June Favourites

I can't believe July is already upon us. In my mind it's supposed to be the hottest month of the Summer and if the weather stays the way it is now for the next week or two I'll be happy. June was a pretty busy month for me, it went by unbelievably fast. One of the highlights for me this month was heading over to London, you can read all about my adventures over there here. If you haven't yet read my London posts I had an amazing time and I really want to go back over before the end of the year. There's so much cool things to do in that city, I would need so much more time to see them. The majority of my favourites are ones that I brought along to London with me. When I'm travelling abroad I like to just bring products that I know I'll use. On past trips I went a bit over the top with bringing makeup with me which results in it being untouched for the duration of the holiday. Of course I did pick up a lot of beauty bits over there, thank god I remembered to check in a bag.

I'm not big on tanning products but over the Summer months I've decided to use them a little more to give myself a natural glow. When I seen the new Bourjois Bronzing Range, I immediately wanted to give the primer a go. I always use a primer before I apply my makeup as I have Combination/Oily skin if I didn't use one I get my makeup would just slide off my face. With this product I was killing two birds with the one stone, getting my makeup to stay intact all day and achieving a Summer glow too. Not only have I been using this under makeup, I'm been putting it over my foundation as a cream bronzer and it looks great. For the price, I'll definitely be picking up another soon. I'm not too sure if it's permanent or not, something I'll have to check that out. I'm undecided on trying their new Bronzing BB cream, I have a feeling it could be a little too dark from what I've seen in the shop. Have any of you guys tried it??

I've always been a big fan of MAC makeup, I do agree that some of their limited edition collections can be a bit hyped up though. When I first spotted the Temperature Rising Summer I was immediately drawn to their Bare My Soul eyeshadow quad. First off this palette isn't housed in the usual MAC black packaging but in a nice burnt brown affair. I'm actually digging it, I love when they come out with limited edition packaging it's even better when the product itself performs well too.However when I went to the till to pay for my purchases I was shocked to hear that this was €52.50, I know pricey! I was so glad I took the plunge and got this though as it was the only palette I used while I was in London. Unlike the usual limited edition palettes this one contains ultra wearable shades that are ideal for everyday. I think this palette would be all you need for weekends away as it would talk you from day to night. My two favourite shades are Romantico (shimmery) for all over the lid and Friendly (shimmery chocolate brown) in the crease. If your not big into shimmery shadows this palette won't be for you. As it is unfortun.;ately limited edition I guess it would be unlikely to still be on counters.

A lip product that I've been using a lot this month is from Essence and it's their Stay Matt Lip Cream in  Velvet Rose.  It's a gorgeous dusty pink shade that is perfect for everyday. I actually picked up another shade aswell called Soft Nude and it's really nice too. These both smell amazing like sweet caramel! I'm pretty sure these ring in at €3 each which isn't to bad for a new lip product. If I feel my makeup look needs a little something different I pop on Velvet Rose and it definitely completes the whole look. As this is a matte lip cream it does stay on the lips for a while, however as with all matte lip products I'd recommend using a lip balm before applying. This brand can do no wrong in my eyes, their budget friendly range will forever be favourites of mine. For instant if I was stuck without a concealer or foundation just before Payday, I know I'd be able to pick up some for less than five euro which is amazing!

My last makeup related favourite is Benefit's Hello Flawless powder. I got matched to the shade "I love Me" Ivory at an Benefit launch a couple of months back. At first looking at the shade I thought it was going to be a little bit too dark for me. After I started using it at the beginning of June, I fell in love with it. As always with Benefit the packaging its fun and quirky. Included is a sponge and a little brush but I've been using my own brush and tapping of the excess, a little bit of this goes such a long way. Depending on what kind of coverage you want you can go from sheer to full with this. I find its really good for topping up my makeup during the day and its the perfect size for my handbag too. As this is the lightest shade I don't know how this will suit people that are fairer than me. I'd recommend getting colour matched at one of their counters before purchasing it.

Paddy bought me this gorgeous skincare treat a while back and I'm so glad he did. Origins Drink Up Intensive Mask is a product that I have been reading rave reviews about all over the blogosphere. I decanted this into a small travel tub for when I went to London and it did the world of good for my skin. After travelling from East London to West London pretty much over the whole weekend it was nice to get back to the hotel and slap some of this on my face. This stuff smells AMAZING, just like peaches! It's just a lovely treat for my skin and it laps this product up. Paddy even used some when we were in London and he said his skin never felt as good the next day, maybe I have him converted to this product already. The one I got is actually in the Limited Edition 50ml packaging that came out a month or so ago. If you're trying to look for this at Origins counters it comes in a green tube. Even though this is only 50mls it seems to be lasting forever.I'm definitely interested in trying out some more bits from this brand soon as I haven't tried an awful lot from them. If your at all familiar with the brand I'd love to hear your recommendations.

Fleur de Figuier is the latest fragrance from Roger & Gallet and it's perfect for the Summer. I'm already planning on picking up the shower gel in this beautiful floral scent, I'm hoping they have a body lotion to go alongside it too. I definitely agree that fragrance is very personal, I know it's so hard to go into a shop and pick one out for a friend. I'd recommend going into a store that stocks Roger & Gallet to give this one a sniff I'm sure you won't be disappointed. I'm a big fan of their new travel size bottles, this fits in my handbag perfectly without taking up too much space. I do believe their whole fragrance range comes in these travel sizes now so if this scent isn't for you there's a variety of others to choose from.

Another travel size product I used over in London was Bath & Body Works Sweet as Paris body lotion. How I wish we could get this brand in Ireland, I know I for one would keep them in business here. I just love how all their products come in little cute travel sizes. Again this took up hardly any room in my travel makeup bag. I used this every night before I went to bed in London and I still have a significant amount yet which is good for a product of this size. It have a lovely sweet scent but isn't sickly. Sweet As Paris is a really light lotion that sinks into the skin fast whilst leaving it really soft. I hope I get a chance to go to America in the near future as I want to stock up on my favourite scents from this brand.

So that's all my favourites for the month of June, I'd love to hear yours!

Laura<3