3 Extra Ways to Condition Your Hair

I'm sure that you've all noticed that as our skin gets drier in the colder months, so does our hair. As we're getting towards the end of winter here, I think our tresses deserve a little TLC to prep it for the spring and so I've decided to share my 3 favorite ways to add extra moisture and nourishment to my hair.

Before I start, I just have to include a little disclaimer: I am by no means a hair expert or even a hair person. But, as some of you may know, I've been working at a salon/beauty supply for about a year now and have picked up some nifty tricks here and there. It also seems that somehow hair products are not the most talked about in the blogosphere and since I get to try quite a few by way of work, I might as well share, right? Right.

1. Hair Mask + Extra Boost: Goldwell Rich Repair 60sec Treatment ($17.95 for 200ml/ 6.7 fl.oz.)+ Enjoy Intensive Reconstructing Spray (~$22 for 300ml/10.1 fl.oz.). I'm sure many of you already use a mask in your haircare routines, and the Goldwell Rich Repair is my favorite; it has hydrolyzed keratin and silk very high up the ingredients list, smells like cherry vanilla and can be just used in place of your regular conditioner - because it's a 60 seconds mask, you don't need to go through the whole 'leave for 15 minutes under a plastic cap' ordeal. It moisturizes and smoothes the hair nicely, and with the addition of Enjoy Intesive Reconstructing Spray (I have the old packaging to show you here; it looks more like the Conditioning Spray bottle below these days) beforehand it provides a lot of protein to rebuild my color-treated hair. The Enjoy I.R.S. is mostly a keratin amino acid spray, which in practical lingo means 'protein that won't overproteinize your hair'. Some forms of protein, like animal protein, has a tendency to push out water molecules out of a hair shaft, leaving it dry and brittle; but the Enjoy spray can be used every time you reach for a hair mask, or even in conjunction with a moisturizing conditioner.

2. Leave-in conditioner/detangler: Enjoy Conditioning Spray ($19 for 300ml/ 10.1 fl.oz). If you now think 'gosh, she really likes those Enjoy products' - yep, I do; I also use their shampoo and conditioner, but that's for another post. Anyway, I like this spray detangler for its unparalleled smoothing properties without weighting down the hair; although on my fine hair, it does need to be used quite sparingly. As with any conditioner, I always recommend applying only from ears down; on chin-length hair, that's basically just your ends. Another nifty thing about this one is that it can be used as a leave-in or rinse-out.

3. Serum/oil: MoroccanOil Treatment ($43 for 100ml/ 3.4 fl.oz). You've probably all heard about this one already but it is worth the hype; it conditions with the antioxidant-rich argan oil and the blend of silicones protects the hair against heat damage, frizz, humidity and even static and can also be applied on both damp and dry hair. A small tip before you buy: take a sniff first, some people can't stand the signature orange blossom scent of this line. For a similar effect from other brands, try the Enjoy Smooth & Shine or better yet, Loma Organics Fortifying Repairative Tonic (formerly Loma Pearatin Fortifying Repairative Serum).

Depending on how dry and damaged your hair is, you could try incorporating just one or all of the above steps to your routine to give it an extra conditioning boost. I usually just go for one of these on the days I wash my hair to keep it healthy and shiny and I want to say my hair is the best it's been in a long time. What do you use to condition your hair? Any products worth checking out?

Disclaimer: The article above features a mixture of products I purchased myself and samples I received as part of my employment. All opinions are 100% honest and my own. Thank you for reading!

What a Man Wants: Lipstick Bandits Valentine's Look

And not just any man - my husband, that is! For our February Lipstick Bandit collab, we decided to either feature a Valentine's Day inspired look or a pink lip product. Since I haven't really had anything in store pink-wise (shocking, I know), I've settled on a look based on what a man wants for his woman to wear, specifically what Mr likes me to wear, as discovered by careful fishing around.

Coincidentally, I've also recently stumbled upon an article in the Self magazine on beauty trends men love and hate. Setting aside the sheer stupidity of the piece ('Side-swept bangs make him want to go bang-bang', or some such nonsense), I felt very rebellious at the very idea of a woman choosing a look because men seem to like it. Frankly, my dears, I just wouldn't give a damn. I dress the way I want to, I style my hair the way I want to, and lastly, I make myself up the way I want to. I may, if such is my fancy at the time, sport a make-up look my husband likes more than some of the others but honestly, most of the time, he doesn't give a damn either. So this post is essentialy a bit tongue-in-cheek but hey, I desperately needed an idea for Valentine's look; hearts and Cupids are just not my thing.

So, having spent a couple minutes interviewing my very puzzled other half, it seems he prefers a make-up that is a) noticeable, b) more glamorous than daytime, c) with a darker lip and some smokey action on the eyes (this has been translated into technical terms from cave speech by yours truly). From these simple outlines, I've decided on a fresh, flawless complexion achieved by layering a couple of base products rather than using one high coverage foundation, an understated but glowy cheek, a medium brown smokey eyes and a sheer but darker lip, applied by patting the lipstick on with a finger for a pretty wine stain. I've also wanted the look to have an easy, comfortable feel - a bit more dramatic than any other day but still quite effortless and feminine, so no fiddling with false lashes, no lip liner and gloss on the lips. The result is a look he likes on me, and a look I feel pretty in.

Here's the breakdown of the products used; they're some examples from my collection but you could very easily replace them with whatever you have. I've used a foundation primer to give my Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum a bit more staying power on my combination skin, and to diffuse any uneven texture. I finished off the face by using Laura Mercier Mineral Powder for added coverage and to set the liquid foundation. The medium and dark browns from the Stila E! Live on the Red Carpet palette have a soft, satin finish and supreme blendability, which made them a perfect match for this look. There isn't a whole lot of shimmer going on here, apart from a subtly glowy baked Accessorize blush in Diva and a dab of Stila 'Kitten' eyeshadow on the inner corners. Lips are, of course, my beloved Sleek Make-up lipstick in Cherry.
Don't forget to check out other Bandits' picks for the Valentine's Day:
Beauty Reflections
ChloeAsh‎
Eye Heart It
Getting Cheeky
Glitter Geek
Makeup Morsels
Messy Wands
Musing on Beauty
My Funny Valentine
My Women Stuff
theNotice: a beauty blog‎

And new to the Lipstick Bandits this time around:

• BellaChique‎
• Mostly Sunny‎

Do you know what is your man's favorite make-up look on you? Any exciting plans for Valentine's?

Nails of the Week: OPI The Living Daylights

...aka Focus Features logo manicure - it just really reminds me of that film production company intro!

The star of this manicure is of course the OPI The Living Daylights glitter polish from their 2012 Skyfall collection, which is being discontinued, by the way (so snatch this beaut up while you still can!). I've never actually seen the movie 'The Living Daylights', nor was I a huge fan of this when it first came out; I am in general very suspicious towards multi-colored glitters, or as I prefer to call them, clown vomit. This one though... this one grew on me. A LOT.

The base color was 2 coats of China Glaze Naughty and Nice (previously swatched here) from a holiday collection 2 years ago, followed by one coat of OPI The Living Daylights (you have to play around with the placement of the glitter but I like the slight uneven/textured look) and an Essie top coat. So far (day 3) no chips, a little bit of tip wear. I think what gets me in this glitter is the sequined appearance and the color combination; although unusual, it still somehow works.

Do you like wearing multi-colored glitters on your nails? Have you ever had a nail polish shade you disliked at first really turn into a favorite?

Lipstick Bandits Secret Santa Look Swap!

And now for something completely different: Lipstick Bandits Make-up Look Swap! Back in October, it was decided that our Holiday installment would consist of swapping the participating Lipstick Bandits signature make-up looks, Secret Santa-style. And guess what, Rae, our Head Bandit, drew Larie of Eye Heart It for me!

Having met Larie in person (yay for Seattle-based beauty bloggers!), I was under no illusion that my features even remotely resemble hers (I would have loved to swap for that gorgeously smooth skin though!), so I decided to recreate a recent look she posted that was based on a Vietnamese editorial make-up she was inspired by (click!). I thought it was a good example of a glamorous Holiday eye look for monolids (which I obviously don't have) that could be easily adapted to suit a variety of eye shapes, and those red lips... I couldn't resist!

Our little secret swap allowed me to experiment with a couple things I rarely opt for in my everyday make-up routine. For once, I used a cool matte brown eyeshadow (Annabelle So Foxy) to make my brows a bit thicker. I also tried to copy the beautiful, defined almond shape of the eyeshadow but I think I failed in that regard; I just don't have enough space between the crease of my eyes and my brows. I also altered the shape of my liner on the upper lashline to make it a bit rounder and more flirty - Larie is a pro at this! I usually don't line my eyes all the way around but I was pleasantly surprised at how it looked on me; this made my eyes appear a lot more feline and coupled with the coppery and golden shades of the eyeshadow, I felt like a lioness.

I used my blush and bronzer in a more sculpting fashion by following the line under my cheekbones - I need to do this more often! For the lips, I tried accentuating my cupid's bow to mimick the model's lip shape, which I find added a bit of softness to the overall look. I kept the skin more satin by skipping the powder too.

And here's what I used, in case you're curious: Revlon Colorstay Foundation for Oily/Combination Skin in Ivory, Bobbi Brown Corrector in Porcelain Bisque for under the eyes and highlighting the center part of the face, Becca Compact Concealer in Sherbet on blemishes, The Body Shop Honey Bronzer in Fair(?) with NARS Douceur blush to contour.

For the eyes, I primed with NARS eye primer and then used Urban Decay Smog all over the lid blended out with Inglot eyeshadow no.405 Pearl, UD Virgin in the inner corner and under the brow, Fyrinnae Sacred on the lower lashline with a bit of UD Half-Baked. I used Clinique gel liner in black on my upper lashline and lower waterline and finished off with a good coat of Laura Mercier Full Blown Volume Lash Building Mascara in Black.

I lined and filled the lips with NYX Plush Red lip liner, applied a coat of Milani Berry Rich on top and topped with Lancome Juicy Tubes for lots of glossiness.

Don't forget to check out other Lipstick Bandits' swap looks, including one inspired by my face...
Call It Beauty
Eye Heart It
Getting Cheeky
Glitter Geek
Makeup Morsels
Messy Wands
Musing on Beauty
My Funny Valentine
theNotice: a beauty blog‎
And a new Bandit this round: ChloeAsh‎

I also wanted to wish all of you who celebrate a very Merry Christmas - as you might know, I'm home with my family at last and I just couldn't have a better holiday season. In Poland, we traditionally unwrap our presents after a big dinner on Christmas Eve, which is today! I can't wait to see what everyone is going to find under the tree and I'm very excited for all the fun we're going to share. Again, Merry Christmas my lovely readers, and Larie - I hoped you liked your little Secret Santa!

Holiday Sales Haul

I'd had my mind pretty made up that I wasn't going to buy anything during the Black Friday/ Cyber Monday sales - I didn't feel like I particularly needed anything and the things I wanted, I already put on my Christmas wishlist. But I just couldn't resist some of the bargains! Here's the damage:

I thought that Origins online store had one of the best deals floating around: $10 off $25 purchase + free shipping. I've been using a sample of their Drink-Up moisturizing mask for a couple weeks now, so I wanted to purchase that, and I also wanted to try the Clear Improvement charcoal mask. Origins offer these two products in the travel size (half of the normal tube) for $16 each so that was a fantastic buy.

Then, I was watching Ruth Crilly's (A Model Recommends) luxury Holiday gift guide video and she mentioned a beautifully packaged L'Occitane bath set. So, as you would, I casually wandered over to their website and found this gem: Almond Enchantment, reduced to $68 from $98 plus a $10 gift card and free shipping Cyber Monday deal. I just couldn't stop myself, it sounded so delicious and pampering! I've now already tried the Almond Shower Oil (after both me and Mr having spent at least 15 minutes trying to open the darn pump) and it feels wonderfully moisturizing on the skin and smells absolutely to die for; a must-have for winter. The gift set also came with a $15 of $55 coupon - I can already see myself picking some new treats up!

Actually, the first thing I purchased during the sales was the Bobbi Brown Corrector that I had my eye on for the longest time. They had a no minimum free shipping deal going on as well as a trio of deluxe samples + a mini lip gloss included with purchase. Unfortunately, the lip gloss shade doesn't really suit me but I will pass it on to my mum; I actually quite like the tiny little Bellini gloss that was included as well so it's all good.

Since I'm not a VIB at Sephora (although I have a strong feeling this is due to some technical error in my account - I think it's the fourth week now that I'm trying to resolve this issue with Sephora's customer service) I missed out on the sale earlier last month, which is why I then grabbed the opportunity to buy when they sent out their $15 off $50 cards last week. I only got two things I've had on my wishlist forever and ever: a Clarisonic replacement brush head and Laura Mercier Mineral Powder SPF 15 foundation. I will review at some point if it meets the expectations.

Lastly, my gifts with purchase and free samples - I did score quite a few! I used a code to get Sephora's Mystery Bag but overall was quite underwhelmed with the samples I received, especially compared to their earlier 'It Kit' release. I will do a review if anything stands out.

And that's it, I'm not buying any more beauty products until next year! Have you bought anything during the Holiday sales or are you waiting until Christmas? Tell me what you scored in the comments below!

Going Red for the Holidays!

Just a quick one today to share my new hair color; as you may guess from the title, I've gone more red for the Holidays! Can you tell I'm very excited?

If you'd like to know the specifics, this is an all-over red semi-permanent toner, not a permanent hair dye. I had a partial foil (highlights) done a couple months ago and my stylist used a coppery red toner afterwards too but it didn't take very well; interestingly enough, my hair lifts incredibly quickly but doesn't react very well to toning. Anyway, this time we didn't do a foil but only used the toner and left it on for about 30 minutes (normally you would leave it to process for no more than 10); and voila! The toner itself was from Redken and I believe it was a half and half mix of Chilli and Cayenne.

Also, you can observe my 10-minute make-up routine here in action. Supposedly, redheads pull off the 'no make-up make-up' look pretty well?

The semi-permanent color will eventually fade within about 6 weeks; I've already noticed a lot of color wash down the drain but the coppery tint is still definitely there. The upside is that my hair doesn't feel very damaged at all, it still looks glossy and soft. I really do like how vibrant my hair color seems now; I naturally have a red tinge to my medium blonde hair so this is just amping up my natural shade - it also seems to match my complexion pretty well.

Have you changed your 'do recently? Do you like introducing little changes to your look for the winter season?

Lipstick Bandit Vamps: Dark Cherries

This time, our Lipstick Bandit crew decided to tackle a very important subject of vampy lipstick. Also, this time I get to be the enfant terrible of the band because of my indecisiveness and have not one, but two lipsticks to show you in this post!

To be honest, vampy lips is something I don't really go for and as you all know, I'm not one to shy away from a bold lipstick. I think that due to my fair skintone, wearing a very dark lip often ends up in me looking literally like a vampire - drained face and bruised lips, which is something I prefer to reserve for Halloween. But I believe I've found my solution: using a classic ultra vampy shade, Revlon Black Cherry, to darken other bold lipsticks up, like this long-time favorite, Sleek Cherry. It's a double cherry WHAM! (So I'm never gonna dance again, The way I danced with you, ooh…)

I've only got my hands on Revlon's Super Lustrous lipstick in Black Cherry very recently and I do admit it's one of the more difficult lipsticks to work with; it has a tendency to spread unevenly, on its own it clings to dry patches, on top of lip balm it just slides around. Black Cherry is a beautiful, beautiful mulberry shade though that reminds me of chocolate covered cherries, so I am willing to overlook the imperfect formula. Just pair it with a creamier lipstick and it does look wonderful and smooth!

I featured Sleek True Colour lipstick in Cherry a few times already, so there's not much left to write about that - I still love this dark cool-toned red and wear it frequently in the fall/winter season. If you wanted to stick to the dark cherry theme, Revlon's Black Cherry also looks fantastic paired with Revlon's Cherries in the Snow, another pinky red; ultimately, the combination of a berry red with darker purple tones of Black Cherry is my perfect vampy lip that I still feel comfortable wearing out.

Here you can see some arm swatches for comparisons between shades and the combos I came up with; this whole mixing business makes me feel very much like an artist...

L-R: Revlon Black Cherry, Sleek Cherry, Revlon Cherries in the Snow; Black Cherry + Cherry, Black Cherry + Cherries in the Snow

And here's Revlon Black Cherry and Sleek Cherry paired with a simple daytime smokey eye; I wore this look yesterday to work. It's definitely not for the faint-hearted but I think it's not too much for a vampy lip - what do you say?

Don't forget to check out other Lipstick Bandits' posts on their favorite vampy lip shades:
Beauty Reflections
Call It Beauty
Eye Heart It
Getting Cheeky
Glitter Geek
Makeup Morsels
Messy Wands
Musing on Beauty
My Funny Valentine
My Women Stuff
theNotice: a beauty blog‎  

Do you ever wear a vampy lip? What is your go-to vampy lip product?

Nails of the Week: China Glaze Champagne Kisses

Here's a little fact about me: for the longest time, I'd resisted the appeal of both glitter nail polish AND anything rose gold - because I can be stubborn like that with things everybody seems to love. (Case in point: I stopped eating chocolate when I was 14, and then a family friend gifted me at least 10 boxes of chocolate truffles for my 16th birthday. Because friends can be perverse like that.)

I've since mended my ways though and now I enjoy chocolate truffles and rose gold glitter nail polish, like China Glaze Champagne Kisses from their new Holiday 2012 collection. This is one of those rare manicure shades that I get asked about constantly and... wait for it... everybody seems to love, myself included - shock horror!

My mani here is actually one coat of Orly Rage, a metallic rose gold, topped off with one coat of China Glaze Champagne Kisses. Excuse any unevenness and slight gaps here and there, I think it's my Essie top coat that did this - I added two coats and the polish still has a noticeable dull glitter finish. But I can live with that.

I've swatched all of the China Glaze Holiday 2012 LE as well as the Essie and OPI Holiday offerings, and I think this and one more shade, to be revealed at a later date, are my two absolute favorites. Have you seen any of the Holiday nail polish collections yet? What are your picks?

Review & Swatches: Wet'n'Wild Silk Finish Lipstick in 'Dark Wine' 522A

This is probably the last dark and bold shade of lipstick I'm posting about this winter; to be honest, after last week's snow storm, I'm feeling a bit over the cold season (snowboarding excluded). I've posted about the Wet'n'Wild Silk Finish lipsticks before (swatches of the summery 'Hot Paris Pink' shade here), and for $.0.99, I really do think they're the perfect drugstore pick-me-up. I just wish Wet'n'Wild came out with more cream finish shades!

As you can see, the packaging really does look quite cheap, and I've never been brave enough to just throw these in my purse for a longer time - the bullet is a bit wobbly inside the tube. I'd also prefer Wet'n'Wild put the name of the shade instead of number on the bottom of the tube. I like however how they come packaged in this protective plastic film, no unsanitary surprises here (hello, Rimmel!).

The formula is creamy and comfortable on the lips, and doesn't feel too drying at the end of the day; Wet'n'Wild states these are enriched with conditioning ingredients such as Vitamins A&E and Aloe Vera. Without eating and little drinking and a more thorough application (working the lipstick into the lips, blotting, applying again), it lasts about 4-5 hours on my lips - or more, I cannot really go without eating for more than 5 hours, even for the blog testing reasons :)


The shade 'Dark Wine' 522A is actually not as dark as I'd expected, it's more of a darkened, slightly dirtier pink with red/brown tones. I think this would be a good choice for someone just venturing into the world of bold lips, even more so because the investment is really minimal. For me, a bold lip lover, it's all right - a bit less bright than I would like, somehow it doesn't lift my face the same way Sleek Make-up Cherry does, for example.

As you can see below, the lipstick can be also lightly worked into the lips for a pretty yellow-toned pink stain; below is the full-on opaque lip swatch for comparison. For swatches on a different skintone, check out Citrine's review here.

I really like these Wet'n'Wild Silk Finish lipsticks, the value for money just cannot be beat. I have my eye on two more shades, but honestly can't justify the purchase right now - my lipstick drawer doesn't close anymore! Have you tried these lipsticks? What are your favorite shades?

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?

Happy Holidays from the Lipstick Bandits!

It's five more days till Christmas! Well, five for me - as some of you may know, in Poland the biggest holiday celebrations actually take place on Christmas Eve, when we sit down for a no-meat dinner just after the first star appears on the winter sky. We're flying to Warsaw on Friday and I'm super excited (as well as praying for no snow so that we can in fact make it to our family dinner in time)!

Just in time for the Holidays, Lipstick Bandits bring to you another lip-obsessed post, this time the theme being red and sparkly! No, I don't think it gets any better than that...

Well, other than I have a little confession to make. I kind of struggle with sparkles on the lips - anything bigger than tiny shimmers and I feel like I'm back at highschool. I know however that I was not the only one secretly bitching about the sparkles! Anyway, so I cheated a little bit; I just layered a nude gloss with a very fine shimmer for a bit of oomph. Not that my lipstick of choice actually needed any more oomph - just take a look!

I posted a little sneak peek of this beauty in my Milani Haul; it's a Milani Color Perfect Lipstick in Berry Rich. Does the shade name remind anyone of the Very Rich Hours of the Duke of Berry? No? Well then, it's just me...

Here are some shade comparison swatches for you; MAC Cockney is a good example of a 'true' red, Berry Rich just looks pink next to it! Sleek Cherry is definitely darker and a bit more purple, with Inglot no. 58 being the closest match. However, I find Inglot to be a bit more of a raspberry pink, whereas Milani is leaning towards strawberry; does it make any sense to you or are you just picturing a fruit salad now?


The top lip swatch is for Milani Berry Rich dabbed onto the lips and worked in with a finger for a light stain; how different! The middle one is Berry Rich applied opaquely from the bullet with no lip liner, and the bottom is Berry Rich topped with Michael Todd lipgloss in Natural. See, I told you it was red!

And some full face shots - if Larie can do it, I can do it too!

Are you positive no one's watching and I can eat my Christmas cookie now?

As per usual, check out other Lipstick Bandits' picks for the season :)

• Arianne (Glitter Geek)


• Danielle (Bloomin' Beauty Blog)


• Jen (My Funny Valentine)


• Larie (Eye Heart It)


• Makeup Morsels


• Paris (My Women Stuff)


• Rae (theNotice)


• Tracy (Beauty Reflections)


• Xiao (Messy Wands)

I will also take this opportunity to wish you all a fantastic Holiday season, with lots of beautiful gifts, delicious homemade food and of course amazing time with your friends and families. Wesołych Świąt!

*EDIT* I'm sorry about publishing a slightly outdated post - I didn't have time to edit before I left! Anyhow, links are uploaded now, so go peruse gorgeous wintery reds, lovelies :) More posts coming soon!