What I Received for Christmas: Beauty Edition

There are loads of "What I Received for Christmas" posts on the Internet right now -- and rightly so! I love reading about what people received, because it often says so much about the thoughtfulness behind their gifts. I love giving presents that I know people will enjoy, just because nothing can beat the delight on their face as they see something that they will love; this year, too, I know that my family and friends put that same amount of thought into giving their gifts, because I and everyone around me clearly felt that same joy.

That being said, I'm not certain that everyone would be interested in reading about the non-makeup items that I received. Hey, if you want to see me talk about a stick blender, t-shirts and POP! Vinyl figurines, let me know!

For now, however, here's the makeup that I received!

From Andrea

Andrea is a girl I work with during the week -- and honestly, you'd be hard pressed to find a girl with a bigger heart of gold than her. She is always willing to help wherever she can, and she always has a smile on her face. She also drew my name for the Kris Kringle that we put together for the Thursday night workers, and she gave me the loveliest gift on Christmas Eve!

Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte by Kate - "107" || We know how much I adore Rimmel lipsticks, and Andrea picked out such a great colour! It's a gorgeous deep berry red shade that lasts really well throughout the day, although it does help to have your lips in tip-top shape.

Bourjois Paris Levres Contour Edition Lip Pencil - "Plum It Up" || I don't own anything by Bourjois, and I certainly don't have many lip pencils, so I love this! I haven't had much of a chance to properly test it out yet, but it does seem to be very creamy when swatched; it matches the lipstick nicely, even though it is more toned towards plum. On first glance, it looks similar-ish to MAC Currant, but I'd have to swatch it side-by-side to be sure.

L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche Quad - "Rose Memories" || Another colour-coordinated product! This quad has a nice little selection of rose-toned shadows, with one plum-red shade that really pops. I've played with this palette once already, and I adore the plum-red, but I've yet to figure out how to make the rest work to the best of their ability. I don't own any L'Oréal Paris eye shadows, so I think that Andrea picked out a really winning quad.

L to R: Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte by Kate Lipstick, L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche Quad, Bourjois Levres Contour Edition Lip Pencil

Swatches: Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte by Kate Lipstick; Bourjois Levres Contour Edition Lip Pencil

Swatches: L'Oréal Paris Colour Riche Eye Shadow Quad - "Rose Memories"

From my brother

My brother recently returned to Australia after spending a month in the US. I had, of course, given him some money and a nice little shopping list (also known as a 'scavenger hunt', to make it sound more exciting), but alas, with the exception of some CoverGirl Star Wars makeup, he told me that the makeup stands were essentially empty.

Or so I was told and believed, until I unwrapped my gift from him on Christmas Day. He had, after all, very thoughtfully bought me some makeup -- and products that, for the most part, I had not expected! I had to chuckle at the CoverGirl Queen Collection products, for a start. It's the kind of gift from my brother that demonstrates two things: firstly, that he's very thoughtful for buying me pink and red lip products (which I wear all the time); and secondly, that he knows very little about makeup. I think my brother bought them realising that they were something he hadn't seen before -- I'm guilty of leaving lip products all over the bathroom countertop, so all of my brothers are somewhat familiar with my lip collection -- but I don't think he realised that they're for women with much deeper skin tones than I have.

You kinda have to love him for it, though, right?

L'Oréal Paris Collection Exclusive Nudes - "Liya's Nude" || An interesting lipstick, that's for sure! I don't own anything so brown, but I know that lips like this were all the rage during the 90s, so perhaps I can make it work.

CoverGirl Queen Collection Jumbo Gloss Balm - "Jammin' Gem" || This is a really sheer, glossy red. I have Scarlet Twist from the regular collection, and in comparison I would say that this looks somewhat more watermelon-y. You know what I mean -- when watermelon is at its peak and the inside is really red, promising full-on watermelon flavour. I mean, it's not appealing to me, because I hate watermelon, but that's what it reminds me of.

CoverGirl Queen Collection Jumbo Gloss Balm - "Disco Punch" || I feel like this is slightly more true to the traditional watermelon colour. It's kind of more pink-coral, and also very sheer and glossy to swatch.

CoverGirl Queen Collection Jumbo Gloss Balm - "Electric Flamingo" || This reminds me of the hot pink shade that I have from the regular collection, Haute Pink Twist. It's a bright pink shade, and although I haven't compared them side-by-side, I feel like Electric Flamingo might be less stark than Haute Pink Twist.

Swatches: L'Oréal Paris Collection Exclusive Nudes; CoverGirl Queen Collection Jumbo Gloss Balms

L to R: Wet 'n' Wild Eye Shadow Trio, Becca x Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector

Becca x Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector - "Champagne Pop" || Can I get a "YAAAS!"? I asked my brother for this for Christmas, and the boy delivered! I know that he was daunted by the idea of going into Sephora, but I wrote him a note with the exact product name and the price, and told him to give it to a salesperson if he felt confused or nervous. Whether or not he used it or found it himself, I don't know, but I'm so proud of him for pushing through and getting it! I cannot wait to give it a spin.

Wet 'n' Wild Sweet As Candy Eye Shadow Trio || This particular trio was actually on my list! I love eye shadow, and I've learned to love Wet 'n' Wild after Danielle and I did a beauty swap last year (if you're curious, it's over here). I really love this combination of colours, and I think they'll make for a really nice look. I can see it being a quick and easy everyday product, so I love it!

Swatches: Becca x Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector; Wet 'n' Wild Sweet as Candy Eye Shadow Trio

From my mother

If you look in the mirror, you can see my PJs. GOALS, AMIRIGHT?

There's one thing to know that you're receiving a particular item -- it's another to forget that you were going to receive that item, and to experience the fresh joy and excitement of something that you already know you love! I was out in the city with my friend Jo-Anna before Christmas, and I happened to see the Elizabeth Arden Day to Date Color Collection. It's one of those great holiday high end gift ideas where you get a fantastic value for money -- there were so many adorable collections this year, especially from Estee Lauder, but this one took the cake for me!

Look at that luxurious gold packaging!

All of the makeup comes in a bold red makeup case, made of fabric that is sturdy (just enough to hold its own shape) but not hard, allowing for some flexibility in whatever products you decide to pack in it.

The collection itself comes with products that you can purchase individually, so I may well review the components in the future with that in mind. Inside are the following:

Elizabeth Arden Daytime Eye Shadow and Blush Palette

A daytime eye shadow palette (with the red lid), containing the following shades:

• Blonde
• Chocolate
• Misty Teal (intended as a contour)
• Innocence
• Classic Khaki #1 (intended as a contour)
• Classic Khaki #2 (intended as a highlighter)
• Cobblestone
• Periwinkle

It also contains the Romantic Rose blush.

Swatches: Elizabeth Arden Daytime Palette - eye shadows

Swatch: Elizabeth Arden Daytime Palette - blush

Elizabeth Arden Evening Eye Shadow and Blush Palette

An evening eye shadow palette (with the black lid), containing the following shades

• Party Plum
• Blackout
• Night Owl
• Spotlight
• Bone
• Pearled Kiss
• Tempting Teal
• Gold Rush

It contains the Blushing Pink blush.

Swatches: Elizabeth Arden Evening Palette - eye shadows

Swatches: Elizabeth Arden Evening Palette - blush

A Shimmer Powder -- what I presume is a highlighter.

Elizabeth Arden Shimmer Powder

Swatches: Elizabeth Arden Shimer Powder

Elizabeth Arden Lipsticks

Four lipsticks, presumably from the Beautiful Color Moisturizing and Beautiful Color Moisturizing Matte ranges (although they are not labelled as such):

• Desert Rose
• Iced Grape
• Raspberry
• Ultra Violet

Swatches: Elizabeth Arden Lipsticks

L to R: Elizabeth Arden Mini Lip Glosses, Lip Pencils, Eye Pencils

Two mini Beautiful Color Luminous Lip Glosses:

• Precious Petal
• Passion Fruit

Two lip pencils, presumably from the US Beautiful Color Smooth Line and US Beautiful Color Precision Glide lines respectively (although they are not labelled as such):

• Orchid
• Sugared Kiss

Two eye pencils, presumably from the Beautiful Color Smoky Eyes line (although they are not labelled as such):

• Smokey Black
• Midnight

Swatches: Elizabeth Arden Mini Beautiful Color Luminous Lip Glosses; Elizabeth Arden Lip Pencils

Swatches: Elizabeth Arden Eye Pencils

The collection also had a tube of Beautiful Color Lash Enhancing Mascara in Black, a small bottle of All Gone Eye & Lip Makeup Remover (neither of which are pictured because, y'know, I forgot), and three brushes (a powder brush, and two eye shadow brushes -- one seems to be a flat shader, and the other an angled shader).

Elizabeth Arden Brushes

One of the reasons why I love this gift set so much is because I just love Elizabeth Arden -- and I'm not entirely sure why. I think I must have grown up with that kind of mentality, because I know that my mum loved wearing the Red Door perfume, and she's really into their foundation and facial oil capsules.

For me, Elizabeth Arden is one of those brands that I'm not going to be able to really afford until I'm make a full-time salary, so it was really thoughtful of my mother to purchase something that really has that wow factor for me. There's no way I can look at that gorgeous red case and not feel a sense of appreciation for her.

That's it for the makeup that I received over Christmas! Once again, if you'd like me to post about the non-beauty items that I received, drop me a line and say so!

Did you receive any particularly amusing or heartwarming gifts from loved ones this year? If you're a blogger, be sure to link me to any gift posts that you write -- I love having a good nosey about!

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