New In My Beauty Stash

January is a month where I'm on a strict spending ban because for some reason I thought I had all the money in the world in December. Fun fact. I didn't and now I can't afford my council tax lol. However luckily enough I've managed to still get a few new bits in my collection that I've been trying out! 

BareMinerals Invisible Light Translucent Powder Duo

BareMinerals is a brand I haven't really delved much into, but my flatmate is a die-hard fan which has got me intrigued in it. We actually won a giveaway and one of the products was this powder duo. As someone with dry skin, powders can be quite hit and miss as they can either over mattify and emphasize dry patches or worse, not do anything in which the foundation slides off my nose. Not cute. On the left side of the duo is a matte powder aimed at absorbing oil and perfect for a setting powder. On the right is 'Glow' a rose gold highlighting shade. 

I can see why this powder has mixed reviews online. The matte powder for me works, but I think if you're someone who suffers with more of an oily T-Zone this won't work well for you. It takes a while for product to come off the pan as well. When it comes to highlighters, I prefer much more of a glow/sheen with less glitter as it can exemplify my pores so I tend to stick with the likes of Mary Lou & Mac's Soft & Gentle. This to me however is one of those highlighters which is very much "all glitter". If you're someone who loves a glittery highlighter than this is perfect but I think I'll be using the matte powder much more. 

BareMinerals SkinLongevity Vital Power Infusion

I'm very apprehensive about trying new skincare. Because I do have quite sensitive skin and can suffer from allergic reactions I tend to stick with what I know and what has been working. Although saying that, since I've run out of a load of my recent favourites, I've been on a brand new regime which I'm not entirely loving. Anyways, I've only used this a couple of times and one of the things i have noticed is that it has changed the texture of my skin, in a good way, it's a lot more soft and foundation applies very evenly in the morning. However, apart from that I haven't noticed anything else so will have to keep you updated in the long run because for £45 a bottle I want a bit more from a serum!

Left to Right: Base 1, Multitasker Pencil Cookie Dough & Lip Liner and Lipstick Combined

Saturated Colour Harvest Lip Set*

Saturated Colour sent me their Harvest Lip Set* which includes a multitasker pencil in the shade Cookie Dough along with a LIPSStick - 1st Base which creates this gorgeous burnt orange/brown lipstick look. Although originally I thought the lip liner wouldn't suit the lipstick at all, because it is quite an unusual grey/brown shade however, when blended with the lipstick it creates such an unusual shade which looks so perfect with a brown smokey eye. What I love about this set is that the lipstick is such a gorgeous dark taupe pink shade, similar to Mac's Twig which just makes for a great everyday wear. According to the website it's a  near dupe for Kylie Jenner's Moon lip kit, although as I haven't tried it I would know so don't quote me on it. For those wondering it's also cruelty free and vegan!

NYX Slim Eye Pencil 

My flatmate and I did advent calendars this year for each other where we popped in little gifts everyday. As you can imagine, beauty products featured heavily. One of the products that really caught my eye was this gorgeous copper/bronze glittered eyeliner. With eyeliner I usually tend to be quite boring and stick with a black liner, but during the Christmas season I lived in copper and bronze eyeshadows. The staying power on this pencil is incredible but at the same time you can still smudge it out for a smokey eye look. I find this eye pencil works best with a rose-gold eye as a black eyeliner can look too dramatic and intense, so this works so well with the Naked 3 Palette. Definitely recommend looking into these! 

The Vintage Cosmetic Company Beauty Blending Sponge

This actually made it's way into my stocking this year, thank you Santa and beauty sponges to me have just become a holy grail when it comes to applying my foundation. I'm obsessed with the Real Techniques one, although I've never tried an actual true-brand Beauty Blender as I can't justify £16 on a sponge. First of all, not so important, the sponge is the usual tear-drop shape. The texture is a bit harder than the Real Techniques one so I think this will work great for lighter foundations that usually get soaked up. I'll keep you posted on how this works as I'll need to play around with it a bit more with different foundation formulas.

Let me know in the comments below if you've tried any of the above products and also, if you're on a spending ban in January, how are you coping?