Happy July! July is one of my favorite months — fireworks, ice cream cones, my birthday and more. Summer is at its best in July, I think. Warm nights spent outside with friends shouldn’t be taken for granted when the snow rolls in by December!
June was a good month for me for discovering new beauty products and tools that I love, in addition to a few new style favorites and more!
Here are the 10 things I adored in June:
(disclaimer: no links are affiliate links and all products were purchased by myself)
BEAUTY
1. Mac Pro Longwear Paint Pot in Painterly
It took me too long to start using Mac products. I’m a Sephora junkie (mostly just to get that Rouge status) but Mac products surprised me (in a good way) in June. I’ve been using the paint pot in Painterly as an eyeshadow base/primer for my eyes. I like the results so far — it keeps eyeshadow on while limiting creasing or fading, while also acting as a great base color. There are few worse beauty problems than eyeshadow that just looks muddy and the paint pot hasn’t failed me yet!
Eye on right has been primed with Painterly, eye on left has no base.
2. Becca Shimmering Skin Perfecter Pressed in Moonstone
So, strobing. The beauty trend that wasn’t really a trend that has taken the world by storm. Beauty enthusiasts have been ditching the contour and bronzer in favor of an intense highlight for a while, but I enjoy the label for it! Becca’s Shimmering Skin Perfecter Pressed in Moonstone is THE end-all, be-all best highlighter for fair skin. Others I’ve tried, including Benefit’s Watts Up, are too dark and too gold/orange. Becca’s is intense without making you look like a glittery disco ball and feels so unbelievably creamy on the skin for a powder. I have dry skin so I tend to sway more towards cream or liquid highlighters, but this one is different. Apply with a fluffier fan brush on the cheekbones, above the brows, down the bridge/tip of the nose and the cupid’s bow and get your #beccaglow on. Becca. Thank you for giving my pale skin a J-Lo glow.
Wearing the Shimmering Skin Perfector in Moonstone. Photo can be found on instagram: @_makeupandmacarons
Moonstone swatched on the right. On the left is Benefit’s Watts Up.
3. Mac 219 Brush
Another great Mac find in June: the 219 brush. It’s a dense pencil brush that is perfect for defining the outer corner, smudging shadow or liner on the lower lash line, and perfectly placing an inner-corner highlight on the eye. As I start to up my eyeshadow game (talk to my sister about my eyeshadow woes) this brush has helped me tremendously. A classic brush that any girl who loves eyeshadow needs in her kit!
The Mac 219 is great for defining the “outer v” of the eyelid.
4. Sigma E40 Brush
A great companion to my Mac 219, the Sigma E40 brush is a cult-favorite fluffy tapered blending brush that I finally splurged on. It’s perfect for blending out colors in the crease. It gives the perfect diffused, blended look (nobody wants a hard line of black on their eyelids) and feels so soft on the eyes. It’s a cult-favorite for a reason!
The Sigma E40. A best friend to a greatly blended crease shadow.
5. Dr. Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Peel Original Formula
Dry-skinned ladies who still get occasional breakouts: listen up. These exfoliating pads are AWESOME. They exfoliate but also leave a cleansed feeling after using. I’ve been looking into chemical exfoliants to buy after I use up my Soap & Glory Face Polish (bye bye microbeads – they are bad for the skin and the earth!) and I had a few samples of these pads from my mom. My skin feels baby soft after I use these. Be sure to use at night (they cause some redness, at least for me) a moisturizer after using to ensure your skin doesn’t get dry from the chemical exfoliant. They are very expensive ($88 for 30 sets of pads or treatments) but they do work well!
Warning: these pads will cause redness for fair skinned chicas. Use these before bed and follow with a serum and night cream for best results!
STYLE
6. Daniel Wellington Classic Bristol Lady Watch in Rose Gold
My boyfriend bought me this beauty for Christmas, and I’ve been loving pairing it with my Coordinates Collection Legend bracelet lately. You know those girls who somehow seem to have it all together? They wear coordinating jewelry every day and stack bracelets effortlessly – they always have a conversation piece on. This combo will make you feel like one of those girls. This watch is impeccably made and simple. The brown leather is light enough to match with practically anything too, and the rose gold is feminine and classy. Love this watch!
7. Coordinates Collection Legend Bracelet
Another Christmas present (this one from my parents) I’ve been loving lately is my Coordinates Collection Legend bracelet. If you haven’t read about these, they’re customizable cuff bracelets that you can have a coordinate to a special location and a message on the inside engraved. My coordinate is to a very special place for my family and the message on the inside reads “my safe place.” I graduated college in December and it feels nostalgic and special to have a piece of home with me wherever I am. Though they haven’t managed to get rid of me just yet, when I move out I think it’ll feel even more special. It’s elegant, understated, and has started many conversations with coworkers and new friends. Thanks, mom & dad!
8. Etiquette Boutique (in Leawood, KS)
Rachel and I have found our favorite little boutique close to home in Leawood, Kansas. Etiquette has it all: cute sundresses, sexy date night frocks, rompers (so. many. rompers), beautiful shoes, Quay sunglasses (the ones worn by so many Instagram celebrities), and more. The pieces are fairly affordable too. I have quite a few dresses and rompers from the boutique and so does Rachel. We haven’t found a thing we don’t love in that store. Our wallets might not love us for it, but that’s okay. We’ve got some amazing clothes to show for it. Below are some of our favorite pieces from the boutique (my black sundress, Rachel’s white flowy top and skirt). If you’re a KC native, you must check out Etiquette!
ENTERTAINMENT
9. 20 Feet From Stardom
My friends Tyler and Brie suggested this last week for our movie night and I was blown away. The movie focuses on the music industry’s best background singers — people who have sung for Michael Jackson, Bruce Springsteen, The Rolling Stones…you know, just some little-known artists ;). I’m a singer myself, and the pain they felt as some of them tried to break through to have solo careers just resonated with me so much. These singers are the reason some of history’s best songs are so catchy and I thought this was an incredibly poignant documentary abou
FOOD
10. Justin’s Almond Butter Packets
These cute little packets have totally revolutionized the way I eat breakfast. As someone who presses the snooze button a few too many times in the morning, I need something that I can grab as I’m sprinting out the door and spread on some toast (I loooove Oatmeal bread) when I get to work. This stuff is DELICIOUS. The classic and vanilla are my favorite flavors. They keep me full until lunchtime (a big deal breaker for my breakfast food choices) and make me love quick breakfasts. I buy mine at Target!
June was a fabulous month for me. Some of these products and items helped make it so. I hope you’ll try at least a few — let me know what your favorite products were this month! Always hunting for the next holy grail…
xoxo
abbey