2012 Favourites

So the time of year has come where I get to rave about my favourite products, brace yourself folks for a lot of I absolutely love and amazing's

Makeup Favourites:

Favourite pallet:

My favourite palette this year has to be the Dior Expert Studio Makeup Palette. It comes with a mini Dior Show Iconic Mascara, a concealer, powder, blush, six eyeshadows, an eyeliner, lip pencil, lip balm,  lip gloss and two lip colours, in addition to a double ended brush, standard double ended sponge tip applicator and a flat brush. Although  haven't used everything in this pallet, what I have used is amazing. The eye shadows are a lovely texture and fairly pigmented, the powder, although slightly to light for me looks beautiful on the skin, the concealer, again too light for me, is very creamy and pigmented and finally the lip colours are beautifully pigmented and come in two gorgeous colours.

(Full review coming shortly)

Eye Makeup:

Maybelline One by One has to be one of my favourite mascaras I've ever used. It's great for adding volume, definition and length. Not only that but i am serious in love with the wand, nicknamed "Lash Catcher", the shape of the brush allows you to easily apply the product onto all of your lashes and the placement of the rubber bristles flawlessly combs through them providing separation and definition. Once I've used up my current one, I'll definitely be repurchasing.  

Lip Product:

Although I love wearing and trying out different lipsticks, throughout 2012 I haven't come across one that I absolutely love. I did however get introduced to lip scrubs. Prior to this, whenever I had dry lips I would always just apply Vaseline and while this did help for a short period of time, it didn't do anything to combat the dryness in the long run. After searching various websites for ingredients, I combined two recipes together to make the perfect scrub: 

1 tsp honey

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp brown sugar 

1/2 tsp olive oil

While the baking soda and sugar help exfoliate the skin, the honey and olive oil leave the lips feeling smooth and soft for the whole day. It also smells like caramel :) 

Other Beauty Favourites:

Skin Care Favourite:

Sainsbury's Free Zone Face and Body Scrub

This is something that I've been using since high school and I've been in love with it for years. Although I have to confess, I have strayed away from this a few times, not because it doesn't work, but because my curiosity kicked in and I wanted to see what else was out there, need less to say nothing I tried came close to being as good as this. Although it can be used as a body scrub, I just use it on my face. It's really nice to use this in the morning because it feels amazing when it's foamed up and massaged into the skin. In addition, when ever I have a spot or a pimple, I'll usually massage this into the area and the spot or pimple will be noticeably reduced.

Perfume favourite:

Dior Pure Poison

I'm not going to much into this because I did a review of this in my perfume collection post on my blog.  Since I'm someone who loves floral scents- this is the ultimate fragrance for me. It contains Orange blossom, jasmine, gardenia, amber and sandalwood. I know jasmine is a very poplar fragrance so if you like the scent of jasmine then this is definitely something to try out.

Nail Polish Favourite:

I absolutely love wearing pink nail polish, I'm kind of boring in the sense that i never usually wear any other colour on my nails- it always tends to be some shade of pink. So that being said, it should be no surprise that my favourite nail polish this year has been the Revlon nail enamel in electric pink. I wouldn't really describe this as electric pink- more of a pinky coral. Its just a really bright, happy colour and I love it.

Fashion Favourites:

Although button down shirts have been around for sometime now, this year I finally got into them. A few months ago I pick out this sheer cream shirt- it has long sleeves but I love the option of rolling the cuffs up for a half length. I think that these types of shirts are very timeless and classic and I love how you can dress them up or down depending on the occasion. 

Miscellaneous Favourites:

Favourite TV Show:

Anyone that knows me knows that I am a huge TV nut, so this is probably the hardest category for me. I love watching shows like Glee, Pretty Little Liars, 90210, Modern Family, Big Bang Theory, Made In Chelsea, Revenge, The Great British Bake Off, Eastenders (The list is literally endless) However, my favourite(s) of 2012 has to be a tie between The Lying Game and White Collar. The Lying Game- similar to PPL but for me slightly better because it's more logical. White Collar is another favourite because it's not like the typical/predicable crime shows that are also on TV. The twists and turns in the show are interesting and the dynamic between each of the characters is perfect. Not to mention Neal Caffrey/Matt Bomer is beautiful! 

Album Favourite:

Being a massive Taylor Swift fan I guess it's no surprise that my favourite album of 2012 is Red. My favourite songs: State of Grace, Red, I Knew You Were Trouble, All To Well, 22, We Are Never Getting Back Together, Holy Ground, The Lucky One, Everything Has Changed, Starlight and Girl At Home...so basically almost the entire album. 

So these are my 2012 favourites, hope you all enjoyed this little post. 
Happy New Year :D

Perfume Collection Part 1

Davidoff Cool Water Wave Eau De Toilette

Description:

"Davidoff Cool Water Wave fragrance is a surge of fresh, compelling sensuality. Luscious fruits sparkle in the top notes: the worldly pleasure of ripe, glistening Watermelon splashed into a shaker of exotic Mango, tangy Passion Fruit, and engaging Guava. At heart a feminine floral, Davidoff Cool Water Wave picks up the pace with Pink Peppercorn's sweetness and spice. Its centre lightens the breezes with blossoms of Freesia and Peony. Stirring undercurrents mingle Sandalwood and Iris Wood; Amber accord and Musk intensity cascade into a soft and sensual wave of pleasure."

My Thoughts: 

This is one of my favourite scents to wear during the day time especially during the spring and summer months. I personally find it difficult to identify the fruity elements of this fragrance, when I smell this only two words come to mind: Beautifully Fresh. The only negative thing I can say about this is that due to it being an eau de toilette, it doesn't last for very long. Despite this, the scent is very beautiful and very affordable to- you can usually purchase 30ml for around £20 (Boots often have special offers on their fragrances so you can get it for even less-it's currently £10.27)

Jennifer Lopez Live Eau De Parfum

Description:

"Live Jennifer Lopez is an upbeat fruity, floral fragrance with addictive appeal. The energetic top notes vibrate with Sicilian lemon and vivacious Italian orange, plus a brightly original note of juicy Pineapple. Lush fruity Redcurrant sweeps the heart into a pulsing rhythm, backed by heady Peony and piquant Violet. Sensual wafts of Caramel interweave with warm, golden Tonka Beans and earthy Sandalwood for a delicious finale."

My Thoughts:

To me this scent is definitely more fruity then floral, and although I'm not really into fruity scents, I do find myself reaching for this more than I thought I would. The really strange thing I find with this perfume is that I'm more drawn to the scent after it's settled as a pose to when it's freshly spritzed (I currently have a scarf which has had this perfume lingering in it for weeks and I cannot stop smelling it whenever I wear it). At first, the scent of pineapple comes through quiet strong, which kind of makes my mouth water, and then after it's had time to settle the other notes start to come through, creating a great symphony of smell. I also think that the bottle's really pretty, a bit superficial but I have quiet the obsession with perfume bottles. It's slightly more expensive than the previous fragrance (Davidoff Cool Water Wave) at  around £22 but still affordable compared to other high end fragrances on the market. Overall, if you like fruity scents then this is defiantly one to check out, and even if your not I'd still recommend giving this a sniff the next time you see it. 

MY TOP PICK

Dior Pure Poison Eau De Parfum

Description:

"Pure Poison incarnates seduction in its purest state by exploring its duality and irresistible alchemy. Based on orange blossom, jasmine, gardenia, amber and sandalwood, this delicate yet generous modern potion reveals the seductress within. Grown in southern Italy, the essence of bergamot is obtained by cold expression of peel. It brings a distinct, sweet freshness to fragrances and adds a special radiance to citrus notes.The flowers of the bitter orange tree are extracted to obtain orange blossom absolute. The essence of the Neroli flower is obtained by distillation. Often used in oriental-scented fragrances, orange blossom also emphasizes certain fruity notes in floral fragrances. Its opulence features as the heart note of Pure Poison.White musk is made synthetically, giving fragrances their clean-smelling, skin-like scent. It is the quintessential base note, revealing its accords with Pure Poison Eau de Perfum."

My Thoughts:

Firstly, this has to be hands down one of my favourite fragrances of all time (although this doesn't technically belong to me- it's my mum's ❤ but she's happy to share) when ever I catch a whiff of this perfume I immediately feel like I've died and gone to heaven... seriously it's true. For me this is the ultimate night time floral scent (although there's obviously no crime against wearing it during the day.) The floral elements come through quiet strong but with what I can only describe as a 'sedative' twist. There really is no bad word to be said about this perfume, although the price may put people off- £46 for 30ml, but I personally believe that it's worth every penny. If you haven't tried this perfume I would definitely urge you to check it out, I'm sure you wont be left disappointed.

Kate Moss Eau De Toilette

Description:

"Kate Moss fragrance is feminine, sophisticated, wild and unforgettable. A mix of elegant and risqué, it is a true to life portrait of Kate Moss. Feminine forget-me-not is spiced with pink peppercorns and suffused with voluptuous orange blossom absolute. Glamour and beauty are evoked with a heady, floral mix of lily of the valley, heliotrope, magnolia, peony and rose petals. The exquisite, sensual warmth and the strength of an independent spirit haunt the wearer in a whirl of patchouli, sandalwood, musk, vetiver and ambrette seed. Kate seduces the senses, it is the ultra feminine, quietly sexy, self-assured essence of a woman who has entranced the world."

My Thoughts

For me, the original description of this perfume says it all. From the first sniff you can defiantly tell that it's a very feminine, sophisticated fragrance and the floral mix comes through quiet strong which I really like. I have to admit, although I like the scent, I don't wear it a lot, or at lease not a lot on those days that I want to smell extra nice (you know, for that special someone*wink**wink*). I tend to use it more as as everyday scent - which it great since it's only around £19.95 for 30ml. 

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Although my perfume collection goes beyond these four, I think I'll leave it here for now. I'll be doing a part 2 shortly so if your interested in reading that then stay tuned :)

Description from Boots.com

My Thoughts written by myself