January: The Love List

Welcome to 'The Love List' - the newest incarnation of my end-of-the-month, favourites and just general roundup post. If you've been round these parts for some time now, you'll know of my 'Loves' and Lusts' - when I summarised all of the things I was loving and lusting after throughout the month - but after two years, I felt it was time for a change. So, for 2017, I've decided to focus simply on the things I discovered, rediscovered or just generally loved over the past four weeks or so and want to share with you all. Let's just get right on into it, eh?

COLLECTION SHEER LOOSE POWDER IN 'TRANSPARENT' - As you'd know if you read this post, I have finally been trying to get my head around the whole 'baking' makeup trend these past few weeks and surprisingly, I'm actually quite the fan. Especially under the eyes, it works like a dream and it comes in super-handy for special occasions, nights out or long days when you want your makeup to look extra flawless, or simply last and last and last. So, this powder has been a big favourite of mine for January for exactly that. It's translucent - completely free of colour - and so works well as a powder, without adding any more coverage to the situation and I find it to really brighten up the areas I apply it to aswell. It doesn't leave any grey cast behind and I don't find it to 'flashback' or anything like that when it comes to flash photography.

SOAP AND GLORY 'THICK AND FAST' MASCARA - Mascara-wise, I have become a big fan of this stuff during January. I received this lash offering as part of a free giftset when picking up some bits 'n' bobs from Soap and Glory last month and I have to say, I am impressed so far. I did like the original version (the one which comes in a matte, black tube as opposed to this pretty, shiny gold one), though I have to say that this one has now completely blew it out of the water for me, personally. It really does live up to the name - providing a tonne of thickness, volume and drama - all pretty much in an instant. It really beefs up the lashes and you do have to be careful with it to stop any clumps from forming, but providing you are, you are left with a gorgeous, full look that takes barely a few minutes to achieve and I love it.

SLEEK MATTE ME LIP CREAMS IN 'BIRTHDAY SUIT' AND 'SHABBY CHIC' - A major, major love for this past month has been these liquid lipsticks from Sleek. This is a long-awaited inclusion as I have been trying to get my hands on these (especially these two shades) for months and months and they've consistently been sold out - due to the whole 'liquid lippie' hype that's been going on for a good year and a half now. These were always dubbed as some of the best to come out of the drugstore market so I had pretty high hopes. Finally, this month I had the chance to try them it's safe to say that I am not at all disappointed. The formula is super lightweight and dries down in an instant to a powdery-matte texture that doesn't feel that drying at all on the lips. It holds up pretty darn well throughout the day and if/when it does wear down - can be easily touched-up without things getting messy or cakey in any way. Both of these nude-y colours are super pigmented and opaque in one coat and very much up my street - 'Birthday Suit', in particular...

BARRY M NAIL PAINT IN 'FESTIVAL FEVER' - While we are in the midst of Winter right now, I can't help but gravitate towards brighter, bolder colours that distract me from the fact that it's pretty darn dark and gloomy outside the majority of the time. I always find a pretty polish can do wonders for perking me up and this one in particular from Barry M has been a favourite of mine recently. It was initially part of the launch from Summer '16, but it's only now I've found myself to get into it - but hey, who really cares, eh? This is a super pretty, blue-based, Barbie-esque pink with a gorgeous fine gold shimmer running through it that catches the light beautifully. It's fully opaque in two coats with a nice, glossy finish and I really rather love it. You can see it in action here.

ZOEVA BRUSH SET DUPE - I never thought I'd be singing the praises of a super cheap, brush set. While I am a big advocate for the likes of Real Techniques that kinda sit somewhere in the middle of 'bargainous' and 'expensive', I never felt the need to go to the complete low end of the scale (we're talking like a fiver for a complete brush set here) - until recently. I had the idea to pick one of them up to simply try for blog review purposes, in comparison to my more 'expensive' offerings (as you can see here) - but you know what? I was actually so impressed that there's a handful which have fully integrate themselves into my everyday brush pot. The fluffy, blending brushes in particular have stolen my heart - they're so soft, easy to use and actually do a pretty darn good job at applying and buffing out product. They've not replaced any of my other eyeshadow brushes by any means, but they've been a surprisingly good addition and I'm more than happy to make full use of them before I decide to take the plunge and invest in a proper Zoeva Rose Gold Eye Set...

REAL TECHNIQUES BRUSH CLEANSING PALETTE - Talking of brushes, I have switched up the way I have been cleaning them this month (as I talked about in this post) and have been completely loving it. I have wondered about whether to add this little brush cleansing tool into my stash for a while now and I have to say I was pretty surprised/happy when it cropped up as one of my presents I received for Christmas last year. I was super eager to give it a go and see what all the fuss was about and I think I may or may not have found a new favourite brush cleaning routine. This makes the whole process far more simple and straightforward and I actually find it to seem far less time-consuming too. I no longer have a wrinkly, prune-like hand at the end of it and some of my brushes come out a little more cleaner too. What's not to love? I think this could be the turning point in making me far more likely to actually wash my brushes regularly...

TRESEMME KERATIN SMOOTH SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER - Last, but certainly by no means least - Haircare. I have been a big fan of the offerings from OGX for a good while now, but during January I went back to an old love - Tresemme - and so far, I've been pretty happy with the results. 'Keratin Smooth' was one of my favourites back in the day so I knew it had to be the range I tried again this time round and I am loving it so far. Together, this shampoo and conditioner combo leaves my tresses feeling super soft and hydrated and - most importantly p- really smooth and sleek too. I notice a massive improvement in the frizzy tendencies of my hair when I use them and overall, my hair is just so much more manageable. Love, love, LOVE.