I'm going to kick things off with an absolute basic bitch item, the Nivea Men Sensitive Post Shave Balm (£5.35). I was after something a little more hydrating in the primer department after realising my skin was getting a bit dehydrated. I found that although I still had oily patches which my Body Shop Instablur covers perfectly, my foundation accentuated the dry patches on my forehead, as well as it looking really cakey over the cheeks (especially when I used NARS Sheer Glow). I found the drugstore rather lacking in affordable hydrating primers. I could have splurged on the likes of the Too Faced Hangover Primer, but having always suffered with oily skin, it wasn't something that I was confident would suit my skin.
So all the waffling in the world aside, the Nivea Post Shave Balm is a lightweight moisturiser which counts glycerin as one of its main ingredient, something that literally acts as glue for foundation. This is lovely as an extra moisturising step. It means my foundation glides on, my contour lasts for hours and it doesn't make my skin oily either. All for little over a fiver!
NYX has been available in Boots for a few months now and whilst I've always been aware of their lip products, it was amazing to be able to check out their other products, some of which I wouldn't have thought of ordering online. As I mentioned, my cheeks have been a bit drier, so one of the things that I fancied trying was a cream bronzer. Like hydrating primers, cream bronzers are also something that is scarce on the UK high street, specifically those that aren't too orangey in tone.
The NYX Wonder Stick (£10) is a dual ended product that is available in a number of shades. They had a light one that would be perfect for a matte contour/highlight, but I wanted something more bronzey in tone. I went for the Universal shade, which also has a pale gold highlighting end (that I'm not overly fussed about). I've been striping the bronze end on my cheekbones and temples and blending in with a damp RealTechniques Miracle Complexion Sponge. I think having a cream bronzer gives much more of a natural glow to the skin.
Another NYX offering comes in the form of the Liquid Suede Cream Lipstick (£6.50). I had been eyeing up this range ever since the counter arrived in Boots, but the more nude shades had always been sold out. After debating between a few shades, I finally grabbed Sandstorm, a brown-toned nude. Looking at the swatch, it would be a great match with the Rimmel lip liner in Tiramisu, which I mentioned in the first Beauty Tous Les Jours post. I love the long flat wand as it makes application so precise and the formula is brilliant, setting as a flattering true-matte finish that isn't overly drying.
Admittedly, I initially wanted the Sleek Solstice Highlighting Palette (£9.99) for the gorgeous gold packaging, but the shades sealed the deal. Highlighting for pale skin is tricky. The highlight needs to be lighter than the skin tone to give that strobed effect, and quite often this just isn't the case. In the Solstice Palette, all four shades are on the lighter side of the spectrum, in unique tones and in a mixture of baked, powder and cream textures. Four great quality highlighters for less than £10? Sleek has done it again!
Subsolar is the lightest of the bunch, and is a frosty white gold. It is the softest of the three powders and gives a really intense highlight. Equinox is more of a peachy gold tone, with a baked powder formula. Hemisphere is the most unique shade out of the four, in a stunning icy lilac colour. Again it has a baked powder formula and is the least soft out of all the powders, with larger particles of shimmer. Finally we have Ecliptic, a cream highlight which honestly, I haven't found the best way to apply yet. This is a really interesting, a multi-faceted tawny pink, somewhat halfway between Equinox and the cooler-toned Hemisphere. My favourites out of the palette? Subsolar and Equinox.
I honestly wonder whether I have done an eye look this month without using the H&M Eye Shadow (£4.99) in Shitaake. I picked this up in my KIKO & H&M Haul, and this was the most wearable of the two shadows I picked. A rather unassuming light golden brown shade, this is perfect for every day as a goes-with-everything wash all over the lid. It's a bit of a MAC Patina shade that has fast become an essential in my makeup bag.
What are your go-to beauty products?
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