2012 Favourites - Part 3: Face

Here's another installment of my favourite products of 2012, this time it's the face products. I will start with the more exciting ones, ie. pretty highlighters. To me one of the most used highlighters of 2012 was Guerlain Cruel Gardenia. It is just so pretty both in the compact and on my skin. Just lovely.You can read my initial review by clicking on the link above.

See what other products I loved in 2012 after the jump!

October Favourites Video

I did a little video about the products I've enjoyed using this month, check it out!You can also subscribe to my channel by clicking here!

Clarins Instant Smooth Crystal Lip Balms Review and Swatches

I did promise to swatch and review these delicious lip balms from the Clarins summer collection, and here it is. The lip balms come in 4 colours and they are a bit different from last year's balms in that they all have a thin core down the middle which is a pretty pigmented lipstick. This makes them more pigmented than last year's lip balms, but it also present a small problem.

Crystal Pink, Crystal Violet, Crystal Coral, Crystal Red

The lipstick core is very thin and as it's located in the middle of the bullet, this makes it rather difficult to apply the lip balm evenly. I found that holding the lip balm sideways helps a bit (so you don't end up with loads of lip balm above your lips) and also you need to smoosh your lips together to distribute the lipstick. It is a bit of a pain, but the lipstick is very nice and with the balm the whole result is very moisturing and comfortable, and pretty long lasting (lasted on me for about 3 hours).

They have a gorgeous strawberry/tropical fruit scent (can't decide which) and they do look so yummy in the tube. My favourite of the 4 is Crystal Pink. At first I wasn't sure whether it might be too light for me, but it's actually a very wearable pink colour. Not quite Barbie pink, it's more of a light rosey pink. Love it.

The lip balms cost £16.50 and you get 3.5 g for your money which is the higher end of average lipstick size (3-3.5 g). I think they're still available from most department stores and Boots, but they are limited edition, so grab them before they're gone if you like the look of them!

See more pictures including swatches after the jump!

My Clarins Summer Collection Haul

I have a quick post for you today to show you what I bought from the Clarins Summer Collection. No swatches I'm afraid, but I will do a proper review on the lip balms later. (Not sure when I'll get around to even swatching the eyeshadow palette, it's so pretty, don't want to mess it up.)

As you can see, I bought all 4 lip balms and the gorgeous eyeshadow palette.The lip balms are slightly different to last years (which I didn't actually bought), because this year the balms also have a "core" which is a pretty well pigmented lipstick. You can see below in the pictures what I actually mean.

The eyeshadow palette costs £30 and the lip blams are £16.50 each. They are all still available from Debenhams if you like the look of them.

See more pictures after the jump!

Purple face of the day with Dior

I did this look the other day and really liked it, so I thought I'd share it with you. Sadly, my camera once again failed to pick up the pink tones, so the purple looks much coller than it actually was in real life, but it's still pretty, so here it is.

To create this look I used:

Eyes:
Barbara Daly for Tesco eyeshadow primer
Christian Dior Cristal Boreal eyeshadow 152 Purple Gem all over lid
Christian Dior Cannage Colour Collection palette mauve shade in crease
Christian Dior Cannage Colour Collection palette pink shade in inner corner and below browbone
Make Up Forever Aqua Liner in Iridescent Electric Purple on upper lashline
Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner pencil in Lust on lower lashline
Clarins Wonder Mascara in purple
Mac Brow Set in Show Off

Face:
Guerlain Lingerie de Peau foundation in 03 Beige Naturel
Mac Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium
Mac Well Dressed blush

Lips:
Dior Addict lipstick in 579 Rose Vision

See more pictures after the jump!

Sorting through my mascaras part 2

Remember this post? Today I'm back with more mascaras from my stash.

First up is Givenchy Eye Fly in Black. I like this one a lot. With brush being quite fluffy, not spikey, you get a very natural look. It's very hard to overdo it and end up with spidery lashes. The only downside is, when you have short, thin lashes like mine, a natural look isn't always what you'd opt for. You can see me wearing it in this post. Also, it doesn't curl my eyelashes as much as some of my favourite mascaras (more on them later). So I probably won't repurchase this one, but will use it up because it is pretty good.

Givenchy Eye Fly Mascara

Continue reading to see more pictures and find out which other mascaras I've been testing.