So, as another year comes to an end, I thought what better way to sum it up than my favourite products of 2011. These are the products that I have been reaching for endlessly for the best part of the year and have never let me down. You may have read me mention some of these before, but it's just because they are products I know and trust and 100% recommend. Excuse some of the photos, these products are worked to the bone so some of them are not in the finest of condition. Hope you enjoy, and happy new year everyone.
I'm a picky one when it comes to what products I put on my skin. I have the strangest skin type, which can never really make its mind up, and through the winter it is simply a pain in the ass! But there are some tried and tested products that have made a regular appearance in my make up routine this year. My two favourite pressed powders are Collection 2000's Pressed Powder in Candlelight and MUA's Pressed Powder in Shade 1. I like to use two powders to set my foundation and build up the coverage, and I have discovered this combination works fantastically for me. However, I could rave about MUA's powder all day; it's the best value powder I have ever brought. So thick, with so much colour in it and it lasts all day, and all for £1. Definitely my find of the year.
Collection 2000's Perfect Finish Foundation in Ivory has been my favourite foundation of '11. I'm a creature of habit, and when I change foundation (and I like it) I tend to stick to it for quite a while. This has been my go to all year. It has a good medium coverage, which can be built up easily and a pleasing price tag. Its constancy is creamy and thick-ish, but not heavy in any such way, so very easy to apply to your skin and not drying at all.
When doing my cheeks, I like to build up the look, normally starting with a bronzer and then applying a blush over the top on the apples of my cheeks. MUA's Blush is Shade 4 is a fantastic deep pinky red. It is very pigmented so you only need a little colour on your brush. I love this colour for both day and evening as I feel it suits my skin tone well, but MUA offer a lovely range of shades all for £1 each so it's easy to test out and discover which shade suits you best.
I've recently got into filling my eye brows in. It was never something I'd do before as I have quite dark brows, but I like the defined look as I think it really finishes your make up off. I simply colour in the inner corners of my brows with 17's Eyebrow Shaper until they look fuller and more shapely, then use the brush to soften and spread into the middle of my brow.
My favourite concealer of the year is 17's Hide and Chic in the shade light beige. It has a creamy consistency and it feels like you get a lot of product in the tube. Its brush tip is useful for application, although I like to blend it in with my finger afterwards. It has reasonable coverage, but I especially like it for evening out my skin tone underneath my eyes after apply my foundation.
My lips are a tough mistress to please, they don't get a long with many products in all honesty. I'm getting there though, it just takes patience to find what works. Nivea's Essential Care has been a real life saver for me. For years I have been a salve to good old vaseline, but to be honest, I don't think it actually does anything for my lips. I just kept apply religiously and getting no where. However, Nivea really seems to smooth and soothe my lips, and now I really swear by it. My favourite lipstick of the year is by far Maybelline's Colour Sensational in the shade Wined and Dined. I wrote a full review on it a couple weeks a go. I just love the colour so so much and think it's an amazing product.
Eye make up, the best part of doing your make up in my opinion! This year, I discovered the MUA Eye Make Up Palettes, and I think I must of mentioned them a thousand times by now. Read my reviews here and here. They're great value for money palettes and I really enjoy creating looks with them. My favourite mascara continues to be The Body Shop's Big and Curvy, mentioned in my All Time Favourites Post. Love its thin brush, making it so much easier to reach and cover all my lashes as well as its thick, waxy, black constancy. I just can't find anything that beats this mascara, it's the best one I ever discovered.
Collection 2000's Glam Crystals is a lot of fun. I have it in two shades, Funk (gold) and Glitz (silver) and both gel eye liners offer a lot of colour in just one stroke. It looks great when you've built the colour up by allowing it to dry then going back over. It really is so dazzling and eye catching, especially when you line it right the way round your eye. Just be careful not to go too close to your actual eye ball, as my eyes have streamed glittery tears quite a few times, and its painful!
The knackered old eye shadow above is Collection 2000's Intense Solo Eye Shadow in the shade Frosting. I go on about this shadow a lot, and believe me I use it every time I create any eye shadow look. Teamed with a bit of eye primer, this colour used around the inner corners of your eyes really sets your make up off and gives your eyes such a wide eyed look. I love the colour and it starts off any smokey eye perfectly.
I haven't changed my favourite eye liner since I was about 16. It's always been Collection 2000's Kohl Pencil in black. The above is the current one I am using called Intense Colour. Collection 2000's Kohl pencil's are the best, I always get compliments on my eye liner and it's all down to this little baby. I rarely use liquid eye liner, as I find the definition I get from this pencil unbeatable. My secret is to simply keep it nice and sharp when drawing a winged line.
I go through a million different nail varnishes a year, but this year I think its fair to say everyone's been obsessing over glitter varnishes, and I am no exception. Enter Barry M's Limited Edition Nail Paint. You get SO much glitter in this top coat varnish, and its so strong so your nails rarely chip when you have a couple of coats on. I just love it, its the best glitter nail varnish I've had and makes it so easy to make any old varnish glitzy!
I was so happy when I discovered Sally Hansen's Nail Art Pen. This pen is so much fun and really just a fantastic product. I can't fault it, it does exactly what it says on the tin! I have a full review of the pen here.
2011 has been quite a year for me, full of my usual highs and lows. I'll keep powering through as I always do! I really appreciate the really supportive feedback I've been receiving from my friends and peers as well as my followers. Looking forward to blogging in 2012, I've got lots of ideas planned to share with my readers, so here's to hoping things will only get better!
Happy New Year, wishing you a prosperous 2012.
