July Favorites

We did it everybody! We made it through the heat of July...barely. That means it's time for July favorites! Woohoo! 

Since I've been out of the state and basically in the woods and the water for the whole month, my favorites aren't very exciting and not very beauty or fashion related. I will say though, not having to do my hair and makeup everyday was pretty great. 

1. My iPad - Since I've been spending a lot of time in the car and in the middle of nowhere with no service, my iPad has been my best friend. I finished a book and started reading some other short stories here and there, now I have to decide what book I want to read next.

2. Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder Bronzer - Bronzer has always intimidated me. Now that I've done a little research on how to actually do proper contouring and highlighting, I love it. I'm shocked at the difference it can make when you do it correctly. 

3. Tazo Iced Passion Tea K-Kups - I got a Keurig and I'm OBSESSED. I'm not even much of a coffee drinker, but John is. I got some Tazo tea K-Kups in the iced passion flavor. Add a splash of lemonade and you have yourself an iced passion tea lemonade! They're expensive though, which is the only downside I've seen so far. 

4. Camelbak Forge Mug - When we went zip lining we bought water bottles that we could attach to the harnesses since we would be out for ~3 hours. It's designed for hot beverages, but I use it as a water bottle every day. It's durable as shit, insulated, and vacuum sealed. It really does. not. spill. I've tried it for what little coffee I drink since getting the Keurig and it keeps it hot. After a while I have to take the top off to let it cool down otherwise I'd have to wait 2 hours to drink my coffee. Also expensive, but worth it so far I think. 

5. My Raybans - I've spent too much time in the sun this month, and my eyes have thanked me for protecting them. Most of the time at least. 

6. Elle - No they aren't sponsoring me. John subscribed me to Elle and Teen Vogue so I've been drawing a lot of inspiration from there lately. Also good for long car rides. 

7. Covergirl Intensify Me! Liquid Liner - I got this in a VoxBox and I didn't do a review on it because I'm not familiar enough with liquid liner to give a fair review. I've been practicing my winged eyeliner though and it's been good to me. The tip isn't as thin as I'd like but you can turn it for a thin line and a thick line. Just not as thin as I'd like. 

Sorry they weren't very exciting this month, hopefully next month I'll have a few better ones. If you have a Keurig, get the Iced Passion Tazo Tea K-Kups and add a little bit of lemonade with it. It's a great summer drink! 

My Anjolee.com gemstone pendant necklace giveaway has started, so make sure you enter! 

What are you loving 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!!!