The Best Beauty Discoveries of 2016: Part 1

The final fortnight of 2016 is upon us! So what better way to end the year than to discuss all of my favourite new beauty discoveries from the year. As of course there is many products to discuss, I have split this post into two so a lip product favourites will also follow this blog post on Friday!

Firstly, starting with face products I’ve been loving this year. The Mac Prep + Prime Highlighter in Light Boost has been my go-to for under eye concealing for its brightening properties. The twist pen style pen highlighter is super easy and convenient. In terms of bronzing and highlighting, I’ve found two products that I know will be long term favourites of mine! The first is the Too Faced Sweethearts bronzer which is only a fairly new addition to my stash but I am already obsessed with its glowy effect and pigmentation. Of course I also had to mention a Becca highlighter as they truly are incredible products. I love all the shades I’ve tried but in particular I am obsessed with Champagne Pop, the ultimate pigmented gold-y peachy glow.

In terms of tools, I had to mention the beauty blender. By far one of the best discoveries for me this year! I have became such a convert to the beauty blender and it is now my go-to for applying my base products. It creates the most flawless fresh base and makes even some of my poorer foundations sit better.

Moving on to eyes, for the brows there have been two products that I’ve been loving. The Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pomade has been a long year favourite of mine, it is super easy to use whilst creating defined and long lasting brows. More recently, I’ve been enjoying the newer release of the Goof Proof Brow Pencil from Benefit. The twist up pencil is super easy to use and creates a minimal soft brow.

Other eye product shout-outs go to the Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara which has became a big favourite of mine this year. It has been my go-to mascara for creating voluminous and lengthened lashes. I’ve also got back into rocking eyeliner recently since I discovered the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner which is worth all the praise and hype it gets! It is incredibly pigmented and the fine nib makes it super easy to use. Lastly, the Too Faced Sweet Peach palette (which is back in stock!!) also deserves a lot of love. The Too Faced shadows are amazing quality but this palette also offers a dreamy and unique shade range!

What are your top products from 2016?

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The 5 Product Face

Now and again when I do not have much time on my hands, I like to adopt a quick and easy makeup routine that is not only convenient but also reliable. I thought I would share my 5 product face selection that are my go-to products if I am ever in a rush but also those products that I couldn’t live without which make such a difference to my face.

Firstly, base. This is one of the most crucial steps and probably the one that will take the most time to apply. I opted for Nars Sheer Glow, my still all-time favourite base. The great thing with this foundation is that it offers superb coverage so you can easily miss out on the concealer for this one which is why I have not included any. The satin finish makes my skin look and feel much healthier and it applies well and also lasts well too.

If you asked me about a year ago if I was a blush or bronzer gal, I would’ve said blush all day any day. However whilst blush is still one of my favourite products, bronzer comes first for me these days. I never really understood the need for bronzer but now I can’t go without my added warmth to my pale face! The Body Shop Honey Bronzer is another all-time favourite for me with the light shade working perfectly with my pale skin.

So with my base perfected, the next step is eyes and an area that I particularly like to pay the most attention to. Since I wear glasses and my eyes appear smaller, I always can’t go without mascara. For me, mascara is the one product that I rely on the most. I basically want the most out there lashes going and right now I am enjoying the Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant which adds enough length and volume to create impact.

Continuing on with the eye area, eyebrows are another important step in my routine. It is weird to think how I never did anything with my eyebrows a good couple of years ago but now I can’t have a face of makeup without those eyebrows on fleek (sorry). Eyebrows frame your face so much so it is so important to pay attention to them. I am currently enjoying using the Anastasia Beverly Hills Dipbrow Pomade which seems intimidating at first but is actually a super easy to use and long wearing product! My pot has definitely seen better days though…

Last up is lips. One of my favourite parts of my makeup routine is switching up my lipstick and it really finishes off the look. Whilst for quickness and if I am just running some errands, I like to apply the Clarins Instant Lip Balm Perfector however I love a good lipstick particularly those mauve-y dusky rose shades that are my favourites. The likes of Mac Mehr is one of those shades I can always rely on and wear constantly.

What is your go-to 5 product face?

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Trying out Anastasia Beverly Hills: Contour Kit and DipBrow Pomade

When it comes to cult products I just have to get my hands on them to see what all the fuss is about. Anastasia Beverly Hills is an incredibly hyped up brand but for quite a while they were difficult to get a hold of in the UK, to be honest a lot of their products still are (liquid lipsticks I am looking at you!) but luckily now quite a few of their best sellers are available on UK soil. That of course includes the well hyped Contour Kit and the very popular DipBrow Pomade which I both obviously had to pick up especially when I nabbed a little 20% off online code!

I am not one for the full on contouring business but I can’t deny that I have always had my eye on the ABH Contour Kit. I picked up the Light to Medium palette which features six shades; three for highlight and three for contour. The first shade Vanilla is a matte pale cream powder which works best on me as an all over powder. Next is Banana, the cult yellow toned powder perfect for setting and highlighting the under eyes. Sand is the last highlighting shade and is a soft pearl shimmer shade great for the cheekbones. The last three shades are contour shades, Java, Fawn and Havana, personally Fawn is my pick of the three as it is just the perfect shade for my skin without being too warm or muddy. Each of the powders are beautifully soft and are easy to work with and blend on the skin. The sand shade is the only shimmer shade in the palette and has received criticism for being too gritty but personally I find it as soft as the matte powders. The great thing as well about the palette is that the shades are removable and refill pans can be purchased to fill up the palette and customise it to your own shades.

It is one of those products that does seem a little intimidating especially with the cult following but it is a super wearable palette and so easy to work with. It is one I’ve been reaching for a lot and will always be there for when I need those killer chiseled cheekbones.

After getting my eyebrows done and my fave Benefit Gimme Brow on its last legs, I wanted to try something new in the brow dept. I had heard a lot about the DipBrow Pomade so I had to try it out. I picked up the shade Soft Brown which was a total guess in terms of colour but it has worked out pretty well although I would go a shade lighter next time. That does mean though that it is one I use pretty light-handedly although the good thing about that is it will last such a long time as I only use so little each time. I use the Real Techniques brow brush to brush it through my brows and it stays put all day. It is really buildable and is just the perfect brow product.

Are you a fan of Anastasia Beverly Hills?

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