September Favorites

October 1, 2023

I’m rounding up my September beauty favorites! Fall is officially here although I feel like we’re skipping this season and going straight into holiday with the beauty sets and holiday launches rolling in already. I’ll have some on new beauty launches soon but for now here is what I loved in September.

New Favorite Foundation Brush

My favorite discovery of the month is the Laura Mercier Real Foundation Brush ($46). For some reason this brush doesn’t seem to be available everywhere even though it was launched with their new Real Flawless Foundation (I wear the shade 3N1 Buff). This is hands down THE best foundation brush I’ve tried. It’s even better than the Hourglass Vanish Seamless Foundation Brush.

The Laura Mercier Real Foundation Brush has a very unique shape and the perfect density. The brush is angled and made in a tear drop shape so it glides along the angles of your face for flawless foundation application. The teardrop shape makes it easy to get product in the detail areas or corners perfectly – I wonder why nobody else has made a brush like this before.

Foundation application is smooth and streak free. I like the length of the brush bristles too – it’s not too short and not too long. You can find it at Laura Mercier or Macy’s (if you’ve spotted it at other places let me know!).

Budget Beauty Favorites

I have some budget beauty favorites this month! They’re not new (a few of them I’ve reviewed before) but I wanted to put them on your radar because they’re too good to miss out on.

The Elf Halo Glow Liquid Filter is one of the best glowy complexion enhancers I’ve tried. They recently added more shades so you might find a better match now. I wear Shade 3 or 4 so when they added 3.5 Medium Neutral Olive I ordered it to try thinking it would be a good in-between color. I still find Shade 4 best for me right now because 3.5 is very olive, but I don’t mind having another shade in the mix.

The glow isn’t too glowy. I can definitely wear it alone or mix it with a foundation all over the face. Right now the new shades appear to only be at Elf Cosmetics and Ulta Beauty. I suspect they’ll roll out the new shades to Target etc. soon.

Maybelline has quite a few products that have gone viral on TikTok and after falling in love with the Sky High Mascara and Lifter Gloss I’ve been trying more from the line.

Their Super Stay 24H Skin Tint Foundation 100% lives up to the hype for a long-wear fluid foundation. I haven’t explored much in budget/affordable foundations because most of them run too pink or peach in undertone. The good news is more brands are offering better shade options and ranges these days. I was happy to find a good match with Shade 310. Quick note though for those sensitive to alcohol in foundations, take note this one has it pretty high on the list. Luckily this did not irritate my skin.

Lasting power is really impressive, even in humid weather. I did not put it to the test for a full 24 hours, but it did last a solid 12 pretty well. It’s a fluid formula with medium coverage but you can layer it. Coverage is natural looking with a subtle glow and has enough pigment to cover the skin nicely.

I also really like the Super Stay Matte Hybrid Powder Foundation (in the same shade). It has pretty good coverage but I like to use it as a setting powder with a brush. Demo of the product in action HERE.

Lip Loves

Dior Addict Lip Maximizers are always in my bag. Shimmer Rose, Rosewood and Rose Nude are my most-worn colors with (Rose Nude gets the most compliments). Dior just launched 3 NEW SHADES for the holiday online and I posted a quick reel with them here. In case you missed it I’m sharing it here on the blog too. Nude Bloom is the prettiest peachy pink nude with a slight golden sheen, Pure Copper is a stunning sparkling copper (glittery and super sparkly but texture is smooth), Holo Silver is a sheer sparkling silver.

Swatch comparisons below:

Three other formulas I have been loving include:

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine in 162 Pulsing Rosehip (one of the best healthy flushed pinks I’ve tried) and 150 Nude Lingerie (warmer pink shimmer, almost looks peach next to 162, but I can assure you it’s pink).

Tarte added new shades of the Maracuja Juicy Lip Plump. I need to share an updated swatch post, but the newest shade Rosebud is SO pretty. It’s the best one they’ve made yet. Also available in some sets like this duo.

The Maybelline Lifter Gloss is a formula I feel like all of you already know about but I’ve rediscovered it and it made my favorites list this month. I picked up the jelly shades from the summer launch and love them. Peach Ring and Gummy Bear are so pretty. I also restocked a few I had used up – Reef is the perfect light neutral.

Bath & Body Care

Two body care items I’ve been loving are from Ouai and Herbivore Botanicals. We’ve been using the Ouai Fur Bebe Pet Shampoo on Ollie and he always smells so good after we wash him with this. I had hoped there was a human option in the same scent but there is not.

I’ve tried Melrose Place before (and loved it) but wanted to try something new so I ordered Dean Street. It’s a really nice fruity floral that isn’t too sweet. It has linden blossom and a little bit of amber to balance it out. Smells clean, fresh and I’ve loved it enough to buy a few refills.

Herbivore Botanicals sent over a few things to try for a project. I really love their Nova Serum and now am curious about the other serums they have in their lineup. The stand out to me is their Cloud Milk Coconut Firming Body Cream. I have been obsessed with their Coconut Bath Milk Soak for the longest time and was really excited for a body cream.

It’s a silky buttery smooth cream that feels lightweight like a cloud when you apply. It is lightly scented with coconut and vanilla but isn’t overpowering. For a quick reference, if you like the texture of Kopari creams but aren’t a fan of the strong scent or super thick texture, I think the Herbivore is a better option. It’s creamy and hydrating but fast absorbing, not sticky and isn’t overpowering in scent.

Fall Nail Polish

I’ve been in my neutral-nail polish era for so long I feel like it’s time for a change. I pulled out the Chanel Le Vernis in 165 Bois des Iles again (reviewed here with the fall collection) and have been really surprised by all the compliments and attention it’s getting!

Other Makeup Loves

For the cheeks (blush, bronzer, highlight) the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Palettes (reviewed here) have been in heavy rotation. I keep going back and forth between Jellyfish and Leopard as my favorite. Even with repeat shades or similarities I find myself reaching for these the most and think they’re very versatile. They’re now available at all retailers like Nordstrom, Sephora, Bluemercury and Ulta Beauty.

I’ve filmed looks with all three:

Jellyfish here
Leopard here
Snake here

I also have a few repeats that have made the favorites list again. I think the Givenchy Prisme Libre Loose Powder and Concealer are holy grail material. You can read the full review here, but nothing really compares to the airbrushed look or lasting power that Prisme Libre has.

The Gucci Illuminator is one of the prettiest liquid highlighters I’ve tried. I don’t know why it’s not raved about more! Review + swatches in this post here. (PS I’ll be posting my review + swatches of the new Gucci Concealer very soon.)

Perfume Favorite

Celine Parade has been in heavy rotation. It’s a beautiful citrus scent I think is super unique and different. You can read my review of all their perfumes in this post. I’ve tried the others over the past year and Parade still remains my favorite.

Hair Care

Last but not least, I wanted to give the ghd Platinum+ Hair Styler another mention. It’s my number one go-to hair styling took for sleek smooth hair or waves. As much as I love the Dyson Airwrap for easy waves, the curls just don’t last as long as with a hot tool. (I do use it regularly as a blow dryer though.) The ghd flat iron goes with me on every trip and it’s a life saver to style hair. I was thrilled to partner with them again to show a how-to demo of how to curl my hair with it. For me it’s particularly useful because I’m not the best at curling my hair with a curling iron – I almost always burn my fingers or forehead and a few times I’ve sizzled off hair because the irons were too hot.