April 2014 favourites

Another month has passed and it's seems it's time to summarise it in terms of my favourite skincare and make-up items. Not all of these are new discoveries, but they make a list of items I was using throughout April and was satisfied with.

Let me begin with skincare.

I've really enjoyed using The Body Shop Blueberry shower gel (1). It leaves my skin smooth and moisturised. To remove my make-up I've been using Etude House Real Art cleansing oil (2) which has made my skin look nice and glowing without any breakouts. St. Tropez Gradual Tan (3) was a failure in terms of tanning, but it turned out to be my favourite morning moisturiser. It's perfect for oily skin, preps and primes my face for make-up.

Clarins Radiance Plus Golden Glow Booster (4) is an ingenious tanning liquid that comes in a form of drops that are to be added to a moisturiser of choice and give my face a foolproof natural tan look that I need so badly. Used daily it hasn't turned me into a woman of colour, but I notice a substantial improvement in my skin colour, healthy glow without any unnatural yellow/orange undertones or streaks.

As far as my face products are concerned, I tended to reach for those that would enhance the fake tan results and help me sculpt my face. I returned to my last year's favourite Bourjois Bronzing Primer (1) that can be used under or over foundation or on its own to give a wonderful golden glow. Chanel Les Beiges powder (2) helps me make foundations that have suddenly become too light for my newly tanned complexion match my skintone better. I have rediscovered Bourjois Healthy Balance powder (3), which has been resting in my stash for quite a while. It's a finelly milled powder that manages to keep my face less oily on hot days. Soap & Glory Solar Powder (4) and The Body Shop Honey Bronze bronzing powder (5) turned out to be the most foolproof overall bronzers, the darker shade of the S&G one served to contour as well. Milani blush in Luminoso added glow to my cheeks without looking too obvious.

I used a number of eye products in constant rotation, but those I regularly reached for were my Smashbox Full Exposure palette (1), which is by no means my favourite eyeshadow palette in general, but it consists of a wide variety of matte eyeshadows that I use in combination with other eyeshadows or palettes that lack a good highlighter or crease/base eyeshadows. One of such palettes was Wet'n'Wild eyeshadow trio in On Cloud Nine (2), which is an adorable combination of blues and brown, but needs some other shadows to blend with. The third palette that remained within reach throughout the whole month was Too Faced Chocolate Bar (3), which is the most beautiful palette I own and I find it simply irresistible.

I also kept returning to Lancome Artliner in Saphire (4), which is not the easiest to use, but its opaque matte bright cobalt shade is stunning. And my favourite mascara was L'Oreal False Lash Wings Waterproof (5) as it gives me the volume I need and doesn't smudge.

I'm normally a red lip lover, but in April I experimented a lot with nudes. My favourite lip combos were Sephora Rouge Infusion in Rosewood (1) or Milani Color Statement lipstick in Naturally Chic (2) paired with Maybelline Colour Elixir in Caramel Infused (3), which actually featured in my misses last month and I still believe it's nothing special on its own, but it looks very nice on top of other nude lip products.