2015 Makeup Favourites …

As a follow on from the skincare/hair care post yesterday, here are the makeup bits and bobs that I have been reaching for the most during 2015. There is a nice mix of budget options and high end. These products are honestly the ones that I have used the most during 2015. A lot of them are repurchases or will be repurchases when they run out as I cannot be without them!

Clarins Instant Smooth Perfecting Touch – This is my second pot of this. As we all know, I don’t like the texture of silicone primers all over my face, and this does contain silicone, but I don’t put it all over. I apply this on my t-zone and around my eyes. It does an excellent job of blurring pores and filling in wrinkles/lines. It doesn’t feel heavy or slimy and as silicone primers go, this is the only one I will use.

Pixi Flawless Beauty Primer – A different kind of primer as it doesn’t claim to fill in pores/lines etc. but it does give a gorgeous glow to the skin. Sometimes I just wear this and don’t bother with foundation. It is quite shimmery, but underneath foundation this isn’t an issue – it just brightens your face and gives it an awake look – plus, I like a bit of glow!

Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation in 51 – I think this is my most used foundation of 2015 – definitely the most used budget foundation. I goes on beautifully, feels light on the skin but gives good, build-able coverage. I have dehydrated/normal skin so it doesn’t go oily or highlight dryness. It is just pale enough for my skin (I could do with a smidge more pale) and sticks around for a decent numbers of hours with powder.

Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream in 51  – I pretty much used this for the whole of the summer. It is light enough to not feel heavy and greasy and it colour corrects the redness. It isn’t amazing at colour correcting, but it does it well enough for me to be satisfied and not need to cover my face in Laura Mercier yellow concealer. A definite good buy for summer.

Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder in Fair 1– This is the high end foundation that I have been selecting in 2015. My MAC foundations didn’t really arrive until the latter end of the year, so this was the one I reached for the most. It is so light, yet has a really decent medium build-able coverage. It really does give the glow that is says and makes my face look quite radiant.

NARS Creamy Concealer in Chantilly – This is, without a doubt, my most used concealer in 2015. It is perfect for so many different kinds of concealing – under eye brightening/covering, blemish covering, redness covering – a great all rounder to chuck in your bag. The texture is quite thick but blendable and it feels light on the skin. Easy to blend and a great range of colour choices – I’m the palest. Obviously! This is my second tube and there will be many more!

Laura Mercier Secret Concealer in 1 – This little pot of salmon coloured loveliness is amazing at covering under eye circles. If you have darkness/blueish bag like I do, then you need a pinky/salmon shade to counteract the colour imbalance. This does a wonderful job when patted under the eyes and topped with a powder to set. It really knocks the blueish tone out of the skin. I couldn’t be without it now and I now understand when my under eyes have always looked a bit crap – salmon/pink was needed – not yellow!

Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage in SC-1 – This is the perfect little concealing palette. Once you pick your shades, you get two that should work for you. In SC-1 you get a yellow and a pinky colour. The yellow is amazing for the redness around my nose/mouth and the pinky shade is the right colour for blemishes. I really will not be without these two gems from LM now. They are a bugger to get hold of on the Isle of Wight – it means an internet gamble, but with a bit of Googling swatches you should be ok; I’m a bit easier as I’m always the palest shades! Worth checking out the ML official website for more info on the shade choices.

Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze and Glow – Now, whilst I’m not stupid enough to think that this product might turn me in to Jennifer Lawrence – it does give you some awesome cheek bones! The brown shade is the perfect contouring shade for my pale skin and the glowy highlighter gives my cheek bones that coveted ‘lit-from-within’ look! Who would say no to that?! I’ve used this pretty much every day for slight contouring. I’m no expert but I’ve certainly got better using this and watching Charlotte Tilbury’s videos. I’m not a fan of the Kim Kardashian ‘contoured to within an inch of your life’ look, but I know my cheek bones are under the flab somewhere, so anything that can bring them to the surface is a winner with me!

Charlotte Tilbury Flawless Airbrush Powder in 01 – It has definitely been the year of Charlotte Tilbury! This powder is the best powder I have ever come across (although this may be about to change now I’ve got my hands on the Hourglass Ambient Edit for Christmas!). It is so so fine that it really does go on and make my skin look airbrushed – hence the name. It doesn’t have any colour to it, or none that I can pick up, but it sets everything beautifully – and because it is so fine it works brilliantly under the eyes. If you want to branch out, make up wise and want something a bit more luxurious, then CT is well worth a look (and her videos on her site are definitely worth a watch)!

Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder in Light – This gorgeous, chocolate-like bronzer is perfect for those with pale skin. It has an ever-so-slight gold shimmer that is barely noticeable which is lovely. I don’t want my bronzer to be pure glitter (save that for the highlighter!), especially when it is going all over my face/neck to warm up my complexion.

NARS Blush in Orgasm – This is NARS’ most famous blush, one that they claim will suit any skin tone conceivable. It was also my first ever NARS purchase so it has a special place in my heart. This is such a gorgeous pink/peach toned blush (on my skin) and the golden shimmer is beautiful. It isn’t too heavy on my pale compexion and it gives a beautiful flush to the cheeks. I wear this all the time – nights out/work/weddings etc – it is so wearable. The glow it gives is so nice that I rarely wear highlighter with it. A forever repurchase.

Rimmel Lasting Finish Blush in Santa Rose – This blush is amazing. It is so cheap and so versatile. If I can’t be bothered, this is the one I pick up. It has very little shimmer in it, so isn’t over the top; it would be perfect for an interview or something where you need to be a bit more understated. This is my go-to day time blush. It looks beautiful on pale skin – a kind of dusty pale pink; nice and uplifting without being over the top.

Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara – I am very fickle with mascara – I chop and change and am rarely loyal to one brand (apart from Lancome Hypnose Drama). I don’t like spending massive amounts on mascara either (again, apart from Lancome) as they dry up quickly and might be complete crap! This one however, I love. And for a high-street option I don’t think you can go wrong. I like the thick, curled, almost a bit clumpy kind of look-  I’m not too fussed about every lash being separated; this mascara suits me perfectly. And it’s budget too. Maybe the perfect mascara hunt is over?! …

Clinique High Impact Mascara – This is my forth tube of this mascara, without every having to actually buy one! They always give these away with Clinique free gifts and they are well worth picking up. Perfect for the handbag. This mascara is kind of the opposite of the above: it separates every lash and there isn’t any clumping in sight – it holds a curl and is easy to remove. This is the one I always chuck in my bag and apply out and about as it is so easy. The Maybelline (because of the clumping) needs a bit more work in the mirror.

L’Oreal Brow Artist Plumper in Dark Brown – I did spend quite a bit of time with the Benefit Gimme Brow, but I think this is much much better. the wand is long, the colour is dark brown (not ashy or grey which Benefit was) and it doesn’t make my brows overly crispy. I had my brows shaped and tinted before Christmas, with HD Brows, so I don’t use this as much now – only for setting those few stray hairs that seem to be making an escape. I don’t feel any need to continue the brow product search though – so hence a place in the 2015 Favourites.

NARS Smudge Proof Eye Shadow Base – I have very oily eyelids (how lovely!) so I need something to base the powder with. This primer from NARS is excellent and my eye shadows don’t budge with this on. This is a sample size that I got with a NARS palette at Christmas 2014, and it has lasted me all year. I will be purchasing the full size one though.

Maybelline Colour Tattoo  24 Hr – I love these little pots! They are SO easy to use and perfect for a work day when you want to just swipe something on the lid and go. The four colours I have are very usable and versatile (Rose Gold, On and On Bronze and Permanent Taupe (matte) are the ones above – Metallic Pomegranate is hiding from me somewhere!). It you want a cream eye shadow to use alone or as a base, that I think is similar in texture to MAC Longwear Paint Pots, then these are for you.

Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon Pencil in Bronzed Garnet – I think this is my most used eye pencil I’ve ever owned! It is so easy to draw on along the lash line and smudge out with a brush or fingers. The colours are perfectly chosen to enhance your natural eye colour and they really do make your eyes pop, especially the Amethyst purple one that I use on nights out. This pencil is perfect for those who want to do a smoky eye but are a bit nervous! You don’t need black to do a smoky eye – brown or purple, in my case, are just as good.

Urban Decay Naked Palette – Surprise surprise, this is my most used palette of 2105 .. and 2014 .. and 2013. What can I say? The colours are perfect and I can create so many different looks with them. There is the perfect mix of mattes, shimmers and glitters in really wearable shades. If I was forced to chuck away every other palette I own and just keep one, it would be this one. The original and the best in my opinion. Amazing staying power, minimal fallout, buttery texture that is so blend-able. If you don’t own one – get one! Well worth the investment as I use mine all the time.

Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Liquid Lipsticks in Frambourjoise, Ole Flamingo!, Pink Pong and Plum Plum Girl – These were an amazing discovery this year and have made their way in to my heart! They are easy to apply, don’t go on teeth, are matte but not drying and last for bloody hours! I wore one on Christmas Day and it was there for a good 8 hours or so. 2015 was definitely the year of the bold lip for me – when I finally plucked up the courage to go outside, in public, wearing a non-nude shade! And people didn’t stare! And people actually made nice comments! And I didn’t feel like a slapper! Well, that’s it now – I’m hooked on a statement lip and these budget beauties will be with me for a very long time.

NARS Sheer Lipstick in Cruising – Of course, I do like to mix it up a bit with regards to lip colours and some days you just need an easy-to-wear-slap-it-on nude. This was the one I kept reaching for this year. Very inoffensive, very easy, very nice! NARS lipsticks are lovely and moisturising – I’ll definitely be looking out for more colours in 2016.

Charlotte Tilbuy K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in Coachella Coral – This was the lipstick of choice for the social event of the year – my little brother’s wedding in May. I wore this all day long and again, no teeth issues at all. It isn’t as long lasting as the Bourjois ones, but it is such a pretty, summery colour that I can’t hold that against it. The packaging is gorgeous and I know I’ll be cracking this out again when the weather gets warmer and the flip flops make an appearance again (please let it be soon!).

Phew! That’s it for 2015 Favourites. I hope that was interesting/useful. Good job I didn’t put the skincare and makeup all in one post!

Thanks for reading

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