February 2018 Beauty Favourites

One: Tacha Polished Classic Rice Enzyme Powder

My skin is so very temperamental that cleansers are a difficult one for me but I took the (expensive) plunge and treated myself to Tacha's offering after reading multiple rave reviews. It's a water-activated powder, so it has a little bit of grit to it, which acts as a gentle exfoliant, but it's not rough or chunky at all.. it's more of a smooth grit? It's hard to explain but it's a pleasant experience for sure. I have quite sensitive skin at times but this is so gentle (they actually have a gentle offering, too). I've never had a problem with it aggravating my skin. It just leaves my face feeling super clean and smooth. 

Two: Benefit The POREfessional Pearl Illuminating Face Primer*
I'm sure you've all heard of Benefit's newest addition to The POREfessional line*: POREfessional Pearl, by now. As a lover of the original formula*, I knew I had to give the pearl version a go, too! The texture and formulation is exactly the same as the original as far as I can tell, meaning you still get the smoothing and pore-filling properties with Pearl. The new (and exciting) thing about the Pearl offering is its finish. It offers a much more radiant, glowy finish than the mattifying, almost dulling original and has a light pink tinge to it, which is far more brightening than the original nude. If you ask me, Pearl Primer is perfect for drier skin types as it fills and blurs but doesn't leave you looking overly matte and flat. My dry skinned self reached for Pearl (in conjunction with Primerizer - read below) over the original formula over all Summer long for a healthy-looking glow but this would be amazing for colder months to help combat dull-looking skin!

Three: Too Faced Chocolate Gold Soleil*
The formulation of the Gold offering is the same as the original Chocolate Soleil* (with it's chocolate scent and all), which happens to my favourite bronzer ever, except this one has gold pigments scattered throughout. The product photos online scared me a little at first with how glittery they looked, but the actual product isn't scary at all - when applied, the shimmer is perfectly subtle, not chunky or glittery in the slightest. I've really been enjoying using this over Summer. I feel as though some matte bronzers can give a flat-looking finish, but this bronzer's golden shimmer catches in the light just right, giving the face dimension and a gorgeous glow.

Four: Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Universal Daily Peel Pads
I got a sample pack of these two-step chemical exfoliating pads in my most recent Beauty Loop Box and I instantly fell in love! I immediately went online to purchase the full-sized offering and nearly died when I saw the cost. I probably wouldn't have even thought about buying these had I not tried them out first (the price really does hurt my soul) but I do feel as though it's worth the spend for how amazing my skin felt after using these. Honestly, my skin felt SO soft, which really surprised me because chemical peels tend to dry out and irritate my skin more than anything but these were not harsh on my skin type at all. Of course, they did leave my skin feeling a little dry (my skin is insanely dry, I expected much worse) but once I slathered on some moisturiser, I had the softest, smoothest skin and when used at night, my face felt even better the next morning!

Five: Smashbox Photo Finish Primerizer
Two primers in one favourites? Dang, girl.
I'm a bit late to the party with this one but I finally picked up Primerizer over my Christmas break and I've been using it ever since! This is such a good primer for dry skin! The product is quite watery, not thick like most other primers, which means that it feels so very light and is wonderfully hydrating but because it is so liquid-y, it doesn't offer a lot in the pore-filling or line smoothing departments. It is literally just a hydrating, slightly tacky base that leaves my skin feeling smooth and ready for foundation. I actually use it in conjunction with The POREfessional (above) to meet my blurring and filling needs. I slather a pump or two of Primerizer all over my face and then I'll pat a little POREfessional on areas that need a little pore-filling action - mainly the tops of my cheeks, beside my nose. The instructions say that you can use Primerizer in place of a moisturiser but I like to also use a moisturiser as I have very dry skin. Normal skin types could definitely get away with skipping the moisturiser, however.


What products have you been loving lately?

As always, this post has not been sponsored in any way, meaning that none of the items mentioned have been sent to me, endorsed or paid for by anyone other than me, myself and I. This post does, however, contain affiliate links. I will always disclose such information with an asterisk (*) for full disclosure to my readers.

Feel free to find and purchase these products elsewhere if you don't get down like that. :)