Best of: June 2012

For me, June has been a month of simplicity. I've spent this month working at a less-than-glamourous job (unless anyone out there thinks being a housekeeper in a hotel is glamourous?) and haven't felt the need to get too dolled up. So, the best products of this month, in my opinion, are the ones that have helped me get out the door as quickly as possible while still looking somewhat presentable.

So first, the makeup products I've been loving. As I said, I've been keeping it very simple.

Sin, Naked, Buck and Smog

• Urban Decay Naked Palette: I don't wear eyeshadow to work, but on my days off, I've been reaching for this non-stop. The four colors I've been gravitating towards are Sin, Naked, Buck, and Smog. Sin is a great inner-corner highlight color, while Naked is the perfect matte lid color. I usually rotate between Buck and Smog in the crease, depending on how much shimmer I want that day.
• Garnier Anti-Dark Circle Eye Roller in Medium/Deep: During the week, I am the oh-so-glam housekeeper, but on the weekends, I am my hotel's even-more-glam continental breakfast fairy (meaning that I essentially keep the breakfast bar stocked and clean up after people). The best part of the job? Having to be there at 6AM! This stuff keeps me from looking like the walking dead. I just roll a bit under each eye, blend with my ring finger, and immediately look more awake. This doesn't totally cover my dark circles, but it's a huge, and quick improvement!
• MAC MSF Natural in Medium Deep: This powder is typically a shade too dark for me, but now that summer is here, it's the perfect color! I love layering this over my next favorite to help set my makeup and give a really perfect yet natural finish to my skin.
• Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfecter BB Cream in Medium/Deep: That name is a mouthful! This is a product that most people seem to be very hot or cold on. I happen to like it quite a bit! I don't think it's a miracle product, despite the name, but I do like using it in place of my morning moisturizer; then it becomes a two-in-one product. Not only does it do a fair job of moisturizing my skin, which is pretty much normal during the summer months, but it evens out my skin tone, which is my biggest concern at the moment. Most people say this leaves you looking really greasy, which I can understand. My skin tends to be on the drier side of normal (as in, I never really get oily but I'm also not experiencing dry patches at the moment) and this still does leave a bit of a sheen on my skin similar to the sheen one would get from using an illuminating skin primer. Once I set this with the MSF Natural, my skin has a very natural finish to it: it's neither shiny nor matte, but right in between and it stays this way all day. I'll be doing a more in-depth review on this later, but for now, suffice it to say I'm really liking this at the moment.

Briefly, some body care items:

• Vaseline Deep Conditioning Cocoa Butter: I love this stuff! It does an amazing job of moisturizing my skin, smells amazing, and is really light, a must for summertime. My skin alway looks healthier and more radiant when I use this.
• Bath and Body Works Sweet Pea Fragrance Mist: I don't like to wear heavy scents to work, especially when I'm working with food, so I've been reaching for this all month long. I'm sure you know what this smells like, so I won't attempt to describe it for you (not that my scent descriptions are helpful at all anyway) but I love that it's a very light fragrance. It's one you notice, but aren't overpowered by.
• Philosophy Black Cherry Italian Soda 3-in-1 Shampoo, Shower Gel, and Bubble Bath: OH MY GOODNESS I LOVE THIS STUFF! Ever since receiving the Sephora Beauty Insider birthday gift this year, I've been wanting to get my hands on another Philosophy 3-in-1. As soon as I saw this scent, I knew I had to have it. I love the scent of cherries and I have to admit I'm a fan of the cherry soda. This smells so divine (I admit I sniffed it for an embarrassingly long time in Sephora and got weird looks from pretty much everyone, but it just smells so amazing!). I don't know how the get the effervescent smell of a carbonated drink in a shower gel, but somehow, they managed to do it. It's really as if you can smell the fizz! That combined with black cherry and a hint of vanilla creates heaven in a bottle. I seriously cannot get enough.

And my final favorite is my current makeup setup! Again, I'll be going more in depth on this soon, but I bought these great acrylic drawers that I've fallen in love with. I just love being able to see everything and having it all in one compact space. I'm a little obsessed with it, and I have to admit, as a former makeup hoarder, I'm really glad to have whittled my collection down to this size.

Feel free to let me know what products you've been loving, any requests you have for reviews (or other types of posts), or anything else you think I should know! Have a beautiful day and thanks for reading!