Monthly favorites: April

A many months favorite that for some reason I always forgot to mention is the Mac Cleanse Off Oil. I just use a pump on my hand and then massage it gently first on the eye area and then on the rest of my face. No cotton balls, no cloth, just straight on. It removes everything in a few seconds and then I lightly rinse it with water. I love it because it feels very emollient and soothing, but I do take the extra step of properly washing my face afterwards because I don't think that just a makeup remover is enough.

Although April has been rather gloomy and cloudy, I decided i should upgrade my sunscreen protection and the La Roche Posay Anthelios XL SPF50+ is right on the target, since it provides high protection but in a thin, user friendly consistency that adheres excellently on the skin without messing with my foundation etc. and most importantly, without the dreaded white face result!

After the sunscreen I use the Skin79 Super+ BB cream. I have been using this instead of sunscreen, during the winter, but as the days grew longer and sunnier, I felt that this alone was not enough sun protection for my skin. So, after applying the Anthelios, I use the BB cream instead of foundation because it has a decent coverage (something between a tinted moisturizer and a foundation) and the added sun protection (as well as all the other "special attributes" BB creams are supposed to have in abundance, lol!).

Another item that I really enjoy using is the Laura Geller Balance 'n Brighten powder in Porcelain because it does brighten up my dull complexion a little bit. I use it with a light hand though because a little bit too much does look cakey on my dry skin. In that case, just a spritz with my Mac Fix+ and cake face no more!

As for the eyes, Added Goodness fluidline by Mac is my staple eyeliner. As for eyeshadow, I really enjoy Stilife Paint by Mac on the eyelid, it's my go-to, no fuss champaign cream eyeshadow. Then i do a little crease definition with Equilibrium blush/bronzer by Mac and ready in a second.

On the days that I wanted to look more springy and fresh, I added a tiny bit of Steamy eyeshadow by Mac. I am a fan of duo chrome eyeshadows and this one is really pretty, it's blue, it's green, it's turqoise, well, I don't know exactly what it is but I love it!

As for blush, I mainly used these two by Mac and my two Clarins blushes . The reason I set these Mac blushes apart is that, while they do offer shimmer, the position of it in the pan gives me the option to use it with the blush, by swirling the brush all over the pan, or to use it separately, after applying the blush, exactly where I want it. It's actually two products in one and I love multitaskers!

Flower Fantasy and Sunday Afternoon.

I don't have to tell you my favorite lip products (of this month, next month, etc) you can read all about them here, lol!

Although I don't like bluish nail polishes that much, I find that I really like the "I don't have a herring problem" by Opi because it fits into my dusty and mutted taste that I've acquired some time ago. It's sort of a faded grayish medium blue color with a hint of green and fine silver and gold dust. I usually use one layer because I like the semi translucent effect but it is equally pretty with two layers.

The problem is that I couldn't get a decent photo, in real life it's greenish blue, probably the green scarf in the background distorted the color accuracy.

A more "spring appropriate" color that I enjoyed using is the Play Day by Mac. I can't say that I enjoy applying it because it is quite streaky, but I love the milky light peach/coral result and I can see this color becoming a staple to me for spring and summer.

As for body products, I 've been using the Body Shop Chocomania range once a week, when I do my scrubbing routine, and for the rest of the week I went back to my beloved Canelle Orange range from Kings & Queens. I adore this scent, it's practically my favorite for some months now!

As for scents, I kept reaching for Lovestruck from Vera Wang because it's a fuss free, go with everything perfume and I think I will run out of it any time now! That's a first for me, usually I have 2-3 perfumes that collect dust on a shelf but this one got much love and attention from me this past month!

That's it for now, I hope you're all well and thriving!