Favourites January 2016

How on earth is it February tomorrow? January has flown by. Said every person on earth. Anyway, I have favourites! A mixed bag this month, bit of skincare, haircare and a little makeup heavy. The majority of the products I have loved in January are the results of either Christmas gifts or gifts in the form of cash and vouchers so there is a quite a lot of ‘newness’ in here.

First up are two (yep – two!) foundations that have been on heavy rotation all month. I won’t say much about the Chanel Les Beiges Foundation as I have a review on it here, except to say that this has been my work or longer day base of choice. Once applied I need no touchups. Well, I don’t exactly have loooooong days either, but I am battling summer, humidity and rain lately and this really holds up.

The other foundation (or balm as they call it) is the Givenchy Teint Couture Balm (I wear shade 4 Nude Beige) and it is the perfect mix between a BB, tinted moisturiser and foundation. It feels weightless on the skin, has a good light-med coverage and lasts pretty decently throughout a hot summers day. More dewy than the Chanel, Givenchy claim it is blurring and light-reflecting and yep, it does all that and more!

Have you ever tried an It Cosmetics Brush? My god, they are some of the softest I’ve ever felt. I can’t put down the #8 Heavenly Luxe Wand Ball Brush! I pretty much use it for bronzer exclusively but it would also be great as an all over powder brush. Definitely going to be checking out some more It Cosmetics brushes in the future.

Now this one looks a lot more beaten up than it should! Since getting the Olivia Palermo x Ciate Smoky Suedes Palette in early January I managed to stick my nail straight through the top left gold shade when I opened for the first time and then last week  I rescued it from falling on the bathroom tiles, but a few of the shades did get a little injured in the process. Never mind that though cause it is an awesome little palette! The shades are all beautifully pigmented and without taking anything away from the four matte shades (they are fab) the satin shades are just buttery perfection. I am loving the selection of shades and while I havent gotten around to wearing the green just yet, there’s many an eye look that could be created from this palette alone!

Can I have a favourite that I just want to stare at all day? Cause if I can, then the Chanel Sunkiss Ribbon Blush is it. It is limited edition but at this time it’s still available in Australia here and in the US here. Part of the Spring 2016 LA Sunrise Collection is truly is the star of the show. I actually have worn it a couple of times and much to my delight the intricate ribbon pattern has survived almost untouched likely because this blush is pig.men.ted. The lightest of swirl of a brush over this powder and it gives me the most gorgeous cheek flush. It’s also nice that it is a little customisable depending on the size of your brush and which shades you dip into.

Thank you Anne at Linda Libra Loca for reuniting me with the Sunday Riley Ceramic Slip Cleanser. As soon as I watched her 2015 Favourites YT I was running to my cupboard where I knew a fresh bottle of this cleanser was hiding. I have written about it before here and I am loving using this cleanser again. It is noted that it is for normal to oily skin and while my skin has been more normal-dry lately I haven’t had a problem using it a couple times a week. It really does feel intensely detoxifying and my skin feels super clean afterwards, but not stripped of all moisture.

A hair favourite this month (apart from the Sachajuan Ocean Mist combo – read about it here) has to be the Davroe Luxe Leave-In Masque. Davroe is an Aussie brand which is natural, vegan, cruelty free, no sulphates, no parabens so basically it’s like perfection. I actually recieved this free ages ago when I bought a shampoo/conditioner set and it has been lost in the depths of my bathroom undersink cabinet. I was clearing some bits over the holidays and came across it and though why not?This leave-in treatment mask is one of the best hair masks I’ve tried to date. It is not heavy at all, hair can be styled as normal and you can apply it to either wet or dry hair anytime to refresh, protect and tame those flyaways. Oh, and it smells of mangoes. YUM. Highly likley I will buy a full size of this when this freebie runs out.

Thanks to the household Santa I was gifted another Aerin fragrance (Gardenia Rattan spoke about here) this time it was Lilac Path. And it is Spring/Summer personified. Delicate and floral which is exactly how I like my perfumes. If I had to say anything bad about the Aerin fragrances it is that the lasting power is not blow me out of the water exceptional but it’s still reasonable. To be fair, it’s probably due to the lightness and delicatness of the scents. Say what you will, the Aerin line of fragrances are so unique and fresh that I can forgive and will quite happily reapply come afternoon. I also recieved the matching body cream but haven’t used that one yet. I imagine layering would intensify the effect.

I am all about creamy hydrating lip products and I have no qualms about re-application throughout the day. The Laura Mercier Lip Parfait in Raspberry Ripple has been a firm fave this month of January. Pigmentation is good and it just feels so lovely to apply and re-apply. Raspberry Ripple is more pinky/mauve than what you would think of as a traditional raspberry shade, but it is the perfect everyday/everylook kind of colour and one that it easily applied on the go and great for the handbag. Funny that, as that is where mine has been living.

Got to say, that an SPF which acts as the perfect pore minimising primer sounds heaven sent. Well here it is. The Tatcha Pore Pefecting Sunscreen (SPF 35) acts not only as an amazing everyday SPF but it primes the skin beautifully for makeup. No greasy feeling, no white cast, sinks in effortlessly to conceal pores and bit of texture, it really is love with this one. Oh, and it doesn’t even smell like SPF, just a light fresh scent which dissapates after a moment or two. I use this almost everyday but do switch it up on occasion (like full days in the sun if I won’t be wearing makeup I like to use something 50+) but as far as under makeup? This is in the top two I’ve tried.

How was your January? Any favourites of yours you want to tell me about?