A high end wishlist.

Lately I've been feeling a little spendy but at the same time utterly overwhelmed by all the spring launches and all the beautiful collections that have been hitting the stores in the past few weeks. Nevertheless, - not without a little struggle, I have to say - I've finally made up my mind and managed to focus all my lust on four gorgeous recent releases and an old one that I can't stop thinking about...

001 Burberry Sheer Eyeshadow in Khaki (£22.50) Burberry eyeshadows are among my favourite formulations, but for a long time I couldn't find anything that really caught my eye in the permanent range. That was until I laid my eyes on Khaki, which is the most perfect grey-ish green-ish brown - that's some serious colour description I gave you there - that complements both my skintone and my eye colour really beautifully. It won't be long till it comes home with me.

002 Jardins de Chanel Blush in Rose Camelia (£36) I won't try to fool you rambling about how much I love Chanel blushes - even if I do really like them a lot -, what a unique shade Rose Camelia is and so on and so forth. It's pretty and I desperately want it, that's it. Isn't that flower embossing absolutely gorgeous?

003 Guerlain Meteorites Compact Light Revealing (£40) Guerlain Meteorites seem to always cause quite the stir in the blogosphere but I've never actually given into the hype. Forget the pearls tho, a pressed product is definitely more up my street and I love the mix of highlighting and corrective shades to brighten the complexion. It might be the right time for me to jump on the Meteorites bandwagon after all.

004 Hourglass Modernist Eyeshadow Palette (£56) I've read mixed reviews about the new Modernist eyeshadow palettes and I honestly can't wait get my hands on one, or four. Color field, with a pretty mix of greens and neutrals, is the one that immediately stood out to me, but if the formula in these palettes is anything like the Ambient Lighting one, I'm gonna need to hoard them all at some point.

005 Guerlain Les Tendres Meteorites Blush (£26.50) I believe the pearls make much more sense in this case, since you don't really apply or touch-up your blush on the go that often, and therefore there's no need for a more practical formula. Also, beautiful and very instagrammable packaging aside, all those different variations of pink make me think of a multi-faceted hue that doesn't apply twice in the same way and that's definitely something I'd like to try.

I'm perfectly aware that I'll have to put myself on time-out if I purchase another blush, but no bank account was harmed in the making of this wishlist post, so let's not get hasty. 
What's on your dreamy list at the minute?

***

January favourites.

I can't believe January has come and gone already! I spent the whole year getting more and more excited as my birthday month got closer and closer and then it went away literally in a jiffy!
Last month, after the glitter-heavy, sultry and lashy looks that defined the Holidays, I wouldn't say I went through a proper makeup detox but I've definitely stripped down my routine a little and embraced softer shades and a more subtle, girly makeup. Check out the above bits and bobs, which are the ones I couldn't get enough of in the past weeks or so...

As far as makeup goes, I kissed goodbye sculpted brows and dug out the Hourglass Arch Brow Sculpting Pencil (£26), which is absolutely perfect for a slightly softer and bushier brow look. The triangular shaped tip and the powdery finish help define without going to heavy and Soft Brunette is simply a great colour for anyone with light to medium hair, as it's not too grey toned.
When it comes to eyeshadow, I usually gravitate toward warmer tones but there's something about the Urban Decay Naked 2 Basics palette (£23) that makes me reach for it over and over again. Although there isn't anything exciting about it at first look, the quality and the versatility are all there: all six shades are nicely pigmented and blend well and there's no such a thing as too many transition shades in one's makeup collection, trust me. My favourite shadows have to be Frisk, which is a light greyish brown that in time of need can work as brow filler as well, and Undone that gives a beautiful gentle definition to the eyes when used as a liner.

Lip wise, I haven't used much else since I've discovered the Revlon Colorbust Laquer Balm in Demure (£7.99) and Lipstick Queen Sheer Tint in Medieval (£22) combo - a combination I came up with after watching Lisa Eldridge's video about the latest Korean trends -. I've been wearing Medieval, which is sheer cherry red with a balmy texture, quite strong at the center, with Demure, a glossy baby pink, lightly painted on the rest of the lips to create a soft pink gradient. The result is a sweet blushing lip that looks really fresh and romantic and it's perfect for everyday wear but also works really well to balance out heavier eye looks.

The Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow (£49) has been a favourite of mine for longer than a year now and although I've tried to use it sparingly, I'm afraid I'll be hitting pan really soon, especially considering I haven't been able to put it down once in January. Both shades work so well with my skintone, blend easily and help me achieve a beautiful sculpted look with a healthy golden glow in no time. I've been loving using it in combination with one of my most recent additions in the brush department, the Real Techniques Bold Metals 301 Flat Contour (£22). Isn't it a thing of beauty? The weighted handle feels really good in my hand and has a nice balance to it, and the ridiculously soft bristles pick up and blend the product so well, giving me great control. On top of everything, it's colour coordinated with the Charlotte Tilbury packaging as well. It's clearly a match made in heaven.

One last product I want to mention is the Colab Dry Shampoo Original, possibly the loveliest dry shampoo formula that I've ever tried! It's available in five gorgeous scents - seen here is London (£2), which has a smart and modern fragrance that's not too fruity or floral but sits right in between - and the formula is just as pleasing, pretty much invisible and not too powdery, perfect to refresh the hair and give a volume boost to the roots in a few seconds. It might not be powerful enough for seriously greasy hair but I love how it doesn't make my hair unmanageable the next day but can actually be used for a couple days in a row without making the roots look gross.

What are your January favourites?

***