To commemorate the month of June (which flew by super fast!) I wanted to share with you some of my June favorites! I have had most of these products for a while, but these are the main products I have been reaching to this month.
The first two products are nail polishes. Anyone who knows me has seen my obsession with nail polish. If I see a pretty polish, I cannot stop myself– I must have it! So, when I saw these two polishes, of course I snatched them up.
The first nail polish is OPI’s Don’t Burst My Bubble from their Oz the Great and Powerful collection. Once I saw the movie I went out and basically bought every nail polish from the collection! My nail polish stash is just so large that I never got around to using the actual polishes until recently, and Don’t Burst My Bubble was my first pick. I love a good neutral nail polish and this is definitely a better alternative to a pure white since it is a soft creamy white with a slight tint of pink. This nail polish is a beautiful jelly that goes on streak free. Since I like my nail polish more on the opaque side, I applied three coats, and if you like a more sheer look then two will definitely do the trick.
The second polish is China Glaze’s Bottoms Up from their On The Shore collection. Bottoms Up is a beautiful barbie pink neon, and after two coats it was completely opaque and stunning, but remember to use a really good base and top coat! One problem I have with China Glaze is their brush. I really don’t like their brushes because for me their nail polishes tend to apply streaky. I love love love OPI’s brushes though– Don’t Burst My Bubble has a beautiful brush that applies the polish wonderfully. The second problem is that their polishes tend to chip really easily, and their neons chip even more. I wash my hands a lot throughout the day out of habit and that really increases the likelihood of chipping. Regardless, Bottoms Up is such a beautiful color that I will definitely be purchasing more nail polishes from the collection.
Since I am absolutely horrendous at painting my nails, and my nails are super horrifying, I do not have a swatch for the polishes, but below are some swatches from other bloggers that are beautiful!
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| Credited to: The Polish Hideout |
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| Credited to: Of Life and Lacquer |
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| Credit to: Temptalia |
Next are lip products, which are my favorite!
I have really been liking Urban Decay a lot lately and I tried out their Lip Envy in Envious, which is a natural pink lip stain. The color is stunning and build-able for a more opaque pink look. The stain also lasts for hours, which is a definite plus! In reality, the packaging is what really caught my eye when I was at Sephora. They were having their VIB sale, so naturally I wanted to purchase anything I could get my hands on and this looked promising enough so I snatched it up and fell in love! Out of all of my lipsticks, tinted lipbalms, lip creams, and other lip stains, this one has definitely been used the most this past month. It is also great for the summer months when you do not want a heavy wash of color and want to wear something light on the lips that will stay on for hours without a fuss. The doe foot applicator makes it really easy to just swipe on to your lips and go. I will definitely be repurchasing this, and I will probably check out the other color called Greedy, which is a deep berry color.
Then there are two MAC lipsticks which are cult favorites: Ruby Woo and Up the Amp. Ruby Woo is a stunning electric red matte lipstick that looks amazing on every skin color, and it makes your teeth look super white! The color is very opaque even after one swipe, but it is build-able. Be careful with this lipstick though because it stains easily so use a lip liner before applying it to ensure you get a nice crisp and clean red lip. Nothing is worse than a messy red lip! The only downside to Ruby Woo is the formula. I love love love matte lipsticks, but Ruby Woo is incredibly drying so make sure to exfoliate your lips, moisturize and prep them before applying this color. Up the Amp is a violet lipstick with blue undertones. If you are looking to spice up a neutral look, this would be the perfect complement. It is an amplified formula which means that it is heavily pigmented and stays on the lips for quite some time. It is not completely matte, but it is not glossy– it is a really nice mix between glossy and matte, and has just the right amount of sheen to it. I love MAC lipsticks so much. I have about ten or twelve at the moment, but I have my eye set on like twenty more!
Haircare– a daily struggle for every woman, but definitely something that either makes or breaks your look. I love trying new hair products, but I think I have found my two favorite products that work in harmony.
First is It’s a 10’s Miracle Leave-in Product. I love this stuff! It is a leave in conditioner that you just spritz through your damp hair and it leaves your hair tangle free! It has ten benefits. Thus, the name. It is a detangler, thermal protectant, adds shine, controls frizz, repairs damaged dry hair, seals and protects hair color, stops hair breakage, creates silkiness, enhances natural body, and prevents split ends. This stuff really works! My hair has really gotten healthy and even though I do not use much heat on my hair, walking around outside in the Texas sun really used to mess up my hair, and caused it to look very straw like at the ends. Now, I do not get very many split ends, and it really does do everything they advertise it does! I have heard that the Miracle Leave-in Plus Keratin is even better so I will be checking that out once I am finished with this bottle.
Second is a product my mom brought home for me one day. She heard many great things about Joico’s K-Pak Intense Hydrator Treatment and bought me a bottle to test it out. You go about washing and conditioning your hair as you normally would– they even have the shampoo and conditioner that goes with the Intense Hydrator– then softly and gently squeeze out the excess water from your hair, lather this into the ends then use whatever product is left in your hands and run it through the top of your hair. Leave it in for about 4-6 minutes then rinse it out, and voila! You have better hair! The second I used it, once again, I fell in love! I guess I tend to fall in love with a lot of my material possessions– oops! Anyway, this product really leaves your hair looking and feeling very strong and nourished, while conditioning your hair and leaving it tangle free. These two products in unison have left my hair shiny and healthy, which I thought would never be possible. My hair is about thirty inches long so caring for the ends has always been a hassle because it would always look lifeless. I know thirty inches of hair is a lot and that it seems as if it would be at that “ooh girl, your hair is too long” stage, but since I am tall, it really is not that long. At least not yet!
These two hair products truly are my “holy-grail products” that I will repurchase again and again. Finally, I have found something that restores my dead hair and gives it nourishment, shine, and leaves it strong and tangle free.
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| Here is a recent picture of my hair, which has gotten healthier and shiny! |
On to the next one: skincare!
Another product that skincare fanatics and makeup lovers are raving about is the Clarisonic. I got this as a Christmas present this past December and it is amazing! I have the Clarisonic Mia 2 with the acne cleansing brush head. My skin has always been really odd. Either I have clear skin or my skin will freak out and I will get lots of blemishes. There has never really been an in between– it is all or nothing. Currently my skin is freaking out and I have blemishes everywhere, but the Clarisonic has really helped clean out my pores and dry up the blemishes, which are starting to fade. If you wear a lot of makeup or you have large pores and can feel the grime and dirt building up after a long day, this product is ideal for you! Regardless, I think everyone should have it because it really cleans out your skin. I use makeup wipes to take my makeup off every night and even though it does not look like I have any makeup left on my skin, I use my Clarisonic and it is covered in foundation because it gets deep into your pores where a makeup wipe cannot go. Even if I do not wear make up that day I still use the Clarisonic to help clean out my pores and leave my skin soft and clear.
The Clarisonic acne kit comes with their own acne cleanser, but I do not really like it. I prefer using Murad’s Clarifying Cleanser, which is gentle enough for someone who has sensitive skin like me, but also very cleansing at the same time; it leaves your skin feeling soft, smooth and looking rejuvenated. Both products combined have helped my skin and it no longer feels weighed down or as if my skin still has makeup or dirt clinging on to it. Trust me, when you are older your skin will thank you for taking care of it while you were young!
Lastly, I decided to throw in two favorite songs of the month.
First up is Where to Land by Travis Garland. The song is soft and soothing, and so is his voice! If you like soothing R&B type music that just sounds like a dream, you will most probably like it. Listen to it here. He has a lot of amazing songs and covers; I absolutely adore his voice– especially the vocalizations.
Second is A Little Taste by Skyler Stonestreet. Many of you have probably heard it since it is the music playing during ABC ‘s Sunday TV promo. I heard it on Teen Wolf (my guilty pleasure) and loved it so much that I looked up the song. It is a really sexy, sultry song, and you can listen to it and watch the music video here.
I hope you all enjoyed my June favorites, and I hope you all try out some of my favorite products. Let me know what you think of them if you do try them out!
Don’t forget to follow or subscribe through email, and I hope you all had an amazing Fourth of July!
XO,
Nida