The best of beauty 2016

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!