I think my greatest discovery in September has to be the Tamanu-E Regenerating Face Crème from Shea Terra Organics. More specifically it’s the Tamanu Oil included. I’ve been putting Tamanu Oil on my face whenever I wash my face but don’t do my whole “routine” and I noticed my skin seems clearer. When I ran out of my last night cream, I decided to try out the Tamanu-E version and I am almost certain that it has helped my skin clear up quite a bit! Apparently Tananu boasts anti-bacterial, anti-microbial, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties – all issues when dealing with frequent break outs. I decided to use the Regenerating Crème instead of just the oil because it also contains Vitamin E for anti-aging, plus I just kind of prefer to finish my face washing ritual with a crème instead of an oil. The Tamanu-E Regenerating Face Crème is an absolute game-changer if you have problematic skin and I highly, highly recommend checking it out!
Sticking with skin care, I wandered into Lush one day and saw that they had a few new fresh face masks. I love their face masks, so I decided to try the Don’t Look At Me Fresh Face Mask. It’s a great physical exfoliating mask. It’s rather intense, but it makes my skin so soft and smooth without irritating it. Absolutely love! Plus it’s kind of a gritty looking turquoise goo that just makes me happy to see on my face. J It uses ground rice as an exfoliant, murumuru butter for moisture, lemon juice as a toner and tofu to soften the skin! Definitely give it a look if you have a Lush near you. It’s a softening scrubby gem! J
To keep that youthful glow all day long, I feel in love with the new Love Flush Blush from Too Faced in the shade “Your Love is King.” If you haven’t seen these blushes yet, prepare for a cuteness overload. So. Stinking. Cute. The packaging annoys the crap out of me though because it’s rather hard to open and I really don’t want to destroy the marvelous embossing. I haven’t heard too many people using this shade and they totally need to! “Your Love is King” is stunning! It looks dark, but it’s a beautiful bright plum shade that I think looks beautiful on my fair skin…and perfectly appropriate for this time of year too! J It’s nicely pigmented – kind of the perfect balance of too hard and subtle, and too buttery and intense. Not to mention this shade is one of the 2 vegan options!!! Keep up the adorable awesomeness, Too Faced!
Another newish release that I tried to resist, but I’m glad I didn’t is the Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette. I really had no intention of buying this palette because it’s pretty cool-toned and I just don’t tend to like cool toned shadows on my complexion. Sneaky little Ulta had an insane point promotion one day with the purchase of this and I determined that if I had the points added to my balance, it’d be like getting the palette for free…so I bought it. Good reason, huh? Kind of uncharacteristically for me, I started using it almost immediately and turns out I kind of love it! At the same time, I kind of hate it, but I keep using it despite the annoyances. Like any Urban Decay palette, there is a decent amount of sparkle in some shades and it gets all over your entire face. Hating that, but I still really like the palette. I actually couldn’t tell you why because there’s nothing mind-blowing about it and a lot of the looks I’ve created have looked somewhat similar, but I still keep reaching for it. Maybe it’s just because the shades are so different for me. I’m not doing a good job of selling the virtues of the Naked Smoky Palette, but it’s definitely been a favorite this month. J
Sticking to eyeshadow, I have a NARS entry this month. I don’t think I’ve ever mentioned NARS eyeshadows, but I do have a few and I enjoy them. For some reason the NARS Eye Shadow Duo in “Isolde” has been a must-have in September. I feel like this is usually a duo I favor in the Summer, but I’ve been loving the shades mixed with “Mocha” and “Bitten” from Makeup Geek. Definitely not the greatest 2 shades when paired together – they kind of just meld into one blur of color. However they’re beautiful mixed with the Makeup Geek shades (obviously still on the Makeup Geek fan bus too!). They’re very warm orange-y bronze shades that feel both Summery and Fall-like to me. So, “Isolde,” you’ve made it to my September favorites. J
For brows, I’ve switched back to the Anastasia DipBrow Pomade and I have finally fallen in love with it. I originally tried the Pomade maybe a year ago, but never really understood what was so spectacular about it. I liked it well enough, but didn’t love it. This month I was getting annoyed with the IT Cosmetics version because I found that, though it wore incredibly well, it wouldn’t stick to my actual skin in sparse areas. Anastasia got another chance to shine and shine she did! The Anastasia DipBrow Pomade sticks to my skin beautifully! I had the shade “Blonde,” but half way through the month I decided to try “Taupe.” Partly to see if the creamier texture of a brand new pot still worked as well and partly because someone mentioned that it was a good shade for cooler blondes. The color of the blonde was always one of my issues with it. “Taupe” is absolutely perfect! It matches my actual brows much better without clashing too drastically with my heavily lightened blonde hair. And though the texture is creamier from the new pot, it’s not overly so and both work equally well. Finally loving the Anastasia DipBrow Pomade in “Taupe!”
Top Left - "Blonde"; Bottom Right - "Taupe"
Whew! Can’t keep these suckers short, can I? J I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing some of my favorite beauty bits from September. I’d love to hear some of your sensational treasures, or just any bit of randomness you’d like to share…keeping it civilized and constructive of course! J I so appreciate you taking the time to visit my little hideaway on the web and I hope to see you back again soon! If you haven’t already, please follow this blog on BlogLovin’ so that you can easily find new posts as they’re published. I’m also on Instagram and Twitter and I’d love to interact with you there too! Enough plugging. Hope to see you back again next week for more overly long rambles. J
That little ear in the bottom right corner is always a Favorite as well! Say "Hi," Bailey!!!
