August 2016 Faves & Flops

I'm sorry it's been a few months since my last Faves & Flops...I ended up taking vacations at the end of June and the end of July so being away kind of threw me off a little bit. This month, I have quite a few products to talk about, so let's get started! :)

This summer, I discovered the L'oreal Extraordinary Oil line (I first talked about it in my Ulta Haul post) and I have never had softer, silkier hair. I'm obsessed with this line and have been using it exclusively all summer while my expensive hair products sit underneath my sink collecting dust. I use the shampoo and conditioner every time I wash (but I switch to a clarifying shampoo every 2nd or 3rd wash so it doesn't build up) and then I use a little of the serum before blow drying (and a tiny bit on the ends after blow drying). It's a magical combo and so affordable!

I've also been loving the IGK Rich Kid Coconut Oil Gel ($27). It sounds heavy but it's actually formulated for fine to normal hair like mine so it doesn't add weight. You apply it to towel dried hair and let it air dry for that perfectly undone look that's so popular now. I was skeptical, but I had pretty good luck with the Bumble & Bumble Don't Blow It cream (see my post on that here) so I decided to try this. I've only tried it a couple of times but so far, I love it!! It allows me to air dry with zero frizz and my hair still has body and shine. You can also use it before blow drying and it adds a little bit of hold and shine as well. If you want me to do a full review on this, let me know in the comments below.

Soap & Glory arrived at Walgreens stores in August, which is great because now they're easy to find (I don't live close to an Ulta store and my local Target doesn't carry them). But I did end up hauling some products from Ulta.com before that and I'm obsessed! Every day, I start out with the Smoothie Star Breakfast Scrub ($15). It's right up there as one of my top favorite scrubs of all time. It's soft, easy to scoop out, makes my legs super smooth...oh, and it smells like maple syrup and brown sugar. Then I use the Smoothie Star Lightly Whipped Body Buttercream ($15), which has a pistachio, almond, and sweet vanilla fragrance. Am I making you hungry yet? I also use it all over before I go to bed, and using it twice a day has given me the softest skin ever. At night, I've also been using the Heel Genius ($10) cream before bed and it has softened my feet more than any other foot cream I've tried. It makes them feel velvety soft.

I tried several palettes in August and am loving them all for many different reasons.

• The Tarte Styled by Hrush palette ($30) is small and travel friendly, and has beautifully coordinated eyeshadows and blush (see my full review here). 
• The Pur Cosmetics Love Your Selfie 2 Palette ($42) is a full face in a palette and the formulas are to die for...so pigmented and soft. (see my full review here). 
• I've also been using the bareMinerals Neutral Attraction Palette (on sale for $29) this summer when I want a no-makeup makeup look. The colors are so soft, pretty and nicely pigmented (see my full review here).
• The City Color Spice Me Up Palette ($15.99)  is a revamp on the original and is the perfect fall palette. The warm, rich colors are so beautiful and the quality is fantastic too (see my full review here),

I'm a huge fan of Fresh's Sugar Lip Treatments, so I couldn't pass up the new Fresh Sugar Cream Lip Treatment ($24). It's just as moisturizing as the stick version, but is much more pigmented...almost like a lip lacquer without the sticky feel. I just wish they came in more colors! 

I've also been loving the Smith & Cult The Tainted Lip Stained ($24). This is an interesting product...it's a gloss that reacts to your pH levels for a hint of tint, but it's also a stain so it leaves some color behind even after it's worn off! It comes in two shades, and I got the lighter of the two called Linger Sigh (which is suggested for lighter skin tones). It has a soft vanilla scent and feels SO moisturizing...not sticky at all. Here are my lips before and after using it...it gives just a hint of color, just enough to make you look polished. My lips feel moisturized for hours after applying and the color really does last a long time. 

I'm on my third tube of Julep's Length Matters Mascara ($20). The packaging has recently changed (mine is an older tube) but I've been stockpiling this from my Julep maven subscription boxes and it's one of my all-time favorite mascaras (see my initial review from 2014 here). I had forgotten just how much I loved this since I haven't worn it in a while. The brush has perfectly spaced bristles that really comb through your lashes so you get zero clumps. The formula makes my lashes so long, they almost curl back around and touch my eyelids. Plus, it doesn't smudge under my eyes!

Wearing Julep Length Matters Mascara

And now for the flops (which weren't right for me but it doesn't mean they won't work for others)...

First up is Makeup Revolution The One Concealer ($5.40). This reminded me of Benefit's Fake Up Concealer (which I love) because it has a concealer core with a moisturizing outer ring. The problem is it feels greasy, even on my dry skin and there's a lot more moisturizer than concealer in the formula so it doesn't really cover anything at all. I was hoping for a Fake Up dupe, but no luck this time!

Next is the NYX Soft Focus Primer ($9.99). I purchased this because it looked like an interesting take on a primer, but it ended up feeling greasy and balling up on my skin. Also, I hit pan the first time I dipped a sponge into it, so there isn't much in the compact, even though it looks like it's a decent size. Overall it didn't seem to do much, such as blurring pores or helping my makeup last longer so it's definitely a miss for me. 

The last two products were recent purchases from Hard Candy. I love this brand and am rarely disappointed but these were both a bit of a miss for me. I've been wanting to try the Cheeky Tints ($6) for a while now, because I love cream blushes but these weren't quite what I was expecting. They're a gel formula and it takes quite a lot of building to get them to show up on my cheeks. Then, I noticed later that there was an obvious line of blush on my cheek where I didn't blend it well enough (they soak into my dry skin really quickly). On the positive side, they are very long-lasting, but being difficult to build up and blend takes away from the ease of using a blush like this. 

I also wasn't a fan of the Just Glow Baked Illuminating Duo ($8). I had read some negative reviews about it not being pigmented enough and not having enough "glow" but I purchased it anyway because I thought it would be more of a subtle effect like Laura Geller's French Vanilla highlighter or the Ambient Lighting Powders that I could use all over my face to set my makeup. Unfortunately, these aren't as finely milled as those are, so while they do provide a subtle glow, they also leave little specks of glitter on my face. It really wasn't exactly what I was hoping for. 

What were your faves and flops this month? I'd love to hear about them! 

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