Worth The Splurge #7

This post could easily be as long as my arm, because there are so many good beauty bits on the market, but I've whittled it down to six standout products I think are worth adding to your New Year's wishlist.

First up, let's talk about Tarte. Tarte is one of those kick ass brands that makes me sad we don't have a Sephora in the UK, but a limited selection of products are available via QVC. Whilst it's not ideal, it's better than nothing, and you'll find the Tartelette palette amongst the products available. This palette is just divine, twelve pretty matte shades in taupey, purple hues, a giant mirror and pretty packaging, it gets a thumbs up from me all round.

I'm all about Bumble and Bumble hair care, and right now my styling product of choice is the Brilliantine Cream. If, like me, you like that kinda tousled, slept in, look to your hair, then this is the stuff for you. The tiniest amount applied to damp hair, gives definition and texture, without making your hair look heavy with product or too 'done'. Good stuff.

I've waxed lyrical on The Body Shop Japanese Camelia Cream Body Butter many times so I'll keep this brief. This is pretty pricey, and you don't need it, it's definitely not the sorta thing you just buy yourself, but it's a luxurious product that makes my lazy self actively want to use body butter. I love the smell, the texture, and how my skin feels when I use this stuff. Amazing.

I'm currently hooked on the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution lipstick in Love Liberty, it's my go to bold lip shade. Smooth and creamy but long lasting and gorgeous. Plus, look at that packaging! 

And lastly, I'm loving the candles from Anthropologie right now. From the gorgeous packaging to the impressive scent throw, these are really worth every penny. 

What's on your wishlist?

Worth The Splurge #7

It feels like it's been a while since I chatted about a few luxury items, so let's change that shall we?

My current makeup bag rotation is stuffed with high end goodies, but there are three I haven't chatted much about here, so I figured let's start there.

Firstly, a new foundation love, the Charlotte Tilbury Magic Foundation has been a star in my makeup bag this month. Good coverage but a natural finish is hard to come by, but this foundation does exactly that and rocks it. The shade 2 is a perfect colour match for me, and is almost undetectable on the skin, it just makes it look better.

I've waxed lyrical on the Marc Jacobs Lolita Palette, but I haven't spoken much about the Style Eye-Con No 3 The Glam trio. With the same buttery smooth, highly pigmented formula, I knew this a winner, but the colours are just stunning. One yellow toned base/highlight shade, a shimmering gold and a soft bronzey brown, this little palette contains everything you need for a beautiful day look, and a gorgeous nighttime smokey look. I'm obsessed with this little trio, it's just gorgeous!

And lastly, a beautiful Sephora Oil Infusion Lip Colour, in the shade Iced Coffee. A nudey colour that's intensely hydrating and sheer enough to be easy to apply on the go, this is a total handbag staple for me. 

What luxury beauty bits are you loving right now?

Worth The Splurge #6

We all know at this point that I love a good product splurge, but not all high end products are worth parting with your pennies for. Today I've got another round up of awesome products that are worth every penny, and I would buy again and again.

Ole Henrikson Sheer Transformation Moisturiser*: Coming in at £47 this is a real luxury product, but for me, investing in skincare is so important. This is far and away the best morning moisturiser I've ever tried, it's hydrating and creamy, but it absorbs fast and leaves the skin perfectly prepped for makeup. 

Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Love Liberty: At £23 this isn't the most expensive lipstick on the market, but it's still pricey. It's worth every penny though, from the luxurious rose gold packaging to the creamy, longwearing formula, this is possibly one of the best lipsticks I've ever used.

Estée Lauder Brush On Glow BB Highlight*: At £24.50 this is probably my most expensive concealer/highlight, but it does such a good job of brightening the under eye in a natural looking way, that I would purchase this again and again without hesitation. It blends seamlessly with makeup or into bare skin to look completely natural and glowy.

Lush Bath Bombs and Bubble Bars: Not exactly bank breaking prices, but putting one of these bad boys in every bath can rack up quickly. As far as I'm concerned though, they are worth every penny, because they make London's horrible hard water soft and silky, and I can still smell them on the skin the next day!

What are your favourite luxury products?

Worth The Splurge #5

Since you've got a hefty dose of drugstore beauty bumf headed your way tomorrow, in the interest of balance I thought today we could chat about products that are a bit more luxurious. I'm something of a high end beauty junkie, and over the years I've found some seriously stand out products that are worth parting with your pennies for.

I'm not normally a believer in splurging on nail polish, I can't get enough of Essie polishes which are pretty budget friendly. That being said, the Nails Inc Gel Polishes are pretty special, and seem to last much longer than any other polishes on my. They've got a thick glossy formula and a wide brush that makes application a dream, and I've gotten so much use of Porchester Square, that I'm almost out.

A new discovery for me are the MAC Pigments. I've previously always shied away from pigments because, urgh, messy, but the shade Blue Brown has been winking at me for a while, and I caved and picked it up. It's such a unique shade, a beautiful duochrome sheen, and it's not as messy as I expected. I use a flat brush to pack this onto the lid, and a fluffy brush to blend it out, and that's that. It's one of those shades that really catches the eye, and I may just be in love. I picked it up in the mini travel size which I can't ever see myself running out of, you need so little, and at £10 the price isn't too eyewatering. I've got my eye on the shade Vanilla next!

I don't wear bold matte lip colours often, but when I do they're pretty much always NARS Velvet Matte Lip Pencils. Despite being matte and incredibly longwearing, they're not drying at all, and they aren't an effort to apply either. They glide onto the lips so effortlessly, and they look bloody fantastic. I love the shade Damned right now, a deep autumnal berry, but I also get a lot of wear out of Cruella, which is my go to red.

I've only had the YSL Babydoll Kiss and Blush in 08 for a couple of months, but I've used so much of it already. It's such an easy product to apply and wear, pat it on and blend with your fingers, and the shade goes with everything. It's got a moussey consistency which is a bit strange at first, but it means it blends into the cheeks seamlessly. I do like this on the lips, but it's worth it just for the cheeks in my opinion. 

And lastly, a luxury base love, I finally understand the NARS Sheer Glow hype. It's got good coverage, it blends out well, and it looks naturally flawless on the skin. Perfect.

What products have you bought that were worth the splurge?

3 Luxe Lip Loves

If you've been reading my blog for a while you'll know that despite loving a good old peruse of Boots, I'm a high end girl at heart. Especially when it comes to lipsticks, luxury beauty is where it's at for me. 

There's a lot of argument for going cheap and cheerful with lipstick, which I totally get, but for me, I like to splurge on my lipstick. I'll happily save in other places, but when it comes to lipstick, I like to go a little cray. 

I want a lot from my lipsticks. I like longevity, with a creamy comfortable texture, gorgeous colours and beautiful packaging. I know, I know, I'm demanding. But why settle for anything less than perfection, right?

That doesn't mean however, that all luxury lip products are created equally, far from it in fact. There are a lot of high-end lip products that aren't worth parting with your pennies, but there are a lot that are. 

Currently gracing my lips (and my handbag, where my most loved lipsticks live) are three high end lip products that I just love. And yes, all of them are nude, I'm a creature of habit. 

Let's start with the lipliner option. The much hyped Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Lip Liner in Pillow Talk is just as good as everyone says (although I wouldn't agree that it suits everyone), has become a staple in my lip wardrobe. I love that I can pick this up, scrawl it over my lips and know that they'll look great all day. This stuff is super long wearing, and even makes my lips look a little plumper. Score. It's the perfect 'my lips but better' shade.

The Clinique Pop Lips have had a lot of blog hype, and I was definitely sceptical. I find that a lot of the shades are a bit off for me, a little too blue, or with a hint of shimmer, but Nude Pop is totally hitting the spot for me. This is a gorgeous brown nude, that's not too brown if that makes any sense at all. It's my go to for days when I don't want to think about my lip colour.

And lastly the Chanel Rouge Coco in Adrienne, the most luxurious lipstick around. I feel like a 'real' lady when I pull this out of my handbag for a post lunch touch up. This sits on the peachy side of the nude spectrum, but it's still fairly neutral. It just glides onto the lips and I bloody love it.

This is a lot of rambling for a few nude lipsticks but MAN I just love them!

What are your luxury lip favourites?