Monthly Favorites: April 2021 Edition!

[AlexBT]

Greetings, BIC! Another month is winding down, and I sure hope you April-showered yourself with plenty of goodies from the Spring Savings Event. 💄☔ Now’s the perfect time to raid those hauls – new and old -- and share the best beauty of the month. Did you make it rain with some makeup newness? Find a stellar new skincare splurge? Or maybe you found some old favorites in your existing stash this month? Let’s see those April faves!

My April favorites were inspired by my newfound blush obsession, lush lashes, ice cold brows, and me just dewin’ me:

• Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Freeze® Extreme Hold Laminated-Look Sculpting Eyebrow Wax Clear 
• Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Push Up Lashes Volumizing & Lengthening Mascara 
• PATRICK TA Major Headlines Double-Take Crème & Powder Blush Duo She's That Girl 
• Summer Fridays Cloud Dew Gel Cream Moisturizer 1.70 oz/ 50 mL 
• Supergoop! Glowscreen SPF 40 Sunscreen with Hyaluronic Acid + Niacinamide 

Click the “Reply” button below and use the “#” sign to tag and share your own April Favorites. Makeup, Hair, Skincare, Fragrance, Wellness – let’s see ‘em!

[lmaster]

That's my favorite mascara!!! @Mcakes great choices I must say 😉

[Mcakes]

Thank you @lmaster ! It was a great month of testing out products!

[AlexBT]

@Mcakes LOL your description of the Tarte mascara cracked me up, but glad to hear your initial impression was turned around for the better. 😜 And Dragonfly looks so pretty in your photo! 🌟

[Mcakes]

@AlexBT idk why but that's just the image that popped into my mind 😄 I'm so glad it performed better than it looked 😄

[tjffc]

@Mcakes Very nice assortment of April favs. 

[Mcakes]

Thank you @tjffc  ! It's been a fun month!

[quspork]

The Hermes blush looks like a gorgeous shade, @Mcakes!

[Mcakes]

@quspork it was tough to make a selection, but I am very happy with this shade! It's a stunner 🙌

[eshoe]

@Mcakes tarte SEA Surfer Curl™ Volumizing Mascara Black is soooo good! 

The Merit complexion stick sounds promising. Curious if you have tried the Clé de Peau concealer stick, and of so, how it compares. I am planning to replace my foundation routine with the CDP but now I am interested in this as well🤔

[Mcakes]

@eshoe I was pleasantly surprised with the tarte mascara! I haven't tried the CdP concealer stick so I can't draw a comparison for you unfortunately, please let me know if you end up trying it out! 

[eshoe]

I will let you know, @Mcakes!

[ather]

@Mcakes  Great favs!!! I’ve been loving the merit foundation stick too!!!

[Mcakes]

@ather I'm glad to hear that you're enjoying it too! Usually stick foundations don't work too well with my dry skin, but this is perfect!

[Loretta55]

The Murad Essential-C Day Face Sunscreen Broad Spectrum SPF 30 PA+++  was recommended to me by my Sephora BA when I used to have Hydra Facials performed in store. ( I miss getting that service performed monthly). It has become my daytime moisturizer @Mcakes. I stocked up on it during a one day sale in March.

[Mcakes]

@Loretta55 It's a good one! I will be adding it to my Loves list for the next sale for sure. I never tried those Hydra Facials, regret missing it!

[SportyGirly125]

@Mcakes Great favorites.  I still haven't tested the Nars bronzer to see how it compares to the Chanel one.

[Mcakes]

Thank you @SportyGirly125 ! It's been such a fun month of trying things out. I'm curious to hear how you think they compare!

[SportyGirly125]

@Mcakes I did a look using both bronzers. I have the Chanel bronzer before the reformulation. They both have scents, both are creamy and easy to apply. For me I like the Chanel bronzer a tad better than the Nars one on me. 
Top Chanel bronzer, bottom Nars Laguna bronzer

[Mcakes]

@SportyGirly125 Thank you for the comparison swatches! They both look beautiful, but the Chanel looks like it leans a little warmer. My friend just gifted me the reformulated Chanel, I'm going to test that out soon to compare 😄

[Ashanti13]

Hi Alexandria how are you this is Ashanti basically NARS Soft matte foundation is sold out in all shades it it limited edition will not be coming back that’s ok I’m working on a new Nars foundation that is satin finish thank you have a nice day.

[WinglessOne]

April faves include 2 makeup, 2 skincare, and 1 wellness products: 

Omnia pillow (sans pillowcase) is in the background; you can see one of the side cutouts. And folks have asked if the Kimiko pencil has a spoolie, so I removed its cap. (The pencil end has no cap.)

bareMinerals Gen Nude Blonzer Blush + Bronzer Kiss of Copper - A new-to-me item I thought might warm up the hyperpigmented sides of my face in kind of a color corrector way. But I wasn’t prepared for the amazing effect: warms that skin better than a typical bronzer without further deepening the tone or clashing with undertone; looks quite natural on that skin (as one would expect from bareMinerals); and gives that skin a perfect sun kissed touch without looking obviously like blush. On my normal skin tone, this product does look like a metallic satin blush, but even then it’s lovely. I’m very impressed with this product! 

Kimiko Super Fine Eyebrow Pencil Automatique - I’ve listed it as a monthly fave before. But after a very disappointing experience with another brand’s brow pencil, I have to give Kimiko major props again for creating the perfect-for-me pencil: fairly dry texture, correct shade for me, fine point, sturdy well-shaped spoolie, and nice sized casing that’s substantial enough to not feel flimsy/breakable. I still buy this pencil 2 to 4 at a time. 

The Ordinary 100% Organic Cold-Pressed Rose Hip Seed Oil 1 oz/ 30 mL - For a few months, I’ve been using 2-3 drops on my damp hands (including cuticles and nails) and wrists at least twice a day to combat excessive dryness: after my first morning handwashing and right before bedtime. I always follow with one of my usual hand creams or body lotions. I don’t recall my hands ever being so soft and plushy hydrated, especially for hours at a time. And this routine’s helped my poor abused cuticles, which in turn has helped my peeling nails. I don't often use this oil on my face, though it's a great source of fatty acids (and fairly low in oleic acid) and a good vitamin E source. But my hands love it, so I'll always have a use for it. 

Timeless HA Matrixyl 3000 Cucumber Spray - A new discovery. Each morning, I use either COSRX Pure Fit Cica Serum or The Ordinary Buffet. Since Buffet contains Matrixyl 3000, I use this Timeless spray on Pure Fit Cica Serum mornings. I’ve especially loved this spray topped with the cica serum and, a minute later, a sheet mask. 

Sleep & Glow Omnia Pillow - I resisted this thing for so long because it seemed like a gimmick, and nearly all youtube reviewers it got it for free (fyi, there are lots of 10% off codes floating around). But last year I started getting crazybad neck and shoulder pain from my once-trusty Tempur-Pedic neck pillow. 😞 So I bought this pillow last month and spent a couple weeks adjusting to it as a side and side-to-back sleeper. I haven’t had that terrible neck/shoulder pain since, and I wake up feeling much more rested—even when I slept just 5 hours. I hate the pillowcase it comes with because the seams (along the curved cut-outs) dig into my face, so I don’t use it. Instead I use the same 100% silk pillowcases I'd always used with my old Tempur-Pedic pillow; their small untraditional size is a near-perfect fit. 👍 

If you've read this far: Happy April, y'all! Keep staying safe, and get your covid vaccination (both doses, if not the J&J vax) if you can. If you're already vaccinated, remember you can still carry covid and potentially still catch it, so don't stop following pandemic safety measures just yet. In the US we're still quite a ways off from herd immunity, but we'll get there if everyone does their part!