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?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram

The Christmas Party Makeup

It’s the season of red lips and glitter, my favourite! I had a Christmas party last weekend so thought I was the perfect excuse to show some of my top picks for the party season. Expect the standard cliché red lips, glitter and lots of highlighter!

In terms of base, I like to go for something I can trust to be long wearing and provide the coverage! Of course I opted for my trusty Nars Sheer Glow along with my usual concealer combo of the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer and Mac Prep + Prime highlighter in Light Boost. To top it off, I applied a light layer of the Chanel Les Beiges powder to keep things in place!

To add more warmth to my skin, I bronzed up with the Too Faced Sweethearts bronzer which I love! I then added more definition with the Kevin Aucoin sculpting powder and topped it off with a lot of the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed highlighter in Pearl because if you can’t have go overboard with highlighter at Christmas, when can you!?

For eyes, the Mac pigments came out to play! I picked up the Bronze set from holiday collection, using the a combination of both Stardream and Handsome Prince. Of course I added some liner using my favourite Kat Von D Tattoo Liner. I finished my eyes with the Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant mascara.

Finally, I obviously finished with some red lips for the ultimate Christmas party look using Mac Russian Red.

What are your party picks?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram

 

The Holiday Beauty Wishlist

Whilst this time of year is super exciting for buying gifts for your close ones and all the festive treats, it is also nice to give yourself a little treat! Being a beauty lover, I get so hyped for the holiday season as all the holiday Christmas collections and gift sets are released! That means little sets which can help save extra pennies in your pocket and also new limited edition collections. Of course you can’t beat festive beauty with sparkly gold eye-shadows and red lip products! With loads of new releases and gift sets available, I thought I would share what is on my list to pick up this year which may also give you a little hint for yourself or if you are picking up a gift for a makeup enthusiast!

Last year, I picked up a mini set from Becca containing two of their popular highlighters in the Opal shade. This year they have brought it back in the same format with a mini liquid highlighter and mini powder version however this time around it is in the Moonstone shade which I have never tried. As you may know I am a huge fan of the Becca highlighters so this little set retailing for £20 is such a steal and I can’t wait to try out this beautiful shade!

I’ve always wanted to try the cult By Terry Baume De Rose lip balm but it is a pricey purchase! However luckily they have released a special festive edition in a lip gloss form. Retailing at £20 it is pricey but still a fraction of the original price and gives you a little trial of the ever so popular balm!

Moving on to Nars, one of my favourite beauty brands who always deliver such a great range over the festive period. This year was no different! The collection this year focuses around Sarah Moon and her photography work which features on the packaging. Whilst there is a great set of gift sets available, I am all about the colour collection. I have two products on my list, the first being this gorgeous matte nude lipstick which looks like my perfect shade! The other is an eyeshadow duo in the shade Quai Des Brumes which features two gorgeous shades with a shimmery lavender-grey and a charcoal grey with specks of shimmer. The two duos available are both gorgeous although I do prefer this one for its smoky look!

Lastly, Jouer have released a trio of their popular liquid lipsticks in three winter appropriate shades! Retailing at £31.50, this trio is near enough buy one get one free and offers three beautiful colours! There is a gorgeous cranberry red, a pink-y nude and an intense shimmery burgundy which I would love to try out! This set will have your winter lip wardrobe sorted and for that reason I may just have to pick this up!

What’s on your holiday beauty wishlist?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram

October Favourites

This month, I definitely got my makeup mojo back! I picked up a few new goodies this month as well as finding great gems within my stash. So without further ado, here is my favourite products of the month..

Starting with base, I have three base product loves. I mentioned this in my Becca post but I am loving the Becca Backlight Priming Perfector for under makeup. It adds the most gorgeous luminosity to the skin and it’s just a great starting base for applying foundation on to. In terms of one of my go-to foundation products I’ve been using lately, it comes from an old favourite; Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue. Again, another glow giver product that makes my skin look beautifully fresh and dewy! Love it! It has light coverage but applies beautifully and the finish is so worth it!

To finish off my base, I also have a concealer love. I’ve had the Mac Prep and Prime Highlighter Pen in Light Boost for a while now but after getting into the habit of using it daily I am obsessed! It adds just the right amount of coverage and the yellow toned shade works perfectly to lighten my under-eyes. It has also lasted me so long despite the small amount of product!

Another love this month has came from Kat Von D and surprisingly is an eyeliner! I say surprisingly as I haven’t been wearing eyeliner for such a long time however when I got my hands on the Tattoo Liner I was desperate to start giving it a go again! Whilst it will take a bit of time to gain some courage to wing it out, I am loving using this as it is super easy to use. The pen style liner has a brush tip which makes it easy to glide on the eye without pulling and tugging which makes it a dream for an eyeliner noob like me. Definitely the best eyeliner I’ve ever used, this will definitely be getting a full size purchase!

Of course I couldn’t have a favourites post without a lip product, right!? Naturally I have more than one in this post! The first is from Urban Decay and was mentioned in my UD lipstick dedicated post here. I have been obsessed with the shade Backtalk, a gorgeous cool toned nude mauve pink in a comfortable creamy matte formula. I can tell it will be a long term favourite of mine!

The second and last product of this round-up is from Mac and one of their Retro Matte liquid lipsticks in the shade Lady Be Good. I am a huge lover of liquid lipsticks but it took me a while to finally get my hands on one of these from Mac however a little price decrease gave me the perfect reason to try one out! They recieved a bit of stick for these in reviews for the formula however I have to say I have been so impressed. The formula is comfortable enough and doesn’t feel overly drying. The applicator is also one of the best I’ve tried as it’s pretty wide so fits the shape of your lips much better than the standard doe foot applicator. The shade is a peachy nude which is super pretty and wearable!

What have you been loving recently?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram

 

 

Get That Glow With Becca

Whenever I think of highlighters my mind automatically turns to Becca, the queen brand for highlighting. They have the best collection of products to help get that highlight on fleek from liquid to cream to powder highlighters in a selection of shades perfect for every skin tone. Not only do they offer a great range of different products, they also have an amazing consistent formula with every product excelling in quality making it well worth the splurge! I’ve gathered quite a few highlighting products from the range so I thought it would share my thoughts on why you need at least one in your collection!

LIQUID 

Starting with the couple of products in a liquid formula that I own. The first is one of the newest additions to my stash in the form of the Backlight Priming Filter which as it suggests is a primer. I’ve been so obsessed with glowy skin yet I never owned a glowy primer despite my love for primers. So obviously having heard the raves about this, I had to pick it up! Used under makeup, the pearly toned liquid creates a beautiful radiant glow to the skin with the effects of the snapchat filter with the perfect skin, ya know the one! It also has a really nice scent to the product too and just works at creating the perfect glowy base!

Moving on to highlighters, I’ve also got a miniature of the Shimmering Skin Perfector in the shade Opal which acts as Becca’s liquid formulated highlighters. I’ve mentioned this one in my favourites before so you know the drill. As a liquid, it creates a gorgeous natural glow to the skin and blends in beautifully on the tops of the cheekbones with a beauty blender. The shade is a gorgeous light peachy gold shade that works lovely on my pale skin!

POWDER

On to my favourites from the range, the powder highlighters. I am always more of a powder girl rather than cream and liquid and these are without a doubt the best powder formulations I’ve ever came across! I have three shades in total; Pearl, Opal and Champagne Pop, all of which suit my pale skin incredibly well. Pearl, is the newest addition to my collection and also the lightest of the bunch. It looks incredibly scary in the pan as it pretty much is stark white, however it blends out beautifully on my skin to give a real oomph of a glow! Definitely not for the faint hearted but if you are love a strong highlight then I definitely recommend it!

Next up is Opal, the only one I own in more than one formulation. This is a beautiful golden-y pearl shade and also works beautifully as an eyeshadow! Lastly, is the one and only and my all time favourite, Champagne Pop. If you don’t own this already then just get it! It is such a beautiful highlighter and my go-to for a night out. The shade in collaboration with Jaclyn Hill is a beautiful warm peach-y golden shade that is just all kinds of wow!

The formulation of these pressed highlighters is quite simply unbeatable. The powders across the board are creamy and buttery smooth to apply and work with. The pigmentation is also outstanding for each of them! If you love highlighter then Becca is the range you need to seek!

(L to R) Backlight Priming Filter, Opal (Liquid), Champagne Pop, Opal, Pearl

Have you tried anything from the Becca range?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram

 

Becca Ombre Rouge Eye Palette

The Becca Ombre Rouge Eye Palette is a palette I have been reaching for a lot recently yet despite owning it for a while it seems to have gone under the radar in terms of blog posts. I haven’t mentioned this one much at all yet this simple but pretty palette is definitely one that deserves a second glance at in the beauty aisles.

From the first look at this palette, it is fairly simple with only five neutral shades. However the shades and performance of them make this a great staple to have in any eyeshadow collection. The shade range itself is neutral in tone but such a pretty selection of warm toned shades great for the upcoming season. The shades are arranged from the lightest to the darkest shade making it super easy to create a simple but defined eye look that can go from day to night. The shades vary with a selection of matte and satin finishes but across the board, the pigmentation is impressive with each shade having great colour pay-off. The formulas are also impressive in terms of longevity and last well on my oily eye lids even without primer which is quite a bonus!

The palette retails for £36 which is pricey for only five shades particularly when you can get a larger palette like the Urban Decay Naked palettes for around the same price however it does make a great everyday palette in my collection. The quality of the palette also makes this well worth the extra pennies! Definitely a palette that shouldn’t be overlooked!

Are you a fan of this palette?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram

 

August Favourites

The Summer months are coming to a close and I am super excited to get my fall makeup sorted but for the time being I am going to enjoy the last of the sunshine and glowy light makeup. For the past while, my favourites haven’t been too exciting as I have been using the same products again and again, sadly again this is the quite the same for this month. However there is a couple of newbies and things I’ve been trying out that I have really liked! Hopefully though for next month, I will have a selection of interesting products!

Starting with skincare, when my Oskia cleanser ran out, I started to try out this travel size Aurelia Miracle Cleanser. This is a cream based cleanser with Chamomile, Eucalptus, Rosemary and Bergamot. It feels incredibly silky and gentle on the skin and makes such a nice second cleanser for the evening. It is quite pricey particularly when the Liz Earle one is very similar however it really feels like a dream to use.

I am always on the lookout for skincare products that can help with my breakouts so I was excited to try out this Super Spot Remover from Origins. I am a huge Origins fan but spot removers never tend to go down well with me. However I have really enjoyed using this one. It isn’t a miracle worker but it helps repair skin by healing blemishes. I use a drop at night over any blemishes and by morning it dries up the area which makes it fade much faster! The tube is very small but it will last a long time!

On to makeup picks, a product I’ve had in my stash for a while is the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Spotlight in Opal. This is essentially a liquid highlighter and this mini comes with a little doe foot applicator easy to swipe on for a gorgeous glow. Opal is a gorgeous pearl-y golden shade which looks natural and soft on the cheeks. Becca really are queens at highlighter!

The last two favourites are newer in my collection. Firstly the Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerise in Bette which I mentioned in this post here. I love a good cream eyeshadow and this ticks all the boxes. It is beautifully creamy, pigmented and the colour is stunning! Lastly, is the Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil again which I mentioned here. This is such an easy and simple brow pencil which looks super natural but builds up really well on my brows. It is also super convenient when I am rushing to get out the door!

What have you been loving recently?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram

High-end Products Worth The Splurge

I love a good splurge. I think we have all gathered that by now. As a lover of high-end and luxury beauty products I thought I would share some products that I believe to be worth the splurge. Spending your precious pennies on a beauty product can be risky business not knowing if it will perform to your expectations or not. So if you are somebody who doesn’t buy a lot of high end products or if you are hoping to make a little splurge soon then hopefully my picks can give you a little reassurance. Even if you are a luxury fiend then maybe my picks will also offer a little push to go splurge some more, sorry!

Urban Decay Naked Palette

I couldn’t not mention one of the most hyped up high end products! The Urban Decay Naked palettes are hugely popular and for good reason. Having built up my collection of them all, I can definitely say that they are truly worth the hype and the splurge. Whilst all of them may not be necessary, I think the original palette is a great all-rounder. Full of warm bronze-y neutral tones, its a palette for everyone. Whilst the shade range is great, the quality of the shadows is also incredible. Urban Decay have really nailed a great buttery long lasting eyeshadow formula that every beauty lover needs to try! My full review of this palette here.

Charlotte Tilbury Lipsticks

I love a good lipstick especially a luxurious one. It’s always nice to treat yo’ self to nice new lipstick and what better than the queen herself Charlotte Tilbury. Her makeup line is truly exquisite and her lipsticks are no exception. Both her matte and moisturising creamy lipstick range are incredibly impressive. The matte formula is one of the best matte formulas I’ve ever tried with a seriously comfortable application and finish. Perfect for people who aren’t particularly fond of the feeling of many matte lipsticks. Her K.I.S.S.I.N.G range is also really nice offering a moisturising formula that is pretty impressive in terms of longevity! They are pricey but so worth it in mu opinion! My favourites include Bitch Perfect and Lost Cherry.

Nars Sheer Glow Foundation

I always struggle with drugstore foundations and I truly believe that splurging on a base product is so worth it! High end foundations tend to offer a much better formula in terms of how it applies and also the lasting power which is very important in a foundation. My particular favourite is Nars Sheer Glow, a great all round base. It offers a satin buildable finish that doesn’t cling to dry patches or look cakey on the skin. It also has impressive longevity making it a great reliable foundation. Definitely one to try! My full review is here.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighters 

Highlighters are just everything, right? For me, nothing quite beats the Becca formulation. Their highlighters are like no other. I have two of the pressed highlighters in Opal and Champagne Pop and my goodness are they beautiful! The give off a serious killer glow to the skin with incredible pigmentation. Although the creamy buttery texture is what makes these even more amazing. They glide on so beautifully on the skin without looking powdery or with chunks of glitter, just like smooth gold!

Smashbox Photo Finish Primer

Oh how I love a good primer. From what I’ve tried, I’ve never actually found a good drugstore primer that works and none that can beat my love for the Smashbox one. I feel like this primer is a bit of a love or a hate thing but what it achieves is so impressive. The texture is probably the thing that bothers most people out of preference but for me I quite like it. It doesn’t feel greasy or slippy on the skin and leaves a smoothing effect perfecting for starting makeup. The longevity powers it has though is what makes this. Paired under foundation it takes my makeup lasting hours longer than it would have without. It is basically magic!

Nars Creamy Concealer

Another incredibly hyped product but for good reason. This concealer is well worth the extra pennies. The thick but creamy formula works wonders on blemishes and spots offering full coverage that isn’t cakey or clingy. It also wears well throughout the day unlike many other concealers that get a little drying as the day goes on. Despite the thickness, I don’t find this drying at all although I personally don’t like the texture for under the eyes however on blemishes it is a dream! Full review here.

What are your favourite high end products?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram

 

A Space NK Haul

This month has had me haulin’ to the extreme. I already showed you some bits I got from Cult Beauty in a separate haul post you can check here but I also made a little trip to Space NK to pick up some more beauty pieces (as if I need any more…). With their fab explore offer on and having a little reward on my points card I didn’t need to feel too guilty and I also finally picked up some pieces I have been after for so long! I have actually tried out all these products (once anyway) as I just couldn’t resist so I will be able to provide my first impressions on each!

When the explore offer started there was one product I knew I had to pick up. That was the Becca Ombre Rouge Eye Palette, a gorgeous 5 shade eyeshadow palette full of warm rouge-y matte tones. I have seen numerous people using this palette and it looked so beautiful so I just had to snap it up. It is a little pricey for only containing 5 shadows but it has such a great selection of shades that I can see myself using daily. All of the shades are super wearable too and it is easy to take this palette from day to night. From first application, all of these shades are greatly pigmented with great blend-ability and the shadows lasted really well on my lids too! So I am very much looking forward to getting more wear out of this one!

A product that I’ve so desperately wanted for a long time, it was even mentioned on my 2016 wishlist, the Beauty Blender is now finally checked off my list. I’ve been enjoying using the Real Techniques sponge for the last while however it is not the best sponge around and I had heard so many people say that the beauty blender was well superior so I obviously had to try it. When I first received it actually I was a little surprised by the size, whilst I know it ‘grows’ once it’s wet, it looked much smaller than I expected in the packaging. I did pick this up in a set including a mini of the solid cleanser so I was thinking maybe it is a smaller one however when I actually tried it, it did seem to grow to a decent size! Sizing troubles aside, on first use I could definitely see how much better this is compared to the RT one. I won’t say too much as I may do a comparison post but I really like this and I definitely think it is worth the money!

Lastly, Kevin Aucoin is a brand I’ve been longing to try and particularly the Sculpting powder from the line has been at the top of my list! I definitely had a bit of luck with timing as the brand have just launched two new shades of the powder (which always had one being Medium) so now there is a light shade perfect for my pale skin. I obviously picked up that shade and it is perfect for my skin tone. The pan size is rather small but the product is super pigmented and you only need so little product. It is pricey but it is the perfect little contour powder. I am definitely looking forward to getting more use out of this one!

Are you a fan of any of these products?

Twitter | Pinterest | Bloglovin | Instagram