Current Favourites

I haven't done a proper favourites post in a very long time, probably because my favourites don't tend to change all that much. Both the RBR Murmurings lipstick and GOSH Truly Brown liner have been mentioned so many times on here, that I fear you may all get fed up with me banging on about them. At the moment I'm in a bit of a makeup funk and keep forgetting to put any on. I'm not entirely sure what's the matter with me, to (mis) quote an online friend, I think the cheese has fallen off my cracker somewhat. Whilst I've been having my little makeup moody, I've become quite reliant on the items below to put on a face without having to put any thought into it.

From top left, clockwise: RBR Gracilis blusher, NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base, RBR Time Defying Foundation in Linen Cream, Lancome La Vie est Belle, Ellis Faas S202 concealer, GOSH Truly Brown eyeliner, RBR Murmurings, RBR Blusher Brush and NARS Smudge Brush (#15).

RBR Gracilis blusher* - this is a fairly recent addition to my collection but it's a colour I've been interested for a while. I worried that it might be too cool or pale for me based on swatch research but it's actually the perfect flush of pink. Although I tend to gravitate to more beige pinks, I find Gracilis is very good at instantly brightening my face and making me look less miserable! I have taken some comparison swatches which I will share in another post.

NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base - I repurchased Too Faced Shadow Insurance several months ago and I'm not sure whether the formula has changed but I found the new tube just didn't work for me. The formula feels too wet and it didn't prevent creasing. I decided to give the NARS Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base a try based on both Visionary Beauty and Musing on Beauty's recommendation. Because I've not been wearing eyeshadow everyday, I haven't put it through it's paces sufficiently for a review but I have been very pleased with it so far.

RBR Time Defying Foundation in Linen Cream* - I'm close to finishing this sample pot of foundation and I have been reaching for it every time I do my face, instead of my usual tinted moisturisers. It has a heavier coverage than I normally wear but you can still my freckles so I wouldn't personally describe it as full coverage. Despite how it looks in the pot, this foundation is a touch lighter and pinker than the skin on my face but I think the depth of colour matches my neck better than my other bases. Particularly as my skin is at its palest at the moment.

I find the finish of this foundation is totally dependent on how my skin feels when I apply it. If I apply to primed or dry (i.e. not pre-moisturised) skin, it gives as semi-matte finish and has a satin-y feel to the touch. However, if I apply to skin that has a film of moisturiser, I find I get a more dewy finish and I do experience a bit of oil break-through on my T-zone later in the day. Unlike the Milk Aquarelle foundation, the Time Defying Foundation doesn't settle into my pores

Ellis Faas S202 concealer - I really like using this for concealing my undereye area and the redness around my nose and I find the coverage lasts quite well. Unlike some of the other Ellis Faas pens, it's not hard to prime. Asthetically speaking, the splaying of the brush bristles is rather annoying.

GOSH Truly Brown Velvet Touch eyeliner and NARS Smudge Brush (#15) - I've put these two items together as my favourite thing to do at the moment is apply the liner in a heavy line and then smudge with the NARS brush. I really like the definition it gives to my lash line. The NARS brush is firm enough to smudge well but the hairs are soft enough not to irritate my sensitive eyes.

RBR Murmurings sheer lipstick - I've said plenty about this lipstick before so I won't repeat myself except to say that I love this lipstick for both the colour and the moisturising feel. It's perfect for this time of year.
 
Lancome La Vie est Belle Perfume* - I love the smell of this Lancome fragrance. It has a sweet, slightly gourmand note to it and wearing it always cheers me up.

Lanolips Lip Ointment in Rose - On days when I haven't bothered with any makeup, I wear Rose to keep my lips moisturised. It doesn't add any colour to my lips particularly but it does give them a nice sophisticated shine.

a design Flat Topped Foundation Brush* - Although I still frequently apply foundation and tinted moisturiser with my fingers, I find buffing in foundation with this brush makes for a speedy application. It also gives a polished finish. The only negative is washing it can be quite a chore.

Left to right: Ellis Faas S202, RBR TD Foundation in Linen Cream, GOSH Truly Brown, RBR Murmurings and RBR Gracilis

Here's how it all looks applied. I did add a touch of Burberry Rosewood eyeshadow to the mobile lid but the hooding of my lids has obscured this.

What products do you turn to when you're in a makeup funk?

* Press samples are indicated with an asterisk

Brown Pencil Liner Comparison

Along with my interest in taupe eyeshadows and MLBB lipsticks, I seem to have a fairly healthy collection of brown pencil liners. I've never swatched them all side by side, probably for fear of spotting dupes. Thankfully there doesn't seem to be too much overlap but I'm sure I could probably get away with two or three, rather than five.

The pencils that I have are: MAC Teddy Eye Kohl, Rouge Bunny Rouge Lola Long-lasting Eye Pencil, BECCA Goa Automatic Eye Liner*, GOSH Truly Brown Velvet Touch Eyeliner and Ben Nye Espresso Eye Liner Pencil.

I have mixed feelings about the automatic pencil liners. The formulas are very long lasting, the RBR Lola swatch in particular lasted more than 24 hours on my arm, but it can be tricky to apply a thin line with this type of pencil. The BECCA liner comes with a little sharpener but the RBR does not.

Both the Ben Nye and MAC pencils do not set particular and it's easy to smudge them if you prefer a diffuse line. Although I like the dark colour of the Ben Nye Espresso, I do find it will migrate around the outer corners of my eye as the day wears on. I tend to favour waterproof formulas for this reason. The BECCA, RBR and GOSH pencils all set quite quickly once they are applied. There is a very (very) small window of time in which you can smudge the RBR and BECCA pencils, you have a little more time with the GOSH formula.

Truly Brown and Espresso are both dark browns with no shimmer. I would say that Espresso is the darkest and most cool toned of all my brown pencils. Goa is the lightest, it does have some bronze shimmer that isn't obvious in this swatch but you can see it in my previous review here.

Teddy and Lola are the most similar of all these pencils, both are rich chocolatey browns packed with bronze shimmer. In terms of colour, I think I prefer Lola but I find the MAC pencil a bit easier to apply. It's why I have wondered if I might get on better with Lola in the Eye Kohl formula but I'm pretty sure a girl can have too many brown pencils. I might invest if and when I finish one of the pencils I already have.

Do you have a favourite brown liner? Are you a fan of pencils or do you prefer gel liners for longevity?

* PR Sample

My Week in Makeup

I woke up this morning, rejoiced because I have a day off and then duly set my mind to what to write today. Unfortunately, my mind was a total blank. This isn't especially unusual for me as I'm not really a morning person and my mind has been similarly blank as I've been getting ready each day this week. Makeup wise, I've relied on tried and tested items that I know will make me look human and prevent me from frightening the already anxious students.

Foundation - I used Max Factor Second Skin foundation* this week. It offers a bit more coverage than my usual Rouge Bunny Rouge tinted moisturiser but it's still quite a light foundation.

Concealers - BECCA Compact Concealer* in praline on blemishes and redness. YSL Touche Eclat* on the undereye area.

Cheek Products - NARS Laguna bronzer, BECCA Turkish Rose, Rouge Bunny Rouge Delicata and Laura Mercier in Petal Pink. I used various combinations of these depending on how drained I looked. My favourite combination at the moment is Delicata all over the cheek area with a tiny sweep of the Laura Mercier on the apples.

Brown Liners - I've used both the GOSH Truly Brown and Ben Nye liner in Espresso this week. I prefer the GOSH, I have to admit, as it is easier to apply and lasts longer without smudging.

Eyeshadows - I'm sure you won't be surprised by this taupe fest! I used Solstice Halcyon, Gracious Arasari, the mid brown from Guerlain Les Bois de Rose and various colours from Les Fumes. I also used the highlighter from the Dior Smoky Nude palette on a couple of occasions.

Yesterday I went for a bit of a smoky eye layering the darker colours from Les Fumes over MAC Dirty Greasepaint stick at the lash line then blending out using the pinky tan shade. I was really pleased with the end result and it still felt work appropriate.

Shu Uemura H9 Seal Brown brow pencil and Too Faced Shadow Insurance are both daily staples.

Mascara - No.7 Lash Adapt mascara*. I rather like this for everyday but the formula is a little on the dry side so I think that there's a limit to the number of layers you can apply.

Lipsticks - I wore Rouge Bunny Rouge Murmurings and Ilia Arabian Knights interchangeably almost everyday. Arabian Knights stays at home and whilst Murmurings lives in my handbag. I wore my old favourite Rouge Bunny Rouge Irreverence with the smoky eye yesterday.

Hopefully next week I can get myself organised and pack a makeup bag that I can grab for the early morning starts. I'm hoping to fit Edward Bess Dusk and Olive Violeteare in there for some more work appropriate smoky eyes.

Do you have a selection of products that you know won't let you down? Are you quite adventurous with your makeup at work or do you favour neutrals day-to-day?

* Items labelled with an asterisk were received as PR samples. 

FOTD with JHLA Mystere and Ilia Arabian Knights

This wasn't particularly a thought out 'look', as I had applied several items specifically to take pictures for review posts. I was pleased with how it worked an ensemble though, so I hope you will forgive me for sharing in advance of the individual products posts. The Ilia Beauty lipstick in Arabian Knights is a recent acquisition and I also purchased one of the new releases from the line, Crimson & Clover lipstick.

Arabian Knights is on the left and Crimson & Clover on the right.

As always, I have included links to previous posts where possible.

Face
This Works Skin Defense tinted sunscreen
Rouge Bunny Rouge Sketches on Water tinted moisturiser in Adansonia
W3LL People Universalist in #5
Shu Uemura brow pencil
Ellis Faas concealer in S202

Eyes
Too Faces Shadow Insurance
Julie Hewett Hue in Mystere
GOSH Velvet Touch Eyeliner in Truly Brown
Max Factor False Lash Effect mascara

Lips
Ilia lipstick in Arabian Knights

My Favourite Buys of 2011

I wasn't going to post today, giving myself a day off, but I started getting twitchy! I thought it might be fun to have a little look back at my posts from 2011 and see which of the items that I purchased were real stand outs. My apologies for this being a mostly visual post but I have linked back to original posts if you want to know my thoughts on any particular item. This isn't a best of so I'm afraid I haven't picked out items from specific categories instead it's more of an overview of those items that I really thought were worth every penny.

The first four items I picked out were my favourite lipstick purchases in 2011. Hourglass Femme Rouge lipstick in Fresco, Chantecaille Lip Chic in Zinnia, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Bonheur and Rouge Bunny Rouge Sheer Lipstick in Murmurings. Fresco is my everyday opaque MLBB shade, it wears really well and the formula is comfortable to wear. In contrast to Fresco, Zinnia isn't an everyday colour but the Lip Chic formula is a real winner for me. It's nice to wear something less muted every now and again too. I've mentioned both Murmurings and Bonheur in favourites posts several times but they're deserving of the praise. If I could only have two lipsticks for the rest of my days (heaven forbid) I would choose these two.

Hourglass Fresco

Chantecaille Zinnia

RBR Murmuring and Chanel Bonheur

I bought Becca Turkish Rose and Hourglass Aura Cheek Stain in Rouge at the same time. Both have had a lot of use and, despite my fondness for buying blusher brushes, I often pick out a non-powder formula for speed or if my skin is looking dull or tired. Both Turkish Rose and Rouge are very easy to wear cheek shades and never clash with other colours that I am wearing.

Turkish Rose

Hourglass Rouge

Strictly speaking Chanel Topkapi was a swap item rather than a purchase but a fabulous swap it was too! As a Chanel eyeshadow virgin, this was a great start although I fear it may have spoiled me for the European quad releases. The eyeshadows are beautifully pigmented and creamy, I also find the inclusion of the dark brown stops it from being too bling.

Chanel Topkapi

I realised when I went hunting that I've never devoted a post to GOSH Truly Brown eyeliner but it has had a lot of mentions since I bought it. It's a great pencil liner at an equally great price. If you like dark brown liners but don't want to spend a fortune, I would highly recommend having a look at this pencil.

I can't resist some brush related mentions. The real standout purchases for me last year were my Rouge Bunny Rouge Large Shader (003) brush and Medium Pointed Yachiyo from Hakuhodo. The RBR brush is really rather versatile. It's great for all over lid colour but you can also use the tip to apply a crease colour or blend eyeshadows. I have successfully used this one brush to apply all four colours of a LMdB Kaleidoscope before. The Yachiyo has equally been a winning purchase. As yet, I have been too scared to check out the Hakuhodo website to see how much the price has gone up.

RBR Large Shader

Medium Pointed Yachiyo

I had to include my brush roll from aSoftBlackStar's Etsy Store in favourite purchases of 2011. It's really such a practical way to store brushes but I love it especially because it's handmade and not just a boring black. I'm already plotting buying a new roll just for my face brushes and love that I could talk to Lotus on Twitter about the possibility of spacing the slot sizes differently.

Making this a post about favourite buys meant I had to leave out several of my much loved items of 2011 as they were sent to me as PR samples. I have always had a policy of disclosing which items were sent to me without cost but equally I endevour to review all items as if they had been bought by me. So, I wanted to include the following items as honourable mentions. If I had bought these products, I would have considered it money well spent.

Both the Becca Enigma palette* and the Lancôme Blondette Fatale palette* are excellent groupings of colours and stand out as being versatile enough for day or evening looks. I've never considered Lancôme for neutrals but Blondette Fatale was so well done.

Becca Enigma

Blondette Fatale

The Kevyn Aucoin Aquarouge* and W3LL People Highlighter* both stood out for me as items I loved from 2011. Aquarouge is a stunning colour and the liquid lipstick formula is comfortable and long-lasting. It's not a colour I reach for everyday but it has that instant feel good factor. The W3LL People Highlighter is something that I do reach for on a daily base. It's so easy to use and provides a really subtle highlight.

Kevyn Aucoin Aquarouge

Do you have any favourite purchases from 2011?


Disclosure: Items marked with an asterisk were PR samples.

My Current Staples

Although I like to wear different things regularly and I'm often hot on the tail of something new, there are certain core items in my collection that I know will never let me down. Some are products I use daily and others are items that I know will instantly get me out of a tight spot! Especially for those times when only have five minutes to make myself presentable.

Several of these items were sent to me as PR samples. I sometimes hesitate when it comes to including these items in favourites posts in case people are somehow suspicious of my motives. However, these are genuinely products that I love and will be replacing myself when they run out. Wherever applicable I have included links to more detailed review posts and I have indicated all PR samples with an asterisk. 

BECCA concealer in praline* and the LMdB concealer brush* - these two items together are my secret weapon. I dip the brush directly into the pan and then apply to any blemishes or areas of redness. The concealer is a great match for me and I really like the consistency of the 'thinner' concealer in the right hand pan. The brush is superb at sheering out the concealer and blending seamlessly. For those of you that can't access Le Métier de Beauté, I think the Hourglass large concealer brush might be a suitable alternative.

RMK Super Basic Liquid concealer - I have mentioned this concealer many, many times before but this is my favourite for the undereye area. I've had this for over a year now and it's still going strong. I imagine it won't be opaque enough to suit everyone's needs but I like the fact that it's more opaque than most other highlighting pens. The yellow undertone seems to work well for me too.

Max Factor Second Skin foundation* - I don't wear foundation every day but if I'm in the mood or feel like my skin needs extra help, I will reach for Second Skin. I was introduced to this by makeup artist Caroline Barnes and it works very well on my skin. It's not a heavy coverage and has a slightly dewy finish which rather kind to moderately seasoned skin! I can slap it on with my fingers quickly so it's also perfect for speedy makeup.

NARS Laguna bronzer- I recently mentioned that I have entered bronzer mode now the sun has disappeared. I have a couple of bronzers that I like but Laguna is my favourite. I have been applying it with this very cute little Essence brush that Mookie on the Bench kindly sent me.

Cream blusher - I am cheating a little here as I have several cream blushers that I reach for in emergencies. I find cream blusher is definitely the fastest and most forgiving formula. Particularly as it can add a little life into the face by adding a sheen at the same time as colour. My personal favourites are BECCA Turkish Rose, Edward Bess After Sunset and Hourglass Cheek Stain in Rouge.

W3LL People Univeralist #2 Highlighter* and RBR Eyes Wide Open Pencil* - These are my current face brightening favourites. Both of these are very easy to use and I find them impossible to overcook because of their consistency. The pencil is very creamy and easy to blend out. It's great for the brow and as an inner corner highlight. It is possible to use it elsewhere on the face too. The W3LL People highlighter is very easy to use highlight the tops of the cheek bone. I have actually been know to draw it directly onto my face and then blend with my fingers. It isn't so creamy that you end up with a big stripe so there's no fear you'll end up looking like an 80's throwback. I promise! The W3LL People Universalist stick is available from Being Content and I shall review it very soon.

My little assistant 'helping' out with the photographs

Gosh Velvet Touch pencil in Truly Brown and RBR Long-lasting Eye pencil in Lola - Quite often when I am in a rush I will skip eyeshadow and just apply liner. If I wear eyeliner on it's own I prefer to use a brown pencil (unless of course I am going for a winged liner with red lipstick, in which case it has to be black). Both the Gosh pencil in Truly Brown and RBR pencil in Lola are lovely colours and quick to apply because of their consistency. They also last very well. As an aside, if you're a fan of brown liners may I point you in the direction of London Makeup Girl's recent comparison post. I am very taken with the depth of the Tom Ford Espresso liner.

Shu Uemura brow pencil (H9, Seal Brown) - I very rarely use anything else for filling my brows. The pencil is a hard forumla and doesn't transfer very much unless you are wearing foundation (or primer) that has strayed onto the brows. I find this has some major advantages: if I am not wearing foundation it will give me a natural finish, when I am wearing foundation it will tranfer more and give a more defined look. So, essential it works with me rather than against me.

Mascara - Again, a generic item. My favourite mascara is Hourglass Film Noir but I don't currently have a tube and I am working my way through several others. The Max Factor Xperience* is a good everyday mascara. I like MUFE Smoky lash for a more dramatic finish.

RBR Sheer lipstick in Murmurings and Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Bonheur - When I am in a rush I reach for one of these two lipsticks. The sheer formulas make them very easy to wear and perfect for the cooler months. The plummy shades are also great Autumnal choices. I find both Bonheur and Murmurings have enough pigment to show up as a colour on my lips already pigmented lips.

I haven't included any eyeshadows. It was a concious decision as I have so many eyeshadow favourites that we would have been here all week. Plus, as I mentioned above, if I'm in a rush I will often skip eyeshadow altogether. I do have some cream eyeshadows that I will use for a quick eye look. I have actually realised in the course of writing this that what I really lack is a lovely taupe cream. This will be next mission! One thing I have been enjoying recently is the Chanel Illusions d'Ombre in Illusoire. A friend was kind enough to send me a scoop (she's my makeup crack dealer!) and it is as lovely as I'd hoped.

Do you have any special makeup staples? Which are the products you reach for on a daily basis?


Disclosure: Items marked with * were received as PR samples.

My Brush Collection

It's been almost a year since I posted this look at my brush collection. It would be fair to say that time flies and my collection continues to grow. I've even manage to outgrow the vase and quite a lot of them have found a new home in my brush roll.

My urge to post this came after my brush washing session at the weekend. I hate washing brushes, it's so boring and my dislike is often used as an excuse to buy more so I can go longer between washes (you can't beat a bit of girl logic). The trouble is, the more brushes, the longer it takes when I finally get around to it. Here are most of them lined up after my efforts on Sunday.

Face Brushes

I seem to have quite a collection of face brushes. I have a lot for cheek application, a few general powder brushes and not much in the way of foundation brushes. I have a foundation brush from The Body Shop, I don't really get on with it but keep it mostly because I'm a hoarder. Since I originally purchased it, the synthetic GOSH brush seems to have undergone a name change and is now listed as a foundation brush. I've only ever used it to blend out blusher so maybe I should give it a try with a foundation to see how I get on.

Large Face Brushes

Of my large face brushes, I get most use from my Sigma F25 and MAC 129. I use both regularly for bronzer. The ELF Complexion brush is lovely and soft and is a favourite with my daughter (I don't mind letting her play with this one because of the bargain price). The MAC 187 is mostly reserved for pigmented blushers.

Small Face Brushes (Contour and Blusher)

I do seem to have a little *thing* for contour brushes. I tend to prefer them for applying blusher as I find their size and shape good for precise application. I suppose I reach for my MAC 168 brushes most of all. The Ruby + Millie is the least use and I tend to use that for dusting face powder on the T-zone. The Rouge Bunny Rouge Contour brush is super soft on the face and I find the size and shape excellent for blusher application. Like the 187, I'd always used the MAC 188 for blusher. After seeing a couple of makeup artists use it for foundation I've given it a try myself. I love the polished effect it gives but it is a beast to clean afterwards!

Fluffy Eye Brushes

I love my MAC 227 brush. I suppose I shouldn't really class it as a fluffy brush as it's probably more like a super-sized laydown brush. I bought it after watching a Pixiwoo video and it's been an excellent investement. I use it for applying a base colour all over the lid, I also use it on the brow bone.

Of my fluffy blenders, I like the Sigma the least. It's a bit too big for me and quite floppy! The travel sized MAC 224 is my most used and one of these days I will treat myself to a full-sized version. The RBR has become a favourite for a light wash of colour in the crease. I used it to apply LM Sable to the crease in this recent post.

Crease Brushes

The MAC 217 really is an excellent shaped brush. I do find mine isn't as soft as I'd like and the hairs have been prone to breackage but I wonder if this a fault with my brush as I've never heard these complaints before? The Sigma E35 (or SS217 as it was called) is ok, it's softer and not as densely packed as the MAC  217. It still does an reasonable job of crease application but I prefer the MAC. The No.7 blender is very similar in shape to these other two but I haven't used enough yet to give a fair review.

The Cozzette brushes were sent to me recently for review (coming shortly). Cozzette brushes are vegan professional standard makeup brushes made from synthetic fibres. They are incredibly precise for application of colour, especially the Stylist Illustrator D330 brush.

I've ranted about the MAC 226 brush before. It's a great brush, it's just a shame it's so scratchy. The Smashbox has potential but could do with being more densely packed and I recently reviewed The London Brush Company blenders here. The smaller of the two is such a little gem of a brush and I've found myself reaching for it a lot to apply darker colours along the lashline.

Lid Brushes

These are pretty much a staple for me. Without a decent brush for packing on lid colour, I'd be lost. I'll start off by saying The Body Shop eyeshadow brushes just don't work for me. The synthetic fibres simply don't pick up or apply product properly. I think it's preferable to use these for cream products. The MAC 213 was my first 'lid' brush and I still think it's a great little brush but I tend to reach for the 239 in preference, possibly because of the shape.

The ELF C-shape brush is ok for eyeshadow application but it's a little short on surface for good lid application. I tend to use it more for applying dark colour precisely on the outer corner before using a blending brush. The RBR Large Shader is excellent for adding a base colour quickly to the mobile lid and it's a good multi-purpose choice because of the size and shape.

Both The London Brush Company Shadow Blender and Cozzette D225 are excellent brushes for eyehshadow application but they shine at different things. The Cozzette is great for cream or wet products. The LBC is very good at gripping product, so a good choice for eyeshadows that I have a tendency for fallout. I must review both of these brushes very soon.

Small Detail Brushes

Although I tend to just use a brow pencil these days, the MAC 266 is my brush of choice when using powder to fill in my brows. The bristles are quite stiff and scratchy but they work very well on brow hairs. The Ruby + Millie eyeliner brush is my favourite slanted eyeliner brush. I haven't used it with gel eyeliner, I always use my MAC 210 for that but I like this for applying eyeshadow along the lashes. It hasn't been totally usurped by the small London Brush Company blender as this one is good for a more definite line as opposed to a smoky line. I don't seem to reach for my MAC 219 as much these days but I still think it's a well made and quite versatile brush, especially for those with larger eyes.

I do have some other brushes knocking about it different makeup bags and even some in palettes which I've missed here. I do hope this post has been interesting. If you have any questions about particular brushes do feel free to ask away, I know I've rather whizzed through them all!

Current Favourites

I haven't done a favourites post in a long time. I think we're a bit too far into April to call it a March favourites post but these are definitely items I've been favouring over the last month or so.

Trilogy Cream Cleanser
I was keen to try more of the Triology range after trying and liking their Gentle Scrub. I was thrilled to discover that the cleanser has the same lovely scent which I really enjoy as part of my evening skin care routine. I use this in the same way I use all cream cleansers; I massage in to the skin with my hands and use a warm muslin or flannel to remove. This cleans well, leaves no residue and doesn't leave my skin dry which are the three essentials for me with a cleanser.

Elemental Herbology Facial Glow (Radiance Peel)
I can honestly say that I was impressed with every single sample of Elemental Herbology that I tried. This is a lovely skin care range, pricey but as everything works so well and feels so good it will be a worthwhile investment for me. Facial Glow feels like an exfoliant but you use it like a mask, leaving on cleansed skin for 4 minutes. My skin feels soft, smooth and glowing after I have used this. It contains Glycolic Acid, Lactic Acid and Vitamins A, C & E amongst other things. This and Cell Food are definitely full size purchases for me, once I have saved up my pennies of course.

Haus of Gloi Something Hopeful Pumpkin Butter
I really like Haus of Gloi pumpkin butters but I'm a bit hit and miss when it comes to choosing scents. I really enjoy Samhain, I'm so, so about Hearth and I couldn't get on at all with Snow Wolf. However, I have loved and devoured my Something Hopeful pumpkin butter. It was released with the Valentine's collection so there's no replacing it but I'm reliably informed by my HoG enabler that Milkmaid could be a good alternative for me.

Too Faced Shadow Insurance
I don't think I realised how much I like this until I forgot to put it on a couple of times. I've come to the conclusion that my eyelids are a little oily and this just provides a better surface for eyeshadows. Without this primer it isn't unusual for me to end up with creasing towards the end of the day. I only use a tiny amount but I find that's enough and doesn't leave my eyelids feeling dry.

Lancome Hypnose mascara and GOSH Truly Brown eyeliner
I won't say too much about these as I've mentioned them quite a lot already. They have become staples for me and there were a few occasions last month when this was all I wore for the school run in the morning.

Healthspan Nurture - Illuminating Touch Concealer
My obsession with covering up my dark circles is becoming quite legendary and I was sent this illuminating concealer to try a little while ago. It's made by Healthspan who you may already know of for their vitamins and supplements. I will do a review post soon but this has happily joined my rotation of concealers. At £9.95 it's a cheaper alternative to other illuminating concealers and any faults with the packaging are made up for by the formula.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation
Unfortunately you can't see because of the angle but I have used up more than half of this bottle. I wear this pretty much everyday and I really like the finish. The colour is an ok match for me, it's not perfect but I find it really easy to blend in. My only gripe is that is it seems to disappears during the day. I don't powder over it, then again I don't think the finish requires it.

Becca Creme Blush in Turkish Rose
I don't think you can beat cream blusher for giving life to the face when you're feeling less than perky. This is a perfect natural colour for me and the cream finish fakes a subtle glow. I took this on my weekend away as it's so compact and I don't have the same worries about it smashing in transit that I do with powders.

Illamasqua Bacterium Nail Varnish
I fell in love with this colour after the Illamasqua event. I must try and get a good photo of it on my nails as I don't think the photo below shows off it's true beauty. I have a bit of a thing for murky colours with complexity and this is a great example, the varnish formula is excellent too.

Essie Smokin' Hot and Luxedo
Both of these colours came out with Essie's Winter 2010 collection. Luxedo has become my new favourite pedicure colour. It's a really dark plum colour, not black with a hint of colour but very dark and vampy. Smokin' Hot is a grey with a hint of purple, similar in feel to Metro Chic. If you're not in to gruples this won't be for you but I love it and I'm pretty sure it isn't a dupe for any others that I already own. Having found so many gorgeous nail varnishes recently, I only wish my nails were stronger so I could wear them more often.