I'm super aware of how late in June it is (It's almost my birthday :D). At some point one may get used to being behind on everything, but I'm not there yet. I'm trying to catch up on everything as fast as I can. I have a couple other posts already mostly written that would be easier to get out, but I felt that this one is more timely. To make things harder, I opened this post up and it was written over entirely by another post, so after deleting everything, I'm trying to start all over again. The plus side is, I went through all my recent purchases and I've come up with an even better list. So let's see what new products I'm already trying out this month.

I have really always wanted to try the Instyler since i saw the infomercial. When Ulta had the Instyler Max on sale during the Gorgeous Hair event I snatched one. I got it on Monday and had to open it up and use it the same day. So far I like it, but I haven't gotten the hang of it. I also haven't used it enough to see if it really is that much easier than a regular straightener or curling iron. I plan on making it a priority to continue using the Instyler this month and see what all the fuss is about.

I'm having such great luck with Hourglass lately so I jumped at the chance of using my well earned Sephora points to try the Hourglass Ambient Light Correcting Primer in Mood Light. I loved Hourglass' Veil Mineral Primer  and I love the Ambient Lighting powders so I'm excited to see what the two together do for my face. The primer is supposed to "smooth and perfect the appearance of your complexion for a soft, subtle glow." So I'm curious how it compares to Becca's Backlight Priming Filter. The cool thing about the Hourglass line is that there are currently three shades. Mood Light is the soft pink shade which traditionally has always been used to counteract dull skin tone. I'm not really dull so this one might not be the best choice for me. The other two shades are Dim Light,  a natural beige (which I'm dying to also try); and Luminous Light, a champagne pearl. Becca's will probably compare best to Luminous Light. I'm excited to see how this primer works for me!

I'm always on the hunt for the next best concealer. I stumbled on the Perricone MD No Concealer Concealer browsing on Ulta and decided it was worth the try. They actually changed the packing since they originally launched it. Before it was a pump, which I hate, and now it's a tube with a wand, which is an improvement. I was really interested in the no makeup makeup line when it first came out, but my problem was the execution. They did not create a shade range. They picked a single skin tone and made the line to be no makeup makeup for that particular skin tone. Unfortunately people are not one sized fits all. I swatched the foundation and it's way too light (I'm right about a NC25). Fortunately this one-sized-fits all concealer shade works as a good highlight shade for my skin tone so it will actually work for my purposes. I've actually used it a few times at this point and I'm still undecided. It definitely brightens up my under eye and has a really nice light finish. It seems to have the staying power. I'm just not sure if it's opaque enough. I can still see some bluish tones peeking through but that is without a corrector. I usually always need a corrector because my dark circles are pretty dark and unrelenting. I'm going to keep trying it and let you know what I think.

I really wanted to get the Urban Decay Naked Skin One & Done solely based on the packaging. I'm not going to lie - I judge books by their cover. I picked this up in April and then promptly forced myself to clear out the It Cosmetics CC+ cream before I let myself open this. It's going to have pretty big shoes to fill because I really loved the It Cosmetics cream. I've used the One & Done a few times, including today, and it's a really easy for me to apply with my fingers and then go. It's definitely a light coverage base. I have to remind myself sometimes that light coverage bases are there to even out skintone and they aren't faulty because they aren't covering all my "flaws." I don't really need full coverage, it's just my preference usually. I'm kind of a hard consumer to please. But Urban Decay has done a really nice job with this - at least that's my experience so far. So far it's been the month of no-fuss makeup and I have a feeling that it's going to continue to be that way for the rest of the month.

Me + Colour Pop is love and hate. I either love or hate their products. Most the eyeshadows I love. Lippie Stix I L-O-V-E Love. I've had a couple blushes that were harder to work with and then they started to dry out and looked nasty - hate. I've been putting the Colour Pop Bronzer in Poolside in my cart for a year and kept taking it out and putting it back in. I finally made the commitment to buy it this month. I've been really into cream bronzer this year so I'm curious how I'm going to get along with the Colour Pop formula. I have swatched it and the color is nice for me and the staying power is pretty impressive. This + my Real Techniques Sculpting Brush might end up being best friends.

Back in May I placed an order with TheBalm during the 50% off sale. The problem about sales like that is I just order everything and I'm in a hurry so I don't really think about it. I picked up TheBalm Meet Matt(e) Trimony Matte Eyeshadow Palette because I thought it was pretty. And it's gorgeous! I just love to stare at it. The problem is, I can stare at it all day long and I'm lost on how to create a look with it. I'm probably overthinking it. I know I am. I can't find any inspiration. So this month my goal is to use it and love it. I think it's going to be so pretty, I just need to start experimenting.

If I haven't expressed this yet, I can make almost any mascara flake and smudge. Waterproof, not waterproof, it doesn't matter. When I find one that I love and doesn't flake or smudge - like Tarte's Lights, Camera, Splashes - I find myself in my little box afraid to use anything else. For some reason the double-sided Estée Edit The Edgiest Up & Out Double Mascara has just landed in my radar and even though it's not waterproof I really wanted to try it. So I am. I like using two different wands and formulas to build up beautiful long voluminous lashes. This one is both in one tube. I think even if it gets a little flaky I can top coat it with my secret weapon, Estee Lauder Little Black Primer, and I should be good to go. I used it yesterday and I was really happy. I used the little lengthening brush and it made my bottom lashes really pop. And the volume was really nice on the top lashes. I saw minimal flaking so I'll try the top coat next.

I mentioned before that I was trying ScentBird this year. So far I haven't had a super great experience with the service, but it's entirely my fault not theirs. I have managed to break two bottles two months in a row immediately after I got them. I have never broken a perfume bottle in my life. And then last month the one that I received smelled really familiar and sure enough, I had one on my list that I purchased on my own last year. So I haven't had a lot of luck trying new perfumes. This month I got a couple small samples of the Atelier Orange Sanguine Cologne Absolue Pure Perfume in the Sephora Play Box and I believe with a Sephora order. I love citrusy scents during warmer months. They make me feel like I'm being hugged by the sun in a good - not being burnt - way. These are the few summer things that make me happy and get me through the desert hell. But, I'm really liking the scent - blood orange with notes of sandalwood - and super curious how it's going to wear with me constantly being sweaty now. Maybe it will cover up the 'hot smell' until next month, which I've assured myself is going to be better.

So those are all the things I'm committed to trying this month. I've also got a Sephora order coming and I'm working in the Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne collection into my rotation. I expect some more pretty things for my birthday next week too. I should also start seeing monthly sample boxes next week. Besides the killer heat it's going to be a good rest of the month.

Do you have any thoughts on any of these products? Let me know!