Welcome back to Lipstick’n’Linguine for 2016. Where have I been? you might ask. Well we have been experiencing all sorts of crazy tech difficulties over here. If you’re a regular reader (and I know who you are) you might have seen that things looked a little off.

While I was in all sorts of panic about the deadlines I had, the agreements I had made and the general future of the blog, It was also a bit of a break for me. I did so much nothing it was crazy.

There were so many highlights in January. We started the year in the Whitsundays, swimming, sipping cocktails and playing with the wildlife. We returned to Sydney to a giant pile of PR mail and lots and lots of rain!

I was lucky enough to attend a whole bunch of events from the Sephora exclusive brands showcase (so much good stuff coming!), to a personal breakfast meeting with Taylor Frankel to talk everything Nudestix. I spent an evening at Benefit HQ learning about Eyebrow contouring in Benefits classic pink style.

Already we have seen so many new released from major beauty brands this year, and its been killing me to not be able to share my thoughts on these launches with you.

Over the coming weeks you will see exciting launches, swatches, reviews (and even a sneaky YT video or two) featuring new products from Maybelline, Becca Cosmetics, Revlon, OPI and Zoeva.

Just because you haven’t seen any posts here doesn’t mean that I haven’t been trying a whole bunch of new stuff and falling in love with new and old bits in my collection. There are a few stand out products from January.

Let it be known that 2016 was the year that I caved and purchased a foundation that I had been coveting for more than a year. Im talking about Giorgio Armani’s Luminous Silk foundation. I’m so glad that bought it because I have found that I adore how beautiful this looks on the skin all day. This is one of those foundations which is described as looking “skin like” Its not overly matte or dewey  but does help the skin look radiant and smooth.

I purchased the shade 5.5  which is great for me for summer but will be way too dark as the weather cools down. It must be said that the formula does oxidizes after a few minutes so  I always make sure to check my face a few minutes after applying to make sure I haven’t missed any spots.

You can see my post here about the Tarte Tartelette palette. Ive been loving the soft muted tones of this palette in January. I found that this palette actually translated a lot more pigmented on the face  than in regular arm swatches. My favourite shades are the gorgeous midtones in the second column.

Another Tarte products; this time its the brand new Tarteist liquid lipstick. This is the shade bae and its a beautiful true red. I love the smooth application which dries matte and wears well throughout the day. This has a mousse like consistency which feels light on the lips. I cant wait to get my hands on more of these shades.

My favourite nail combination of the month has been the most beautiful nude from the new range of Rimmel Super Gel polishes with a glitter feature nail from the Starlight collection from OPI

Soul Session from Rimmel is my perfect nude. I wore this polish for 7 or 8 days and the polish showed no signs of wear or tear including no tip wear or chipping. The only fault after this period of time is that there seemed to be teensy little cracks in the polish

The new Rimmel Super Gel polishes are a two step system which promises up to 14 days of wear. Two layers of colour are applied before a thin layer f the gel top coat. I really like the brush on these polishes they are thick and flexible and apply the polish nice and neatly even close to the cuticle.

Ce-less_tial is more is super pretty small pink glitter with larger, round holo glitters. Its pretty rich in glitter and only took 2 coats to get great coverage. The polish dries to a textured finish which reminded me a lot of the Liquid Sand formula from OPI

ItCosmetics Bye Bye Under Eye concealer is one of the best concealers I have ever tried. Its super pigmented and the tiniest amount goes so far to cover spots and under eye darkness. I find that I still need to use a small amount of corrector in the darkest part of my inner eye. This needs to be set with a bit of powder as its super creamy will move if not set but once set it stays put for the day.

Im loving everything about this concealer at the moment from the formula to the handy squeezy tube which is both hygienic and easy to use. For best results use a damp sponge for seamless blending.

Ive been shopping my skincare stash of late. One item that I have come back to is the Oils of Life facial oil from The Body Shop. From the rich floral scent to its intense hydration Ive loved using most nights before bed. Out recent holiday while being good for the mind and the soul, took some toll on the skin. My skin often takes a number of weeks if not months to recover from exposure to excessive sun and salt water and this product is helping me feel like Im putting some of the life back into my skin. I don’t limit this just to my face though. I love putting it on any dry patches on my body.

And thats a wrap! The first post for 2016 is here. I sincerely hope that you all enjoyed a break over the holiday season!