June: Loves and Lusts

It's the end of June. How, I'm really not sure, but what I do know is that it's time again for another edition of 'Loves and Lusts'! If you're a regular round these parts I'm sure this series needs no introduction, but if you are a newbie to this whole shebang, I'll link up all my previous posts I've done of this kind here for you to have a look at and get the general gist of how things work. Now, without further ado - let's get straight on into it...

What I've Loved:

Zoella Beauty Sweet Inspirations Collection - Recently, the lovely Zoe of Zoella launched yet another collection for the hugely popular Zoella Beauty. If you saw this post I did a couple of weeks back, you'll know that as soon as the products became available at the start of this month I was fully #InThereLikeSwimwear and picked a few goodies up to try out. I threw in a few first impressions whilst I went along and now, with it being some time later, I feel I can now properly say that I really love this range. The sweet scent is spot-on and not at all sickly and everything I've tried is of a really good quality. I won't ramble on too much more about individual items as I go into more detail in that aforementioned post, so if you do want to know more - you know what to do...

NYX Dark Circle Concealer in 'Fair' - Moving onto makeup, I once again made a trip to my newly-instated NYX counter in my local Boots earlier in the month and picked up some more bits 'n' bobs (see the post here) - my bad, I know. Once again, I've given them all a fair go and I have my favourites, with this being probably my favourite, favourite of them all. Barefaced, my under eye circles are pretty gruesome and there's not really a day that goes by where I don't slap a tonne of concealer on that area to try and make myself look a little more human again. I've dabbled in the whole world of yellow correctors which aim to cancel out the blue/purple tones as opposed to simply cover them before, but have never really feel head over heels for one - until I tried this. I get along with the more peachy, salmon-y pink tone of this so much better and the super-moisturising formula makes it so easy to apply and ensures it never, ever looks cakey or heavy at all. Love, love, LOVE.

NYX Wonderstick Highlight and Contour Stick in 'Light' - Another NYX gem, I just had to give one of their many contouring-related products a try. They have such a wide, diverse range to pick from and there really is something for everyone. After some deliberation, I plumped for this cream contour (a concept I've surprisingly never tested out before) in a handy stick format and I am really pleased with my choice. I love how you can basically draw it on, blend it out and you're pretty much done. The formula is super creamy and easy to blend and work with and I find it to last pretty well throughout the day. The contour shade is perfect for my paler skintone and it's got just the right mix of ashy tones, but still with the slightest hint of warmth so as to not dull the complexion. Personally, the highlight isn't so much my cup of tea as it got a matte finish and I prefer my highlighter to have some sparkle in it, though is a good alternative if you want structure as opposed to glow.

Collection Speedy Highlighter - ...Which is something this cream highlighter is certainly more about. This is far more up my street and I love it. I've had it in my collection for a while now, but in the last few weeks I've been even more obsessed with it. The formulation of this is just as creamy and workable into the skin and the pearlescent tone gives the most stunning, natural glowy finish. There's no chunks of glitter or shimmer to be seen, just a healthy-looking sheen and considering the budget price - that's pretty impressive. I love a cream highlighter for when I want just as an intense highlight but I want it to look part of my skin as opposed to sitting on top of it and this one fills that brief perfectly.

NYX Wonder Pencil in 'Light' - Back onto good 'ole NYX and once again, another 'OMG I love it' product which I invested in around the start of the month and now feel I cannot be without. I've used a nude eyeliner in the past to brighten up my inner waterline and enjoyed it, but I feel like this is kind of the next best thing. Yes, it can indeed be applied on the inner rim (ew) of the eyes to make me look more awake and refreshed, but the skintone hue means it can also be utilised for pinpoint concealing on-the-go, around the outside of the lips to sharpen things up without the need for lip liner and also for going round the brows to clean up that area too. All jobs are just as equally well seen too and being NYX, it was rather bargainous aswell. Is there anything it cannot master? Well, quite a lot of things actually, but for one small pencil - that's pretty impressive nevertheless...

Primark Beauty Lip Liner Pencils in 'Nude' and 'Dark Pink' - Let's talk about lips, eh? As you may have seen in this post, a week or so ago I went into my local Primark to check out the beauty section after hearing/seeing many reviews on the range pop up recently. One of the products which seemed to get the best general 'thumbs up' consensus was the lip liners and so obviously, I picked up a couple to try out for myself. And you know what? I really rather like them. They had a fairly wide variety of shades on offer and I plumped for the classic nude-y pink and a deeper, pinky brown - which I guess covers the kind of hues which everyone (including me) is going mad for at the moment rather well. Both have an equally great formula and are neither too creamy, nor too dry and dragging - they sit just right slap bang in the middle. They're well pigmented and apply super easily and I find them to do the actual job of a lip liner (to keep your lipstick in place and extend wear time) pretty well. For just £1 each - you really cannot go wrong.

Primark Eye Contour Brush - Another item I picked up during that aforementioned Primark Haul was this makeup brush. I've tried one brush from 'ole Primarni in the past and have got along with it pretty well, so when perusing the beauty arena Primark had on offer, this caught my eye and immediately went in my basket. I'm a sucker for an eyeshadow brush and despite having far too many already, in my eyes - there's always room for another to join the family. All in all, I'd say this one's slotted in rather nicely and has filled a bit of a void (yes, really) in my stash. I love angled eyeshadow brushes for really getting into the oiter corner and crease and even for blending out shadows in general and beforehand, only had a Real Techniques one to my name. Now, I have a bit of a backup for it and with this one being slightly shorter and more densely-packed - it's great for really packing that colour onto the lids. Oh yeahhhh.

Jerome Russell Bblonde Colour Toner in 'Platinum Blonde' - Haircare-wise, I feel I had a bit of a moment for the stuff this month. I go through phases with my beauty buying and might go a while without buying anything for a particular category, before then bulk-investing in a tonne of things all at once. And I guess that was what kinda happened a few weeks back in regards to giving my tresses some TLC. Of the bits 'n' bobs I picked up (you can see the haul here), this has had a firm thumbs up from moi. It's a purple-based toner, similar to other toning products I tend to use, but this is more of a treatment as opposed to being a shampoo. I found this to really leave a noticeable change in my hair and instantly revive the blonde ends and banish any brassy tones. My hair felt healthy and in good condition and the results were fairly long-lasting and meant I could leave the need to wash my hair with a purple shampoo for longer than usual.

Jerome Russell Bblonde Lightening Spray - To go alongside that, I've also been really enjoying this product from the same range. I love lightening sprays for maintaining the level of blonde in my hair and keeping it nice and bright and though I went a while without having one fully integrated into my routine, I feel now I've tried this one - I'm back on the bandwagon again. Having hair that's already rather blonde at the ends, the effects are not that noticeable, but things are certainly much brighter and fresh looking than they were a few weeks back. Whether it's more to do with other products (such as the above) or a combination of which this spray is a part of - I feel this definitely has helped in some way and I can foresee myself continuing to use this in the future.

Cheryl Lashes by Eylure in 'Girls Night Out' - Last but by no means least are a pair of lovely lashes which you may recall me picking up sometime last month in this haul. It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago that I finally cracked them open and gave them a go, but now that I have, I think we have a new fluttery favourite on our hands. Honestly, it was a toss-up between this pair and the other set I featured in my post I did here though in the end, I just had to go for the former. These give amazing length, but still don't feel too OTT and I love the winged-out, feline effect they give to the eyes. Despite being rather on the dramatic side of things, they feel super light to wear and are of amazing quality and last as long as you want them to - as is the norm with Eylure lashes. I love them for when I'm going out for a Girl's Night - pretty good name choice, eh?

What I'd Love To Have:

Becca X Jaclyn Hill Champagne Collection - Ranging from £30.00-£48.00 - This has been all over the Internet this month, as Jaclyn Hill released her new collaboration with Becca Cosmetics, and this time round - it's a whole range of products. Her initial launch of Champagne Pop received such success and hype (I personally haven't tried it, but I so want to soon) that she has now brought the same shade out in a variety of different glowy formats, plus a complete face palette which combines Champagne Pop with its new sparkly sister - Prosecco Pop - and three blushers. And yes - it really is all just as Heart-Eyed Emoji worthy as it sounds...

L'Oréal True Match Highlighter - Unsure of price at the moment! - I don't think this has officially launched in the UK just yet, but I spotted it in one of Victoria (from InTheFrow)'s videos and from what I have seen so far, it looks pretty good. A nice, pretty mix of your typical highlighter hues which combine together to make a nice, everyday-friendly glow. 'Cause somedays you might not fancy to look like a glazed doughnut, yanno?

Real Techniques Ultimate Base Set and Ultimate Eye Set - £20.99 each - It'd be rude to not include a couple of new sets from Real Techniques in this post, wouldn't it? This time round, the lovely Sam and Nic from Pixiwoo have compiled a few of the old favourites (plus one that's kinda new) together into one set that's All About That Bass and another collection which does the same - but this time, for eyes. As I said, you get some of the classic brushes and also some set exclusives (something which always entices me) so I will definitely be checking these out and seeing if I want to add them to my brush arena when they launch next month.

Rimmel X Kate Moss 15th Anniversary Collection- £8.99 each (lipsticks and nail polishes) - It's hard to believe, but the whole Rimmel X Kate Moss collaboration has been going now for 15 years, since first starting up way back in 2001. Crazy stuff. So, in celebration of this awesome milestone, Rimmel have released a collection of special lipsticks and nail polishes - all personally chosen by Kate Moss herself. The lipsticks encompass a whole variety of shades and there really is something for everyone - whether you're into your reds, pinks or nudes - and the nail lacquers look equally gorgeous.

Maybelline Lash Sensational Luscious Mascara - £7.99 - If you're a regular round these parts, you'll know by now that Maybelline are 'The One' for me when it comes to drugstore mascaras. The Lash Sensational, which came out last year, is probably my favourite of them all and so when I saw a new version was making its way to our shores - it immediately won a place in this part of the post. Reading up on it, the main differences seem to be a change of brush and a formula which is enriched with a blend of oils for a finish which is softer on the lashes, but still retains than lash multiplying effect. My lust for trying this, combined with the fact that there seem to be so many new, amazing launches from the drugstore right now - I think it might just have to happen.

L'Oréal Cushion De Soleil Bronzer - £14.99 (currently on offer at Superdrug for £9.99!) - In last month's 'Loves and Lusts' I was rambling on about the new L'Oréal Cushion Foundation and this time, it's the turn of the equally-fresh new bronzer from the brand. In short, it's basically the exact same concept as the foundation, but in bronzer form and from what I've seen and heard - it's been just as well-received as the base. As I mentioned above - I think I can feel another 'New In At The Drugstore' coming on...

Freedom Pro Studio Glycolic Radiance Tonic - £6.00 - Onto something from the Skincare category which I've been listing after throughout June. I really, really want to up my skincare game soon and one aspect which I want to try out and possibly add to my routine are chemical exfoliants/toners/whatever they're called. Of them all, the ones from First Aid Beauty seem to be up my alley the most (considering I have rather sensitive skin) but I spotted this product in Superdrug the other week and I think it may have some competition. This really reminds me on first glance of the Pixi Glow Tonic, but with a much better ingredients list for me personally as it doesn't contain any of the products which can cause some upset in my skin. And, if that wasn't enough, it's only £6! Buy some cotton pads to use alongside it and you're pretty muh good to go.

Tanya Burr Cosmetics Soft Luxe Collection - Ranging from £4.99-£5.99 - And finally, we have perhaps a bit of a late entry to this post as it quite literally got officially released as I was finishing writing this up - but it's so gorgeous, I just had to include it. I really love the products Tanya releases and from first appearances, I predict these will be no exception. The range features two new eyeshadow quads, three matte liquid lipsticks and three matte nail polishes and all of them (both in terms of concept and shades) are completely up my street. I cannot wait to get my hands on some and of course, report back on my thoughts to you lovely lot. Watch this space...

So there we have everything I've been loving and lusting after throughout the month of June. We're now halfway through this year's 'Loves and Lusts' and I generally cannot believe it. Don't forget to let me know what you've been loving (and possibly lusting after) throughout this past month and drop me a comment down below - I'd love to know! I hope June has been good to you and you're ready and raring to go for July and I will see you lovely lot same time, same place next month for another round, yeah?