EMPTIES

It's been a while since I've done an empties post. I don't have a whole lot of finished products this time round, and even these took me months and months to collect (which probably tells me I should stop jumping between so many different things), but let's keep it short and sweet! ;)

Lancome Visionnaire Advanced Skin Corrector
This combined with Lancome Genifique is the ultimate skin corrector duo. Within the first few weeks my skin was brighter, smoother and more radiant. Now don't expect dramatic, life-changing results - the effect is only subtle - but it's a great little booster if you often wake up to dull skin like me. I do feel that half way through the bottle the results were becoming less and less visible, probably because my skin was getting use to the formula (or the dosage of chemicals). I still loved this formula up until the last drop, but for the time being will try out something different.
Repurchase? Maybe.

Michael Todd Intensive Organic Cream Eye Treatment
I use this eye treatment both day and night, and it nicely moisturises without wearing too thick or oily. The lightweight formula absorbs quickly into the skin, and has worked well for me during the warmer, more humid, seasons here in Sydney. However building up to the colder months, I feel that I need something slightly heavier - like Kiehl's Creamy Eye Treatment - as my skin can get very dry and flaky. I would recommend this all year round if you have oily skin, it doesn't wear greasy and hydrates very well!
Repurchase? No.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in 103 True Ivory
This just fell short on my top 5 list (see here), but drugstore-wise, it's only second to my much loved Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum foundation. Rimmel Wake Me Up appears quite shimmery when you initially pump the product out, but as you blend, the foundation leaves a soft radiant finish which does not wear shiny or oily on the skin. Despite the creamy consistency the coverage is light, but can also be easily built up. It's a very natural wearing foundation, so it's ideal for everyday use!
Repurchase? Yes.

BEST OF BEAUTY 2013

It's that time again for another 'best of beauty' yearly round up! I've really enjoyed reading what everyone has been posting, I love that I'm getting a quick rundown of the favourite of the most favorited, ultimate number one, beauty products of 2013 in one single blog entry. I have a good few products to go through on my list, but I'll try to keep it short and precise!

Illamasqua Hydra Veil Primer & Illamasqua Skin Base Foundation

Hands down my favourite primer and foundation combo. Hyda Veil is a great primer all-round, but the lightness of the formula works really well with the creaminess of the Skin Base foundation, creating a smooth finish that lasts all day. Illamasqua Skin Base is medium to high coverage, but it wears surprisingly natural whilst giving a flawless finish.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum Gel Foundation

Probably my most used foundation of 2013. I think this is the perfect everyday go-to foundation, it gives my skin that much needed boost in the morning without wearing oily during the day. I can't say that this foundation hydrates my skin, but it definitely gives the illusion that my dull skin is smooth and moisturised after application. Plus it's so affordable!

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Concealer & Maybelline Fit Me Concealer

Maybelline has won me over with their concealers this year, I've almost stopped using high-end concealers altogether! Instant Age Rewind is amazing for underneath the eyes, it wears a little thicker and creamier, so it's perfect for eliminating dark circles and smoothing out the skin. Maybelling Fit Me is thinner in consistency and coverage, but is great for anywhere on the face because it blends seamlessly and doesn't look too heavy.

Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder

I've been really digging my drugstore products for face this year, and Rimmel Stay Matte is probably one of my favourite finds for 2013. I was actually given this after my friend who bought it swore it was the worst product ever, but luckily it wears very well on my combination/dry skin (my friend has oily skin). I only apply powder on the t-zone area which do tend to get oily very quickly, but this really sets everything in place making my foundation last a lot longer.

Benefit Hooler Bronzing Powder and Rockateur Blush

I've been wearing these two babies on an almost day-to-day basis, and they pair beautifully together. I tend to be super nitpicky when it comes to bronzers because a lot of them make me look orange, but Hoola is the perfect shade to compliment my skintone. I don't think I need to talk much about Rockateur, it's pretty much universally loved by the blogging community and I can't agree more - the shade is simply gorgeous!

Illamasqua Cream Blusher in Dixie

This shade looks a little intense in the swatch but it wears a soft pinky coral when blended out. The texture of Illamasqua Cream Blushers are top notch, they are super pigmented, very easy to blend out (whether using your fingers or a stippling brush) and give a lovely natural dewy finish. I've been eying a couple more of these to add to my collection in 2014!

Jump for the best of 2013 eye products!

MY TOP 5 DRUGSTORE LIPSTICKS

I'm not sure if I'm going to start a whole series with these 'top 5' posts (see my top 5 foundations here), but I knew from the very start that I just had to do a lipstick edition. It was WAY too hard to do an overall for everything in my lipstick stash, so I'm going to split it into 2 categories - drugstore and high end - be on the look out for the high end post to come soon! It still took me a lot of going back and forth to make up the list, but here goes!

Again, these are in no particular order.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick Creme in 680 Temptress
I've worn this lipstick to death, mainly to work, it's such a great 'it-goes-with-everything' shade! Despite the creamy formula, which sits very comfortably on my lips, Temptress does not apply too opaque, so my natural lip colour seeps through ever so slightly. I'm not generally drawn to soft pink lipsticks, but this one blends in well with my skin tone, so it gets a lot of love from me!

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in 027 Juicy Papaya
Continuing on with the Revlon love, is of course, the famous lip butters. I actually wasn't too drawn into the hype at the beginning, but have repeatedly reached for them overtime, much to my own surprise. It was a hard choice between Juicy Papaya and Tutti Frutti (because I love my corals and oranges), but Juicy Papaya wears a lot softer so it's something I can wear anytime of the week, and it goes with pretty much everything!

Jump for more!