2015 Beauty Favourites: Eye & Lip Products

Now that you’ve seen my base and cheek favourites from the year of 2015, it is time to move on to the second and final half of my yearly beauty favourites. This time around I am talking about my favourite eye and lip products from 2015 and again a lot of these will be no surprise to you! So I am going to quit rambling and get on with it!

Eyeshadow

2015 was the year of eyeshadow for me. It was always the one product I neglected because I never really understood the difference it made and I never had much of an idea on how to apply it either. Although last year saw me finally pick up a few blending brushes and get blending to something that actually looked half decent. Now we have reached the end of 2015, I can’t even go without eyeshadow, it is my favourite thing to apply and I am truly obsessed with buying more eyeshadows.  After hearing so many rave reviews I just had to try out the By Terry Ombre Blackstars and I am so glad I did. These are just incredible. It took me a while to truly appreciate how good these are but they are seriously one of the best eyeshadow products I’ve ever used and the best eyeshadow sticks. I have the shades Misty Rock (which I spoke about here) and Bronze Moon which are two truly gorgeous and unique shades. The formula though makes these even more amazing, they are seriously creamy and glide on super smoothly and are super easy to blend. If that’s not enough, they last for ages too. So yeah, I quite like them!

In terms of palettes, 2015 was definitely the year I became a real life eyeshadow palette hoarder. I just love a good palette! Whilst there was a few I could have mentioned, there was two that really stole my heart this year and two I know will become long term favourites. First up, the Zoeva Cocoa Blend palette which I raved about here. This was such a surprise love for me as it was so super affordable yet such great quality. The colour range is just perfect and right up my street. I am still so impressed with this and it is definitely one that everyone needs to pick up.

The Urban Decay Naked palettes will always be mine and everyone else’s one true love. I am lucky enough to own all of them including the newbie Smoky palette although I truly fell for the second edition (review here) to the Naked lineup and I think I can call it my favourite of the four. The taupe shades are just so beautiful and are so versatile for everyday wear or an evening look. Of course the quality of Urban Decay eyeshadows are also just truly incredible!

Mascara and Brows

These next two products are probably quite obvious mentions if you are a regular reader of SBL. First up, my mascara pick has to be the Benefit They’re Real. I truly realised why this is such a cult product half way through the year after trying it out and then switching my choices up. I eventually came back to this and I just love it. It just adds oomph to my lashes and adds length and volume and paired with my Shu Uemura eyelash curlers it is dream come true lashes!

Another Benefit product came to the rescue in saving my brows. I picked up Benefit Gimme Brow (review here) during the year and it has just became my go-to for brows. It is so easy and convenient to simply swipe through your brows but it is still pretty buildable and really defines them. I’ve actually pretty much finished my tube of this which lasted so long (considering the size and cost is off putting!) so I will definitely be repurchasing this!

Lip Liner and Lipstick

Lip products will always be my one real love when it comes to beauty so I did have a little difficulty narrowing this down. 2015 was the year for lip liner and Mac’s liner options will always remain top for me. Their Soar lipliner became a staple in my collection and a cult product for many beauty enthusiasts. The gorgeous mauve plum-y nude shade is just the perfect undercoat to so many of my favourite lipsticks so is a no brainer really. The formula is great too and glides on smoothly to create a good base for lipstick.

Speaking of Mac, I will always have a love for a good Mac lipstick. I’ve enlarged my collection quite a bit over the year and grown a few favourites. I have a love for the mauve My lips but better kinda shades and Mac Mehr is the perfect fit. It is a little more intense than just a basic nude especially when combined with Soar but it is such a gorgeous and unique shade. The matte formula is also long wearing as you would expect but still comfortable without being drying. Another Mac fave was Mac Plumful which I picked up at the start of the Autumn season. This is my first in the Lustre finish but it is super comfortable and moisturising on the lips. The plum-y pink shade is also so gorgeous and different to anything I own.

Nars are one of my favourite makeup brands so it was no surprise I was going to love their matte lip pencils. I honestly think these are one of the best lip products around. They are so long lasting it is unreal but still feel comfortable to wear as well as coming in a collection of pretty shades. I have quite a few but I thought I would just mention two of my ultimate faves from the year. Whenever I need a red lip, I always go for Nars Cruella, probably my favourite ever red. It is quite a deep red but one you can rely on to stay put whilst you eat! The other shade was my Summer love, the unfortunately limited edition Iberico which is a gorgeous orange-y red. A shade that is totally unique to my collection and one I can’t wait to wear again come Summer time!

Last but not least, 2015 saw the discovery of Charlotte Tilbury. I finally took the plunge this year and picked up a couple of her gorgeously packaged products that soon developed into an addiction! I now have four of the Matte Revolution lipsticks and I can say they are truly worth the splurge! The matte formula is not what you would expect, they are seriously creamy and so comfortable to wear. As I said I have four shades from the line up but a couple of my faves are the truly gorgeous Lost Cherry; a beautiful bright coral red perfect for Summer (review here)and Miss Kensington; my perfect nude.

What was your favourite eye/lip products from 2015?

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Autumnal Eyes

The part of my makeup routine that I enjoy most is doing my eyes. Especially since Autumn came into play, I have been loving a little more dramatic eye makeup look. When I first got into makeup, eye makeup was always the scary part for me and looking back now I do slightly worry what I looked like when I left the house! Although I would like to think that I have upped my skills since then! Anyway over the last while I have been reaching for a variety of eyeshadows from singles to palettes all in my usual brown, warm toned shades so I thought I would share my top picks for the season.

The Palettes 

Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette – This was an obvious one. I raved about this last week here if you missed it. This is such a perfect Autumnal eye palette with more dark and smoky shades fit for a more dramatic look. Who would have thought I would be rocking a smoky eye but this palette makes it easier and more wearable to create something a little smoky even if its just for everyday wear. The palette also has a mix of both cool toned and warm toned shades so its super versatile and the looks are endless.

Zoeva Cocoa Blend Palette – Another highly raved about palette from moi, check my full review here. This is Autumn in an eyeshadow palette. I believe this palette can be a little tricky to get a hold of sometimes but I so recommend this to anyone. The quality of the shadows are fantastic with a good mix of shimmers and mattes and the shades are super beautiful too. Ooo and did I mention its a complete bargain too!

The Creams 

Maybelline Colour Tattoos (On and On Bronze/ Metallic Pomegranate) – One of my favourite drugstore eyeshadow formulas has to be these cream shadows from Maybelline. The formula is a dream to work with, they are super easy to apply with a smooth creamy formula that applies so evenly. The colour options are also gorgeous, in particular the bronze and plum-y red shade which are ever so fit for the Autumn months!

Max Factor Excess Shimmer (Bronze) – Another fabulous drugstore cream formulation comes from Max Factor. These differ slightly from the Maybelline shadows as the Excess Shimmers have a more mousse cream like formula. I find these eyeshadows completely underrated as they are truly a unique product to the drugstore that could be worth so much more. The mousse-y formula is so lovely and the shades are gorgeous especially Bronze which is a perfect warm toasty brown with incredible pigmentation that is basically Autumn in a jar.

The Powders 

H&M Eyeshadow (Robusta) – I spoke about the highly raved H&M beauty line here and mentioned my love for this eyeshadow.  The colour Robusta is a shimmery gold-y bronze shade that would look gorgeous as the festive season creeps in. The quality of these are great too and super impressive for such a budget line.

Burberry Wet & Dry Silk Shadow (Midnight Brown) – Are these not the most beautiful looking eyeshadows you have ever seen!? I sadly only have one shade (not for long I imagine!) although it’s such a gorgeous colour. I have the shade Midnight Brown which is a lovely soft shimmery brown which can be worn sheerly or built to be more intense. The formula is great too and blends really nicely on the lid.

What is your go-to eye looks for Autumn?

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The Bargain Eyeshadow Palette: Zoeva Cocoa Blend

I mentioned it briefly in my July favourites but now it’s time to give you the full lowdown on Zoeva’s bargain palette. I had always lusted after Zoeva’s brushes which are hugely popular but their makeup line never got much attention and to be honest I was never really interested. Of course until I seen the beauty that is the Cocoa Blend palette. A eyeshadow palette inspired by warm chocolate-y shades at an affordable price, one that just had to be mine.

The packaging of course is intended to resemble a chocolate bar. It is super sleek and slim and would be pretty good for traveling. The packaging is cardboard but it does feel pretty sturdy and it all looks pretty neat too! Now of course as I keep mentioning the term ‘bargain’ you may want to know the price point of this little beauty. On Beauty Bay it retails for a fab £15.50 with free delivery which I find is just amazing. On the Zoeva website, it is a little cheaper but you are dealing with a pretty hefty delivery charge (UK anyway).

Now back to the eyeshadows. The palette contains 10 shades with a mix of matte/shimmer/metallic finishes. The great thing about this palette is that it contains all wearable colours and there really isn’t any bad shades in sight. The palette includes some rich and warm brown shades as well as a gorgeous shimmery bronze and metallic gold. Warm notes, a stunning cranberry shade stole the show for me and really was a big influence in buying this. The berry shade is something I never really had in my collection and it’s such a beautiful colour. The shade also reminds me of Mac Cranberry, I don’t own it but it looks pretty similar. There is also some stunning light shades with a nude matte perfect for highlighting and Sweeter end, a shimmery champagne toned shade. Substitute for Love and Freshly Toasted both warm brown tones make great crease colours. Overall, a collection of wearable warm shades.

The quality of these shadows are also great especially for the price. The shadows are super easy to work with and blend really well. It is a really great eyeshadow palette for beginners especially with a great formula and wearable colours as well as the great price it also comes with. This is definitely a palette I recommend to anyone looking for a new palette or just a beauty lover in general. Zoeva also have a pretty fab lineup of palettes and I am already dreaming of the Rose Golden one… for that price why not!?

Have you tried Zoeva’s makeup line?

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July Favourites

It’s hard to believe I am writing another favourites post. July seemed to fly by and now its time to reflect on some of the beauty bits I have been loving over the month. There are a few summery inspired products, a killer eyeshadow palette and a couple of other essentials.

First up is the killer eyeshadow palette itself, the Zoeva Cocoa Blend palette. After a bit of online browsing (the usual) I came across this stunning palette from Zoeva. Now I was never really interested in Zoeva as a makeup brand, more really for their brushes but this palette really captured my heart. The shades are just so me! Chocolate-y browns, bronze-y shades and that gorgeous cranberry colour that pretty much made me buy it. I am not going to ramble on too much about it as I will be giving you all a full review very soon!

Next up, is a pretty summery nail polish from the Essie Summer 2015 collection. The shade Chillato was basically calling my name. Its a pale yellow/lime colour which just screams Summer. As you would expect from Essie, it has a fab formula and lasting power. Again I will show you this one in more detail a little later!

Of course I couldn’t have this favourites post without mentioning my two new amazing lipsticks from Charlotte Tilbury. I did my first CT purchase this month and picked up the two lipsticks; Lost Cherry and Sexy Sienna. I reviewed and swatched them both here. The formula of these is amazing, no other matte compares! They are super smooth and creamy to apply and the two colours are just beautiful! It won’t be long before I will be making another purchase!

I also rediscovered an old favourite this month in the form of Soap and Glory Archery. It’s a popular one and for good reason. I used this a lot this month (until it ran out! weep!) and I remembered how great it was. S&G Archery was the first real kind of eyebrow pencil I ever used and it really got me into filling in my brows. It creates such a natural but fuller brow. It really is fab and a great place to start when looking for a eyebrow pencil!

Last but not least was a real life saver this month, the L’Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Oil. Frizzy hair and humidity is a no go. I was braced with a tough challenge of bracing the Spanish heat and dealing with my thick frizzy hair. It was difficult to say the least but this oil made things that much easier. I literally had to slather my hair in oil every night (and I am talking a lot of oil here!) to get it to cooperate in the slightest. My hair is very dry so it needed a lot of nourishment and moisture and this oil made it more manageable and much silkier. I can’t quite imagine my holiday without it!

What were you loving this month?

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