Happy New Year | Favourites of 2015

2015 was definitely a year with major ups and downs for me but after a little social media detox I'm so excited to be back here and blogging again for 2016! As far as beauty products are concerned it was a year of so many amazing discoveries. My obsession with bareMinerals products reached new heights, I rediscovered Lush and I'm completely in love with the store again and I finally found a few holy grail skincare items that I honestly can't imagine living without. So, before I start to ramble on like I always tend to do (some things will never change!) let's get started with my makeup favourites of 2015.

Wishlist | Beauty #2

This year I've decided to organise myself and my spending habits a little bit more. I've been realising lately that I can buy those products I really want, even if they are a bit pricey, if I save my money instead of buying little things here and there that will probably be forgotten about within a month or two. I could guiltlessly buy myself the Nuxe Rêve de Miel Lip Balm, for example, if I make my own lunch at home instead of buying a Tesco Meal Deal three days a week when I'm in University over lunch time! No more unsatisfying sandwiches and luxuriously soft lips? That's sounds like a good deal to me!

Skincare
This year I'm getting serious about skincare. It's always been a bit of an unexplored area of beauty for me and recently my skin has been begging for more attention. At 21 I'm not going to get any younger and *gasp* I think I might see a wrinkle forming on my forehead. It's time to take some serious action and hopefully if I can try out one new product every two months my skin should be wonderful before my 22nd birthday! Currently, I'm lusting over:

La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+]  - £15.50 (currently £11.62 at Boots)
I've heard wonders about this product and apparently the new, plus version is even better than the original. My friend Fiona, over at Fi's Little Blog, recommended this to me and apparently it does wonders on blemishes and acne marks.

La Roche-Posay Serozinc Spray - £8.50 (currently £7.29 at Escentual)
Both Suzie from HelloOctober and Alix from I Covet Thee included this in their 2014 favourites. I've never tried any form of toner before and the Serozinc Spray is a light mist that tackles excess oiliness and blemishes. It only contains only 3 ingredients: Spring Water, healing Zinc Sulphate and astringent Sodium Chloride and apparently it soothes and calms redness which is something my skin definitely needs right now!

Nuxe Rêve de Miel Ultra Nourishing Lip Balm - £9.50
£9.50 is very expensive for a lip balm but my lips always suffer the most, whether it's winter or summer. Honestly, they're just never happy and I've been dealing with dry lips since I was younger. It's a big favourite among the YouTube and Blogging community and it's something I'm willing to splash out on if it can heal my pesky dry lips!

Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate - £36.00
I'm sure you've all heard the hype around this product and who doesn't want younger, healthier looking skin in the morning? If this can make my face look radiant after late night library visits then I think I better invest now before dissertation deadlines, essays and exams hit once more. It is super expensive but it should last a long time if only 2-3 drops are required in one use and I love the bottle and the little pipette!

First Aid Beauty Facial Radiance Pads - £20.50
I've read a lot of mixed reviews about the Radiance Pads but there are so many bloggers who rave about them so I really want to try them out for myself. They brighten, tone and exfoliate the skin - a little bit like the Effaclar Duo +, so if I do purchase them I probably wouldn't use the two products together!

Haircare
My hair has been feeling limp, dull and just not silky during the winter months. I really want to bring it back to life and have smooth and silky locks again. So my two haircare picks (and hopefully hair heroes) are:

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer 75ml - £15.00
I've tried and loved Philip Kingsley's Daily Damage Defence Spray and as the Elasticizer is the brands most famous product, claiming to deliver elasticity, bounce and shine to the hair, it seems like a good place to start my quest for healthy hair. I really want to start investing more time and care into my hair routine and there are so many positive reviews about this moisturising treatment I'm curious to see if it lives up to the hype!

Charles Worthington Volume & Bounce Texturising Spray - £6.99
This product is part of Charles Worthington's Salon at Home range which I'm a big fan of. I've already reviewed his Leave-In Conditioner here and I think the range offers high quality products for a reasonable price. This spray has cropped up in Fleur de Force's 2014 favourites and her hair always looks full of life and voluminous - something my hair is definitely missing. I love the result of texturizing products but I hate that so many of them make the hair stick together. Hopefully this won't have that effect!

Make-Up
Of course there are a thousand make-up items I want (I'm thinking of everything Charlotte Tilbury!) but there's nothing I desperately need right now. I've placed skincare as a priority this year, so I've only chosen one make-up product in my wishlist.

Bourjois 123 Perfect Colour CC Cream - £9.99
In Suzie's (Hello October) latest video she reveals that this CC Cream is a dupe for Dior's Diorskin Nude BB Creme, a product I've been lusting over for a while now. I've never tried a CC cream before and I absolutely love Bourjois' face products so for £9.99 I'm willing to give this a go! My current liquid base is a little too dark for me so I'll be definitely getting the lightest shade of this. Also, Boots are currently offering a free Rouge Edition Lipstick when you spend £12 on Bourjois so I might buy this right now!

What's currently on your wishlist? 

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The Glamour Beauty Power List Box by Latest in Beauty

 Latest in Beauty - The Glamour Beauty Power List Box £15.99

The second half of September has been a very busy month for me, so much so that I've had to ignore my blog for a little while! I had the best intentions of creating this post immediately after I'd received the new Glamour box by Latest in Beauty but I jetted off to Prague the same day it arrived (sadly I left my cable at home so I can't transfer my holiday photos to my computer!) Since then, I've been busy with moving back to University and readjusting to student life. Hopefully, now I've settled back into life in Leeds, I can get myself back on track and into some form of schedule as there are so many things I've wanted to write about this month but I simply haven't had the time.

When it comes to beauty boxes I know a lot of people  think they're not worth the money. Subscription services like Birchbox vary so much in quality month to month I never stay subscribed to them for very long - I'm not exactly their most loyal customer but I certainly pick up a box if something inside catches my eye. However, I think the Latest in Beauty boxes are very different: no subscription is required and, in my opinion, they offer better deals. To be honest I thought the Glamour Beauty Power List box would have sold out by now but thankfully you can still get your hands on one if you haven't already! I ordered this box at the beginning of September when I first spotted it advertised in the October issue of Glamour Magazine. Even though this post has been rather delayed, it means I can actually review some of the products as I've had a chance to use them properly instead of just writing about my first impressions. So perhaps there's an upside to my laziness and lack of blogging!

Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish 

In my last post, Discovering Skincare, I mentioned how much I love this cleanser so how could I say no to another 30ml sample and an extra muslin cloth? I love everything about this cleanser, from the scent to the way it makes my skin feel and the size is perfect for travelling with as well. This size currently retails for £5.50 and you can find it here. 

Eyeko Mascara Off Eye Makeup Remover Wipes

I haven't had a chance to try these wipes yet but I can imagine they will be perfect for travelling and they contain Olive Oil and Aloe Extract which hopefully will help avoid the dry, sore feeling I sometimes get after rubbing too hard with an ordinary make-up wipe. You receive 10 wipes and they currently retail for £6.00 here. (Which seems a lot of money for 10 wipes?!) 

Laura Mercier Foundation Primer

This primer is my favourite product in the box by far and can you believe that it's the first ever primer that I've used? You receive a 30ml sample which retails for £18.50 which is more expensive than the entire beauty box! I absolutely love this primer, it leaves my skin feeling silky and my pores are reduced in size and it definitely improves the staying power of my make-up. I'm trying to ration this and use it on special occasions or in the evenings as I simply don't want it to run out! 

Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara

The box includes a full size sample of this mascara (12ml) and retails for £9.99. I've just finished my sample of Benefit's They're Real so this mascara had to compete with one of my all time favourites and it has actually impressed me quite a lot! It doesn't clump, it makes my lashes look longer and fuller and it holds a curl nicely. After one coat my lashes look lovely and suitable for daytime and you can easily apply more coats without sacrificing the separating, volumous effect for a more dramatic look. I only have one tiny complaint about this mascara and that is after a full day of wearing it I notice tiny black smudges on my upper eyelids.

Philip Kingsley Daily Damage Defence

Probably my second favourite product in this box is the 60ml sample of Philip Kingsley's Daily Damage Defence spray which retails for £7.50. I've been using it for about two weeks now and my hair feels soft, shiny and, considering how it desperately needs cutting, my split ends don't look that bad anymore. It detangles when I apply it to wet hair and I've also noticed adding a few spritz of this after drying my hair helps tame fuzz. I also really love the smell and apparently it's the every day equivalent to the famous Elasticizer! 

James Read Sleep Mask Tan

I'll admit it, I'm too scared to try this product as I know if it ends in disaster I have to get up and go to lectures with my face looking bright orange. I'm sure that won't happen, I've read so many reviews about this and they're all positive so if you're looking for a subtle tan apparently this product works wonderfully! I'm not familiar with false tanning so I think I'm going to wait until term ends so I can test this out at home with only my parents around to see the results! This sample is 25ml but I was unable to find the price for this size. The full size contains 50ml costs £25. 

Maybelline Stripped Nudes Lipstick

There are 5 shades of the Stripped Nudes lipstick so the only problem with this is that you might not receive a shade that will suit you. The full size lipstick costs £6.99 and I love the little lace pattern on the bottom of the lipstick! For darker complexions, I don't really think any of the shades will be that suitable but for lighter skin tones there are some lovely shades in the range. I received Sultry Sand (710) and to be honest I was rather disappointed at first as it made me look rather washed out and ghostly. The pigmentation was rather wonderful though, I naturally have pigmented lips and it covered them well! This product is the reason I'm quite happy I waited a while to create this post as I've been playing with this lipstick for a while and I've found that it looks amazing on top of other lipsticks! By adding just a little bit of this over my favourite pink shades I've managed to transform them all into my own, perfect nudes. I suppose this doing this is rather similar to adding concealer over lipstick but the Maybelline Stripped Nudes glide on the lips smoothly and add a lovely, subtle shine! I'm definitely going to be buying more shades from the range and even though this wasn't my ideal shade I've managed to make it work!

As well as receiving 7 products the Glamour Beauty Power List box also includes a 12 month digital subscription worth £15.99! Out of all the beauty boxes I've ever seen, this is by far the best value for money and I think I've discovered some new favourite products as well! 

I also received three promo codes which I thought I would share with you all that are valid until the 31st October 2014:

20% off Eyeko with GLAM20

20% off Philip Kingsley with PKGLAMOUR2014 

A Free L'Oreal Paris Infalliable 24H Lip Colour with your next order at www.latestinbeauty.com with GLAMOCT14

Meet me at Sunset...

Every so often, usually once or twice every season, I find myself completely obsessed with a new colour. (For example, this Spring I found myself in love with a turquoise green-blue shade, think China Glaze’s For Audrey and Tiffany’s classic blue!) My obsession always gets a little bit out of hand and when I’m shopping I gravitate towards absolutely anything that’s in my new coveted shade, convincing myself that it’s entirely acceptable to feel like I need to buy five lipsticks, four tops and two handbags in my new go-to colour.  So, in an attempt to control myself whilst simultaneously satisfying my colour craving, I allow myself to buy up to five new items, a sort of colour capsule, that includes make-up, clothing and accessories. However, if the colour can transition into the next season I don’t feel too guilty if I splurge and buy a few extra things! 

Inspired by hot summer nights, sunsets over the Costa del Sol and blazing campfires my current addiction is a bright, but slightly burnt looking, red-orange. Surprisingly, I only have one clothing item which is a simple vest from Topshop, £6. I wear it with everything and it instantly makes me feel summery. My favourite buy is the Florelli Paris Tote which I picked up in TK Maxx for only £35. It provides any casual look with the perfect pop of colour and I absolutely love the little purse that comes attached to it which I use to carry my favourite lip products of the moment (I bet you can’t guess what colour my favourite lipstick is right now...)

Left to right: Revlon Super Lustrous Lip Gloss in 255 Coral Kiss (£6.99), Bourjois Colour Boost Lip Crayon in 03 Orange Punch(£7.99).

I have a weakness for lip products so it was only natural that I picked up two in boots: a Revlon lipgloss as well as the Bourjois Lip Crayon. I'm a big fan of the Revlon Super Lustrous glosses and I love how pigmented Coral Kiss is. It also has a hint of golden shimmer and it looks gorgeous with a tan (I'm desperately trying to keep mine!) Bourjois' Lip Crayon is sheer, glossy and quite moisturising which makes it perfect for everyday wear! It lasts for a couple of hours on the lips before it begins to fade and you can easily build the intensity of the colour to transition from day to night. My favourite way to wear coral, however, is to combine the gloss and the crayon together!

My final purchase was my first ever Essie nail polish in Meet me at Sunset, £7.99. I'm absolutely in love with the colour and formula and I can't stop staring at my nails, they're just so pretty. After two coats my nails looked great and I think this shade will look amazing on the toes!

What's your favourite colour this summer?