For the month of August, I was all about bright colors. With the temperature well above 100 degrees (and a whole week above 115!), neutral colors just didn’t cut it. I wanted all the bright, fun colors I could get my hands on! August was all about rediscovering old favorites of mine as well as finding a new favorite. My August Beauty Favorites were Benefit’s Roller Lash, Urban Decay’s Deluxe Palette, and Julep’s Ally.

I got a sample of Benefit’s Roller Lash when it first came out a few months ago but I was waiting until I finished my current mascara to try it out. I started using Roller Lash at the end of July and I’m really surprised by how much I like it. I hate Benefit’s They’re Real mascara because it is impossible to remove and I always poke myself in the eye with the wand (and they use plastic bristles so it really hurts). Roller Lash is a huge improvement. It is designed to curl and lift your lashes although I don’t really notice those benefits. The brush is much thinner than a lot of brushes out there so it’s easy to coat every lash without poking your eye out! I’ve found that’s it’s very easy to get a dramatic look with this mascara and it is incredibly easy to use. This stays on all day and doesn’t smudge on me (an issue I have with a lot of mascaras, even waterproof ones). Although it lasts all day, it comes off easily with my regular facial cleanser and water, no special makeup removers required!

Urban Decay’s Deluxe Palette is an older eye shadow palette that has been discontinued. I was able to pick it up during a sale a while ago for only $10. This is a fun palette but the colors are so bright that it doesn’t work for every day. I tend to pull this out during the summer or when I want really bright looks and I’ve been using it so much lately that it was an obvious choice for my August beauty favorites post. I love Ransom and Peace (especially together) and Graffiti is a fun unexpected shade to wear. Scratch is a beautiful pinky neutral. The shadows blend nicely but I have to layer them over a white base to make the colors really pop. Applying these with a brush gives a softer look while a foam applicator is necessary for intense looks. These aren’t the best quality Urban Decay eye shadows so I can see why this was discontinued but it was a really great deal for the price.

Julep’s Ally is a constant favorite of mine but I find myself wearing it a lot more during the summer. This was a surprise polish for me- I received it in one of my Maven boxes and I only chose that box because I really wanted the other color it was paired with. The other color ended up just being ok but I fell in love with this. I saw a reviewer describe it as “Katy Perry blue” and that is the perfect description. This is a bold, bright blue with shimmer. It does have Julep’s signature blue-polish-smell to it which isn’t much fun but the color is absolutely gorgeous. I love to wear this on my toes and I do it so often that if I had a signature pedicure polish, this would be it.

August was a fun beauty month for me. I found a mascara that lasts all day without smudging but still washes away easily at night. I revisited a palette full of bright colors and created a lot of fun looks and even found some new combinations to wear. I also remembered just how much I love a nail polish color. Seriously, just seeing this fun blue on my toes all month brought a smile to my face!

What were your beauty favorites for August?

-Molly