My monthly series creation from last year, 'Loves and Lusts' is back. I really enjoyed doing one of tense style of posts at the end of each month during 2015 and always received good feedback from you lovely lot too so figured they'd be a welcome addition to my content this year aswell. If you're new round these parts or have simply never read one before - they're basically a mash-up of 'Monthly Favourites' and a 'Monthly Wishlist' post all rolled into one and you can familiarise yourself with the whole concept by reading last year's here if you fancy. I like to think of it as a 'What I've Loved' and 'What I'd Love To Have'. Sound good? Let's begin the first instalment of 2016...
What I've Loved:
Rimmel Magnif'eyes Mono Shadow in 'Millionaire' - As you may well have seen in this post, I made a little trip to Boots (#Standard), although on this occasion I seemed to have had a bit of a moment for Rimmel - and this was one of the items I picked up and have been loving ever since. I first spotted this in a Pixiwoo video, then from a few other people and so obviously I was well and truly enabled and in my basket this went. And oh my am I glad it did. This to me is the perfect 'I don't know what eyeshadow to wear'-type shade and also ideal for days when you just want something on your lid, but don't want to go too 'out there' and want to keep things fairly wearable. This shade is your guy for all those types of makeup days. A light bronze with the slightest hint of shimmer (so much that it's barely noticeable) and with a formula so long-lasting, buttery and easy to apply - it's a thumbs up from me.
Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Stick by Kate Moss in 'Rose Gold' - More from the Rimmel eye section, though this time it comes from a creamier shadow variety - and one in pencil form! If you know me, you know that while being a big lover of cream eyeshadows for their easy-to-apply nature and super ability to last the test of time - when housed in a stick format, I'm not typically a fan. That's not to say there's never been any exceptions to the rule though, and this one certainly falls into that category. This is super-creamy and just as easy to whack on as its pot counterparts and once scribbled all over the lid and quickly blended out with either your finger or brush - it sets down and stays put until you say so. If I'm honest, I was secretly hoping I would love this as the colour itself is just a beaut and something I've never seen before in a product of its kind. Its warm, copper tones make it the kind of shade that just looks stunning worn alone paired with lashings of mascara and I can visualise me getting tonnes of use out of this if once the weather starts to heat up again.
L'Oreal Brow Artist Plumper in 'Medium/Dark' - Onto brows and something not purchased from the Rimmel stand for a change... This is quite a surprise inclusion when you think of how set in stone I have become with my eyebrow routine. I have my two pencils that I love and when used together, work really well on making my not-existent brows look more like brows again; but this month I had the itch to add something new into the equation and all in all - I'm feeling it. I've been wanting to find a brow gel that I really love for some time now and while I did like the Maybelline one I tried a while back, I found I didn't love it enough to use it on an everyday basis, so instead this time I opted for probably another hyped-up one from the drugstore. This sets my brows in place, adds a nice tint of colour and has little fibres in its formula that help my brows look that tad fuller and more realistic. I can sense this may just become a permanent addition to my brow routine...
Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in 'Addiction' - Ok, the final inclusion of a Rimmel product for this post - I promise. This was one of the lip liners I picked up from their 'Exaggerate' line and again they were upon recommendation from a few YouTubers/Bloggers (as always). This shade in particular has been the one that I've reached for the most this month ever since I got it as it's such as easy-to-wear shade for everyday. I'd liken it to the L'Oreal 'Beige A Nu' Lip Liner, in that it's a hue almost identical to my natural lip colour so once applied just makes my lips look more even, defined and much fuller. Like all the 'Exaggerate' Lip Liners I've tried, this is a creamy formulation that doesn't take much effort put onto your pout - whether simply as a line or used all over as a lip colour - sets down and has good longevity alone or used underneath a nude lippie. For only £3.99, you really can't go wrong.
Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in 'Addiction' - Ok, the final inclusion of a Rimmel product for this post - I promise. This was one of the lip liners I picked up from their 'Exaggerate' line and again they were upon recommendation from a few YouTubers/Bloggers (as always). This shade in particular has been the one that I've reached for the most this month ever since I got it as it's such as easy-to-wear shade for everyday. I'd liken it to the L'Oreal 'Beige A Nu' Lip Liner, in that it's a hue almost identical to my natural lip colour so once applied just makes my lips look more even, defined and much fuller. Like all the 'Exaggerate' Lip Liners I've tried, this is a creamy formulation that doesn't take much effort put onto your pout - whether simply as a line or used all over as a lip colour - sets down and has good longevity alone or used underneath a nude lippie. For only £3.99, you really can't go wrong.
Real Techniques Deluxe Holiday Gift Set - Brush-wise, there's one set of tools I've been reaching for a heck of a lot during January and of course it was always gonna be this set by Real Techniques. I was lucky enough to be gifted this set for Christmas and seeing as I had been lusting after it ever since it was announced the month before I believe, I was pretty darn excited that it was waiting for me under the tree. I whipped out its contents only a couple of days after and have been using it none-stop ever since and loving everything that's inside. As always with these limited edition collections RT's like to bring out, there's a mixture of brushes you can already get your hands on, plus a few that you can only find in that set alone - which to me, is what makes it such a good buy. They also tend to include a range in which you can do a full face with; so in here you've got your foundation brush, a couple of powder-related brushes and two brushes for your peepers - one for eyeshadow, one for liner. My faves of course have to be the 'Multi Task Brush' and 'Base Shadow Brush' - two which I've already own and so love having back-ups of; but I've also really been enjoying the 'Angled Highlighter Brush', which is one of the newbies and is awesome paired with highlighter (as the name would suggest) but also great as a contour brush. You know me - I like to break the rules...
Maybelline Color Show Nail Polishes in 'Light Up', 'Brick Shimmer' and 'Pink Party Dress' - Then we have nail polishes and it seems I've had a bit of a 'moment' when it comes to the stuff as there's a fair few favourites in that department this month. I did two 'Polish Pick' posts this month (here and here) and both featured one or two of the Maybelline Color Show range and I loved them all. The first, 'Light Up' is a light silver shimmer that adds some sparkle and texture to proceedings; whilst the latter two are both of a similar coppery hue; with 'Brick Shimmer' having more of a metallic finish and 'Pink Party Dress' being more of a straight-up glitter. Put the two together and you have a very pretty nail look indeed - even if I do say so myself...
Maybelline Color Show Nail Polishes in 'Light Up', 'Brick Shimmer' and 'Pink Party Dress' - Then we have nail polishes and it seems I've had a bit of a 'moment' when it comes to the stuff as there's a fair few favourites in that department this month. I did two 'Polish Pick' posts this month (here and here) and both featured one or two of the Maybelline Color Show range and I loved them all. The first, 'Light Up' is a light silver shimmer that adds some sparkle and texture to proceedings; whilst the latter two are both of a similar coppery hue; with 'Brick Shimmer' having more of a metallic finish and 'Pink Party Dress' being more of a straight-up glitter. Put the two together and you have a very pretty nail look indeed - even if I do say so myself...
Essie Nail Effect Polish in 'A Cut Above' - To pair with the 'Light Up' shade from the Maybelline Color Show range for my NYE Nails, I wanted to add a little finishing touch of colour to create more of a focal point amongst the silvery base. Having had a good scour of my collection, this was the one I eventually plumped for and I'm very glad I did. This is infact the first lacquer from Essie that I've tried (#BadBeautyBlogger), but I picked this little beauty up after hearing it call my name one too many times from the stand in Boots sometime last month - a time when anything glittery is my weakness. It finally came out to play on the 31st and I have been in love ever since. I'd describe it as being a kind of rose gold glitter, but with a tad more pinky-ness to it as opposed to being overly orange-based. But what I really love about it is the actual formula itself. Unlike some glitter polishes I've sampled in the past where it takes about five layers for a decent amount of actual sparkle to get onto the nails; with this one I quite literally put one coat one and was done. Like this polish is seriously loaded when it comes to the shimmery stuff. So, I guess if you find that type of problem too - the Essie Nail Effects may be where it's best to head...
Simple Kind To Skin Hydrating Light Moisturiser - And last but by no means least is the topic of skincare and I have one item from that particular department. As you may also remember as being featured in this post where I talked my Christmas Beauty Gifts - I was also gifted a set from Simple as one of my presents. This moisturiser came as part of that (along with some of their Kind To Skin Cleansing Facial Wipes) and with my current one dispersing its last drop a couple of weeks back, I saw it as the perfect time to crack it out and give it a trial and in short - it's really rather good. I have used moisturisers from Simple before and really enjoyed them, so I suppose I was hopeful this would follow in their footsteps and so far, so good.
What I'd Love To Have:
Maybelline Volum' Express Falsies Push Up Drama Mascara - £7.99 (currently on an introductory offer of £5.99!) - I am always a sucker for a Maybelline mascara. My lashes just seem to love every one that I lacquer them up with - they're by far my top pick when it comes to drugstore lash offerings. So, obviously when I got wind of this mascara being added to the family I straight away put it at the top of this very list and I can almost guarantee a purchase will be made very soon. I mean, this may well be the first from the brand that doesn't agree with my lashes, but even so - I've just got to find out...
New Barry M Spring Nail Collection - £3.99/£4.99 - Barry M announced this month some new products to be added to their ever-growing range for their Spring Collection and in short - everything's very beautiful indeed. Of them all, the new shades to be added to their 'Speedy', 'Gelly' and 'Sunset' nail lines have in particular caught my eye and I may just have to check the new hues out when they launch next month. Pastel lovers, rejoice...
Collection Primed and Ready Primers - £3.99 each - Now, this launch is one that got me very excited when I heard about it on the blogging grapevine earlier this month. Collection really have been bringing it when it comes to new additions to their line-up, with almost all of them getting the firm 'thumbs up' from yours truly. In recent months there's been a whole host of palettes, a contour kit and some cream cheek sticks and now they've finally jumped on the primer bandwagon. I was hoping at some point they would, as typically Collection offer amazing quality but at amazingly affordable prices - and at last they have and I am so excited to give them a go. As far as I can see there are two illuminating ones (one for the cool-toned amongst us and the other targeted at warmer skin tones), a mattifying pore minimiser and then an eye primer. The latter especially interests me, as I am yet to find a drugstore eye primer that lives up to my Urban Decay one. Will this be an exception? There's only one way to find out...
New Real Techniques Brushes and Brush Cleansing Palette - £12.99 - More Real Techniques - I know, I know. I just can't help myself, as you probably can already tell. They've kicked off the New Year by launching some new brushes and a handy little palette thing to wash them all in. I too am one who struggles with the eternal problem of having your hand all dirty and wrinkly once brush washing is complete and so to me, the former sounds like a very good idea indeed. It's also supposedly made so certain areas of the 'palette' are best used with certain types of brushes. Genius.
Maybelline 'Iced Fudge' Mono Eyeshadow - £4.09 - Onto a couple of bits from Maybelline, that after a bit of investigating appear to be discontinued and so incredibly hard to track down - bummer. I thought I'd still give them a mention anyway as they are tow items I've been lusting after this month and hey, maybe one day I will find a way of adding them to my collection. MAC's 'Satin Taupe' eyeshadow has been on my lust-list in regards to what I wish to fill up my palette with (when I finally get round to starting one, that is) for what feels like an age. Everytime I see it in videos or blog posts it just looks a stunner of a shade - a silvery, purple-tinged brown - and allegedly this hue from Maybelline comes pretty darn close a dupe for it.
Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'Light In Purple' - £4.99 - The second and last in my 'items I want to try but are no longer widely available' from Maybelline is this shade from their hugely-popular 'Color Tattoo' cream eyeshadow range. Now, up until I was made aware of this hue by a lovely gal's blog post on it, I hadn't even seen it before or knew it existed - maybe it's a US shade, I'm not sure - but now I have clapped eyes on it, I kinda want to try it out. It looks absolutely insane in the pot, even though I wouldn't say it fully lives up to the name (it's more of a blue-based colour than purple) but it's still a stunner nevertheless.
Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors - £18.00 each - Now, these are a product I've heard so much about over the past few years I've been following the whole online beauty community. If I'm honest, I wouldn't necessarily say these are something I will end up purchasing (as I doubt I'd actually make proper good use of them), but that doesn't prevent me from lusting after them. A kind of lipgloss/balm hybrid that gives your lips a bit of shine and protects and nourishes them at the same time (poet and I didn't know it). Seeing as Boots sell them, maybe if one day I am able to actually save my Advantage Card points up to a larger amount, then one of these could be what I use them for... (Spoiler alert - I wouldn't count on that happening anytime soon).
NARS Refillable Palettes - Small Palette (£12), Large Palette (£16) - These have been all over the online world this month, as at last another makeup brand has expanded into the realms of DIY palettes. MAC were the first (and up until now - as far as I know of - the only) to do this kinda thing where you buy your palette and fill its contents with whatever takes your fancy, however now NARS have jumped on the bandwagon too. These palettes particularly interest me as unlike the MAC ones where you typically buy an insert to keep all your goodies in; NARS have left things a little more stripped-back and instead the inside is of magnetic material which you use to slot your products into wherever you want them to be. *Inserts all the 'Oooh's' and 'Ahhh's*.
So that just about concludes my first 'Loves and Lusts' post for 2016! Not as many products in the 'Loves' category as usual, but admittedly this month has been a tad less full of discoveries than others - what with the whole little money/time conundrum and the whole 'need to get back into the swing of things' thang. What I have found I'm very pleased with though! I hope you enjoyed reading that as much as I always do putting them together and I will see you round about this time next month for February's edition...
Maybelline Volum' Express Falsies Push Up Drama Mascara - £7.99 (currently on an introductory offer of £5.99!) - I am always a sucker for a Maybelline mascara. My lashes just seem to love every one that I lacquer them up with - they're by far my top pick when it comes to drugstore lash offerings. So, obviously when I got wind of this mascara being added to the family I straight away put it at the top of this very list and I can almost guarantee a purchase will be made very soon. I mean, this may well be the first from the brand that doesn't agree with my lashes, but even so - I've just got to find out...
New Barry M Spring Nail Collection - £3.99/£4.99 - Barry M announced this month some new products to be added to their ever-growing range for their Spring Collection and in short - everything's very beautiful indeed. Of them all, the new shades to be added to their 'Speedy', 'Gelly' and 'Sunset' nail lines have in particular caught my eye and I may just have to check the new hues out when they launch next month. Pastel lovers, rejoice...
Collection Primed and Ready Primers - £3.99 each - Now, this launch is one that got me very excited when I heard about it on the blogging grapevine earlier this month. Collection really have been bringing it when it comes to new additions to their line-up, with almost all of them getting the firm 'thumbs up' from yours truly. In recent months there's been a whole host of palettes, a contour kit and some cream cheek sticks and now they've finally jumped on the primer bandwagon. I was hoping at some point they would, as typically Collection offer amazing quality but at amazingly affordable prices - and at last they have and I am so excited to give them a go. As far as I can see there are two illuminating ones (one for the cool-toned amongst us and the other targeted at warmer skin tones), a mattifying pore minimiser and then an eye primer. The latter especially interests me, as I am yet to find a drugstore eye primer that lives up to my Urban Decay one. Will this be an exception? There's only one way to find out...
New Real Techniques Brushes and Brush Cleansing Palette - £12.99 - More Real Techniques - I know, I know. I just can't help myself, as you probably can already tell. They've kicked off the New Year by launching some new brushes and a handy little palette thing to wash them all in. I too am one who struggles with the eternal problem of having your hand all dirty and wrinkly once brush washing is complete and so to me, the former sounds like a very good idea indeed. It's also supposedly made so certain areas of the 'palette' are best used with certain types of brushes. Genius.
Maybelline 'Iced Fudge' Mono Eyeshadow - £4.09 - Onto a couple of bits from Maybelline, that after a bit of investigating appear to be discontinued and so incredibly hard to track down - bummer. I thought I'd still give them a mention anyway as they are tow items I've been lusting after this month and hey, maybe one day I will find a way of adding them to my collection. MAC's 'Satin Taupe' eyeshadow has been on my lust-list in regards to what I wish to fill up my palette with (when I finally get round to starting one, that is) for what feels like an age. Everytime I see it in videos or blog posts it just looks a stunner of a shade - a silvery, purple-tinged brown - and allegedly this hue from Maybelline comes pretty darn close a dupe for it.
Maybelline Colour Tattoo in 'Light In Purple' - £4.99 - The second and last in my 'items I want to try but are no longer widely available' from Maybelline is this shade from their hugely-popular 'Color Tattoo' cream eyeshadow range. Now, up until I was made aware of this hue by a lovely gal's blog post on it, I hadn't even seen it before or knew it existed - maybe it's a US shade, I'm not sure - but now I have clapped eyes on it, I kinda want to try it out. It looks absolutely insane in the pot, even though I wouldn't say it fully lives up to the name (it's more of a blue-based colour than purple) but it's still a stunner nevertheless.
Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfectors - £18.00 each - Now, these are a product I've heard so much about over the past few years I've been following the whole online beauty community. If I'm honest, I wouldn't necessarily say these are something I will end up purchasing (as I doubt I'd actually make proper good use of them), but that doesn't prevent me from lusting after them. A kind of lipgloss/balm hybrid that gives your lips a bit of shine and protects and nourishes them at the same time (poet and I didn't know it). Seeing as Boots sell them, maybe if one day I am able to actually save my Advantage Card points up to a larger amount, then one of these could be what I use them for... (Spoiler alert - I wouldn't count on that happening anytime soon).
NARS Refillable Palettes - Small Palette (£12), Large Palette (£16) - These have been all over the online world this month, as at last another makeup brand has expanded into the realms of DIY palettes. MAC were the first (and up until now - as far as I know of - the only) to do this kinda thing where you buy your palette and fill its contents with whatever takes your fancy, however now NARS have jumped on the bandwagon too. These palettes particularly interest me as unlike the MAC ones where you typically buy an insert to keep all your goodies in; NARS have left things a little more stripped-back and instead the inside is of magnetic material which you use to slot your products into wherever you want them to be. *Inserts all the 'Oooh's' and 'Ahhh's*.
So that just about concludes my first 'Loves and Lusts' post for 2016! Not as many products in the 'Loves' category as usual, but admittedly this month has been a tad less full of discoveries than others - what with the whole little money/time conundrum and the whole 'need to get back into the swing of things' thang. What I have found I'm very pleased with though! I hope you enjoyed reading that as much as I always do putting them together and I will see you round about this time next month for February's edition...
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