Best Of 2012: Eyes

In this last post, as the title suggest, I will show you my favourite eye products of 2012. Eye products are firm favourites of mine and are usually the first section I look at in a make-up stand. Here goes!

Mascara is a must for me and my favourites have been Catrice Glamour Doll* and Catrice Mini Max*. Although they both provide great length and volume, a little help is never a bad idea. Enter RevitaLash Volumizing Primer* which primes lashes to perfection and adds an extra volume boost. Pupa Vamp! Mascara in 300 Deep Night* has also been a firm favourite and the navy blue colour is a fun step away from the usual black.

With regards eye liners and eye pencils my favourites were the following...Essence Gel Eyeliner in 02 London Baby, E.L.F. Studio Cream Eyeliner in Black, Catrice Eyeliner Pen in Carbon Black*, Catrice Kajal Designer in 150 Up&Brown&Up&Brown...*, and for added sparkle, Pupa Milano Deco Collection Diamond Eyeliner 03 in Copper Glitter Deco*.

As for eyeshadows, my favourite shades were mostly neutral but there are also some coloured ones too. Here goes! Catrice Absolute Eye Colour in 540 Rose Marie's Baby*, 560 I Like To Mauve It*, 580 Carrots Of The Carribbean*, Catrice Intensif'eye Wet & Dry Shadow in 010 Black or White Swan?!, Essence Eyeshadow in 02 Dance All Night, Essence Marble Mania Trend Edition Eyeshadow in 01 Seriously Mixed Up*, 03 Swirl It Baby!*, Pupa Milano Deco Collection Diamond Eyeshadow in 04 Emerald Glitter Deco* and lastly Wet 'n' Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow in Brulee.

And that concludes my favourite products for 2012! I hope you enjoyed these posts, stay tuned for a revamped blog layout and more posts coming your way!

Part 1: Nails

Part 2: Skin Care

Part 3: Lips

Part 4: Face

Products marked with * were either gifted to me or else sent by the respective companies' PR for review purposes.

Monthly Favourites: December

How are you all today? The year is officially at an end and as it so happens at the end of each month, here are my monthly favourites. I am also planning to do a series of Best of 2012 in terms of beauty products so let me know if you would like to see that kind of posts.

My most favourite item this month has been a fashion item, more specifically a pair of shoes, and even more specifically, a pair of boots. Enter the Nine West that my bf bought me for Christmas :)

They're the most comfortable pair of boots I have ever owned and I really like how they dress up an outfit effortlessly while at the same time lending it a bit of an edge. 

Now on to cosmetics, starting with lip products. If you have a look at my OOTD posts, I rarely wear a single lip product, but I tend to pair up products more often than not. My favourite pairs this month have been Liptini Lip Liqueur in 4013 Pink Lady which stains the lips a nice dark pink colour together with Essence XXXL Shine Lipgloss in 15 True Love & Catrice Ultimate Colour Lipstick in 190 The Nuder The Better and Essence XXXL Shine Lipgloss in 08 Glamour To Go.

Moving on the eye department, I have quite a few products, most of which are new discoveries. With regards mascara, I have been reaching for Catrice's Glamour Doll Mascara mostly and when paired with RevitaLash Volumizing Primer, they give my lashes a whole new dimension. I also have a new favourite eyeshadow and glitter eyeliner, courtesy of Pupa Milano in Malta with which I did the NYE make-up in yesterday's post. You can also check out my full review on both products here. Lastly, since I have really been into neutrals this month, I opted for a brown kajal liner for everyday use and my favourite has been Catrice Kajal Designer in 150 Up&Brown&Up&Brown...

Next come the face and body products, namely Zadig & Voltaire Tome 1 - For Her La Purete and Burberry The Beat for perfumes and Napoleon Perdis Ultimate Contour Palette.  The palette is definitely my favourite contour tool as the bronzer is matte and matches my pale skin tone without looking too obvious and the blush is a pretty pink colour. The highlight provides a delicate pearly finish, perfect to emphasise cheekbones and your lips!

What were your end-of-year favourites ladies? Happy New Year to all!

Monthly Favourites: July 2010

July is nearing its end and that means it's time for my favourite products for this month.

And here are the stars for this month:

~ e.l.f. Studio Warm Bronzer (click here for a full review)

~ Nailene Bedazzle Nail Art stickers in Earth Angel (for a review click here)

~ Rimmel Powder Blush in 004 Pink Rose: I bought this blusher a few months ago because I wanted a healthy pinkish colour. It is my fave blusher because it blends in naturally with my skin tone.

~ e.l.f. Waterproof eyeliner pen in Coffee and Black (only one is shown)

~ e.l.f. Eyelid Primer

~ e.l.f. Earth and Water Mascara Duo in Brown (shown) and Black

~ e.l.f. Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear Mascara (for a full review of all e.l.f. eye products mentioned above, please click here)

~ e.l.f. Nail Polish in Lilac (click here for a review on e.l.f.'s nail polishes)

~ e.l.f. Super Glossy Lip Shine SPF15 in Goddess (click here for a full review and a sneak-peak at my lipgloss collection)

Lara xoxo

Initial thoughts: e.l.f. eye products from last haul

Over the weekend I've had some time playing around and experimenting with all my latest purchases from e.l.f. cosmetics and it's time to share my initial thoughts on some of them (reviews will follow at a later date)! First up are the eye products from the regular line (I didn't get anything from the studio line this time).

Eyelid Primer

Preps your eyelid for smoother, longer-lasting and crease-proof eyeshadow. The ultra sheer nude color works to increase eye color longevity. The lightweight liquid formula quickly absorbs into the skin for comfortable wear. ~ e.l.f.'s website

I totally agree with the company's claims that it increases wear of eyeshadow and that it blends quickly. All you need is just 2 - 3 dabs on the eyelid, blend them all over with your fingertip (preferably using the ring finger due to the delicateness of the eye area) and allow a few seconds for it to dry. Then apply eyeshadow as usual.

I tried this product with nude/neutral shades as well as stronger colours and besides the make up lasting until I took it off, I also noticed the colours were more intense, even the lightest shades!

I was so impressed with this product that it is definitely in my must-haves list from e.l.f. cosmetics.

Wet Gloss Lash & Brow Clear Mascara

Glossy, shiny healthy-looking lashes and brows with infused long wearing conditioning agents. Looking pulled together has never been easier! ~ e.l.f.'s website

Again, the description is correct. I use the clear mascara when I want to make my lashes look longer and then apply a regular mascara over them. As for the eyebrows, I use it to arrange them in shape and this makes it easier to see strays when plucking. I also tried going to sleep with the clear mascara on my brows and when I woke up...my brows were picture perfect! Definitely another must-have...especially for unruly brows!

Earth and Water Mascara Duo

Revolutionary Liquid-Flex™ Technology – Long-Lasting, Smudge and Smear Proof. Duo applicator has been designed to be used in dry or wet conditions. ~ e.l.f.'s website

I thought the product was such a bargain (£1.50!) that I got both shades (black & brown).

Basically, on one side, you have a regular mascara and on the other a waterproof version. And they really are waterproof!! I tried them when I went swimming and there was no sign of mascara smears! So yeah definitely a must-have bargain!

Waterproof eyeliner pen

Get no smudge, no budge eyeliner that lasts for hours for a fabulous and fresh look of precision. The smooth pen applicator easily glides on color for very fine to bold lines for effortless beauty. ~ e.l.f.'s website

The last product from the eyes range is the Waterproof eyeliner pen. I also got two shades of this (black & coffee). When I tried to wash the eyeliner swatches I did for the haul article, I confirmed they are really waterproof so I took them off with the make-up remover instead.

The black one persisted and I took more time to remove it (even from my eyes) whilst the brown one came off quite quickly.

The pen format makes it easier to achieve more precise lines for a more professional look. The image below gives an indication of the width of the pen tip as compared to a regular ball-pen.

All of these products, as shown in the photos, come in handy tubes which you can carry around with you and I will definitely buy them again. At such a price they are worth having and they compare really well with the high-end brands!

Stay beautiful :)

Lara xoxo