Thursday 27 March 2014

March favorites

What's the definition of a favorite product? An item that you love more than others, or an item that you've used more often than others? This month all my favorites are a little bit of both actually, although who knows what it'll be next month since my little club of favorites tend to change quite frequently... Let's start with something easy on the locks - hair oils are so versatile and easy to use, and one of the best ones I've tried lately is the lovely Easilocks Rose Gold Oil Heat Protector Pro* (£24.99) that I reviewed earlier this month (see article here). I had never tried this brand before but I was so impressed by how soft, shiny and protected it made my hair look and feel that I've used it a couple of times a week both before styling and as an intense treatment. The texture is light, silky and indulgent with a delightful floral and slightly spicy scent that I just can't get enough of.

My current eye shadow primer, the MUA Pro-Base Prime & Conceal (£1.50) was a bit of an impulse buy and I didn't have very high expectations of it, however this plain looking product turned out to be anything but plain (reviewed here). It's a multi purpose product which can be used both as a primer and a color correcting concealer. The consistency is velvety smooth and light weight and it's great at reducing redness and dark circles under the eyes, and also helps to make your makeup last longer. I've also used it on its own instead of eyeshadow to even out the skintone on my eyelids for a more bright eyed and rested appearance and have found that it's a great dupe for Benefit's Lemon Aid (£16.50). 
We've had some amazingly warm and sunny days in the UK with temperatures close to 20 degrees Celsius, so I've temporarily swapped my leather leggings for summery skirts but to avoid blinding the rest of the world with my whiter than white legs I've accepted some help from the fantastic Caudalie Divine Perfect Legs (£13), which is self-tanning product so easy to use that even I can get an even golden color. The consistency is ever so slightly thicker than most self tanning lotions and since it's colored you can see exactly where you've applied which makes is so much easier to get an even, non zebra like color. It also has a lovely fresh scent, unlike a lot of other self tanning products. If I can't manage to go on a divine holiday, at least I can have divine looking legs with a little help from this heaven sent goodie!

An oldie that I've rediscovered this month, which is almost as fun as trying something completely new, is Avon's Ultra Color Rich Lipstick in Instant Mocha. It's a lovely soft, creamy and moisturising formula with great pigmentation that delivers a beautiful opaque and slightly shiny finish, and since it's opaque you'll get hours of flawless wear without any drying sensation on the lips. The color is a delicious pink with a plum undertone and a lovely shine, and it's such a versatile glamorous shade. I feel a little bit bad for including it in this month's favorites since it's no longer in stock with Avon (why, why, WHY do you keep doing this to me Avon?!) and the few products I've found on eBay and Amazon are relatively expensive compared to the original price point. The closest I've come to finding a twin lipstick is MAC's Craving, which is equally rich, creamy and opaque - simply stunning...

When chubby sticks for eyes were first released I was a bit skeptical to the format, but many months and makeup looks down the line, I am a complete convert and can't praise the format enough. An excellent budget version is MUA's Colour Blast Eyeshadow Tint (£3) in the shade Bring it Back, a brilliant neutral bronzed and slightly shimmery brown. It has a lovely and creamy texture and it's so easy to apply without any tugging on the eyelid for a clean and understated sheer coverage, great for a quick and easy groomed every day look with a simple eyeliner and mascara. It wears really well throughout the day without creasing and at that price, you can't really go wrong.

A palette I have truly loved this month is the beautifully delicate and pretty Dior 5 Couleurs Trianon Edition Eyeshadow Palette (£41) in Pastel Fontanges 234 (you can read a full review here). The colors are all lovely shimmery pastels with great pigmentation and wear, perfect for fresh faced, minimal and romantic looks for spring and summer. My favorite combination so far is to use the ballerina pink with the gunmetal grey, which really brings out blue eyes. I can say hand on my heart that j'Adore Dior!
Swatches from top to bottom:
Avon Ultra Color Rich Lipstick - Instant Mocha
MUA Colour Blast Eyeshadow Tint - Bring It Back
Tanya Burr Lipgloss - Picnic in the Park

I've never really been a big wearer of lipgloss, mostly because I haven't found any with great pigmentation and wear - at least that is, until this year when there have been some real crackers on the high street. The latest one to impress me is the Tanya Burr Lipgloss in Picnic in the Park (£6.99) and its's nothing like the lipglosses I've tried before. The texture is light and very importantly non sticky with wonderful pigmentation, and when you first apply it has a gorgeous glossy look that after a few hrs wear looks like a stain. Out of the 12 colors in the range, Picnic in the park is my absolute favorite - it's a stunning brink pink shade with a slight blue undertone that is simply adorable on the lips, no wonder it's sold out in so many places!

Let me know in the comment section what it takes for a product to make your list of favorites, and what's new for March?

44 comments:

  1. The eyeshadow palette looks very beautyful :)

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  2. I LOVE the Caudalie Divine Legs its just brilliant! I'm going to have to pick up the MUA eye primer, my favourite one is nars and while i adore it, at £19 a go, a cheaper alternative thats just as good would be great.

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    1. I do too - I'm not being funny now but it really is divine, and so easy to get it even and lovely :o). Xx

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  3. The Dior palette looks LIKE spring!!!
    and that MUA primer...made me curious!!
    great products!

    Blue Velvet Addict

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  4. Great favorites, the lipstick and lipgloss are gorgeous! *-* I'll keep the MUA primer in mind for my next order :)

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    1. The Tanya Burr lipsticks are absolutely amazing and I highly recommend them :o). Xx

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  5. Great picks. The eyeshadow palette looks really pretty.
    Beautetude

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  6. I have that Caudalie product I just haven't tried it yet! My pasty legs definitely need it. ;)

    Tara x

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    1. I'm so pale at the moment my skin is actually blue! :o). Xx

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  7. looks great !! the eyeshadow palette looks awesome dear :) xx
    www.ambifashion.com

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  8. Cute post! The eyeshadow colors are so spring-ready! xx

    <(`) Hoda || JooJoo Azad ~ Free Bird

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  9. These products look amazing. Sorry that they discontinued the Avon lipstick. The shade looks great. I have seen the Dior palette in a magazine and it's marvelous but a bit too pricey for me and you got me excited for that lipgloss!

    xx Mira

    www.glamdevils.com

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    1. I never thought that I would be a lipgloss fan, but there you go - Picnic in the Park is a fab shade :o). Xx

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  10. That dior palette looks so beautiful! Such nice fresh colors different from the usual neutrals I stick with!

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    1. It's a nice and fun change for me to use some pastels :o). Xx

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  11. Love the dior palette! I just got the Rosy Tan. I so need to check out Tanya Burr products! xoxo Lauren
    http://www.willsingformakeup.com/

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  12. Great picks. I definitely must see if I can get that MUA base online.

    katespitz.blogspot.com

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    1. It's a great little multi purpose product :o). Xx

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  13. Great favorites dear! xo

    www.beautyfrontline.com

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  14. Such a great mix of products there.. I really love MUA, but haven't tried either of those products yet.. May have to place an order soon :) xxx

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    1. MUA is such a wonderful budget brand :o). Xx

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  15. Great post, Dior palette looks amazing


    http://theshortiesfashion.blogspot.co.uk/

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    1. It is a truly beautiful range of shades :o). Xx

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  16. The eye shadow palette looks gorgeous x

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  17. I really want to try tanya's products.. but we don't have them in Austria grrr .. And yes I really like the colour of that lipstick :)) x

    blog rosarooAnschi :) x

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    1. Ah that's a shame, it's well worth trying to get them online :o) Xx

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  18. oooooooooooooooooooooh my goodness that eyeshadow palette! I've been trying to resist Dior's eyeshadows...but I don't know how much longer I can do it! They're too pretty!

    www.lilting-grace.blogspot.com

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    1. :o) - it can be very difficult... :o). Xx

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  19. Lovely post Charlotte - for me all it takes to be a favourite is I'm obsessing about it more than anything else I own in that category! X

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    1. LOL - well I recognise that, even if I don't even own it yet :o). Xx

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  20. Replies
    1. They are so lovely to wear and beautiful colors :o). Xx

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  21. Such beautiful pictures - I love that Tonya Burr gloss!

    www.highheelstosneakers.com

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    1. They are so lovely to wear and love the range of shades too :o). Xx

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  22. Caudalie's products are the best!!

    http://www.cindyslittleblackbook.com

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    1. Completely agree, it's a fab skincare brand :o). Xx

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  23. I've been looking for a Lemon Aid dupe, thanks for the recommendation! :)
    lipstickandlightening.blogspot.ie/

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    1. It's not a very glamorous product, but it works really well :o). Xx

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