May 2013 Favourites

Hey everyone,
So May was a pretty exciting month for me. I started the month by finishing my first year at university and moving back in at home. I then jetted off to Florida with my family for an awesome week in the sun. When I returned I began my new job in my hometown and have also enjoyed my first summer of being 19 (legal drinking age in Canada). Being 19 has lots of benefits, but the biggest perk is being allowed to get into bars to see my friends band, Amity Beach.
Anyway, now the summer is finally here it's my time to save up for my next school year and enjoy some time with my best friends and family. Here are my May 2013 beauty favourites!

The Naked Basics palette from Urban Decay is a recent purchase from April. I had wanted it for a long time, and when I finally bought it I realized I should have owned it much sooner. I have used it almost every day I apply makeup and when I was traveling down to Florida it was compact and has all the neutral essentials.

The Rimmel Scandaleyes waterproof kohl kajal in "005 Nude" is a fantastic product. It stays in your waterline, brightens the eye area and has helped me look far less tired in the morning after a very late night.

I bought this Benefit "Hello Flawless" foundation last September. It was a silly buy, the shade was far too dark for my skintone by about one of two shades, so it made it practically unwearable throughout the winter months. After getting a little bit tanned I tried it out again and I am so happy I did, I love it. It has a lightweight formula that sticks around all day, but it does have less coverage. I think it's the perfect summer foundation and I may even buy a paler one for the winter.

The Smashbox Sheer Focus tinted moisturizer is one I received at the Smashbox school while training as a cosmetician last year. At first I was disappointed I had received it, I was in love with makeup and I thought the higher coverage the better. However, this is so fantastic. I use it all the time, especially in the summer. It has an SPF of 15 and I use it on any day I don't want to wear foundation. I will certainly repurchase this product, and if I don't I'm tempted to try the Smashbox BB cream instead.

The Rimmel Stay Matte powder is one of the first makeup products I ever bought. I forgot about it for ages, and when I began being interested in makeup, reading blogs and watching YouTube channels, I discovered I wasn't the only one who loved it. I immediately ran out to pick up a new one. I love this powder, it mattifies the skin so well and lasts forever. I don't think a high-end powder will ever compare.

This month I also purchased Maybelline's the Rocket Volum Express mascara. I bought the regular formula in the colour Blackest Black. I find this mascara to be very wet, and it took a while to get used to it. Now I use it very often, however I will be repurchasing it in the waterproof formula because running around in the sunshine leaves this mascara all down my cheeks. Despite this, I will certainly be repurchasing and I think it's a great drugstore buy.

Next up is MAC's "Hue" lipstick. I bought this in the winter but I found that it made my lips too pale and quite frankly made me look a bit unwell. Now that my skin has darkened slightly, I've been loving this colour under a nice nude lipgloss and pairing it with a more dramatic neutral eye.

I bought this while in Florida because in Orlando there is an awesome discounted beauty store which sells lots of awesome things, discontinued products, things from old MAC collections etc, etc. I have had a sample of this in the past and absolutely loved it. I decided to buy the full size and so far I have no regrets. I use it as a night cream and if I find any dry patches on my face. It works wonderfully!

I also bought this in Orlando. It's the Origins Spot Remover anti0blemish treatment gel. I began using it while on vacation and I really like it so far. It definitely makes the pimples come out.. so it makes it look a bit worse before it gets better but I think its great and I love that it's all natural. It's also a lot less irritable on the skin than just using tea tree oil which I have done before.

The mint EOS lipbalm has been a longtime favourite, I used to use it before bed but now I use it before applying makeup. It's refreshing and conditioning and I really love it.

Here's a picture to show just how much I have loved it...

Finally the Benfit bronzer in Hoola. This is an excellent bronzer for people who have fair to medium skintones. It's well pigmented and a little goes a long way. Because of the matte finish it can be used for contouring or an all over sunkissed glow.