This post is incredibly overdue, as these days I like to take my time with beauty products and trial them for a wee while before giving my final thoughts. As a little treat to myself around Christmas (well, Boxing Day to be precise) I decided to splash out on two items that had been on my list for the absolute longest time.

Fenty Beauty STUNNA Lip Paint

As we all know, the beauty world has been going absolutely crazy with the release of Rihanna’s incredible brand, Fenty Beauty. From the ultra-inclusive and diverse shade range of the foundations to the super pigmented, vibrant highlighters and matte lipsticks, Fenty beauty has swiftly climbed its way to the top of the cult beauty charts.
I was always in two minds about the STUNNA lip paint: when it was first released, it looked absolutely beautiful on all skin tones, however, I noted that it was an orange-based red and as someone with warm undertones, I always tended to fair better using blue/cool based reds and pinks. I decided to give it a chance though because #Rihanna.
Straight off the bat, the packaging itself is absolutely stunning. It’s sort of a cross between the Christian Louboutin makeup packaging, and a luxury bottle of nail polish from the 1980s. The formula itself is a warm/orange-based red that isn’t too thick or runny. The doe-foot applicator is AMAZING btw. It’s quite stumpy, yet holds enough formula to cover your lips with one swipe without the need for re-dipping. The formula is matte but goes on quite nicely, without cracking or creasing. I’ve used it a fair few times now and I’d say that the longevity is around 5-7 hours or so. The price point is a bit dear for me personally; however, the colour payoff is excellent and fortunately, it worked for my skin tone, so I get it. A gem!

Laura Mercier Translucent Powder (medium deep)

This powder had been on my wishlist for the best part or 9 months now. In those 9 months, I must have read about 80 blog reviews and watched 100+ Youtube reviews on this specific powder. Why? because for £29 a pot, I wanted to make sure that this baby was worth it! The Laura Mercier translucent powder is probably one of the most highly rated and recommended powders in the beauty industry today so imagine the brown girl joy when they decided to release a medium deep version?!
I have an oily T-zone, so I began my quest for searching for a finishing powder that could control the oil for several hours. Out of all the reviews I watched, this was the powder that kept being brought up, so I bit the bullet and snapped it up.
Bitch, when I tell you that this powder is no joke?
The powder is absolutely STUNNING. It’s extremely finely milled and applies on the skin beautifully. It’s light and it almost has an airbrushing effect once set. For reference, I normally use a damp beauty blender to apply the powder after the rest of my makeup is complete. When it sets, it SETS. I normally start to get quite oily after about 3/4 hours or so, but with this powder, it keeps it under control for at least 5 hours or so, which is amazing. I’m really glad that I took a chance with this, and I would recommend it for those with a deep complexion and combination skin!

What new bits have you picked up this year?