One of things I love about this time of year is the release of the gorgeous Winter makeup collections. There are so many pretty products that catch my eye for one reason or another and I'm always drawn towards them like a magpie. There's definitely been a good few stand out products for me which I'll tell you all about in due course throughout this post. Alot of budget beauty brands, MUA in particular, have stepped up their game as of late and have come out with gorgeous affordable palettes aswell. I thought I'd show you a few that I think would make amazing Christmas gifts, if I seen any of these under my tree this year I'd be seriously delighted.
As you can see from the picture above I've gone back to my all background for a while. The lighting is terrible at the moment considering it's so ridiculously dull and miserable in Dublin at the moment. Three luxury brands that have really hit the nail on the head this year are Clarins, Lancome and Giorgio Armani. The latter came out with the new Eyes to Kill Eyeshadow Quad. I have the gorgeous Terra Sienna to show you all, this contains four beautiful neutral shades. All the shadows are highly pigmented and really soft so they apply like a dream. There's two shimmer and two matte shades which is a good balance there. I'm in love with the packaging, it's super sleek and shiny. As it's on the expensive side it wouldn't be something I'd bring on a night out with me. I think this would be a perfect gift for a close friend or family member. If a neutral eye isn't their thing there's another eight different shade selections to choose from so you'll definitely find something to suit your tastes. The Eyes to Kill Quads are in the brands permanent line so they'll still be there even if you have to wait til after Christmas. I'm going to do a full review post on this eyeshadow quad as I've been using it a tonne lately. One collection that alot of bloggers are talking about this year is the Odyssey collection from Clarins. Two complete stand out products are the Face palette and Eye palette, just look at that packaging alone. It's definitely one of those palettes that when you finish up you want to hold on to the case, how could you get rid of it it's way too pretty. I'm in love with this collection it's beyond amazing. The eyeshadow palette contains the usual three neutral shades but alongside it is this gorgeous gold leaf shade which I immediately fell in love with. It makes this different to other palettes I own, I could see someone use this all year round as the colours are so wearable. The look could be instantly glammed up using the gold leaf shade on the lid. Again this would make such a lovely gift, both products look so elegant and luxurious, it's different to all the other makeup brand offerings this year. Lastly is some bits from Lancome's Winter Collection. As these are all individual pieces I think these would make gorgeous extras e.g stocking fillers, if you wanted to spend that little bit more on someone. With lovely eyeshadows, nail polish and pigments that come in different shades your sure to find something that catches your eye. If I had to choose one product from this collection I'd go for the Ombre Hypnose Mono eyeshadow . The sparkly gold glitter packaging is super Christmassy just what you need for this time of year me thinks. The shade I got to try is Fil D'Argent which is a shimmery taupe shade that is super wearable. All three shadows from the collection from what I've seen in store are neutral so whatever one you get for that special someone they'll certainly love.
Being a student myself, I sometimes find it hard to fork out on extravagant gifts for everyone.When I'm picking up small presents for a Kris Kindle or a friend, I look no further than Catrice, Essence and MUA. The latter is pretty hard to come by in Ireland unless you live beside a Superdrug which I don't. If you do manage to find yourself near a Superdrug I'd definitely recommend picking up a couple of MUA palettes. These are brilliant and for £4 they'd make amazing stocking fillers indeed. My favourites of the bunch are the Heaven & Earth and Undressed palette. Both contain neutral shades that would take you straight from day to night. I love wearing a natural eye look on a regular so of course these would be straight down my street. If your looking for a palette for someone who would like a variety of different shades, you should try to get your hands on the Artiste Collection palette which is the latest addition to the range. Not only does this include eyeshadows, it also comes with two blushes, bronzer and highlighter. As all these palettes are super affordable, I wouldn't be too worried about losing one of them on a night out either as they are easily replaced. I bought the Heaven & Earth palette in Manchester during the Summer and I literally used it everyday along with the Undressed palette. Essence have also brought out some really nice Winter Hand Creams this month, unfortunately I didn't picture them above.. They all come in yummy hot drinks scent, my favourite being Caramel Hot Chocolate. At the recent Dublin blogger meetup I let everyone try this and it got thumbs up all around. I bought all three scents in Penneys, I think the guy at the till thought I was a complete nut job buying three hand creams. They were only €1.49 each which is an amazing bargain. I've heard that Essence isn't available in the UK which is such a shame as it's a great brand with some great products at a affordable price. I may stick up a post on these soon as I love the packaging and there such lovely hand creams too.
What products have caught your eye from the 2012 Winter collections?
Laura<3
What products have caught your eye from the 2012 Winter collections?
Laura<3
Brilliant picks Laura!
ReplyDeleteThanks hun xx
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