Shall I start this post by saying I can’t believe it is August, or have you heard that enough? 😉 Let’s jump straight into the July First Impressions, my initial thoughts on all the products I have tried this month. I will start with the products I haven’t already featured in a full review, and end off with the ones I have.

I have a few new skincare products on trial, and will have a full review up as soon as I have used them for a sufficient amount of time.

First up, the *La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo now comes in an SPF 30 version. The original is a well known must-have for oily or blemish prone skin. I haven’t tried the original, so I cannot compare the two, but I like that this isn’t drying or heavy on my skin, and it certainly doesn’t leave a white sunscreen cast. My skin definitely looks less clogged and more refined, and finding an SPF 30 moisturiser that is suited for acne-prone or oily skin is not the easiest task, and this delivers! It has a very slight lemon detergent scent, which is the only thing I can say I dislike, but the scent disappears quickly.

Next up, the *Dermalogica Nightly Lip Treatment is a hydrating and firming treatment massaged onto the lips and surrounding areas before moisturising. It works overnight to plump up the area and reduce the appearance of fine lines. I literally cannot stop touching my lips when I use this, they feel so silky soft after applied, and especially the next morning! The applicator is incredibly cooling, so this will be a treat in summer!

Next up are two products I received from Biomedical Emporium after having a Glycolic Peel. The peel itself was not uncomfortable at all, and left my skin glowing! There was no down time, and no flaking either. For someone starting out with peels, I think Biomedical Emporium is a great place to start. The *Makeup Remover does a good job of removing everything, including waterproof mascara without irritating my eyes or skin. I spray two pumps on a cotton pad, and wipe over my eyes and face. I also received the *Facial Cleanser which aside from cleansing, can be applied and left on overnight as a treatment. I have used this the day after a peel and a micro-needling session and it didn’t bug my skin at all. It is gentle and non-irritating but still effective thanks to the chemical exfoliation. When used overnight my skin looked more refined and less dull the next day. The only issue I have with the cleanser is the pump is pretty weak, and doesn’t dispense enough product.

Lastly, I have two products from the Diego Dalla Palma Whitelight Range, which is designed to reduce pigmentation and brighten dull skin. The *White-Serum Lotion with Vitamin C is basically a toner, applied after cleansing and before moisturising. It gently exfoliates the skin leaving it looking brighter, and it also adds some moisture. The *Brightening White Essence is a serum applied before moisturising, to reduce pigmentation. After application my skin looks more radiant, thanks to the light reflecting properties.

Next up I have the *Clarins Hydra-Essentiel Range. My favourite product of the bunch is the *Intensive Bi-Phase Serum, it is so light but hydrating and makes my skin look plumper and healthier immediately. Pairing this with the Silky Cream gives me plump silky soft skin that smells amazing! The Cooling Gel has a sorbet type feel, and leaves skin with a soft matte finish. This will definitely be my go to summer moisturiser, since it has a refreshing cooling effect on the skin.

I recently noticed two pigmentation spots on the top of my cheeks, even though I am so good with sun protection. So, obviously as Beauty Bloggers do, I gathered a few skincare products targeting brightness and pigmentation and put together a Beauty Edit. I will have a full post on these products up soon, but here are my first impressions for now.

I have been using the *Vichy ProEVEN Brightening Cleansing Foam almost daily, and to be honest I think my face looks brighter and more even. The cleanser can be a bit harsh and drying though, so for sensitive or dry skin types, this may be an issue. The *ProEVEN Advance Daily Spot Corrector smells like those apricot sweets, and is a moisturiser to be used twice a day. I love when skincare comes in a metal tube, it just makes it feel more professional to me. This applies well, is light on the skin and doesn’t pill when paired with sunblock or makeup.

The MAC Skin Brightening Serum makes my face look brighter immediately, I don’t know how, but it does. It is light and absorbs instantly. The Payot Detoxifying Radiance Mask does a good job at leaving my skin looking clearer and brighter. The Sephora Pearl Sleeping Mask plumped up my skin and left it looking extremely radiant by morning.

Lastly for sun protection, which is the most important part of preventing or reducing pigmentation. The Uriage Depiderm and Bioderma Photoderm are both SPF 50 and both target damaged skin/dark spots. The Uriage is slightly thinner than the Bioderma, but it pilled more often. The Bioderma took a bit of time for me to get the amount right, as if you use just a bit too much it pills.

I tried out a few new makeup products in July too, and I was impressed by most of them. I am hoping to feature these in an End of Winter edit soon! The Palladio Tinted Lip Balm is so so so pigmented and moisturising. The Colourpop Super Shock Cheek Blush has a weird creamy texture but dries to a powder. It blends seamlessly and lasts for ages. I have no idea why I took so long to try the L’Oreal Lumi Magique Foundation, but I am so glad I bought it. It’s so luminous and I just love it. The Body Shop Shade Adjusting Drops are great in winter to lighten your foundation without changing its finish or texture. The Laura Geller Spackle Hydrating Primer reminds me a lot of the Dermalogica Hydrablur Primer, it helps to hydrate the skin and my makeup applies flawlessly on top. The Clarins *Joli Rouge Lipstick in Litchi is such a gorgeous hydrating shade and the Lipliner Pencil in *Roseberry pairs so well under my nude lipsticks. This is the firs Clarins Lipliner I have tried, and I am impressed by how smooth it applies and how comfortable it feels on the lips. The *L.O.V nailpolish in Alluring Amethyst is perfect for the transition from Winter to Spring, and I don’t know about you, but if I don’t use a top coat, I won’t last a day with a manicure.

I have a post planned on Haircare for Sensitive Scalps, and the *Vichy Dercos Ultra Soothing Shampoo makes an appearance. It smells heavenly, leaves my scalp soothed and isn’t drying. Part of the Vichy Dercos range is a *Nourishing Reparative Cream Shampoo and *Rich Mask. I love that the mask is low maintenance and can be applied in the shower for a few minutes and then rinsed off. It leaves my hair silky smooth and smelling great. The shampoo although rich doesn’t weigh down my hair or leave a residue.

I must admit upfront I am not a huge Alien fan, I find it too sweet. *Alien Eau Sublime on the other hand adds some freshness to the famous fragrance in this new limited edition offering. There is also a purple hued *Radiant Body Cream that makes me feel Oh So Fancy applying it. The cream has the same fresh, zesty Alien Eau Sublime scent and the scent lingers all day.

I also had an *LVL Enhance Treatment and Tint by Nouveau Lashes in July at Renes Beauty Clinic, which is basically a lash perm and tint. As you can see, my lashes were long and straight before the treatment, and after, without curling or mascara they are black and curly! I now have curly lashes for the next 6-8 weeks! I will do a full post on the treatment, including what my lashes look like after 6 weeks.

I reviewed the *Morgan Taylor Winter 2017 Collection here.

I also reviewed a few gorgeous *Swiitch Beauty products over here.

Always wondered whether the *Makeup Eraser works? Me too! I share my thoughts here.

I love Oils All Day, Everyday, and here are a few new picks!

Dehydrated Skin? Yip, me too, so I rounded up a few products to help me deal with it!

And lastly a few Anti-Aging products I have been trying out recently, including a Giveaway which ends tomorrow night!

Thanks for reading ladies! See anything that catches your eye?

 

*Press Sample