Monthly Marvels: January 2015

January has been humid, hot, sticky, unbelievably sunny and then incredibly cold, rainy, thunder storms and gloominess. Its not doubt I had to pull out some big guns to get myself through the month.

Let's start off with Skincare. I finally decided to invest in the Chantecaille Pure Rosewater and Flower Harmonizing Cream. Let me tell you, it has worked wonders for my skin. It makes my skin so plump and moist that I can't help but know that in the morning I'm going to have a flawless, radiant and youthful complexion. The subtle scent is so yummy and luxurious that I wish I could rub it all over my body (if it weren't so pricy!)

I bought 4 foundations this month. Yes, 4! And the one that has stood out the most was actually the cheapest (well...cheapish). The Smashbox Studio Skin lasts all day on my oily skin. It melds so well into my skin and no matter how hot the summer days are, this foundation does not break down and disappear. I find it blends the best with a beauty blender as brushes tend to leave streaks no matter how much I try to buff it in.

Mac's Pro Longwear concealer has been the only concealer that I used all month. Sure it's creamy and pigmented and super easy to blend but I just couldn't understand why everyone was raving about it. Then I realized, I've been using the wrong colours. NC15 was way too light and NC20 just matched the rest of my face. Apparently you are meant to use the exact shade of your foundation but in the opposite skin tone. E.g. If you wear NC20, your under eye highlight should be NW20. And by god, this looks amazing. It's highlighted just enough to brighten your entire face without it seeming like you tried too hard.

For the entire month of January I've basically used three eyeshadows and three eyeshadows only. They are Make up Geek's Barcelona Beach as the transition shade, Mac's Espresso to deepen the crease and Make up Geek's Homecoming all across the lid. These are my picks for a fail-safe everyday neutral eye.

MUG Homecoming, MUG Barcelona Beach, MAC Espresso

This month I've also rediscovered my Hourglass ambient lighting powders in Ethereal Light and Diffused Light. Ethereal Light works great as a setting powder for areas that I have highlighted for example my under eye area, the bridge of my nose and the center of my forehead. For setting the rest of my face I use Diffused Light. The finish of these powders is unmatched by no other. It blurs lines, pores and other imperfections whilst giving your skin a radiance as opposed to the matte finish that other powders leave.

Ethereal Light, Diffused Light

Much to my savings account's dismay, I bought another Baume De Rose. This time in a new tinted formula. There are 6 tints altogether and I have #6 Toffee Cream.  It is like a sheer velvet teddy lip balm. Seriously. This has become a daily pre-lipstick staple.

I was gifted a set of Rae Morris brushes for my 26th birthday (from myself ;P) and although they are top quality brushes with amazingly soft hairs, I only reach for three brushes on a daily basis. So do I regret paying hundreds of dollars for a set? Be sure to look out for a in depth review in the coming weeks. The first brush is the powder brush; it is the softest brush that I own (please keep in mind I do not have japanese brushes such as Hakuhodo, Suqqu, chikuhodo etc) and albeit not being as dense as I would prefer in a powder brush, I could fall asleep swirling this around my face. The Deluxe Kabuki is the perfect size and shape for setting my under eye concealer. And the Brow Definer creates a very crisp and defined arch. Mac 266 has got nothing on this brush.

So they are my absolute favorites for January. Majority of these products I have actually carried into February already as they are just working so well for me. Have you tried any of these products? What has been your favorite for last month?