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Thursday, January 12, 2012

December 2011 Favorites

I'm still digging through a mountain of photos I'd taken before I left for Christmas, and this was one of the posts I meant to publish last year (sounds very dramatic, har har). There are some goodies here too, so it'd be a shame to let this go to waste!

I guess most of these will come as a no surprise, and some that I haven't talked about yet might also deserve their separate posts; well, it's kinda like a collection of the most interesting things I've gathered throughout the last month. Let's start with make-up:

1. Milani One Coat Glitter nail polish in 'Red Sparkle' (521): The perfect Christmas nail varnish. Unfortunately, an awful eczema flare-up prevented me from wearing it on my fingers, but I've been sporting it on my toes and even my dad was impressed. Simply gorgeous, a bit better on two rather than one coat, and decently long-wearing. It's love.
2. Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatment in 'Honey': One of the very few warm nude shades that I can actually wear, plus a great moisturizing formula. For lip swatches, see my last post here.

3. Estee Lauder Double Wear Light in 'Intensity 1.0': I know I've promised a full review on this one, but my initial impression is that I rather like it. The shade I have is spot on, the finish not too matte, and it really does last on the skin. The light coverage evens out the skin, still looking very natural. I'm slowly converting back to liquid foundations!
4. Milani Color Perfect lipstick in 'Berry Rich': My Christmas and New Year's lipstick of choice this year. For a full review with swatches, click here.

5. Milani Baked Blush in 'Berry Amore': What's up with me and the berries?! Anyway, this is not a berry at all; rather a pink tan with slight golden shimmer that adds dimension instead of sparkle to the face. Smooth, pigmented, blendable, I tell myself it just goes with everything. If you'd like to see a cheek swatch, this is the blush I was wearing in the recent Lipstick Bandits post.
6. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on eyeliner pencil in 'Stash': This is definitely one of my favorite shades of the UD 24/7 pencils - a dark olive with golden shimmer, which adds just a bit of interest to an otherwise everyday make-up look. Swatches here.

Now, onto skin and body care:
7. Paula's Choice 2% BHA Gel: Since repackaged, this is a great staple for anyone struggling with imperfections such as blackheads, clogged pores or post-acne hyperpigmentation. This is basically a salicylic acid treatment that doesn't irritate but is still effective. My only gripe with this is that it leaves your skin incredibly sticky, so it's better for a night-time use. A more in-depth review/comparison coming soon.
8. Lush Three Gold Rings bubble bar: Bubble bars are my favorite bath product from Lush, and Three Gold Rings (Limited Edition for Holiday 2011) does not disappoint. If I recall correctly, this is supposed to smell like the Creme Anglais body lotion, which is rich vanilla and myrrh. A delicious sweet treat for the hectic pre-Holiday days.
9. Luxury Lane Soap in 'Love Knot': Pictured here is obviously my mum's bar, mine is already reduced to next to nothing. Great winter soap for more sensitive skins, a full review here.

And that's it! I realize that I usually also publish a 'Best Beauty Buys' yearly favorites post, but I don't know, somehow this year I wasn't feeling very inspired - which is not to say that I haven't discovered some fantastic products! Anyway, let me know in the comments your greatest end-of-year discoveries; also, are you excited for all the New Year product launches?

12 comments:

  1. I'm glad you mentioned EL Double Wear Light - I used to have a bottle of this last year and all day today I have been thinking about repurchasing! Think I will go for it :)

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    1. I think it's a great everyday base that can be stretched into evening wear; despite having very imperfect skin, I'm terrified of a mask-like effect, and this definitely wears very naturally!

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  2. Oh... now I feel like rushing out to see if any Three Gold Rings are available. I grabbed a bagful of Golden Wonders before the holidays and feel like I'm on the beginning of a long LUSH journey.

    Love your faves! I did two year-end posts on skincare/hair/body and makeup/perfume. :)

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    1. I've never tried Golden Wonders... I've slacked on Lush a lot lately. Oh, I have to go read your end of year summaries!

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  3. I love that Lush bubble bar too... so yummy! You've got some really good picks here; I can't wait to see what companies come out with this year!

    xo, alison*elle

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  4. Three golden rings sounds amazing! I tried a sample of Creme Anglais once and it was divine.

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    1. I loved that one too, although I find some of the ingredients Lush uses a bit questionable...

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  5. yay~ I'm the 456th (public) follower of yours~

    I am so mad I missed out 3 golden rings from Lush last year! It sounds so yummmy! Need to get some if they re-introduce that in holiday'12!

    Thx for the monthly favourites, I did mine too. pls go and check out my blog too if you have time!

    http://www.beautysketchbyjacq.com/2012/01/december-favourites-11.html

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    1. Hi Jacq, thanks so much for following, it means a lot to me! I hope they bring back Three Gold Rings too :)

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  6. I still haven't gotten into Lush products and I think that's one slippery slope I may avoid :P I do want that Fresh Honey balm, though!

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