I'm so excited that it's finally December! I literally live for Christmas all year long, so I'm absolutely loving the countdown (with the help of my One Direction and Frozen advent calendars, of course!). To mark the beginning of December I thought I would share my favourites from the month of November. I bought a huge amount of make-up when I visited New York last month, however my favourites is made up of old products that I've re-discovered recently. I have lots of make-up to share, as well as a little bit of skincare, haircare and music thrown into the mix. So let's go!

Maybelline Superstay Better Skin Foundation

I bought this foundation when it was released around June of this year, and I loved it from the moment I put it on my skin! However I normally tend to use my Sephora Hydrating Foundation as it's a nicer summer foundation and the colour matches my tan better, so this foundation was banished to the back of my drawer to be recovered in the winter. I used it on and off for a few months, but in October and November I really clamped down on it. It's hands-down one of the best foundations I've ever tried! It has medium coverage and the lasting power is amazing, even on oily skin like mine. It makes your skin look so flawless, but is weightless on your face. I love foundations that don't feel like they're there, but they still do the job you expect them to do, so this is an absolute gem in my book! I wouldn't agree that it improves your skin, as I haven't noticed any difference in my skin from using this product, but I didn't purchase it in the hopes of bettering my skin, I bought it in the hope of getting a new holy-grail foundation - and I certainly got that!

MAC Lip Pencil in Soar

I got the famous Kylie Jenner lip pencil back in October, and I'm in love with it! I wear it pretty much every day, either on its own or underneath another lip colour. I love the diversity of this lip pencil - it looks good under pretty much every lipstick I've put on top of it! I have done a blog post on how I achieve the Kylie Jenner lip look which you can view here, but even if you have no interest in emulating her look, I couldn't recommend this lip pencil enough! It's a beautiful brownish nude, which compliments every skin tone and every make-up look you pair it with. I could rave about this pencil all day, it's my all-time favourite lip colour!

NARS Blush in Gaiety 

I really love NARS products, particularly their blushes. I bought Gaiety about two years ago and used it religiously for months. As my make-up collection expanded, I kind of pushed it to the side in favour of new products. Last month I began using it again and remembered why I loved it so much in the first place! Gaiety is a cool toned, candy pink that has a matte finish. I've definitely been favouring matte blushes of late, I just think they look better in the winter! It's very finely-milled, and has a light pigmentation that's buildable. It's one of my favourite blushes in my collection, so I would highly recommend checking it out at your local NARS counter. I recently purchased Orgasm, so I'm looking forward to seeing if it matches my love for Gaiety!

Collection Lasting Colour Gel Eyeliner

When I ran out of my Maybelline gel eyeliner, I picked up this one on a whim and I'm incredibly impressed by it! The longevity of this eyeliner is incredible, it's a true jet black and it's completely smudge-proof. It's so easy to work with, it just glides onto your lids. The eyeliner also comes with a handy little brush, but I tend to use my MAC 209 brush to apply it. The best part of this eyeliner is that it's so inexpensive - I'd definitely recommend checking it out!





Victoria's Secret Coconut Passion Fragrance Mist

I've always loved the Victoria's Secret body mists, and I love to rotate the one I use regularly, but the past month or so has been all about Coconut Passion for me! The one pictured is my mini one that came in a gift set I received for Christmas last year, but I bought a full sized one in New York when I was there. It's a coconut and vanilla scent that is the ultimate summery fragrance. It smells fresh and girly without being overpowering. My favourite way to use the Victoria's Secret fragrance mists is to apply them straight after the shower - you'll smell like a Victoria's Secret Angel! They have the most diverse collection of fragrances that I'm sure you'll find something for you if you're not a coconut fan.

Botanicals Nourishing Face Balm

I won't go into too much detail about this skincare item as I did a full review on it a few weeks ago, which you can see here! This face balm has saved my skin tremendously, as it was acting up all last month! It's a gritty balm that turns to oil when you rub it into your skin. You put it on before you go to bed and when you wake up your skin feels refreshed and is glowing! It completely softens and revives the texture of your skin, and brings any impurities to the surface. I honestly can't imagine my skincare routine without it now - it's a lifesaver! You can buy Botanicals products from their website.

VO5 Revive Me Daily Shampoo

I actually think this is the first time I've mentioned haircare on my blog, but this gem is completely deserving of a mention! I've tried a considerable amount of shampoos in my time, but I've never loved one like I love this! This shampoo gives my hair the most incredible shine to it, which is something my hair has been lacking for quite a while now. It makes my hair a dream to brush through, and it leaves it feeling so soft and silky. The shampoo also smells fantastic, which is always a bonus! It stays true to its name too - it gives my hair so much volume and makes it look like it's been professionally blow-dried every time I use it. Quite possibly my favourite of all my favourites this month!

As for my music favourite this month, it has to be the latest album from One Direction - 'Four'. I'm a massive One Direction fan, so I was eagerly anticipating its release last month. In my opinion it's quite different from their other albums, but it lived up to my expectations of it! My favourite songs are 'Change Your Ticket', 'Night Changes' and 'Stockholm Syndrome'. As I said, it's certainly not what you'd typically expect from One Direction, so even if you're not a fan I'd definitely recommend checking out some of the songs on Youtube. I've had it on repeat since it was released!




So that's the end of my favourites for this month! Let me know your favourites for the month of November!

Zara :-) x

New York Beauty Haul Part 2: Drugstore, Bath and Body Works and Victoria's Secret!

Today's post is the follow up to last Friday's high-end beauty haul from New York. I did the majority of my beauty shopping in Sephora, however it was only right to check out the drugstore's offerings whilst I was in the States. I limited myself to a few items, however my excitement got the better of me in Victoria's Secret and Bath and Body Works!
Let's start with the drugstore!

Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous Three in One Foundation

This is by far one of the most popular drugstore foundations out there at the moment. We don't have Covergirl here in Ireland (apparently we used to but they vanished and never returned to our shores!), so I was eager to get my mitts on this little guy when I found myself in Duane Reade. I got the shade 825 Buff Beige, and luckily it's a perfect match. I've worn the foundation once and so far I'm incredibly impressed - the coverage is phenomenal, as is the staying power. A more in-depth review shall follow! This foundation was $13.99,



Milani Baked Blush in Berry Amore 

Milani is another brand us Irish gals can't get hold of, and anyone who's familiar with beauty bloggers or vloggers will have heard of the Milani Baked Blushes. The stand I visited was nearly sold out of everything, but they had just one Berry Amore left. I chose it because I've often heard Lauren Curtis on Youtube rave about it, and I always admired the colour on her. What I particularly love about this shade is that it's so unusual - I don't have anything like it in my collection. I wore it with the Covergirl foundation the other day and several people complimented the colour! I also think it's the perfect shade for this time of year.

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Peach Satin

We have an excellent selection of Maybelline products in Ireland, however there are certain little gems that seem to slip through the cracks with regards to Irish launches. The Dream Bouncy Blushes have been available for about two years now in the US, and it seems to me that both Youtubers and bloggers have mixed views on them. The beauty blogger in me was desperate to put it to the test, so I decided to pick one up when I saw the Maybelline stand. I chose the shade Peach Satin, which is aptly named! Your finger definitely bounces back when you push it onto the blush, which has given me unfathomable amusement. I've yet to properly use this product, so I will keep you updated.

Covergirl Lashblast Volume Mascara

This is another cult beauty product that I was desperate to get a hold of when I went to New York. This is a complete side note, but I was intrigued by the packaging of mascaras in the US - in Ireland generally the mascaras aren't even packaged! The mascaras in American drugstores are sealed like this, and you remove the little lid on the tube of mascara and put the wand in yourself. Random, but I was fascinated by it! Anyway, onto the mascara - it is well and truly worth the hype! I've worn it three times since I got home last week and I always get asked what mascara I'm wearing when I have it on! It's smudge proof and it gives the most amazing, doe-eyed look. I wish I bought more!

EOS Lip Balms

I actually bought these in Ricky's Beauty Store, which was an absolute gold mine for me! It was full of brands such as NYX, Ben Nye and ELF that are so hard to get here. I limited myself to a few EOS lip balms, though! I absolutely love EOS lip balms, I already had Mint, Summer Fruits and Pomegranate and Raspberry at home, but my sister has the Strawberry one and I love the smell, so I bought one too! My younger sister is obsessed with EOS lip balms and has every single flavour, so she was able to recommend some good ones for me! I bought the Blueberry Acai for my friend Emma Jane, and my sister
showed me the middle one, which is brand new and called Coconut Milk. My favourite is definitely the Strawberry though! These were $4 each.

That is it for my drugstore purchases, so let's move swiftly on to Bath And Body Works!

I bought a fair amount of hand sanitisers, purely because they're so inexpensive and so cute! My sister and I must have bought the whole contents of the PocketBac stand! The scents I got (from left to right) are:
-Fresh Sparkling Snow
- Mahogany Teakwood (I bought three of these - they're my favourite!)
- Candy Cane Bliss
- Winter Cranberry
- Stress Relief
- Sweet Pea
- Pure Paradise
- Dancing Waters
- Dazzling Diamond
                                                                                    - Japanese Cherry Blossom
                                                                                    - Sugar Plum Dream
                                                                                    - Too Many Cookies
                                                                                    - Raspberry Meringue
                                                                                    - Frosted Wonderland
                                                                                    - Vanilla Bean Noel
                                                                                    - Warm Vanilla Sugar
So as you can tell, I'm obsessed with these mini hand sanitisers! They're so handy to keep in your pocket or in your bag, so I made sure to stock up on them!

Finally, I bought a few body sprays in Victoria's Secret. My favourite shop that I visited in New York was most definitely Victoria's Secret - I spent a fortune in there! It's girly paradise, I absolutely adore it!

These body mists are my absolute favourite fragrances, I use them every single day. My favourite is Coconut Passion, but I like to rotate them every day! My favourite way to use them is to put them on straight after the shower - you smell divine all day long! The scents I chose are:
- Strawberries and Champagne
- Aqua Kiss
- Coconut Passion
- Secret Craving
- True Escape
- Sheer Love
- Snow Mint
- Pink Sunkissed Mini Spray

So that concludes my New York Beauty Haul! I hope you enjoyed both parts, and be sure to let me know what you'd be interested in hearing more about.

Zara :-) x