Isn’t December an exhausting month? Party after party, catching up with an endless sea of friends. Lots of late nights, lots of online Christmas shopping and lots of New Years Eve parties. I can always tell I am tired by the size of the bags and dark circles around my eyes. There are a few sneaky tricks you can do to minimize the damage.

The flesh-toned eyeliner. Used correctly, this can be a little gem. Lining your lower water-line instantly gives your eyes a clear and awake look. I own a luxe version - the Nars Larger Than Life Long-Wear Eyeliner in Rue Bonaparte and a budget version - the Rimmel Scandaleyes in Nude. The Nars is slightly more yellow-toned but the difference is minimal.

Top - NarsBottom - Rimmel — Top - Nars
Bottom - Rimmel

The magical highlighter crayon. Pep yourself up by adding subtle touches of light to areas of your face you want to stand out, such as your cheek bones the inner corner of your eyes and the cupid’s bow. Pixi Beauty make a double ended version called the Wide Awake Crayon Combo which covers points 1 and 2 in the one product – genius. You can read more about this product here.

Correct and conceal. I suffer from very dark areas in the inner corner of my eye socket. If I take the extra time to correct them with a peach corrector (Bobbi Brown Corector in Light to Medium Bisque) first, then my concealer goes on like magic.

Brightening powders. Laura Mercier makes a product called Secret Brightening Powder and I am yet to find a comparable cheaper powder on the market. Basically it is super fine powder which sets your concealer in place and helps to stop it settling into your fine lines. It is not cheap, but it is really good. You can read a more detailed review of this product here.

I am currently holidaying in my home-town of Sydney, Australia so communication may not be as reliable as normal. Should you have a comment or question, please submit it below and I will respond to you when I get back from my swim :-)

It is always fun to make a new discovery and for me, this has been the best thing about relocating to London. I had never come across Pixi Beauty before I came to London. It is a really lovely makeup and skincare range by makeup artist Petra Strand that was created 10 years ago. They have a delightful store located in Fouberts Place, just tucked behind the Liberty department store - a part of town that is fast becoming a very tempting place to visit.

One of the things that really impress me about the brand are the prices - realistic and achievable which makes adding her products to your makeup kit actually affordable. My picks of the range are the Endless Silky Eye Pens and the Sheer Cheek Gels.

T-B: Deep Plum, Sage Gold, Black Cocoa, Black Noir & Oyster Glow

Endless Silky Eye Pens - For anyone who has tried and failed to do their eyeliner with a hard pencil that drags on the skin, then these pens are for you. They glide on like a dream and then they do not budge. Period. I picked up a kit of these in store, which included 5 mini-sized pencils and a sharpener for £16.50. The colours included in this kit are Deep Plum, Sage Gold, Black Cocoa, Black Noir and Oyster Glow. There 11 gorgeous colours in the range. Cafe Gold ... i'm coming for you!

Sheer Cheek Gels - These are so lovely to work with and great for those who prefer a gel consistency to a cream. As the name suggests, they give a really healthy sheer colour to the cheeks and like the eye pens, once applied the colour does not move. I picked up colours Rosy and Natural for £12.50 and you can view the full range of colours here.

There is plenty more goodies to explore. You can see the full Pixi range and shop online here . If you are based in Australia, you can buy Pixi from Beauty Bay or Asos with free international shipping.