Happy June! I can’t believe another month has passed. Today I’m rounding up the things I tried in May.
Basic products
There were a few new base launches that I really liked this month. I’m a big fan of his Natasha Denona Hy-Glam Concealer and launched a new Hy-Glam Powder Foundation which has an incredible formula. The packaging is beautifully designed with a puff pouch. I wear her concealer in shades N5 to N9 depending on how much glow I want vs spot concealing. In her Hy-Glam Powder Foundation I can pull off some of the shades, right now I’m loving NP7 or Y5-7. It’s a very fine buffing powder that looks like skin but has very good coverage. Even though it is a powder foundation, I prefer to use it as a powder.
Fenty added new tint products. I really like it Soft’Lit luminous foundation in shade 260 (see it in action here). It has nice medium to full coverage too Foundation brush 145 it’s essential for a smooth, streak-free application (although you can use any brush or sponge). If you want something more like a skin tone, the Eaze Drop Blurring Skin Tint it is very nice especially for summer. It is lighter in weight but still has pretty good coverage. I wear shade 9 or 10 in the Skin Tint.
Makeup By Mario launched a new SoftSculpt Bronzing Serum Shaping and it took me a few tries to figure out how to best use it. As a liquid bronzer over foundation I found it a bit too sheer, but it gives the skin a very natural looking sun-kissed glow. I like to mix it with foundation to add warmth or use it as a base to warm/tan the skin – kind of like a drop of self tanner for the face. It’s on the emollient side, so I don’t know how it will appeal to those with oily skin (I think it will be too cooling). There is a new one Double ended brush released for this product and it’s nice to work with the liquid.
For a more traditional bronzer to add warmth I think the SoftSculpt Transforming Skin Enhancer it’s better and easier to use/mix.
I really like the look of the new one Bronzing Serum, but I’m not sure I’m stuck enough. I love the packaging style. It has a pump to dispense the product, but if you twist the cap, there’s also a sponge-tipped applicator to use. It has a similar effect to Drunk Elephant D-Bronzi Drops but Makeup By Mario has a slightly thicker and emollient finish. I have added samples to compare the undertone.
Bottom line, it’s not really hit or miss for me. I’m still a bit undecided.
New SPF formulas
I put some new sunscreens to the test. I really love it Origins Ginzing SPF 30 Daily Moisturizer Sunscreen for texture and consistency. It’s white but doesn’t leave a white cast and I love the moisturizing feel. It’s moisturizing without being too thick or greasy and doesn’t pill.
Peter Thomas Roth launched an SPF tint called the Water Drench Hyaluronic Cloud Sheer Tint Moisturizer with SPF45. I really like this as a moisturizer with SPF. The shade is beige but it’s really sheer so once blended it looks sheer on my skin but I love that they have a tinted option as so many white sunscreens end up with some sort of white cast even if they blend well. I love this under foundation. The coverage/pigmentation is not rich enough to wear as a tinted moisturizer.
Caudalie launched a sunscreen in the US called the Sunscreen Vinosun Protect Brightening Daily Mineral SPF50 and this is one of the first mineral sunscreens that I really love. It’s pigmented but it’s pale so it leaves a very light white cast. I love that it blends beautifully without being cakey on my skin and has a semi-matte finish that adheres well to the skin.
Kosas DreamBeam it’s a formula I keep wanting to love and keep trying. It has SPF 40 and the new color in it Sunlit is a deeper tone than the original DreamBeam. Color wise I think I would be somewhere between the two shades, but even if they had more color options, I just don’t like the formula. It’s thick, doesn’t blend well, and after I put it on, I really can’t wait to wash it all off. If you want a bright shiny sunscreen, Supergoop! Glowscreen it’s a million times better.
Eye makeup
I keep looking for a new eyeshadow palette to love these days, but I keep coming back to my staples like Too Faced Born This Way, Patrick Ta Major Dimension, Natasha Denona everything. Something new that I loved was the new shades from Bobbi Brown. They added new shades of it Long lasting cream shadows and I really liked Bronze for an iridescent bronze shade. Below are samples of the shades I love for summer. Bronze and Golden Light are new.
Coral Crush Lips + Cheeks
I love coral and peach tones and couldn’t be more excited about all the colors that have come out this season! The Dior Poppy Coral The tones are such a lovely summery orange/coral. i shared a demonstration of Rosy Glow Blush, Addict Lip Maximizer, Addict Lip Glow and Lip Glow Oil in action here and I will have samples + review soon.
The Armani Luminous Silk Cheek Tints it was a hit with me. For peach tones they have two in 50.5 Rosy Peach and 31 Vivid Coral. I think they are so beautiful on the skin and blend easily. Rosy Peach demo here.
NARS has reformulated them blushes into Talc-free formula. I think Orgasm and Orgasm X were such long-lasting cult classics, but I really like them Edge of orgasm which is the same peach shade but without the shimmer. You can see it in action here.
Coral Crush Nails
I love a good peach coral polish for summer. OPI Infinite Shine in On mission is the perfect softer peach while Megawatt hot it is a brighter deeper coral. Both are opaque with a glossy finish.
Mercury makes the best orange tones for summer. I have really loved Orange poppy for a super bright electric orange red. They launched Orange Tonique earlier in the spring and is similar but pulls more orange.
For a more budget-friendly option, I’m obsessed with Olive and June, especially the Quick Dry formulas Cape and Picante.
Also wearing a Cape underneath on the toes, outfit details here.
Lip serum
I love Chanel skin care and lip care, so I was very excited to try the new Hydra Beauty Micro Lip Serum. It is packaged in a rubber squeeze tube similar to the L’Huile Camelia Nail Oil (I love this). The Hydra Beauty Micro Lip Serum has tiny microdroplets just like the Hydra Beauty Line serums. I had high hopes, alas, I had to call this one a miss. The formula is so thin it feels like water. It absorbs well for a super thin layer of moisture, but for me it’s not enough to hydrate the lips and I feel like there’s no added hydration after application.
Perfumes
I’ll have a collection of fragrances soon, but there are three that I really loved this month. I spilled into another Parfums de Marly in Valaya which is the perfect floral musk for the hot summer months. I couldn’t stop thinking about it since the sampler set I bought and decided this was the one for me. I think this is my signature scent this year. Notes include: bergamot, mandarin, white peach, orange blossom, lily of the valley, vetiver, akigalawood, ambrofix musk.
Ouai St. Barts it’s one of the best tropical scents and I love it in my body wash and scrub. They launched a Hair and Body Mist which is a very nice light fruity tropical fragrance that is not too sweet or too strong.
Last but not least launched by Chanel new body oils in some of the Les Exclusifs perfumes. These are very expensive with a higher price tag than all the other body oils in the Chanel line at $350 each. I shared a look at the stories and was overwhelmed by the responses and questions! I had no idea that many of you were loyal fans of the Les Exclusifs series. I own and love Beige. I always had my eye on Gardenia and 1957, but I never closed, as my signature Chanel perfumes were from Les Eaux de Chanel lining up.
It was generously gifted to me by the Chanel beauty team Les Exclusifs de Chanel Body Oil in Gardenia and it is heavenly. I layered it with the Beige scent and the combination is the most luxurious combination I’ve tried. The scent lasts all day on me, but it’s not as strong or as strong as the perfume.
I think if you have a particular signature scent that you love from the Les Exclusifs line, you’ll probably find the body oil worth it. Currently the oils are available in 1957, Beige, Gardenia and Coromandel.
That wraps up May’s hits and misses! What did you love and try this month?
