Products I'm loving

I'm definitely NOT too diligent in terms of posting my monthly favorites, but instead I thought I could ramble a bit about the products I'm recently loving as these are the type of posts I enjoy reading myself.

I went a little collage-crazy but hey, sometimes we all have to satisfy our innate artist...


1. Benefit CORALista. I wrote about it last month here, and it's still a favorite. The only problem I sometimes have with it is that it can look overly shimmery and emphasize any bumps I tend to have on my cheeks. However, this can be easily fixed by buffing it in a bit more with a kabuki brush. It's the bottom swatch in the collage, the top one being this:

2. The Body Shop Lip & Cheek Stain in original shade. I got this in a MUA swap I did a couple weeks back with a lovely girl from Italy. It's a beautiful, deep pink/ berry shade which is supposed to work on every skintone. The texture is of a watery gel and comes with a handy doe foot applicator. I use it mostly on my lips for a matte, 'bitten' lip - looks pretty much as if I just ate some raspberries, and depending on how many layers you put on, can be very subtle or more noticeable. It's not too drying on me and feels super lightweight, but I always use a lipbalm underneath, and if I feel like adding some glossiness to it, I top it with a clear lipgloss or balm.


3. Benefit Eye Bright. I guess everything that can be said about this product has already been said by others. It amazes me how something so simple can make such a huge difference. I especially like wearing it on my lower waterline for a wide awake look.

4. Annabelle Smudgeliner in Rich Chocolate. I brought it with me from my last trip to Canada and I wish I had bought more shades! As the name suggests, this can be smudged for a pretty smoky look (using a brush or the rubbery end depicted above), but once it sets, it really stays put on your lid. I find dark brown looks more natural on me and I love it paired with some neutral, shimmery wash of color on the lid for a quick everyday look. It's such an affordable, high quality product!


5. Rimmel Sexy Curves mascara in Intense Black. I wanted to try it for a really long time after all the hype it caused in the blogosphere. I was quite dissapointed in the beginning, because the curvy brush made for an uneven, clumpy application even with a very light hand. I decided to persevere and I was right: with a right technique, it gives amazing, voluminous and very black lashes. Basically I put the wand at the roots of my lashes in the outer corner of the eye at quite a sharp angle and massage it in for a good while, and then sweep it up. Then I lightly finish the lashes in the inner corner, as they don't need so much drama. Voila! It holds the curl quite well, doesn't flake and for some reason lenghtens my lower lashes a lot, giving me a doll like effect.

What are the products rocking your make-up world recently? xxx