January Favourites

Ok, so I'm aware that my January favourites are a little on the late side, but I've been so excited to  share these products that I thought I'd rather write this post a little late than not at all. January was quite a busy month for me, and has been as up and down as the banks of the Thames. For starters, I passed my driving test! First attempt, I might add! :) It's something I'm immensely proud of, and I'm so glad that it's now ticked off my to do list. However, due to the diabolical weather conditions, I've not been able to do much driving with my shiny new licence, and on top of that we've been treated to power cuts and floods all over the place. As a result, most of the back end of the month was spend literally holding down the fort through fear that it might blow away, and, the icing on the miserable cake, I had a stinker of a cold. Things are finally starting to resemble normality here, however, despite the fact that one more inch of rain will mean I may have to swim to work. And although I cannot wait to see the back of this abysmal weather, here are a few of the beauty products that I'm happy to have stick around.

Liz Earle//Blend & Contour Brush

I discovered Liz Earle's Colour collection at the end of last year, and as a result, this little blending dream crept into my brush collection. It's quite a long, tapered brush with a definite point to it, which I find absolutely amazing for blending eyeshadow on my slightly hooded eyes. You literally place the tip in your socket and move it backwards and forwards - no skill required - and you're left with perfectly blended shadows. It's revolutionised the way I apply my make up, so much so that I actually struggle to use my old blending brushes now without making a terrible mess of things. I'm not a huge fan of the clear handles, I feel it's more childish than stylish, but I can definitely deal with the less than pleasing aesthetic when the results are so good!

MAC//Mulch Eyeshadow

Ever a lover of MAC eyeshadows, I've been pining after this particular colour for a while. I finally caved and added it to my collection last month, and I was right to want it so badly. A dark shimmery reddish brown, it looks fantastic on blue eyes. I've been loving coupling it with MACs Patina, (the pair blend together seamlessly) blending it through my crease for a beautifully smoky daytime look. 

Jo Malone//Pomegranate Noir

This beautiful fragrance was a Christmas present, and let me tell you, I cannot get enough of it. Fruity and quite spicy at the same time, it has that perfect rich wintery undertone, whilst still packing that delicious juicy punch.

Soap & Glory//Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick in Nudist

I've never been one for nude lips, and I think I'm only just realising that this is because I hadn't yet found the right nude colour for me. That is, until now! I've recently dipped my toes into the realms of Soap & Glory makeup, and found rather a few gems, but this gloss stick is by far my favourite. Quite a pinky nude with a beautiful shine,  this glossy pencil is the perfect 'your lips but better' shade for me.

Maybelline//Dream Touch Blush in 07 Plum

Now, I don't usually go for pink on my cheeks, but I've been having a bit of a moment with this blush over the past month. I love the texture of the Maybelline mousses, and I'm a massive fan of this blush's peach counterpart, which I reviewed last summer. These blushes have quite a bit of sheen to them, making them the perfect pick me up in these dreary Winter months. Didn't want my complexion to mirror the dullness of my mood now, did I?

Fresh//Sugar Coral Tinted Lip Treatment SPF 15

I often suffer from awfully dry lips, and am constantly searching for the best products for keeping them soft and supple. This beautiful balm has done an amazing job of keeping my parched peckers in ship shape this winter. Not only that, it's the most wonderful coral shade which is a lot more than just 'tinted', like a lot of the sheer lip treatments on offer. Although not as long lasting, it's as pigmented as lipstick, and I love wearing it as one when I want that pop of colour, but my lips are feeling oh so dry. This product comes in quite a range of colours, so I'm absolutely going to be expanding my collection. Plus, it has an SPF of 15 built in: always a bonus in my mind. 

L'Oreal Paris//Black Laquer Super Liner

Eyeliner is definitely not my forte. I can never get a straight line, I always end up messing something up and don't even get me started on feline flicks. As a result, I've always got my badly lined eyes peeled for a product that's really easy to use, as well as being really pigmented and having some stick. This month I found it, in the form of L'Oreal's Black Laquer Super Liner. It's got a very narrow sponge applicator which, as well as being fine, is quite sturdy, making it so easy to use. It dries to a kind of vinyl finish, which I love, and it's made my make up routine just that little bit easier this January. 

NARS//Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

I used to use Urban Decay Primer Potion religiously, but when mine ran out, I fancied a bit of a change, and I'm really loving the alternative I chose. I found that the Urban Decay primer left my lids looking a bit dry and patchy as I got through more and more of the product, but I haven't had that issue with NARS (yet - it is still early days). Additionally, my eyeshadows blend a lot better on top of this product, and I love the doe foot applicator, as I find it very difficult to waste product this way. So far it's a winner in my books.

What were your favourite products this January? Were you loving any of the same things that I was? Let me know!

S.

Read More

Singapore Spree: Sephora Haul

Due to some kind of colossal oversight, there are no Sephora's in England. Tragic but true. So, whenever I go on holiday, I make a point of seeking out the mothership and going a little crazy with my credit card. Some might call it unnecessary, but hey, if you can't splurge on holiday, when can you, eh? Naively, I thought that the store was more a western thing, but on my recent trip to Singapore, I saw them dotted around all over the place! Needless to say, I returned to England with a severely depleted bank balance, and beauty products coming out my ears. As excited as a kid at Christmas to have a play around with all my new purchases, I couldn't wait to share them with you either. So, here is a summary of all the cosmetic treats I picked up.

Firstly, I'll tell you about what is arguably my favourite buy: Fishwife by Butter London. I've been lusting after this beauty for rather a while now, so you can imagine my squeal of delight when I saw it perched atop the Butter London display. Unavailable in the UK for reasons I can't quite fathom, this is possibly the most beautiful polish I've ever owned. A stunning holographic sea foam green with flecks of gold and all sorts in it, I have worn this solidly for about 3 weeks now. It also seems to be immune to chipping and is so easy to apply - the Wonder Woman of the nail varnish world! I'll do a full review on this at a later date, but it's definitely replaced my previous favourite, Fiver, at the top of the nail art hierarchy.

The other contender for favourite purchase is a Too Faced palette, aptly named Pretty Rebel. It is packed with some magnificent metallic shades, perfect for either dolled up or grunged down looks, as well as a couple of matte neutral shades, one of which has become a staple part of my everyday make up, and a questionable pink shade. Not sure why they thought that was a good idea, but hey, I'll try anything once. I've never bought anything from Too Faced, so I wasn't really sure what to expect, but the palette is very similar in quality, design and pigmentation to it's Urban Decay counterparts. I actually only got it because of one magnificent shade, Girly, which is an iridescent brown with shots of green in it. I spent a long while umming and ahhing about whether it was a good idea to spend a considerable amount of money for 10 shadows when I only really wanted one of them. I'm so glad I took the plunge though, because I absolutely love it! Again, I will do a more detailed post on this wonderful palette another day. It's just so much fun to play around with!

Sorry about the photo quality! I have yet to find anywhere in my house where the lighting is decent enough to get a good photo!

Next on my list are the Fresh Sugar Advanced Therapy Lip Treatment, and the standard Tinted Lip Treatment in the shade, Coral. I love these products, and have been wanting to replenish my dwindling collection for a while now, so of course I had to pick up a couple! I had never tried the Advanced Therapy product before, but I have to say, it has worked wonders on my dry, flaky lips as an overnight treatment. As for the Coral Lip Treatment, the colour pay off is fantastic for a tinted balm, and, as always, I love that it contains SPF 15.

I then got the Bliss FatGirlSlim Skin Firming Cream. A while ago, my friend recommended this to me, along with it's partner product, FatGirlSleep, as one of the best anti-cellulite products she had ever tried. Cellulite is one of my biggest insecurities, so I was really keen to give it a go! Now, I know that it is no substitute for a balanced diet and good old fashioned exercise, but sometimes it's nice to have that extra kick of confidence that a caffeine based product like this one can give, be it on a night out, or a special occasion, when you're desperate to wear that new skirt, but are worried about the dreaded orange peel. I didn't get both products, as it is quite a lot of money to part with for a product that I had never tried before, plus, I had a weight allowance to worry about. So far, I'm really getting on with it though. Although not drastic, I can see a difference when I've put it on, and, weird as it sounds, it's one of those products that you can feel working, which I really like. I think I'll give FatGirlSleep a try at some point soon. Maybe when my bank balance has had a little more time to recuperate.

The next was a bit of an impulse buy. I hate it when they put stuff near the tills. Disaster waiting to happen! It's a Philosophy Lip Shine in the flavour, Melon Daiquiri, and as well as providing a beautiful peachy shimmer for the lips, it's delicious!! I can see myself reapplying this rather too often on the days I miss lunch. Yum!

I also bought a NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in the shade, Cashmere. If I'm being perfectly honest, I only bought this because I have never owned an NYX product, as they aren't readily available in the UK, and I wasn't going to leave having not bought something from the brand. But actually, I'm loving this pencil! It's been getting most of its use as an inner corner highlighter, but I really like it as an eyeshadow base or on its own, scribbled across my lids. It's a really beautiful pale gold colour, and it only cost S$9! (£4.50) Such a steal! I'm really glad I picked this up.

Finally, I got myself a travel brush set. I'm a firm believer that you can never have too many brushes. I really like the Sephora brush collection, but can't get past how long the handles are. Honestly, they're like chopsticks for giants. Can't be working with those. But the travel sets are a much better size, easy to travel with (clearly), as well as being quite a lot cheaper. I got the Face and Eye Travel Tool Kit, and I've gotten quite a lot of use out of them already.

I also got a couple of things in duty free on the way there, the first being Benefit's Porefessional. Now, I'll be honest, I heard rave reviews about this product, and although it does happen on occasion (cough cough, Philosophy Lip Gloss), I rarely buy something unless I'm pretty sure I'm going to like it. But I used this primer for the two weeks that I was away, and it didn't really do it for me. I don't know whether it's aimed at more oily skin, but it didn't really minimise my pores at all, although it did make my skin look a bit smoother. As for staying power, it was OK, but nothing amazing. Granted, it might have has something to do with the humidity and heat of Singapore, so I'm going to give it a second chance now that I'm home, but honestly, I'm not holding out much hope for this one. It's such a shame, because I was really excited about this product. I'll just stick to my trusty bareMinerals Prime Time from now on I think.

Last, but not least, I bought the essential duty free purchase, a new perfume! It's Daisy Sunshine by Marc Jacobs. A deliciously fruity scent, I knew I had to have it the moment my nose caught a whiff. I'm not too enamoured with the somewhat garish bottle, much preferring the more subtle original version, but with a smell this delectable, who really cares. I only wish that I could have found a 100ml size.

So there you have it, my Sephora haul. It's quite a long post, but then again, I bought quite a lot of stuff! And, let's be serious, when do I ever manage to write short blog posts? Condensed is not my thing, and for that, I can only apologise.

Do you have any of the products I have recently purchased? What do you think of them? Like me, do you suffer from a distinct lack of Sephora's near you? Let me know!

S.

Read More