2015 Beauty Favourites
Sunday, 10 January 2016
Read post
Last year I had about 5 or 6 posts just for my yearly favourites. This year I'm keeping it simple, everything beauty related in just one post. So grab yourselves a cup of tea, maybe a snack, because things are about to get long and rambly.
Makeup & Nails
MAC Eyeshadow in Satin Taupe - Shadow pot - £13.00, refill pan - £10.00. Both available from MAC
Well Hello Gorgeous! Satin Taupe is a MAC classic for a reason people! When I first started building up my MAC palette Satin Taupe was the first to make it's way into my basket, why? Because it's bloody lovely that's why. A lilac-y, silver-y taupe that can be smoked up for a super sexy evening look or simply washed over the lid for a more subtle daytime look. It's super versatile and super stunning. Well done MAC!
Seventeen Phwoarr Paint Heavy Duty Under Eye Concealer in Fair - £4.99 (currently on offer, usually £5.49) from boots.com
This concealer has been one of my favourites for a long old time now. I've raved about this concealer and shouted it's praises from the rooftops countless times so I won't bore you with the details. All you need to know is that it gives excellent coverage and lasts really well. It's fabulous.
MAC Eyeshadow in Patina Shadow pot - £13.00, refill pan - £10.00. Both available from MAC
Patina is another MAC classic and a bit of a stunner if we're being honest. Patina is a dreamy, shimmery, rich, toasted golden brown shade that applies beautifully and looks amazing simply applied all over the lid and blended into the crease. It's such a gorgeous colour. It makes me go all hearteyed emoji.
Maybelline Lash Sensation Mascara - £7.99 from boots.com
Maybelline have created my perfect mascara, I'm serious, it is incredible. It gives a ton of volume, it lengthens, it's defining. It's long lasting, doesn't flake, doesn't smudge. It. Is. Perfect.
This is such a fab little eyeshadow quad, when I first got it I wasn't expecting to like it as much as I do because normally I'm not a fan of pink toned shadows, but these are seriously beautiful. The shadows are pigmented, finely milled, buttery soft in texture and don't crease. They really are amazing, especially at such a low price point. Well done Fleur!
Olivia Palermo x Ciaté in Hutch -£17.00 from lookfantastic.com
Hutch was having it's moment last summer but is a fairly recent discovery of mine. O EM GEE I can totally see what all the fuss was about. The colour is stunning, a bright and bold pillar box red with a fabulous formula. I'm a big fan of OP's entire collection with Ciaté, they are classic colours done beautifully, but Hutch is my favourite. Simple, but gorgeous.
Maybelline Master Sculpt Contouring Pallette in 01 Light Medium - £6.99 from boots.com
I never used to be a fan of Maybelline. In the past I've found them to be a bit hit and miss, and way more miss than hit to be honest. BUT over the past year they have really upped their game, and now so much of my everyday make up is from Maybelline - I also really, really love the Fit Me Concealer and the Color Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencils! -This nifty little palette is my go to for light contouring. It has 2 shades, a contour and a highlight. The contour is a light, ashy brown that is perfect for us paler skinned lasses, it also looks really natural on the skin which is a definite plus. The highlighter, however, is the real star. A beautiful, pale, champagne colour with a very subtle shimmer running through it. It adds a very subtle and natural looking glowy radiance to the skin without looking like too much. It's just fantastic.
Maybelline Master Sculpt Contouring Pallette in 01 Light Medium - £6.99 from boots.com
I never used to be a fan of Maybelline. In the past I've found them to be a bit hit and miss, and way more miss than hit to be honest. BUT over the past year they have really upped their game, and now so much of my everyday make up is from Maybelline - I also really, really love the Fit Me Concealer and the Color Drama Intense Velvet Lip Pencils! -This nifty little palette is my go to for light contouring. It has 2 shades, a contour and a highlight. The contour is a light, ashy brown that is perfect for us paler skinned lasses, it also looks really natural on the skin which is a definite plus. The highlighter, however, is the real star. A beautiful, pale, champagne colour with a very subtle shimmer running through it. It adds a very subtle and natural looking glowy radiance to the skin without looking like too much. It's just fantastic.
Nails Inc in Haymarket - £4.99 from amazon.co.uk
I'm a sucker for a turquoise blue-y green (a bleen? A grue?) nail polish and this offering from Nails Inc is my absolute favourite. As in I love it so much I've used most of the bottle and will need to repurchase it soon! The colour is B-E-A-U-tiful! A muted sea foam, that I was wearing pretty much constantly throughout the summer. It's just so pretty and the formula's pretty fabulous too. I might actually be in love with it.
Normally I'm more of a lipstick lover but this gloss is actually closer in formula to a high shine liquid lipstick than a gloss. It's been my go to for days when lipstick feels like too much effort. The colour is a deep berry pink that is right in my berry lip loving wheelhouse. It's so pretty but super wearable at the same time. It's also really comfortable and moisturising on the lips, fades down into an even stain and has a really good wear time. It does need to be reapplied after eating and drinking but other than it is fabulous. The only way it could get any better was if it smelt like vanilla, which it does. It's my favourite lipgloss.
Skincare
No7 Beautiful Skin Hot Cloth Cleanser - £9.95 from boots.co.uk
No7's skincare is fabulous, but this cleanser really takes the cake. It's awesome. It promises 'soft, hydrated and radiantly clean skin' and boy does it deliver. My skin isn't great, incredibly sensitive, sometimes dry and, sadly, riddled with adult acne, but this cleanser is so gentle whilst deeply cleansing the skin, removing all traces of makeup and dirt. These days I have to be so careful with what I put on my skin but this cleanser has been an absolute lifesaver.
nspa Skin Renewal Gel - £7.00 from Asda, available in store, not currently available online
nspa's Skin Renewal Gel is a gel exfoliator that breaks down into an oil once it's been worked into the skin, it contains fruit acids that gently dissolve dead skin cells and dry, flaky skin revealing brighter, softer skin. It's become a staple in my skin care routine because it's oh so gentle - are you beginning to see a pattern? - but it really gets the job done.
Olay Beauty Fluid - £4.99 from olay.co.uk
Olay's Beauty Fluid is a classic, a really lovely, light weight moisturiser that nourishes my skin without irritating it or making it look greasy. I like to use it first thing in the morning because it has a non-greasy texture and is super fast absorbing, making it a perfect base for make up. I love it!
The Balm Balms Away Eye Makeup Break-Up - £15.50 from debenhams.com
The worst thing about wearing a lot of eye makeup is having to take it off at the end of the day. Enter Balms Away. With a thick, vaseline-like consistency it breaks down even the toughest to remove waterproof mascara in seconds. Amazing.
Garnier Micellar Water - £3.33 (on offer, usually £4.99) for 400ml from boots.com
My mum refers to this as 'posh water' but she loves it really, because it's sooooo good! It removes make up quickly and effortlessly but most importantly it's hypoallergenic and oh so gentle on the skin. It's also cheap as chips. It's great.
Other
John Frieda Frizz Ease Curl Reviver Mousse - £5.89 for 200ml from superdrug.com
John Frieda is a frizz taming god! Mousse has been a staple in my haircare routine since I was 14, when I decided to really embrace the curl and this is one of the best I've come across - the other being Vo5's Smoothly Does It - it's very lightweight, it doesn't drag my hair down but leaves my curls smooth, defined, non-crispy and most importantly frizz free.
Lucy Bee ExtraVirgin Organic Raw Coconut Oil - £9.95 for 500ml from amazon.co.uk
Coconut oil is truly a thing of wonder. I like to use this as a hot oil hair treatment and it's fabulous.
I just melt down 1.5 tablespoons of the solid oil and run it through the midlengths and ends of my hair before leaving it for a few hours or overnight. The difference it's made to the condition of my hair is so amazing it might actually be magic.
Garnier Intense 7 Days Restoring Hand Cream for Dry & Chapped Hands - £1.99 (on offer, usually £2.99) for 100ml from superdrug.com
My hands have really not had a good year. Hand washing, hand sanitiser and a recent diagnosis of OCD has left them in terrible condition. Dry, chapped, cracked, bleeding and really sore. Nothing, and I really mean nothing, was making any difference until I got my poor abused paws on a tube of this. It's super hydrating, fast absorbing and is the only cream I've come across that contains a repairing agent that actually does repair the skin and works instantly. I can't be without it.
Lipbalm is something I can't be without and this offering from Burt's Bees is lovely. It tastes and smells exactly like lime starburst which is amazing, but more importantly it is so nourishing on the lips, giving them a much needed burst of hydration. I refuse to go anywhere without it. It's fabulous.
Sorry that was a tad longer and rambler than expected but thanks for sticking with me. What were your favourites from the last year? Let me know by commenting below, on twitter, or dropping me an email at lolarocknroses@gmail.com. Also check out my instagram, facebook, bloglovin', snapchat - search lolarocknroses - & pinterest for regular updates.
Love love love xxx
.jpeg)
.jpg)
