LUSH Enzymion Facial Moisturizer

LUSH Enzymion · $39.95

As of late, and especially while I was in England, my face has been anything but cooperative. My fairly normal skin started to feel extremely oily and greasy which is something I'm really not used to. Up until now I still hadn't found a moisturizer that I really loved. Most things are just too thick and sit on my skin. While others actually gave me this weird sweaty feeling. I've tried tons of LUSH ones, some Kiehl's and Origins too, but still, nothing I've found works with my skin! When it comes to moisturizers I need something quite light but still able to do it's job. For me, Enzymion takes the cake.

It smells of fruits and feels sooo nice when slathered onto the face. I take a small bit between my fingers and massage it into my skin. I can literally instantly feel a difference; any greasy spots are now long gone, yet my face feels really moisturized and not overly saturated. Win! Another awesome thing? I've noticed that my makeup stays in place a lot longer than normal.

While the pot is quite small and the price is a bit higher than what I'd like it to be, a little really does go a long way so I'm sure it'll be a long while before I run out.  I've got to admit that I don't see this leaving my skincare routine for a very very long time — this stuff is holy grail to me. Have you guys tried Enzymion before? Do you love it as much as I do? If not, what are your other favorite LUSH moisturizers?

Diptyque Volutes

Diptyque Volutes Eaux de Toilette · $88 (this was a gift)

Firstly let me start out by saying Happy New Year and damn it feels good to be back. I spent the last 2 weeks in England with Richard's family and took a bit of time off from blogging. I'm happy to say I'm super excited to start blogging again as I've missed it (and all of you) tons.  P.S. Thank you to Richard for being so wonderful and getting me this for Christmas!

I've been [sparingly] using a sample of Volutes for a few weeks now and immediately knew I had to have the full size. I love it, Richard loves it, to be honest, who doesn't love it? It's a spicy, warm, and seriously sensual scent. Diptyque describes it as "notes of honeyed Egyptian tobacco, styrax, and leather" and though it may sound a bit odd, it smells absolutely divine. Everything about this just screams my name including the luxurious packaging and adorable illustration. The bottle itself is absolutely beautiful and I've got to say (although I am late to the party) Diptyque has completely stolen my heart. 

The little illustration seems to go with the story Diptyque has about Volutes: "The voyage of your dreams, on board a liner from Marseille to Saigon. A long haul crossing, stopping off at a number of places with magical names, all redolent of adventure and spice. The charm of life on board ship, where time does not exist. The labyrinth of polished passageways and the panelled walls of the lounges, the enigmatic elegant women leaning on the rail on top deck, indulging in the pleasure of Khedive cigarettes. A smell forever imprinted on the memory: Volutes". 

Now please tell me — what's not to love? I'll definitely be looking into more Diptyque products (especially the candles). What are your favorite products by them?

MAC Harmony

MAC Harmony · $20

Now I'm not sure what possessed me to want to buy this — but I think it has a lot to do with my recent MAC haul/obsession. I'll be the first to say it: I know the absolute basics when it comes to contouring and I'm really not all that good at it (yet). That said, I was bored and found myself browsing the MAC counter, swatching Harmony and was basically talked into it. I mean, when you're told you have nice bone structure and that it looks amazing on you, how can you say no? I was sooooo skeptical and still am, but I'm dealing with it.

Harmony is a really nice "muted rose-beige brown" as the MAC website says. Lots of people love to contour with this color but I was afraid it'd be too pink or too brown for me. It still might be, I'm still unsure, but am doing my best to work with it. I think it would be amazing for summer when I'm a bit more tanned but for now I'm just buffing and buffing to make it look as subtle as possible (is it working?). Either way I'm glad to have added this to my collection and hopefully with a bit of practice I'll get better at contouring because to be honest, I'm loving the way it looks!

What do you guys think of Harmony? What are your favorite contouring colors? 

Wishlist: England Edition

1. Trip to SpaceNK 2. Lip Crayon (and any other makeup) from Topshop 3. Velvet Skater Skirt from Topshop 4. NEOM Candle 5. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer 6. Rimmel Scandal Eyes Nude liner 7. Bourgeois Healthy Mix Concealer 8. Tangle Teezer 9. WAGAMAMA 10. Topshop Smudger Brush

Since getting married, Richard and I haven't been back to England in ~2 years, which seems so insane (where does the time go?), so we're heading out for Christmas and New Years to spend time with his family. While we're there, we have quite a few things on our list to-do (and to-buy list).

Space NK is something we don't have here, well, not really. We have a tiny one in SF but they don't carry much that I can't get elsewhere. I'd love to get my hands on some Kevyn Aucoin, Eve Lom, etc.
Heading to Topshop is a must — while we have little pop-up ones in Nordstrom here, but they don't carry makeup/accessories/all clothes, which is a bummer. I'll also definitely be heading to Primark and Monki. Oh and Muji!!

Next on my list is Boots. Oh Boots, how I miss thee. We don't really have anything like Boots in the States (except maybe Ulta?) but I've got to get my hands on some cult favs, like the Rimmel liner and Collection concealer. Also, Tangle Teezer, you will be mine.

Last but not least, is food. When I was living with Richard and England back in 2010, I got my fair share of Nando's and Pizza Express and I can't possibly explain how much I whine about not having them here.
Our must-have-foods while visiting are: Nando's, Wagamama, Wokon, GBK, Pizza Express, and a damn good curry. There are also some places in London I'd like to check out like Bodeans and Queen of Hoxton, but they're not on the top of my list.

Please please please, if you have any recommendations for shops in London or makeup you can't get in the states, let me know! Also, I'd love to meet up with some people while I'm out there, so if you're down also let me know!

MAC Haul & FOTD

Face: YSL Touché Éclat, Tarte Exposed · Brows: Anastasia Brow Wiz, MAC Mystery · Eyes: MAC Painterly, Malt, Sable, Teddy eyeliner, Maybelline Illegal Lenghts Mascara · Lips: MAC Rebel

This past Saturday, with a list in hand, I took a trip up to San Francisco to the MAC Pro Store and ended up with a bit more than I had planned, but oh well!  I really wanted a Z-Palette but they're so hard to get here (and I'm impatient) so I settled for the new MAC palette. I know some people didn't like the old one, but I've got to admit the new one is beautiful and sturdy.

For shadows, I opted for: Shroom, Patina, Charcoal Brown, Sable, Copperplate, Quarry, Malt, and Satin Taupe.  They seem to complement each other beautifully and also go well with some others I need to de-pot (Naked Lunch, Silver Ring, and Honesty). I think what started this whole thing was me dropping my beloved Satin Taupe and being way-too-sad about it. I originally purchased it to wear when Richard and I got married (and I did) so when it broke, I was feeling a bit nostalgic (lol?).

I really wanted a paint pot but couldn't decide between Bare Study and Painterly — the lovely lady MAC talked me into Painterly and I'm glad she did. It's such a nice nude base for shadows and it makes the colors pop a bit. My only fear is waking up one morning to find a dry paint pot, but hopefully that won't be for quite a while.

I repurchased Teddy, my favorite brown eyeliner of all time. I only wear it on the outer-half of my waterline, but I think it's perfect for that use. I also got the MAC 217 as I was in the market for a new blending/shadow brush. I'm in love! I need more brushes! Help!

Last but definitely not least are Plumful and Rebel. I originally went in for Capricious, but they didn't have it in stock, sigh. I figured I should get Plumful since I wanted it eventually anyway and was then talked into Rebel as well — but hey, I ain't regretting it.

Soooo that's that. Sorry this was ridiculously long! It's stuff like this that makes me seriosuly consider buying a new camera with video capability so I can do videos (so if you have any recommendations please let me know). I think I'm set for a while when it comes to MAC products — what are your favorite things from MAC?