I love the colours of this Chanel eyeshadow quad but for some reason, it doesn’t work as a stand-alone for me.  The paler shades do, however, work with other palettes I have as highlighters.  I’ve also just discovered that the darker shades of the bottom row work well as eyeliners when applied with a wet brush.  They have an iridescence to them that’s really quite striking and unusual in darker shades of shadow.

This year’s advent calendar from The Body Shop predictably contained quite a few skincare favourites but there were also a few surprise hits for me in from the makeup offerings.

Firstly there was this gorgeously presented star filled with medium grained gold glitter.  Who would’ve thought I’d not only live to see this trend return but that I’d also be adventurous enough to wear it the second time around?  I’ve been dusting this with a light hand over my eyelids in the morning and it often falls onto my cheekbones as well.  Cheekbones I never really thought I had but have now come into their own in the glitter catching stakes.  There’s something about a bit of gold glitter that makes me feel as if I’m on a beach holiday even if the reality is that I’m actually at work or somehow touched my face after touching a piece of Master SSG’s artwork before it had time to dry fully. 

The second timewarp favourite that I found in this year’s calendar was a liquid lip and cheek stain.  The shade I received was Vineyard Peach and it gave my powder blush a bit more oomph when I used it as a base.  Definitely bringing this on my trip.  It’s much more subtle and easy to work with than the liquid blushes I remember from my younger days.