Yikes, I am super behind on blog posts in general but particularly behind in the ones related to my Monthly Makeup Focus project.  I’ve been sticking to my project but I’m finding doing these posts a little difficult to complete as they are really time-consuming to put together.  I’m contemplating moving them to my Instagram stories and then doing posts on products that I feel are deserving of a full review on my blog but I’ll keep you updated.  In the meantime, here are the products I used in May and my subsequent reviews of each product.

MAKEUP

Nude by Nature Perfecting Primer*

I received this sample from ChickAdvisor for review purposes; overall I wasn’t impressed with it.  If I’m going to use a primer I want it to make my foundation apply more smoothly and/or make it last longer throughout the day – unfortunately this did neither.  In fact, I actually found it made my skin oily throughout the day. I also wasn’t impressed with the packaging – the cap is really hard to put back on and I ended up wasting a bunch of the product trying to figure out how it worked.

Tarte Rainforest After Dark Cheek & Eye Palette

I picked up this palette a few years ago with the hopes it would be my go-to palette for travel; unfortunately this was a regretful purchase almost immediately after I picked it up.  The shadows are dry, dull and lack pigment and ultimately look like a muddy mess when I try to apply them.  Both the shadows and blush, highlighter and bronzer also ended up with hard pan within a few uses which is frustrating because these are already hard packed and dry to begin with.

The highlighter and shimmery gold shade are the only decent powders in this palette but still aren’t great quality. I think there’s a reason why this palette is no longer available and ultimately I’ve decided to declutter this palette as the quality just isn’t there with it and I rarely reach for it.

Too Faced Natural Matte eyeshadow palette

You may have seen these palettes at your local Winners; Too Faced has discontinued this style of palette and have reformulated them. I’ve actually been wanting both this and the Romantic Eyes palette for a while so I figured this was the time to do so.  I paid $20 CAD for it which seemed like a pretty decent deal.

The palette consists of 9 matte shadows in a an array of natural, neutral shades.  While there’s nothing unique or particularly exciting about this palette, I think it’s a fantastic option for those who like to do basic everyday looks.  These remind me a lot of Lorac’s shadows in that they are quite soft and a little powdery which results in fallout but also makes them easy to blend.  If these tones are up your alley and you come across this palette, I’d recommend it.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector – Champagne Pop

I’ve had this highlighter for years but rarely reach for it; while I like the silky smooth, buttery texture, it’s a very intense highlight. I do enjoy the shade (described as a soft white gold with pinky peach undertones) but it only really works for me in the Summer months when I have some colour to my skin.  What’s disappointing is its lasting power – within a few hours of application it disappears from my skin, which is odd considering I never hear of anyone with the same complaint.  As a result I’m hesitant to try another shade, even though I’ve been eyeing up Opal for ages.

Nars Orgasm Blush

Nars Orgasm was the first high-end blush I purchased for myself years ago; I actually used up one an entire one of these – this is my second and I’m happy to report that I recently hit the tiniest bit of pan on it too!  It seems as though you either love or hate this blush but I’m in the love camp – I find the peachy pink shade with gold shimmer super flattering and it’s one I reach for often during the Summer.

SKINCARE

Neutrogena Hydro Boost Gel Cream

I included this as a fail in my recent Loving Lately post – read my review to find out why.

Aveeno Positively Radiant Overnight Hydrating Facial*

Overnight facials and masks seem to be the newest fad in skincare and this is Aveeno’s contribution.  This claims to deeply hydrate and nourish skin, leaving it softer, revived and supple.  I’ve used it a bunch of times and find it lives up to it’s claims; my skin feels great in the morning after using it.  I think I will appreciate this even more in the colder months when my skin is drier and more dehydrated.

Aveeno Positively Radiant 60 Second In-Shower Facial*

Another facial product from Aveeno but this one is meant for the shower.  It’s meant to work with the steam of the shower to deeply but gently exfoliate dirt, oil and dead skin cells.  I use this a couple of times of week and while it feels nice, I find it to be a very gentle exfoliant and I’m not sure it’s all that effective.  That said, I’m starting to move away from harsher physical exfoliants so this is a nice alternative.

Neutrogena Light Therapy Acne Mask*

When I first received this mask I was pretty pumped about it – it seemed like such a cool concept!  My skin goes through cycles where it’ll be good for a month or two and then I suffer from breakouts in another.  When I tested this out I had some breakouts so I was hopeful that it would help heal them.  Unfortunately after using this a handful of times, I didn’t notice any difference or improvement in my skin.

The concept of this is simple – the mask combines both blue and red LED lights, which claim to kill acne-causing bacteria and reduce inflammation.  The mask is worn for 10 minutes a day on a regular basis and consists of the mask itself, as well as a battery-powdered activator.  The activator is good for 30 uses after which a new activator needs to be purchased.

In addition to not seeing any results after using this a handful of times, I also don’t like the fact that the activator only lasts for 30 uses – it seems exceptionally wasteful and I don’t understand why they designed it this way.  Personally, I also found the mask to be constricting and induced some claustrophobia in me at times; it fit on my face quite snugly and I didn’t like that I couldn’t breathe through my nose because of it.

While I appreciate Neutrogena’s effort to design an innovative product, I think this might work better for those with all-over acne (I tend to breakout on my chin only) and who don’t suffer from claustrophobia.  Neutrogena does also offer a Light Therapy Acne Spot treatment pen and I’d be interested to see how that compares to this.

FRAGRANCE

Vera Wang Lovestruck Floral Rush

I’m on a mission to make some major progress on my fragrances this year – I have a few of them and they’re starting to get old and that includes this one from Vera Wang.  Normally I’m not a fan of floral fragrances but this one also has some musky and sweet notes to balance it out. I’m happy to report that I actually ended up finishing this bottle (yay!); while this is nice, it isn’t one of my favourite perfumes so I probably won’t repurchase it again.

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And that wraps up my products for May – thanks for reading!

*Disclaimer: This product was sent to me for review purposes but all opinions are my own.