SEPTEMBER EDIT: SUNNY DAYS, SKIN CARE REVELATIONS & THE PERFECT PRIMER

September 2017 beauty favourites

See you September. You’ve been kind giving us a few sunny weekends. Sunny spells allowed me to do a little shopping in Nottingham, visit incredibly beautiful Newstead Abbey and its grounds. You’ve been kind work-wise, allowing me to challenge myself even further, confront my fears, deal with them and ace any challenge you threw my way. Blog-wise was also interesting as I go on another month being an ambassador for two incredible brands and even started working with a great new agency. Everything has been just coming up me and I plan on enjoying it as much as I possibly can! Nothing comes without hard work and I’m glad to see some results of mine. I liked September and also discovered a lot of great beauty along the way. If you’re interested to see what I loved, stay with me for few more minutes. 

Glow equals hydration? 

The Ordinary Alpha Lipoic Acid 5% | £5.90 for 30ml | POST

New to me treatment/serum joined my routine recently and it deserves a shoutout. There are many skin care benefits to Alpha Lipoic Acid, one of the most powerful antioxidants on the market. Here concentrated at 5% is a strong stimulant and as such should be approached with caution. I recommend a use of 2-3 times a week and a sensitivity test prior to use. I managed to react well to the formula, but I strongly suggest anyone with sensitive skin to apply first at a very small section and allow the 24-hour test. Having said all that the benefits are great. Alpha Lipoic Acid helps skin renewal and as such will help reduction of fine lines and wrinkles as well as preventing the occurrence of both. It has exfoliating & brightening properties and helps improving skin texture and uneven skin tone. Due to regulating sebum production, it helped my t-zone area as pore size appears minimised. I wrote about it in my recent post, so check it out HERE for ingredients. It’s been a wonder product for me lately, so I highly recommend you try it, especially given the price point! 

Buy now: Deciem | Beautylish | Beauty Chamber | Victoria Health | Cult Beauty | Beauty Bay | Feel Unique 

Omorovicza Queen of Hungary Mist | £25.00 - £48.00 | POST

Not the first mention here on the blog & my socials of this superb mist shouldn’t shock anyone who tried it. It is by far the finest mist I’ve ever used, which makes it an excellent choice pre and post-makeup application. In the recent post, I concentrated on skincare benefits, so check it out HERE if you’re interested. It definitely helped my dehydration problem as well as helped develop a new (to me at least!) technique of skin care application. It’s also extremely soothing, which I’m grateful for, especially giving I tend to overuse my exfoliants :) Having said all that, the post-makeup use is also worth mentioning. If you struggle with dry skin, mists have probably been in your routine already. To give my skin an extra glow and a level of hydration, I pack my Queen of Hungary mist with me. Few spritzes refresh brilliantly and the fine mist doesn’t move your makeup. Absolutely brilliant formula. A little warning for sensitive types as it’s enriched with some essential oils that can actually cause sensitivity. Thankfully it’s not a problem I can relate too, but it’s worth a mention! If you'd like a tester, Omorovicza introduced 30ml bottle for only £15.00 - available here. 

Buy now (50ml): Cult Beauty | Omorovicza | Look Fantastic | Bath & Unwind | Liberty London

Buy now (100ml): Cult Beauty | Omorovicza | Feel Unique | Look Fantastic | Space NK | Bath & Unwind | Liberty London

Let it glow...

Becca First Light Priming Filter | £15.00 - £32.00

Is it a perfect primer? Maybe not, but it comes pretty damn close. If Becca’s original Backlight Priming Filter a little too glowing for your preference, First Light Priming Filter should suit you a little better. Purple in colour will work lovely to diminish dullness but it won’t leave your skin overly glowing. Just healthy glow is perfect underneath semi-matte finish foundations as it won’t take away from leaving your skin looking its best and not too shiny. If you prefer more natural finishes, this is definitely the one. It doesn’t do much to diminish your pores but it helped the appearance of mine a little. Now you can try it for yourself without having to buy a full size. I got mine in Space NK and the 15ml is perfect to trial a primer. 

Buy now (15ml): Cult Beauty | Space NK

Buy now (30ml): | Cult Beauty | Space NK | QVC UK (offer)

Brows on fleek & a new lip worth a shout

L'Oreal Paradise Brow Pomade in Dark Blonde | £9.99 

My friend Anna made an excellent point in calling it a hybrid between brow pomade and brow pencil. It should suit anyone who never got on with more creamy pomades such as ABH or Freedom. Here the formula is definitely dry which makes filling in a little different, maybe not as precise, but certainly not bad! I like it. I’ve used it for a really long while and I tend to reach for it daily now. Mainly because of an excellent little brush included. What a joy it is to have a little precise brush with you at all times?! Love it. The shade is also great, so if you’re blonde to light brown type, you’ll love it too. It’s ashy and perfect for brows. It won’t give you the pigment or precision the creamier formulas will, but it’s such an easy product to lightly contour your brows in the morning. 

Buy now: Superdrug | Boots

Bourjois Rouge Laque Liquid Lipstick in Red to Toe | £8.99

I love this formula and it’s not the first time it gets a mention. I bought a new shade recently, totally because of my friend Dagmara - BLOG/ INSTAGRAM- and I adore it. Orange-reds are my faves and while I’m moving away from the shade the more the temperatures drop, I thought it deserves a shoutout because of an incredible formula. My lipstick preferences changed a bit this year and whilst I still look for lasting power, the slightly glossy (or just not fully matte) finish is what I prefer lately. Two coats are needed to achieve opaque finish but one coat will give you a lovely stain too if you’re after such finish. The formula dries comfortably and is easy to top up during a day. Definitely, one for the books and I know I’ll be buying more shades. 

Buy now: Very (offer) | Feel Unique | Look Fantastic | Superdrug 

That scent to remember... summer

Jo Malone Lime Basil & Mandarin Cologne | £44.00 - £88.00

With winds, cold and rain it’s easy to forget summer. I don’t want to and Jo Malone scent is a perfect reminder as I bought it on the way to Spain at a duty-free! Surprisingly also works as a more autumnal fragrance thanks to the bitterness of the notes. Citruses are generally associated with summer but Line, Basil & Mandarin tones somehow work for me now. It’s also a lot longer lasting than my previous Jo Malone fragrances and I can still feel it lightly after an 8-hour wear. I’ve been enjoying it a lot plus a small bottle makes it really travel-friendly and that’s a huge plus now that I travel more. 

Buy now (30ml): Jo Malone | John Lewis | House of Fraser | Selfridges

Buy now (100ml): Jo Malone | John Lewis | House of Fraser | Selfridges

That’s my September in a gist, how about you? 

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Thank You For Reading,

Love