentle enough for my natural-hair brushes, and maybe it has conditioner in it, but for the moment I'm not convinced. 

It does an excellent job of cleaning though which is ultimately why I decided to include it in this month's favourites - simply spray it on some paper towel and gently rub your brushes in it and all the product comes straight off. It's also incredibly quick drying, and disinfects as well (both features just further convince me this is primarily very expensive rubbing alcohol...)

 So J does the grocery shopping in our household, and a couple of weeks ago he picked up this toothpaste. I had to share it because I am just so damn impressed with the packaging...as you can see in the photo above (toothpaste on the right) it's kind of a funnel. Can you guess what that means? No more disgusting dried-up toothpaste to get caught in the lid and wasted!!

As for the toothpaste itself...it tastes nice and cleans my teeth.

 

Nails

 Only two nail related items this month. Firstly, I've been loving Covergirl's range of their 'outlast stay brilliant' nail polish. The colours are so vibrant, work really well together and last for quite a few days. I intend to do a more detailed review later in June, so be on the lookout for that. 

I've also been in loveeeee with this Sally Hansen Insta-Dry top coat. You wait 30 seconds after applying your nail colour, and then, with a quick coat of this, your polish is dried in only a couple of minutes. Perfect for when you're in a hurry...or you paint your nails right before bed (We've all been there...)

Skincare and Cosmetics

Over the last two weeks my face launched a major attack on my self esteem, and decided to have really shitty skin. I had big, painful pimples mostly on my right cheek and jawline. I hadn't been using my Clarisonic because the brush head needed replacing, and I was waiting on a new one to be delivered. This time I tried out the Deep Pore Cleansing heads...and oh my am I a convert! Within two days of using this my face had more or less cleared up. Not. even. joking. I wishhhh I had taken before / after photos to prove it to you, but I am in love with this!

My lips have hated the return of cooler weather, and as a result have become dry and flakey to the point they are splitting. Ouch. I've been absolutely reliant on this Baby Lips by Maybelline, in Berry Crush. I like this one because it has a bit of colour while still being really moisturising.

I got the Model's Prefer Brow Highlighter as part of the Priceline Beauty Bag a while back, and have really enjoyed using it. It's a white pencil with light pink undertones and a pearlescent finish so it's perfect for brightening up your brow bone, and adding some 'lift' to that eyebrow arch.

Have you used any of these products? What have you been loving this month?

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