What I have loved in January 2016

So these are the products which I have really enjoyed using this month.

By Terry Denisiliss Concealer is a concealer which I had wanted to try for a very long time because the reviews I have seen have been glowing, but at £44 the price was a little prohibitive for me until Father Christmas came to my rescue. 

I use this under my eyes and on my upper eyelid, I don't have especially dark circles but I do have discolouration and with crepey eyelids and folds upon folds, any concealer that I apply around my eyes is liable to disappear or crease. This doesn't, at all, ever, I almost cannot believe it, but it works.

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer. I am embarrassed to confess that I bought the full size of this product (no mean feat at £52) and then fell out of love with it, and it languished in a drawer unused and unloved for a good six months until I got fed up with trying to make SPF50 sunscreens work as primers and dug it out, and I haven't looked back.

What I like about this product is that it is white, which suits my pale discoloured skin, it that is lessens the red bits, and skims over the hyperpigmentation. I like the texture which is light enough to fill in the open pores without clogging them up. I like that it makes my base product last all day. My only gripe is that the pump on mine does not work especially well, so I have to unscrew the top and spread some from the tube and I tend to use too much.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Eye Pencil in Ink. I don't do eye shadow, or upper eye lid flicks and kicks. My eyelids are well documented awnings and it is a waste of time and energy and an immense disappointment to attempt any form of upper eyelid lining. I do do tightlining and with these pencils by Urban Decay, there is no travel. Ink is a suprisingly bright navy which is rather flattering on my sludgy brown eyes. My Mum, bless her, likes to think they are green but she is my Mum.

Charlotte Tilbury Rock 'N' Kohl Iconic Liquid Eye Pencil in Eye Cheat. It makes me look awake. End of. Unlike most usual "flesh coloured" eye pencils, this is neither too pink or too white, and suprisingly it lasts more than the time it takes to apply it to the other eye. I also like it as a spot concealer.

Minatures

I have a thing about minatures, not samples but minatures of the full size product, down to the glass jar (thank-you Omorovicza and Oskia) or glass bottle (thank-you Aurelia). 

Sometimes the minature is an improved version on the full size - Sunday Riley Start Over Eye Cream I am looking at you with your metal applicator missing from the full size.

Above is a small selection of some of my gift with purchase products.

By Terry Mascara Terrybly

 I am not great with mascara, if I was asked what my dessert island makeup product would be, mascara would not be it, too fraught with difficulties for my liking. However I am not averse to the charms of mascara, and this one caught my eye because of its lash enhancing properties, as I understand it, that means it not only conditions but may even encourage growth.

What I want from a mascara is something which adds a bit of definition, my lashes are quite long, but are flimsy and wimpy and need some nurturing really, most important is that it does not feel crispy on the lashes and it removes easily.

I went for #2 Moka Brown.

I like the brush which is a traditional fibre Christmas tree type, no blimmin' new fangled plastic teeth for me thankyou very much.

The brown is suprisingly dark but rich, what I mean is that it has some depth to the shade.

Below applied to one eye, fairly obvious which one I would say.

I have only just started to use this, so I cannot vouch for its enhancing properties but so far so happy, a product which defines and separates, feels soft on the lashes, does not flake on me and removes easily.

£33.50 for 8mls

By Terry Hyaluronic Hydra Powder

This is a finishing powder, but with hyaluronic acid, so rather than drying the skin it smooths and mattifies without rendering one's skin as a dead, dried up bit of old leaf. 

My skin is oily, but my skin always looks flat and dead with powder, until about an hour in when everything then melds together and my skin looks alive and real, that lasts for about an hour and then I look like a pool of oil.

It is white, and I have piled it onto my old dehydrated hands in an effort to show its shade.

The shade is white, but this picture makes it look like a smattering of flour, albeit of the 00 variety, but that is to do it a disservice, for this is light and almost without substance, it flies upward as soon as the plastic covering is pierced with a few holes.

I use this, applied carefully with a brush to set my makeup across the oiliest areas of my face, the nose and chin, and around my eyes, and it pretty well lasts for most of the day.

I also put it on post evening skincare routine to minimise any oiliness and I suppose "set" my skincare.

In the last three months or so of use, I have found this a rather invaluable product, and I would like to see how it fairs in the warmer months.

I purchased mine from SpaceNK where its £42 price tag was rendered a little less painful by the careful use of Ndulge points.