August Favourites

August is coming to an end and I've had a really great month of relaxation and spending time with the people I love, I hope you all had a lovely summer too. I thought this would be a great time to share with you my August Favourites! 

Make up 

1) Mac Studio Fix Fluid in NW13

This month I discovered my new favourite foundation and that is the very famous Mac Studio Fix Fluid. I'd be surprised if you haven't heard about this or if you've heard a bad word about it, it's very much raved about. Well I'm going to join the crowd because I absolutely love it! The oil free foundation has a natural matte finish with a medium yet buildable coverage. I found this absolutely perfect for my pale skin in the shade NW13. This foundation lasts a long time and looks just as good hours into your day.  Check out the original post. 

2) Mac Lipstick in 'Hug Me'

I've bought a few lipsticks this month but this is my favourite! 'Hug Me' is a lovely smokey rose colour in a lustre finish. This finish was great over the summer as it is sheer, creamy and not at all drying on the lips. A perfect nude for me. Check out the original post.

3) Seventeen Wow 3 Way Highlighter 

Just buy it! You won't regret it I promise. In the past Seventeen have been a brand I've over looked, after reviewing some of their products in this post I discovered some great makeup that I will continue to repurchase time and time again. This highlighter can be used in three ways, as a primer under foundation, you can mix it with foundation to make it more dewy (a lot like Mac Strobe Cream) or you can use it as a highlight on foundation. With bronzer this makes my cheek bones look more defined and adds a healthy shine to the face that doesn't look greasy. I love it! 

4) Seventeen Stay Time Concealer 

Without a doubt this has been my go to summer concealer, I've probably used it everyday.  This concealer gave me my summer confidence to go out without wearing foundation and just this product and a powder. This  concealer covers spots effortlessly, is great under the eyes and doesn't crease. It's safe to say that this concealer does what it says on the tube and stay on all day, great for them long summer days out when you're not thinking about reapplying makeup. Original post here!

Skincare 

5) Lush The Scared Truth Face Mask

I've tried many Lush face masks in the past and I love every single one of them but this one somehow seems to stand out from the crowd.  I've been using this 2/3 times a week for the past 3 weeks and my skin has never felt better. I usually have very dry skin and I feel this face mask is the reason why my skin feel moisturised and soft a lot of the time.  My complexion looks brighter, more radiant and my skin is clear of spots completely (for once!) I would definitely recommend this to anybody with dry skin, its a god sent. Read more here.

6) Thea Walnut and Chamomile Body Glow Polish 

This month I received some samples from Thea skincare for me to review. I never expected to end up writing about one of these in my favourites but this Body Polish is an absolutely beautiful exfoliator. I was happy to discover that this product was rough enough to remove dry skin leaving my skin feeling smooth and soft but gentle enough to not make the skin sore or red. This product was perfect for refreshing the skin by naturally exfoliating all dead skin cells away but also moisturising as it includes ingredients such as Aloe Juice which seals in moisture allowing new skin cells to grow and Jojoba oil which hydrates the skin. Full review here.

7) Nivea soft

Who doesn't like a multipurpose moisturiser? Nivea soft is a great moisturising cream for everyday use. It has a light formula with Vitamin E and Jojoba Oil that refreshes skin leaving it very soft. This comes in a perfect squeeze-y tube that can be just thrown in a bag and carried around with you then pulled back out and used on the face, body and hands. This was great on them hot summer days. 

Brush

8) Real Techniques Expert Face Brush 

After wanting one of these for a long time, I finally picked one up. My foundation has never looked so natural on my face, this is definitely one that deserves its hype. The brush is super soft and dense, perfect for buffing in foundation, leaving you looking absolutely flawless all day long. I feel my face colour is more even and smooth looking after using this brush. Original post here!

Clothing

10) River Island Black Jersey Twill Blazer 

I usually never write about clothes on my blog but I'm letting my new blazer be the exception. (Please ignore the mirror shot, I don't have any other pictures) I love this is boyish fit blazer that is just in time for the new season,  I can't wait to dress it down for university or dress it up for meals in town. At only £40 I couldn't say no. 

Blogs 

11) longhairandlashes - Grace 

Grace has a lovely little blog that will leave you beauty lovers lusting over huge hauls that are filled with great products. This was one of the first blogs I followed and has always kept me interested! 

12) TillyEnn - Tilly 

Tilly is another blogger that I have been loving this month. After reading some of her posts I actually went on a huge Soap and Glory hunt myself! Thanks for the inspiration and a low bank balance Tilly. 

With summer almost over who's looking forward to Autumn make up and fashion? I can't wait to dig out the dark vampy lips and buy a new jumper! 

Brand Review: Seventeen

Seventeen is an area in makeup I've never really ventured too. Made by Boots in England I thought that this small cosmetics company may not be up to much to as much as other high street brands. Knowing that Boots are successful with their other cosmetics chain, No7, I thought I'd give their products a try.


Seventeen Eyes - Eyeshadows - £3.89 each

 Left to right:  Ivory coast -  Statuesque -  Mardi Gras

Firstly I picked up these single eyeshadows in three colours. The first is Ivory Coast, this is more of a transparent shimmer than an actual colour, as you can see from the picture it's not very pigmented. I find this can be good for a base or for in the tear duct.  Next is Statuesque which is a shimmery rose gold/bronze, I love this colour its my favourite out of the three. Finally, Mardi Gras is another metallic shade in a gold/brown. 

I must admit, I'm a new fan to eyeshadows and I still have to learn a lot. I used to just throw on some liquid eyeliner or something like the Maybelline Colour Tattoo cream eyeshadows, so I feel investing in some cheaper eyeshadows is a great idea before committing to a high end palette.

Overall, for the price of £3.89 each I feel these eyeshadows were a great purchase from the high street.

Seventeen - Faslifeye HD Mascara - £6.99

As soon as I saw this packaging I thought this mascara could be a possible dupe for the Benefit They're Real, being my curious self I had to buy it. So I've been using this mascara all week and I have to say I have mixed views, don't get me wrong this product is great for maximising the size of your lashes. I'm unlucky to have small eye lashes myself so products like this are my essential must haves  because of this I have tried quite a few from the hight street and this one is bare average. Although this mascara does increase the size of lashes it definitely  does not lengthen and add volume to the degree that is shown on the picture, or at least for me it doesn't. If you're looking for something new to try at an average price I'd say this would be a great to look into if you're looking for a Benefit Dupe, this is not your product. 

Seventeen Skin Wow Highlighter - £5.99 Seventeen Stay Time Concealer - £4.49

Leaving the best till last, I'd like to introduce you to my new favourite liquid highlighter and concealer. I couldn't be more impressed with these two products especially at small prices like they are. 

Firstly starting with the concealer, my go to concealer in the past has been the Collection Lasting Perfection because I love the formula and how long it lasts. I feel this Seventeen concealer is almost identical to the collection one with the only difference, that it is not as thick but provides the same coverage. This product covers spots effortlessly and is great under the eyes. This concealer feels more expensive than it is and smells like a Mac product. 

Now, on to the Wow 3 way highlighter from Seventeen. I prefer liquid highlighters to powder ones because I have very dry skin, this means there is less chance of my skin becoming flakey. It's called the 3 way highlighter because it states you can use it in three ways. You could use it as a primer for a highlighted base, add it to a matt foundation to make it more dewy or highlight the cheek bones. In reality this is not a great primer but is amazing for lightening foundations and making them less matt, if you like that look or just fancy a change. By far the best way to use this is as a highlight for the cheek bones, with bronzer this makes my cheek bones look more defined and adds a healthy shine to the face that doesn't look greasy.

Overall, I'd recommend these two products to anybody looking on the high street for a liquid  highlighter or concealer. 

Have you ever used cosmetics from Seventeen? If so, did you like them?

HolleyMarie