Over the last month or so, in the midst of all that exam stress and craziness, and in celebration of its ending later, I seem to have acquired a fair number of new items of the beauty variety that are deserving of mention here. Keep in mind that these are a collective collection of buys over the last month; there was no exciting splurge or haul or anything of that sort, although that would be infinitely more exciting and fulfilling. Oh, and more than a few of these were practical buys, motivated by sales and the like.

Boots No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser (on sale for $9 from $12 CDN – Shopper’s Drugmart): Spoiler alert for empties coming up here, not that I’ll be revealing anything of excitement here but I feel the need to heed warning: I ran out of my beloved Boots Beautiful Skin “Cleansing Balm” and after reading the ingredients list to discover that this formulation was similar, I decided to try this one because I liked the other so much. As far as I can tell in the handful of times that I’ve used this cleanser, the formulation is just about the same but there is more product, a nicer pump dispenser and it comes with a muslin cloth. It has that rich creamy consistency that soothes and hydrates the skin while removing makeup like a dream without any sort of irritation. I’m a big fan of the affordable cleansers in this line that I have tried so far.

L’Oreal Sublime Soft Micellar Solution ($11-13 CDN):I think I might have mentioned my dependency on Bioderma perhaps a time or two here so it’s hardly shocking that I picked up L’Oreal’s more affordable alternative when I spotted it in stores with one of those illusive manufacturer’s coupons attached to the display for a few dollars off. I haven’t actually tried this one out yet but I plan too soon but my sources tell me that it’s slightly less concentrated than the original, while leaving a bit of residue. But I’ll report back, whether the cheaper alternative is worthwhile or not.

Jergen’s Natural Glow Firming Daily Moisturizer in Medium to Tan ($9 CDN): I’m not someone who is hugely into the fake-tanning thing or the real-tanning-with-no-sunscreen-on kind of thing and generally do prefer to embrace my fairness but sometimes I get frustrated by my paleness in comparison to all the tanaholics and dislike the uneven tone that my body takes in the sun with sunscreen on and the hyperpigmentation that ensues. So I gave the gradual self-tanner a try after remembering using it back in junior high with moderate success despite my ignorance and mistakenly picked up the darker shade — however, the darker shade has impressed me as it delivers slightly less subtle colour that matches the warm yellow undertones that my skin naturally tans into but I really do need to be slightly careful of the hands on this one. All in all, I’ve been enjoying this as a moisturizer that adds colour without wreaking havoc on my eczema patches. But it’s not foolproof. Note: I have limited skills in this department.

Dove Style + Care Nourishing Curls Mousse ($6-8 CDN): This is actually a repurchase from me but it’s not a product I would classify as ‘amazing’ but rather it works well for adding nourishment while adding texture, body and hold to my loose curls, often spotted around for sale. I’ve been enjoying this thus far and it does what it says, providing some hold without being drying in the slightest.

Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation (on sale for $6 from $9 CDN- Shopper’s Drugmart):I may have a slight foundation hoarding problem but I never expected to pick this one up as it’s marketed as a matte finish and I have dry skin and a preference for foundations of the more luminous variety but after I got a sample of this in Elle Canada in a somewhat passable but not perfect shade (Ivory), I might add, I found myself enjoying the product. In the past little while, I’ve been eying up a fuller-coverage foundation on the more matte end of the spectrum and this fit the bill so it was purchased particularly at its great price. I found the shades ran quite pink and actually catered to fairer skin tones — I’m the fourth shade out of the six I spotted and it matches my paleness — so I went for the more beige-undertoned 103 True Ivory and I’ve been enjoying it. It reminds me of Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation in texture and coverage but it is much more lightweight and has more of a velvet-y finish than satin. It has full coverage and isn’t altogether horrendous on dry patches – but it’s not all that matte.

L’Oreal True Match Blush in N3-4 Innocent Flush ($13-16 CDN): So, these more expensive blushes from L’Oreal were on sale about three weeks ago and knowing my blush-hoarding tendencies, it shouldn’t be shocking that I picked up this peachy-coral shade. Like far too many of the blushes that I own, it has a golden shimmer running through it but it isn’t chunky in the least and has a smooth texture. My only complaint is that the longevity isn’t as fantastic as my favourites and I’m not accustomed to topping up my blush — and I do not wish to be accustomed to doing so either.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Coralberry ($9 CDN):I’m beginning to notice a theme here as this was yet another product that I was tempted to pick up as a result of a small sale and my growing coral lip-product obsession. I wasn’t disappointed with this creme formula lipstick in the slightest; I’ve tried the shade Black Cherry from the line before and I’m pleased to report that this shade has been far superior, offering the same longevity and pigmentation while not highlighting dry patches or uneven texture on the lips in the slightest. As the name would suggest, it’s a standard pinky coral shade and these shockingly last for five hours.

Dior 5-Colour Eyeshadow in 734 Grege ($61 CDN):After submitting my last essay and therefore surviving the exam period, I had to treat myself and I was determined to pick something luxurious but practical at the same time, so obviously I went for another quint of my favourite eyeshadow formula in existence. I’ve declared my love for Earth Reflection before that I purchased after being recommended this specific palette for the umpteenth time and I decided to go for this versatile neutrals palette with a variety of finishes — aka practical matte shades–, no fallout whatsoever and to-die-for pigmentation. I’m sure you’ll hear more on this soon as I’m loving it and don’t expect that love to instantly vanish.

I intended on getting this post up ages and ages ago but somehow I’ve been struggling to write it. I’ll assure you there are lots of posts coming your way soon, though. Have you tried any of these products? What have you picked up in the last month?

Maggie, x.