December Top 5 & More

Here's what was going on in December for all things beauty and we have a couple of non-beauty items too. Let's get to it!

Top 5

Trish McEvoy 24-Hour Eyeshadow and Liner Duo - Smokey Quartz and Topaz

I purchased this duo from HSN. The duo is currently sold up but the shades are available individually for purchase. I scooped this duo up when I had a coupon. I was tickled by the fact  that Mally Beauty has shadow sticks with the exact same names. I don't know who came out with theirs first. Smokey Quartz is very similar between the two brands. Topaz is different between the two brands. Smokey Quartz is described as a shimmering raisin and Topaz is described as a shimmering golden bronze. I LOVE Topaz! It's a bronze shade that not too warm and doesn't run red. When I first got these I swatched them on the back of my hand and the staying power was absolutely crazy! I washed my hands several times and these jokers would not come off! I was shocked. When I wore them on my eyes the staying power was good especially since I have oily lids. So I highly recommend these if you can catch them on sale or if you have coupon code. There aren't a ton of shades. So I may check out the others at some point.

L.A. Girl Pro Face Matte Pressed Powder

A friend was nice enough to pass on to me the three deepest shades available in these powders. I have Toffee, Chestnut and Cocoa. Toffee is the shade I use all over to set my face. Chestnut is on the warm side. I've used it to set my under eye concealer and I was surprised by how much I liked it for that. Cocoa is the deepest shade and I figured it would be too dark for me to use to set my face right now. I may be able to use it during the summer months. Looking at it, the shade kinda reminded me of Bobbi Brown's Bronzing Powder in Chocolate that was my holy grail. So I said let me use it as a bronzer/contour and I really it for that. These powder have given the Black Radiance powsers that I have raved a run for their money. These can also be use on their own for a "soft radiant look."  I have not tried them on their own yet but I'm looking forward to it.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Opal

I got this little guy from Ulta as a freebie with an online order. It's so tiny and cute! For some reason I thought that Opal wasn't for deeper skin tones. So I never really looked at in store. Opal is described as a golden opal pearl and it is so pretty! When I put it on my cheeks I was like oh hello glow! It's not an extreme highlight. It just gives a nice glow to the cheekbones and wherever else you put it on the face. So score for this freebie! It should last me a while.

Lip Combo - MAC Whirl Lipstick and Buxom Hot Toddy

I mentioned Hot Toddy back in July as a favorite. I thought I had previously talked about Whirl but I guess not. MAC's Whirl lipstick is a matte and it is described as a dirty rose. To me it's more of a warm brown shade. Or it appears that why against my skin tone. It's one of MAC's lipsticks that everyone talks about. A friend was nice enough to pass it on to me. It has been a lipstick that I reached for a lot lately because it's so easy to wear and goes with just about any eye look. Recently I have been pairing a lipstick with a gloss for later in the day. In the afternoon I don't always want to reapply my lip color. So I've been reaching for lip glosses with some color and that are conditioning for my lip. Buxom Lip Cream fit the bill! Buxom's Hot Toddy is described as a toasty nude and pairs beautifully with Whirl. If you're looking for a new nude lip combo to try then check these two out.

Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in Krystal

This gloss had been on my wish list for a while before I got my hands on it. It had been discontinued, so I took to eBay to see if I could find one. Then I lucked up and found a Buxom set with this included. I've used it here and there but recently it was just sitting in my basket. Since I've had more no makeup days than wearing makeup days, this is what I have thrown on my lips and I love it. I'm already a fan on the Buxom glosses. This is just nice for some shine on your lips, along with hydrating and treating your lips. When I run out of this I hope I can find another one. Buxom needs to stop playing and add it back to their line up!

Bonus fav - Bruno Mars 24K Magic

I've been good all year sticking to five favorites but why not add an extra for December! I loovvve me some Bruno Mars and I picked up his new one 24K Magic. I have been playing it non-stop in my car. I'm kinda bummed that it's only 9 songs *shrugs*. The two songs I have been playing on repeat are Chunky and Versace on the Floor but I enjoy the entire album. I so want to go see him in concert. Maybe I can make that happen this year.

Yays!

Turkey Haymakers Hill Tea in Sweet

I randomly picked this up from Safeway when it was on sale. I've picked up multiple bottles since then. It's different. It's not overly sweet and tastes really good. It has ginger, honey, molasses and vinegar in it. The vinegar part is interesting to me. I don't taste it. I do taste the ginger and I like it. I think I saw a lemon version that I may pick up next.

Boos!

L.A. Girl HD Pro Concealer

This isn't a total fail but more of I'm not sure about it. The same friend sent me the pressed powders alos sent me two shades of this concealer in Toffee and Fawn. I feel that these two shades may be too light for my skin tone. I did make them work and used them with the Pro Face Matte Pressed Powder in Chestnut. So it didn't look bad but I feel like it was a lot of "work" to make them work. If that makes any sense. I don't like my makeup routine complicated. I just want to apply the products and keep it moving.. If I'm comparing this concealer with other inexpensive concealers I've tried then I'd say go for the NYX HD or Maybelline Better Skin concealers. I know these L.A. Girl concealers have a cult following but they're just not my cup of tea. I may try the deeper shades, if I ever see them when I'm out and about in stores. Otherwise I have other concealer favorites that I enjoy.

Trish McEvoy No. 9 Blackberry & Vanilla Musk 9 Eau de Parfum

Yea so this was an impulse buy from HSN. I was getting some Christmas gifts and this was on sale for $85.50 (original price is $135) and on free shipping and said what the hey. It's 3.4 fl oz so you're getting a lot of product. I got it, gave it a sniff and thought this is just like philosophy's Falling in Love which is one of my all time favorite fragrances. I  noticed that over the course of the few days I wore it that the scent didn't last. I was like ooook. So I took to the internet and read reviews and saw people commenting on the staying power. I also saw others saying that it's similar to philosophy's Falling in Love. So after some thought I decided to send it back. This is pretty pricey even at the sale price I purchased it at. You can get a Falling in Love set with multiple items and layer the scent vs what you'll spend on this fragrance. Plus I don't have any issues with the staying power of Falling in Love.

Reading

I'm a nerd and I track how many books I read each year. My whooping grand total for 2016 was 35 books. I'm used to reading way more. Dah well. It happens. *shrugs*

And there you have it! Let's see what January brings.