Sunday 29 December 2013

December favourites

It's almost the end of December and there's been so much to like about this month. From a beauty point of view I think I knew already at the beginning of the month at least 3 products that I would be wearing non stop and loving in December and they are all unfortunately limited editions, specially for Christmas. If you're read some of my earlier posts in December, some of the favourites this month won't come as a surprise to you - let's start with the make up products that have been used more often than not. 
I've added a few new products to my make up bag this season and one of the products I've loved the most in December is the amazing Gelée Powder EyeShadow from Estée Lauder (£19). Overall I really enjoy using these lightweight creamy eye shadows and this particular product takes the formula to the next level in terms of quality, intensity and longevity. The consistency is wonderfully smooth and creamy to apply and it quickly dries into a powder form that wears really well for at least the next 8 hrs. This lovely shade is Cyber Red, an intense and vibrant metallic cranberry shade that's been wonderful for a berry winter look.

Another new addition this season is a few new shades of the Color Boost Lip Crayon from Bourjois (£7.99). As you'll probably know by now I absolutely love this formula that not only gives a great satin like smooth coverage but also moisturises and keeps the lips nice and cared for. In December I've worn the shade Rouge a lot, it's a lovely scarlet red that's been perfect to wear with a winged eyeliner look.

So I've loved some of the new additions to my makeup bag this month, but I've also rediscovered an old favourite, which is almost as nice as picking up something new, in Rimmel's Glam Eyes Mono Eye Shadow (£4.49) in the shade Smokey Quartz. It's a nice and silky powder formula that's easy to apply on the lid and to build for intense color without any fall out and it lasts for at least 5-6 hrs without any creasing. The shade Smokey Quartz is a lovely slightly shimmery soft nougat, which is perfect to wear on its own all over the lid or as a base color. It's a great every day eye shadow and after having reminded myself of how much I actually like it, I will now definitely pick up some more shades of it.
 
From left to right (in natural light):
Rimmel Eye Shadow - Smokey Quartz
Estée Lauder Gel Eye Shadow - Cyber Red
Bourjois Lip Crayon - Rouge
At the beginning of December I mentioned that I had already found my favourite nail polish, which was quite a statement to make considering I also had the wonderful Ciaté advent calendar to look forward to - but as it turns out, I was right! I have worn the gorgeous Nails Inc Kensington Church Street Snowflake Effect nail polish (£10.80) almost every single day in December in one combination or another. It is a polish, however I think it's best used as a top coat since it's rich with glitter and sequins that look like snowflakes, and you could probably wear this over any color and the effect would be dazzling and beautiful. Personally I've preferred to wear it over icy cool pastels shades in light frosty blue or metallic foil like silver or gold shades for a festive look. This is a limited edition polish that has sold out in most places where they stock Nails Inc, but if you hurry up, you might be able to get hold of it in your local Nails Inc Bar, Boots or online - and believe me, it's definitely worth a little bit of effort to hunt it down!

I'm sure you won't be surprised to see that the Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel (£10.95) and EdT (£25 for 30 ml) have landed themselves a very safe spot amongst my December Favourites. As you probably know by now Snow Fairy is released every year by Lush as part of their Christmas collection and ever since I first tried it many, many moons ago it's been a firm Lush favourite of mine. Snow Fairy is a one of a kind scent that somehow manages to be both sweet and freshly crisp and fruity at the same time. It has a very distinct candy like bubblegum scent with a subtle warm undertone of white musk which makes is perfect to wear in the winter time. The shower gel has a rich and creamy texture with a lovely pink shimmery color and the beautiful scent lasts a few hrs on your skin after you've used it, perhaps even up to about 4 hrs when you layer it with the EdT.
I'm so glad I stocked up on Snow Fairy as soon as it was released since as with a lot of seasonal favourites, it sold out very quickly and unfortunately neither the shower gel nor the EdT are available from the Lush online store anymore, but you might get lucky and still find Snow Fairy in your local Lush or of course on eBay. What seasonal or limited editions do you have as part of your December favourites?

66 comments:

  1. Great post dear...<3...I am following you, do follow me back and stay connected sweetie...:-)

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  2. Replies
    1. I love it, it's been a perfect red for the festive season and it moisturises the lips beautifully :o). Xx

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  3. Amazing products!!!!
    Enjoy the last sunday of 2013 darling!!!!

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    1. Thank you so much, same to you and have a lovely New year :o). Xx

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  4. Definitely have to agree with all the Lush products!! Will try out the eyeshadows too :)
    Great post, have a lovely new year!
    http://whattaylorbuys.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. That's so lovely of you - thank you very much! Have a wonderful new year :o)! Xx

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  5. I didnt know they had a snowfairy fragrance! What have I been doing that I didnt know this? I agree on the bourjois lip crayons, theyre fantastic and among the best lip crayons available x

    Molly's Beauty Spot | A Beauty & Lifestyle Blog

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    1. it was only available from the Lush website and they sold out faster than you can say Snow Fairy, but I hope they bring them out again next year :o). Xx

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  6. Yay to snow fairy! I can't wait to get my bottle. I wish I had bought the perfume though. I'm a bit of a late comer to the snow fairy party xx

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    1. I have stocked up with a few bottles, but I now wish I had bought one more since I seem to go through it so quickly LOL! Xx

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  7. Your post is really helpful and informative and snow fairy...how cute is that? Wishing you all the best for the new year.

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    1. That's soo nice of you - thank you and have a wonderful New Year! Xx

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  8. The Nails Inc snowflake nail varnish looks lovely really Christmasy. Great post wishing you a great New Year

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    1. Hiya Lucy, thank you so much and hope you have a great time too :o)! Xx

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  9. Ever since you reviewed the Snowflake topcoat I've been wanting it for new years. Great favorites :)
    xoxo
    -B ♡ MsBerryStylish 

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    1. Thanks a million, I'll wear it as much as I can before I have to put it away for this year :o). Xx

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  10. Oooh this all looks so lovely! I also went to Lush during the festive season and I can't say I didn't go crazy in there! haha!
    xoxo,

    berrybloomxo.blogspot.co.uk

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    Replies
    1. With so many wonderful winter specials it's difficult not to :o). Xx

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  11. I've got my eyes on the shower gel!
    I love these posts!

    Happy holidays!

    Relationships.College.Love

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    1. That's so nice of you, thank you very much and have a wonderful New Year :o). Xx

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  12. I have yet to smell snow fairy. I feel like such a bad lushie, but the one change I had to go this break the store was jam packed and I didn't get the chance to give it a whiff

    http://mercuteify.blogspot.com/

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    1. Ah, it's never too late and I don't think you'll be disappointed in it :o). Xx

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  13. ooooh i love snow fairy too and love the look of that nails inc polish! xo

    http://prettypetticoats.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Thank you so much, I think I'll have to start being more economical with how often I wear Snowflake now since it can be difficult to get hold of :o). Xx

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  14. I'm a bit curious about the Snow Fairy from Lush.

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    1. It's absolutely amazing and I've loved wearing it so much :o). Xx

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  15. Replies
    1. It's definitely one of the most loved top coats I've got at the moment :o). Xx

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  16. that nail polish looks so nice! Too bad it's a limited edition one.

    http://www.evithefashionista.blogspot.ca/

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    1. I know what you mean, so I might get a spare one if I see one on the high street :o). Xx

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  17. Cyber red looks gorgeous! I'm in lust with it!

    xo,
    Lela
    www.lelalondon.com

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    1. :o) - I completely understand and I'm in lust with a Cyber Lilac in the same formula :o). Xx

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  18. Love the snowflake nail polish. Nice blog

    http://lapesbeautifulcreature.blogspot.com/

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much, I've worn it so much and I still love the snowy, frosty look :o). Xx

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  19. Replies
    1. It's so intense and beautiful to work with, I'm surprised I haven't seen it mention before :o). Xx

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  20. Nail polish looks lovely and love the look of the lip color! Great post :) xo's

    Laura
    Pink Frenzy

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    1. Thanks a million and have a wonderful New Year :o). Xx

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  21. I didn't know Lush had snowfairy scent, and I passed it by today! I will have to go back!

    Cornelia - Ineffable Beauty

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    1. You might be one of the lucky ones to get hold of it since it's sold out on the website :). Xx

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  22. The pretty lip crayon and rimmel shadow look great!

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    1. The Bourjois Lip Crayons are really excellent and I would highly recommend them :o). Xx

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  23. Ooh, beautiful picks! Love Lush's Snow Fairy scent and that Estee Lauder shadow looks lovely! xo

    -Jen

    www.vibrantbeautyblog.com

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    1. Thank you so much, I was very impressed with the Gel eye shadow and will definitely get some more shades :o). Xx

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  24. What a nice collection of favourites. I really want to try some of the stuff you've picked, like Bourjois Color Boost and Nails Incs Snowflakes.

    Olivia Beauty from the Fjord xxx

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    1. Thank you very much, I love Bourjois and with every new release they seem to just go from strength to strength :o). Xx

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  25. That Estée Lauder eyeshadow.... Oh my gosh. It's absolutely gorgeous. great post charlotte, and thanks for the lovely comment on my blog! Hope you have a wonderful New Years' :)
    xx Kristina
    suchisimples.com

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    1. Aaaah, thank you so much and the same to you :o). Xx

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  26. I am a little slow I guess on the whole lip crayon trend but yesterday I bought one from Rimmel lasting finish colour rush lip crayon and I LOVE it. I can't believe I even went so long without trying it.

    -Shelby
    http://bittersweetshelby.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. Aaaah, I've got one as well in shade Not an illusion and it feels so lovely. I'll definitely pick up some more :o). Xx

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  27. Wow looks like a fun and fulfilling holiday for your family. I agree that traditions are important, but they should also be flexible for tweaking. My family is Asian and American, so we combine two sets of traditions together. It's a lot of fun.

    I love your nail do. I feel that Butter is a fantastic product.

    Happy New Year!

    Beauty Fashion Skin Care Blog -Girlie Blog Seattle | Casual Chic Style

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    1. I agree, we get the best of both worlds :o). Thank you so much and I wish you a wonderful 2014 and hope you'll visit again soon! Xx

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  28. Aahh I wish we have Lush here in my country. We used to have one many years ago but then they are closed and havent' come back again (boohoo..). I am so curious with Snowfairy as many people raved about it.
    Anyway, I also did my December Favorites post, please also stop by if you have time ;)

    December Favorites

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    1. Ah that's a shame, perhaps you can get hold of it on eBay or something - it's absolutely amazing! Happy New Year! Xx

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  29. If you have time, would you mind popping over to my blog?
    Jelly-bean-beauty28.blogspot.com

    Thankyou x

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    Replies
    1. p s . I found your site from a comment on zoella's blog and thought I would give yours a try x

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    2. Thank you very much for visiting, that's very nice of you - I'll check out your blog. Xx

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  30. Replies
    1. Me too... and I'll probably keep wearing it for another few months, even though Spring is coming :o). Xx

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