My 15 Beauty Favourites of 2015

Whenever I do this post, I always miscount and forget a product and of course this year was no exception. It was only when I started typing this, that I realised I only had 14 products and had forgotten to photograph my beloved Colab dry shampoo…..fml

Yesterday I shared my Makeup Favourites for the year and today its the turn of my beauty favourites, because there is no way I could edit it down to 15 out of both categories.

1. Unite 7 Seconds Shampoo and Conditioner

I think I only tried this shampoo and conditioner for the first time in November but I instantly loved this combo. First of all it smells divine and the smell lingers in your hair, but more importantly it seems to give my hair that elusive Kate Middleton bounce. 

2. RapidLash

I have used RapidLash before so I knew it worked, but I got lazy and didn't repurchase. Earlier this year I kept getting serious eyelash envy from my friend Chloe. She had kept using RapidLash and her eyelashes were ridiculously long (bitch) so in September I purchased a new tube and started again.

I apply RapidLash once a day at night before I go to bed and after 6 weeks you start to notice a massive difference in the length of your lashes. My lashes now touch my eyebrows and I've had so many people asking me if I'm wearing eyelash extensions. I am vowing to keep using this now.

If you are thinking of buying RapidLash make sure you buy it from Amazon, it's less than £20.00, whereas in Boots it's sold for about £40.00!)

Before RapiLash

 After using RapidLash for 4 months

3. Clarins Radiance-Plus Golden Glow Booster for body

I don't fake tan, mainly because I am too lazy but also because I have had one too many fake tanning disasters. When we were discussing potential nominations for the beauty awards at work, my colleague Bridget recommended these. Bridget is one of those people that you can't help but bask in their beauty so of course I had to try them.

Rather than having to apply a separate fake tan, all you do is mix a few drops of this in with your normal body moisturiser. There's no fake tan smell, no streaks and no extra steps to your routine and I love the subtle colour this gives my skin. If you are a die hard tan fan this probably won't be enough for you, but if you just want to add a bit of colour to your corned beef arms, meet your new best friend. I have almost finished my second bottle and will definitely be repurchasing. 

4. Bobbi Brown Beach Perfume

If you want to know what I smelt like all year, this is it. From January to December I literally smelt like a summer holiday and I loved it.

5. Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

I love this little orange sponge so much that I have somehow accumulated 4 of them! I much prefer this to the Beautyblender because of the flat side, in fact the flat side is the only side I use. I use this sponge to blend in my concealer and go over my foundation to get rid of any streaks of patchiness. 

6. Bumble and Bumble Don't Blow It Air Styler

I am notoriously lazy when it comes to my hair. I wash it at night, sleep on it wet and in the morning its dry. As I rarely heat style my hair I don't use that many hair products, but if ever a hair product was tailor made for me, this is it. 

This is designed to give air dried hair, texture and body without feeling like there is anything in it, and that's exactly what it does. After brushing my hair and applying Moroccanoil, I rub a blob of this throughout my whole hair and it just gives me exactly what I want, a natural 'wave'. 

7. Indeed Labs Hydraluron Moisture Jelly

I think I have gone through three pots of this moisturiser this year, so that has to be a good sign. I actually use this as a pre-moisturiser before my serum and main moisturiser. I just find it keeps my skin hydrated, I rarely suffer from dry patches and touch wood, so far my forehead is staying pretty line free. 

8. Eylure Fleur Loves Lashes

If you asked me to pick a favourite YouTuber/Beauty Blogger I would always say Fleur. I actually reviewed her entire Eylure collection on Cosmopolitan and can safely say, this is not a case of someone just slapping their name on a product. From the designs, to the packaging, everything about these lashes  is original. The Fleur Loves (closely followed by the individuals) are by far my favourite. I just love how three quarter lashes really give you that feline look and there really is nothing similar that's available in Boots or Superdrug.

 I always know if a product is good if I can convince my 'real life' friends to use it and I have now got my friend Chloe swearing by these too.

9. La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo +

I don't think I will ever not have this in my skincare regime. I swear that this saved my skin from some seriously spotty outbreaks and even though I don't need to use it religiously everyday, I always use it at least 3 times a week to keep those suckers at bay for good.

10. Zoeva Makeup Brushes

2015 was the year I tried Zoeva makeup brushes for the first time and they have easily become my favourite makeup brushes. My beloved Real Techniques Buffing Brush has now been replaced with the Zoeva Silk Finish Face Brush and the Petit Crease Brush was a revelation. The best brush sets in terms of quality and value. Plus who can say no to those copper handles.

11. Moroccanoil

Ahh Moroccanoil, the only product that has stayed in my yearly favourites since 2013. I have tried other oils and I know this has silicone in it, but I don't care because it really is the only oil that smooths the ends of my hair without leaving them feeling or looking greasy.

12. The Wet Brush

I never thought I'd see the day where I turned my back on my Tangle Teezer but I have, and it's so nice to use a hairbrush that doesn't fly out your hands every time you brush your hair. The Wet Brush just brushes my hair so much better than the Tangle Teezer. It gets to all that knots at the back of my head, whereas the Tangle Teezer only ever really brushed the surface. 

13. OPI Strength in Colour Tinted Nail Envy in 'Hawaiian Orchid'

2015 was the year that I officially fell out of love with nail polish. I used to love painting my nails bright colours and would paint my nails 4 times a week just for the pure joy of it. Now I hate bright colours on my nails and I'm sitting here with chipped nails that are in desperate need of painting. All those neutral colours that I used to think were so boring are now my new BFF's and this colour in particular by OPI has been a favourite. I just find the colour flattering on my skin tone and I love that its an opaque neutral, because there is nothing worse than streaky nail polish.

14. Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

I genuinely don't understand why people still fork out for Bioderma when this micellar water costs about £4.00 and lasts forever. I also don't understand people who still use makeup wipes, but there you go!

15. Colab Dry Shampoo

Luckily I rave about this dry shampoo enough that I knew I would have a photo somewhere in my iPhoto. This is the dry shampoo that stopped me hating dry shampoo. It genuinely is sheer and invisible, and sometimes I even think my hair looks better with this in it. The only problem is that I end up using half a can every time. Oh and make sure you get the Sheer and Invisible version, because the Extreme Volume version is NOT THE ONE.

13 Beauty Favourites of 2013

14 Beauty Favourites of 2014

April Favourites

Since I've been making a conscious effort to use up more makeup, I feel like my monthly favourites are becoming more and more boring, but I never want to include things that I haven't consistently used all month. 

This month its a bit of a mixture of old favourites and new discoveries. 

Chanel Soleil Tan De Chanel 

Ahh the infamous Bronze Universel, one of those cult beauty blogger items. This is a cream bronzer which is notoriously tricky to work with. Half the battle is finding the right brush to use with it. Personally I really like the Real Techniques Blush Brush, its synthetic so perfect for cream products and   not too dense. Applied right, this gives such a beautiful, healthy bronzed glow. 

MAC Mineralize Blush in New Romance

From a rediscovery to a new discovery. I really do love the MAC Mineralize blushes, as they act as a blusher and a highlight in one. New Romance is a pretty peach colour, perfect for Summer. 

Word of caution with these blushers though, a little goes a long way. 

Essie Nail Polish in Stones 'n Roses

I mentioned this polish in my last post, so I won't bore you all again but safe to say I have been loving this 60's style peach colour.

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre

A trip to Boots these days is becoming more and more dangerous. They have started stocking more new and cult brands, that its now almost impossible to just go in for one thing. I have heard a lot about this moisturiser, so when I spotted it in Boots I decided to try it. 

When it comes to moisturisers I tend to be very picky, as I hate anything that feels too heavy. This feels light but hydrating on the skin and isn't at all greasy. I can't say I have noticed any skincare benefits yet, but at the moment I am just enjoying using this.

Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon in Champagne Diamonds

I have a bit of an obsession with cream eyeshadow sticks and out of all the ones I've tries, these Charlotte Tilbury ones are easily the most glittery. Champagne Diamonds is a gold colour with actual visible chunks of glitter. I prefer the By Terry Ombre Blackstar's to these but I do love how sparkly these look on the eyes.

Metallic Makeup Brushes

It's been a while since I've bought any new makeup brushes, but lately I have had a bit of an influx and I can't lie, these metallic beauties are putting my old, grubby makeup brushes to shame!

Zoeva Rose Golden Complete Eye Set Vol 2 £48.00

The original Zoeva rose gold brush set has been on my wish list for so long, so when my friend Lucy gave me this set at work, I could have kissed her! 

These brushes are BEAUTIFUL and so is the pouch that they come in. In fact that's one of my favourite things about the Zoeva brush sets, the pouch. Its so handy for when you go on holiday. I will no longer have to try and cram my brushes in my makeup bag.

As you can tell I am pretty besotted with these brushes and I think its only a matter of time until I buy the face set! I would say though, if you aren't a regular eyeshadow wearer, you wont ever use half these brushes, so not one for you.

Real Techniques Bold Metal Collection

Being a huge fan of the original Real Techniques brush line, I was really excited to try their new luxe brush range. I went to the launch a few weeks ago and I have to say watching Sam and Nic gave me some serious makeup envy! 

From the launch I got three of the brushes to try

100 Arched Powder Brush £25.00

Large powder brush which is super soft. As lovely as this brush is, I actually gave this to my friend as no powder brush will ever compare to my Suqqu brush and nor should it given the price of that thing!

301 Flat Contour £22.00

Easily the brush I was most excited about out of the three but I have to say I haven't used it yet. I don't contour on a regular basis, who has the time?! But will report back as soon as I have.

200 Oval Shadow £15.00

Surprisingly out of the three this is my favourite and I have been using this loads. This is a large blending eyeshadow brush which makes eyeshadow application a speedy breeze. This also works beautifully with cream shadows as the hairs are synthetic. Well worth the price tag.

Overall I do love these brushes. They look beautiful and are unlike anything else out there. The handles are weighted and you can feel a difference in quality between these and the original line. I have since purchased one more brush, the tapered blush brush because I am a sucker for that classic blusher brush shape! 

Sigma E25 Blending Brushes £15.95

I mentioned my love for these eyeshadow brushes in my January favourites. I always use a fluffy blending brush to apply my eyeshadow and I really wanted to get a couple more, as mine get so dirty and I change my eyeshadow colours all the time. I really don't rate Sigma face brushes at all (stick with Real Techniques) but their eye brushes are good and you would be hard pressed to tell these and MAC brushes apart.

14 Beauty Favourites of 2014

End of year beauty favourites are my favourite posts to both read and write. Being a beauty addict, I try a lot of products, so these really are the best of the best. 

As of last year, I split my favourites into two posts, beauty and makeup favourites. I find my beauty favourites a hell of a lot easier to pick than my makeup favourites. Mainly because I change my makeup so often, but with beauty products once I find something I love, I'm pretty loyal. As testament to that, half of these products were also in my 13 Beauty Favourites of 2013.

Enough rambling, here are my 14 favourite beauty products of 2014. Makeup favourites to come tomorrow! 

1. La Roche-Posay Serozinc

Like most people, I discovered this through Caroline Hirons, who I'm sure you know is amazing for skin care recommendations. This is a spray toner with zinc sulphate which targets blemishes and marks.  I use this after cleansing, spray on a cotton pad and wipe all over my face. This, in conjunction with their Effaclar Duo + has improved my skin no end and you can now finally get this in the UK! (Chloe you need to try this!)

Escentual £8.50

2. Moroccanoil 

(Featured in my 2013 favourites)

Along with Seche Vite, this is one of my all time favourite makeup discoveries. I rub 1-2 drops of this into the ends of my towel dried hair, every time I wash it. I can't really remember what life was like before Moroccanoil, frizzier!

Look Fantastic £31.85 

3. Babyliss Waving Wand

I had picked out my favourites and photographed them, then realised that I hadn't included this and had to redo the whole thing! Pretty much the only hair tool I used all year, if I curl my hair this is the only thing I use. Its quick, easy to use and gives me the big, loose vintage waves I crave. I shared my technique in this post back in 2013 and it hasn't changed.

Amazon £27.50

4. Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel

Oh I love this stuff. I originally discovered this back in 2013, loved it but then went on to try other cleansers. This year I have gone back to it and now I'm not straying. I take my makeup off every night religiously and this makes that process enjoyable. I just rub a blob all over my face and rinse of with a cloth. It feels really luxurious, doesn't sting my eyes and works well with my skin. 

Boots £20.00

5. Bumble and Bumble Surf Foam Wash Shampoo and Creme Rinse Conditioner

This shampoo and conditioner leave my hair feeling so soft and super bouncy. They also leave my hair feeling really clean and gives me some natural movement and wave. Plus the smell reminds me of holidays :)

Escentual £18.50/£20.00

6. Kate Somerville Goat Milk 

(Featured in my 2013 favourites)

When it comes to moisturisers I hate to admit but I am a bit of a diva. I hate the feeling of heavy moisturisers and having combination skin, I have to be careful that they don't break me out. Goat Milk sounds unappealing but its light, doesn't irritate my skin and calms any sensitivity. You can only get this in America but Sephora does now ship to the UK.

Sephora $65.00

7. COLAB Dry Shampoo London Classic Fragrance

A late entry but I cannot put into words my joy at finally finding a dry shampoo that doesn't leave my hair looking like an ash cloud and doesn't feel disgusting in my hair. This is so light you can barely feel it in your hair, its pretty much invisible apart from if you spray too much, or too close and it really cleans my hair. This has saved me from having to wash my hair everyday and for that, I cannot thank it enough.

Superdrug £3.49

8. Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

For me, Micellar Water is a life saviour. I don't use makeup wipes as they irritate my skin but Micellar Water is so gentle and removes everything. Most brands seem to have released their own versions and to be honest I don't really notice a difference from brand to brand, but the Garnier wins for me as you get the most for your money.

Boots £3.33

9. Bobbi Brown Almost Bare Perfume 

(Featured in my 2013 Favourites)

This is my signature scent and I have got through countless bottles. This is a very fresh smelling perfume and the name describes it perfectly. I always get a lot of compliments on this scent, particularly from men. I have even had two strangers (both men) ask me what my perfume was, which I don't imagine is a very common occurrence. I have no shame in admitting that I live in fear of Bobbi Brown discontinuing this!

Bobbi Brown £49.50

10. Tangle Teezer Salon Elite

I take my Tangle Teezer for granted, until I use a different hairbrush and wince as I brush through those knots. This makes hair brushing a dream. 

Beauty Bay £8.09

11. Seche Vite 

(Featured in my 2013 Favourites)

If I had to pick my greatest makeup discovery of all time, including both makeup and beauty, Seche Vite would be it. In the most shallow of ways, this top coat is life changing. Your nails are dry in minutes. I can paint my nails, go to bed five minutes later and I won't wake up with a single smudge. As well as fast drying, this is also the glossiest top coat in the world and people regularly ask me if my nails are gel, no, no its Seche Vite. I would never use another top coat.

Boots £9.00

12. Real Techniques Buffing Brush 

(Featured in my 2013 Favourites)

This has to be the most popular makeup brush in the YouTube and blogging community. I really dislike traditional, flat foundation brushes. I always found they left streaks and because of this never used a brush to apply my foundation. The Buffing Brush changed that completely and since discovering this, I haven't used my fingers to apply my foundation. This really gives you a flawless, airbrushed finish and I recommend it to everyone. The only annoying thing is that you cant buy it separately, its only available as part of their core collection but well worth the money.

Superdrug £20.99

13. La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo +

Hands down, my best discovery of 2014. The beginning of the year I found that my skin kept breaking out, particularly around my chin area. It was really starting to get me down as nothing was working and then I heard about this new release from La Roche Posay and thought I had nothing to lose by trying it. Effaclar Duo + is for people with blemish prone skin and it is designed to help with blemishes and fight against the appearance of marks. This stuff is amazing and has genuinely transformed my skin, I now rarely suffer from spots and if I do its the odd one and it goes very quickly. I can also vouch for this improving marks on the skin, as my chin area which I previously struggled with, is now clear. This is my 5th bottle and I would not be without this!

Boots £15.50

14. Zoya Remove + 

(Featured in my 2013 Favourites)

Pricey, but my favourite nail polish remover. I have tried to use your standard, cheap removers but this has spoilt me and now I cant go back. Gets rid of all polish quickly and doesn't dry out my nails at all, which is the thing I cant stand with those cheapo removers. This actually leaves my nails feeling nourished.

Amazon £10.50

October Favourites

My poor, neglected blog, I have missed you! 

A new job and the lack of daylight have resulted in me seriously slacking on the blog front. I will do a proper catch up post but before its December I thought I better get my October favourites up!

My makeup favourites are a bit boring this month in the sense that there are no colour products, but these are my current staples which I have used religiously all month.

Giorgio Armani Lasting Silk UV Foundation

I will be real with you all here, this foundation is way too dark for me in these Winter months but I only have the tiniest bit left to use up, so I'm just rocking the David Dickinson look for now. 

In all seriousness though this foundation is good and I mean real good! I know everyone raves about Armani's Luminous Silk but if you have combination or oily skin, resulting in your face eating your makeup, then you know you need something with staying power. 

Lasting Silk is the perfect balance, as it does last all day but its not a heavy, cakey foundation at all. It has a good medium coverage with a satin finish, so I do set it with powder in more oily areas. 

Available from John Lewis and currently on offer £31.95

MAC Prep & Prime Skin Base

After using this primer on my Sister for her Wedding day and seeing how amazingly well her makeup lasted (if I do say so myself!) I had to get it.

This combined with the foundation has made my makeup last all day, with no touch ups whatsoever. 

It does smooth out the texture of your skin when you apply it but nothing like that awful Maybelline primer, where I felt I could have ran my finger down my cheek and watched all my makeup slide off! 

I also only noticed the other day that this is slightly glittery, but don't let that put you off as it doesn't translate on the face and I only noticed it on my finger after a good few weeks of daily use!

If you are looking for a primer to extend the wear time of your makeup, you cant go wrong with this.

Available from John Lewis and currently on offer £18.90

Charlotte Tilbury Air Brush Flawless Finish Skin Perfecting Micro-Powder

This is genuinely the nicest powder I have ever used, its also the most expensive! It feels like velvet on your skin, is so finely milled that it docent give you cake face and keeps shine at bay all day. The downside, it costs £33.00 for 8g of powder! Now as you can see I have nearly finished this and I am having a moral dilemma about whether I can justify replacing it. I do genuinely love it, it performs amazingly well and I haven't found a cheaper dupe so.......

Available from Charlotte Tilbury £33.00

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Light Bisque

My only love affair right now is with my bed. I cant wait to get home to it after a long day and in the morning it takes all my effort to prise myself away, basically I am really f****** tired.

Concealer just isn't enough for these dark circles so I'm having to use a corrector and a concealer. Quick explanation of a corrector, a corrector will counteract and neutralise colour (i.e dark circles) whereas a concealer will only brighten. So if you use a corrector first to neutralise and then a concealer to brighten, you look bright eyed and bushy tailed. Honestly this stuff is amazing!

Available from John Lewis and currently on offer £17.10

L'Oreal Brow Artist Plumper in Dark Brunette

I actually have a review post planned for this eyebrow gel, so wont go into to much detail but safe to say, I think its really good plus its cheap!

Available from Boots £5.99

Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge

I have laid down my beloved Real Techniques Buffing Brush in favour of their Miracle Complexion Sponge and I am loving it. 

You need to wet the sponge before using it but make sure you squeeze out all the excess water. Then all you do is pat your foundation on, trick is not to rub or drag the sponge but  bounce and pat along your face as you go. I also use this to blend in my concealer, as it gives such a flawless finish. I find the sponge just blends all my makeup so well and with minimal effort. 

Also I should probably point out that I have the Beauty Blender sponge which is a lot more expensive but I actually prefer this one due to the flat side.

Available from Boots £5.99

Herbal Essences Clearly Naked Shine Shampoo and Volume Conditioner

Is it sad that I get excited when Herbal Essences release a new shampoo? Don't answer that!

My excitement didn't go to waste because I love their new Naked line. I love that cheaper brands are now creating new shampoos without all the nasty chemicals and this leaves my hair feeling so clean and shiny. Love this stuff.

Available from Boots £3.99 each

Colab Dry Shampoo London Classic Fragrance

As a rule me and dry shampoo don't get on. Having dark hair, they have always left my hair looking ashy and my hair always felt dirtier after using them. This is why its kind of a big deal that I have finally found a dry shampoo I like, love in fact! 

Colab dry shampoo claims to be invisible, now I will say its not totally invisible. If you spray too much or too close to your hair, there is a white residue but its very light and actually blends in. If you do just lightly spray your hair all over however, then yes it actually is invisible! 

Its also really light so it doesn't feel disgusting and powdery in your hair but it actually does absorb the oil and better than any other dry shampoo I have tried. Finally it smells amazing and I am referring to the London fragrance here, there are other scents but this is by far my favourite. I actually have to do that sneaky try not to get caught smelling your own hair thing when wearing this.

If my rave above wasn't proof enough, then maybe the fact that I went to Superdrug and stocked up on 4 cans of the stuff is!

Available from Superdrug currently on offer £2.32 FYI not sold in Boots :'(

Cosmopolitan Magazine

I am clearly bias but I do love this magazine. Its been just over a month since I started working there and I am so happy. I feel so proud to work for Cosmopolitan especially as its a magazine that I have read myself for years! Also I love December's Christmassy Taylor cover. 

Side note, anyone have her new album? Guilty pleasure but my favourite song on there at the moment is 'Style'.

13 Beauty Favourites of 2013

Yesterday I shared my top 13 makeup products of the year and today I'm sharing my top 13 beauty products of the year. This includes skincare, hair, nails, tools and fragrance.

It was actually pretty easy picking my top 13, as these are the products I use on an almost daily basis. They are all tried, tested and true and I highly recommend them all!

1. Oribe Apres Beach Wave and Shine Spray - I did not want to like this purely because of the price but of course what happened....I tried it and loved it. 

Now I do very little to my hair, I don't even blow dry it. This is because I naturally have very straight hair and if I use a hairdryer I look like Gwyneth Paltrow. Polka straight hair is not for me, so I leave my hair to dry naturally to get some movement in it. If I leave it to dry naturally and spray this in, I get actual waves. If I can do this and let it dry outside in the wind, I get my perfect hair. Of course I work in an office Monday to Friday so that rarely happens, but still! The other great thing about this product is that it doesn't leave any kind of residue in your hair, its not sticky, or greasy, or heavy, you really cant feel it.

Available from Space NK £18 - £33

2. Aussie Mega Shampoo and Conditioner - Thank God I found a cheap shampoo and conditioner after that spray hey! This shampoo was recommended to me by my Sister and I have used it religiously ever since. Ive lost count of how many bottles of the stuff I have got through! I am a greasy hair sufferer but this makes my hair feel so clean, it leaves behind no residue and also makes my hair super shiny. I loved the Bumble and Bumble Surf shampoo and conditioner but they were a little pricey for everyday. This however is under a fiver and works amazingly.

Available from Boots £4.69

3. Micellar Water - My bottle of Bioderma is pictured as that is the one I'm currently using but I think all Micellar waters are the same, so take your pick. I love Micellar waters, they remove all my makeup and are so gentle on my skin. I personally hate face wipes as they always leave my skin looking red, blotchy and slightly stinging. I tend to use a Micellar water to remove my makeup and then cleanse my skin with some form of balm. If you are a face wipe addict make the change, you won't regret it.

I love L'oreal's Micellar water and its a lot cheaper and easier to get hold of than Bioderma.

Available from Boots £3.33

4. Kate Somerville Goat Milk - This is the first moisturiser I have ever found that I really like and you can only buy it from Sephora (excuse me whilst I have a massive tantrum). It feels so light on your skin, its not heavy or greasy at all and I felt like I could comfortably wear it underneath my makeup, without it slipping off. My pot is now empty so I am going to have to make a trip to America next year to restock.

Available from Sephora

5. OPI Natural Nail Base Coat - The best base coat I have found and trust me I have tried a lot. This might seem pretty bog standard but it extends the wear of my nail polish, prevents my nails getting stained and has helped prevent my nails peeling. I wouldn't even bother trying another base coat now I have found this, I'm currently on my second bottle and counting.

Available from Beauty Bay £9.35

6. Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat - This top coat is quite honestly my number 1 beauty discovery of all time,  if they ever stopped making it I don't know what I would do. This drys my nail polish completely in 5 minutes. I mean completely dry, stick your hands in your bag, put your socks on, run your fingers through your hair dry. It also gives me the glossiest, shiniest finish, to the point where I am constantly asked if my nails are gel. Nah uh, its all because of this absolute beauty.

Available from Boots £9.00

7. MAC 217 Blending Brush - The only eyeshadow brush I need. This applies my eyeshadow and blends it at the same time. There are a lot of people I would love to introduce this brush to, let me tell you!

Available from MAC £18.00

8. Real Techniques Buffing Brush - The Real Techniques brushes are amazing and the Buffing Brush is my absolute favourite brush to apply foundation. Its only available as part of the Core Collection set, so if you don't want to buy the whole set, the Expert Face Brush is a good alternative.

Available from Feel Unique Currently on sale for £15.74

9. Topshop Celestial Nail Polish - Picking a nail polish was easy because this colour has been on my nails for pretty much half of the year. I am obsessed with this colour.

Available from Topshop 

10. Zoya Remove + - All of my nail care products are in my top 13 and that is because I have found the best of the bunch and don't even bother trying anything else. This might seem pricey for a nail polish remover but because I constantly wear nail polish, normal remover drys my nails out something rotten. This keeps my nails nourished, stops them drying out and I swear it increases the wear time of my polish. I don't know how many bottles of this I have got through but I refuse to use anything else.

Available from Amazon £10.55

11. Bobbi Brown Almost Bare Perfume - If you are very strange and want to smell like me, than this is what you should be wearing! This has a very light, fresh smell and I think the name describes it far better than I ever could!

Available from Debenhams £48.00

12. Moroccanoil - This would come in second place to my Seche Vite in my best beauty discoveries of all time. This stuff changed my hair texture for the better. Years of going from blonde to brown ruined my hair and left me with some serious dried ends. Applying this to the ends of my hair every time I wash it has quite literally saved my hair and I would now never be without it. Expensive but a 100ml bottle lasts me about 6 months!

Available from Feel Unique £31.85

13. Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner - I much prefer using a chemical exfoliator to a more traditional gritty one, as I find the gritty ones can aggravate my skin. The Brightening toner by Clarins is my favourite chemical exfoliator, I just pour some of this on a cotton pad and wipe over my skin after cleansing. I notice such a difference when using this.

Available from Boots £25.00

I cant believe I didn't include my Tangle Teezer!

My Favourite Makeup Brushes

I have collected and used a fair few brushes in my time. When I studied theatrical and media makeup I got my first set of "professional" brushes, these weren't actually that great and I only have one or two brushes left from the set now. I have collected a variety of different brushes which I love and use everyday. These brushes are a real mixture in terms of price, from high street to more high end but they all do their job perfectly.

Real Techniques Brushes

If I could only use one brand of brushes, I would pick Real Techniques hands down. 

Buffing Brush - My favourite brush for foundation, this guy is extremely well loved. I personally don't like traditional flat foundation brushes, as my foundation always streaks when using them. Discovering this brush was a revelation. 

Available from Boots in the Core Collection which contains this and 3 other brushes for £21.99

Duo Fiber Face Brush - I remember a time when you could only get duo fiber brushes from MAC and now you can pick them up in Boots for a third of the price! I like using a duo fiber brush to apply my powder as the bristles are less densely packed so you get a lighter finish and it stops you looking cakey.

Available from Boots in the limited edition Duo Fiber Set which contains this and 2 other brushes for £23.99

Stippling Brush - My favourite brush to apply cream blusher

Available from Boots £11.99

Duo Fiber Contour Brush - This also comes in the duo fiber set along with the face brush. I don't use this to contour, I actually use it to highlight. Again, as the bristles are less densely packed you get a lighter finish and a much more subtle effect.

Bobbi Brown Bronzer Brush - Since I got this for my Birthday last year I have used it every single day. Although the bristles are quite dense, this brush is so soft and even with daily use it never sheds any hairs.

Available from Bobbi Brown £38.00

Chanel Blush Brush - My favourite brush for powder blushes. I like that this brush picks up a lot of product and allows you to be quite precise with your application. I can really focus my blush on a certain area and build colour easily.

Available from Debenhams £33.00

MAC 217 Blending Brush - The only eyeshadow brush you need. This brush does everything, packs on colour but blends it out at the same time. Also as the bristles are slightly narrower at the top this is great for doing my favourite trick of blending eyeshadow underneath the lower lash line.

Available from MAC £18.00

Sigma SS217 Blending Brush x 2 - Now I know I just said you only need one eyeshadow brush and you do. These Sigma brushes are knock offs of MAC's 217. The brush is exactly the same, except for  a shorter handle. Sigma are an American company which essentially copied all of MACs brushes but for a cheaper price. They have now renamed all their brushes and these are now called the E25 Blending Brush. If you are on a budget I highly recommend Sigma's eye brushes, their face brushes however I'm not so keen on but I can honestly not tell a difference between this and my MAC 217. I got these both for free as gifts with purchase from love-makeup.co.uk

Available from Love Makeup £10.50

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler - Simply the best eyelash curlers. The gold ones were limited edition and are no longer available but you can buy the original silver ones.

Available from Space NK £20.00

Tweezerman Tweezers - Again, you cannot get any better than Tweezerman tweezers. These New York print ones are no longer available but ohmygoodness I have seen the cutest Harajuku Lovers pair which I want so bad!

Harajuku Lovers Tweezerman Tweezers Available from Beauty Bay £23.76

Revlon Brow Brush - Its ridiculous how hard it is to find a traditional eyebrow brush, after an age of searching I finally found this Revlon brush in Superdrug. I use it to brush through my brows if I have been a bit overzealous with the eyebrow pencil. I cant find a link to this online but try your local Superdrug.

Ardell Brow Trim and Shape Grooming Tool - I discovered these mini eyebrow razors about 3 years ago in New York and I have used them ever since. They are perfect for those fair hairs which you cant pluck or for the monobrow area! As it removes all the fair hairs it makes your makeup go on so much smoother! You cant buy these exact ones in the UK but have a google for similar versions.

Boots 3 for 2 Recommendations

I have been reviewing a lot of American beauty products recently so I thought it was time to give good old Boots some love. It also happens to be 3 for 2 time, so everyone's a winner!

Here are my recommendations for you to throw in your basket:

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush £9.99 - I can honestly say that Real Techniques are my favourite brushes for foundation. The Buffing Brush is my number 1 but as you can only buy it in the Core Collection for £21.99, I am recommending my second favourite, the Expert Face Brush. Buffs in your foundation effortlessly with no streaks, which I always get from traditional foundation brushes.

Eylure Individual Lashes £4.95 - I rarely wear false lashes these days, since people have started putting them on their car headlights it has put me right off! For my birthday I thought I would dip my toe back into the murky fake eyelash waters and it was a surprisingly pleasant experience. I used these individual lashes because I wanted a more natural effect and they were so easy to apply. I just put about 5/6 of the short ones on the outer corner of my eyes and bobs your uncle. I loved that they added volume without looking like I should be on Geordie Shore.

L'oreal Gentle Eye Makeup Remover £3.49 - You know how much I love my L'oreal Micellar Water and now I am being wooed by their eye makeup remover! This doesn't irritate my eyes at all and removes my eye make up easily. Only thing is, its not very good with waterproof mascara!

Rimmel Salon Pro by Kate Nail Polish in Punk Rock £4.49 - I love this dark, dirty grey colour. Makes me feel like a rock star in possibly the smallest way possible!

Rimmel Scandaleyes Shadow Paint in Rich Russet £4.99 - This could be a contender for Maybellines Colour Tattoo in On and On Bronze. Apply this all round your eyes just like my
Olsen twins post.

Sally Hansen Complete Salon Manicure in Plum Luck £6.99 - This is a recent purchase which was a surprise love! I was partaking in the 3 for 2 and picked this up as my freebie on a bit of a whim. I'm not normally a massive purple fan but this colour actually comes out much darker on the nails and you only really see the purple in the light.

Maybelline The Eraser Eye Concealer £7.99 - I love the name of this, so American. I already think Maybelline's Dream Lumi touch concealer is fab and the Eraser hasn't let me down. It has a good level of coverage and brightening plus I really like the sponge tip applicator.

Revlon Lip Butter in Red Velvet £7.99 - How I do not own every lip butter known to man is a mystery to me. Red Velvet is the newest to my addition to my collection. A sheer, dark red which is perfect for this time of year.

Rimmel Kate Matte Lipstick in 107 £5.49 - This lipstick was in my October Favourites and it is my current obsession. I don't know if its the weather but I have developed a bit of an obsession with deep, dark red lipsticks and 107 is beautiful. Make sure you blot this, to stop it smudging.

Happy shopping!