5 Beauty Products I'm Loving - February Edition

You may have noticed that i haven't done any 'monthly favourites' posts in quite some time. As a blogger it's all too easy to get carried away with monthly favourites and end up with around 20 items you have tested out briefly; but i just didn't feel that the products i were talking about were truly loved as much as they could have been, because i was buying and receiving products quicker than i could test them out! I spent the past year calming down my spending and picking carefully which PR companies and brands i took products from, so that i could be fair testing things out. Since doing so i have acquired some new 'holy grail' products in my beauty routine and of course it's only fair that i share them with you. So, i have decided that each month instead of doing a monthly favourites post i will dedicate a blogpost to where i talk about just 5 products that i had loved the previous month. Starting with what i just couldn't put down throughout February.

I will admit that i haven't quite got off to a good start and cheated just a tincy wincy bit, as i actually have 6 products to share today. However i am telling myself its ok because two of the products are both bases by the same brand (sounds fair right?). Also considering i haven't done a monthly favourites blogpost in forever i think 6 products is pretty darn good. I'm sure next month choosing only 5 will be so much easier.....

1. YSL Fushion Ink Cushion Foundation - £38.50

I have loved this luxurious little compact so much over the past few months. So much so that i've always finished it all and need to buy another refill. I decided to splurge on this little beauty after i enjoyed The Body Shop's Fresh Nude cushion foundation. Over the years i have enjoyed nearly all of the base products i've purchased from YSL, so it was only fitting that i tried their cushion foundation as well. Initially i wasn't the biggest fan of the original Fusion Ink foundation as i found that it clung to the dry areas on my face. However the Fusion ink cushion is more creamy in consistency and less opaque in coverage, offering a sheer to medium coverage with a weightless feel. The YSL Fusion Ink Cushion foundation does a good job of covering up mild imperfections (like redness, pores and dark under eye circles) and evens out the skin tone beautifully. It's incredibly easy to blend and melts into the skin, leaving my skin feeling hydrated with a beautiful subtle glow. If i don't use a mattifying primer or powder i do find come afternoon i look a little oily in the t-zone, so i always do these steps with this foundation. I  recommend you doing the same if you have oily skin, but like a dewy looking foundation. The longevity is really good and it literally looks like your own skin, but more perfected. I also find that it layers well, if you need to retouch throughout the day. It even layers well over powder!

*YSL Touche Eclat Le Teint Foundation - £33.50

The original version of the YSL Touche Eclat foundation was one of my personal favourites and i enjoyed it so much, that i just didn't see the need to purchase the new reformulated version. However i was kindly sent a bottle by Loreals PR team and boy oh boy, do i eat my words now! The reformulated version contains a 'soft focus gel' that creates more of a translucent layer on the skin, that helps to softly blur out imperfections, instead of the usual opaque powders that are normally found in foundation formulas. So rest assured with this foundation you will never experience that obvious 'foundation' finish that can leave the skin looking powdery or masked. In fact the YSL Touche Eclat Foundation is almost undetectable on the skin, just like the Fusion Ink Cushion Foundation (mentioned above) only with better medium coverage and more luminosity. It glides on to the skin smoothly like cashmere and does a good job covering imperfections including blemishes, whilst looking natural and imparting a beautiful lit-from-within glow. This foundation is equally beautiful applied with either your fingers or a brush. I also like that the reformulated version is much longer lasting that the original and it works much better on those with oily skin, i don't even have to touch up my powder! It's honestly just a beautiful foundation that looks effortlessly flawless. 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder Diffused Light - £40

I cannot believe that last year i was contemplating on getting rid of this powder as i just didn't reach for it like i do with the shades Dim Light and Radiant Light, which i have adored for years now. This year i just can't seem to put it down! As with all the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powders, diffused light is equally refined and feels feather-light to the touch, like silk. Diffused Light is the second from lightest of the Ambient powders (Ethereal being a white) and is best described as a soft, warm, yellow. Making this fantastic for those with more warmer skin tones. I adore this powder for setting the concealer under the eyes, as it's extremely finely milled i experience minimal creasing. As the name would suggest, this soft yellow powder which has very subtle micro-shimmers really helps to 'diffuse' unwanted fine lines and brighten the complexion at the same time. I also find that it helps to reduce the redness around my nose and gives my skin clarity. Personally i prefer a more natural under eye highlight, so instead of using a super pale concealer that can make me look ashy, i prefer to use a soft light focus powder that gives me more of a 'soft ray of morning light' look, as opposed to a stark 'obvious' highlight. If you are a fellow mom and look tired day to day, or if you have fine lines or just want a subtle highlight for under the eyes, then look no further. I will say that teamed with the Wayne Goss 02 Powder Brush is heaven, there is no other perfect duo. Just thank me later.

Heimish Dailism Smudge Stop Mascara - $11.77

I just randomly came across this mascara one day on Style Korean and decided to buy on a whim. I don't seem to have the best experience with mascaras, as 90% will flake on me or transfer under my eyes leaving me looking like an unattractive raccoon. I am a busy mom so i don't have time to retouch my concealer throughout the day. So i need a concealer that is going to stay put and hold up all day! The word 'Smudge Stop' is initially what drew me to this little gem, and i must say that it's fitting indeed. The Hemish Dailism Smudge Stop Mascara really helps to adds length and volume to my lashes. I like that it doesn't clump my lashes together and it really helps to open up my hooded eyes. It's not as amazing as the DHC Double Protection mascara for longevity, but it comes in a very close second and is easier to remove. In fact i prefer this over the YSL Shocking and Babydoll mascaras which have been a couple of my favourites for years now. If you are like me and aren't gifted with long or full looking lashes, or if you desire long length or just find that mascaras transfer under the eyes too easily on you... then i highly recommend you try this out. Plus it's super affordable too. I will definitely be repurchasing this again soon.

*Kiehls Pure Vitality Skin Renewing Cream 50ml - £49

I adore the cleansesr and toners from Kiehls, but i didn't get on too well with their Avocado Eye Cream. I just found it far too heavy for my sensitive eyes and it gave me milia bumps which took forever to get rid of *sigh. Then there are other bloggers 35+ who state that Kiehls' products are aimed at younger people, which resulted in me not looking into the brand much. So initially when i received this surprising PR delivery i didn't have high hopes for it all at! Imagine my shock when i was pleasantly taken by surprise and found myself reaching for this cream repeatedly every night! The Kiehls Pure Vitality Skin Renewing Cream is a harmony of New Zealand’s Manuka Honey and Korea’s Red Ginseng Root with the aim to revitalise your skin, leaving you with a smoother texture. The Manuka Honey helps to repair damage and help maintain your skins barrier hydration, while the Korean Red Ginseng Root helps to recover the youthful radiance in dull and ageing skin. It's 99.6% naturally-derived (which i personally love) and is suitable for people of all ages (not just youngens'). It literally feels like a silky protective shield across the skin, so soothing and incredibly nourishing. So i adore this over top of an oil or a targeted treatment serum to lock in all that goodness. Personally because i have more oily skin i prefer to use this only at nighttime. However i have tested it out in the day and makeup did apply well over top (YSL Touche Eclat Foundation); but as it's starting to warm up a little outside i find it a little too suffocating for me, for day use. Like with most creams as i prefer a more water-based moisturiser during the warmer months. Drier skin types would benefit greatly from this both within the day, as well as night. Ultimately i think Kiehls should have marketed this to release Autumn of last year, as it would have been a huge hit over the winter period. Every time i use this and wake up in the morning my skin is left feeling super soft and is glowing with radiance. It has a silky texture that's very unusual and even though it feels somewhat greasy, it absorbs fully into my skin and doesn't clog my pores or break me out, which i find a lot of moisturisers can do.  

Sunday Riley Luna Night Sleeping Night Oil - £85

I have had this in my skincare stash since summer of last year and just never had the urge to reach for it. What on earth took me so long??! Sunday Rileys face oils are definitely investments and some may argue over priced. For me personally i will pay whatever price for the results, as long as it's within my budget. For people looking to introduce a good vitamin A into their routine, this product is a good place to start. It's a gentle retinol-based product housed within a blue-tinted oil, as the carrier oils help make it a gentler option than some over-the-counter retinoids. The oils help to combat the dryness and irritation that can be experienced with retinol products. All of the oils used are organic and cold-pressed (some of the oils include: Avocado, Chia and Blue Tansy). The blue in the oil (which is actually synthetic, not floral) is also fantastic at counteracting redness. Luna is Sunday Rileys most renowned face oil and is now my most used oil out of the 3 Sunday Riley facial oils that i own. It is a calming and soothing, anti-ageing face oil that works well for those who are new to retinols, or who have more sensitive skin. I am currently using Luna around 4 nights a week and i always wake up to grease free, clear, hydrated, glowy-looking skin the next day. I either apply it as the last step in my skincare routine after my serum, or just before my Jane Scrivner Over Oil Cream. Which works magic to lock in anything i applied underneath. Though i wait a good 5-10 minutes to apply the moisturiser as this is not one of those 'sink in right away' face oil products. Also don't worry about the blue look, it diffuses once it's massaged into your skin. This really has been my go-to oil when my skin is looking extra dull and needs a little pick me up.

What products were you loving last month? I would love to know.....Do you think you could limit yourself to just 5 favourite products a month?

Thanks for Reading Lovelies

Jamey xo

*This post may contain some PR Samples which are marked with an (*)

*Disclaimer - I only add links to websites i personally recommend or use.

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