Hello bees 
So, I think this will be the last post for 2012…quite sad! 
But I hope to find you all in 2013 again 
How are your holidays going? I’ve spent a lovely Christmas at my grandfather’s villa in the countryside with all my family…it’s been very relaxing and peaceful - I really needed to slow down and rest a little bit ‘cause these past months have been quite intense for me!
And I’m looking forward to live this 2013 – which I hope will be even more beautiful than 2012 has been for me!
Here we go again with my favorites\not favorites of December… I’ve tried some amaaaazing products this month and I was dying to share them with you! Some other products revealed to be quite disappointing, but I must say I didn’t expect very much from them, so I wasn’t too shocked hehe!
The first thing I want to talk about is the NARS Pure Radiant tinted moisturizer.
There’s been a lot of hype around this product this year, so I really wanted to try it because I felt like wanting something lighter to wear during daytime since my skin doesn’t have major problems that need to be covered with heavy foundations. Well, I’ve worn this during this last two months, and I still cannot say if I like it or not! I mean, it’s not a bad product, but it’s not even that miraculous as they describe it to be.
I’ll start saying that this is quite expensive… it costs $42.00 (38, 00 €) – which is more or less as pricey as a regular foundation. The texture is really good and definitely makes your skin feel softer – but not hydrated at all!
Since this is a tinted moisturizer you’d expect this to moisture your skin and use instead of your daily cream, but instead this doesn’t hydrate at all and – even worse – it makes my skin really dry (and I have combination to oily skin!). You definitely need a moisturizer underneath it, ‘cause used on its own it’s so bad!
The colour range is quite good…consider that the pigments in it will adapt to your skin tone, so you don’t have to pick the exact colour, but the one that suits your skin type (the descriptions of the shades really help in this!). My shade is Alaska, which really adapts to my skin colour – although it seems a little too yellowy for me still. It makes your skin appear really glowy, but doesn’t really cover the redness (you definitely need a concealer with it!) and it photographs really bad…in the end, I’m not sure I love this: I wanted a product that could work on its own, without putting anything else for fresh starts in the morning, and this just did not for me! And since it’s quite pricey, I don’t even think I’m gonna repurchase this. For me, this is not to buy.
At the end of November I suffered from breakouts and blemishes because I had shot a lot of photoshooting with REALLY heavy makeup on, so I was looking for some effective product that would calm down my skin and solve the problem. I happened to be at Lush and the shopgirl suggested me to try some products that would have helped me. Now, let me just say something about Lush: I never, NEVER have found a product of them that would actually work for me. It’s sad ‘cause I love them, they’re all so nice, scented and I love the names, but I just can’t benefit of any effect, and most of them tend to dry my skin really bad.
Anyways, I decide to give them a shot, and I’ve bough the fresh mask Cupcake (Terra Madre in Italy) for spotty skin.
I’ve always read marvellous comments on how this smelled divine, but I think they’ve just changed some ingredients, because THIS DOESN’T SMELL LIKE CHOCOLATE AT ALL! I was sooo disappointed, ‘cause I love chocolate smell! This is more like mud and mint to me – which is not exactly that pleasing!
These fresh masks last for 4 applications – or one month after they were made – and you keep them in the fridge. I applied this, and I won’t say that it’s bad for you skin (except probably the grains in it – which look like hazelnuts to me – are quite scratchy), but this did basically nothing to my face: it feels a little softer after you remove it, but that is it. It doesn’t calm down, it doesn’t placate the redness, it doesn’t help with blackheads…just nothing. Not to buy!
The other thing I got at Lush was the Grease Lightening (Brufolo Bill in Italy) spot-zapping face gel. This product should be used on blemishes, acne, breakouts and stuff to get rid of them.
The shopgirl told me that it was good to use even underneath makeup, ‘cause it would dry clear. LIE! It does dry clear, but it makes a sort of pellicle on your skin that makes your face look like it’s tearing into pieces- and you definitely cannot put any makeup on it! I’ve used on some spot, and this dries them indeed, but they almost get subcutaneous which I think it’s even so to me this is another not to buy product!
What really helped my skin A LOT instead, is the Biotherm Biosurce hydra-mineral cleanser toning mousse. I’ve always struggled looking for a decent everyday cleanser, and this baby is fantastic! It contains zinc to balance combination to oily skin, and visibly reduces blackheads (like, really!) and redness, blemishes and irregularities. It has a seafomy smell and leaves your skin feeling soft, non-oily and clean all day. I truly love this, and I think I’m gonna buy some other products from Biotherm soon! This costs around 20 euros, but literally a little bit goes a long way! To buy!
In my November “To buy or not to buy” post I’ve talked to you of my current favorite mascara, which is the MaxFactor False Lash Effect. I was looking for some less “dramatic” mascara to use for daytime, and I bought this Essence I love extreme mascara. Well, this has been a really fabulous surprise: I though it would be subtle and natural looking, while it’s probably the very first real false lash effect mascara! Like – oh my God – when I first applied it I had to remove some beause my lashes were SO BIG I couldn’t even believe they were my own lashes myself! It’s very cheap (I paid it less than 4 euros) and very black, and your lashes will really get blacker, thicker, fuller, curlier and longer! It’s slightly clumpsy, but that’s not really a big deal! Absolutely to buy if you wan to get flawless Betty Boop lashes!
Ok, it’s time to speak about the most amazing black eyeliner pencil I’ve ever tried! I’m sure a lot of you already know Perversion by Urban Decay, but I just got it recently ‘cause my sister bought that for me in Paris (I love her!) . I cannot say anything bad about this product: it’s blacker than black, creamy as hell and softer than a lot of brushes; it last for hours and doesn’t smudge, doesn’t move, doesn’t fade. I would have called it “Here to stay”!
This ultimate pencil liner is definitely to buy!
In terms of concealers, I’ve repurchased for the second time KIKO Milano concealers, the Soft focus and the Full coverage (both in shade n°2) and I have to say I find them quite good. The Soft focus is the classic illuminating concealer like Dior’s Skinflash or YSL Touche Eclat, and I think it does it’s job. It doesn’t cover very well, but it’s quite highlighting and very natural at the same time. It’s quite liquidy and it blends easily. I’ve never been that much impressed by the Dior or the YSL ones, so I think it’s worth to but this cheaper alternative which does the same job!
The other concealer is the Full coverage. It covers really well, although it might get a little caky and it’s quite tough to blend since it’s very tough, but nothing you can’t manage!
I love that it comes with a tiny mirror in the packaging, so you can use it for last minute retouching! The only downside I think it’s that it is only available in 4 shades, which are really few! Hope they might extend their colour range soon!
Both concealers cost around 7 euros each which is fair! To buy! 
Another product I’m loooooooooving and I’ve been longing to have for so long it’s the bestseller Benefit Hoola bronzer powder. This is a gorgeous allied for contouring, ‘cause it’s a cool toned brown and it’s totally matte, so it gives you a beautiful, very natural shade to your face. It’s incredibly soft, it blends beautifully and it comes with a funny turquoise handled brush which feels like cashmere on the skin. A true star! To buy!
Last month in Rome I was given this Karaja Lip emergency lip butter on a set, and I’ve decided to test it. First of all, I don’t like the smell of it (sunflower oil… bleah!) although it feels quite minty on the lips. The consistency it’s definitely gross: too glossy and too thick. I don’t think it nourishes the lips, it just makes them feel very oily and sticky. It’s more a lipgloss than a lip butter, and not of the best ones. Not to buy!
For Xmas, my cousin gifted me a OPI Avojuice crisp apple hand cream. My bad, I didn’t even know that OPI produced hand creams, but they are fantastic! It absorbs quite quickly, it makes your hands feel softer immediately, and the sensation lasts long, even if you wash them. The only downside for me is that I don’t really like this scent – it smells like an apple cider wash-up liquid to me – but I must admit that it smells like actual fresh cut fruit, very juicy and lasts a long time on your hands – so I definitely must check out the other fragrances they have. Absolutely to buy!
And last but not the least – my Alphabet Bags washable makeup bag has finally arrived! I posted a photo on Facebook this week, and it’s absolutely love it! I was scared that it would be too small, while it’s really the perfect size – it contains everything I need when I travel! It’s quite resistant, has a very good surface so easy to clean and has a little pocket in it where you can put smaller thing (I put my contacts and some other things in it!). It comes in a wide range of prints, so definitely check out their website to find what fancies you the most! I’m definitely looking forward to get the one with the letter E for myself To buy! 
So, this is all for my December favourite and least favourite products!
I hope this was interesting and helpful to you!
If you have any product you’re loving and you want me to try, please let me know in the comments: I love testing new stuff!
I guess I’ll see you in 2013, but you can still follow me on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest - where I post daily.
I wish you all have wonderful holidays and a splendid 2013 beginning!
Se you next year!
Stay beautiful,
Enrie
xxx
♥
