What I'm Loving: July

It's about that time again! Time for what I've been loving during the month of July. Woohoo!

click on the picture for product information

1. Revlon lipstick in Primrose- Being the beauty junkie that I am, I find it surprising that I don't like lipstick. Yeah, I said it, I don't like lipstick. It just feels so thick and heavy, and most of the time highlights the driest parts of your lips (which I happen to have a lot of). Plus my lips have a nice color to them on their own, so I never really found the need. I've been trying to get into lipstick though, and my favorite so far is Revlon's Primrose. It's a nice pink color with a bit of mauve in it. It's so great for everyday wear!

2. Philosophy Fresh Peaches with Cream Shampoo, Shower Gel, & Bubble Bath- As mentioned in my Summer 2011 Wishlist, I did end up getting this little gem. My boyfriend bought it for me when we went to Ulta (hehe) and I absolutely love it. It is the PERFECT summer shower gel. I use it every time I shower, and it's a huge bottle so it will last a long time. I haven't used it as a shampoo or a bubble bath yet though, so I'm not so sure how well it works for those purposes. If you like the smell of peaches, this may be your new best friend.

3. Mario Badescu Facial Spray- I'm not writing out that long ass name, haha. But it's the only facial spray as of right now that Mario Badescu has. I LOVE this stuff. My skin tends to get dehydrated, and I've run out of my SkinCeuticals Hydrating B5 gel sample, and I refuse to pay $70 for the full size. This has done a great job at keeping my skin hydrated, and its only $7! I spray it on at night sometimes before and sometimes after moisturizing. I also spray it on my face after I apply my setting powder to get rid of that powdery look I'm often left with. If they ever discontinue this stuff, I'm buying like 100 bottles of it.

4. Honey Bunches of Oats cereal- I used to think I didn't like this cereal (before I even tried it) because I like my super sweet cereals. Yeah, I still eat Lucky Charms. But I stayed at my boyfriend's house for a couple of weeks while we were waiting for our new place to be ready, and his mom buys a lot of healthy foods and this was the only cereal they had at the time. I was surprised that I actually really liked it! It's also way healthier than those sugary things that really shouldn't be sold as breakfast, haha. I also tried the one with cinnamon bunches which was good, but I like the original better.

5. Garnier Fructis Anti Dark Circle Eye Roller and MAC Pro Longwear Concealer- I used to just use these by themselves, but I had some serious dark circles one morning and the Garnier Fructis eye roller alone just wasn't gonna cut it! So I added some MAC Pro Longwear concealer over it and those puppies were GONE. The only thing I don't like is that Pro Longwear concealer dispenses waaay more product than I need, so I end up wasting it. I haven't gotten around to MAC to ask for some sample containers to put it in yet.

6. Dunkin Donuts- 99 cents for any size sweet tea? Uhh yes! They also combined my 2 favorite doughnuts and made them into one- the Captain America doughnut! Vanilla frosted + jelly filled = YUMMY! I'm so sad it's only going to be there for a limited time though! If you haven't tried the Captain American doughnut yet, get your butt to DD right now!

7. Urban Decay 15th Anniversary Palette- Did I really need to spend $60 on this? No, but of course I just happened to be online when they released them on Ulta.com and I freaked out and bought it. The colors are gorgeous though, and are all new limited edition colors (even if some are similar to ones I already have). I'm kind of a palette addict, I prefer buying palettes over individual colors unless there is a specific individual color I want. The packaging is pretty but it kind of bothers me. The top gets fingerprints alllll over it, and the plastic surrounding the eyeshadows is purple and mirrored, which also kind of annoys me for some reason. It might just be me, but it makes it harder for me to see the true color of the shadow. Overall I do love the palette and I've used it pretty much everyday since I got it.

Well that's about it for this month! Don't forget to enter my Emma Kisstina MAC lipstick print giveaway! Do you love any of these? What are your favorites this month?

The Verdict

I've had time to try out my 2 new products this week, and I think it's time to share my thoughts on them!

As I mentioned in my last blog post, I ran out of my MAC Prep + Prime Skin (favorite face primer ever!) and decided to try out the Laura Mercier Oil Free Primer since I had store credit at Bluemercury. I did notice a difference in the way my makeup looked and the staying power throughout the day. I didn't get as oily as I did when I used no primer, and my makeup did stay on longer. However, I still think the MAC Prep + Prime Skin made my makeup stay on a bit longer and kept me even less oily throughout the day. I applied powder twice during the day with MAC Prep + Prime (once in the morning, and another time in the middle of the day), and I applied powder 2 or 3 times during the day with the Laura Mercier one (Morning, and 2 or 3 random times throughout the day). I do like that it's a squeeze tube though, so I can get the most out of my product and control how much I get out.

Packaging Winner: Laura Mercier Oil Free Primer

All Around Winner: MAC Prep + Prime Skin

Now onto the foundations. Before I was using the MAC Pro Longwear, and when I ran out of that I decided to give the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation a try. This is going to be a very hard decision for me because I love both so much but all for different reasons! Pro Longwear has amazing staying power, as in alllll day. I don't do a lot of sweating or running around, so I can't speak for you active people. It has medium coverage which is good to cover my redness and acne scars, and it has a natural looking finish to it. The bad thing is, I HAVE to set it with a powder otherwise it will feel kind of sticky. The blending is so-so, it dries pretty quickly. Now onto the Vitalumiere Aqua. It does not stay on ALL day but it does make it through most of it. It's light to medium coverage so this would be good for girls who don't need a lot of coverage. It feels amazing on the skin and blends so effortlessly. I've always heard people say it's like putting on a second layer of skin, and I have to agree! Since there were a lot of things to consider, I'll have to do multiple winners on this one.

Staying Power Winner: MAC Pro Longwear

Low Maintenance Winner: Vitalumiere Aqua

Winter Winner (feels a bit heavier and more coverage): MAC Pro Longwear

Summer Winner (doesn't feel like you're wearing anything but not a lot of coverage): Vitalumiere Aqua.

All Around Winner: ...Tie! I like them both a lot, it just depends on what I'm looking for that day!

And once again sorry for not posting! I haven't been around internet too much but I will when we get moved into our new house! Thanks for being patient, you guys are awesome :) And 2 more followers until 100! Yay!!!