June 2013 Favorites.

Finally summer is here! We had a particularly long winter and spring was fraught with horrific weather so it's nice to be enjoying a cooler than normal start to summer here in Oklahoma.  It's been great for enjoying some new favorites and rediscovering some fantastic finds within my stash as well.

Let's start with the Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer.  This has beat out some stiff competition to become my Holy Grail primer; thanks to Erica at Always Cosmetic Junkie.  Her review can be found here.  It passed up Smashbox Photo Finish Foundation Primer, L'Oreal RevitaLift Miracle Blur and Laura Geller Spackle.  I have found that the Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer helps smooth and perfect my skin to prepare it for foundation.  I have found that it consistently works well with any foundation I wear and it help my foundation to last longer than the other primers listed.  I find that the Revlon Primer is the best match for my skin and it's definitely budget friendly.  I combined a $2.00 Revlon coupon with a CVS sale giving $4.00 Extra Bucks and paying around $6.99 instead of $12.99!

Next is the CoverGirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3-in-1 Foundation in shade 805 Ivory, which is a stash staple for me.  I love the natural finish of this foundation and the medium to buildable coverage this provides. The color is a perfect match for me and it wears well all day.  This foundation, also, works well with the Revlon Primer.  No one ever seems to talk about the fact that some primers and some foundations might be absolutely fantastic but they are awful when worn together.  I am convinced that some foundations and some primers are just no good for each other. For me, the Revlon Photoready Primer and the CoverGirl Outlast applied with the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush is a winning combination.  Again this was purchased at CVS combining coupons and Extra bucks and I paid about half of the usual price.

Now for a little secret I have found. The L'Oreal True Match Super Blendable Compact Makeup in W2 has quickly become an amazing dark spot concealer for me.  I imagine it would also work well for dark undereye circles which fortunately do not plague me.  After I have applied my foundation I apply a little of this over my dark spots with a flat foundation brush.  I give it a few moments to set before applying powder and it wears all day! I have a spot which sits on my right cheek so sometimes concealing then powdering does me little good when I apply blush I blend away the concealer. UGH!  However, this has not been a problem with the L'Oreal Compact Makeup; but the key is to let it set for a couple of minutes before you powder.  I combined a $2.00 L'Oreal coupon, a CVS $4.00 off $12.00 and a $4.00 Extra Bucks and paid only $2 and change for this amazing find!!

Moving onto blush, I have found myself reaching for my Hard Candy Fox in a Box in Spicy and Sweet quite a lot recently.  It's nicely pigmented and has a satin finish.  A little goes a long way and it would be easy to overdo it especially on fair skin.  The four colors blend together to create a nice rosy pop of color.  It adds that perfect pink flush to the cheeks quickly and easily.  Hard Candy is available only at Wal-Mart and I have never seen a coupon for it.  This is a rare item that I have paid full price for.  

The other blush that has been getting quite a bit of love this month is NYX's Powder Blush in Angel which I received in my Ipsy bag this month.  NYX lists this as a matte soft pink; however, I would have to say that this is more of a satin finish as there is a slight shimmer to it.  The formula of this powder blush is so creamy and it is a dream to apply.  It wears well all day and it adds a light, sheer flush of color to my cheeks.  This is the perfect everyday color for the fair skinned girl.  I love that this blush works well with both pinks and corals making it very versatile.  This is a perfect summer shade and it compliments my fair skin perfectly.

The original Sleek iDivine Palette has been a constant in my eye shadow rotation in June.  The creamy blendability of this palette is absolutely amazing.  I love that you can do a quick easy natural eye or add a pop of color quite easily with this palette.  This palette offers so many options with these 12 shades and the matte black included is one of the most pigmented in existence.  Sleek makes fantastic shadows and the original palette is definitely my favorite.

I have finally discovered a gel eyeliner that lasts on my bottom lash line!  You see I have weepy eyes and until now the only liners that would stay were MAC's Liquidlast and Milani's Infinite liquid liners.  The Revlon Colorstay Creme Gel Eyeliner  has changed that.  This formula wears all day on both my bottom and top lash lines.  I am completely in love with this formula.  I appreciate the fact that they included a brush but I usually use a MAC 266 angled eyeliner brush. This too was purchased from CVS using coupons and Extra Bucks but unfortunately I cannot remember how much I paid for it.

If I could only wear one single mascara on my top lashes it would be the Physician's Formula Orginic Wear 100% Natural Origin Jumbo Lash Mascara.  This formula is in between wet and dry.  It provides nice length and volume without smudging or flaking.  This has quickly become my favorite mascara.  I purchased this in a bonus 2 pack using a $1.00 coupon and getting a whopping $7.00 Extra Bucks.  Thus leaving the cost at around $2.00 - $3.00 for 2 tubes!

The CoverGirl Flamed Out Mascara is not necessary a fantastic mascara; but it works fantastically on my bottom lashes.  As I have mentioned I have weepy eyes and I must be careful about which mascaras I use especially on the bottom.  This formula wears well all day long without smudging or fading.  It doesn't provide the greatest volume or length but on my bottom lashes it just needs to be black as my bottom lashes are so blonde they can't be seen without mascara.  My review can be found here.

One of the newer additions to my collection is the Rimmell Show Off Lip Lacquer in Nova.  This is the perfect pink shade for my fair skin.  Although it comes in a lip gloss type tube, it is actually a liquid lipstick with fully opaque coverage.  I love this super creamy formula which quite possibly has the best pigmentation on the market.  I sincerely hope that Rimmel makes this line permanent because it's absolutely fantastic.  I gladly paid full price for this baby!


I am a huge fan of the nude lip.  I recently discovered that I have no less than seven nude lipsticks.  I can easily say that Rimmel's Lasting Finish Lipstick in Airy Fairy is easily my favorite.  I love that this nude pulls a little toward pink.  It is so creamy and doesn't feel dry on the lips.  It works well with any makeup look and it is the perfect shade of nude for my super fair skin.  I have a couple of nude lipsticks from the Kate collection but Airy Fairy is by far my favorite. I believe I purchased this on a buy one get fifty percent off sale at CVS.

Recently, I was wandering through Big Lots while waiting for my husband to get off work.  I discovered myself fascinated by the Maybelline Color Sensational Lipgloss in Sandstone Shimmer.  Somehow it just jumped off the shelf and into my basket; but, I didn't complain as it was just $2.50.  This shimmery light tan gloss is perfect for creating a perfect pout by adding it to the center of the bottom lip.  It also works well to lighten any lipstick that might be a bit to bright.  It stays in my purse and gets worn over plenty of different lipsticks.

I have one non beauty favorite for the month.  It's the Soundlogic Bluetooth Speakercone.  This 5 inch, rubber, rechargeable, bluetooth speaker is perfect for taking your music anywhere.  It's small enough to easily slip into your beach bag, take out on the patio or in the snack bag when going to the park.  For a small speaker it provides impressive sound and easily pairs to any phone via bluetooth.  I love that it's rechargeable via usb and provides about 4 hours of play time.  I frequently take this guy to work with me so that I can enjoy I Heart Radio wirelessly.  We found this little gem at Big Lots for only $20.00 and it's gotten use every day for weeks now.