2013 Quarterly Favourites: Summer Edition

I decided to do quarterly favourites instead of monthly favourites because I was finding I wasn't really enjoying doing the posts each month (however, I do love reading them).  For this post, I have found it a bit difficult to narrow down my favourites to ten (that was the number I set myself), but I feel that means these are all products which are genuine favourites of mine.  They will probably be favourites for many more months to come.

The top ten:

These are products I kept coming back to (mostly) everyday since the start of the year.  There are some recently acquired items and they're pretty special to have beat out some other items.

The Faves

Stila In the Light Palette:  I did a review/comparison post here of this palette.  Stila make some fantastic eye shadows (along with other items :)  I'm definitely keen to pick up another palette, most likely In the Know.

Nars Foreplay Palette:  Love these blushes.  The fuchsia one has been my fave this month.  See review here.

OPI Eurso...Euro:  This is a recently acquired nail polish.  I love the formula.  I love the colour and I love that my partner picked it out.  Check out a swatch here.

MAC Blot Powder Pressed:  I'll have a review on this sometime soonish.  I use it to set and touch up my makeup.  Just know, it gets the job done.  Very well.  Great for oily/combination skin.

Missha Perfect Cover BB Cream in 21: I cannot say enough about how much I love this BB cream.  It's amazing.  I wear this about everyday to work.  See review here.

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra 24H in 005:  If I'm not wearing the BB cream, I'm wearing this or another foundation which I'm currently in love with.  I'll reveal the other foundation at another time.  I struggled for a long time finding foundations that match my skin and now I'm obsessed with finding more (even though I don't need anymore :)  I made a mini review about this here.

Revlon Lip Butter in Lollipop:  I love lip butters.  They're my kind of lipstick.  Pigmented and low maintenance.  I've been wearing lollipop a lot this summer.  I'll be posting a FotD soon with this as a star.

L'Oreal NutriBalm Tinted Lip Balm in Nudy Coral: Love. Love. Love.  This is pretty much a lip balm with the slightest amount of colour (emphasis on slight), but it is fantastic!  The subtle colour and shine is great for my work makeup.  I will be writing a post comparing this to YSL Volupte Sheer Candy.

Kosmea Skin Clinic Rescue Balm: I mention when I bought this I loved it as a lip balm; however, I have also seen firsthand it's ability to mend and fade scarring.  My partner cut his nose at work and it has scarred (even after attempts to avoid this during the healing process).  I told him to put the Rescue Balm on it just to see what would happen and what do you know? It has worked.  The scar is slowly, slowly fading, but it is so much better than it was at the start.  I was so mad at him (even though it was a complete accident) because in less than 3 months, we'll be getting married and there will be so many photos!

Finally, Etude House Missing U Hand Cream Harp Seal: This is the most adorable packaging I have ever seen.  I'm obsessed with seals and I couldn't pass this up.  It's supposed to smell like Green Tea (I'm not sure if it actually does, but I also cannot pinpoint what it smells like) and it's actually a pretty good hand cream.  It leaves your hands feeling really smooth.  I will keep this container forever!

Honourable Mentions: 

Okay, so I have cheated, slightly, and included three honourable mentions.  These were products that I have (a) fallen in love with recently, but the blogger world has been loving it forever, (b) loved it for a while now and have used it a lot more this quarter or (c) really like it, but it just narrowly missed the cut.

Honourable mentions

Bioderma: it seems that everyone has an opinion of this.  I thought it was overrated, but after using it for a while now, I cannot see myself without it.

Fine One One: See my review here.  I still love it.

Bellapierre Mineral Blush in Desert Rose: The swatch leans a bit too orange, but it is definitely peachy.  I adore peach blushes and this is a great everyday one.  It's really finely milled and applies extremely well.

Bellapierre Mineral Blush in Desert Rose

Desert Rose swatch

What were your favourites this month/quarter?

Favourites from the Year that Was (2012) + A Small Giveaway

Hey all!!  Sorry, it's been a while.  I sort of got caught up with the festive season, but now I'm back!  I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and start to 2013.  I wanted to give you a glimpse of some of my Christmas gifts because they are sure to be the content of some upcoming posts!  I also wanted to share my 12 favourite beauty products from this past year. 

This Christmas I received a lot of really great gifts from family and friends.  I now have some more Benefit, Stila, and Mirenesse products which I can't wait to share with you in the coming weeks.

Benefit Goodies

Heaps of other Goodies

Now, onto my favourite products of 2012.  It was quite hard to narrow down all the wonderful products I have encountered and loved this year.  To be honest, this has been the first year I have every really been interested in beauty products, so I've learnt a lot about what works best for me.


Makeup Favourites of 2012

L to R: Benefit They're Real, MUA Pro-Brow, Benefit Sugarbomb, Mirenesse Magic Touch Foundation, L'Oreal Color Riche, Revlon Lipbutter in Tutti Frutti

I cannot express how much I adore Benefit's They're Real mascara.  It is by the far the best mascara I've tried.  I love how it lengthens and curls my lashes instantly!  See my review here.

The MUA Pro-Brow kit is a relatively new purchase from Black Friday.  I haven't been too concerned with my eyebrows before aside from the occasional pluck.  However, this (super affordable) product has made me realise how good my eyebrows can look haha.  I'll definitely be using this in the years to come. 

You all should know by now how much I love my Sugarbomb blush from Benefit.  It looks great on my skin and I cannot wait to experiment more with my new box o' powders!  See my review of Sugarbomb here. 

2012 has been a year of experimentation with foundation.  I find it so hard to find ones that match perfectly with my skin.  Often times I feel as though foundation make my skin look 'dirty.'  However, I have found some foundations that fit okay.  My favourite (that is affordable; I really like Lancome, but alas) has been Mirenesse's Magic Touch Foundation in Vanilla.  I ordered a travel size and then was lucky enough to get a full size in my December Beauty Box!  Score!  I only need a bit of this and often mix it with Benefit's That Gal primer to make it a bit lighter. 

I have loved a lot of nail polishes this year, so this was a really tough choice.  I thought of OPI's THe Living Daylights and Femme Fatale's A Tisket, A Tasket, but ultimately I used L'Oreal's Color Riche formulas the best.  You honestly don't really need a top coat with these babies!  See my review here.

My favourite lip product was also a tough choice.  I have been exposed to many lipsticks and glosses and balms that I used a lot.  In the end, I settled with Revlon's Lipbutters.  My most used shade is Tutti Frutti.  So good for summer.  


Hair and Skincare Favourites of 2012

L to R: Cedel Blow Dry Faster, ONE Skin System Renewal Cleanse, Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish, The Body Shop Seaweed Clarifying Toner, Clinique DDMG, Kosmea Radiance 24/7 Youth Boost

My favourite hair product this year was definitely Cedel Blow Dry Faster.  It is remarkable how quickly your hair dries once you use this.  See review here.  A close runner-up was Tresemme's Split End Remedy Shampoo.

I know I said ages ago that I would be posting about my skincare regime and I have not forgotten!  The following products will be a preview.  I was never really concerned with skincare until the second half of this year.  Since then, I have tried a lot of brands and products.  My favourite cleanser is ONE Skin System Renewal Cleanser.  It's a cream cleanser, it smells divine and it leaves your skin feeling clean and smooth.

I love exfoliating products.  I find that they feel like they're actually doing something whereas cleansers are so, you know, gentle.  My current favourite is Benefit's Refined Finish Facial Polish.  It has the perfect consistency in my opinion and leaves you skin looking bright.

 Toners have become a staple in my regime.  I've tried a few, but my favourite by far is The Body
 Shop's Seaweed Clarifying Toner.  It's amazing.  Plus, it has no alcohol in it!  And it leaves your skin feeling tingling fresh.

I'm quite picky when it comes to moisturisers and it seems often I'm too eager to dislike one rather than like it.  However, I feel in love with Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel the moment I used it.  It's geared towards Oily/Combination skin and it leaves your skin feeling soft.  My favourite part is that it also doesn't make my face red.  Most products turn my face red upon application, until they sink in, but this one doesn't at all.

Lust Have It Eco introduced me to rose-hip oil in the form of Kosmea's Radiance 24/7 Youth Boost.  It has definitely enhanced my skin since I've started using it. 


Now for a little Giveaway!  

I wanted to share some of my favourite products with you!  Included will be a Revlon Lipbutter in Strawberry Shortcake, a sample of Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish and two bottles of your choice of L'oreal's Color Riche nail polish.  As a result of the nail polish, this giveaway will be restricted to Australian Residents only.  You must also be at least 18 years of age to participate.

L to R: Revlon Lipbutter in Strawberry Shortcake, L'oreal Color Riche Nail Polishes, Sample of Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!

November Favourites

Well another month is gone! This year is flying by and after this week, my job gets a whole lot easier, which will be a nice change in preparation for the holidays!

I discovered new products and rediscovered ones that had been neglected and deserved a mention.

My November Favourites

1. The Body Shop Seaweed Clarifying Toner-- This is the first alcohol-free toner I have tried and it is fantastic. I don't want to say too much right now, because I will be doing some skin care reviews very soon. My partner got this for me as an early Christmas present; he's so wonderful!

2. Mirenesse Velvet Lip Lift Moisture Shine in Shade 50-- I got this with Woman's Day and it is really nice. I am not usually a lip gloss person, but these are really good. They pack a lot of colour and don't feel sticky on your lips. I have quite a few Mirenesse products under my tree.

3. OPI 'Fly' from the Nicki Minaj Collection-- I love this colour and it reminds me of summer! The formula is really smooth and I am contemplating purchasing a full size bottle of this.  I did a NotD a while ago with it, which you can find here.

4. Bourjois Ultra Shine So Laque! in Magenta Show-- I received this in a GWP a while back, but wasn't too tempted to try it right away until I saw Sarah's post raving about it (find it here). It is fantastic!! The colour is pretty great as well. I have been wearing it all week.

5. Revlon Colorstay Eyeshadow in Delightful-- When it comes to eyeshadow, neutrals are my choice of colour. These eyeshadows aren't the best. They are not very creamy or smooth, especially compared to the Revlon eyeshadow I recently purchased. However, the colours fit me really well and I used this every time I decided to wear eye makeup this month.

6. Australis Ready Set Go Finishing Powder in True Translucent-- I really like this finishing powder. It sets my make up quite nicely and I like how it doesn't add any additional colour to my face. It is definitely worth a look and it's pretty cheap.

7. Benefit Sugarbomb Blush-- See my review here. This is so so good.

What were your faves this month?

October Favourites

Here are my favourite items from this past month.

1.  Witch Blemish Stick: I'm loving this stick.  I don't have too too much trouble with blemishes, but this has made my skin better.  At the first signs of a spot, I put this on and it really does reduce redness and helps it heal faster.  It's not immediate, so I'm still open to other products.

2.  CEDEL blow dry faster heat protector:  One of the things I hate is blow drying my hair; however, if I want to wear it down, I do have to dry it.  This product radically reduces the time it takes to dry while leaving it smoother and shinier.  I will definitely buy this again!

3.  Kosmea Radiance 24/7 Youth Boost: I received this in my Lust Have It! Eco Box.  My first experience wasn't too pleasant--I put too much oil on my skin.  Learning from that, I have grown fond to this product.  It makes my skin feel really smooth and has made it more vibrant and radiant.  I use it at night because I do find it to be a bit heavy.  I'm hoping it lasts a long time!

4.  OPI The Living Daylights:  I adore this nail polish.  It really is fantastic.  See a quick review of it here.  Be sure to get this while you can!

5.  Swisspers Blot-Off Oil Tissues:  This are a fantastic way to touch up your skin during the day.  Having combination/oily skin, I can use these to absorb the oil my face creates during the day.  They're easy to use and come in a cool carrying case.
 
6.  Benefit POREfessional:  I got this travel size tube in my She's So Jetset kit and to say the least, I love this primer.  I find it really does reduce the size of your pores.  It's not a perfect reduction, but far less visible.  If you're looking for a miracle product, this may not be for you.  I will have some before and after pictures as soon as I can.

7.  Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 16:  I really like these lipsticks.  I now own 4.  This colour is a bright pink.  I am looking forward to wearing it a lot this summer.   

Eye without any makeup

The amazing They're Real Mascara Brush

Eye with One Coat of They're Real and Benefit and Bourjois Eye Shadow Pot in 10

8.  Benefit They're Real Mascara:  This also came in my She's So Jetset kit (I highly recommend the entire kit).  I am completely in love with this mascara!  It is excellent!!  I love how it lengthens and curls.  I don't have anything close to it and I have quite a few mascaras.

9.  Bourjois Eye Shadow Pot in 10:  This is a beautiful eye shadow in a glittery champagne colour.  This is my go to colour of eye shadow and I love the shimmer this one possesses.  Totally worth a purchase if you don't mind glitter.

What were your favourites this month?