May Favorites

Another month, another long list of beauty products that I've sampled and loved. While I've never done a favorites post in the past (as this is my first post ever!), every month I go out and try new things, so here's what I've been loving and why. This small selection of products captured my heart in the month of May.

I traveled a lot last month - I spent part of my time at home, outside of the city, and I went to Yellowknife and then to Quebec City (A lot of life happened in May). That meant that I was without my usual huge makeup kit and had to keep my makeup really light. The weather's also started to warm up here (finally - seriously, I thought Montreal was going to be seeped in winter until the end of time!) so I've been changing up my makeup routine with the season, as one does.

1. Maybelline's The Colossal Volume Express Mascara in Smoky Eyes, 8$ at the drugstore.

I've used both drugstore and high-end mascaras in the past, from many different brands, and I always seem to come back to Maybelline's Mascaras. I tend to buy mascara and then I don't use it right away so this tube had been sitting in my mascara drawer for a while, but when my tube of The Falsies ran out, I figured I'd give this one a try. I have naturally long lashes, so the Falsies sometimes left me feeling like my eyelashes were touching my glasses, which is an annoying feeling! This mascara gives you thick, voluminous lashes (it looks like i have four or five rows of lashes instead of just the one). I do three coats of this mascara, first starting on my ends in side to side motions for the first two coats, then I do one generous coat from root to tip and voila! Va Va Voom looking lashes that everyone will notice.

2. Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer in Light/Medium, 8$ at the drugstore.

I love Rimmel products. I'm obsessed with the Kate Moss collection of lipsticks and I use the Wake Me Up Foundation in 100. But I'm lucky enough that that is usually enough for me to not need to add concealer. This month, with the weather change, my skin's been going crazy and so I've had a few more serious blemishes that I've had to use concealer on. This is a great product. I use it before my foundation to do a light base covering of any problem areas, blending with my finger lightly.

3. Nivea Fruity Shine in Cherry, 3$ at the drugstore.

It's hard for me to find a lip gloss that I like. I use Burt's Bees in the evening to keep my lips soft and ready for lipstick in the morning, but I feel like I have to put on about twenty coats before it seems to be doing anything. This feels so hydrating. I just swipe it over my lips in one swoop and my lips feel more moisturized. Non-sticky and just a bit of shine so it makes the perfect under base for your lipstick if you're looking to go a bit more sheer or to jazz up a matte color.

4. Clinique Brush-On Cream Liner, 02 True Black, 17$ at Sephora.

I was so happy to finally be able to try this product because it always seems to be sold out at my local Sephora in Montreal. (It was still sold out earlier this month, I just went to another town and they happened to have it so I snatched it up). I mostly bought this because I forgot my Stila smudge pot at home (my usual go to for liners). I can't use a liquid liner - I know everyone says that they're easier but I somehow always manage to screw it up? So I'm stuck with gels or creams. This one glides on quite easily. It has a creamy formula that you don't need a lot of to achieve results. Keep your eye closed for thirty seconds though, or else you'll end up with liner all over the top of your lash if your line is thicker, like mine usually ends up being.

5. Revlon Blush in 002 Haute Pink, 11$ at the drugstore.

I'm not sure if these are new blushes or if they've just changed their packaging, but regardless, I love this blush and I cannot say enough good things about it. I like my pink blushes, as anyone who sees me on the daily will know, and this is a perfect pop of color. It's highly pigmented so you should tap off your fluffy brush before putting it on your cheeks. If I put on too much by accident, I just take my foundation brush and glide a light dusting of it over top with the leftover and it usually makes it the color that I want.

6. Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat, Brightener/Highlighter, 45$ at Sephora.

This was a product that I've been dying to try for ages, but it's always seemed too expensive for a tiral. When I had a VIB Rouge event at the end of April that included 15% off of my purchases, I decided to go for it. I am so glad that I did. This product has literally changed my life. I use it underneath my eyes and along the bridge of my nose to brighten the areas. I swipe some on with the brush and then I gently pat-blend it in to the areas that I want and I go from dark circles hag to bright and refreshed in under a minute.

7. Essie Nail Polish in Mint Candy Apple, 11$ at the drugstore.

It's not spring without nail polish, and it's time to put away those dark colors in favor of some lighter shades. I love this one. It's a nice pastel punch of color without being too drab or muted. One coat is usually enough to cover my whole nail, but I can go back and touch up where needed.

8. Maybelline Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser, 8$ at the drugstore.

I have really deep pores from teenage blackhead acne, so I can't put on foundation without having something that will cover up my pores first. Usually, I use The Porefessional by Benefit, and it's still my favorite, but when I - le gasp - forgot it at home while I was in Yellowknife (a city of 20,000 people where most of the shops are closed on Sundays, therefore no Sephora/high end makeup dealer), I had to go hunting for an alternative. And so I discovered this. The clear formula glides onto skin easily. It feels a little plastic-like or silicony, moreso than Porefessional, but it yields essentially the same results. So if you can't spend 36$ on the splurge, this is definitely something that you should be considering.

Leave me a comment and let me know what products you've loved recently and what I should be trying out!