May Favourites

May was yet another largely uninspired month makeup-wise, which isn't to say I haven't been as cosmetics obsessed as ever (especially in the lipstick and eyeshadow department). But in terms of my daily routine, it was more or less the same old. Except for a wine lip stain and pastel glitter polish, I haven't discovered anything this past month that I'm really excited to start using on a regular basis. Most of my favourites are well-loved products or those I've had for a while but needed some time to fully appreciate.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush
I did a whole post on vampy berry shades, but didn't include what might be my favourite of them all. Crush long eluded me because until recently, Revlon decided to exclude it, along with Rendezvous, from the Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain range in Australia. Thankfully, they released the two of them as "new shades" (snort), and at the earliest opportunity I snapped both up. (Now if only Maybelline would follow suit with Brazen Berry from the ColorSensational Vivids line.) Crush is the perfect wine lip — not too red, not too brown, not too light or dark. The only thing I'm not crazy about is that it tends to wear unevenly, fading from the centre of the lip faster than the outer edge, which can look like you've put on lip liner but nothing else. I prefer using this over a lip balm, alternating between applying and blotting a couple of layers first so the stain really sinks into the lip, and reapplying as needed.

Australis 10 Hour Waterproof Eye Pencil in Bombastic Bronze
This has quickly become my go-to bronze pencil eyeliner that I use every day to define my lower lash line. I think it's better than the Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in Bronze which I was trialing previously but wasn't entirely satisfied with. It doesn't quite top my absolute favourite, Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow/Liner in Busy Signal (which seriously doesn't budge), but a pencil is a much quicker and easier option compared with a cream shadow, and I'm all for any kind of time/effort saving. It ticks all the boxes: gorgeous metallic pigment, glides on without ever tugging at the skin or feeling waxy, and even if it doesn't entirely live up to its name in lasting power, it comes pretty darn close.

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Black
I've been using this for a few months but only recently became fully converted. At first, I was a little on the fence, wondering if I should revert to my trusty ol' Bourjois Liner Feutre. I wasn't used to the finer, more precise tip on the Stila with which you can draw a much thinner line, and the first few times I tried it over my bare eyelid, it was surprisingly streaky. I've found this works much better over some kind of product, be it a power or cream eyeshadow or primer. It's seriously black and although it's quite liquid, it dries very fast. The staying power is excellent but it's also not an absolute nightmare to get off. The tip of mine has frayed slightly, but I haven't found it to affect the application. After using it solidly for some time, I've managed to get the flick needed for my upper lash line down pat.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Exposed
One of the greatest pleasures of having more blush than 10 average women combined is the ability to select the one that suits your fancy any given morning. But even with all the options available to me (or perhaps it's precisely because of the sheer variety of choice?), I tend to just draw a blank. That's when Exposed comes mightily in handy. It's the perfect blush to reach for when you don't know what to pick. It'll go with anything and it won't look bad. It's more rosy than the polished nude of NARS Douceur, not as plummy and tan as Benefit Dallas, but not your run-of-the-mill "peachy pink" either. It's sitting somewhere in the middle of all that, in an ideal neutral territory. Given I had to literally fly to the States to acquire this, I feel like I really should appreciate it more. More in depth review here.

Klorane Gentle Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk
An ancient favourite of mine and I product I will continually repurchase without hesitation. Yes, Batiste also make a perfectly decent dry shampoo, but I just like the Klorane better. I've reached a pitifully new low of laziness when it comes to hair "care" (the extent of which is shampooing my hair at night every 3 days, skipping conditioner, and spritzing dry shampoo on the morning of the third day). This product serves a very important function in my life, which is to minimise any effort I have to make regarding my hair. It does its best to keep greasiness at bay while I do my best to stretch out the time in between washes.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum in 52 and 53
I just did a whole post on this foundation so I won't go into too much detail here. I moved on from Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow which I was using in April back to Healthy Mix Serum. I was combining 52 with Rimmel Wake Me Up in Soft Beige, but ditched that as well, and began just mixing 52 and 53 to form my shade. I almost wish I had dry skin rather than normal/combination just so I could wear this all the time.

Face of Australia Heart of Glass
Already raved about here (with nail swatch to boot), this is one of the most exciting nail polish discoveries I've made in recent memory. The moment I put this on my nails, I knew that I had to scout a backup bottle before the limited edition collection disappeared from the stores altogether. Pleasingly affordable at $4.95, this polish is worth three times that. The formula seriously impressed me for such a light base and the glitter is delicate and not garish or overdone.

l-r: Tarte Exposed, Revlon Crush, Australis Bombastic Bronze, Stila Eye Liner, Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum