2015 beauty favourites♡

Happy New Years Eve! I hope you all have had a lovely 2015 and that 2016 is an even better year for you. Also, thank you for all of your support throughout 2015 with all your comments and feedback. It really means a lot to see many of you reading and enjoying what I post so thank you! So it's that time of year where beauty bloggers recap on what beauty products have been stand out favourites in their routines. Some of mine are new found loves and some of these are golden oldies that I have continued to use in 2015. I hope you enjoy!

So first up is the Rimmel Fix and Perfect Pro primer. I have been on a bit of a primer obsession this year especially in the Summer. I was trying to find the perfect primer for Summer that wasn't too silicone based, wasn't too greasy and was still moisturising. This was the answer! I love the consistency on my face as it doesn't feel thick. It's the texture of a moisturiser and sinks into my skin easily and doesn't feel like I've put something horrible on my skin. It has become my primer of choice whenever I need my makeup to last for the whole day. 

I'm not going to dwell for too long on these next two products as ever since I discovered them back in 2013 I have been hooked and have repurchased these many times. The first is my favourite concealer which is the Collection Lasting Perfection. It covers my spots, it's a perfect shade for my skin-tone, it doesn't look orange or too peach toned on my complexion and it is easy to blend. I love it! The second is my Rimmel Stay Matt Powder. Again, another product that I have repurchased many a time and is my favourite setting powder. 

Lastly for base is another powder. I didn't really have a stand out foundation for me this year but this powder springs to mind. Unlike the Stay Matt which is more of a setting powder, this Bojours Healthy Balance powder gives me coverage. I absolutely love this and I don't know why I didn't discover this before. I have oily spot-prone skin and I never thought a powder would replace a foundation for me but this has! It lasts for the whole day and my skin doesn't build up a greasy look to it as quickly when I use this. I apply it with the stippling brush by Real Techniques and it applies it lightly and evenly. I have the shade 52 Vanille which is the lightest shade.

2015 was definitely a year for bronzer to make an appearance in my regular makeup routine. I was always a blusher kind of gal and bronzers were never perfect on my skin. Either too orangey or didn't look natural on my pale skin until THIS - The Body Shop Honey Bronzer. I bought this back in the Spring and it's probably one of my all-time favourite makeup products. I know prioritise applying bronzer over blusher which never used to happen. I really love it because it gives a natural warmth to my pale complexion without looking fake or orange at all. I adore this product so much!

Of course I still love blusher and this year I discovered the Natural Collection blushers. I really love the natural blush look and this range has the loveliest selection of natural looking colours. The colour I purchased was 'Dusky Pink,' which is a light raspberry pink shade. It was my go-to for a daily blusher look and perfect for school to give you that rosy glow.

2015 was definitely a year for me to experiment with my eyeshadow. I was always into the cream, light pink and champagne kind of shades but in 2015 I went wild and tried everything from burgundy to bronze to even green! Yep, told you it was wild. My eyeshadows which I have reached for the most has to be the Urban Decay Naked 3 pallet. I was also introduced to the wonderful world of high end makeup this year and I was obsessed with this pallet. The quality of these shadows are the creme da la creme of eyeshadows. The range is fabulous and in the Autumn I ventured into the darker shades. My favourites have to be: Strange, Burnout, Limit and Liar. 

So for brows. My brows still need some TLC but I discovered many techniques to filling in my eyebrows this year. I have to of course give an honourable mention to the Mabelline Colour Tattoo in Permenant Taupe which was a favourite for a few months but it dried up in the Summer. Therefore, the award of best brow product goes to the Soap and Glory Brow Archery pen. I think this is so easy to use and creates the perfect natural eyebrow look. It comes with a thin pen end which I use to put the shape back into my eyebrows and then a waxy end which I use to fill in any of the gaps. 

Now for mascara!I couldn't pick one as I have been using both together and have loved both! In the Spring I purchased the Maybelline Lash Sensational and the Benefit Rollerlash. The Maybelline Lash Sensational still remains probably my favourite out of the two (at this point my bank balance gives a sigh of relief as the Rollerlash happens to be £19.50!) The Lash Sensational gives me lots of volume and really does look like it's multiplied my eyelashes to give a fuller look. However, the Benefit version gives me more length and curl to my eyelashes. The formula of the Benefit stings my eyes sometimes so that's why I prefer the Maybelline alternative but both give such a lovely look and are fab. 

My favourite eyeliner this year has been the Soap and Glory Super Cat. Back in the beginning of the year I purchased this and had used this most days lightly on my top lash line. Recently, I have been using black eyeshadow for a slightly subtler smoky effect but for nearly the whole year this was a staple! The pen is really precise and easy to use and I will continue to repurchase this next year when it runs out.

Surprisingly, choosing my top lip products this year was easy because all year I have been reaching for the Revlon lip crayons. In December 2014 I got one of the laquer balms in Demure for Christmas and I loved it so much I bought the shade 'Coquette' in January. Back at the start of the year, my lipstick application was pretty rubbish but then I found these which made the application of a lip colour ten times easier. I love the formula and the look of them. They are moisturising, glossy and give my lips a bit of shine like a lipgloss. I took these everywhere with me because there quite balmy and don't really require a mirror. I have three of them: two laquer balms (in the shiny packaging) called 'Demure' which is a light pastel pink and 'Coquette' which is a bright hot pink. I also bought one of the ones from the balm stain range called Honey which is a plum nude colour. 'Honey' gives a natural stain to the lips after it has worn down which looks really lovely. I will continue to use these next year and possibly purchase more! 

 What are your beauty favourites from 2015? 

Emily x