December 2017 Favourites

I didn't choose any November favourites because I was incredibly restrained in November and hardly bought a thing! But I spied so many lovely things that I added to my Christmas list from the Black Friday sales and others from my ever-growing wish list.

 

 

 

Apothaka SOS Recovery Nail Oil

 

One of my major beauty must-do's is to sort out my nails, and particularly those on my right hand! Three of my fingernails have been in terrible shape for a couple of years now and I really want to get back to having healthy and strong nails in 2018.

I knew that I'd be receiving this Apothaka nail and cuticle oil and I almost couldn't wait till Christmas day to open it! The founder of Apothaka, Natasha also included a sample of her hand cream too and I'm loving using the oil and cream every night.

 

 

 

Dr Botanicals Moroccan Rose Superfood Facial Oil

 

This was sent to me for review purposes and two things about this excited me the most - Moroccan Rose and Facial Oil!! I was a bit surprised at it's runny and light texture though - it's more of a serum than an oil. But the positive side to this is that it's lightweight enough to wear in the morning under make up.

 

Fenty Beauty - Kilawatt Highlighter Duo Compact in Girl Next Door/Chic Phreak

 

I'm sure I wasn't alone in being swept away with all the Fenty Beauty excitement when this range was released earlier this year.

My Mum bought this for me for my birthday fro the Sephora in Seville and I was beyond excited to try it.

 

I must admit, that after all the lusting after, waiting and major FOMO about this, it felt like a bit of a damp squib when I finally got my hands on it! I'm loving the compact and the colours, but.... I'm slowly realising that every product that I get FOMO for can never live up to such frenzied hype. I think that you can almost mythologise about a product, and it stands to reason that reality is never the same as fantasy. How often do you have a goal, you obtain it and then you're quickly thinking "Is that it?" and "So, what's next?"

 

It's certainly not a bad product, but it's just that I wouldn't call it my favourite. I remember the same thing happening with the Urban Decay Naked Heat palette back in the summer.

Note to self - You are old enough to see past FOMO!!

 

Colourpop - Golden State of Mind Palette

 

This is another product that didn't quite live up to my expectations. I bought this at half price (so just $13) so it was a fantastic bargain. A bonus was that I didn't have to pay customs fees either.

 

 

My excitement at receiving this in the post just before Christmas was quickly squashed somewhat when I opened the palette to find the central pan smashed up and product all over the palette.

To be fair, Colourpop resolved my issue pretty quickly, sending me a token for the full price of $26.00.

The metallic colours are all fantastic, the usual Colourpop quality and there's not a single shade I don't like. However, I quickly realised that I do need matte colours for my eye looks too, so this palette doesn't work well as a one-palette look.

 

 

Lumene - Invisible Illumination Gift Set

 

I spotted this Finnish brand during the Feel Unique Black Friday sales and bought a couple of the gift sets as they were amazing value. The Invisible Illumination range is absolutely stunning. The Instant Glow Beauty Serum is the most perfect lightweight coverage and really does give you that glowing Arctic fresh skin. Coupled with the Instant Illuminiser, which is a gorgeous highlighter in a dropper bottle, my face looked so fresh and healthy. This was definitely one of my favourite finds of the year.

 

Sleek Highlighter Palette in Cleopatra's Kiss

Makeup Revolution Blush Palette

 

I can't help but compare these two budget brands to the Fenty Beauty, and I feel that they both top the Fenty Kilawatt highlighter! Makeup Revolution palettes are generally always eminently useable and for just £6.00 for this blusher, highlight and bronze palette you just can't go wrong. I really wanted to try some more golden-toned highlighters as I always seem to reach for the icy shades and this Sleek palette was a fantastic starting point.

 

 

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask

 

I've been wanting to try this for so long and my youngest son bought me it for Christmas. I had been using the Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm at night but it's pretty heavy and I often felt greasy-lipped when I woke up. This is a lot lighter and sinks in beautifully overnight, leaving my lips soft and nourished in the morning.