I'm always buying new products - especially on payday - and while quite a few of them are misses, a lot of them quickly become some of my new favorite items! Throughout August I've tried some new products, kept up with my usual routines and discovered some gems I had hidden away in the big beauty box under my bed so this month's favorites are good mixture of new, regular favorites and new discoveries!
Redken Velvet Gelatine Blow-Dry Gel
I absolutely adore this product and it's probably my favorite part of my hair care routine. I've been using this blow-dry gel for around 5 years now and believe it or not, I'm still on the same tube! Granted, I didn't start properly using this until last year, but a year is good going still! All you have to do is squeeze out a (small) dollop of the gel and smooth it over your hair before brow-drying - that's it. It's a heat defence and it definitely keeps my frizz at bay, something I've really needed throughout August because the heat has sent my frizz into overload!
Garnier Fresh Clarifying Face Wash
A good face wash is important for me because when you wash your face you want to feel clean and refreshed and you'd be surprised by how many face washes don't give me this feeling! I picked up this at the end of July and it's definitely the best one I've used so far. It mattifies my skin - a difficult task for those with oily skin - and leaves me feeling so fresh and ready for the day ahead! It also contains green tea which is great for spots and acne, my face has definitely gotten a lot clearer since using this!
Benefit They're Real Primer
This eyelash primer is something I've had for about 3 months now, but I didn't properly pick it up and use it until the beginning of August and trust me, I'm kicking myself for it. Every now and then I'll tweak my everyday makeup a little bit and the most recent change was using mascara on my bottom lashes again (God knows why I wasn't already, my eyelashes are blonde). After a couple of days though, I realized the black mascara I was using was just too thick and looked quite harsh on my lower lashes, so I dug this primer out. It's brown which makes the look a little bit more subtle and the formula (with it being a primer) is so much more suited to lower lashes because it only gives a thin coat - enough to make them visible but in a natural way!
REN Flash Hydra-Boost
This is a new-ish product because I only started using it mid-July and it's definitely worked it's way into my everyday skin care routine. It's a plumping emulsion that's activated by water so it helps prevent aging effects and leaves my skin feeling nice and firm after using it! It smells so good too, I can't quite put my finger on the scent - it seems floral but that's definitely not the only smell I get from it - which makes it so much nicer to use! A lot of mid-range skincare products can have a chemical smell to them so it's great to find one that actually smells good!
NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream
So this is a new discovery but I didn't buy this myself, it was given to me by a friend because the shade didn't suit her -lucky for me because I was dying to try the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams! Granted, I wouldn't have necessarily gone for the shade London myself but this is a perfect example of why you should always try something new! Not only do I love this shade as it's such a lovely everyday nude, the formula is incredible too. It's not was I was expecting from a matte color because I'm just so used to the Kylie Lip Kits now and it's so light you can barely feel it! It literally feels like a cloud on your lips and it doesn't transfer as much as I thought it would! Of course you have to let it dry for around about 5-10 minutes but once it's done you're sorted for a good couple of hours. This shade is also a pretty good dupe for the Exposed Kylie Lip Kit, it has the same caramel tone to it (on me anyway) and although it's not a perfect match, it's pretty close!
