♥ January Favourites

January has been so tough. The first two weeks I was restricted to my universities library and writing assignments for the first semester of my third and final year at Falmouth University. I'm now at home,  though, as I had a few weeks to spare until the stress of second semester starts and it means I'm rather restricted when it comes to how much stuff I actually have access to. But here are a few of the things I just had to bring home with me and the items I've been using time after time!

I've been wearing eyeshadow on a daily basis recently and the shade Malt by MAC - the one in the top left hand corner of my quad - is the shade I'll pop down as a base shadow every single time. It's the perfect shade to set my eyes before applying any wash of colour. I put it right over my paint pot in Painterly and it stays put all day, without any creasing on the lid. Ideal! Staying with the eyes, another product I've been using non stop is the Urban Decay x Gwen  Stefani Eyeshadow Palette. I was quite unsure of this when it got released but the more I heard about it, the more I wanted it. Theo bought it me, last minute, for Christmas and I've utilised it so much. The shade Zone is perfect for adding depth in the crease and Anaheim is a really good contour shade, too. Blonde is my new inner eye highlight and Skimp is a shade I've been popping on the lid to brighten up simpler eye looks. Gwen did an awesome job with this palette and I can't wait to use some of the brighter shades! I only ended up with two sales purchases this January - disappointing effort, right? They were both from Boots. One of the things I picked up was a Christmas gift set from No 7 (there's a post about them on the way) and it was half price. It cost me a pound for each product in the kit and I've been so impressed with everything included. The Radiance Balm by No 7 leaves a lovely glow on the skin and I've been using this to prime my face before any makeup. I recently wrote this post about the Kylie Jenner Lip Kits. The shade Candy K is a beautiful nude pink shade and it's been my go to this month. I wear it non stop and it stays put all day which I love. Another one of my favourites this month is another Christmas present from Theo. He rather generously gifted me some Zoeva brushes and this Stippling Brush has totally won me over. I use this for buffing in concealer and it leaves it looking so flawless. I've always wanted a small stippling brush for this reason and it's the perfect size and shape. I imagine this will be perfect for applying cream blush and highlight, too. As I've been home a lot, I've taken full advantage of not having to pay my own water bill and I've been loving long, hot baths after work and the Radox Muscle Soak is so nice. It really helps to soothe my old, achy legs after a long day at work and it isn't super girly, which I like, too. The final thing I've been absolutely obsessing over this month is my most recent purchase. My MacBook Pro. I'd saved up for this since August and though I've had the money in my account for quite some time now, I refused to purchase until I'd finished and handed in all my semester one assignments. It's absolutely beautiful, a dream to use and I'm so glad I was able to buy it for myself. The battery life is insane and it can run for a few days without needing a charge. It's a cute little early 21st birthday present and the feeling of buying something I have saved so hard for is incredible. Luckily, I got a huge chunk off the price with student discount and I opted for the extra insurance policy just in case. The guys at the Apple Store in Milton Keynes were so, so helpful and I'd recommend the Pro to anyone. It runs a dream!

So, there are the few bits I've been loving this January, I hope you're all putting your Christmas presents to good use, like I am! Link your favourites in a comment below and I'll be sure to check them out.

Em x

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