July Beauty Favourites

Monthly favourites tend to be a fairly irregular rather than an actual monthly thing for me. Contrary to popular belief, my makeup/beauty collection isn't that big and I usually use pretty much the same products on a day to day basis. But for some strange reason, I always seem to get round to doing a Beauty Favourites post in July. Spooky. Anyway, these are a few things I've been using lots during the past month.

1. Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream
Since it has been really hot this month, I haven't wanted anything too heavy for a base. My skin has been pretty rubbish lately though, so I still wanted something that would do a bit of covering up and evening out. I bought this towards the end of June and have used it pretty much solidly ever since then. It is amazing, really need to get round to doing a full review soon! It's definitely quite a light coverage, but with a touch of concealer here and there it creates a really nice, natural looking base. Not one for nights out or if you're after heavy coverage, but it's perfect for daytime summer makeup if you want something a little more than a tinted moisturiser. Also love that it comes in the shade Extra Light, as usually BB creams et al come in "one shade fits all" which isn't very useful.

2. La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo
I've had this for ages now but had stopped using it as I didn't really feel it was doing anything for my skin, and I just didn't really get what it was for. The instructions on the back of the tube suggest applying it all over your face, but I didn't really think this did much. I dug it out again recently and instead I've been using it as more of a targeted spot treatment, only applying it directly to blemishes. I've had a couple of those horrible under the skin ones recently, and after a couple of days of applying this the spot was no longer sore and red, but starting to shrink and heal up. Definitely much more effective than the way I was using it before! I'm hoping this will also help to prevent, or at least lessen, the red marks I always get left with after spots have faded away.

3. Q The Fine Fragrance Body Spray*
During the summer, it's always nice to have some kind of spray to keep you feeling fresh and cool in the hot weather. I have been loving the body sprays from Q this month as they have really nice "grown up" scents which are a far cry from the Charlie sprays of yesteryear. They smell like proper perfume, but are much lighter and less cloying, which I definitely prefer for summer. They're also a lot cheaper than perfume too, currently on offer in Boots for only £1.14! The Q sprays come in three scents, Balance, Awe and Radiance, and although I like them all, Balance is definitely my favourite. It has floral notes of Iris and Mimosa, and reminds me a lot of my all-time favourite perfume, Bvlgari Pour Femme. The cans are nice and small too, so are perfect for chucking in your bag.

4. Benefit Fake Up Concealer*
To go with my lighter Clinique CC Cream base, I've also been opting for a slightly lighter concealer recently. Fake Up is great at covering up under-eye circles and illuminating the area without looking too heavy or cakey. A quick swipe of this patted in with my finger is all I need to make my eyes look wide awake. It's so light and moisturising that it just looks like second skin, not like you've caked lots of makeup on to your face. I find that it's not as great for covering up blemishes or spots on the rest of my face, but for under-eyes it works like a dream. Full review of Benefit Fake Up here.

5. Korres Pomegranate Lip Butter
I bought this a couple of months ago and it has become a firm makeup bag staple since then. The formula is super moisturising without being too heavy or sticky, and it leaves your lips feeling lovely and soft. I love that it has a subtle hint of colour to it as well, which means I don't need to bother with any sort of lipstick/stain etc. when I just want simple, natural makeup. It has a nice faintly fruity scent too, but nothing overpowering. I've used up quite a bit of this already so will definitely be repurchasing once it inevitably gets finished, and I might have to buy myself some of the other flavours/colours too! Full review of Korres Pomegranate Lip Butter here.

Which products have you been loving this month?

Gillian x