setting spray – Chanelle Hayley

June has felt like a very busy month and not always in a good way. My brain has gone back to feeling a little overwhelmed at times and I’ve had a couple of low moments. Everything with Corona is still changing constantly and New Zealand went from having 24 days in a row with no cases to reporting new cases almost every day for the past two weeks. I for one was unaware so many people were returning to the country all at once so that’s why there are new cases but there have been slip ups along the way too – people haven’t always adhered to quarantine rules. It’ll be interesting to see if we have to move back up into different alert levels over the coming weeks/months.

Onto this month’s favourites:

1. MAC Love Me Lipsticks in Hey, Frenchie! and Très Blasé – Since falling in love with the formula of this range back in March when I purchased the shade Laissez-Faire I knew a couple of other shades would soon make their way into my collection. The formula is incredibly comfortable and the perfect mix between MAC’s satin and lustre formulas, the feel of a lustre with lasting power more akin to a satin. Hey, Frenchie! is a deep mauvey nude and Très Blasé is a light peachy beige. Très Blasé does pull pinky-peach on me which I don’t mind, it reminds me of a cross between two of my favourite MAC shades; Syrup and Patisserie.

2. L’Oreal Infallible More Than Concealer – I was a little apprehensive this concealer may not work for my skin as it is more on the matte side of creamy and I have dry skin but it looks so flawless once applied. I purchased the shade 323 Fawn after hearing Arna Alayne mention this numerous times on her YouTube channel, she has fair skin like me and her makeup always looks so beautiful. This concealer is full coverage and literally a few dots around my nose and on my chin is all I need. One layer is ample and this blends in seamlessly using my finger. Setting powder and bronzer apply nicely over top too and surprisingly product doesn’t sink into lines or emphasise dry skin.

3. Estée Lauder Pure Colour Envy – Intense Nude – A work colleague gave me this lipstick and I feel very lucky to own such a luxurious item. I hadn’t previously tried anything from Estée Lauder but I know it’s a renowned brand and the products are high quality. Intense Nude is a gorgeous pink-brown shade that’s not too far away from Très Blasé. The formula of this lipstick is extremely soft, it feels like you’ve got nothing on the lips. Colour fades evenly and lasts well throughout the day. This makes such a good work day lipstick and would also be a nice one for date nights.

4. MAC Fix+ Magic Radiance – I am enjoying using setting sprays lately. I featured The Body Shop’s Rose Face Mist in last month’s favourites post and I have also tried out Fix+ Magic Radiance numerous times over the past few weeks. This one is particularly good for dry skin or if you like a healthy glow – it’s packed with Vitamin C, hyaluronic acid and essential oils. It has a lovely fresh scent and gives a beautiful dewy look to the skin.

5. Normal People – Over the weekend I finished watching Normal People and really enjoyed it. I read the book a few years ago and the series is very similar, the author was heavily involved with it. I highly recommend watching it if you’re on the fence, certain scenes were emotional to watch and made me cry so have tissues at the ready. The series follows the relationship between Marianne and Connell as they navigate adulthood from their final days in secondary school to their undergraduate years in Trinity College. They weave in and out of each other’s lives and somehow always find themselves drawn back to each other. There is quite a sexual emphasis on Marianne and Connell’s relationship but as a reader/viewer you can’t help but hope they stay together.

June Highlights

Unintentional social media detox. Every once in a while I take a bit of time away from social media and go days or a week between posts. I try to upload when I’ve got something to say or share and try not to post for the sake of it.
I made two batches of chocolate chunk cookies. Photographic evidence can be found HERE. The second batch came out a lot better than the first, the key is definitely to crush up pieces of chocolate and bake them at a lower temperature. Let me know if you want me to share the recipe!

June’s Spotify Playlist:

How was your month? Share one of your highlights in the comments!

Follow me:

Twitter | Instagram | Pinterest

In my last blog post I shared the makeup products I hauled at the end of 2018! Seeing as they all arrived at similar times I thought it would be fun to try a few of them out at the same time and share my initial thoughts. I have already used some items more than once.

1. MAC – Strobe Cream – My plan for this product was to use it like a primer and apply it on top of my moisturiser prior to my foundation. The glow when the product is squeezed out of the tube is subtle and pretty but once on the face there’s no mistaking it. After trying this for two days as a primer I don’t think I will continue using the product this way. I tried this under the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation which is quite dewy but I will try it with my Max Factor one which is slightly more matte to make up my mind. I think the strobe cream will be better as a highlighter or worn on it’s own to give my skin a healthy glow on no makeup days.

2. Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation – 010 Light Porcelain – This foundation has quite a pleasant smell and the colour is a good match for me. I haven’t worn this foundation without the strobe cream underneath yet so I’m looking forward to trying it with my usual combination of everyday products I wear to work. This foundation contains Vitamin C and SPF which is beneficial for the skin. Like Match Perfection foundation (also from Rimmel), I found one pump to be sufficient.

3. MAC Prep + Prime Fix+ – I like that the mist sprays slowly and doesn’t cover the face with too much moisture. I definitely used fewer sprays of Fix+ to set my makeup as opposed to my Strawberry Face Mist from The Body Shop – that one tends to spray less product at a faster rate. I used Fix+ on one of my eyeshadow brushes before applying a MAC pigment and it intensified the shade a little. I will try the same thing with a few of my other eyeshadows but this spray will primarily be used to set makeup.

4. Little MAC – Velvet Teddy – Prior to purchasing Velvet Teddy I was aware of it’s hype as one of the most popular nude lipsticks. I would classify this as a nude lipstick but it definitely pulls a little more brown on me than what I’ve seen online and it is darker than I expected. I am glad I didn’t purchase the full size but I will definitely use up the mini. The lipstick is long lasting and pigmented and the formula for a matte is extremely comfortable. I want to try wearing Velvet Teddy with a gloss over the top and mixing it with one of my lighter lipsticks to see if that makes the shade pinker.

5. xoBeauty Liquid Lipstick – Nam Jai – I have found an absolute gem in this shade! Nam Jai is a gorgeous watermelon pink and I have worn it six times already since it arrived. (Technically three but I reapplied it at work after lunch on three occasions). This shade also reminds me what it is about bold, bright colours I love – they make me feel good when I wear them and they portray a sense of youthfulness and fun! Everyone at work always notices when I don’t wear a bold, bright lip colour.

Wearing the products over two separate days:

Velvet Teddy on the left and Nam Jai on the right. You can see my skin looks a little too glowy in the picture on the right, that is partly from the light coming in my window and partly from the strobe cream/Wake Me Up foundation combo.