July Favorites!

So July was...rough. I found myself stuck between the stress of work and school and - for lack of better explanation - and emotional rut so to speak. Couple that with my camera being on the fritz and what you get is very inconsistent blogging on my part. Sad part is, I've actually been reviewing a lot of new products and working on some awesome projects, and those things deserve to be posted! Things are looking up and I'm getting my camera repaired soon - and I've been able to sort out the photos that I did take with my phone, so hopefully August will be a super efficient blogging month for me. Long story short - I'm sorry for the inactivity.

As far as favorites this month, I've actually found a lot of new things that rocked my world, so I'm most definitely excited to share those with you guys!

Eyes - 

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- In the back is something worth noting - I finally got a MAC Pro Palette. I decided to forgo the 15 pan insert because I wanted to fit as many shadows in there as I could. Right now I have all of my MAC and Urban Decay singles in there and I only have one spot left! Needless to say, I'll either buy another one soon or a ZPalette - I'm running out of room! I really like the clear top of the palette and the sturdiness to it - the magnets hold well and the lid closes with a magnet, which is nice.

- I have three eyeshadows that were getting a lot of love this month, and two of them are stuck to the outside of the palette. The shadow in the bottom left of the photo is Urban Decay Sin, which I depotted. I ran out of this one in my Naked palette  and I'm  not over-reacting - Sin is the most versatile shade in my collection. I love it.

- The shadow on the outside of the palette in the middle is MAC Shale. It is part of the permanent range, but I've somehow managed - as I did with Sumptuous Olive - to find this at my local CCO. Score! I love this shade because its not quite gray, but not quite purple and it works with so many looks. 

- On the right I have Prestige Total Intensity Eyeshadow in Hocus Pocus. I had to have this after I read the review that Carly from TheScienceofChic posted. Its like MAC Club on crack. OMG. One of the best duochrome shades I've ever tried.

- Across the bottom is Urban Decau 24/7 Eyeliner in Zero. I somehow lost my holy grail black eyeliner - Smashbox Limitless - So I've been using this quite a bit. It gets the job done and doesn't really budge from where I put it. I think its pretty great, so if Perversion is superior like everyone says it is, we may have a new HG liner. Though...I really do miss my Smashbox one ='(.

Lips - 

- I didn't really branch out lips wise this month, but when I did wear a pop of color, it was usually NARS Roman Holiday. I liked the candy stain like effect that this one gives. Not a long wearing shade, but very summery and flattering.

- MAC Demure is actually something that I'm really starting to fall back in love with - big time. Its a slightly warm, pale, baby pink, but the showstopper is the blue microglitter. It gives of a very subtle duo-chrome that is SO COOL. I've been wearing this a whole lot this month.

Cheeks - 

- Eeesh, awful photo! I can't wait to have a working camera! On the left I have Darling Girl's April Showers Spectral shift. I'm just fair enough to be able to use this as either a blush or highlight, but this stuff is awesome. Its a pale creamsicle color with a strong blue duochrome. Incredibly unique and definitely a compliment getter.

- If I've been doing something bold with my eyes, chances are I've been wearing The Perfect Cheek by MAC. This was part of the Marilyn Monroe collection - but something like Tarte Exposed or Clinique Mocha Pink would work for the look as well. I really like the texture to this one, as it blends incredibly!

Face - 

- I'm very excited to have found a drugstore primer that actually works for me. The Revlon Photoready is actually faring quite well on my oily skin. Sometimes for a more airbrushed look, I'll layer a bit of Benefit Porefessional over my worst pore areas and its phenomenal.

- I also gave in and got the Urban Decay De-Slick setting spray and I'm glad to say that this stuff makes a HUGE difference on my skin. I'm flying through the travel size, and I will definitely repurchase the full size!

- If you have oily skin, you need to go to your closest 24 hour drugstore and get the Olay Fresh Effects Shine Shine Go Away. This cleanser makes a HUGE difference on my oily skin. Its amazing, a little goes a long way and I just can't get enough.

- I picked up the Freeman Charcoal and Black Sugar Mask in a sample size the other day at Walmart. The internet tells me that this exists in a full size, but I've yet to find it. I love the way this feels on my skin - it almost feels like a slight warming sensation when I apply it and it exfoliates the skin wonderfully when you rinse it off. When I find the full size of this, I'm definitely going to pick one up.

- I've tried almost every makeup remover wipe on the market, and its usually just for when I'm swatching - I normally use a liquid eye makeup remover for my eyes. I picked the ELF ones up because they were cheap and used them on my eye makeup in a pinch - and it turns out I love 'em. Who knew!

Brushes - 

- Another awful photo, but I've hit the brush mother load this month. The brush on the top left is a Sonia Kashuk Domed Powder Brush from the Limited Edition Part of the Tribe collection. This is the best blush brush I've ever used. Perfect size, shape and density!

- The next brush is also by Sonia Kashuk - The Large Shader Brush. I've been using this as a base color brush, and it works well with shadows that weren't 100% pigmented enough to show intensity when I used my Clinique All Over Shadow brush. The shape and density are great!

- Really? A lash and brow comb? Hear me out. This has to be the best brow comb I've ever used. The fibers are very firm have a staggered, imperfect quality to them that make it super easy get my brows into place. It also helps distribute the color a bit better in them if I happen to overfill them. This one was also part of the Part of the Tribe Collection.

- The last eye brush is pretty much the little sister of the Large Shader Brush. It is another one of the Part of the Tribe Collection and it basically has all the things I liked about the Large Shader, just...a bit smaller. Great for lid work.

- The last is the EcoTools Face and Body Sculpting brush. I've primarily been using this to blend my contour to something natural and believable, but I've used it all over my face to set my foundation a couple times. Its SUPER soft and does a great job blending without completely removing the work you've done.

Fragrance - 

- Bath and Body Works hit it big time this month with Coconut Water Chill. I HAD to have the lotion and body wash to go along with the mist so I could layer this and, of course, I picked up the hand sanitizer..I love this fragrance because its not your average Coconut and Vanilla kind of Coconut fragrance. It has a touch of a pineapple-y feel to it but it just definitely smells like a coconut!

- The Body Shop Shea Mist - This smells like the correlating body butter, but more sophisticated. I just can't get over how good this smells!

- I've had this set since Christmas, but I can't get over how great it is. This contains the four core Philosophy fragrances - Amazing Grace, Inner Grace, Pure Grace and Living Grace. There isn't one fragrance in here that I don't like. There's a fragrance for every occasion in here. 

The last is just makeup related...my mom surprised me with a Betsey Johnson makeup bag that she found at work. Its super cute and its big enough to hold my day to day stuff!

So that's it for July! What were you all loving this month?