January Favourites

The first month of the 2016 is finally over! January always seems to be a slow one and a month most of us want to see the back of! Nevertheless this month brought some new beauty bits my way and some rediscoveries that made January go a little smoother! Before I get started on sharing my most loved pieces from the month, I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who shared the love on my 6 blogging anniversary post, it really meant a lot 🙂

Starting off with two palette favourites! First one up is an exciting new addition to my eyeshadow collection, the Tartelette in Bloom palette. I have the original palette which I am still needing more wear out of but as soon as I seen this I knew I needed it in my life! The outer packaging firstly is just so beautiful and the gold with pink/purple floral design is just so pretty! The inside contents obviously matters most and it doesn’t disappoint! The warm shade range is perfect and there is some real stand outs amongst the bunch especially the bronze shimmer shade which is so pigmented! All of the shadows are super buttery and most have great pigmentation! Look out for a more detailed look at this palette later 🙂 The other one is no surprise seeing as it was mentioned in my Charlotte Tilbury post. The gorgeous Filmstar Bronze and Glow palette is so beautiful for faking the most perfect cheekbones! The powders are super fine and blend like a dream! The shades are also such a perfect match for my skin! Love, love love!

I also mentioned picking up a few new bits from Illamasqua this month so it wasn’t surprising to see one of those included in my favourites. I have been constantly reaching for the Katie/Ambition Blush Duo this month to help add a little colour to my cheeks. The two shades are highly pigmented and so require a light hand but add a gorgeous flush of colour and sit nicely on the skin!

I may be the biggest idiot ever having photographed two lipsticks in this post which look pretty damn similar and I have no idea what they are! I basically jumped on the nude lips thing (not that I didn’t dig it before cause I did!) and got a little spendy at Mac. One of which I know for sure is Mac Faux which is a satin finish. The satin formula is my favourite and is super creamy but has a near matte look. The shade is a perfect mauve colour and great for everyday wear. Now the other shade in question, I really am not sure! It is either Mac Mehr or Mac Velvet Teddy! I am edging on the Velvet Teddy side of things since it is new in for me this month. Again this is a cult shade and in a matte formula but still remains comfortable to wear without feeling drying. The shade is more brown toned than pink which is a little different for me but I do really like this one!

Lastly, I have two skincare picks! I can’t be the only one suffering from the winter weather causing havoc with my skin. It’s cold outside but too warm inside that I need to constantly give my skin some hydration! The first pick has been something I’ve reached for a lot over the month to really refresh my skin. It is The Body Shop Vitamin E Face Mist, essentially what it says on the tube. It has a rose scent which I am not particular a big fan of but I can overlook it for the hydration it provides. Another hydrating product which has came in handy is the Aesop Hand cream which has been the perfect pick me up to treat my hands at night. The citrus scent is lovely and really makes my hands feel refreshed and super soft!

What have you been loving this month?

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Illamasqua Haul

When it comes to Boxing Day/January sales, Illamasqua always have a pretty impressive selection on sale and one of the best offerings out there during the sales. This year was no different and of course in no time I was back on that Illamasqua website searching for the best bargains. I picked up a few products all of which were at least 50% off  with a couple in the 60% off bracket! So if you were left a little disappointed regarding the post-Christmas sales this year then Illamasqua is the your best bet for a pretty darn good beauty bargain!

The first thing I picked up is one of the powder blusher duos in the shades Katie and Ambition. I am already a big fan of the Illamasqua blushers with a couple in my stash that I regularly use although this was my first time trying the powder formula. Both shades are super pigmented and require a light hand when applying. The formula is quite powdery but not overly so that it appears on the skin. The shade Katie is a pretty soft matte blue toned pink which does remind me a little of Benefit Dandelion. Ambition is a shimmery neutral pink which isn’t too far off Nars Orgasm. This neat little compact also only set me back a very decent £10.20 rather than the usual £22.50 price tag.

Another super bargain I got my hands on was one of their Matte Lip Liquids in the shade Surrender. I think 2016 will become the year I get totally hooked on liquid lipsticks. I am currently on the hunt to try out pretty much every liquid lipstick on the market so I couldn’t turn this sweet deal down! From £18.50 down to £7 it was no surprise I had this on my radar. I haven’t actually tried this shade out yet but it is a gorgeous peachy pink colour that will look beautiful come Summer!

An Illamasqua product I had wanted to try for a while is their Vintage Metallix eyeshadows. I was pretty happy to see a couple of shades reduced down to £8.50 so I picked up the very pretty Courtier shade. Courtier is a gorgeous creamy beige-y nude shade with shimmer running through it so it makes a pretty nice base for other eyeshadows or all over the lid itself for a simple but pretty look.

Lastly, I have heard a lot about Illamasqua lipsticks but I wasn’t particularity sure where to start! With a little selection of lipsticks half price, I had to pick one up! I finally picked one of their Glamore Satin lipsticks in the shade Soaked, a gorgeous bright orange-y red. Last Summer I became a little obsessed with this colour as it just adds a more summery vibe to a basic red so I can’t wait to crack this one out come the warmer months. Again I haven’t tried this yet but I am sure I will update you later on this one!

Are you a fan of Illamasqua? 

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