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.

Beauty Wishlist #3 - The Autumn Edit

I've only discovered one problem with being a blogger and it has to do with the fact that I now want absolutely every single makeup product on the planet. Okay, so that's a little bit of an exaggeration but the 'Beauty Wishlist' note that I keep on my iPhone has reached a completely ridiculous length and in an attempt to control my spending and avoid any impulse buys I thought I would put together another Wishlist Post. Plus, my birthday is in less than a month so at least I have a valid reason to treat myself. Prepare for an overload of Autumn hues - think dusty rose shades, lots of soft but musky lavenders and enough metallic, golden shadows to paint the eyelids of the entire nation! And, of course, there's a few essentials thrown into the mix. So, here's what I'm dying to get my hands on this Autumn and I'd love to know if any of you have tried any of the products above! Make sure you let me know what's on your Wishlist for Autumn too... I'm sure I'll find space to add to mine before the season is over!

A Little Beauty Haul

Even when I was really busy with University last month I still found the time to do a little bit of shopping and I've acquired quite a few random beauty bits I'm really excited to talk about! Today's haul is one full of firsts as I finally bought a toner and an eyebrow gel and I honestly don't know how I've survived all this time without these two steps in my beauty routine! I was really intrigued by Maybelline's Brow Drama which could be an amazing dupe for Benefit's Gimmie Brow, but as my eyebrows are thick and pigmented enough on their own I opted for the translucent shade so I can't really make a full comparison. Nevertheless, I can't believe the difference a brow gel can make! Even when I'm wearing hardly any make-up I always reach for Brow Drama as it tames my unruly brows perfectly and thankfully it isn't clumpy and it doesn't make my eyebrows feel hard either. And at £4.99 it's such a steal!

I've never really been interested in toner but after finding a £20 gift card for ESPA in a magazine a few months ago I decided to try the Balancing Herbal Spafresh Spritzer. I'll admit when I'm being lazy I end up missing this step out in the morning but on the days I do use a this toner my skin feels refreshed, looks more healthy and the smell really wakes you up! The toner is suited for all skin types but it's specifically aimed for oily/combination skin and I definitely notice a reduction in oil throughout the day when I use this. The toner contains a mixture of peppermint (to refine pores), witch hazel and elderflower (which combat outbreaks and blemishes). I personally love the smell and I'm currently on the look out for a small bottle so I can keep this in my bag and use it as a hydrating mist throughout the day as I've heard it works wonderfully when applied over makeup! 

After hearing so much about the amazing Tangle Teezer brushes and accepting the fact that my current brush was destroying my hair and snapping it all the time I picked up the Original Tangle Teezer in Lilac to replace my old brush. I wasn't overwhelmed when I first used this brush but after a while I realised that my hair was significantly smoother (I used to have so many knots in my hair!) I'm still not certain if I understand the hype but I'm glad I decided to pick a Tangle Teezer up! 

My next purchase is a repurchase, just in a different scent! I always have to have a Burt's Bees lip balm in my bag and after my beloved Coconut and Pear balm ran out I decided to try something a little different and picked up the Blueberry and Dark Chocolate version. The balm itself works just as wonderfully as all the other Burt's Bees balms I've tried (I really recommend them!) and it definitely hydrates my lips but I'm not a fan of the scent at all. I thought the combination would be lovely but it's just a bit odd and so overpowering.

Every season I always purchase one of the VS limited edition body sprays and I absolutely loved the one I picked up last year (which is featured in my July Favorites!) This year they released 4 limited edition scents - Escape, Paradise, Beach and Surfside - and I actually picked up the mini versions of the other scents in the VS Semi Annual sale last week! Surfside, however, was definitely my favourite. It's a refreshing mix of passion fruit and driftwood and it reminds me of the drinking cocktails on the beach! I can't stop reaching for this during the day time and it's now my go-to summer scent! 

What have you been buying recently?

Let me know if you've tried any of the above products in the comments! 

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