This post is coming to you much later than planned so I'm really sorry if you've been waiting for it! These first 4 posts of the year have been quite time consuming ones in terms of photo editing, writing, linking etc so have taken me longer than usual. Also I think the cold weather is making my brain work slower!! Is that a thing? Anyway, I wanted to continue my series of monthly Loves Lists into 2017 as they have been some of my most popular blog posts and I find them really enjoyable to create. So today I'm running you through the list of items/products that I have been loving this last month!
Becca Highlighter in Opal | I do love a highlight, in fact after lip colour it's probably my favourite part of doing my make up! Highlighting/strobing, whatever you want to call it, has taken the beauty community by storm in recent years that there is an overwhelming amount of different products out there to choose from. I've heard a lot of hype about these Shimmering Skin Perfectors by Becca, which come in 6 different shades, so me being me I wanted to see what all the fuss was about is it better that any other highlighter? I chose Opal which is golden peach-toned shimmer and is apparently one of the best selling highlights in the US! "A creamy luminizing power that veils the skin in a soft pearlised glow with a lustrous velvet finish"
As soon as I tried it I could see why, the texture is gorgeous considering it's a powder the formulation is really smooth & creamy. It contains the famous Becca pearls which create an exceptional luminescence and dimension on the skin, yet it looks so natural as it contains no glitter (I always try and avoid that with highlighters!). I such a convert to this product that I'm keen to try the Moonstone & Rose Gold shades now too!
My Tips Of Where to Apply Your Highlighter:
Use highlight on the areas you want to make pop and bring forward.
- Sweep it across the tops of the cheekbones
- Underneath your brows
- A little in the inner corner of your eye to make to you look more awake
- Down the bridge of the nose (to slim)
- Apply some to the cupids bow of your lips to give the illusion of a fuller pout
- I also think adding a little to your collar bones in the summer gives a lovely glowing effect
Glitter Hair Bows from Beauxoxo | Thanks to Instagram & other bloggers I have recently discovered Beauxoxo.com, a website that sells a gorgeous range of unique hair accessories including Glitter Hair Bows. I've fallen in love with them, this one is in the smaller size at only £4 and is called 'Ruby Red Slippers', I ended up buying 6 in different colours! You may have seen me wearing a black & silver version in my New Years Eve Outfit Ideas post & a pure silver one in my Christmas in Pictures so I'm getting a lot of wear time out of them already. As well as those 3 already mentioned I chose a gold, burnt orange and a blue & green from the multi-coloured range one called 'peacock' which I think looks quite mermaid inspired. They have larger versions of these too but for how I wanted to style them in my hair I felt the smaller sizes were a better option. All the bows are secured with an alligator clip which I find really secure & comfortable also I haven't found that any of the glitter has shed at all which is fantastic. Beauxoxo have some really cute Berets on their site as well so I'm thinking one of those will be next on my wish list!
Pixi 24K Eye Elixir | I don't know about you but eyes feel extremely dry and puffy around this time of year. A combination of the cold weather & central heating I think plus I have been in quite a lot of extra pain due to my EDS & not sleeping well leaving me fatigued which doesn't help. I received this 24K Eye Elixir by Pixi for my birthday last year and have been using it on a regular basis lately, often twice daily. It has a metal ball applicator making it really cooling and soothing to use (put it in the fridge for extra coolness). It's designed to alleviate puffiness and encourage repair while diminishing fine lines and dark circles. Gold stimulates circulation, Collagen strengthens the skin and Peptides plump fine lines. I do have relatively noticeable dark circles without makeup, my skin is naturally quite pale so I think it makes them appear more pronounced anyway. After using it for about 5-6 weeks I can't say that I've noticed a massive difference in the appearance of my dark circles however I have noticed that the puffiness has significantly decreased and they don't feel as dry and sore. What I particularly like is how light weight the product is, it feels even lighter than a serum. In the past I've used creams that just feel too heavy and sometimes I feel like I have a film around my eyes I need to blink out. This is definitely a product I will continue to use!
Kings Cross Road (Silver metallic), Charlotte Mews (nude/beige) by Nails Inc and Icicles (silver holographic glitter) by Barry M with a dot of Palace Street (for the star) by Nails Inc.
Nails Inc Kings Cross Road | This Polish has been the shade of Christmas for me. I wore it over most of the festive period, as shown above with this Christmas tree design. It's part of Nails Inc's Reflector range, it is so bright and shiny I don't think I've ever seen a metallic shade quite like it! As with all Nails Inc polishes (which is my favourite nail brand FYI) I find the shape of the brush is ideal for painting as it's curved to mimic the cuticle and you can cover in just a few strokes. I really recommend this if you're looking for a great metallic shade!
Yankee Candle Christmas Eve | I believe this is one of the first Yankee Candle's I ever burnt and of course immediately fell in love with. Christmas Eve is the only scent I want to burn on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day & Boxing Day, it just IS Christmas for me! I burnt through a box of tea lights, 3 melts and half a large jar of it this year. Even just lifting the lid evokes memories of past Christmases and the anticipation that comes with it, I find it really incredible that fragrance can do that! Described as “Traditional holiday scents of a warm hearth, sugared plums, and candied fruits.”
Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse® OR Multi-Usage Dry Oil Shimmer | I picked this up from the Birchbox online shop as I had some points to use up and I'd never tried it before! It's a multi-purpose dry oil with a very fine golden shimmer running through it, giving my skin a beautiful glowing sheen! Containing sweet almond, camellia, hazelnut, and macadamia oils it is moisturising but leaves no tacky or greasy residue so you can get dressed almost instantly. I've really enjoyed using this over the festive period just to add a light glimmer & sparkle to my skin but I think it's going to be even better in the summer time to show of a tan (which hopefully I will have if it's warm enough!). There is also an original, non shimmer version here. Both oils is said to be great on dry, rough patches of skin and in the ends of the hair too. It also smells incredible so I've found it can double up as a lovely perfume too. I love anything that multi tasks!
Firefly Jar | How cute is this little LED Jar? I've been eyeing them up on Temptation Gifts for a while now. I think they look so vintage/shabby chic and I love the addition of the rustic twine and wooden heart. The glass is painted in a speckled fashion allowing the LED lights to shine through giving a firefly effect which I think is really magical! They have 6 different colours: Silver, Bronze, Red, Blue, Purple & Pink as well as a new two toned range. My jar is the Bronze shade and I ended up buying some as gifts for friends at Christmas which went down very well!
What products or items have you been loving over the last month?
