August Beauty Favourites.

One: BlenderCleanser
Beauty bloggers: look away.. I never clean my make-up brushes/sponges. Okay, I did once.. Yesterday. Don't judge me. I bought a multi pack with two blenders and the cleanser online a while back. I FINALLY got around to hosting a much needed make-up brush/sponge cleaning extravaganza on my day off and this stuff did the job on all of my tools better than I had expected. It has a eucalyptus-y, lavender-y scent and the dispenser is pretty clever, convenient, too! You flip the top, press the blender onto the top of the dish-like dispenser and the product absorbs deep in to your sponge. For brushes, I diluted a few drops in a bowl of water and gave them a swirl. Both ways worked so well to clean all that gunk build-up off my tools, leaving them soft and clean.


Two: Bioderma Atoderm Crème

If you recall, I got a sample sized bottle of this holy grail in my July BellaBox. I used that bad boy up in about 5 days and immediately went out to buy the full sized bottle. On top of being sensitive, my legs have always been dry and unbearably itchy and no matter how much cream I slather on, nothing has worked long-term - it wasn't pretty, guys. This has been the only thing to nourish my skin enough and stop that terrible itch. It absorbs quickly to where it's needed most, calming all irritation without leaving a waxy or greasy residue. I owe my sanity to BellaBox in this case.


Three: ChiChi Creamy Matte Liquid Lipstick in 'Flirt'

I received this in one of my (many) goodie bags from the Bloggers United meet I attended last month, and I've used it almost daily since. The shade 'Flirt' is a pinky beige, and compliments my skin tone beautifully but the thing that impressed me the most was the formula. It got on smooth and creamy and quickly dries matte. Somewhat new to liquid lipsticks, and a matte lip virgin, I wasn't sure how well it would wear but man, does this shit last! All day long the colour stayed with me and is pretty damn transfer-proof once it dries. Never has it feathered or left my lips with that dry, creased looking texture like so many matte formulas do.

Four: B.Sweet Popping Candy Highlight Serum

Can I start by saying this is the most aesthetically pleasing product I have ever used! It's adorable! Pink pearly bubbles encased in a light serum, which once pumped, mix together to transform into a liquid, all stored in a pretty tube topped with a candy cane striped lid - squee! My friend in the UK purchased it from Superdrug for me (I love you) and I've used it every day since it's sweet, sweet arrival to my doorstep. The first thing I noticed was how hydrating the serum felt on the skin. It looks especially radiant as a cheekbone highlight but at the same time, is so versatile! It can be used as a highlighter, as an illuminating base under make-up, or mixed in with your foundation (my preferred method of application) leaving my complexion looking bright and healthy.

Five: Elucent Whitening Day Moisturiser

This was another Bloggers United gift. Elucent kindly

supplied us all with full sized bottles of their entire whitening range. Just a FYI ('cause the term 'whitening' is kind of scary), this skincare line is designed to even out the skin tone by reducing pigmentation and balancing out the appearance dark spots, freckles, age spots, etc. NOT 'whiten' your skin with bleaches and scaries. We received so much that I'm yet to try everything, but of the products I have tried, the day moisturiser has impressed me the most. It has a heavier consistency than I usually use due to the tendency my skin has to clog under thick creams, but this hasn't been the case - my skin has remained clear and non-greasy, and feels more moisturised than it has in a long time. The fact that there's no fragrance also means that there has been no irritation to my sensitive skin and dries slightly tacky, which I actually love because my foundation adheres so much better and lasts much longer when I use this, to the point that I no longer need to use a primer.