Shopping My Stash: Easy NYE Makeup for Eyes & Lips

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas!  I've been shopping my makeup stash for tomorrow's NYE celebrations and have rediscovered some new and old favourites for eyes and lips.

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March Favourites

Here are my March beauty favourites.  I've been using all of these constantly throughout the month so they are all well deserving of my coveted favourites title!

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Review: terre d'Oc BB Cream in 952 Rose des Sables

 terre d'Oc BB Cream in 952 Rose des Sables* (30ml, £24.95)

With Spring and the promise of some warmer weather on the way, I've found myself starting to gravitate towards much lighter make-up bases already.  So when the new BB cream from terre d'Oc launched recently, I couldn't wait to try it out.

Packaged in a high-end weighty glass bottle with a pump dispenser, terre d'Oc's latest make-up offering promises to be a true multi-tasking BB cream.  The light formula aims to nourish, moisturise, conceal and brighten the skin, whilst leaving it looking even, smooth, flawless, natural and radiant.  Now those are some pretty big claims to make.

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January Favourites

January has finally come to an end (Hooray! We're getting closer to Spring!), so here's a roundup of the beauty products I have been loving throughout that cold, wintery month:-

The freezing cold weather we've had recently threatened to play havoc with my lips, but thanks to Dr. Lipp's Original Nipple Balm for Lips* and Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine, they have stayed happily hydrated and smooth.  I have also been reaching for this beautiful eco-sized terre d'Oc Natural Lipstick in Cerise* to try and get myself out of my neutrals make-up rut.

One of the best xmas sales bargains that I bought was the L'Occitane Almond Gift Set which had an enormous 500ml bottle of their much hyped Almond Shower Oil in it.  I'm pleased to say that it really does live up to its hype, although I still wish it was more almondy!  Another product that I feel deserves to be hyped up is the Laidbare For Richer For Porer Facial Masque*, a fantastic natural face mask that helps to reduce the size of pores and is perfect for oily/combination skintypes.

Lastly, although not strictly beauty, I think it's safe to say most bloggers either already love NEOM candles or have them on their imminent wishlists.  I bought a set of four travel sized ones in the sales and they have added a welcome touch of warming luxury to my home with their gorgeous scents.

What beauty products have you been loving lately?

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Review: terre d'Oc Natural Lipstick in Cerise 202

 terre d'Oc Natural Lipstick in Cerise 202* (4g, £16.95, link)

One of my beauty resolutions this year is to shake things up a bit make-up wise, and that includes straying out of my neutral lipped comfort zone and experimenting with some other shades.  To ease myself in, I opted to try out one of terre d'Oc's Natural Lipsticks in Cerise. 

The first thing I'm sure you noticed with this lipstick is its size, or lack thereof.  This thing is tiny, but is actually the same full sized 4g as most traditional lipsticks, just minus the excess packaging.  This compact 'eco stick' is most welcome in my already over-flowing make-up bag - I think it's genius!

Cerise is a 'morrocan inspired cherry red', which looks intimidatingly dark in the bullet, but transfers much lighter and brighter on the lips.  The formula contains fair trade argan oil and organic natural waxes so it feels very moisturising and comfortable on.  I didn't experience any dryness at all and it reminds me a lot of MAC's Cremesheen lippies.  Given that this is a natural and organic lipstick, I wasn't expecting the pigmentation to be this good and I was also surprised by the wear time which lasted around 4 hours before I needed to reapply.  

It's a few pounds pricier than say MAC lipsticks, but if you're after a new lippie that's packed full of natural, sustainable and organic ingredients, then it's really quite reasonably priced when you think about it!

Have you tried any terre d'Oc lipsticks?

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Best of 2012: Part 1 - Make-Up

I'm back from my internet-free festive break and I hope you all had a lovely Christmas!  As we're in the very last days of 2012, it seems only right to have a beauty recap of the year.  There were so many products that I wanted to include, so I've split my 'Best Of 2012' into two parts; one for make-up and one for general skin/hair/bodycare.  So without further ado, below are some of my favourite make-up products that I enjoyed using in 2012:-  

2012 saw the much anticipated UK release of Revlon's Colorburst Lip Butters.  I loved the hype across the blogosphere for these lip balm/lip stick hybrids and rushed out to purchase a handful like everyone else.  You can see swatches of my favourite top 5 shades here.  I also began to grow my little collection of Korres Lip Butters!

Out of all the make-up related purchases that I made throughout the year, my best investment was definitely getting two sets of Real Techniques brushes.  I received the Core Collection for my birthday and soon purchased the Your Eyes / Enhanced Starter Set afterwards.  I use these brushes virtually everyday and couldn't imagine being without them now! 

One make-up collection that really stood out for me in 2012, was the release of Liz Earle's full capsule collection.  Everything that I have tried from this range, I've just simply loved, and I already have my eye on a few more bits that I'd like to try in 2013!  You can read my reviews of Liz Earle's make-up here. 

Aside from the Lip Butters mentioned above, Revlon also released their amazing Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains, my favourite shade being Honey (pictured above).  Another big 2012 hyped product came in the form of a pink pot of magic nail polish remover by Bourjois which I reviewed and raved about here.

I also discovered lots of products for the first time in 2012 that quickly made my coveted Holy Grail list.  Some of these include bare Minerals Original Foundation, MAC Sheertone Blush in Blushbaby, MAC Powder Blush in Harmony and Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush in Cherub.  Other mention-worthy favourites were MAC Cremesheen Lipstick in Shy Girl, Essential Care Mineral Lipstick in Praline and terre d'Oc Sublime Lip Gloss in Rose Ubud. 

I'm sure that there are many more make-up favourites that I've forgotten to include, so check out my general favourites tag for more fab products that I loved throughout 2012.  Will post part 2 tomorrow!

What make-up items would feature in your Best of 2012?

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October Favourites

I have another handful (or two) of favourites for October.   Whilst I usually keep it strictly just beauty products, I couldn't help but include two non-beauty favs with this bunch.

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Review: terre d'Oc Mineral Powder Foundation, Powder Eye Shadow & Gloss Sublime Lip Gloss

Last week I was lucky enough to attend a terre d'Oc blogger event and some of you wanted to see reviews of the make-up that I received in my goody bag, so here it is!  Plus, if you haven't tried out any terre d'Oc make-up before, then this post may serve as a helpful introduction to what the brand has to offer.

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terre d'Oc Blogger Event, London

Yesterday, I hopped on a train and went down to London for an intimate blogger event hosted by the French brand, terre d'Oc.  I was very excited to see some of their make-up and skincare range, all of which are made from natural and organic ingredients.

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May Favourites

I decided to just pick make-up items for my beauty favourites of May because these are all new additions to my make-up bag that I have been reaching for constantly.  All links go to my reviews and show swatches where applicable:-

Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover - I'm guessing that this is going to be in a lot of people's favourites and it really is a fab product.  I'm renaming it my 'glitter slayer' due to its magical powers that makes removing glitter polishes super easy!

MAC Sheertone Blush in Blushbaby - This has been virtually the ONLY blush I've been wearing all month.  Blushbaby is a pretty beige-pink that is great for neutral/less is more make-up people.  Simple and understated, it's ideal for everyday wear.

Burts Bees Lip Shimmers in Watermelon and Rhubarb - Perfect for hot summer days, these lip shimmers are blissfully cooling on the lips and are really easy to wear.  Nicely moisturising too as you'd expect from Burts Bees.

Blink & Go Long Lasting Mascara - My favourite go-to waterproof mascara that simply does not budge or smudge at all.  Another summer make-up staple for me, plus it lengthens lashes like a dream.

Shiseido Majolica Majorca Lash Expander Frame Plus Mascara - New HG mascara discovery!  If you can find this in the UK anywhere, I highly recommend picking one up to try out, you won't be disappointed.

Terre d'Oc Gloss Sublime Lip Gloss in Peche Panji - Have been wearing this gloss on sunny days as it looks fantastic against sunkissed skin.  Very impressed that this is an all natural product too.

What have been your beauty favourites recently?

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Terre d'Oc Gloss Sublime Shine Lip Gloss in 303 Peche Panji

I received this Terre d'Oc Gloss Sublime Shine Lip Gloss in my Amarya box this month, and I have been wearing it constantly for the last couple of days.  The shade is called Peche Panji (303) and it's just a perfect shade for everyday wear if you don't fancy wearing lipstick but want your lips to still look 'done'.  I can only imagine that it will look even better when we finally get some sun, as the peachy colour will look amazing against tanned skin.  As you can see from the swatch below, it delivers a lot of gloss and has a gorgeous shimmer that comes from the micronized mother-of-pearl.  Formula wise this is nicely pigmented, not particularly sticky and feels moisturizing due to the coconut butter in it.  For those who like sweet, fruity flavours, this has a very subtle cherryness to it which I really like.  A welcome addition to my make-up bag, plus it's so nice to use a lip gloss that has a built in brush instead of a wand for a change!   

Have you tried any Terre d'Oc make-up?

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Amarya Organic/Natural Beauty Box - May

Today has been one of 'those' days.  You know the kind, where everything seems to go wrong and then you get splashed by a huge lorry whilst waiting for your lift home? Yep! Luckily, after drying off and getting changed into a warm fluffy dressing gown, my mood started to brighten a bit when I saw that my Amarya box had been delivered.  This month's box contains:-

• an amazing full size Terre d'Oc Gloss Sublime Shine Lip Gloss in 303 Peche Panji.  Gorgeous shade with plenty of shimmer and it's 100% natural too. Retails for £14.95.
• another full size product included is the Lavera All Round Cream, which as the name suggests can be used as a multi-purpose cream.  I'm currently using the Lavera hand cream from the same range and really love the smell of that, so I expect I'll enjoy using this.  Retails for £6.95.
• 5ml sample pump of AD Skin Synergy Nourish Night Treatment Face Oil.  Although it's anti-aging, I might give this a go as I love trying out oils and it smells lovely.
• 1ml sample of Tous H2O Eau De Toilette, a summery light floral fragrance with organic lavender and lemon.  A percentage of the sales of this go towards Oxford to help fund safe drinking water projects.  My sister has already pinched this from me as perfumes aren't my thing, and she says she likes it!

Have you received an Amarya box today?

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