Monthly faves: June 2020

It genuinely feels like I wrote my May beauty faves post yesterday and yet here I am with another instalment of my monthly faves series.

For those of you that are new to my blog, I choose my 5 favourite makeup and skincare products each month in my monthly faves series. This allows me to reflect on what beauty products I’ve been reaching for the most and enables you to see some of my staple beauty products.

For my June beauty faves, I’ve got 2 more skincare picks from the Caroline Hirons Spring Kit One and makeup products from Dior, Fenty Beauty and Huda Beauty. This was another pretty easy month for me and all of my makeup picks are new products, which is exciting.

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1. Dior Backstage Eye Palette in Cool Neutrals

I looked through my eyeshadow collection recently and realised it was completely dominated by warm-toned palettes. With the exception of one or two palettes and some various cool-toned shadows dotted around my collection, it was noticeably warm.

So, I decided to look for a cool-toned eyeshadow palette. After some searching, I fell in love with the Dior Backstage Eye Palette in Cool Neutrals. I instantly became obsessed with the cool rosy hues, so I ordered the palette.

And using the eyeshadow palette is just as amazing.

The matte shades, in particular, are incredible: richly pigmented, easy to work with, and a cross between a powdery and buttery eyeshadow texture. Although the shimmer shades aren’t as pigmented and don’t deliver serious shimmer, I like the subtle shimmer and how you can build up the intensity. This gives a very soft, versatile and wearable shimmer.

When I used the eyeshadow palette, the shades flattered my eyes and I felt fresh and feminine.

Where to buy

Costing £39, you can purchase the Dior Backstage Eye Palette in Cool Neutrals from Dior, Boots, or Selfridges.

For a 9-pan eyeshadow palette, this is fairly pricey. However, with a high-end brand like Dior, you expect to pay more. But, the eyeshadow pans are big and because the shadows are pigmented on the whole, you won’t need to use much product.

Rating

I’m going to give the Dior Backstage Palette in Cool Neutrals 4.5 stars. It’s a beautiful palette and I love the cool, rosy tones, however, the shimmers could be a bit more pigmented.

2. Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Ultra Gentle Daily Peel

Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Ultra Gentle Daily Peel is an iconic skincare product. Dubbed the king of acids, Dr Dennis Gross wanted to bring the chemical peel treatments in his clinic to people at home, leaving them with smooth, even skin.

I love exfoliating products and find the right blend of ingredients has a very noticeable effect on my skin.

Although I will be doing a full, in-depth review of the peel pads on my blog in the future, I will say that I’m really enjoying using the peel pads. My skin looks more radiant, feels smoother and has a more even tone.

My skin also feels exceptionally clean when I use the exfoliating peel.

Using these peel pads in combination with the OSKIA vitamin C capsules make my skin look healthy and radiant. It’s been the perfect mix for glowy summer skin.

Where to buy

Costing a very pricey £89 for 30 treatments, you can purchase the Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Ultra Gentle Peel from Space NK or Cult Beauty.

Although you’d never get 30 chemical peels for £89, you also don’t get the luxury of being pampered by a beauty therapist or aesthetician. Even though the exfoliating peel from Dr Dennis Gross delivers results, I haven’t found the results to be ground-breaking.

£89 is a lot of money to spend and, unlike a serum, you’ll get through the peel pads in one month, if you use them every day.

Rating

I love how the Dr Dennis Gross Ultra Gentle Peel has made my skin look radiant and healthy. However, I’m not willing to spend £89 on them every month, so these would have to be a one-off treat. For that reason, I’m giving the peel pads 4 stars.

3. Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush in Petal Poppin

When Fenty Beauty dropped its new cream blusher and bronzer range, people went crazy. After getting on so well with the liquid cream blush from Glossier, I decided to get the Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush in Petal Poppin.

Petal Poppin is a soft baby pink shade which is really flattering. The cream blusher is fairly sheer but still packs a lot of colour, which makes building up the amount of blush you want easy. If I want a pop of colour in the day, I apply a little bit of the blusher. However, if I want a blush-orientated makeup look, I just apply more blusher until I reach the desired intensity.

This blusher works well with a brush or your fingertips. The formula is lightweight, effortless to use and, like the name suggests, creamy.

I also absolutely adore the shade. It’s not too bright or too warm but spot on. I think it would suit a lot of skin tones.

The Fenty Beauty Cream Blush is 100% worth the hype.

Where to buy

The Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blush costs £19 for 3g of product and can be purchased from Boots or Harvey Nichols.

Although the blusher is fairly small, you don’t need to use much and it takes ages to get through blushers anyway, so I think this is a reasonable price.

Rating

The Fenty Beauty Cream Blush gets 5 stars from me. I love the formula, it’s easy to work with and the shade is flattering.

4. REN Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream

For the next product in my June faves list, I chose another product from the Caroline Hirons Spring Kit One – the REN Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream.

I love a good moisturiser and this REN one is the perfect mix of being moisturising, lightweight and non-greasy, while still being hydrating. My skin feels really comfortable when I wear this and I love how soothing it feels.

Plus, this handy moisturiser protects your skin from pollution and external aggressions, which is a massive bonus. Suitable for sensitive skin, the day cream is also vegan, cruelty-free and can be recycled. We love a sustainable and cruelty-free moment!

This is a great soothing, nourishing and protective moisturiser, and I enjoy using it.

Where to buy

Retailing for £36 for 50ml, you can purchase the REN Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream from REN, Amazon, Cult Beauty, or Space NK.

Whilst this is hardly a “steal”, I don’t think the price is unreasonable. Plus, the product is really nice. Having said that, I’ve used some fabulous drugstore moisturisers for a third of the price.

If you like to spend a bit more on your moisturisers and want something that is eco-friendly, cruelty-free, vegan and suitable for sensitive skin, I think this REN moisturiser is a must.

Rating

I like the REN Evercalm Global Protection Day Cream and everything it stands for. It feels moisturising and lightweight, without being greasy. However, there are cheaper moisturisers out there that do an excellent job, so based on the price point, I’m giving the REN moisturiser 4 stars.

5. Huda Beauty Power Bullet Matte Lipstick in Girls Trip

The final product in my June beauty faves blog post is the Huda Beauty Power Bullet Matte Lipstick in Girls Trip.

I love the two Huda Beauty lipstick formulas I’ve got – Liquid Matte and Demi Matte – and kept hearing so many people rave about the Power Bullet Matte formula. YouTubers kept saying how soft and creamy the lipstick felt. After seeing how stunning the shades are, I knew I had to get one.

And let me tell you, this lipstick does not disappoint.

Even though the Power Bullet Lipstick is matte, it’s so soft and creamy on the lips. Sometimes, certain matte lipsticks will make my lips look dry and chapped, but this formula glides over the lips effortlessly. Because of this, I think the lipstick is super flattering.

Plus, the shade is divine. It’s a beautiful cool-toned pink nude. I really like cool-toned pink lipsticks and this one has to be one of my favourites ever.

Honestly, I love everything about this lipstick. Plus, it’s long-lasting and doesn’t fade as the day goes on. I’d love to try out even more of the lipstick shades from the Power Bullet collection!

Where to buy

The Power Bullet Matte Lipstick costs £22 and can be purchased from Cult Beauty or Boots.

This is a decent price and you’d probably call this a mid-range lipstick. I’d definitely be willing to pay more for this lipstick, though, as the formula is unreal.

Rating

This lipstick gets an easy 5 stars from me. It’s one of my favourite lipstick formulas ever and I love the cool-toned pink shade. Gorgeous.

Final thoughts

That’s my June faves wrapped up. My two favourite products in this beauty list are the Huda Beauty Power Bullet Lipstick and Fenty Beauty Cream Blush. Both have amazing formulas and are very flattering.

Sarah Sarsby is the owner of A Woman's Confidence. With over 5 years' experience of writing in the fields of beauty and lifestyle, Sarah is passionate about all things content, makeup, skincare, wellness, and lifestyle. She has oily skin, is obsessed with lip gloss, and loves cookie dough.