12 for 2012: LIPSTICK WARDROBE's favourites!

It's probably late to blog about last year's favourite products, my apologies!
Twas so hard to narrow them down to just 12- hence the delay...

2012 was pretty hectic, and I'm glad it's finally over. Despite all that, one of past year's positive aspects was that I managed to discover some great beauty products which have already gained a "staple" value in my collection. Here they are!

Surprisingly, 9 out of 12 are makeup related-
gee, someone needs to experiment more with skincare, body and hair stuff!

Citrus colognes will always have a special place in my heart. I've now come to use one every single time after the shower for a quick pick-me-up; 4711 cologne has been my favourite. Since its scent dissipates within 20 minutes, it means I'm the only one who can enjoy it while people around me don't notice I smell like a 80-year-old grandma! lol

I've also discovered one of the very best city sunscreens in the market, the -wait for it- Clarins UV Plus HP Day Screen High Protection. Brilliant for oily skin, non-greasy, and packed with antioxidants. If only it was a bit cheaper... The Body Shop Vineyard Peach body butter* is one of my recent addictions. There, I sait it! Seriously, I'll cry when TBS decides to discontinue the Vineyard Peach range, it smells exactly like the real thing!

Now for the makeup bits! Maybelline Fit Me foundation and concealer* were the absolute winners of 2012 and I'll definitely repurchase both. The foundation's finish is fresh and dewy, and the concealer has that peach undertone that suits my complexion to a T. The brush that I apply my foundation with is the Art Deco duo fibre brush; I've had it for more than 3 years now and it looks as good as new, so it deserves its place in this list ;)

As for the blush in the photo above, it's none other than The Body Shop blush in Toast, a versatile matte peach/tan colour that can be paired with any lipstick/eyeshadow combo. But whad'ya know, it's been discontinued! *sob sob*

October '12 favourites.

Whoosh...
There goes October. One month closer to Christmas. Eeeek!

Judging from last month's favourites, my love for makeup has been officially revived; I've reached the point where BB cream+blush was simply not enough! Hence, the following good lot of makeup products. There's also a couple of hair treatments thrown in the mix, to go with my new ombre hair!

*** Don't ask: it was a fine experience overall-
still, the final outcome came out so natural that it barely looks any different =( ***

Alright, let's start with the makeup!

My lipstick of choice was the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine lipstick in Boy (click for review), its rosy colour is so appropriate for autumn days! But the ultimate stand-out was the new Maybelline Fit Me concealer*. Good coverage without being cakey, blends easily under the eyes and covers dark circles thanks to its slight orange undertones. I'm filing this under "products I would repurchase"!

I've also had a good use of the Mac Lingering brow pencil and I'm loving it to bits; brilliant waxy texture that helps to hold brow hairs into place! For my eyeshadows, I mostly used these few matte shades from the Body Shop in Vanilla Cream, Pink and Granite (click for review). Shimmer on the lids during dark and cloudy days can sometimes look a bit "off"! I'd much rather give some life to my face with a bright lip instead.

Which brings me to my quick fix...

September '12 favourites.

Oh man, I can't believe it's October already;
that means we're only 2 months away from Christmas time- the "C" word, damn!!!

September wasn't as exciting in regards to the "beauty front", hence the lack of cool and fancy products featuring on this post. Still, it all reflects my recent tendency to concentrate more on my skincare, along with opting for the "no makeup" makeup.

Starting with Clinique 3-Step, the past month's skincare entry:

These mini 30ml tubes lasted me for 4 weeks, used twice per day. Contrary to what I expected from the reviews I had read online, my personal experience with the 3-Step was positive overall: there's noticeably less acne and my pores have become smaller in size.
Now, I can understand why there's a lot of confusion/misconception about this trio, but the main thing to remember is to take it as a cleansing regime- not as a complete skincare routine. More about that on a separate review ;)

As for the makeup products I loved during September...

Exploring Greek brands: Radiant Blush Color

Here is part 4 from my dive into greek makeup products ;)
it's gonna be a rave review- boy, am I excited!

This is the second product I've tried from Radiant, as I was in need of another blush. The sales assistant showed me the brand's best-selling shades; this was one of them. Suffice to say, I love it- all the more so because it belongs within the colour family of Nars Douceur, and it's made in Greece!

Let's get on with the review:

If I'm correct, Radiant carries only one blush format. The one I picked out from their range is the No102-Apple Brown, a matte shade which I have serious trouble describing it properly! Let's call it a rosey tan shade that has ash-brown undertones: hopefully, you'll get a better idea of what it looks like from the photos below.

Admittedly, it looks pretty boring in the pan; however, when worn on the cheeks it translates into a natural shading effect that matches any eye/lip makeup, while it looks phenomenal for a warmer version of the "no makeup" look we're all after. I always blend it a little lower on my cheekbones, as it can also double up as a natural contour powder. Pigmentation is well above average, it definitely needs tapping off the brush before you apply it!

I was also fearing that since it's matte, it would feel powdery on the skin. I'm glad it's not the case: this blush falls under the "smooth and silky" category!

All in all, given that the second purchase from Radiant was a hit like the first one, it's a promising indicator that the brand has a consistent quality running through their products. Kudos to Radiant for their high standards!

If you enjoyed this post, you can also have a look at the previous articles I've wrote on greek makeup products:
The lip liners. Which one is the best?
Seventeen Silky Blusher
Erre Due Wet&Dry Sparkler for cheeks

Now, share your experience: have you tried any products from Radiant?
Which ones are your all-time favourites makeup products from greek brands?

Evi   xx

June '12 favourites.

I hope you're not sick of these monthly favourites posts yet;
as much as I'd love to prepare a "products I've used up" kind of thing, I don't seem to finish anything! Well, anything apart from deodorant, toothpaste and soaps- but that's not fun talking about in a beauty blog, now is it?

For the most part, June was a month of no-makeup days: once again, I felt the need to go as "natural" as possible and wear less makeup products. That, and the fact I didn't have the time or the energy to do more elaborate looks...

That's why this attitude is reflected to the products I used the most during past month:
it all came down to the ones that were quick and easy to apply, while looking effortless.

Kiehl's Lip Balm #1: my go-to lip balm during June; I had purchased it during my
Kiehl's skin consultation appointment, as the one I was using in the tube form is prone to melting under summer heat. You wouldn't believe how little I paid for this: €8 for 17gr of product, that's insane considering the Korres Jasmine lip butters are priced at around €6 for only 6gr! I've already documented my love affair with this lip balm, you can read the full review here

Elf Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Baby Lips: as you can see, it's on its last legs... This is pretty much a clear lip gloss that feels minty-tingly on the lips and is a pleasure to apply because of its foam applicator. I'm actually surprised this lipgloss by Elf made it to my favourites list with no Mac lipstick on the side! Read my full review on this product here

Garnier BB Cream, dark: this has saved me from looking somewhat ghostly whenever I mixed Strobe Cream with my foundation! A tiny blob of this baby and, tada- skintone went back to normal. I really love mixing the dark BB cream or the light version with my foundation, it makes me feel like a little makeup connoisseur that does things other than the norm... *

Max Factor Liquid Effect pencil: this is hands-down the best eye pencil I've tried so far. It's so creamy, so pigmented, sooo easy to smudge, and when it sets it acts as waterproof! This was part of the Max Factor makeup bag that Yiannis Marketakis personalised for each blogger over at Makeup Lab, and the one that impressed me the most. *
Note: Please let me know if you'd like me to make a post on the rest Max Factor makeup products I was given; I gotta admit, I always feel a bit "guilty" when I show off products that were given to me for free... But if any of you would be interested in these Max Factor goodies, leave me a comment and I'll make a separate post for you ;)

Radiant Blush Colour #102 Apple Brown: it seems odd I've been enjoying wearing this autumnal shade of blush during June- however, on days when the only products I had on my face were foundation and mascara, this blush colour made my cheeks look warmer, without looking fake like the rest of my bronzers do whenever I have no eye makeup on. Such a pleasant surprise by a product made in Greece, it definitely deserves its own post!

Mac Prep+Prime Highlighter, Radiant Rose: I tried layering it on the high points of my face over foundation, and I loved it! On retrospeck, the yellow version would suit me best- I blame all the Youtube gurus that went on and on about how "brightening" pink-toned concealers look under the eyes, and I got screwed... Nevertheless, it's a handy tool to give some dimension to the face without messing with contouring.

    Swatches of the Max Factor eye pencil, Radiant blush, Mac Prep+Prime Highlighter

That's pretty much everything I loved wearing during June! I know, they might not be as exciting as colourful eyeshadows or bright lipsticks- let's hope July will be all about coral lips and turquoise eyes ;)

Now, share your favourites with me: what have you been loving lately?
Do you have any experience with the Radiant makeup brand? Let me know!

* Products marked with a * were given to me for free. I'd rather mention it every single time I feature a free product- mind you, this is not a given these days... Sharing my honest and truthful thoughts on these products, I woudn't let it be any other way.

Evi   xx

Giorgio Armani Summer 2012 makeup collection +swatches!

Are you ready for some makeup eye candy?

During last month, I had a moment of courage: I pulled myself together, headed to high-end makeup counters, timidly took out my camera and started taking pics of makeup products and their swatches! In this case, it was the Giorgio Armani Summer 2012 makeup collection.

The things I do for this blog!
Thankfully, the GA sales assistant was ever so helpful and let me do all the swatching I needed- to be perfectly honest, the dropped-in "beauty blogger" identity helped as well! Anyway, I hope you'll find this post helpful, as I wouldn't want to think my embarrasment was in vain!

This summer's makeup collection by Giorgio Armani is inspired by the deep blue sea, where the warm hues of sunset like coral and orange disappear, and the only prevailing colours are cool-toned and aquatic. Now, turquoise/teal eyeshadow has been a massive summer makeup trend for the last couple of years; and I gotta admit, this is my favourite colour family for my eye makeup, as it makes brown eyes pop like no other combo!

Overall, I was wowed by the pigmentation of the new (and awesome!) Eyes to Kill eyeshadows. I've already promised to myself I'll be picking one up this summer! Hmmm, swatching this collection made me grow new lemmings- perhaps not a good idea after all...

And of course, the star product of this collection had me dreaming about it for a while! It's the LE eyeshadow palette I'm holding in the above pic: see the glowing mother-of-pearl detailing of the packaging? I'd die to get my hands on this stunner! It reminds me of those beautiful vintage Estee Lauder compacts you can now find on ebay, sigh... Only problem is, it's so damn expensive: I'm estimating it to be around €100- 'cause you know, mother-of-pearl ain't cheap...

Now, let's get on with the swatches:

This is what the LE mother-of-pearl eyeshadow palette looks like from the inside. No doubt, the colours seem gorgeous in the pan, but the swatches- dare I say a little less pigmented than one would expect? On the other hand, I'm guessing the well-off lady who would buy this palette would want nothing like a scary pigmented teal eyeshadow- but still...

Once again, these eyeshadows looks fairly sheer, though they come in a less expensive pricetag at around €50. I'm loving the colour combination in both palettes, plus it's always neat to have a 4 in 1 compact in your makeup bag, but, but... Dear Armani, I think something's missing on these!

Now, the Eyes to Kill eyeshadows, that's what I'm talking about! Look at that crazy pigmentation: bring-it-on, Giorgio!!! If you haven't yet tested these in store, please do! You'll be amazed by their texture, multi-dimensional colour and the amount of pigment that one single stripe carries. As for me, I've already made up my mind that I need one of these in my life.

Pretty, pigmented, non-sticky lipglosses of reliable GA quality. Nothing more to it. Admittedly, I'm biased against lipglosses: give me lipsticks any time!

I tried my best to take a good photo of this duo, but I failed! It does swatches sheer, though.

All in all, I think it's interesting that a summer makeup collection lacking of bronze tones can still look so appealing and promising! If you have brown eyes, embrace the turquoise trend and leave the copperish-bronze colours for blue-eyed girls.

I hope you took some valuable makeup inspiration from this post!
Which is your favourite product from this collection?

Evi   xx

My Spring/Summer wishlist: part 1

I'm still not over the fact we spent the Easter holidays with the worst possible weather ever!!! In an attempt to cheer up my mood, I decided to "think Spring" and start compiling lists of everything I'd like to own till warmer days arrive. (Can't help it really, it's the little list-making geek inside me that kicks in!)

Naturally, my first Spring/Summer wishlist is TBS-exclusive!
Old habits die hard...

1. Limited-Edition Summer Fragrances: Ahhh, they all sound lush: Love Etc... Sun Kiss holds a blend of jasmine and nectarine, Dreams Unlimited Sun Fresh contains notes of neroli blossom and watermelon, and White Musk Sun Glow blends together peony, peach and lemon. As with all perfumes from TBS, they come in a travel-friendly size and at a reasonable price. I think I'm gonna have a trouble picking just one!

2. Honey & Oat 3-in-1 Scrub Mask: ever since I saw that Bubzbeauty vid where Lindy said she used oatmeal alone to cleanse her face, I've been intrigued to try out this Honey & Oat multi-purpose mask. I bet it smells amazing, too!

3. Vit C Daily Moisturiser spf 30: after some recent tiny little moles that were brought up on my face, I realised that a mere spf 15 is not enough for everyday use under the mediterranean sun. Fingers crossed this Vit C moisturiser won't leave a white cast on my face like the Korres sunscreen did :(

4, 5. Shimmer Cubes #22-Green, #23-Purple: you know me, I love my Shimmer Cubes! These are the last ones I've yet to own...

6. Colourglide Shine Lip Colour: I have a feeling the Body Shop got it right this time! The previous Delipscious lipsticks were such a failure, I'm glad they were replaced by the Colourglide Shine range. You guessed it- I'm planning to get ALL shades as well!

7. Baked-to-Last Blush: I've been hunting this baby way before Christmas; thankfully, my blog-friend and fellow TBS-addict Mariza (<3 you girl!) informed me about a store that still stocks this blush, so now I'll have to get my butt over at Marousi area and finally purchase it!

I'll be posting a couple more wishlists with non-TBS items soon ;)
Will you be getting anything from the Body Shop for this summer?

Evi   xx

The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain

A girl asked me recently on Facebook about the Body Shop Lip&Cheek stain. It made me realise that, as much as I rave on and on about this little thing, I've never actually documented why I love it, or why I recommend it to everyone I know.

So here it is- a review on probably my favourite blush, ever!

The Body Shop Lip&Cheek stain has been around for years; it was one of the first items that drew my attention back in my early teens, along with a few other TBS classics like White Musk perfume and the delicious Strawberry shower gel.

Now, as far as originality goes, Benefit must have been the pioneer in cheek stains- according to Wikipedia, what we know as Benetint was first produced during 1976 and marketed as "Rose Tint", a nipple stain for an exotic dancer (!).
Urban myths aside, here's how I compare the two stains:

The Body Shop Lip&Cheek Stain          Benetint
affordable (€11)                                 expensive (€30-ish)
sophisticated enriched formula              dated formula, very few ingredients
100% cruelty free                                CONTAINS CARMINE!!!

[In case you didn't know, Carmine is derived by a chemical procedure that involves boiling dried insects (source). Sorry Benefit, I'm not the biggest animal rights advocate in the world, but applying crushed beetles on my cheeks feels wrong.]

This is why I'd advice you to skip the Benefit version and head for the Body Shop one!

Back to the actual product:

The rosy-red liquid looks transparent in the tube -see the above pic?-, it's also quite watery and runny. It's best to be applied after foundation, before powder and concealer. However, I've tried it under foundation and looks just like a natural healthy flush. It sets fairly quickly, so make sure you do one cheek at a time! Once it dries though, it fully absorbs on the skin to an almost waterproof stain that is going to last until you take off your makeup. I say "almost" because it depends on the foundation you're wearing underneath!

What you'll be left with is a gorgeous cool-toned rosy pink flush that looks so beautiful on olive/mediterranean skin colouring! You can obviously build up a second layer for an intense look- provided that the first layer has fully dried, otherwise you'll end up with a patchy mess. Also, keep in mind that it sets on the skin; that's why it's best for oily to combination skintypes that don't do well with cream blushes. If you have really dry skin, this product will most likely suck the life out of your face to an unflattering matte finish.

    Swatch, straight from the applicator

    Blended into a heavy layer

     Disadvantages:
* It's not the best product to use on your lips, as it tends to sit into fine lines.
  To be honest, all such stains do...
* Because of its watery consistency, it can dry out faster than you think!
  Make sure you close it tightly after each use and store it upside down.

As if you couldn't tell by now, I'm in love with the Body Shop Lip&Cheek stain! It's my pal, my "old faithful" during spring and summer season. The quality is fantastic, plus you can't beat its price! If cream blushes don't work with your skintype, go get it- no second thoughts!!! I vouch for it ;)

Disclaimer: I'm only raving about the Body Shop Lip&Cheek stain in the shade #01-Rose Pink. A second shade was launched 2-3 years ago (#02-Bronze Glimmer), but it's miles apart from the awesomeness!!! of the rosy stain.

I'd love to know your experiences with cheek stains- love them? hate them?
Have you tried the Body Shop Lip&Cheek Stain?

Evi   xx

Tiny Elf giveaway!

As promised, here's my little giveaway on some of my favourite products from Elf!

The winner will receive the 3 items shown in my previous top 3 Elf products post:
- a Luscious Liquid lipstick in "Baby Lips"
- a Natural Radiance blusher in "Shy", and
- an empty eyeshadow palette.

As always, the "rules" are dead simple:

* You have to be a follower of my blog through GFC. I hope you understand that this giveaway is open to my readers only. If you've not yet followed my blog, it's easy! Just click the "Join this site" button on the right column!
* Leave me a comment on this post with your GFC name (the name you're following my blog) and your email address, so I can contact you in case you win. And, that's it!

The giveaway is open internationally until the 14th of March;
then I'll pick a random winner through randomizer.org

Good luck to everyone who enters this giveaway!

Evi   xx

My TOP 3: Elf products, part 1

Hello my lovelies! How you've been?

I decided to start a new top 3 series, where each time I'll be displaying three of my most loved makeup products from every brand or product category.

In this case, I'm going to show you my favourite Elf products from their dirt-cheap "Essentials" range. Out of the 10 Elf products in this price tag that I've tried so far, these 3 are the only ones I would 100% recommend to anyone!



#3: Luscious Liquid Lipstick, shade "Baby Lips"
We all keep in our makeup bag a sheer gloss with the sole purpose of layering it on top of less shiny lipsticks. This gloss does just that, but it does so in a lovely way: it's not sticky, the unique sponge applicator feels so nice on the lips, while the mild mint tingling is actally fun! You can't go wrong with this, as long as you keep in mind it's not the most pigmented lipgloss Elf makes. Full review here

#2: Natural Radiance Blusher, shade "Shy"
When it comes to cheap blushes, it's easy for makeup companies to come up with shimmery versions of pinks, peaches and bronzes. But what about matte shades? Shy blush swatches as a matte, baby pink shade that flatters all skintones and is particularly guy-friendly, guaranteed! I haven't yet found a similar blush shade by other affordable makeup brands; so for that alone, Shy is a great introduction to matte baby pink blushes without spending much. Full review here

#1: Empty eyeshadow palette
I absolutely love these! You can utilize them in so many ways: put all your eyeshadow pans in one place, create a quad for travelling, melt lipsticks, press your own eyeshadows- or you can even remove the plastic divider to fit eyeshadows with different pan shapes! This is a must-have Elf product, I can assure you it's adequately sturdy for the price. The only downside is that it's not magnetic, but who cares? See how I organised 2 palettes here and how I depotted my eyeshadows here

A last note on Elf cosmetics:
Now that it's been a year since my first Elf purchase, I noticed that some of the products I ordered at the time have started to harden- which is an indication they may have been expired. So keep that in mind during your next Elf order- shop wisely and enjoy wearing the products while they're still new!

Have you tried these Elf products?
What would be your top 3 out of the "Essentials" range?

Evi   xx

Post-Christmas sale makeup haul

What a girl's gotta do when there's sales going on by one of her favourite makeup brands?

She shops and saves money at the same time!

That's right- when I was informed that there would be a 20% off purchases at the Body Shop, naturally I couldn't let that opportunity fly by!

Here's what I got:

      Baked-Eye-Colour in 01-Copper, 08-Amethyst 

Two more baked eyeshadows from the Body Shop's Baked-To-Last range. I specifically went through every compact to find the ones with the prettiest "marbling"- if that's a term, but you know what I mean ;)

To those saying these eyeshadows lack pigmentation: since they come in a different formula than your regular pressed eyeshadows, you can't really expect them to perform the same way. After a lot of practices, I came to the conclusion they perform their best when applied on top of a dark creamy base, or even better when both coordinating shades are layered on top of each other- and I mean lots of layers!

Also, for maximum pigment pay-off, baked eyeshadows can be safely used wet without worrying they'll be ruined.

Repurchased my precious! Lip&Cheek stain, as shown in my previous post. Bought two blushes with matte finish, as my makeup collection is lacking in matte blushes and the ones by Tarte are so hard to find- boo!!! The first one is by greek drugstore brand Radiant in #102-Apple Brown; the sales assistant assured me it's the best blush Radiant has to offer, we'll see if it lives up to her claims! On the right is Blush #09-Toast  from the Body Shop; it's a pretty natural-looking peachy shade, which I know I'm going to use a lot ;)

And for a bit of skincare: more Apivita mask sachets and two tinted lip balms, cause I can never have enough: one is by Apivita, and the other is a repurchase of one of my favourite lip butters by Korres ;)

Anything you shopped recently?
What's on your wishlist? Do share!

Evi   xx

January '12 favourites.

Could I ever start this post with the common "once again, this past month flew by so quickly" without repeating myself?
Probably not, but it's true!

Nevertheless, I'm not really complaining: the weather got so chilly and wintery, which meant I was finally able to wear a bright red lip without feeling out-of-place ;)

During January, I got reunited with one of my favourite blushes ever-
the Body Shop's lip&cheek stain! This is a repurchase, so that goes to show you how much I love it... It's my #1 choice for that "no makeup" makeup, looks so great on Mediterranean/olive skin, gahhh I could rave about this beauty non-stop! I also made good use of Russian Red by Mac, which I wore as a stain both on lips and cheeks.

As I've grown tired of wearing the usual suspects on my eyes -black pencil, black liquid liner-, it was about time I switched it up a bit with these 2 brown liners from the Body Shop. The Liquid Eyeliner, I love- it swatches as dark as I want it and goes on matte. The Carbon Eye Definer, I'm not so crazy about- there's something about its formula that just doesn't cut it for me, though I can't define it yet :/

   Swatches, with sunlight

   With flash

Aaand let us not forget these cute H&M nail polishes! I wore both two colours in alternation, with Rust being my absolute favourite. Now I must confess, I never expected to admit it as I'm not that drawn to nail polish in general but, damn: 7 ml is too little for a colour you simply adore...

So, that's it for me!
What have you been loving during January?

Evi   xx

High-end blush recommendations, pretty please?

My lovelies, I need your help...

Now that I've treated myself with the purchases of those cult high-end makeup products Chanel Bronze Universel and Dior Amber Diamond, I was thinking it was about time I got my hands on a high-end blush, as well ;)

I first decided on a cream blush as I don't own any yet; naturally, the Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge was the first that came to mind, though after a little online browsing I got disillusioned: the wicked brains behind Bobbi Brown decided to discontinue all Pot Rouges! How swell! Second candidate is the infamous Illamasqua Rude cream blush; absolutely love its colour, hate that it's so hard to get online! Ugh... Do let me know if you happen to know any online stockists cause Ebay is currently not an option!

There's also the cream/liquid hybrid blush that is best portrayed in Daniel Sandler Watercolour blush and MUFE HD blush. I'm still unsure if Daniel Sandler's version can be classified as high-end, but whatever; the shipping to Greece will make for a high-end price! As for the MUFE HD blush, I like its concept but... For some inexplicable reason, I detest its packaging! That alone can keep me miles away from makeup products :P

Then there's always the powder blushes and the Masters of the genre: Nars Orgasm and Benefit Coralista. Both blushes are ever so high on my imaginary wishlist but seriously now, how many pink-with-gold-shimmer blushes a girl can have?

The last couple of candidates are from two brands I've looked up online the least, Tarte and Cargo: the Tarte Amazonian Clay blushes have recently been all over Youtube and beauty blogs, so there must be a good reason for all this buzz; the Cargo blushes stand out because of their simple (but different) silver packaging, while all reviews I've come across are 100% rave. However, both products are only available online, so I can't verify their swatches first-hand :(

Guys, I need your feedback on this one!
If you could recommend me only one from the products featured above, what would it be?
Also, if you own any of these, do let me know what you think of them. I value your opinion and will surely take it into consideration!

Thank you in advance ;)

Evi   xx

December 2011 favourites!

December was a month of rediscovering some long forgotten makeup products that I'd left unused for quite some time- or rather "shopping my stash", to quote Lollipop26 ;)

Guilts (of owning too much makeup) aside, I very much enjoyed this whole process of going through my collection, swatching this and that, and picking up a few products to add them to my everyday makeup basket! It almost felt as if I was in a cosmetics store shopping for new makeup acquisitions... But I digress.

Having a pink kick lately, no doubt!
This is the 4th customised Elf palette that I've filled with eyeshadows from the Body Shop- can't stress enough how much I love these! Wearing pink eyeshadow still feels a bit uncomfortable (wouldn't want to look like "girly girl" any time soon) but I'm getting there! Another rediscovery during past month was the pink Shimmer Waves compact by TBS; I've been loving to wear it as a highlighter or on its own, its shimmer is so fine and non obtrusive. Yet another underestimated product by the Body Shop!

I also got one step closer to the perfect lip combo for smokey eyes:
Mac Creme d' Nude lipstick topped with Au Naturale mineral lipgloss by Elf. To me, Creme d' Nude screams to be worn with lipgloss on top; this lipglass clone by Elf warms it up and gives it some dimension. Now I need a coordinating lip liner for some definition, recommendations are welcome ;)

Skincare wise, I've been wearing the Garnier BB cream* almost daily- given that it provides very low coverage and my skin is far from being flawless, I'm surprised that I've been opting for this one instead of my usual liquid foundation. Hmm, that's clearly an indicator to get a new one! The Aloe night cream by TBS healed my skin from some dry patches- finally, thank God! Now I'm thinking of purchasing the Aloe moisturiser with SPF to wear during the day.

I'll end this post with my boyfriend's gift for Christmas- a white gold necklace that can be worn in two ways. I like it, I'll wear it, I'm so grateful for Kostis who's spoiling me like this, but... I wish it was something I had chosen myself. Is it lame to ask him for a specific jewelry piece on my birthday in March? Answer me with a "no", please!

*Edit: forgot to mention the Garnier BB cream was sent to me for free. Oops!

So, what have you been loving during December?
It could be anything, be random!

Evi   xx