Hi there. I won’t be ending this month without sharing with you some of the “beauty”ful presents I received last December. My friends and family know that I love makeup and skincare. So, as you’ll see, most of the presents I received pretty much pertained to this category. I couldn’t be happier because I received a variety of goodies and I am forever thankful for the stuff they gave me.

Check out what I got.

Ciaté London Astrolights Eyeshadow Palette in Jewelled (35 USD) – Words cannot describe how beautiful this eyeshadow palette is. I’ve always been curious about this and I’m glad I finally have it because it is hands down beautiful in terms of color range and packaging. Each shade has a nice color payoff and is super long-lasting. The tones are unique, out of this world, wearable, and are just really beautiful. I highly recommend this palette if you’re looking for something that is compact and with versatile colors.

Charlotte Tilbury 

Filmstar Bronze & Glow Contour Duo in Fair/Medium (0.56 oz: 68 USD) – Given by my bestfriend and partner in crime – my dearest cousin who also loves makeup and is just recently a Tilbury-convert. This highlighter and bronzer duo is a star-favorite and one of Charlotte Tilbury’s bestsellers because it really does give you a nice glow and nice natural contour on the face.

Superstar Lips Lipstick in Walk of Shame (34 USD) – This is supposed to be a lipstick topper because it has a glittery finish, but I find this berry rose pink shade and its consistency to be more like a semi-glossy pigmented lip balm. It has a similar formula to the Nars Afterglow Lip Balm and the Dior Lip Glow (swatched HERE) or even the Tom Ford Ultra Shine Lip Color (seen HERE). Even though this is quite sheer and balmy, it’s surprising to see the stain it leaves on the lips and its overall very good lasting power.

Marc Jacobs Eye-Conic Multi-Finish Eyeshadow Palette in Fantascene (49.50 USD) – As part of the MJ Coconut Fantasy Collection, this beautiful and eye-catching eyeshadow palette feels creamy and quite easy to blend. I wouldn’t say it’s very pigmented but it’s the kind of eyeshadow shade you would want to grab as soon as the weather gets warm and the sky starts to turn blue, or if you just want an everyday natural/neutral eyeshadow look.

Pat McGrath Labs MatteTrance Lipstick in Femme Bot (0.14 oz: 40 USD) – this midtone pinkish matte lipstick with a slight bluish tone from PMG is a very good everyday nude lip color for those with light-medium skintone. On my skin (NC20-25), it can look quite too nude, depending on the lighting of the room. It’s a little bit warmer than 1995 and probably two shades warmer than the Christy shade, and also two shades lighter than Omi.

Taste Beauty Succulent Lip Balm in Watermelon (8 USD) – This brand probably has the cutest lip balm packaging ever. Its cute succulent/cactus-like design is perfect as a decor and is definitely eye-catching. The formula itself isn’t very balmy or moisturizing. It takes some rubbing and dabbing on the lips for it to work.

The Inkey List Brighten-i Eye Cream (0.5 oz: 9.99 USD) – Behold! My favorite affordable eye cream that looks luxe and feels luxe. I can’t believe this eye cream is under 10 bucks, but hey, The Inkey brand is a really good brand that delivers quality and affordable skincare. I still have to investigate their products more, but so far, there’s a lot going on with their stuff. This eye cream for sure has a really good luxurious applicator that is easy to apply on the eyes, and since it’s metallic, it feels really cooling on the undereye. The formula itself feels watery and you may need to shake the tube first before you apply it. I haven’t noticed any brightening effect on my undereye bags yet (will update you soon), but this cream works really well under concealer and as a daily undereye moisturizer.

Stila Heaven’s Hue Highlighter in Kitten (0.35 oz: 32 USD) – Just when I thought I already had enough highlighter in my stash, along came this extraordinarily good Stila highlighter and I’m not sure if I’ll ever look back at my previous favorite highlighters. This is probably the creamiest most cushiony highlighter I’ve ever applied on my skin. I love how easy this goes and it lasts the whole day. You can layer this and it looks seamless on the skin. It feels really good, it looks good, and it works so well. No wonder it’s an Allure Best of Beauty Winner.

My sincerest thanks to all my dearest friends and family who gave me these amazing beauty and skincare goodies. Also, a special thank you to my wonderful cousin who has made me laugh and cry at the same time, lol. Also, thank you all for reading this post. Love lots.

What are your faves among all of these? Have you tried any of them?

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