December Favourites

This is a little belated but it didn't occur to me to do a monthly favourite blog post.  However, there are a lot of products I really did enjoy and use a lot of over the month of December.  Though I did travel, some of these still came with me and got used.  I will do a 2011 favourites - when I get the chance - which will be up before the end of January... but here are some of my favourites for the month of December 2011.


1. Make Up Forever HD Foundation
This one comes as no surprise to me - or those who know me.  This has been my HG foundation since I first bought it last year.  I am shade #140 - though originally I was matched as #125, I find that #140 looks more natural on me.  If I am wearing any foundation, it is usually this one.  It has a medium to full coverage (buildable) and goes on nicely.  I tend to put on a moisturizer then primer before applying this.  To apply, I use my fingers or a brush - this varies depending on the amount of time I have and how much coverage I want or need.  But overall, I love this foundation and it lasts on my combination-oily skin.  (Also works great when mixed with moisturizer for a lighter coverage.)
This is approximately $40 CAD per bottle - and has lasted me over half a year, though I do not wear foundation on a daily basis.

2. MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Medium Dark
I bought this at the end of November and have been loving it as a setting/finishing powder.  I use a fluffy powder brush and sweep this all over my face for a very natural looking face.  It makes any matte foundation look more like 'skin' than it does foundation - which I love.  It by no means controls the oil on my face as well as MAC blot powder or my MUFE HD finishing powder but it does give an extremely natural look to my makeup - which has been perfect since my skin has been drier but yet still oily over the month of December.  I believe this costs about $33 CAD - and is well worth it.

3. Tarte 24-hour Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed
So this is now my all time favourite blush.  This is not my first experience with the clay blushes, however.  I bought this in Tipsy back in the spring of 2011 and loved it.  Unlike Tipsy, this colour is more universally flattering and matches any and every look.  On the Sephora website, they describe thus colour as 'nude'.  I would say this is more of a plum-pink-nude.  It looks very natural and gives an instant flush to the cheeks.
What I love is that there is no 'glitter' to this blush.  It is matte, but there are visible 'glimmer' particles in the blush itself.  The packaging is also magnetic, so if you have a palette, this will pop out easily.  Packaging is light and not bulky as well.  At $25 USD or $32 CAD though, I'm glad I picked these up in the States.  The product itself is very pigmented and buildable.  I hardly need any to give my skin a flush - this will last me forever.  It also doubles up as a slight bronzer-blush in the winter months while my skin is paler.  Not to mention that this blush lasts over 6 hours - more like 8 hours on my combo-oily cheeks. Love love LOVE this blush.

4. Revlon Lip Butters
Ok, so I got very very caught up in the hype of these.  I am a lip product girl.  I am never without at least one lip balm and one lip colour in my bag at any given time.  There are days I can have 2 - 3 lip colours in my purse so I can change it up throughout the day.  These - in my opinion - live up to the hype.  I would not classify these as tinted lip balms or as lipsticks - they are somewhere in between.   They give a nice wash or colour but are creamy and glide on effortlessly.  They do not sink into the cracks on my lips and make them look dry.  However, I always put a lip balm underneath any lip colour I wear.  I bought 12 out of the 20 colours available.  These cost anywhere from $7 - $10.50 CAD depending on where you buy them and if you find a deal.  I would not say you need all of these colours - as some are fairly similar but I love lip products and the range of colours are very flattering and easy to use.
My favourites this month have been: Candy Apple, Peach Parfait, Cherry Tart, Strawberry Shortcake and Berry Smoothie.

5. Keri Essential Hydration (Fast Absorbing) Lotion for Normal to Dry Skin
As part of my health/beauty resolution for winter, I vowed to put lotion on after every shower (or every day before I go to sleep).  I have been pretty good at keeping this up.  I biggest issue with lotions is the greasy feeling it leaves behind or the fact that I need to wait 15 or more minutes before I can put clothes on.  This lotion does not cause me any of those problems!  When it says fast absorbing, they mean it!  (For reference, it is the light blue one in the picture above.) I slather on a good amount of this (2 - 4 pumps a leg and 2 - 3 pumps an arm) all over my body and within 5 minutes, I'm dry to the touch but my skin feels soft and hydrated.  I even carry a small container of this in my purse for my hands.   It is very hydrating, fairly inexpensive and dries fast.  This is what I have been using daily for the last 2 months - and I love it.  It is also fairly inexpensive at $8 - $10 CAD for a large bottle.

6. Naked Palette
I am not going to go into detail with this palette as I'm sure you have all heard enough about this palette.  I managed to grab this palette a few months after it was released on one of my vacations down to the states.  As with most who get their hands on this, it quickly became my everyday go-to eyeshadow palette.  Perfect for travel and everyday, I love this.


What are your monthly favourites?
If you'd like to see a full review on any of the above mentioned products, please leave me a comment and I will post one as soon as I can.

xo, Chanel