My blog is very young, a baby still, but I will still make an attempt at creating one of those 'this year's favourites' list. There are products I reviewed or mentioned here or posted on Instagram, new and old favourites, a good mix of make-up and beauty I really enjoyed using this year. This is definitely not an all-inclusive list, otherwise it would take you all week to read the post, these are just the things I reached for the most.
Bases
Estee Lauder Double Wear Cushion Stick Foundation, NYX HD Studio Photogenic Concealer
My main foundation discovery this year was the Estee Lauder Double Wear Cushion Stick Foundation (goodness, that's a mouthful!). I love the light texture, the healthy glow finish and the staying power. It is very easy to use and great for touch ups, great packaging, top marks all round! Estee Lauder has always been great with foundations and this new release did not disappoint.
I love to try new things, but I am less adventurous with my concealer. I have quite dark under eye circles so Mac's Studio Finish Concealer has been my best friend for years. However, as I grow older it has become slightly drying for my skin so I was on the lookout for a new one.
I'm glad I've found the NYX concealer because it does the job brilliantly. It has high coverage, non-drying texture, good staying power, not to talk about the budget price. This has become a staple of my personal everyday make-up kit straight away.
Highlighters
Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector, MUA Luxe Glow Beam Liquid Highlight Cushion
Becca is not a new discovery for me, I've always loved the Shimmering Skin Perfector (the liquid version).
I've been using it for years and is still one of my top favourite highlighters. Perfect for a natural looking highlight if you like to avoid looking like a disco ball. I use the colour Pearl for a cool toned effect. If I'd like something warmer, and this is a very new discovery, I now use the MUA Luxe cushion highlighter.
This is a great colour with a subtle golden tone and a fantastic budget buy.
Lipsticks
Mac Liptensity Lipsitck, Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips, NYX Liquid Suede
There are tree lipsticks this year that have become my go to colours:
Mac Liptensity in Smoked Almond - I love the new Liptensity range from Mac, it is so comfortable to wear and has such great colour payoff. Smoked Almond is the colour I reached for the most, a great neutral colour that works with my everyday style well.
Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips in Miranda May - for an injection of a bit of a bright colour, Miranda May is my go-to lipstick. It's part of Tilbury's fabulous Hot Lips range that's been loved all around the world. Miranda May is a lovely coral-pink colour inspired by top model and Kora Cosmetics founder Miranda Kerr. All I have to say about this, if it is good enough for Miranda? It is good enough for me!
NYX Lipstick Suede in Cherry Skies
This deep plum-red is the perfect winter colour and the texture is one of my favourites out of all the liquid lipsticks. The rich, juicy hue is perfect for a statement dark lip.
Brows
Benefit Goof Proof Brow Pencil
Now. Finding a brow product for me is proving to be tricky because I have short, blond, 'golf club' brows (starting our thicker ending in a triangle, no arch, ugh!) and I always have to extend them. No matter how much I'd love to use only a coloured gel to style them, it is just not enough. Traditional brow pencils would work for me best ( Mac used to do one in Taupe, that was perfect but it was discontinued!) but not too many companies do them anymore and even if they do, the colours are not great, or they are too thin or too thick.
I tried this Benefit one when it came out and found myself reaching for it more and more despite the slanted shape which generally doesn't work for me. Colour No2 is the one I use and I've found the way to use it that looks just about natural which I'm quite happy about, so this will be a definite re-purchase.
Cheeks
Rimmel contouring palette
I bought this one in the summer and proved to be a very handy little thing. It is great to have contour (bronze), highlight and blush in the same palette, makes your job so much easier and great to travel with. The colours and textures are excellent, though they should do a bit more variety within the range for darker skin tones and maybe make a range with pink blushers too. I'm sure it would be popular.
Skincare
The Ordinary, The Body Shop Superfood Masks, Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel
Onto my skincare favourites.
I pretty much love everything about The Ordinary, I raved about them since I got them. They deliver top notch antiageing active ingredients without the fluff at a budget price so cutting edge skincare is much more accessible to the general public. I will keep using the ones and I already have (Vitamin C Suspention 23%, Retioid 2%, Cold Pressed Organic Rosehip oil, The Buffet) and just prepared a list of other products I'm planning on getting from them.
I am impressed by these two Body Shop Superfood Masks and I really enjoy using them. The Chinese Ginseng and Rise brightens the complection, The British Rose is a gel that hydrates. They are effective, fun, vegan and vegetarian, have a great price point, even my boyfriend started to use them which is an achievement considering he has quite basic needs when it comes to beauty.
Being thorough when it comes to cleansing is paramount. I always say, cleansing is the most important thing you can do for your skin and there are still so many people out there not realizing this. Oskia is one of my all time favourite cleansers and has remained so in 2016. I love the gel texture, it has so many benefits for the skin: it is packed full of vitamins and nutrients, it restores, brightens and nourishes the skin, it protects and promotes skin elasticity, firms, detoxifies and reduces inflammation, what's not to love about this?
Hair
Colab Dry Shampoo
I never liked dry shampoos, but this one is great and I've found myself using them to refresh my hair here and there in between washes. It doesn't leave a residue, it has a good range of different scents, works well as a styling product, has the option of travel/handbag size, all in all, a great discovery and a definite re-purchase.
Home
Diptique candle in Baies
A yearly favourite list is nothing without a good candle, this Diptique one fromm Space NK is a definite winner for me. The fresh and elegant mix of rose and blackcurrant gives a touch of class to your home. Diptique's custom blend candles are the bloggers' favourite but I'm not surprised, their unique and distinctive scents are all so inviting and enjoyable, not to speak about the elegant look they have for each of their products. I will definitely discover more from this brand next year.
That's it for my yearly favourites, I hope you enjoyed it and since this is the last post of the year, I'd like to thank everyone who supported me on my journey this year, it's certainly been a challenging yet exciting one. A very happy New Year to all of you reading this!
Christmas is by far my favourite time of the
year. I'm still looking forward to it with childlike excitement every time because somehow this is the time when I can really switch off and relax. I'm not really in it for the presents, but for the very precious down time.
I'm a bit 'hygge' when it comes to Christmas. My philosophy is taking solace in the small pleasures in life, getting rid of everything stressful, overwhelming, de-clutter my thoughts, getting ready to start the new year with fresh energy and aspiring for contentment. I appreciate even the smallest things and take pleasure in seemingly mundane things like making tea, baking, curling up on the sofa watch movies, reading, going for a beach walk. Christmas for me is all about warmth, comfort and quiet reflection.
I love many aspects of the holidays but here are the five things I enjoy most about it.
1. Christmas Decoration
I recycle Chrismas decoration, keep them from one year to the other, maybe add a few bits here and there. Our tree is usually warm, decorated with colourful, old-school, rustic trinkets just like it has always been the tradition in my family.
I love how most of our decorations have sentimental value and evoke memories. I wouldn't have the heart to get rid of them after Christmas, even if we might experiment with new themes later on.
Recently I got to like more cool colours, so we might try a white, silver and blue, more minimalist theme next year.
2. Lights and candles - fairy lights
To me, Christmas revolves around warmth and comfort. This is exactly what I get from all the lights and candles. They are often used in religious rituals and as tools of meditation, for me they are closely connected to switching off, resting and cleansing the mind at Christmas time, a therapy that I always need at the end of the year and it always works.
I usually like to keep my candles white, with the occasional colour. Just out of curiosity I started to look into the meaning of candles and apparently their colours have meanings too: white for spiritual blessings, purity, healing, rest, peace, truth, destruction of negative energy and metallic gold for fortune, luck, prosperity, success. I wish I could say I picked the colours because of their meaning, but no, this is just a random selection and some were gifts. At the end of the day I'm pleased with my colour theme, now that I know the meaning of them ;) This year I love Baies from Diptique, not really a Christmas scent, but so clean and relaxing. My other favourite has got to be Winter from The White Company which is a very typical spicy Christmas scent.
3. Scented oils
Burning scented oils have a similar therapeutic effect on me as candles. A nice Christmas blend can easily get me into holiday mode! This one from The White Company has got to be the winner, the mix of orange, clove and cinnamon lifts my mood and think Christmas straight away!
4. More time for beauty
Around Christmas time I usually go on a beauty spree. I slow down and take time to do my little home treatments - take long baths, use all the masks I have, do proper face massages with my oils, not forgetting about body brushing, exfoliating and using body oils too. These little rituals have an incredibly calming effect on me, not to talk about the much needed boost my skin needs mid-winter.
5. Family, loved ones
Last but not least, more quality time with family and loved ones. It's been a good year when I think about my personal relationships. My sister, my niece, Mr js makeupartist has been a great support and we are growing together. Though I have my family scattered in Europe we still managed to keep it together. There will be long Skype sessions on Christmas Eve while having drinks and talk about who cooked what and what everyone got under the tree. I am hopeful that despite all the challenges we face, next year will be even better for us.
Merry Christmas, Dear Readers!
You have to mention Lush around Christmas time. These guys produce one of the most fun, festive selection of products. This year is no exception. Some fan favourites returned, there are new arrivals too, I picked up a few and already allocated them to certain days I'm going to use them. While I'm normally not shopping in Lush, I really enjoy having a good look around there at this time of the year and pick a few bath bombs. There's nothing I like more at Christmas and New Years than really switch off, relax and along with watching Chrismas cooking shows, Christmas movies and Planet Earth, having long baths are part of it. I'm not too keen on sweetness, so my selection is more about sharp and fresh scents.
Magic of the stars
There's nothing more perfect for Christmas Eve than the Magic of the Stars bubble bar. This stunning-looking wand is the most Christmasy out of the lot. It looks so attractive I just wanted to take hundreds of pictures of it. You just have to hold it under running water, stir and your festive bath is ready. Apart from being pleasing to the eye, this has got to be my favourite scent too. It's spicey and sharp with hints of Cinnamon and Clove and Sweet Orange. It feels warm and comforting, everything I need at Christmas time.
This bubble bar is such a pretty thing with a bow, it is a perfect stocking filler or Secret Santa. I hope it will return next year.
Shoot for the Stars
Who doesn't love a blue bath with gold shimmer through it? I absolutely do! A definite contender for Chrismas Day evening, Shoot for the Stars is a refreshing, moisturizing, de-stressing bath bomb with Brazilian Orange, Bergamot, Cocoa Butter and Almond oil. If you don't shower off the glitter, standing close to the Christmas lights, your skin will be positively glowing from the sparkle of the little gold stars for sure. I don't think I'm ready for that, so a quick shower after bath it is!
I would probably use only half of it, sometimes I feel these bath bombs are too large for one use. Shoot for the Stars is perfect for winding down after the hectic Christmas preparations. It is quite messy though, so prepare for a good tub clean after using it.
Snow Angel
Snow Angel is a bath melt that turns into a silky, sparkly foam that looks like snow. This is my Boxing Day pick to calm the senses and relax after having one too many Christmas drinkies. The soft powdery smell of rose and gardenia is very comforting and the cocoa butter keeps the skin moisturized. I will probably have to take a shower after using this one too, to get rid of the glitter, but I don't mind that at all.
Northern Lights
This eye-catching beauty is my pick for New Year's Eve. The multi-coloured, fun bath will lift my mood and help me to get ready for a night of partying. The mix of blues, yellows, and purples fizzing away in the bath are a definite boost to the senses and the light floral scent of Jasmin is lovely.
I will use only half of it, otherwise the scent will get too heady and this is probably not for a long bath, because after the colours merge they turn into a not so attractive colour. The spectacular opening makes it worth for me though.
Star Dust
If you ever need an uplift, go with this one. I'm going to keep this for New Year's Day I think, it has such a lovely fresh, clean smell, it will work with New Year's Day's grogginess. The mix of rosewood, vanilla and bergamot works well, not too overwhelming.
It has tiny blue particles and some shimmer too and turns the bath into a lovely milky colour. Star Dust is the least messy of the lot.
All available at Lush UK
Note: these products might contain SLS and fragrancece, so if you're concerned about those, check ingredient lists.
