Summer '17 was a busy one. No lounging beside a pool for two weeks with family like last year - this year was all go. Being self-employed I opted not take any official holiday time this summer as we're trying to save up a bit of money to start looking at becoming home-owners, but work was quieter than usual as in France people generally take up to a months summer holidays. We did however spent 10 days in Ireland in July, then back to Paris, then from Paris to central France to where my in-laws live and my daughter spent the whole of August, back to Paris to work, back to central France to check in and repeat. So even though there was no official holiday this summer there was a lot of travel, mainly by car. I always find it difficult to pack for travel/holidays - generally I end up with a massive case of 20kg or more just for me and I'm sorry not sorry that a lot of this is products - the first time I visited Ireland with Himself he thought we could do 5 days with just hand luggage. The whole family had a big laugh at that one...!
I'm not someone who goes out and buys travel sizes of everything for summer as I find it expensive aswell as impractical (half-used minis all over the place that I forget to use and end up throwing out) and even though I always mean to decant products into smaller pots, again I always leave it to the last minute or forget. Sometimes I keep small containers with the intent of depotting products into them for the summer but I always end up getting annoyed with the way they clutter my drawers and bin them. Basically, I'm desperately disorganized...!
So today I wanted to give you a run-down of the products that have followed me from Ireland to Paris to Central France and back again - both skincare and make-up. Technically Summers not yet over but with everyone back from holiday and the kids going back to school it may as well be.
*Honourable mentions to Emma Hardie Moringa Balm Cleanser and Alpha H Liquid Gold - these go with me everywhere. I've raved about them in previous posts (Favourite Cleansers and Toners and Acids) so I won't bore you again!
Make -Up
*Rimmel Lasting Finish 24hr Skin Perfecting Full Coverage Foundation, 10.49 Euros, Boots
There aren't many 'drugstore' foundations that I really like - in the last three years this is the only one I've found that I've repurchased. I picked this up on a whim in Ireland while on holidays a couple of years ago and really liked it - so much so that I ended up wearing it to a summer wedding in France a couple of months later, where it impressed me immensely. The wedding was in the east of France and it was roasting. 30 degrees at 11am and 26 at midnight. The wedding was on a Sunday so when I realised that I'd forgotten to pack a setting powder I almost screamed as NOTHING WAS OPEN. Finally I ended up using a dusting of neutral eyeshadow under the eyes, on the nose and chin - it wasn't as nice as Nars Light Reflecting Setting powder but it was fine. I expected to be a hot mess by midday but to my shock and delight this foundation held out all day. I didn't even touch up after 15pm as I had started on the champagne and forgot. Is it the nicest foundation I've ever used? No, but if you're looking for something with medium buildable coverage, a naural finish and a long wear at an extremely reasonable price, I highly recommend this. It does fade, but not in a patchy or cakey way. I use this a lot for work as it applies quickly and evenly with a brush and lasts really well. (Maybe not 25 hours like it claims, I mean COME ON Rimmel who wears foundation for 25 hours outside of TV doctors?!)
*Kim Kardashian loves this foundation. Say what you want about her but her face is always FLAWLESS.
*Huda Beauty Rose Gold Palette, 56 Sterling Cultbeauty.com
My absolute favourite eyeshadow palette. I have a video of it on my FaceBook page and numerous posts about it on IG so I won't bang on too much about it. This palette can do day, night and everything in between. For daytime my personal favourites are Henna, SandalWood and Moondust and for nighttime TrustFund, Angelic, 24K, Coco, Bossy and Maneater. Maneater and Bossy are my absolute favourites, and I don't have anything else like them in my collection. Huda is releasing her new palette, Desert Dusk, on 18th September and I'm already on the waiting list. Up close video of Rose Gold here
*Huda Beauty 3D Highlighting Palette, Pink Sands Edition, 40 Sterling, Cult Beauty
Such a great product to have for travel. The highlighters are beautiful and used with a light hand give you a gorgeous glow. My favourite is the cream base, Capri which I use a lot by itself, patting it into my cheekbones with a flat-top brush or a Beauty Blender for a lovely, natural glow. Ibiza is gorgeous as a pinky peach highlight or blush topper, Azores is a beautiful yellow gold that is stunning on tanned or olive skin and Santorini is a perfect white pearl highlight. (As you can see mine is well used and well loved!) Video of the palette up close here
*Tom Ford Orchid Soleil
My other half hates it, says I smell like a Granny's wardrobe, I don't care. LOVE IT. (To be fair though if I was rich I'd be one of those idiots going around town in Tom Ford ski boots or just anything with his name on it, the man is a God in my eyes)
*Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer
If you've read my post on Beauty Gurus you will know how I feel about Too FacedJerrod Bladino is an eejit and that I won't be buying their products anymore. But in my defence I received a mini of this bronzer in a GlossyBox last year and said I'd use it up - I'm not one for binning products unless they're utterly rubbish, which this isn't. The chocolate smell (and taste, the thing actually tastes of chocolate - I read it online and had to check...!) doesn't do it for me as I'm not 8 years old but the bronzer itself is lovely - matte and blendable. I've been using it with my big fluffy Tom Ford Powder Brush and it's gorgeous. Probably too dark for paler ladies (they have a lighter version) but when I was tanned it was perfect.
Skincare/Body/Hair
Emma Hardie Protect and Prime, 46 Sterling, CultBeauty.com
Lovely primer that gives you an illuminated base and an SPF of 30. I always use an SPF of 50 underneath, I don't love this for it's SPF content, although it's a plus, but for the gorgeous radiance it gives the skin. Worn under or without base makeup it makes tired skin look bright and alive and I LOVE it
Victorias Secret Luminous Cream
My girlfriend works for VS in the Middle East and we have this thing whereby we send each others boxes every other month or so with beauty bits we pick up for each other and this was in the last one. Having never tried any VS beauty products before but having had some preconceptionsof them being rubbish I didn't expect much.
I was wrong.
This 'Acai luminous perfecting cream with cotton moisture complex' is gorgeous. It's a lovely thick cream and it smells divine - fresh, with a hint of sweetness. It leaves your skin with a lovely golden glow and is perfection for shimmery, soft, summery skin. Will definitely be on to the BF to send me another.
*I can't find this on the VS site - apparently they constantly release new lines so it could be finished. Regardless, I'd still try more of their body creams. VS is apparently opening on Grafton St in Dublin, so I'd highly recommend a jaunt over there to see what else they've got, I'll be calling into the one in Dublin Airport next ime I'm home.
Cocoa Brown Day and Night Mousse, 7.99 Euros Cloud10Beauty.com
This is both the first Cocoa Brown product that I've tried, and the first self-tanner that I've used apart from tanning moisturisers like the Garnier Gradual Tan Moisturiser (that I gave up on because of the burnt biscuit smell). This mousse is great though - it gives a gorgeous golden hue without being orange or too obvious - one application takes the edge of my ghostly pale skin and two gives me the look of someone who's spent a week by a pool. Also smells nice, no burnt biscuits which is a huge plus. With VS luminous Cream on top it's gorgeous. Would recommend buying the mitt to go with it as you will get a better application. I will defintely be trying more from Cocoa Brown - it's so nice to use Irish brands too!
Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream
I love this product, LOVE IT. I have consistently dry lips - one of the reasons I shy away from liquid lip products - and basically can't be without this. It's a thick, multi-use balm that can be used everywhere from the lips, eyebrows to keep them in place, face for a nice natural shine, split ends, to torn cuticles, dry patches and even cuts and grazes - I use it on my daughter for scrapes and bruises. Elizabeth Arden originally developed it in 1930 for use on her horses bruises, and it was subsequently named by a customer who used it to heal her son's grazed knees in eight hours. It was also the first product to have the name Elizabeth Arden. It contains petroleum (like Vaseline) to moisturize and protect, Salicylic Acid to exfoliate and smooth, and Vitamin E.
It's difficult to describe the smell, it's strong and a bit medicinal. My other half really dislikes it, my daughter and I love it. If you are someone that can't cope with it you can now buy an unscented version. It's expensive at around 30-35 Euros, but the 50ml tube lasts me up to 6 months.
A-Derma High Protection Spray, SPF 50
A-Derma is a brand that I'm constantly impressed with, everything does exactly as it says. Like most great French pharmacy products it's nothing special to look at packaging wise but this SPF is fantastic. My daughter and I wore it all summer and not a single burn - except for me, I wasn't careful enough and burnt my shoulder, but that was my fault. Smells lovely and fresh, absorbs quickly and most important of all protects from sun damage. I paid around 20 Euros for 200ml and it was worth every cent.
Biafine Baume Corporel Hydratant Quotidien
This saved my burnt shoulder from peeling and discomfort. It's a hyaluronic acid infused body moisturizer - again from the French pharmacy and again unexciting to look at - but what a product. It's instantly hydrating and soothing. I applied this to my shoulder every 30 mins for a day and had no discomfort or peeling whatsoever. Biafine is famous for it's skin healing properties and if you go to a pharmacy with a regular burn/sun burn this is what they will give you. It has a lovely fresh smell and I will definitely be using this in the future. It retails at about 15 Euros for 200ml.
So that's, finally, all of the products that I was never without this summer. Some, like the Biafine and VS Luminous are new to me and some, like Eight Hour Cream and Rimmel Lasting Finish are old favourites. Most of these should be available in stores or online regardless of where you live, but in the case of the French pharmacy products I highly recommend you check them out if in France.
I hope you enjoyed reading this rather long post - I tried to make it as short as possible, but so many products...!
What have you been loving this summer?
Find me on FaceBook and Twitter as Doyouevencleanse!
Have a great Sunday!
A x
I'm not someone who goes out and buys travel sizes of everything for summer as I find it expensive aswell as impractical (half-used minis all over the place that I forget to use and end up throwing out) and even though I always mean to decant products into smaller pots, again I always leave it to the last minute or forget. Sometimes I keep small containers with the intent of depotting products into them for the summer but I always end up getting annoyed with the way they clutter my drawers and bin them. Basically, I'm desperately disorganized...!
So today I wanted to give you a run-down of the products that have followed me from Ireland to Paris to Central France and back again - both skincare and make-up. Technically Summers not yet over but with everyone back from holiday and the kids going back to school it may as well be.
*Honourable mentions to Emma Hardie Moringa Balm Cleanser and Alpha H Liquid Gold - these go with me everywhere. I've raved about them in previous posts (Favourite Cleansers and Toners and Acids) so I won't bore you again!
Make -Up
*Rimmel Lasting Finish 24hr Skin Perfecting Full Coverage Foundation, 10.49 Euros, Boots
There aren't many 'drugstore' foundations that I really like - in the last three years this is the only one I've found that I've repurchased. I picked this up on a whim in Ireland while on holidays a couple of years ago and really liked it - so much so that I ended up wearing it to a summer wedding in France a couple of months later, where it impressed me immensely. The wedding was in the east of France and it was roasting. 30 degrees at 11am and 26 at midnight. The wedding was on a Sunday so when I realised that I'd forgotten to pack a setting powder I almost screamed as NOTHING WAS OPEN. Finally I ended up using a dusting of neutral eyeshadow under the eyes, on the nose and chin - it wasn't as nice as Nars Light Reflecting Setting powder but it was fine. I expected to be a hot mess by midday but to my shock and delight this foundation held out all day. I didn't even touch up after 15pm as I had started on the champagne and forgot. Is it the nicest foundation I've ever used? No, but if you're looking for something with medium buildable coverage, a naural finish and a long wear at an extremely reasonable price, I highly recommend this. It does fade, but not in a patchy or cakey way. I use this a lot for work as it applies quickly and evenly with a brush and lasts really well. (Maybe not 25 hours like it claims, I mean COME ON Rimmel who wears foundation for 25 hours outside of TV doctors?!)
*Kim Kardashian loves this foundation. Say what you want about her but her face is always FLAWLESS.
*Huda Beauty Rose Gold Palette, 56 Sterling Cultbeauty.com
My absolute favourite eyeshadow palette. I have a video of it on my FaceBook page and numerous posts about it on IG so I won't bang on too much about it. This palette can do day, night and everything in between. For daytime my personal favourites are Henna, SandalWood and Moondust and for nighttime TrustFund, Angelic, 24K, Coco, Bossy and Maneater. Maneater and Bossy are my absolute favourites, and I don't have anything else like them in my collection. Huda is releasing her new palette, Desert Dusk, on 18th September and I'm already on the waiting list. Up close video of Rose Gold here
*Huda Beauty 3D Highlighting Palette, Pink Sands Edition, 40 Sterling, Cult Beauty
Such a great product to have for travel. The highlighters are beautiful and used with a light hand give you a gorgeous glow. My favourite is the cream base, Capri which I use a lot by itself, patting it into my cheekbones with a flat-top brush or a Beauty Blender for a lovely, natural glow. Ibiza is gorgeous as a pinky peach highlight or blush topper, Azores is a beautiful yellow gold that is stunning on tanned or olive skin and Santorini is a perfect white pearl highlight. (As you can see mine is well used and well loved!) Video of the palette up close here
*Tom Ford Orchid Soleil
My other half hates it, says I smell like a Granny's wardrobe, I don't care. LOVE IT. (To be fair though if I was rich I'd be one of those idiots going around town in Tom Ford ski boots or just anything with his name on it, the man is a God in my eyes)
*Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer
If you've read my post on Beauty Gurus you will know how I feel about Too Faced
Skincare/Body/Hair
Emma Hardie Protect and Prime, 46 Sterling, CultBeauty.com
Lovely primer that gives you an illuminated base and an SPF of 30. I always use an SPF of 50 underneath, I don't love this for it's SPF content, although it's a plus, but for the gorgeous radiance it gives the skin. Worn under or without base makeup it makes tired skin look bright and alive and I LOVE it
Victorias Secret Luminous Cream
My girlfriend works for VS in the Middle East and we have this thing whereby we send each others boxes every other month or so with beauty bits we pick up for each other and this was in the last one. Having never tried any VS beauty products before but having had some preconceptions
I was wrong.
This 'Acai luminous perfecting cream with cotton moisture complex' is gorgeous. It's a lovely thick cream and it smells divine - fresh, with a hint of sweetness. It leaves your skin with a lovely golden glow and is perfection for shimmery, soft, summery skin. Will definitely be on to the BF to send me another.
*I can't find this on the VS site - apparently they constantly release new lines so it could be finished. Regardless, I'd still try more of their body creams. VS is apparently opening on Grafton St in Dublin, so I'd highly recommend a jaunt over there to see what else they've got, I'll be calling into the one in Dublin Airport next ime I'm home.
Cocoa Brown Day and Night Mousse, 7.99 Euros Cloud10Beauty.com
This is both the first Cocoa Brown product that I've tried, and the first self-tanner that I've used apart from tanning moisturisers like the Garnier Gradual Tan Moisturiser (that I gave up on because of the burnt biscuit smell). This mousse is great though - it gives a gorgeous golden hue without being orange or too obvious - one application takes the edge of my ghostly pale skin and two gives me the look of someone who's spent a week by a pool. Also smells nice, no burnt biscuits which is a huge plus. With VS luminous Cream on top it's gorgeous. Would recommend buying the mitt to go with it as you will get a better application. I will defintely be trying more from Cocoa Brown - it's so nice to use Irish brands too!
Elizabeth Arden Eight Hour Cream
I love this product, LOVE IT. I have consistently dry lips - one of the reasons I shy away from liquid lip products - and basically can't be without this. It's a thick, multi-use balm that can be used everywhere from the lips, eyebrows to keep them in place, face for a nice natural shine, split ends, to torn cuticles, dry patches and even cuts and grazes - I use it on my daughter for scrapes and bruises. Elizabeth Arden originally developed it in 1930 for use on her horses bruises, and it was subsequently named by a customer who used it to heal her son's grazed knees in eight hours. It was also the first product to have the name Elizabeth Arden. It contains petroleum (like Vaseline) to moisturize and protect, Salicylic Acid to exfoliate and smooth, and Vitamin E.
It's difficult to describe the smell, it's strong and a bit medicinal. My other half really dislikes it, my daughter and I love it. If you are someone that can't cope with it you can now buy an unscented version. It's expensive at around 30-35 Euros, but the 50ml tube lasts me up to 6 months.
A-Derma High Protection Spray, SPF 50
A-Derma is a brand that I'm constantly impressed with, everything does exactly as it says. Like most great French pharmacy products it's nothing special to look at packaging wise but this SPF is fantastic. My daughter and I wore it all summer and not a single burn - except for me, I wasn't careful enough and burnt my shoulder, but that was my fault. Smells lovely and fresh, absorbs quickly and most important of all protects from sun damage. I paid around 20 Euros for 200ml and it was worth every cent.
Biafine Baume Corporel Hydratant Quotidien
This saved my burnt shoulder from peeling and discomfort. It's a hyaluronic acid infused body moisturizer - again from the French pharmacy and again unexciting to look at - but what a product. It's instantly hydrating and soothing. I applied this to my shoulder every 30 mins for a day and had no discomfort or peeling whatsoever. Biafine is famous for it's skin healing properties and if you go to a pharmacy with a regular burn/sun burn this is what they will give you. It has a lovely fresh smell and I will definitely be using this in the future. It retails at about 15 Euros for 200ml.
So that's, finally, all of the products that I was never without this summer. Some, like the Biafine and VS Luminous are new to me and some, like Eight Hour Cream and Rimmel Lasting Finish are old favourites. Most of these should be available in stores or online regardless of where you live, but in the case of the French pharmacy products I highly recommend you check them out if in France.
I hope you enjoyed reading this rather long post - I tried to make it as short as possible, but so many products...!
What have you been loving this summer?
Find me on FaceBook and Twitter as Doyouevencleanse!
Have a great Sunday!
A x
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