Class of 2015 // Makeup & Beauty

As much as the coming of a new year gives us a chance to reflect on the last twelve months, it’s also a chance to look back and see what beauty products made the mark and stood out.

I bought quite a lot of products this year *cough cough*, and while there were some that weren’t so great, I found a whole lot of new favourites and holy grails.

Rather than spreading this into two posts, I decided to pop it all into one big long juicy one. Grab a cuppa, pen and paper and get comfortable.

Makeup

Charlotte Tilbury Dolce Vita Palette – This was by far my most used and most loved palette of the year. It overtook all of my Naked palettes and was my go-to for every night out and special occasion. The colours are gorgeous and the blendable formula means you really can’t go wrong.

Urban Decay Riff Eyeshadow – ie. the cult everyday eyeshadow of the year. Riff got a lot of love from bloggers around the world this year, and rightly so. It’s an unusual brown/orange warm-toned colour that looks gorgeous just on its own and blended out.

Flormar MaXXL Mascara – Flormar hit Irish shores this year and quickly became one of my favourite budget beauty brands. I’ve never received so many “are those your real lashes?!” comments than when I was wearing this.

Soap & Glory Archery Brow Pencil – I was without this product for a few weeks and it was total eyebrow torture. The thin nib makes doing my eyebrows on a daily basis so easy and quick and makes them look very natural too, which is something not a lot of products can do.

Anastasia Beverly Hills DipBrow Pomade – For nights out and days I’ve more time to do my makeup, I love using this. Once you get the hang of it it’s quite easy to use and gives HD, long-lasting brows in an instant.

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation – This foundation will be my absolute favourite everyday foundation for the foreseeable future. It isn’t heavy, it lasts well and gives good, natural coverage.

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer – Another forever favourite, this concealer covers everything from under-eye bags to spots and blemishes. It beats nearly every high end concealer I’ve tried.

Max Factor Creme Puff Blush in Lovely Pink – I was never really into using blush until I tried this out. It’s just pigmented enough that it’s noticeable, but gives a natural flush rather than a big circle of pink. It has a lovely subtle glow to it, too.

The Balm Mary Lou Manizer – This took over from MAC Soft and Gentle as my favourite highlighter. It’s really finely milled and gives a highlight Amrezy would be jealous of. A must have.

Flormar Bronzing Powder – Another Flormar favourite, this bronzer went everywhere with me this year – in my everyday makeup bag, on holidays, to work… It’s absolutely massive and has a big mirror inside which is so handy. The colour gives a really natural bronze to the skin and doesn’t look muddy or dirty like some bronzers can.

Charlotte Tilbury Film Star Bronze and Glow – At €65, I was expecting this duo to actually turn me into a film star. It didn’t do that, but it is a great kit for contouring and highlighting. The contour shade is one of the loveliest I’ve used, and the highlight is gorgeous and gives you that “glowing from within” look.

Rimmel Exaggerate Lip Liner in East End Snob – The use of lip liner went a little crazy this year, but this one is basically “your lips but better” in a stick. The nude-pink colour is really pretty, and gives you leeway to naturally overdraw your lips if that’s what you want to do.

MAC Sheen Supreme Lipstick in Bare Again  – This is my favourite lipstick three years in a row. I absolutely love it. It’s pigmented, creamy and hydrates my otherwise dry lips. Love love love.

Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 05 – Basically, the first lipgloss I can wear outside without getting half of my hair stuck in my mouth. It’s a really pretty sheer pink that’s hydrating and creamy but not sticky. I think of this as the lipgloss version of Bare Again.

Beauty

Are you still with me? On to beauty we go…

Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel and Kinvara Absolute Cleansing Oil – 2015 was the year of discovering great cleansers. I couldn’t pick a favourite between these two. They totally revolutionised the makeup removal process for me and made it something easy and something I enjoy doing.

Cocoa Brown Instant Tan Bronzing Gel Matte – Another game-changer, my favourite tan brand came out with two instant tan products this year. This product made me love instant tan and saves me every time I hop into bed instead of putting on overnight tan like I should.

Vichy Aqualia Thermale Serum – Another converter product, this serum changed me from being someone who hardly ever hydrated and moisturised their skin (shame on me) to someone who does it everyday. It’s so light yet so effective and sinks into the skin really quickly, making it easy to apply makeup on top.

GlamGlow SuperMud Mask – This was quite a splurge at €50, but it was totally worth it. This mask works so quickly at drawing out the impurities from the skin and treating existing breakouts. My skin always feels so clean and clear after using this.

Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Cleansing Pads – I genuinely don’t know what I did without these. They gently exfoliate the skin, making it brighter and smoother, as well as the glycolic acid treating spots and blemishes. They get rid of any makeup that’s managed to stay on my skin after cleansing and are an amazing all-in-one product.

And there we have it, my top 20 products of the year! I didn’t mean to pick out exactly 20, so that worked out well!

Happy New Year to you all, here’s to 2016 being a year full of love, adventure and happiness (and great products!)