Sunday 1 December 2013

Christmas Beauty: My Holiday Beauty Bag

Happy December ladies and gents! I am officially ready to get into the holiday spirit. It seems like the rest of the world starts celebrating Christmas the second the Halloween costumes are put away, but I like to try to make myself wait until the month of December to get festive. I have attempted to refrain from decorating (oops... I may have put up my little tree last week), drinking egg nog and watching I'll Be Home for Christmas (favorite Christmas movie of all time... love the 90's Jonathan Taylor Thomas). Besides that, I have my parents coming home for Christmas, my mom and sister's birthdays, Christmas parties and the last exam of my degree (okay... I'm not actually looking forward to that). In celebration of the holiday season, I have put together a few products that I will be using for the next month.

Face: I love a dewy, radiant complexion for Christmas gatherings and for this I will be getting heavy usage out of my Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in #100 Ivory. As I have combination skin (specifically a shiny forehead after a few hours), setting powder will be a must to control unwanted shine.

Cheeks: The Lancome Blush Subtil Palette in #126 Nectar Lace is gorgeous enough to make a beauty addict cry (or maybe it's just me?). Thanks to Lancome, I am set for contour, blush and highlighter this holiday season. The contouring powder is perfect for sculpting out some definition on my ghostly pale "winter skin". The blush is so amazing, it is a bright peachy pink with a beautiful gold shimmer running through, it blends into the skin as a bright peach with a gorgeous sheen to liven up the face. Lastly, the golden highlighter is perfect to up the radiance when applied on top of the cheekbones, temples, down the nose and above the cupid's bow. The highlighter is more subtle than most as it does not contain any glitter, but the effect on the skin is glowy-perfection.

Eyes: My latest purchase is the Dior Diorshow Mono Fusion in #661, a treat to myself for completing another semester of university. Might I say that if I had to pick only one eyeshadow to wear for the rest of my life, it would be this. Functional for everyday use? Probably not, but it is so darn gorgeous. I'm not usually a fan of glittery eyeshadow, but this offering has changed my mind. The picture above does not capture the dimension of glitter that this eyeshadow gives to the lids. I will be sporting this shadow when I wish to look like a glittery copper Christmas tree ornament, and I will likely be sporting this on every glamorous occasion this month (and probably the grocery store). On to the Urban Decay Naked Palette. With the upcoming release of the much-anticipated Naked3 palette (a rose-gold version of the ultra-popular original), I have been inspired to take another look at old faithful to see what it has to offer. I love wearing golden smokey eyeshadow looks during the holiday season and I have scouted out Half Baked, Smog, Buck, and Darkhorse to do the job. The Naked Palette is such a versatile palette (and a lovely Christmas present) for creating countless looks while all staying in the "safe" neutral zone. For liner, my Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil in Demolition will be my pick for a matte dark brown liner that will stay put into the wee hours of the morning.

Brows: As always, I love a strong brow. As my previously tinted brows have faded to a lighter shade, I will be filling them in with Lancome Powder Brow Pencil in Sable, an ashy medium brown that looks so natural.

Lips: A matte red lip is such an easy way to update the beauty bag for the holiday season. For a bright red pout, I will be applying the Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte by Kate Moss in #110. Budget friendly, packs a punch, and Christmas appropriate. Enough said.

Nails: I love wearing red nails on Christmas but I think it is also nice to switch it up and do something less expected. Essie Angora Cardi is a deep dusty rose color that looks every so dainty and feminine on the fingertips. I can see this polish complimenting sparkly holiday frocks and cozy sweaters alike.


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