There was a high chance I wasn’t going to get this out in time for December considering how tardy I’ve been with the last few monthly love lists, but I made it…just! This month is quite make-up heavy, because I’ve been enjoying wearing quite toned down make-up recently; mainly because my skin has finally started showing signs of easing up (more of that in an upcoming post) so I haven’t felt the need to overcompensate with eye make-up to try and distract from my spottiness, but also because it’s the end of year and…well…I just couldn’t be arsed really 🙂 So here are my favourite items for December, all of which will get their own review shortly:
As is usually the case with me, I have several mascaras on the go at any one time, so the one that I keep going back to without thinking about it is the one that is going to stand out. This mascara is 98% natural and contains skin friendly ingredients that nourish the lashes. However, that would all mean nothing if the mascara didn’t perform well, but this is a fantastic product that delivers both volume and length without a hint of clumping. I’ll upload pictures soon of it on the eyes, but it’s definitely a mascara that I’m really enjoying using at the moment, priced at £14.35.
This arrives in a gorgeous velvet pouch and for the first couple of weeks I was removing it from the pouch, removing the brush and insert (not pictured) and using it before putting it all back together again (and then back into its box) because I was sooo charmed by the packaging. I’ve now settled down a bit and have it out on my dressing table, but isn’t the packaging gorgeous? Again, another element that wouldn’t matter if the product itself didn’t deliver, but this is the perfect ‘touch of pink’ for wintery days and nights as it adds a soft, warm glow without looking streaky. It isn’t cheap at £43.50, but you get a good sized product plus beautiful packaging to go with it. I’ll be doing a Sisley FOTD soon so you can get an idea of what the blush looks like on.
I had absolutely no idea there was anything more than the standard and sensitive brush heads available for the Clarisonic, but it turns out there’s loads! As soon as I found out about the acne version I headed over to eBay to order myself one and see what it was like, and my skin is absolutely loving it. It’s gentle but firm, deeply cleanses without stripping and leaves my skin feeling just right. There doesn’t seem to be a main stockist of it in the UK (that I can find) so I’ve included a link to the eBay shop I purchased mine from for £20 all in. It’s worth noting that I purchased it “unboxed” (cheaper, innit) which means it comes in sealed plastic wrapping. I’m mentioning this because I was a bit worried it would come loose which would’ve been quite unhygienic, but thankfully it doesn’t.
I first used this just before I went away and thought it was amazing then, but after I returned from my holidays with a hint of a tan (it really was just a hint, sadly) I figured it would be too pale for me and forgot all about it until a couple of months ago, and I’ve been using it ever since. I really love foundations that contain skincare like this one, and to be honest I’ve been delaying reviewing it because I’ve had spots and I didn’t think the images would do it justice, but that’ll (hopefully) change soon so expect a full review shortly. This is one of those foundations that does it all, it keeps grease at bay, doesn’t hug any dry bits, leaves skin looking smooth and radiant and flatters like you would not believe. I’m really looking forward to showing you it soon, but it would’ve felt wrong not including it in my monthly love list. It isn’t cheap at £55, but a little goes a really, really long way.
Waaaaay back when during the Christmas in July events, I saw this palette and instantly fell in love with the rich, dark shades that I knew would suit me to a tea. Thankfully, I’m pleased to report that the palette lived up to my expectations and delivers brilliant shades with a great colour payoff, yet they are so blendable that you can achieve a smoky eye quickly and easily just with the one palette. For me, the star of the palette is the matte black shadow which I’ve been using as an eyeliner with a dense, angled liner brush which results in striking yet natural definition which can be blended brilliantly. This is another daily feature in my make-up routine; if I really can’t face doing much make-up then a line of the black followed by a coat of mascara is all I need. The Boots website is down at the time of writing, but I believe this is around a tenner.
I must say, I’ve really enjoyed the restful few days I’ve had (lulling around in bed, no MA, no blog) but I’m glad to be back to blogging as I fear I may be addicted to talking about make-up. In the next few days I’ll be listing my favourite 2012 products. I’m now off to bed to watch more rubbish television…
