Current favorites

I've had a recent bout of makeup splurging - I'll blame it on the silly season. I seemed to work on a 'one present bought, two presents bought for me' system this past Christmas. That being said, I needed an overhaul on the foundation front. I seemed to have slipped into using whatever retail brand I was trying out that week, or whatever I kept in my handbag makeup kit - which as you know is always the el cheapo stuff thanks to my smash and grab experience a few years back.

So over December I picked up three really amazing products that I have loved using. These just make you want use your expensive brushes, and let yourself fall in love with makeup all over again.

First up is one of two purchases from good 'ol Sephora. Which means these will be a little trickier to get your hands on here in SA, but if you have a friend travelling soon, I would suggest batting your eyelashes at them and baking them a cake. Make them be your mule.

Urban Decay's NAKED Skin Weightless Ultra Defining foundation is very runny, but once whipped up by your brush and applied to the skin it blends really well, and feels as light as a feather.
Once buffed in I found it left me with quite a glow - which if you like that look then you'll love it. I prefer a more matte look to my skin so I just used a very quick pat of blotting powder to finish and it was perfect. It lasts for ages - and this was put to the test on New Years Eve where I wobbled back into the apartment at around 3am. So it survived a lot of dancing, sweating and drunk-face. I think we can safely say its a hard worker. I find that its quite heavy coverage, so blend and buff well and I wouldn't try and build up on this one for fear of looking like an iced cake.

Benefit's BIG EASY Bigger than BB. This is my everyday favourite right now. A BB cream and powder all in one. The sales assistant at Sephora raved about it and its easy to see why once you wear it. Its a wonderfully easy to use BB cream that dries to a matte finish so there is no need for powder. And I do love a matte finish. The sales assistant also said to save time you could mix this with a primer and apply it together - but I think she must have been on her crack pipe because that ended up being a flaky mess and my cheek looking like a leper's. So no. If you're using primer, do that first. Let is absorb and then apply this afterward.
Its also worth nothing that you need to work fast, as it dries quickly. I also found a sponge worked better than a brush as the brush seemed to just move it around, whereas the sponge buffs it in nicely for a natural, matte look. Slap on some colour to your cheeks and mascara and you're done.

Last up is one you can go and pickup this afternoon on your way home from work. And I suggest you do. I think most of us are MAC fan-girls and we all have our list of cult favourites, and now I am adding this Prep&Prime BB to my list.
Its lightweight and I'd call the coverage light to medium. Some people call it a sheer coverage but I found it covered blemishes and pigmentation without needing to build it up. I buff it in with my MAC 130 short-fibre brush. After seeing results with this brush and beauty balm at the MAC counter, I am hooked. The finish is natural, with a subtle glow to the skin and I have never received so many compliments on the state of my skin. A quick dab of blotting powder and a spritz of everyone's favourite Fix+ finishing spray and you'll have a flawless face.
(FYI, I might be late to the party here, but MAC has the Fix+ spray in a travel size and now I can take it with me everywhere)

September's favourites

I have been wanting to get around to a post like this for ages. One of the most wonderful perks of being a blogger is that I quite often get asked to try out new products and I have so much to tell you about. This does mean that my bathroom cabinet and vanity area look a bit like a disheveled beauty salon at times - but I'm certainly not complaining. Adding to this, and much to my poor husband's dismay, I am a total beauty junkie. So I also buy a fair amount myself too. This has got to the point where Dave takes me by the hand in Clicks and leads me to the aisles we need to get to, completely circumventing the beauty section. Mean isn't it?

Here are the products that I loved in September.

Naked 3 Palette: I bought this while travelling, and I haven't looked back. I am a big fan of Naked 1, and when 2 was launched I wasn't too excited about the shades. But when I saw the pretty, pink nudes that lined the tray in the Naked 3 palette, I was sold. I think having palettes 1 and 3 makes for a pretty solid eyeshadow collection. As always, they are the perfect travel companion too. In SA, you can trust good 'ol Rubybox to hook you up.

Sorbet BB Cream: This stuff is only R100 at Sorbet salons or Clicks. I know it launches ages ago, and I obviously wasn't paying enough attention because it was recommended to me by a friend whose skin always looks so flawless. So thanks for sharing your secret Liv, because this is a really great product. The coverage is medium and leaves a subtle glow on the skin. It has become a daily favourite and is in serious contention with my Bourjois 123 Perfect CC cream as the best budget buy for your makeup bag.

Shwarzkopf Color Freeze Shampoo and Hair Mask: I attended a relaunch of the Schwarzkopf range a while ago at GHD Style Bar. I've been using their products for years on my heavily bleached hair and it works like a bomb. Their fantastic stylists recommended trying these two products to better preserve my blonde and to keep it from becoming dried out and natty. These will become repeat purchases without a doubt. It isn't easy keeping fake-blonde hair soft and shiny and this does exactly that. I also love how long salon products last. You really only need to use so little. Especially the hair mask. I just dip my pinky finger in the tub and that is enough for me. You'll find these either at GHD Style Bar, or have them delivered to your door with RetailBox.

Soap & Glory Heel Genius: I went a little batshit crazy in Boots while we were in Thailand back in August. They kept luring me in with 3-for-2 specials, and gift sets and various other specials which i dutifully took advantage of. So I now have almost every product in their range. But with my recent increase in running training leading up to the Gun Run this past weekend, their foot mask/cream was a lifesaver. If you're travelling, pop one of these into your shopping cart. The cream is light, and smells nice and fresh. You apply before bed, slip on some socks and wake up with very pretty tootsies. Love.

Ciaté Nail Laquer in Candy Floss: This is the perfect pink. I love it. I live in it and I can't wait for summer to arrive so I can start wearing it on my toesies. Bet you didn't know you could get this brand in SA - so everyone say a big fat thank you to the kids at Clicks. They're bring them in and I couldn't be more excited.