The Festive Face.

So it's December, therefore I am now completely entitled to mention Christmas without someone whinging that it's too early...

When it comes to this time of year, I truly believe anything goes. Glitter... smokey eyes... dark lips... hell, you can wear them altogether if you really want to.

My festive face incorporates all of my usual makeup trademarks (if you've been reading long enough, you'll know this includes a dewy skin, cat eye, defined brows and lotsa lashes) with a couple of Christmassy colours thrown into the mix...

The Maybelline Color Tattoos in On and On Bronze (below left) and Pomegranate (below right) are slapped onto the eyes as a base, with the gold shade used across the lid and the plum shade used in the outer corner and crease.

Taking a large, fluffy blending brush (I use this one), I take two MAC eyeshadows: Cranberry (above left) and blend it into the crease, and Sable (above right) to softly blend the crease shade into the surrounding skin.

As for lips...

... I apply a light layer of L'Oréal Paris Color Riche Lipstick in Plum Passion before topping it off with L'Oréal Paris Color Riche Collection Privée Lipstick in Freida's Nude* - I love slicking on a nude shade over brightly-coloured lipstick for a toned-down lip the save thes whole thing looking a little O.T.T... especially given the heavy smokey eye here.
 
Christmas makeup: done. Now someone pass me a mince pie and a glass of something mulled... stat.

*PR Sample

Friday Favourites.

Happy Friday!

Favourite Advice:

[source]

Favourite Fancy Dress:

 Medical student by day... Wonder Woman by night.

Favourite Song:

 I'm absolutely loving Lily Allen's cover of Somewhere Only We Know, as featured in the John Lewis Christmas advert.

Favourite Trend:

 

I'm potty about all things plum - read my post on the berry beauty trend here.

Favourite Truth:

[source]

Have a good weekend :-)

Truly Plum-cious.

There's something so autumnal and (dare I say it) festive about wearing berry tones... but who says they have to be restricted to your wardrobe?! I've become preoccupied with all things plum when it comes to beauty, too...

I've never really experimented with coloured eyeshadows, and generally played it safe with neutral tones... but earlier this year, I experimented with soft pinks and purples thanks to my beloved Estée Lauder Raisins Palette.

Now I've gone all out and got myself some rather lovely berry-toned 'shadows...

My lovely friend bought MAC Cranberry Eyeshadow (left) for my birthday back in September... and when I bought a 4 Pan Pro-Palette to house it in, I realised it looked awful lonely all by itself. So I selflessly got it a companion (really took one for the team there) in the form of MAC Sable Eyeshadow (right), which is described as a 'gold-plum with bronze pearl.'
I don't think I'm quite brave enough to wear Cranberry on its on, so reckon Sable will make for a nice 'lid shade, with Cranberry saved for a little crease action... 

The Maybelline Color Tattoo in On and On Bronze featured in my September Favourites, and when I saw the shade Pomegranate after realising I had more than enough Boots points to cover the cost... well, frankly, it'd have been rude not to.

This definitely has more of a red/burgundy hue to it than Cranberry (which has more of a purple/plum one), and it isn't quite a pigmented, so may just be a shadow I could brave wearing on its own... I'll keep you posted.

Plum blusher.... sounds scary, right?

When I saw the EX1 Blush in Love Story* I, too, was sceptical... how was that colour going to look good on my cheeks?! When I eventually gathered the courage to wear it, I was pleasantly surprised at how lovely it looks... a healthy 'I've just had a brisk walk' glow was injected into my cheeks with the lightest of sweeps. It's not quite as long-lasting as my trusty Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush on my oily skin, so I find it needs a little touch-up 4-5 hours into wear.

Just a sidenote: EX1 is a line of cosmetics designed specifically for Asian skintones.

Last up: lips.

I can't exactly rock a deep-wine lip whilst wondering around hospital wards, so I have been loving the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Berry Allure (left) for a medical-student appropriate plum-tinged pout - this gloss injects a bit of colour all without looking a little too much (given my day job!).

In my free-time, I'll definitely be wearing one of two berry lipsticks... L'Oréal Paris Color Riche Lipstick in Plum Passion (middle) for a shimmery purple lip, or Rimmel Lasting Finish Kate Lipstick in Wine for a sophisticated matte one. Both of these lip colours double up as excellent stains... I've taken to applying a small amount to my lips using my ring finger, then slicking on a light layer of Vaseline Rosy Lips Lip Therapy over the top.

Will you be trying out the plum makeup trend this season?

*PR Sample

Glow Job.

When going sans makeup, I tend to put the horrified expression that greets me query of "Errrm... are you ill?" down to the fact that I haven't got my cocktail of radiance-boosting products on...

It's safe to say there's something about a dewy, fresh skin that makes me look a little healthier, and even though winter is drawing in, I just can't seem to let go of the products that give me a Millie Mackintosh-inspired glow...

 

The first product is the L'Oréal Paris Lumi Magique Pure Light Primer...

You can use this pearlescent liquid as a primer underneath your base to create a dewy finish, but I've found the best results are created by mixing it in with your choice of base, so I blend it in with my everyday tinted moisturiser or my evening foundation to amp up the glow.

Next on the bill...

... is Benefit Watts Up!, a champagne-coloured highlighter with a blendable cream-to-powder formula, which I like to buff into my brow and cheek bones, and along the bridge of my nose. This product leaves gorgeous sheen to the skin rather than an unforgiving glittery one (unlike most highlighters I've tried...), making it perfect for those of you that want to rock the radiant look in the day...

The Soap & Glory Glow All Out Luminizing Face Powder has been one of my favourite discoveries of the year - it's a rose-gold powder which can be blended into the high-points of the face to create a gorgeous glow. If you've seen my Everyday Makeup Tutorial, you'll know I use this, but do find it a little too shimmery for daytime, so now I opt for Watts Up! instead...

When it comes to a PM-look, though, there is no such thing as too much shimmer... so I've taken to using Benefit Watts Up! With Soap & Glory Glow All Out dusted over it.

Hey, it's night-time: anything goes...

Top to bottom: L'Oréal Paris Lumi Magique Pure Light Primer, Benefit Watts Up! &
Soap & Glory Glow All Out Luminizing Face Powder

Alpha H Liquid Gold.

I have a dull complexion at the best of times, but there's something about being ill that makes any faint glimmer of radiance evaporate from my skin... and I think I'm right in saying that's the same for the rest of you.

I've relied rather heavily on Alpha H Liquid Gold the last two weeks whilst recovering from my nasty bout of 'flu to get my skin looking a little less ... well... "bleugh" (yes, that was a technical term).

Liquid Gold is a glycolic acid treatment which works to gently exfoliate the old, tired and dull top layer of skin to reveal the fresh-looking radiant skin sitting just underneath it. It's super quick and easy to use: all you do is cleanse, then dampen a cotton wool pad with the product and sweep over the face before heading to bed... by adding serums or moisturisers over it, the product is less effective in its action, so stick with the directions here and you'll wake up with glowing skin... pinky promise!

It's nothing short of a miracle worker, gradually fading hyperpigmentation and acne scars and is a rather effective cure when concentrated onto spotty patches should you have a stubborn, persistent breakout (much like me this week... nightmare!).

I normally use Liquid Gold once a week - my skin is currently in a bit of a state, so I've upped it to 2-3 times just for the last fortnight. Alpha H do advise you use this treatment every other night... personally, I find this to be a little on the excessive side for my skin type, and will probably revert back to a once-a-week treat when my skin's recovered from its current strop.

Only downside of this product is the, frankly, ridiculous price tag. A 100ml bottle will set you back £31.50... yeah, told you it was ridiculous. Having said this, I'm still getting use out of my very first bottle (the packaging has been revamped since my original purchase), so this is something of a long-term investment. That's what you should tell your bank-manager, anyway...

Alpha H Liquid Gold is priced at £31.50 for 100ml, and available at BeautyBay.