Make-up | Popular products #1

Today's post features the most reached for products of the moment. This is almost a monochrome look, with a bordeaux theme going on. An ideal look for most skin tones and eye colours, making them pop. In my case, intensifies the brown.

To start off, I prepped my skin with Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel, before applying a layer of Estée Lauder Daywear B.B Anti-Oxidant Beauty Benefit Cream in Medium, with a Real Techniques Expert Face Brush. To cover any imperfections, a bit of Chanel Long Lasting Concealer in 40 - Beige Santal does the job.
Then, I fill in my brows and shape them a bit with a Dior Powder Eyebrow Pencil in Black. As a base for the eyes, a layer of Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Ebloui does the job, blended with a MAC 217 – on the lid and below the lash line.
On top of that, I apply the second lightest shade from the Burberry Complete Eye Palette in Dark Spice – a warm medium brown with a slight shimmer running through it.
On some days, I feel like defining the lash line with the Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Rockstar. After curling my lashes, they get a coat (or two) of Benefit BADgal Plum Mascara. Best shade ever!
After my concealer has done it's thing, I set the center of my face with Chanel Natural Finish Loose Powder in Doré, using a Japonesque Pro Eye Shadow Fluff Brush. This is a brilliant multitasker. To contour my face I use MAC Powder Blush in Harmony and highlight with Guerlain Precious Light pen in 2, which is nearly over. *Scared*
To finish off, a layer of Burberry Lip Velvet in 308 - Pink Azalea blended on the inside of the lips, to give a stain effect.

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Top picks | Ciaté Mini Mani Month

Today I wanted to share my favourite colours from this delightful Advent Calendar by Ciaté. Yes, this isn't your typical advent calendar, filled with chocolates behind each of the 24 doors. Oh, no! This is aimed for the beauty junkies out there – like myself – who much prefer to get a little nail treat every day, from the 1st of December til Christmas Eve.

It has seventeen of the bestselling Paint Pots, four mini Caviar Blends (accompanied by the respective funnel) and three exclusive glitter shades. It's a great deal considering the price tag and there are some units left in stock, apparently, so can still grab one and make someone really happy or, perhaps, to cheer you up during the month of January...
So, the first colour that really appealed to me was Dangerous Affair, which is the perfect deep red, without being too deep – if that makes sense? This was the first Ciaté polish I've ever tried and it really surprised me by the fact that it dries quickly, lasts longer than my usual choices and has a creamy finish. I was even patient enough to let it dry completely before I put on my top coat – which never, ever happens.
My next two faves were behind doors 11 and 12, and they belong to the same shade range – black and gold – which I tend to prefer. Bumble Bee is the most wearable Caviar Blend from this collection, in my opinion. It has gold and black pearls, which look amazing on top of any black polish. You can use this on all of the fingers or just as an accent, on the ring finger. This is really easy to use, by the way. You just need to pour the pearls over a coat of wet polish (be sure to have something underneath, to catch the pearls that fall off) and delicately press them down. Then, seal the tips of the nails only, with a top coat of your choice and pour those little pearls that fell off back into the bottle, with the help of the funnel. Don't need any amazing skills here! The other shade is Twilight, which is a black with tiny gold flecks – my number one fave in the whole collection. This is so beautifully opaque and you don't lose the black within the gold. It's basically what I hoped the YSL No. 126 Black Bronze, from the The New Blacks collection, would be. Yes, it has more gold flecks in it, but in the bottle it looks like a beautiful bronze black and when you paint it on your nails, it appears to be more of a brown shade. I still like it though!

My fourth pick from the calendar is Fade to Greige – just a classic, sophisticated shade. It's perfect to use when you don't want anything too bright or if you're afraid that your nail colour will clash with your outfit – personally, I don't really care. It's ideal for an interview or to use when you just can't decide on a colour.
The final polish is Enchanted Rose, a brilliant glittery red, which is absolutely perfect for the holidays. And how appropriate is it that it was behind door number 24? Although I didn't use it on Christmas Eve, because I painted my nails in advance, on the 23rd. But still tried it on a few days after and loved it so much that couldn't stop staring at my nails like a crazy person... Hah!

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Review | Burberry Complete Eye Palette

Okay, so this amazing palette from Burberry was kinda my Christmas pressie for myself – yes, you've read that right. So, I chose the Complete Eye Palette in Dark Spice No. 05. This has some pretty neutral tones, so you can basically use this for an everyday simple look or to create an evening smokey eye. The formula glides and blends in beautifully, without much effort at all. It's very silky, and perfects the texture of your eyelids – I guess this is due to the satin smooth silicones in the formula.

The quartet has a tiny bit of shimmer and contains has a beige – which is the perfect nude tone for me –, a warm medium brown, a darker brown and a black (to line the eyes). My favourite is the warm medium brown – it is just a beautiful shade that enhances your eye colour (works for all eye colours, by the way) and blends in beautifully, in the lash line or in the crease, to achieve a subtle definition. You can also line the top lashline with the black, using an angle brush, and then smudge some of this brown on the lower lashline, for a softer look. They aren't the most pigmented eyeshadows in the market, but, sometimes you likes make-up that's not too pigmented. Like when you're in a hurry, because you have to leave the house in 90 seconds (if you're anything like me, you're always running late), and you'll want something that's quick and easy to work with. Foolproof, really!

The sleek metallic casing and the eyeshadows are embossed with the usual Burberry check print. In the velvet pouch, you'll also find three mini eye brushes. To be honest, I never use the brushes that come in these palettes, but I'll give them a go (when I'm on the go), since I was pleasantly surprised by the one that came with the blusher. I know that I won't use the sponge applicator, but the angled brush seems good and the fluffy brush is really soft. Approved!

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