Monthly Favorites: June 2023 Edition!

[AlexBT]

Monthly Favorites: June 2023

It’s finally summer, BIC! But here in San Francisco, it hardly feels like it. 🌦 What’s my favorite way to counteract this June gloom, you might ask? Aside from splurging at Sephora (oops), this month I’ve enjoyed streamlining my hair routine with a fancy new tool, channeling summer vibes with a glowy SPF, gluing my unruly eyebrows down until I’ve reached lamination-worthy perfection, and brightening my complexion. I refuse to let my skin be as dull as this Bay Area weather. And with a little help from my new June faves, things are starting to look up… as far as my beauty routine is concerned, at least! 🌞

Here are the products that have me feeling jazzed this June:

• Dyson Airstrait™ Straightener 
• PATRICK TA Major Brow Lamination Gel 0.17 oz/ 5 mL 
• Rare Beauty by Selena Gomez Positive Light Under Eye Brightener 
• Summer Fridays CC Me Vitamin C + Niacinamide Serum 1.0 oz/ 30 mL 
• Supergoop! Glowscreen SPF 40 Sunscreen with Hyaluronic Acid + Niacinamide 1.7 oz Golden Hour / 50 mL 

What about you, BIC? Reply below and let us know what products you’ve been reaching for most often this month.  Don’t forget to tag those products with the “#” symbol (hair, makeup, fragrance, wellness, skincare, etc.)!

[jaaayp]

@Mellmars1185 is the OLEHENRIKSEN Banana Bright+ Vitamin CC Eye Sticks for Dark Circles Pumpkin easy to blend? 🤔 I've been eyeing this but haven't picked it up... do you apply it directly from the stick?

[Mellmars1185]

@jaaayp i apply directly onto my eye area. It is easy to blend. I use my finger or a concealer brush. I find the warmth from my finger is more effective. I just need to invest in the banana shade.

[jaaayp]

@Mellmars1185 that's good to hear! I bought this other stick Peace Out Retinol Eye Stick 0.14 oz / 4 g and i find that this requires an extra step (use finger and apply under the eyes) so im always skeptical when it says undereye stick! LOL

[Mellmars1185]

@jaaayp Ohhh yes I have that one too! I may have been using it wrong. I apply direct. It seems to be working ok for me so far. I will try applying it to my finger first when I use it next.

[AlexBT]

@Mellmars1185 Ahh I love these bright and glowy summery favorites. I've heard such wonderful things about that Danessa blush!

[Mellmars1185]

@AlexBT Thank you! If you have the chance to try it, I think you will enjoy it 😊

[CynthieLu]

Great picks for June 🩷 @Mellmars1185.

DM's blushes really do have amazing staying power! 😄

[Mellmars1185]

@CynthieLu Thank you! Do you have a favourite shade?

[CynthieLu]

Hum.... Out of the 4, Rose N Brunch is very new to me so I  can't count it in or out l, but I love Primadonna alot. She is a bright pink and Bellini is pretty and fun too 😀 

[missjeanie]

@Mellmars1185 I've got both Banana and Apricot in the OLEHENRIKSEN Banana Bright+ Vitamin CC Eye Sticks for Dark Circles Apricot and I find the combo to be great.  I wasn't sure on the formula originally but both it and the stick packaging is a fav now for it's ease of use and efficacy.  Not to enable... but they mix really well on the skin.  I need to try the DM Blush Balms!

[CookieGirl1]

@missjeanie that seems to be such a polarizing product!  I get the feeling that most people either love it or hate it but I'm glad that it works for you 🙂

[missjeanie]

@CookieGirl1 I was not a fan at all at first... so I can absolutely see why some don't like it.  I think my 'lazy' took over and let me like a product I had to do less blending for lol.

[Mellmars1185]

@missjeanie Thank you! I think mixing the two shades will probably work great for me too.i might as well get the banana to get the best out of both shades and they will last longer too! Yes the blush balms are pretty amazing. 

[lmaster]

Yes yes to Fenty Beauty by Rihanna Gloss Bomb Cream Color Drip Lip Cream Fruit Snackz @Mellmars1185 💓 it's gorgeous!!

[Mellmars1185]

@lmaster Thank you for the swatch! That sealed the deal for me! 💞

[lmaster]

You're so welcome! @Mellmars1185 

[PinkGiraffeX]

This past month some new favorites have been: 

dae Agave Dry Heat Protection Spray 5 oz / 150 ml 

: this stuff is amazing and makes my hair look sooo shiny!

Saint Jane Beauty Hydrabloom Body Silk With Hyaluronic Acid 4 oz / 120 mL 

: I love using this when I’m i need one extra self care, it’s a gorgeous lotion that feels like a nice treat! 

Biossance Vitamin C Rose Brightening Moisturizer + Squalane 1.69 oz / 50 mL 

: I’m really enjoying this moisturizer for either day or night it’s not heavy or greasy and I love that it’s pink 💗 

[jaaayp]

I love the Biossance Vitamin C Rose Brightening Moisturizer + Squalane 1.69 oz / 50 mL as well! I feel like biossance is sooo underrated!

[AlexBT]

@PinkGiraffeX Thank you for sharing your favorites! That moisturizer sounds lovely - in fact, I think I might have had a mini from the Rewards Bazaar that I already used up! Non-greasy and light but still moisturizing is my jam.

[WinglessOne]

A healthy mix of old flames and new loves this month: 

Hair and skin care faves.Makeup and more skincare faves.

Skincare details: 

Spoiler

SkinSmart Antimicrobial Wound Therapy Spray - like the Tower 28 Beauty SOS Daily Hypochlorous Acid Spray for Breakouts & Redness 4 oz/ 120 mL, this is a hypochlorus acid spray. This ingredient is anti-fungal/bacterial/viral/inflammatory and has many uses, including soothing inflamed irritated skin, helping control acne, sanitizing hands, treating and preventing yeast overgrowth (pityrosporum folliculitis, aka “fungal acne”)—and this spray’s also a nice skin hydrator. The main differences between SkinSmart’s and Tower 28’s are the form of salt each uses, the pump (I assume T28’s pump creates a fine mist; SkinSmart’s definitely doesn’t), and the price: SkinSmart’s is significantly less expensive. I’ve been using this for, I dunno, a couple years now. Someday I’ll grab a T28 mini for comparison’s sake, but I expect to get the same good results from that product. 

[ EDIT: my tablet kept autocorrecting “SkinSmart” to “SkinSafe” for who knows what reason. What the heck has my tablet been shopping for without my knowledge? 😂 ]

e.l.f. Pure Skin Cleanser - a milky, gel-like, gentle, non-lathering cleanser that does its job without leaving my skin feeling stripped or dry. Bonus points for containing oats and allantoin, 2 of my skin’s favorite soothers. I ran through a mini last month and promptly bought a full size. 

La Roche-Posay Anthelios UVMune 400 Hydrating Cream SPF 50+ - a European sunscreen containing L’Oreal’s new Mexoryl 400 UV filter (which of course we can’t get in US sunscreens). It’s my current favorite to use around my eyes, including on my eyelids, because it doesn’t seep into my eyeballs, cause intense eyes stinging/burning, or leave a white cast. LRP has reformulated and rebranded this sunscreen since I last ordered it from Europe. I need to track down the latest version and test it. 

Skin1004 Hyalu-Cica Water-Fit Sun Serum SPF 50 PA++++ - an Asian sunscreen that can leave a slight white cast on me if I don’t apply in several thin layers, thanks to its tinosorb content (a UV filter unavailable in US sunscreens). But I apply all sunscreens in layers anyway and I’m already used to doing several thin layers with mineral sunscreens to reduce cast, so that’s not a problem. This one does always pool in the deep fold of my hooded lids though, leaving a white stripe. I like this sunscreen a lot anyway, and it gets bonus points for containing centella asiatica, one of my skin’s best friends. 

Haircare details: 

Spoiler

Redken All Soft Mega Hydramelt - I’d forgotten how much my coils love this leave-in. It creates the perfect-for-me amount of curl definition without making my hair hard and crunchy. Redken recently rebranded this; I have a tube of the new version but haven’t compared INCI lists to see if it’s reformulated. 

Grace Eleyae Nala Print Turban (a few different prints) - these are fantastic, especially in warm weather. I usually wear them such that the front sections of my hair are out. Sometimes I use a bobby pin for extra stay-on insurance since these are satin lined. I also have a couple of silk turbans and some poly-satin ones, plus a Grace Eleyae Satin-Lined Knot Turban I left out of my photo but have also reached for frequently this month. That one’s a perfect combo of GE turban and GE slap. 

Makeup details: 

Spoiler

Natasha Denona Mini Bronze Eyeshadow Palette - I’ve used this palette most often to hide white stripes on my lids (left by the Skin1004 sunscreen) when I haven’t felt like doing much else to my eyes or just want a quick subtle smokey eye. I’m surprised by how frequently I’ve used it this month. 

Viseart Petites Dark Edit Palette - though it’s a curation of other full size Viseart palettes I own, having all these shades in one fun size package has been very handy! This will be a great travel buddy when I start traveling again. 

Ami Colé Ultra-Flex Clear Eyebrow Shaping Gel Clear - I’ve had this for just a week or 2 and I’m completely in love with it. I’ve never loved a brow gel. I kinda liked Glossier Boy Brow but rarely reached for it over the years. But this brow gel is different: the 2-sided brush does exactly what Ami Colé says it will, at least on my sparse brows. The gel keeps my brows looking fluffed up with no flakes. I can apply brow pencil over it without any issues. I’ve even tried applying brow pencil first—something I don’t normally do with gel because the pencil always gets completely removed—and I think I’ve figured out the pencil-first technique that’s best for me. Since I love my brows to look as natural as possible, this gel’s perfect for me. 

Danessa Myricks Beauty Yummy Skin Blurring Balm Powder - Tinted Primer & Foundation 7 (and shade 6) - might be a repeat fave? I usually mix shades 6 & 7 and apply just on and around my nose to mask surface redness and control oil. I still wish Danessa would offer minis of this stuff for travel or on-the-go purposes. (I have a mini of the universal shade from my Sephoria kit; that size would be perfect!) 

PAT McGRATH LABS SatinAllure™ Lipstick Fleur Fatale - this raspberry shade has lived in my bag all month, even on days I wore a different lipstick. The SatinAllures have grown on me since their initial launch. I mean I never disliked ‘em… I just really miss the LuxeTrances and wish this formula was closer to that discontinued one. I also wish these came in Pat’s standard black + gold lips casing; the SatinAllure bow is too wide to fit in my lipstick carousels. But I still love the shades I’ve bought so far, including Fleur Fatale which I can’t seem to stop wearing. 

[AlexBT]

@WinglessOne Beautiful faves! Those turban prints are gorge. I also love the sound of that brow gel - it wasn't on my radar! It sounds great for those days I want a lil fluff and don't necessarily want to cement my brows flat to my forehead lol