December Makeup Menu

December has been a bit of a winding-down month for me I haven’t been here-there-and-everywhere quite so much. However some clear go-tos emerged this month that always seemed to make their way into my makeup bag when I did go away.

Face & Base

Nars Pure Radiance Tinted Moisturiser in St. Moritz | £29 
+ Sephora Pro Airbrush #55 | $34

My skin has been pretty good this month so I’ve been loving my Nars tinted moisturiser as it evens out the skin tone and just makes it look like you have naturally flawless skin. It’s the perfect ‘no makeup’ base, though it’s definitely enough for day-to-day wear when you add in a full coverage concealer. The Sephora Pro Airbrush #55 is just amazing for these kinds of light bases, it’s so much better than just using my fingers or a more dense brush. It basically strokes the product onto your face flawlessly with one swipe.

Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Stay-in-Place Makeup in 3.5 | £29.50 
+ Zoeva 102 Silk Finish Brush | £11.50

With it being the lead-up to Christmas I’ve had a couple of parties. When I’m going somewhere straight from work, personally I find the Double Wear Stay-in-Place Makeup a bit much to wear during the day. If you’ve ever felt it was a bit heavy for you then you need to try Double Wear Light! It gives the same matte, flawless, long-lasting finish (and it’s still definitely a medium-full coverage) but it’s nowhere near as heavy on the skin and is natural enough for me to feel comfortable in day-to-day. The perfect brush for this is the Zoeva Silk Finish, which is also amazing for the original Double Wear, Nars Sheer Glow and just about any other medium or full coverage base!

Benefit Erase Paste in 03 Deep | £20.50

My Bobbi Brown Corrector well and truly hit pan this month, but instead of buying a new one, I thought I’d use up the rest of the Erase Paste I already had. Having given this one another go, I actually think it’s my favourite corrector. The texture is creamy without being greasy and the peachy colour cancels out my dark circles, meaning I don’t need to pile on concealer. It’s also nicely brightening at the same time.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Concealer in Medium-Dark Warm | £17.50 | post

This is just my go-to all-in-one concealer as it’s light and fluffy enough to blend out under my eyes but also has enough coverage to conceal any blemishes or redness. It's hydrating but doesn't slip off the greasier patches of my skin.

L’Oreal Lumi Magique Concealer in Medium | £8.49

I seriously don’t know how I was doing my under-eye concealer before I discovered the highlighting pen! After using the Urban Decay, going in with a little bit of highlighting concealer makes such a difference to my heavy-duty dark circles. This month I opted for a budget option, though it doesn’t come in as many shades as the Charlotte Tilbury, I’ve found one that works for me and definitely recommend checking it out.

NYX HD Finishing Powder in 02 Banana | £8

There’s only been one powder for me this month and it’s been this fantastic bargain from NYX. I can see myself picking up a lot more of their products now they have a huge department in my local Boots! I picked up the banana powder on a whim but it’s amazing for setting under-eye concealer and my t-zone. It keeps everything in place whilst also being correcting and brightening. If you have a fairly medium warm skin tone I think you’ll love it, though I can see how it wouldn't suit everyone (I feel like the banana powder craze was started by Kim K and a lot of people choose that shade without considering their skin tone).

L’Oreal Infallible Fixing Mist | £7.99

To lock in my base I’ve been using the L’Oreal Infallible setting spray, which has finally made its way across the Atlantic. I either give my BeautyBlender a spritz with it before using it to blend in my concealer with my foundation or I do a spray after I’ve finished my makeup. Either way I really like this, though the mist could definitely be finer!

Cheeks

Laura Geller Baked Gelato Swirl Illuminator in Gilded Honey |  £21 | post

This is such a compact, travel-friendly highlighter, it’s been the one I’ve automatically packed. I apply this with my Sigma F35* to my cheekbones, brow bone and down the centre of my face for a subtle golden glow.

The Body Shop Honey Bronze Bronzing Powder in 04 | £13

This has been a bit of a rediscovery! I bought this over summer and didn’t think much of the colour payoff, however on my winter skin tone it’s actually perfect (I might get 05 when summer comes back round). It’s definitely warmer than my favourite KIKO Perfecting Bronzer but it’s still matte so I use it in the same way with my Real Techniques Blush Brush to add a really subtle daytime-appropriate contour.

KIKO Shade Fusion Trio Blush in 03 Abricot | £8.90

I’d definitely like another shade or two in this new addition to KIKO’s permanent line, as the formula of this powder is so soft. It applies easily to give a natural, glowing flush of colour. This is a lovely deep peachy coral shade. I tend to just swirl around my second Real Techniques Blush Brush in all three shades, though you could take them separately as a subtle highlight, blush and contour.

Eyes

Makeup Geek Eyeshadows (Standard Pans) | £4.95

This month has been all about Makeup Geek when it comes to eyeshadows! I do actually have more of these (there’s a post coming later this week on the lot, which has been a long time coming) but I've been using a small Z Palette with the everyday neutrals. My most-used have been Shimma Shimma (a very light shimmery highlight), Purely Naked (a medium caramel brown with a tiny bit of sheen), Frappe (a warm mid-brown matte), Homecoming (a brown-bronze shimmer), Taupe Notch (a taupe-brown shimmer) and Brown Sugar (a red-brown shimmer). The formula, the pigmentation and the lasting powder is just amazing; Makeup Geek is well and truly worth the hype!

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner in Intense Black | £14.50

I do still think Soap & Glory Supercat reigns supreme but I’ve been so impressed at how pigmented this thinner-nibbed eyeliner pen is after months of use. I think I will actually repurchase this when it runs out as I love how precise you can be with it.

Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade in Granite | £15

After trying a few new brow products recently, I've gone back to my DipBrow Pomade, applied lightly with a slanted eyeliner brush. The shade Granite is perfect for me as it isn't too warm and it's the great for very dark brown hair.

Estee Lauder Sumptuous Extreme Mascara in Intense Black | £24

There was a bit of a problem when I was trying to get the correct shade in Double Wear Light (originally I had 4, which was way too dark so decided I’d pick up 3.5) and my parcel was actually lost. Estee Lauder kindly sent me a mascara by way of an apology, which they didn’t have to do at all! I wouldn’t have picked this up myself as I much prefer a plastic wand to a fibre one. However I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked the feathery look this gave my lashes. It’s more for volume but still added length for me. I’ve not heard much about this one but it’s well worth checking out.

Lips

Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker Satin Lipstick in Perfect Day | £9

This was one of those products I didn’t like that much when I first got it for some reason! However I gave it another whirl and have really fallen for the perfect deep pinky-nude colour and the super-creamy formula. I need to get my hands on some more shades from this range, I think!

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Cannes | £5.50 | post

My other most-reached-for lip product was this creamy liquid lipstick from NYX. I love the dusky pink colour of Cannes and the formula is just so creamy to apply and comfortable on the lips despite having a matte look and being incredibly long-lasting.

Here are some swatches of the products I haven't posted on yet:

What do you think of this month’s makeup menu? What have been your most-used products recently?

 

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