In addition to our ‘best of 2016’ (find it here), Astrid and I nevertheless wanted to share our accustomed monthly favourites with you. And it has everything! Berries, plums, rosehip, and chocolate and booze! (The last ones might’ve been a lie. But hey, no judgement if you wanna grab some or the other while reading this!)
Dorit’s December Beauty Favourites
Makeup Revolution New-Trals vs Neutrals
I’ve already waxed rhapsodically about this awesome budget find here, so it won’t be shocking news when I tell you that I’ve used this eyeshadow palette practically non-stop this month. So, to recap: 16 eyeshadows that are in the warm brown, taupe and berry family and range from matte to shimmer to glitter shades. You can go all out and do a burgundy smokey eye with this, or do a nice taupe everyday look (like I am wont to be) or even do a very nude look. All shades blend like a dream (but for the orangey shade in the upper row, third from the left), and even the glitters behave if you pat them on. It comes with a dual-ended brush (no clue if it’s good or not) and that for a tenner at the drugstore. Really, what’s holding you back?!
pai rosehip oil
The days are getting colder, the air is drier, and the heating in my apartment is driving me bonkers. Cue my skin acting up like a sulky five-year-old. When even added Hydraluron (one of my big guns) to my routine didn’t help, I remembered a bottle of pai’s rosehip oil in my fridge. I mix two drops with my moisturizer at night, and presto! Nice, calm skin. Pai’s rosehip oil is one of the best on the market – it’s also organic, cruelty-free and vegan. What makes it an outstanding oil on the market is the high concentration of rosehip extract. That is awesome, because rosehips are rich in antioxidants (carotenoids) and also vitamin A. Both are great to revive dull skin and and make it more supple. Both also boost the skin’s regenerative properties. Get it at pai for 28€.
Essie gel topcoat
In spring, essie came out with a range of gel-like nail polishes with a topcoat that’s supposed to look like a proper gel mani, but without the uv lamp. I got one colour plus the topcoat, tried it and was unimpressed. Wear time seemed just so-so, and yes, it looked nicely shiny, but there was nothing to write home about (apart from the insanely high price for a drugstore polish). It went into my drawer of polishes and was promptly forgotten. And on we go to the day a few weeks ago when my usual topcoat (essence gel like topcoat, for those who might want to know) sadly bit the dust and I was searching through my stash for another bottle. There wasn’t any, though – but that bottle of essie gel topcoat. The result was magical. This is a top-notch topcoat if you forget all the preposterous claims. The brush is nice and wide, the formula flows onto the nail pleasingly and the finish is wonderful. Nicely shiny, but it doesn’t look like you added a hundred layers like gel polishes sometimes can look. And I got a decent four days wear out of it. My advice: play around with topcoats more. It might surprise you.
Astrid’s December Beauty Favourites
Kjaer Weis
Two of my favorites this month are from Kjaer Weis. They are organic, and yes, they are quite pricey, but I’ve to admit I am in love with them, especially with the lip tint! The shade I got was Sensuous Plum, and it’s truly a my lips but better shade, although it looks quite dark in the pan. The website describes it as plummy, but it doesn’t look like that on my skin. On my lips it’s moisturizing with minimal transfer (or I guess the color isn’t that saturated). The price tag was quite hefty: 36€, but I managed to get it on the Amazingy sample sale, thankfully. I apply it with my fingers, germaphobes though can easily use a lip brush.
The cream blush is in the shade Joyful, which is joyful indeed! It reads terra-cotta coral to me. This kind of color always reminds me of the beach and tanned skin. It’s super easy to use (I apply and blend with my fingers) and kind of melts into the skin. Different from some powder blushes, it never ‘sits’ on the skin, but looks quite natural. With ingredients like Shea butter and Jojoba oil, it’s especially nice for drier skin or the colder months of the year. It’s 49€.
Both compacts are quite heavy and beautifully made with a nifty mechanism that allows you to slide the tops open and shut. There’s also a mirror inside for application on the go. All Kjaer Weis products are refillable, which may make the steep price a bit more palatable.
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette
The Hourglass ambient lighting palette is unfortunately also on the pricey side (62$ at Sephora), but it’s possibly the only highlighter palette I ever need (plus, who ever ran out of those?). It is super finely milled, subtly making my face glow. Here I’m wearing all the three products together. It’s thankfully permanent, and includes three shades – Incandescent Light (the one exclusive to this palette and also the one that’s the most highlighting one), Dim Light and Radiant Light. I can wear Dim Light (a neutral peachy beige) easily as an all-over powder that perfects my complexion. Here I’m also wearing Radiant Light (golden beige) on my cheekbones and the bridge of my nose as a subtle bronzing powder. Incandescent Light (shimmery pale pink) highlights under my browbone. Touted as finishing powders that recreate the most flattering light on your face, the overall effect is truly nice. Complexion-wise, it suits my NC42 complexion very well, and would look flattering on a wide variety of skintones (very pale and pink-toned ladies and gents might not be the target recipients, though!). I know that Dorit lusts after this as well…
essie sweet tart
essie nail polish in sweet tart is the cutest light grey. It has those cute purple and pink shimmer particles that makes the murky grey interesting and reflective. I find it very seasonal with its winter vibes and also incredibly work appropriate for folks who have to pay attention to that. You definitely need two layers – with only one it’s still quite sheer. It’s part of the Retro Revival collection that just came out, featuring some of essie’s ‘biggest hits’ from years ago. You can find for for about 7€ in every drugstore.
