After the Black Friday temptation and the fact I finally bagged myself a job, I thought I would treat myself to some much coveted beauty bits. First up, the Morphe 35N matte palette - a brand unknown myself until I ventured on to Beautybay and what a bargain it is! I'm a magpie for warm matte eyeshadows as I they're harder to come by and suit me a little better. For the price, it's pretty good quality. May not pack the super buttery pigmentation you get with higher end eyeshadows, but for someone who isn't an expert at eyeshadow application, like me, it's perfect as there's room for error. Plus there are some great MAC dupes in here such as Swiss Chocolate and Uninterrupted, both of which I've been craving for a while.
Embarrassingly, it's taken me until now to take the plunge and purchase the well loved Pixi Glow Tonic and yes, it lives up to its hype. My skin is brighter after application and its texture has improved too. I only use a once a day instead of its advised twice as my skin prefers a simpler routine.
Next, I have been 'umming and arghing' over the Stila One Step Correct primer for a while now; reluctant as I've heard some pretty mixed reviews. However as it was reduced, I gave in as I do suffer from redness and an occasional sallow complexion and was hoping it would keep it at bay during a long working day. I feel it does mildly reduce the redness meaning I don't have to be as heavy handed with the concealer and it is a nice a base for foundation. However, it claims to keep oil production at bay, which I don't think is completely true. Worth the money? I'm still not 100% sold - expect only subtle differences.
On the other end of the primer spectrum, I opted for the L'oreal Infallible Matte primer as my oily T-Zone is an inconvenience and I needed some enforcement to help my make-up stay put during the long days. This stuff really surprised me - it's great. Yes, a silicone primer may not be everyone's cup of tea, but it makes application a dream and holds everything in place during the day. Unfortunately, I don't think anything will prevent an inevitable touch up during the day, but my check-ins with the mirror are less frequent. Thumbs up.
Secondly, Morpe G17 Round Blender brush. Great quality from this relatively new brand and equally soft. I do find it's a little too big for me for eyeshadow application, but for blending, it works a treat. The packaging is sleek and lightweight and at such an affordable price makes it amazing value for money.
It's no beauty haul without a couple of lippy products. First up, Collection Cream Puff in Cotton Candy a lovely dusky pink shade which dries down to a beautiful matte finish. The quality of these are insanely good considering the price and does not budge even whilst eating and drinking.
A very similar shade, but a smidge richer in colour is the Maybelline Color Drama lipstick in Keep it Classy. These are a great drugstore lipsticks - they are long lasting with a comfortable matte finish and as the packaging isn't the most luxurious, you don't mind leaving them in your handbag. From what I've read, great Nars Velvet lip pencil dupes.
Last but not least, probably the purchase I was most excited about: Illamasqua Cream Pigment in Hollow. My first ever Illamasqua purchase and with its amazing Black Friday offers, I think it was a great choice. One of the most popular choice of cream contours amongst the fair skinned and really does a great job. Blends beautifully whilst giving a subtle, natural definition. Next on my Illamasqua radar: their lipsticks.
Have you tried any of these beauties?
K.
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