2016 Beauty Favourites: Skincare

 

On Monday I showed you my 2016 Make Up Favourites. Today I'm sharing with you my 2016 Skincare favourites. I'd suggest grabbing a cuppa, this could be a long post.

Cleanser:There have only been two cleansers I've really enjoyed this year. The first comes from Emma Hardie. The Moringa Cleansing Balm is a solid balm that melts easily into the skin and removes all traces of make up. I love how this leaves my skin feeling after every use and how whilst it has an oily feeling to it, it doesn't leave my skin feeling greasy. The other comes from Liz Earle and is the only cleanser I use on a daily basis. It contains so many natural ingredients that have helped reduce the appearence of my redness and given my skin a clearer finish. I've already gone through three bottles of this and plan on going through many more this year. The Emma Hardie is a brilliant first cleanse but I much prefer it as a second cleanse unlike the Liz Earle.

Toning: Toning isn't my strongest point and I'm terrible at remembering to do so but when I have remembered there's only been two I've really enjoyed. The first comes from Pixi in the form of their Glow Tonic. This not only tones but exfoliates, rejuvenates and soothes skin all at once. I thoroughly enjoy how it leaves my skin feeling and how easily the rest of my skincare applies afterwards. Another toner comes from the Nip and Fab Bee Sting Toning Fix Pads. I've loved these as part of my evening skincare routine. They leave my skin feeling refreshed and nourished withot feeling to dry or irritated. After I use one of these my serum and moisturiser sinks easily into my skin and makes my skin feel hydrated and supple to the touch.

Facial Mist: Facial mists are something that I've really gotten into this year. There is something about them that just leaves skin feeling and looking better than without them. B Beauty does one of my favourite sprays. It's nothing more than Hyaluronic Acid, Water and Glycerin so it just adds nothing but hydration to the skin. I've really enjoyed using this in the evening after I've taken my make up off as it refreshes my skin and takes away any tight feeling my skin might have. For mornings I've loved the Liz Earle Instant Boost Skin Tonic Spritzer, it contains the same ingredients as the Cleanse and Polish but in a spray form. This helps calm my skin and wakes me up at the same time. It helps reduce the appearence of my redness and gives my skin a hydration boost that sinks deeper than any serum or moisturiser.

Serum: I haven't changed serums a lot this year but two I have loved come straight from the high street. The first is an old favourite and comes from Clearly Youthful. It's an hydrating serum packed with AHA's and BHA's so it's a multi-purpose product. Plus it never fails to leave my skin feeling uber soft and supple. The other comes from Olay. Their Anti-Wrinkle Hydration Day Serum has a somewhat silicone feel to it that not only hydrates the face but smooths the skin and creates the perfect base for make up. I love this serum as it blurs the look of imperfections on the skin but doesn't leave a film of product on the skin. It just leaves everything feeling smooth, supple and hydrated. Plus because it sinks deeper into skin, my skin always feels softer for longer.

Day Moisturiser: This day moisturiser hasn't changed at all. The Garnier Wake Me Up Cream is still wowing me everytime I use it. It's blend of Hyaluronic Acid, Retinol and Rice Proteins never fail to make my skin feel soft, perfected, hydrated and refreshed. It's another product with that somewhat silicone feel but it doesn't ball on the skin or leave a tacky film on the skin. It works to keep skin hydrated for longer and is my best friend on days when I'm not wearing make up. It also gives that slightly perfected look to the skin whilst still looking natural and not like you're wearing a skin perfector.

Night Moisturiser: As with day cream, my night cream hasn't changed either. I'm still loving the Garnier Miracle Sleeping Cream. It's bouncy, gel like consistency never fails to work overnight to give my skin the best look even after a bad night's sleep. I like how this helps reduce redness, dark circles and dull skin. This also contains Lavender Oil which not only benefits the skin but also helps soothes and ease you into sleep. I've gone through countless pots of this and can definitely say I'm going to go through countless more as well.

Eye Cream: My under eye area has been a big struggle this year but I've finally found something that works wonders. This Olay Regenerist Eye Serum not only helps reduce the appearence of fine lines and wrinkles but also helps to soothe the eye and make them look more awake. I've had trouble with dehydration lines and the only thing that has seemed to help is this. It's very cooling on the under eye area and works to depuff and hydrate the skin. It's pricier than most eye creams but the results are well worth the price tag.

Treatment: There's only been one treatment that I've seen the same results from time after time. And that comes in the form of the Nip and Fab Glycolic Extreme Fix Pads. These contains 5% Glycolic Acid and Salicylic Acid which work to exfoliate, rejuvenate and deep cleanse the skin. I love how these make my face tingle when I use them and how smooth and supple my skin feels afterwards. They're brilliant as a quick fix for anyone with texture problems. Plus I like the fact that they're not too harsh or drying on my occasionally sensitive skin.

Face Mask: This year has been the year of the face mask. I've discovered so many amazing face masks this year but have narrowed it down to three. Firstly there is the Loreal Pure Clay Detox Mask. It contains three different clays as well as charcoal to deep clean and purify the skin. It's brilliant for pulling all the crap out of your skin and leaving your skin looking glowing and clear. Another brilliant mask for detoxing skin comes from Origins. Their Clear Improvments mask is a lot more potent than the Loreal and will guarantee you a spot or two. However once they're gone my skin looks dewy, clear and healthy. A sheet mask I've adored this year is the new Garnier Moisture Bomb Tissue Mask. It contains Hyaluronic Acid and Pomergranite Extract and gives skin enough of an hydration boost you could probably forgo serum/moisturiser after this mask. I personally like this not just because it works well on my skin but the actually tissue mask fits to my face perfectly and doesn't fall off or drip like a lot of sheet masks do.

2016 Beauty Favourites: Make Up

Welcome to the first of three 2016 Beauty Favourites. This year I've decided I would split my yearly favourites up into three posts. Today we're starting with my make up favourites, Wednesday I'll be talking skincare favourites and Friday I'll be talking all things non-beauty related.

Primer: There's only been one primer this year that has thoroughly impressed me. And that is the Benefit Porefessional Primer. It has a that silicone feel to it but isn't overly slippy or hard to work with. It not only helps keep make up in place longer but also helps the look of pores and smooths over any enlarged or open pores you may have. Applying foundation over this is a dream and I've loved wearing this during the hotter months when my face has really needed a primer.

Foundation: There have been two foundations this year that have really stuck out for me. The first being the Loreal Cushion Foundation. It was the perfect breathable lightweight coverage my skin needed through Summer and whilst it wasn' full coverage it still gave my skin a flawless yet natural look. And towards the end of the year I discovered the Dior Star Foundation. This is more a medium to full coverage foundation and was brilliant at covering up my redness. It's the only foundation I've ever tried that still applies brilliantly everytime I wear it.

Concealer: Concealer wise there have only been two I've found myself reaching for religiously. The first is the Maybelline The Eraser Eye. There's just something about how this applies and blends out that I love. It covers my dark circles brilliantly no matter how bad they look. And the same can be said for the Rosie For Autograph Miracle Concealer. It's less creamy than the Maybelline but still gives the same coverage and finish. However the Maybelline has the sponge tip applicator which just gives it that at extra something about it.

Powder: There's only been one powder this year that I've truly enjoyed using. It's the Collection Pressed Powder. It's cheap, it's easy to get ahold of and it doesn't leave skin looking cakey or powdery. I have the shade Ivory and I absolutely love it. It's very finely milled so it works well both under the eyes and over the rest of the face. And because it comes in Ivory, it doesn't oxidies on the skin and turn me orange after a few hours.

Brows: Brows have been a big thing this year and I've tried quite a few different products but there has only been one that I've been impressed with. And it comes from Rosie For Autograph. Her brow pencil is soft enough to give brows a natural look but not soft enough for it to disappear or smudge easily. I like that it comes with a spoolie so I don't have to keep reaching for a seperate spoolie when I'm in a rush. Plus it's colour match is perfect and doesn't make my brows look like they've been filled in.

Mascara: I can never stay loyal to a mascara, most lost my interest pretty quickly but the one who I've reached for most this year is the Loreal Miss Hippie Mascara. It has one massive bristle brush that looks like it would leave lashes looking clumpy and fake but in reality gives a stunning fanned out, volumised look that makes my eyes look bigger and more awake. I like the fact that I can go in and add more coats if I think I need it and the mascara won't become clumpy or flaky to the touch.

Lip Liner: I have stacks of lip liners in my collection but I've only found myself reaching for a select few. From that select few I've noticed that one in particular is used most than others. And that liner comes from Primark's PS Love range. It's in the shade 03 and is a bright red shade. It works beautifully under a variety of red lipsticks as well as on it's own. Over the last month this has been the only lip liner I've reached for when I've been doing my lipstick, there really isn't a red lip that this doesn't work well under.

Lipstick: Lipsticks is always a hard category to narrow down but I've managed to choose four favourites. Two of them come from the Rosie For Autograph range. Lady Rose and Silk Rose are both beautiful neutral shades that look good with any look, any outfit and any skintone. They are a sheen finish lipstick but they don't budge or dry the lips out. They're probably my most worn lipsticks of all time. I also found myself reaching a lot for the Maybelline Matte Lipstick in Burgundy Blush. It's the most stunning shade for the colder months and unlike some matte lipsticks it's not drying or uncomfortable to wear. Definitely one of my favourite budget lipsticks about.

Liquid Lipstick: Liquid Lipsticks have been massive this year and each brand is slowly bringing out their own version. There were a few that were really disappointing but there was also a few that really impressed. The first two come from Stila and basically raised the bar for any liquid lipstick afterwards. Sure these are a little uncomfortable to wear but the high pigmented colour, opacity and longevity is enough to make me look past it. The shades Beso and Ricco have been my favourites and I've lost count of how many times I've worn these shades. A recent addition to my collection which has raised the bar even further is the Kat Von D liquid lipstick in Outlaw. It's non drying, long wearing, highly pigment and transfer proof. I could even eat a greasy burger and not have to worry about reapplying afterwards. Made a lot of those Christmas nights out a dream as I didn't have to worry about my lipstick.

Setting Spray: There has only been one setting spray that I've reached for this year. And it comes from Maybelline. It's Superstay 24 Setting Spray is amazing. It sets make up, takes away any cake face or powdery looks and keeps skin feeling hydrated even hours after intial application. It does require shaking before use but that doesn't effect the wear of this product too much and it doesn't effect how long your make up lasts either. I've gone through quite a few bottles of this this year and I can safely say next year will see me go through even more bottles.