Hi girls! I hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing Easter weekend! Here's a list of my favorites for the month of April. Make sure you enter the giveaway at the end of the post!
Makeup
Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation
in Beige Ivory and Foundation Primer
Laura Mercier may be my new favorite makeup brand. I won't lie, Laura Mercier products are quite expensive, but the quality is amazing! I had heard so many amazing things about the Silk Creme Foundation, but I was afraid it might be too moisturizing for my oily skin. Despite being moisturizing, this foundation gives me flawless, full coverage with minimal shine. It's also incredibly lightweight for such a full coverage foundation. I'm also obsessed with Laura Mercier's Foundation Primer. Normally, primers slightly greasy or oily, but this primer has more of a gel consistency. This primer is great for oily skin and my new favorite.
Sigma was so kind to send me this brush, and I'm honestly not sure how I lived before using this brush. I love using this brush to apply my Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation because it really helps to buff out the foundation and provide a really flawless finish. I've also used this brush to apply setting powder, and it works really well! Enter the giveaway to win one of your own!
Laura Mercier Lip Glace
in Violet Glace and Fairy Dust Glace
I got these mini Laura Mercier Lip Glaces quite a while ago, and I just recently re-discovered them. These are a medium-pigment lip gloss, and I really like the consistency- not too sticky, but not so watery that they don't last for very long. Violet is the most beautiful medium pink with violet undertones and a bit of shimmer, and Fairy Dust is an absolutely gorgeous clear gloss with multi-colored shimmer. Unfortunately, Fairy Dust isn't available anymore, but Soiree is a great dupe! I also really love that despite having a considerable amount of shimmer, these glosses are extremely smooth and not scratchy at all.
Skin Care
I've always been a fan of St. Ives Apricot Scrub, but I love the new packaging so much better! This product is super cheap. I think this 14oz tub was around four dollars! This scrub is a great exfoliant for your face and body, and it's not too harsh or drying.
I'm not sure why, but my skin went CRAZY in March. I was breaking out every day no matter what products I used. I decided to go buy a new cleanser, and I'm really happy with St. Ives Naturally Clear Green Tea Cleanser. This product was super affordable, and it's a really nice, gentle cleanser. I've used this cleanser for six weeks now, and my breakouts and redness have really decreased. I'm not sure this will be strong enough to fight my oily skin during the summer, but it's great for springtime!
I just re-discovered Biore's Deep Cleansing Pore Strips. They're incredible, but I can't lie. It feels like you're ripping a band-aid off of your face. They may be uncomfortable to use, but seeing the junk that comes out of your pores is strangely satisfying. I've learned that it's important to put a lot of water on your face before applying the strips, or they won't adhere properly. I've been using these once or twice a week after cleansing and applying toner but before moisturizer or acne spot treatment gel, and I feel like I can see a big difference in the size of my pores and the amount of breakouts in my T-zone.
Nail Polish
I discovered Orly's Rage nail polish on Miss Glamorazzi's YouTube channel, and I am so glad that I went to the store and picked it up. Rage is the most gorgeous rose gold shimmer, and it's just amazing. I literally stared at my nails for about 10 minutes because they were so pretty! Rage is opaque in two coats, and I think it's really flattering on almost all skin tones. Revlon's Lilac Pastelle nail polish is another awesome spring color! It's definitely more on the pink side of lilac, but it does have purple undertones. It's opaque after 3 coats, and it's such a cute spring color. I've been wearing it on my nails for weeks!
Body Products
If you know me in real life, then you know that I've been obsessed with this scent for years. No matter how many expensive perfumes I buy, I always go back to Love Spell. It's just SOOO good. Victoria Secret's website says it's "a lavishly lush blend of peach, cherry blossom, and white jasmine," but I think that it's just the most delicious smell in the world.
Hair Products
I'm not sure how I've failed to mention this in my blog. Moroccan oil is my one of my all-time favorite hair products. It's an amazing oil treatment that can be used on wet or dry hair. It manages to deeply moisturize your hair and reduce frizz without making your heavy greasy. I love this stuff! It is really expensive, but I've had this bottle for over a year, and I'm not even halfway through it. You literally need a dime size amount on wet hair before you blow dry your hair. I would definitely recommend investing in this product if you have dry, frizzy, or damaged hair.
I have naturally dark blonde hair, but I add golden highlights to add dimension. I hate it when my highlights turn yellow or brassy, so my stylist recommended that I use this purple toning shampoo once or twice a week. Be warned that this shampoo is an extremely dark purple. I was so scared that it would die my hair, but it just leaves a slight pigment that cancels out the brassy tones in your hair leaving your blonde hair beautiful and shiny. I wouldn't use this product every day because it can be drying, but it's a great toner once a week.
Home Products
As you all know, I'm a BzzAgent. I was so excited when I received a new package from BzzAgent with all sorts of Glade, Scrubbing Bubbles, and Pledge products. Cleaning products may not be glamorous, but the Scrubbing Bubbles are so much fun to use that I may actually be cleaning too often! What can I say, the Scrubbing Bubbles foam is so addictive. In this package was this small Glade candle. I'm not sure why I've never tried Glade's candles before. I guess I was just distracted by fancy, ridiculously overpriced candle brands. I was pleasantly surprised by this candle's cute packaging and amazing light floral fragrance. It's also pretty long-lasting for such an inexpensive candle. I let it burn while I was cleaning for several hours, and there's hardly even a dent in the wax! I'm definitely going to be trying the other scents in Glade's candle collection! If you're interested in becoming a BzzAgent, you can sign up here.
I've always loved Bath and Body Works' Wallflowers, but I've really been loving their summer fragrances recently. Vanilla Coconut is such a nice, relaxing summer scent! I've also been using Carribean Escape and Island Margarita. I can't wait until they go on sale again, so that I can stock up!
Services
Birchbox is the most amazing service. For $10 a month, you get the most adorable box of high-end beauty, skincare, and haircare deluxe samples custom-tailored to your interests. I've only been a member for two months, but each month my samples have FAR exceeded the $10 price. These are fairly large samples, and I've even received full size products. I'm so obsessed with Birchbox that I think I will become a lifelong member. I'm planning on doing a more thorough review of the service in the next few days, and I'll be sure to include pictures and reviews of all of the product samples that I received to show you just how awesome Birchbox is.
...and now on to the Giveaway!
Giveaway Products
This month I'll be giving away some of my April Favorites:
1 Glade Candle in Sparkle of Spring
1 Sigma F80 Flat-Top Kabuki Brush
1 Twin Pack of Slatkin & Co's Vanilla Coconut Wallflowers + Wall Unit (Unpictured)
and Orly's Rage polish and Revlon's Lilac Pastelle polish!
Sigma was nice enough to offer an extra F80 brush for a giveaway, so the brush will be sent directly from Sigma. All other products were purchased by me, so I'll be sending them!
Giveaway Rules:
You must be a public Google follower of my blog, and you must leave a comment with your name, Google name, and an e-mail address that I can reach you at if you win!
This giveaway will end on Monday, May 16th at 11:59pm.
For Extra Entries:
For 1 extra entry, follow me on Twitter.
For 1 extra entry, post a tweet about my giveaway with a link to this post.
For 2 extra entries, add this giveaway to your sidebar.
For 3 extra entries, write a blog post about this giveaway with a link to this post.
I hope you all enjoy this giveaway!
FTC Disclaimer: The Glade Candle was provided for free from BzzAgent, and the Sigma F80 brush was provided for free from Sigma Beauty. I would absolutely re-purchase both of these products with my own money. All other products were purchased with my own money. As always, all opinions stated on this blog are 100% genuine and truthful.
