June Favourites

I'm not the kind of person who says this every month (no, honestly), but June really just buzzed past without me noticing. I must be getting old.

Ich bin ja nicht so eine Person, die das andauernd sagt (nee, ehrlich), aber der Juni ist wirklich nur so an mir vorbeigeflogen. Wahrscheinlich werde ich einfach alt.

 


MAC Iridescent Powder in Golden Bronze
I bought this ages ago and forgot how amazing it can be. The powder can be used as a highlighter or as a blusher and even though I'm usually not a big fan of shimmers on my face I've been using this a lot last month. It's incredibly flattering on bronzed skin, though I also like to wear it during the winter. You just need to apply it with a lighter hand. As you can see the packaging is gigantic, so it's probably going to last me for the rest of my life.

Ich habe diesen Puder vor einer Ewigkeit gekauft und ganz vergessen, wie schön er sein kann. Man kann ihn als Highlighter oder als Rouge benutzen und obwohl ich eigentlich kein großer Fan von Schimmerpartikeln auf meinem Gesicht bin, habe ich ihn letzten Monat viel benutzt. Er schmeichelt gebräunter Haut, doch manchmal kann ich ihn auch im Winter tragen. Man muss dann einfach etwas weniger Farbe aufnehmen. Wir ihr sehen könnt, ist die Verpackung riesig, also wird er wohl bis zum Ende meines Lebens reichen.


Elizabeth Arden Cheek Colour in Terrarose
This is part of a palette I got in a set I bought in Florida just before Christmas. The products were consistently mediocre, with the main problem being a lack of pigmentation and hard, waxy textures. The blushes, however, were really good and so was this bronzer/blusher. It's got golden shimmer in the pan, but it doesn't seem to translate onto the skin. As a result, the bronzed colour it gives off looks incredibly natural. It's like a more pigmented version of the Bourjois chocolate bronzer and it's been used whenever I didn't feel like the sparkliness that you get from the MAC powder.

Dies ist ein Teil einer Palette, die es in einem Set gab, das ich mir kurz vor Weihnachten in Florida gegönnt hatte. Die Produkte waren alle eher mittelmäßig und fielen durch schwache Farbabgabe und harte, wächserne Konsistenz auf. Die Gesichtsprodukte hingegen waren sehr gut - auch dieser Bronzer/Blusher. In Pfannenform hat er einen goldenen Schimmer, doch auf dem Gesicht sieht man davon eigentlich nichts mehr. Infolge dessen ergibt sich eine sehr natürliche Farbe - wie eine pigmentiertere Version des Bourjois Schoko-Bronzers. Ich habe ihn immer dann benutzt, wenn mir mal nicht nach dem Schimmer des MAC Puders war.


Biotherm Biosource Eau Auto-Moussante
I've got a review on this scheduled for next week, so you can read more about it then, but let me tell you: This cleanser is amazing. It's a water in the bottle, comes out as a foam and then turns into a light lotion. It's incredibly gentle and feels like it shouldn't be doing anything, but leaves my skin clean, fresh and invigorated. Definitely repurchasing this once it runs out!

Ich habe eine Review dieses Produktes für nächste Woche vorbereitet, dann könnt ihr mehr dadrüber lesen, aber vorweg nur eines: Dieser Cleanser ist der Wahnsinn. In der Flasche ist es ein Wasser, heraus kommt Schaum und der wird dann zu einer leichten Lotion. Es ist unglaublich sanft und fühlt sich an, als würde es auf der Haut nichts ausrichten, doch danach ist mein Gesicht sauber, frisch und belebt. Ich werde mir definitiv noch eine Flasche kaufen, sobald diese hier leer ist!


NYX HD Concealer Wand
I've already written up a review on this here, but if you haven't read it, I shall summarise: Strong coverage without caking or drying out the skin, easy to use, comes in a multitude of shades and is fairly cheap. This one's a winner for me and another product I'll be repurchasing.

Ich habe hier schon eine Review über diesen Concealer geschrieben. Wer sie nicht gelesen hat, für den fasse ich mal zusammen: Starke Deckkraft ohne eine dicke Schicht zu hinterlassen, oder auszutrocknen, einfach in der Anwendung, gibt es in vielen Nuancen und ist relativ günstig. Der Concealer ist ein Winner für mich und noch ein Produkt, das ich mir nachkaufen werde.


What are your monthly favourites? Leave me a link below if you've made a post, I'd love to have a read!

Was sind eure Favourites für den Monat? Lasst mir doch unten einen Link da, wenn ihr auch einen Post geschrieben habt - ich würde sie mir gerne anschauen!

Elizabeth Arden Lip Swatches

As mentioned in a haul post last month (click here to see it) I treated myself to a big Elizabeth Arden make-up kit while on holiday in America. I didn't even know that Elizabeth Arden did proper make-up - while being a big fan of the 8 hour cream skin protectant I wasn't really aware of much else apart from the hugely expensive Prevage skincare range and a couple of tinted lip balms. For that reason I thought it would be great to try out a few of their make-up items, which at $40 were a complete bargain!

I've worn most of those now and thought I'd bring you a run-down on the lip products I got to try.

The set contained three Exceptional Lipsticks and two High Shine Lip Glosses. From left to right, the colours are: Soft Red, Red Door Red, Smooth Mauve, Golden Pearl and Sparkling Ruby.

From top to bottom: Sparkling Ruby, Golden Pearl, Smooth Mauve, Red Door Red, Soft Red

I have to say I'm not overly impressed with the lipsticks. The packaging looks elegant, but the lids keep popping open all the time, which is anything but practical and I've also noticed a white coating on the Red Door Red shade, which is a bit off-putting. They apply very sheer, more like a tinted lipbalm and though you can build up the colour on your lips the results tend to be a bit patchy.
On the plus side they are very soft and smooth to apply, don't dry out my lips and do not feather or bleed.

Exceptional Lipstick in Red Door Red

I had high hopes for this colour seeing as the famous red door has been a symbol for Elizabeth Arden products for so long. It is a true red in bullet form, but applied on lips shows pink and blue undertones. It also has the tiniest amount of shimmer in it and dries to a velvety finish.

Exceptional Lipstick in Smooth Mauve

This shade I was very scared of, as it is a dusky purple in the tube. It applies quite patchy and has a large amount of golden shimmer in it, though it is by no means gritty. This colour looks hideous on my pale skin, though I imagine that someone with a darker skin tone would probably be able to carry it off much better.

Exceptional Lipstick in Soft Red

This colour is my favourite out of the three. In bullet form it doesn't look red at all, more of a dusky pink, though applied on lips it takes on a very flattering shade. This one can get quite patchy as well if you're not careful.

What the lipsticks lack in pigmentation the glosses more than make up for.

High Shine Lipgloss in Golden Pearl

This one is not quite as pigmented, but I find that it's just perfect for a nude gloss. It tones down the natural colour of my lips and gives them a lovely hint of shine and sparkle without making them look like "concealer lips". The formula is non-sticky and comfortable and lasts an average amount of time for a gloss.

High Shine Lip Gloss in Sparkling Ruby

Now this one simply blew me away. It is the most pigmented product out of the whole set and a gorgeous deep cherry red with golden shimmer (notice a pattern emerging here?) and pink undertones. You do have to be careful with this one though, as it's easy to smudge and get everywhere.

The Elizabeth Arden "Where Beauty Begins Colour Collection" is still available from FeelUnique for £39.95 (take a look at it here), though I wouldn't necessarily recommend getting the whole set. The lip glosses are available separately and they are the highest quality products in the kit apart from the case which is fantastic.
As for the lipsticks they are probably better suited to those who prefer a sheer wash of colour to a highly pigmented product and that's just a matter of personal taste. I do however feel that the packaging devalues the product and that you could find a better lipstick for less money.