August Favorites

Yesterday my coworkers and I were already working on our October schedule, which has me feeling like this year is going to be over in the blink of an eye! But hey, for now lets focus on some damn good beauty tried and trues.  I don’t know about y’all, but August has been one fun crazy whirlwind for me. My roommates all started back to school, my aunt got married, and August is always our busiest month at work. Since it’s been so hectic, I’ve simplified my routine. Lately, I’ve “rediscovered” a lot of old favorites that I haven’t picked up in a minute!

Face

I’ve actually been a little tan from self tanning a lot this month and my Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation in 5.5 is the absolute perfect shade and undertone when I have a tan. This is my go-to when I need something to look great all day or when I’m taking pictures. I’ve worn this to graduations, weddings, even bar crawls – and yes it holds up beautifully. I traveled with this to my aunt’s wedding this month and got a few people hooked! They all loved how natural and flawless it looks on the skin.

When I haven’t been as tan I’ve been mixing in a little of the Wet n Wild Photo Focus foundation in soft ivory. This is such a good foundation (with a great shade range!) and it blows me away that it’s only $6. Wet n Wild products have been showing up lately and I can’t get enough of their amazing deals. I’ve been trying to love the Diorskin Forever foundation (how does that look so great on everyone’s skin but mine?!) for months now with no luck. However, I find myself reaching for this $6 one so much more often. I honestly recommend trying this to everyone and I can’t wait to try the Photo Focus concealer they just launched!

One find that is new to me this month is the Guerlain Terracotta Bronzer! I’ve been putting this purchase off for awhile because I didn’t think a bronzer could REALLY be worth so much. However, the past couple months I haven’t found myself super happy with my bronzer. I’ve been mixing so many that I finally just caved (if Amrezy uses it, it’s worth a try right?). And dang it’s so perfect and smooth and perfect, it makes me mad!

Somehow, the voodoo magic in this compact has been working for me when I’m at my fairest and most tan. I have absolutely no idea how that’s even possible, but it just works. The undertone is not too warm on my skin and actually is long-wearing. When I’m freshly spray tanned I mix this with a touch of the Colourpop topaz bronzer and it’s just a match made in heaven. If you’re looking for a bronzer that isn’t going to make you work too hard blending to get an even application and stays on all day pick one of these up. Apparently, there’s a reason why they’re the goldstandard.

I feel like the buzz around the Makeup Forever Star-Lit Powders (particularly shade 13) has completely died down with new launches in the highlighter world and it just doesn’t get the justice it deserves. This product is so versatile and the best thing to bring when you travel. You can wear it by itself, you can wear it as eyeshadow, you can combine it with other highlighters for that extra special oomph. The point is, it makes every look, look even better.  It doesn’t sit weird on the skin like so many highlighters do and the color is stunning. Since I received Fuego from the Dose of Colors Desi x Katy collection, I can’t stop layering this on top! I’ll be really surprised if this doesn’t make it to my yearly favorites with how obsessed I’ve been with it for so long. I’m still hoping they bring out more shades!

Lips

I just posted about my favorite easy natural lipsticks (see my Back to School post!), so I won’t talk about all that again, but I do want to bring up Buxom’s lip gloss in Samantha. Now this is nothing new, but with how crazy hot it’s been in Kentucky, this has been back in my purse right now. If you love a glossy lip, chances are you’ve probably already got a few of these in your collection. They have a great minty-cooling feeling that is much needed in August. This shade just gives a little peachy-nude hint to any lip color. There isn’t much I like less than an ultra-sticky lip gloss and I love that these deliver some high shine without being sticky!!

Eyes

Please excuse me while I’m still here drooling over this palette. Mmm the colors just make me feel warm and happy inside. Love or hate her, I think the Morphe x Jaclyn Hill palette is a solid buy. You get 35 shades for $38 and I’ve had a good experience with the quality. This and the ND Sunset palette are the only palettes I’ve kept out on my vanity since they’ve released. It’s just so easy to grab one palette and be able to create an awesome look no matter the mood I’m in or where I’m going. On more natural days I’ve been living in the brown/orange/yellow shades, while I’ve been playing with the darker reds and shimmer shades when I want to get a little more creative.

I’ve been nervous about traveling with this Morphe palette, but have done it anyway since it basically has all the options you could want (wrap it up tight in a t-shirt and it fits perfectly in the laptop section of a backpack!). I was lucky enough to grab this guy when it initially launched so I’ve had a couple months to play with it. It’s been great for the summer and there are so many colors that will transition perfectly for fall looks (hello royalty!).

One other new discovery this month that deserves some serious hype is the Nyx Epic Ink Liner! I picked this up last time I was at Ulta because I heard Kathleenlights on YouTube raving about it. Truthfully, this isn’t my favorite eyeliner of all time. That being said, it easily beats out things twice its price (looking at you KVD). It’s not matte and that’s really the only thing I don’t love, which I can totally deal with for $8. The actual brush is very easy to use if you like this pen brush kind of style. I’ve only had it for a little less than a month and I’m hoping it won’t dry out too quickly. If your go-to liner is the Kat Von D Tattoo, do yourself a favor. Pick this one up so you can spend that extra cash on something else!

That’s it for this month! I’m so excited to start getting into fall fashion and makeup this year! Have you tried any of these products? What have you been loving this month? Please let me know so I can give it a try!