September Favourites 2014

I've had some interesting favourites in the past month -- interesting because there's an item in there that I keep saying that I don't particularly like. The rest are products I have really enjoyed using, because I've been so busy that I've had to keep my look relatively simple. There hasn't been much of an opportunity to play with makeup or experiment, it's more or less been simple eyes and a nice lip!

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer SPF15 || This is the product that I constantly say I'm not fond of. It's not silky like The POREfessional by Benefit, its claims to fade redness is their way of explaining away the ghost effect that people would complain about getting from a sunscreen, and I don't really believe that it makes my makeup waterproof. Despite this, however, I reached for this most days in September and I think it comes down to the basic fact that I believe it makes my MAC foundation last a lot better during the day. It's what I've needed on days where I've been so busy that I don't want to worry about it melting off when I'm out.

Rae Morris #22 Pro Powder Brush || Maybe I'm cheating a tad because I've only had this brush for a couple of weeks, but, quite honestly, I'm in love. I picked this up at Beautiful You Australia around mid-September and I've used it every day. The bristles are super soft and handcrafted, made cruelty-free from blue squirrel hairs (I had no ideas that squirrels could be blue) and every time I look at it... I feel so unworthy. Imagine if you were out without makeup on, wearing tracky dacks and an oversized university jumper -- and then you get asked by Tom Hiddleston or Ryan Gosling (or some other gorgeous guy or girl of your choice) to come over for tea right that minute. That is how unworthy I feel. I use this for putting highlighter along my cheekbones.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in "Luminous Flush" || This blush is magnificent. It's a lighter pink than Radiant Magenta, a sweeter pink that pretty much stays on my cheeks for several hours. I try to be careful to not be heavy-handed with the brush I use, as I could easy see the colour going overboard if I got too excited.

Benefit Stay Don't Stray || I've been using this for ages and I really think it does the job. I bought this well over a year ago now, and originally I wasn't hugely impressed -- it was a little chunky, it was a little wasteful, I had no idea why I needed a shadow primer when I hardly wore eye shadow anyway (remember, those were the days before I launched myself head-first into makeup). So I stopped using it and when I did catapult myself into the Beauty Padawan lifestyle, I went to the Too Faced Shadow Insurance, which I now think is a little rubbish and not really worth the price. I went back to this and I think everyone should have it. It adds some coverage to my eyelids so the shadows show up better, and I think it does a relatively decent job of keeping the oiliness in check. It doesn't always prevent creasing, but I think my eyelids are oilier than normal so I'm not too fussed.

Too Faced Bonjour Summer Eye Shadow Palette || This palette comes with the Too Faced Pardon My French makeup set, which is a limited edition set that you can get from Kit Cosmetics and Mecca Maxima. I've liked to use this to do a few nice and easy daytime looks. The sea green shade, unfortunately, is a bit of a let down in terms of pigmentation, but if you have a similar shade from something else then you could easily use that instead.

Rimmel Wonder'full Mascara || I think every beauty blogger and her sister have been going on about this mascara. I've got a review in the works, which is the main reason why I've been wearing it, in order to see how well it goes. Long story short: if you want a decent mascara with a decent price tag, this is one you should have.

CoverGirl LipPerfection Jumbo Gloss Balm in "Haute Pink Twist" and "Scarlet Twist" || I wrote a review about these here and I've been going for them whenever I've wanted a quick, easy colour with minimal fuss. It's perfect for uni because you don't need to worry too much about being precise or constant applying if you're eating. The fact that it's essentially a lip balm has been great as well, as we still had some cold days in September which were not kind to my lips at all.

MAC ChremeSheen Lipstick in "Yield to Love" || One of the limited edition lipsticks from the Novel Romance collection, this has been good for whenever I've wanted a natural pink colour without much fuss. You can see more thoughts on this lipstick here.

MAC Matte Lipstick in "Hearts Aflame" || I love this dark red and I'm so disappointed that it's no longer seasonally appropriate to wear it. This has been an absolutely brilliant colour to bust out, and I've gotten compliments every single times I've worn it. It's elegant, it's chic -- it may also be limited edition, but it's dupable, so you don't need to worry too much if you've missed out.

Rimmel Vinyl Gloss || I've had this gloss long enough that, unfortunately, the name has rubbed off -- and I think it's been discontinued as well, because I can't seem to find it anywhere. I had thought that it was called "Be Dazzled", but I can't be sure and I can't seem to find anywhere that I refer to it as such. It's a really cute peachy-pink colour with a little shimmer; it's really nice and natural on my lips, which makes it a quick and easy option for whenever I've wanted a lip colour without fuss.

Claflin || One last time. Forever my favourite.

That's it for my favourites for the month of September. They're not any particularly exciting products, and most of them I've had for a while, but they're some of the most reliable in my collection!

What were your September favourites?

Sarah xo