To end the year, I am bringing you my December favourites, some of the products I have been loving this month...
Starting with skincare, we have the Mudmasky Leave-Me-On Winter Mask (35 Euros for 40ml), and I received this in a Glossybox. You don't get a lot of product for the money but it is a really good mask, and because it is a winter mask, it is protecting, moisturising, ultra-repairing and nourishing, so it really does help the skin out during these colder months. Even though it says mask, it is more of a moisturiser in the sense that you apply a thin layer in a morning and then leave on the skin without rinsing off. The results of the mask are really good, but I do think you should get a little more product. You can find it online at Mudmasky here.
We then have the Clarins Moisture-Rich Body Lotion (£19.00 for 100ml), which I took on holiday with me this month. It is a really deliciously scented rich body lotion that contains peach milk extract, shea butter and orange blossom wax and helps protect the skin against the cold weather as well as heating and air conditioning. The Moisture-Rich Body Lotion has a nice lightweight texture, so that you don't have to be waiting around before you can get dressed, but it still feels very luxurious. You can find it online at Clarins here.
Something else I took with me to Orlando is the Rituals Soothing Hand Balm (£9.90 for 70ml) as my hands have been so dry this season, and I thought with being in the pool a lot on holiday, that I would need something a little extra. This Soothing Hand Balm is infused with Indian Rose and Sweet Almond Oil and smells and feels incredible, the texture is like velvet and it too sinks into the skin really quickly, as I hate it when you get a hand cream that takes ages to dry as we are using our hands all the time. You can find it online at Rituals here.
I had been wanting to try out the Smashbox Photo Finish Minimize Pores Primer (£28.00 for 30ml) ever since it was first released as I have terrible enlarged pores, and so I was over the moon when it was in my Glamour Beauty Festival goody bag! I am so in love with this primer! I do love and have tried some of the other Smashbox primers, but for me personally, this is such a winner. It is an oil-free, mattifying primer and it really does help to blur out my pores, which also reduces the appearance of them and this has definitely been a favourite this month. You can find it online at Smashbox here.
Whilst I was at the Glamour Beauty Festival, I also picked up the The Ordinary Serum Foundation (£5.70 for 30ml) as I was wanting something with a light coverage for during the day on holiday and even though I use sunscreen on my face, this also has SPF 15, so it is nice to know that it has my back in the sunshine. You really cannot go wrong with The Ordinary products, they are such good value, yet have such concentrated skincare ingredients within the formulas. This foundation comes with a pump applicator, and it is a very fluid formula, so just be aware of that when you first use it. This gave me a slight bit of coverage and kept my skin super nourished throughout the day. You can find it online at The Ordinary here.
A couple of months ago I wanted the Harvey Nichols gift with purchase as it was incredible value, and so one of the items I picked up to qualify for it was the Chanel Le Volume Ultra-Noir Mascara (£28.00). It is a pricey product, there is no doubt about that, because it is Chanel. But I do love a luxury beauty item, and I have been really impressed with this mascara. It doesn't have the traditional bristle brush applicator, which I tend to prefer with more high-end mascaras, and this coats my lashes individually to give a much darker, refined look to them. You can find it online at Harvey Nichols here.
Another item from my Glossybox that I have been using a lot lately is the Kandi Cosmetics Pre Glow Up Mist (£20.00 for 120ml). I hadn't heard of the brand previously, which is what I love about beauty subscription boxes as you get to try things that aren't always on your radar. This beautiful rose-gold shimmer mist works as both a primer and a setting spray and adds a delicate glow to the skin, and as our skin can get quite dull at this time of year, this is perfect for banishing that. You can find it online at Kandi Cosmetics here.
I have quite hooded eyelids and a lot of the larger false lashes don't look great on me, but when I was at the Glamour Beauty Festival, the lash brand Velour were giving free lashes away and they also applied them for you. I tried out the Velour Luxe Faux Mink Lashes in the style Sunshine & Whispie (£24.00) and they are so beautiful, even on my eyes. They have lots of little individual lashes that then go into fans, and so they don't look 'too much' yet definitely make such a difference. I find the lashes themselves super lightweight and comfortable to wear too. They can also be reused up to 20 times, which makes them such good value - you can't beat quality lashes. You can find them online at Boots here.
Something fairly new I have been loving on my lips lately is the Revlon Kiss Glow Lip Oil (£8.99). There are seven shades available and I wanted them all as the colours are stunning, but opted for Nuditude as it is great for everyday. As these are a lip oil, I didn't expect hardly any coverage, but these blow all other lip oils out of the water! They have such good colour and coverage to them, and they are not at all greasy or oily on the lips, meaning that they are so comfortable to wear and you get colour and nourishment at the same time. You can find them online at Boots here.
I have been painting my nails a lot lately as I cannot afford to keep having gel polish applied, and a colour which I think is so beautiful for this time of year is the H&M Nail Polish in Witching Hour (£3.99). It is a kind of dark petrol green shade, and such a unique colour to most green nail polishes I have come across. The bottles are super cute and the polish looks lovely and glossy once it has dried down onto the nails. You can find it online at H&M here.
I hope you all have an amazing night tonight and I wish you all the best for the New Year!
All the Loves,
Kathryn xxx
We then have the Clarins Moisture-Rich Body Lotion (£19.00 for 100ml), which I took on holiday with me this month. It is a really deliciously scented rich body lotion that contains peach milk extract, shea butter and orange blossom wax and helps protect the skin against the cold weather as well as heating and air conditioning. The Moisture-Rich Body Lotion has a nice lightweight texture, so that you don't have to be waiting around before you can get dressed, but it still feels very luxurious. You can find it online at Clarins here.
Something else I took with me to Orlando is the Rituals Soothing Hand Balm (£9.90 for 70ml) as my hands have been so dry this season, and I thought with being in the pool a lot on holiday, that I would need something a little extra. This Soothing Hand Balm is infused with Indian Rose and Sweet Almond Oil and smells and feels incredible, the texture is like velvet and it too sinks into the skin really quickly, as I hate it when you get a hand cream that takes ages to dry as we are using our hands all the time. You can find it online at Rituals here.
I had been wanting to try out the Smashbox Photo Finish Minimize Pores Primer (£28.00 for 30ml) ever since it was first released as I have terrible enlarged pores, and so I was over the moon when it was in my Glamour Beauty Festival goody bag! I am so in love with this primer! I do love and have tried some of the other Smashbox primers, but for me personally, this is such a winner. It is an oil-free, mattifying primer and it really does help to blur out my pores, which also reduces the appearance of them and this has definitely been a favourite this month. You can find it online at Smashbox here.
Whilst I was at the Glamour Beauty Festival, I also picked up the The Ordinary Serum Foundation (£5.70 for 30ml) as I was wanting something with a light coverage for during the day on holiday and even though I use sunscreen on my face, this also has SPF 15, so it is nice to know that it has my back in the sunshine. You really cannot go wrong with The Ordinary products, they are such good value, yet have such concentrated skincare ingredients within the formulas. This foundation comes with a pump applicator, and it is a very fluid formula, so just be aware of that when you first use it. This gave me a slight bit of coverage and kept my skin super nourished throughout the day. You can find it online at The Ordinary here.
A couple of months ago I wanted the Harvey Nichols gift with purchase as it was incredible value, and so one of the items I picked up to qualify for it was the Chanel Le Volume Ultra-Noir Mascara (£28.00). It is a pricey product, there is no doubt about that, because it is Chanel. But I do love a luxury beauty item, and I have been really impressed with this mascara. It doesn't have the traditional bristle brush applicator, which I tend to prefer with more high-end mascaras, and this coats my lashes individually to give a much darker, refined look to them. You can find it online at Harvey Nichols here.
Another item from my Glossybox that I have been using a lot lately is the Kandi Cosmetics Pre Glow Up Mist (£20.00 for 120ml). I hadn't heard of the brand previously, which is what I love about beauty subscription boxes as you get to try things that aren't always on your radar. This beautiful rose-gold shimmer mist works as both a primer and a setting spray and adds a delicate glow to the skin, and as our skin can get quite dull at this time of year, this is perfect for banishing that. You can find it online at Kandi Cosmetics here.
I have quite hooded eyelids and a lot of the larger false lashes don't look great on me, but when I was at the Glamour Beauty Festival, the lash brand Velour were giving free lashes away and they also applied them for you. I tried out the Velour Luxe Faux Mink Lashes in the style Sunshine & Whispie (£24.00) and they are so beautiful, even on my eyes. They have lots of little individual lashes that then go into fans, and so they don't look 'too much' yet definitely make such a difference. I find the lashes themselves super lightweight and comfortable to wear too. They can also be reused up to 20 times, which makes them such good value - you can't beat quality lashes. You can find them online at Boots here.
Something fairly new I have been loving on my lips lately is the Revlon Kiss Glow Lip Oil (£8.99). There are seven shades available and I wanted them all as the colours are stunning, but opted for Nuditude as it is great for everyday. As these are a lip oil, I didn't expect hardly any coverage, but these blow all other lip oils out of the water! They have such good colour and coverage to them, and they are not at all greasy or oily on the lips, meaning that they are so comfortable to wear and you get colour and nourishment at the same time. You can find them online at Boots here.
I have been painting my nails a lot lately as I cannot afford to keep having gel polish applied, and a colour which I think is so beautiful for this time of year is the H&M Nail Polish in Witching Hour (£3.99). It is a kind of dark petrol green shade, and such a unique colour to most green nail polishes I have come across. The bottles are super cute and the polish looks lovely and glossy once it has dried down onto the nails. You can find it online at H&M here.
I hope you all have an amazing night tonight and I wish you all the best for the New Year!
All the Loves,
Kathryn xxx