Can you even handle that the first month of 2018 is finished?

The products I decided upon as favourites for this post were things that I picked up during the course of the month, or I found them during December.  I didn’t see fit to write a December Favourites post, with my ‘Best of 2017’ posts coming out so shortly afterwards.  So, this post is kind of a mix-up of the two months and the products I tried and loved!

BODY CARE FAVOURITES

The Body Shop Virgin Mojito Body Butter

I picked this up just after Christmas on the 3-for-2 special at The Body Shop.  I’m addicted to their body butters (as you know from previous posts!), and while I was very keen to grab another Strawberry one, and maybe a Coconut, I decided to grab some of the limited edition ones instead.  Heaven alone knows when they’ll be out again!

I opted for Frosted Berries and Vanilla Chai from the festive limited edition ranges, but haven’t yet opened either of these.  Something tells me that the Vanilla Chai will be a perfect winter butter though.

This Virgin Mojito one (for the life of me I can’t find any local links for this in stores, but you might still be able to snap it up in TBS or Clicks if you’re lucky) is citrus-y summer perfection.  With mint and lime, this is great for those days where you need an extra wake up call.  I’ve been battling with tiredness lately, and even went for a vitamin B cocktail jab the other day, but I’ve found I’ve been reaching for this body butter almost every single morning, and it makes me so damned happy!

Hugo Boss The Scent for Her EDP

I’ve already mentioned that hubby bought this for me for Christmas.  I am so in love with this scent, and I’d never even thought of sniffing it in store!

It’s a lovely, feminine floral scent.  Notes of peach, freesia and cocoa, with a finish of osmanthus blossom.  This is, for me, the perfect summer scent, and I’ve been reaching for it so often that I fear it won’t see further than the next couple of months!

SKINCARE FAVOURITE

The Ordinary Vitamin C Suspension 30% in Silicone

My love for all things from The Ordinary is by now, no secret.  This product has to be one of my absolute favourites!  I did mention this product in my last ‘Currently’ post, which you can read HERE, so I won’t go on about it too much.

Vitamin C is just a great ingredient to brighten and target multiple signs of ageing such as marks, light pigmentation and fine lines.  And – it’s done exactly that!  I don’t even use this every single night, usually every other night or less, and it’s made a huge difference to my skin.

Granted, it’s in a silicone base, which is a bit of a weird texture for me in my night time skincare.  It does come as a Vitamin C Suspension 23% + HA Spheres 2%, which will be a much lighter texture, just a slightly lowered strength, but these two products are The Ordinary’s highest strength Vitamin C.

If you’re interested in trying the silicone-based one like me, it’s in stock NOW on Muse Beauty!

MAKEUP FAVOURITES

Colourpop No Filter Concealer in Light 20

I’ve heard so many rumours that this concealer is a bit of a dupe for the Urban Decay Naked Skin concealer.  I can’t compare the two – I owned the Naked Skin briefly, but didn’t really get the chance to give it too much of a try, as it was too light for me and I passed it on to my sister.

This concealer from Colourpop is just beautiful.  It’s creamy, it’s high coverage, it doesn’t dry out my under-eye area and it lasts all day long, provided I set it with powder after applying.  Which I would do normally anyway.  I’ve been using this so much since I bought it, and I think it only MIGHT make it to the end of February if I don’t use it every day.

The concealer does oxidise a little, and when first applied it is ideal to brighten up under the eyes if you’re into contouring.  I’d initially bought this to use as a lighter shade under they eyes, but this does actually darken to my skin colour after a minute.  I can still get away with it under my eyes, it’s just a more natural effect than I’d bought it for.  But hey!  This means I’ve just used it more often.  It’s also the perfect shade to cover up blemishes and marks, and lasts all day on them.

I’ll definitely be repurchasing this in the current shade and one lighter I think.

L’Oreal Lash Paradise Extatic mascara

This much raved about mascara has been on my wishlist since I first saw Tati from Glam Life Guru talk about it.  Sadly, it’s not available in South Africa yet, but I placed a small Superdrug order at the end of last year, and had it delivered to my lovely Cam from Jane Wonder while she was visiting her sister in England.

This mascara is honestly worth all of the hype.  I’m not usually one for thick bristles on a brush, and much prefer the plastic comb-style and thinner wands.  The formula is also quite thick and a lot drier than many other formulas I’ve tried.  And yet, somehow it works like an absolute charm.

No smudging or flaking, just thick, long and fluttery lashes!

Eylure X Fleur De Force Brow Define in Medium

I’m such a fan girl for Fleur de Force.  She’s honestly one of my favourite YouTubers ever.  She’s done a number of collaborations with Eylure over the past few years (I’ve owned one of her pairs of false lashes too), but this one had me the most excited.  I just wish we had her Eylure collabs here in SA!

My favourite way to do my brows is with a thin pencil like this.  While I do appreciate getting the pencil with the colour on one end and a spooly on the other, this is  much better.  You get a different shade on either end, one lighter than the other.  You then use the lighter shade at the front of your brow, and the darker along the tail.  It gives an overall more natural effect, and you can just brush it through with whatever spooly you already have at home.  In fact, you can buy a set of disposable ones for less than R20 in Clicks or Dischem!

Wet n Wild Photofocus Foundation in Soft Ivory and Soft Beige

All makeup hoarders lovers were eagerly anticipating the launch of this foundation in South Africa last year.  The only disappointments?  The fact that so few shades are available here in SA (especially shades for darker skins!!), and the fact that the product is almost constantly sold out in Clicks stores!

I found the shade Soft Ivory shortly after the release here, and snapped it up.  It’s far too light for me everyday, especially in summer, but I just might be able to work it in winter.  After some research, I figured that my darker (summer/tanned) shade would be Soft Beige, and then kept an eye out for it in stores.  I finally found it, sometime during January and grabbed it before anyone else could.

I have found that Soft Beige is perfect when I have just self tanned, and that I can then mix the two shades together using a little more Soft Ivory as my tan fades.  This cost me R99.95 a bottle, so for less than R200 I have two shades to custom mix to perfectly match my skin regardless of season.  I might have to add a teensy bit of Soft Beige into the Soft Ivory during winter, just so that I don’t come off too pasty though.

Plus – the formula is very thin and light, yet has such perfect coverage.  When I use these and set with the matching Photofocus pressed powder, I’ve been asked what makeup I have on as I look ‘airbrushed’.  Nobody believes me that I achieve that look with a R99.95 foundation and a R89.95 powder!  This combo has become a firm favourite, and I’m trying to actually force myself to use my other products and not only this.

OTHER FAVOURITE

Primark Beauty & The Beast ‘Chip’ Mug

When I first saw these mugs on social media, I completely flipped out.  Beauty & The Beast is my all-time favourite Disney movie, and I remember watching it so often when I was little.

At my request, my lovely friend Cam searched a couple of Primark stores in the UK, and eventually found this little gem.  My husband even stepped in and paid for it for me as a gift.  He knows just how much I love the film, and even left a little note for me on our wedding day, with a quote from it.

Since then, this has pride of place on my dresser, and I look at it every single day.  I’ve actually had a cup of tea in it a few times, but I’m so scared of it breaking!  I might just go ahead and use it for my morning cuppa in bed, and if not, I’ll keep my cotton wool rounds in it on my dresser.  Still undecided on which route to take.

Either way, I think he’s my top favourite of the month!

What products did you love for the first month of 2018?  Leave me an answer in the comments below!