September is my favorite.
I love the fall, the changing weather and it’s my birthday month. My beauty choices reflected that with some transition products from summer to fall as well as super glamorous makeup perfect for a celebration. And, if we’re being real, my birthday celebrations last beyond one day, so there also were products that helped my skin recover from too much fun. I also try SO MANY PRODUCTS so if I finish one, that means it’s amazing.
These are the products I loved, tried and finished this month.
I loved …
Glossier Bubblewrap Eye + Lip Plumping Cream
I celebrated my 28th birthday this month and definitely overdid it. I was in a “live, laugh, love” mindset (aka staying up all night and drinking and eating to excess) and my skin was absolutely feeling the effects. This little eye and lip cream came in clutch to save my skin. Undereye skin and lips are very similar — they are thin with no oil glands, which can translate to dryness. Bubblewrap instantly plumped the dry, sallow skin under my eyes and softened my lips, bringing me back to life. You may remember my love for Drunk Elephant C-Tango eye cream, but I think Bubblewrap is better suited to hydrate and plump. It’s also $28 as compared to Drunk Elephant’s $64.
Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer in Fu$$y
Glossy lips are my favorite right now and I wanted a product that looked like my natural lip color but still added mega shine and made my lips look lush and plump. Thank sweet baby Jesus for Rihanna. All of Fenty Beauty’s products are top-notch but I really love this gloss.The flecks of shimmer are super fine and never look chunky but slightly reflect the light to make my lips look a little bit bigger. For the perfect color, I line and fill in my lips with Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat in Pillow Talk and top with this gloss for the prettiest natural pink color with just enough shimmer.
I tried …
Milani Glow Soft Focus Complexion Enhancer in Golden Glow
Dupe Instagram account @dupefeed listed this as a drugstore doppelgänger for must-have Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter, which has been consistently sold out in my shade. During a CVS run, I picked up this Milani product for $10.99 and I 100% think it stands up to the former as a must-have glowy skin. It’s not sparkly but just a light shimmer, as products like this reflect the light and can be worn on their own or under makeup. It blurs pores and imperfections, lessens the appearance of dark spots and gives skin a radiance. I applied it under my foundation and had that glow-from-within-look.
wet n wild MegaGlo Highlighting Powder in Topaz
I’ve been on the lookout for a golden-tan highlighter for what feels like forever. I love a Champagne highlight but when I’m spray tanning, sometimes the shade is too light. During a drugstore run, I decided to check out the selection wet n wild had. I was shocked to see how well this highlighter works since I only paid $3.99 for it. The formula was as buttery as a Becca highlighter and left a pretty glow on the high points of my face. I think it also would make a nice shimmery bronzer, too.
I finished …
Herbivore Blue Tansy Fruit Enzyme Resurfacing Clarity Mask
I am prone to breakouts but I was not going to let that ruin my fun. This is my absolute favorite face mask for troubled skin. Made with natural forms of alpha hydroxy and beta hydroxy acids, this mask worked to break up bonds between dead skin cells and penetrate pores to dissolve oil. Blue tansy oil calms irritated skin and soothes redness. I had just enough of this left so I popped this on the Sunday before the weekend of my celebrations and used it three nights in a row. By Friday, my skin was almost all cleared up and my texture was better. This is a little miracle in a jar for me.
The Body Shop Almond Milk & Honey Body Butter
Our bodies deserve just as much love as our faces. When the season changes from summer to fall, I need something to quell the dry, itchy skin that sometimes comes along with it. I haven’t used products from The Body Shop since I was in elementary school but I bought this a few months ago. Summer was too sticky to use it but this body butter is heaven for cool weather. My skin felt moisturized and soft for the entire day. It’s a really nice thick cream that my skin drank up. I’m a sucker for anything almond-scented and the fragrance is perfect and light, too.
Korres Greek Yoghurt Foaming Cleanser
It seems silly to spend $$$ on something that goes down the drain but cleansing is the most important part of your skin care routine. Certain cleansers will strip your skin of natural oils. (And oil is a good thing for skin.) As the weather cools, I also like to switch to a rich cream cleanser. This cleanser is super light and leaves my skin feeling clean and soft but never tight or dry. It also has a really soft scent and the packaging is gorgeous. I already ordered another one because I can’t see myself getting through the colder months without it.
Gia Mazur is an award-winning staff writer and beauty obsessive who joined The Times-Tribune’s Lifestyles department in 2015. She’s a product enthusiast who can’t live without an eyelash curler. A proud Virgo, Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk is her go-to. Contact: gmazur@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9127; @gmazurTT