May Favourites!

Well I haven't done one of these in quite some time, purely because I don't go through enough cosmetics/beauty products each month to really make these posts worthwhile.  But recently I've been getting lot of questions about the products I'm using most frequently so I thought I'd let you know! :)  Let's start with skincare:

My go-to skincare brand has not changed at all.  I still love and use Nivea Visage religiously, and recently my skin has been going through a good patch (tap, tap...touch wood!!).  I am crediting this to the Daily Essentials Facial Wash Gel.  My skin type is oily/combination and since I switched from lotion to gel it has thanked me for it.  I'm still using the same moisturiser as always, the Daily Essentials Moisturising Day Cream.  I use the cleansing gel both in the shower in the mornings and to take off makeup at night.

This is sort of a more "medical" product in that I got it from the pharmacy but I thought I'd include it in case any of you are having the same problem as I did.  Last month I got incredibly dry and flaky skin around my eyes which had never happened to me before.  It was as if I had dry eyes, except not inside...on the outside!  I don't use an eye-cream...I'm only 23 and I have never felt the need to use one (my mom never used one and she has hardly any wrinkles at age 55).  So I wanted something that would target the problem directly.  The chemist recommended Vidisic, which is typically used for dry eyes (put inside the eye) but she told me it can be used also around the outside of the eye.  It is a very watery gel and it worked like a charm!  The flakiness and irritation had gone down considerably within just one day of using it.  By day two, my eyes were back to normal.

 

Onto hair products -- if you don't already know I am joining CosmeticsCharlotte72 in the No-Heat Hair Challenge, which basically means that I'm not going to use any heat (including GHDs, blowdryers, curling irons...etc.) for the next 3 months till my wedding in September!  I am hoping this will help it to grow stronger and healthier than ever!  So far I've stuck with the challenge for about 2 weeks now without cheating once :)  This means I've been embracing my natural frizz & waves (haha!) so my routine now consists of these three products.  I brush my hair in the shower, then towel dry and after about 5 minutes take it down and spritz first the GKHair Leave-In Conditioning Spray then the Shielo Leave-in Protectant Spray and scrunch my hair all over.  I then apply a generous amount of Shielo's Bounce Style Creme and again scrunch it into my hair.  Then I leave it to air-dry and I'm left with natural beachy waves :)

My favourite bronzer at the moment is The Body Shop's Bronzing Powder in Medium shade 03.  It's totally matte, really easy to apply and blend, plus it stays on all day without getting patchy or wearing off.  I use this as a contour.

Another Body Shop product, this is the Boho Beauty Eyeshadow palette which came out with their Brush With Fashion collection (Spring 2011).  I have been getting so many compliments about my eyebrows -- this is what I've been using to fill them in!  The light brown shade is perfectly matte and matches my new hair colour really well.  These shadows are also very pigmented so they are incredibly long-lasting and a little goes a long way!

I switched my concealer this month to Bourjois Healthy Mix concealer after hearing so many great things about the foundation.  This is an amazing under-eye concealer, it covers my dark circles brilliantly and seems to melt into the skin like butter.  It's so effortless and gives the illusion that I'm not wearing any makeup.  I love it!  

I also tried out the Maybelline Studio Gel Eyeliner.  This was my first time purchasing any kind of gel liner and after hearing so many great things about the MAC one (which was also the one we used at makeup school!) I decided to pick this up and test it out.  I really thought it would be more difficult to use, and liquid/gel eyeliner has never been my forte but it's surprisingly foolproof!  It doesn't transfer and lasts all day, it's easy to achieve a winged liner look however the only thing I don't like about it is the brush.  In the beginning it was easy to use but the more you use it the worse it gets...I would prefer if it were angled or a little bit thinner.  Other than that I have no complaints!  I really recommend it, just with a different brush.

The Sedona Lace Blush Palette was sent to me to review last month and I've been loving it ever since I got it!  I think it's such a wonderful thing to have in your makeup collection because it's so versatile and I know I'll be taking this to Italy with me in August!  It's so compact, and you get 10 shadows in one small palette.  My favourites have definitely been the peachy/coral blushes in particular the one pictured above.  This is what I'm wearing today and I love it!  Also I was surprised by how pigmented the blushes all are.  Like with the eyeshadow palettes from Sedona Lace, these are very high quality at an affordable price!

My pink Sedona Lace Kabuki Brush has been my absolute favourite brush this month, and it's what I've started using to apply my blush to my cheeks and cheekbones.  It's incredibly soft and dense, not to mention very pretty to look at! :)

Yet another Sedona Lace product (I realise there are a lot, but honestly this is what I've been using this month -- what can I say I get a lot of use out of these things!) the 88 Warm palette is pretty much the eyeshadow I've been reaching for all month long.  I have created so many looks with this and I adore every colour!  This has everything I need and I'm definitely going to be taking this one to Italy with me as well :) 

Get $4 off your purchase at Sedona Lace by using my promo code, THESTYLEDIET! 

People keep asking me what I'm wearing on my lips lately.  9 out of 10 times it's Rimmel's Spotlight Beige lipstick.  I never really wore this all that much before but I'm currently on a matte lipstick kick so this has quickly become one of my favourites, along with Airy Fairy.  Spotlight Beige is a true nude, similar to the natural colour of my lips.

Click here to watch the video! :)

I hope you enjoyed my favourites post!  Let me know what your favourite products were for May!  

Stay Stylish!

xoxo

Disclaimer:  All opinions expressed in this post are my own and 100% honest as always.  The Body Shop and Sedona Lace products were sent to me for reviewing purposes, however I was not paid for this post nor am I affiliated with the companies in anyway.