2013 Favourites | Nails

L to R | Models Own-Utopia, Nails Inc-Piccadily Circus, Rimmel London-Rose Libertine, Barry M-Pink Silver Glitter, Essie-Mint Candy Apple, Models Own-Luis Lemon

L to R | Barry M Gelly Hi Shine - Greenberry, Prickly Pear, Blueberry

Oh nail varnish, my weakness. I have loved nail varnish for years, which is probably why I have a collection of at least 70. This was probably the hardest to narrow down as I change up my nail polish at least every 3 days. So I picked the colours that I went for the most.

Models Own | Utopia - This is my go to neutral shade, I find true nudes look horrible on me, but Utopia is a gorgeous light pinky purple off white shade. It looks good all through the year and is a perfect shade for any glitter top coat. 

Nails Inc | Piccadily Circus - This has been my go to winter colour, its almost the exact same as Barry M's 'Raspberry' but ever so slightly darker, I find red shades hard to wear as they make my hands look dead, but dark berry reds are amazing and perfect for autumn/winter.

Rimmel London | Rose Libertine - This was my go to spring shade, its a gorgeous pink, it does come out slightly orange in some lights. I love Rimmel nail polishes, I think they're amazing quality for the price, they dry fast and have a lovely shine that lasts around 2-3 days without a top coat.

Barry M | Pink Silver Glittler - Every year I have stayed away from opaque glitters as I have hated the look of them, but I picked this up on a whim and I fell in love, its opaque in 2 coats, it doesn't feel incredibly gritty like others. I like wearing this on my ring finger as an accent nail, I found depending on what you wear it with it brings out different undertones. For example, when i applied this with Piccadily Circus it looked more pinky, but with a dark blue shade it looks more gold.

Essie | Mint Candy Apple - In the summer this almost never left my nails, its the perfect mint shade, its not too blue, or too green and its a lovely vibrant shade. I love the formulation, its opaque in 2 coats, it lasts 3-4 days with no chips, the brush is wide enough to cover the nail in one swipe. If you haven't already, get this shade!

Models Own | Luis Lemon - When I first got this, I was disappointed as it was really sheer and not as bright as I thought it would be, so I tried putting a white base underneath and it made a huge difference. It is a super bright neon yellow, that glows in the sun light. I think this would look gorgeous with a tan. But this isnt only great for summer, I like wearing it when the weather is dull as it really brightens up my mood.

Barry M Hi Shine | Greenberry, Prickley Pear, Blueberry -I thought I would end on my favourite nail polish range this year, quite is the Barry M Gelly Hi Shine range, I think Barry M are always on point with the latest nail trends and they always make them at good affordable prices. But I fell in love with this collection, all the colours are gorgeous and unique, they dry quickly, they take about 2-3 coats depending on the colour, they are ridiculously shiny and last a long time without chipping, they usually last around a week on me! These are the 3 most worn in my collection, the first is Greenberry, I loved this in summer, this is a bright turquoise shade, I don't usually go for this kind of colour but its a great pop of colour. The next is Prickley Pear, I love this shade as it is a pastel purple but its still quite bright. This does need 3 coats but its so shiny and long lasting, as you can see, I have used it a lot. And the last is Blueberry, I didn't originally like this shade as I was expecting more of a light blue, but this is a bright sky blue, it is a really bold colour that stands out in the summer sunshine.

What has your favourite shades of the year been?

2013 Favourites | Eyes

This is part 2 of my 2013 favourites and were talking about Eyes, Eye products were something I didn't really experiment with in 2013, but I did find some holy grail products that I cannot live with out in my day to day life.

L'Oreal Super Liner Eyeliner | Black Crystals - I will admit I am rubbish with applying eyeliners, but this product makes it so easy, the applicator is a fine sponge tip, so its not hard or scratchy, it applies flawlessly and quickly, its really easy to create a thin line and you can create a dramatic cat eye in seconds. I accidentley picked up this shade but its actually quite nice, its an opaque black but has a slight shimmer in it, it isnt like a huge glittery shimmer, but it makes the liner look unique, not matte but not shiny. It is also the most long lasting waterproof eye liner I have tried.

MUA Eye Palette | Undressed - Whilst everyone is fussing over the Urban Decay Naked palettes, I'm still loving this cheap ass dupe. It's £3 and amazing quality. I have never been into using bright colours on my eyes, as much as I love it on other people, I feel stupid so I stick to my neutrals, this has a great selection of day time colours and darker shades to mix it up at the night time. The only issue I have found is that if you have oily eyelids like me, you need a primer as it can crease, but that is no different to any eye shadow I have tried

Rimmel Scandaleyes Kohl Eyeliner | Nude - Last year I always wore white liner in my waterline as I thought it opened up my eyes, but I soon realised it actually looked weird and my eyes looked red. Luckily that was around the time this got realised, and I heard so many reviews I had to buy it. I like using this in the morning as it cancels out any redness on the waterline with out looking so fake, it only lasts a few hours but that is expected in the waterline.

Maybelline Rocket Mascara - I have never found a holy grail mascara but this came close. It has short rubber bristles that coats the lashes really well, it needs 2 coats to get voluminous lashes, I would like it to be a bit more lengthening but I still like the results it gives.  It holds a curl really well and is so easy to apply. I think Maybelline is the best drugstore brand for mascaras.

Have you found any holy grail eye products this year?

2013 Favourites | Face

As everyone is saying, 2013 just flew by and I cant believe Christmas has come so quickly. So I thought I would end the year by writing about my favourite products from this year. After gathering everything together, I realised how many things I had been loving this year and couldn't go without, so I'm going to separate them into different posts starting with my favourite face product..

Foundation | Bourjois Healthy Mix - This is the only foundation I have tried this year that didn't break me out, which is a huge thing! This foundation has a really good coverage, Id say medium but buildable without going cakey, it matched my skin perfectly so I don't have to spend ages trying to blend it. I've found in the past that dewy foundations don't work well with my combination/oil skin but this lasts really well. I highly recommend this foundation, if you have drier skin I believe the Bourjois healthy mix serum is more hydrating.

Powder | Rimmel London Stay Matte - I apologise for the lack of label in the photo but the packaging for this product isn't the best, but the powder is. Im not usually a fan of powders as they usually go on really bad on me and usually doesn't make a difference in the wear time of my make up, but this helps take away any unwanted shine and helps with the lasting time. You do have to be careful about how much apply as it can go on cakey, but I actually apply this with a stippling brush, so it goes on lightly.

Bronzer | NYC Smooth Skin Bronzer 'Sunny' - Before this year I had never tried a bronzer, I never thought that it would look so good on my skin, as I'm so pale. But I saw this on sale in B&Ms for £3 and I had heard people saying this was a dupe of Benefits 'Hoola' Bronzer, so I thought I would give it a go. It is a really nice light contour shade, its not too orange or look muddy. Its very hard to go to OTT with this, but if you do it blends really easily.

Blush | Sleek 'Lifes a Peach' & ELF 'Tickled Pink' - I honestly could not pick one blush, these 2 have been my go to blushes the first blush is from Sleek, its a gorgeous peach shade that leans more to the orange side, it looks quite bright and scary in the pan but its quite sheer, you can pack it onto the skin to get a brighter shade but when worn lightly it creates a really nice natural glow, its a great shade for spring and summer. The next blush is ELFs Tickled Pink, it is the most gorgeous natural pink, it has a slight shimmer but its barely noticeable on the skin. I go for this everyday in winter as it creates a lovely 'been out in the snow' glow to your face.

What face products did you fall in love with in 2013?

Lush Lip Scrub | Mint Julips

During the winter my lips get horrible dry and start to flake and crack, so when I heard about this little gem, I was very curious. I was very lucky that James brought me this, and how grateful I am as this is a life saver!
Lush have a few different flavours Bubblegum, Popcorn and a Christmas special Santa. I picked Mint Julips as it smells just like mint chocolate and ohhh it is heavenly!
This product is very easy to use, just scoop the tiniest amount out with your finger and buff into your lips, then you can either wipe it off with a tissue or you can do what I do and lick it off. Not only does it taste amazing but it leaves your lips so smooth and soft, it contains Organic Jojoba oil which adds moisture to your lips, so its not a rough scrub, however I do recommend using a lip balm after to lock in the moisture in your lips, I find that Palmers lip butter is the perfect match for this. Since using this product I have noticed a huge different in the condition of my lips, I'm using a lot less lip balm and I'm finding that my lipstick looks better, applies more evenly and lasts longer!

The only down side to this product is it doesn't have the most hygienic packaging as you have to dip your fingers in tube, but I'm not bother about that. I know some people think the £5.50 price is too much but its made with all natural ingredients and it lasts a very long time, I've been using mine twice a day for the past month and I have barely dented it. I think this is a product everyone should try, its absolutely amazing and I couldn't recommend it enough.

What do you think about lip scrubs?

Are they an essential for you?

Lush - £5.50