Like any beauty addict, I’ve bought a lot of products this year. Some have been massive hits, while others have seriously missed the mark. One thing that’s for sure, there are a LOT of products.
By Terry Gem Glow Trio Highlighter – Β£28
This was a repurchase. I bought this BEAUTIFUL highlighter and needed another to keep perfect in my collection. I’ve never really bought products to keep them as a collectors item before, but after trying this, loving this and being bowled over by the appearance of it, I just needed to have another. I haven’t used my original one that much since buying it last December so I’ll have to dig that out.
Marc Jacobs Enamored Lip Gloss Sticks in Mocha Choco Lata and Uh Huh Honey – Β£22 each (Β£44)
If you haven’t read my full review on this product you can find it right here! The lip gloss stick is easily one of the most innovative products I’ve seen. It is the perfect hybrid between a lipstick and a lip gloss – it’s amazingly comfortable on the lip, isn’t sticky and is almost like a very pigmented lip balm. I have repurchased Mocha Choco Lata a few times now as it is a fantastic nude shade that I will continue to buy. Uh Huh Honey is much more of a 90s brown that personally looks a bit too cool toned on me and I have barely used it.
Beauty Pie Super Healthy Skinβ’ Ultralight UVA/UVB SPF25 – Β£7.19
This is the best formula of SPF I’ve ever tried. It doesn’t feel greasy or smell of alcohol like some on the other end of the SPF spectrum. The only down side to this is that a) I can’t find it for the life of me, but more importantly b) it is only SPF 25. I personally like to have maximum protection on at all times but I would (when I could find it) use this in the winter when the UV index is lower. I’ve heard a lot of people saying the same thing, so it would be amazing if they came out with a factor 50.
Beauty Pie Super Retinol Anti-wrinkle Eye Cream – Β£6.67
I used this eye cream consistently at the start of the year but didn’t see any results. Booo
Beauty Pie Super Retinol Anti-aging Hand Treatment – Β£6.53
I was a bit paranoid about this because you can supposedly use it at any time of day, but it contains retinol which you shouldn’t really when the sun’s out. I don’t think this formula was really thick enough for my hands and didn’t see any long lasting moisture or improvements in the appearance of the skin.
Lani Tropical Super Serum – Β£16.99
This was a total dud for me unfortunately. I had seen this brand really hyped in the Instagram beauty community but the oil felt really thick and smelt super bad. I think it was supposed to smell like Jasmine… but it doesn’t smell like that if you know what I mean. I used it once or twice and cast it aside.
Ole Henriksen C Your Best Selfieβ’ Brightening Moisturizer & Eye CrΓ¨me Set – Β£18.70
I did a blog post on this duo a little while back (FIND IT HERE!) and this moistuiser and eye cream were okay, but only okay. Both products smelt amazing and felt pretty good on the skin, but not good enough to justify such a large price tag for the full size products.
WowYou Beauty Glow to Sleep – Β£18
This is a retinol moisturiser that is nice and thick. The inclusion of retinol in products always confuses me and makes me feel nervous. I would use this in the same routine as the Super Serum and it made my skin ridiculously smooth and soft… until it broke me out.Β I thought that maybe I wasn’t supposed to mix those two products but it’s recommended by the brand on their website. I stopped using both products and haven’t revisited them since.
WowYou Beauty Super Serum – Β£18
A friend of mine always bigs up this brand so I placed an order. It is a lovely solid gel consistency that glides on really easily. Something about this serum always made me feel a little nervy but I can’t really put my finger on it. I need to revisit this one as well.
WowYou Macaron Lip Butter – Β£7 (thrown in for free)
I am very loyal to my Palmers lip balm but this got thrown in with my order and I’m so glad it was! This lip balm is EXCELLENT. If I hadn’t found such a good balm for a fraction of the price, then this would without a doubt be my go-to balm.
Mac Fix+ x2 – Β£16.15/Β£17 each (Β£33.15)
MAC Fix+ is a firm favourite of mine that sets the face and makes everything look a bit less powdery. Have gotten through so many of these over the years and will always repurchase. You get quite a lot of product and it lasts a very long time.
Nars Sheer Glow in Gobi – Β£33.50
This was a repurchase in an updated shade that actually suits me! Gobi is my perfect pale shade – I knew that this foundation was a winner already for me. I nearly ran out my old shade (Mont Blanc) which was never my shade to begin with but sometimes sales assistants don’t know how to shade match. It is a medium coverage that can be built up or sheered out. It gives the ultimate your-skin-but-better look!
Ole Henriksen Glow2OH Dark Spot Toner – Β£22
This product was soooo overhyped and really didn’t do much for me. I did a dedicated blog post on it that details my full experience with it, but in brief, I didn’t like this. I may have over used this on my skin type despite the claims hat it is gentle enough for everyday use. Knowing that I have normal-dry skin, I probably should have only used it a few times a week. It dried my skin out, especially around my nose and mouth and actually caused discolouration there. I would potentially give this another go, but this time I would only use it on my cheeks were I feel I do have some pigmentation.
Colourpop Yellow Mascara – Β£6.11 ($8)
This one was a little left field for me, but I really wanted to try a mascara that’s a fun pop of colour! I used this in a graphic liner look I did on my Instagram and really enjoyed it! It was a pretty good mascara and the yellow was super vibrant. Obviously, with it being yellow, it isn’t the most wearable mascara in the world – it certainly isn’t your every day look. That said, when I feel like doing something a little different, I do turn to this and it delivers.
Colourpop Numero Uno Black Liquid Liner – Β£6.11 ($8)
I was doing a Colourpop order anyway and this liner had just launched along side the coloured mascaras so I decided to pick this up. I didn’t feel like I had discovered the perfect black liquid liner yet and wanted to give it a go! This was really black and lasted well, but the felt tip was quite thin and made it a little harder to apply. I don’t like thick liner but I find that a thicker tip would have made liner easier for my exact style. I don’t know that I’d repurchase this at the moment because I’m enjoying the Eyeko one (mentioned further down) and Colourpop is a bit of a pain to get to the UK.
Colourpop She Palette – Β£12.22 ($16)
I bought this palette at the end of last year in the Colourpop sale and then promptly lost it. This was the repurchase and I remembered it being a bit better than it was. It has a lot of pinks that can sometimes bring out the pink in my own skintone and makes me look like I have an eye infection. I tend to use the shimmers more than the mattes but even still, this generally sits in my drawers.
Revitalash – Β£39
Unfortunately, this was quite a big waste of money. Initially I felt as though there was a good result quite quickly and then it flatlined. I got a ‘6 week supply’ which lasted far more than 6 weeks but my lashes are now even stumpier than before. And itππ»wasππ»expensiveππ». I spent a lot of time worrying that it was going to run out before I got my desired results, which never materialised.
Fenty Sun Stalk’r Bronzer – Β£23
This is only the third bronzer I’ve ever used and it’s fabulous – here are all the details you need. Fenty came out with a bunch of shades for so many different skin tones and my shade (Inda Sun) is the perfect shade for very fair skin tones. It’s lovely and warm, builds well and blends like a dream. It’s quite hard to over do it with this, which is a massive perk! It’s a little pricey but lasts a really long time! I’ve hit pan now but there’s still loads left.
Beauty Pie Flawless Foundation Blending Sponge Duo x2 – Β£4.08 each (Β£8.16)
These are excellent beauty sponges that are a fraction of the price of one Beauty Blender. The blend exceptionally well and they are very easy to clean. The only thing I will say is that I’ve had a few instances of mould in the sponges that is super gross. Take care of your sponges.
Beauty Pie Jeju Overnight Moisture Superinfusion x2 – Β£9.04 each (Β£18.08)
This is my absolute favourite moisturiser for PM. It is AMAZING. It is a lovely, thick moisturiser that would be perfect for anyone with normal-dry skin. I tend to mix this in with the BYBI Buriti booster and it’s just heaven.
NYX Micro Brow Pencil x2 – Β£9 each (Β£18)
This is my go-to brow product and I don’t see this ever changing. It’s reasonably priced and it lasts a reaaaally long time. Ash Brown is the perfect shade to match my hair colour and I don’t think any other brow products could ever replace this.
The Ordinary 100% L-Ascorbic Acid Powder – Β£4.90
I wanted to add some vitamin C into my routine and thought this would be some sort of mask I could add water to and apply. It turns out, it wasn’t. I didn’t do enough research initially and when I got it and looked into how to use it, it was really tricky to use. Because I didn’t want to damage my skin and didn’t feel confident in mixing anything in with it, this has just sat in my drawer.
Milk Hydro Grip Primer – Β£27
There was a lot of hype around this and I was super interested to see how it worked – I even wrote a review on it. I have normal-dry skin and I assumed that this would hydrate my skin and hold my makeup on. It felt very sticky but left my skin looking pretty dry once foundation was applied. On top of that, it made products apply patchy and made it difficult to blend. I don’t feel like it did very much for the longevity of my makeup either and I thought that products lasted better without it.
Hugo Boss The Scent for Her Eau de Parfum 30ml – Β£38.95
I bought this scent on holiday last year and I loved it. I managed to find a really good deal on this on allbeauty.com, which has really good deals on a lot of fragrances. I’ve nearly run out of it now and I adore the scent. It’s very sweet and smells amazing in summer time. I wish it lasted on my skin a little it longer on my skin as it does fade quite quickly.
Weleda Skin Food – Β£12.50
I’ve been suffering with some serious dry skin on my hands (I suspect it may be a bout of eczema) and wanted a hand cream that would really pack a punch. This wasn’t it. Oh my gosh it is so greasy. I would put it on and it would smell like a garden (some sort of herb) and then it would leave my hands totally unusable for a long while, or until I wiped them off. Not sure where this is now but I don’t miss it.
Sjo Skin Happy Honey Oil – Β£34Β
I did a lil review of the Happy Honey Oil and it’s a really nice oil. I think this would be a good oil for people that haven’t delved into oils before or those who don’t like most other ones. It’s very thin and sinks in very fast so can be used in the morning or evening. I personally like something a little heavier but it’s a great oil nonetheless.
Klairs Gentle Black Sugar Facial Polish – Β£15.36
I bought this as dupe for the Fresh Sugar Face Polish but for a fraction of the price. This is not as good as the Fresh scrub. It is a lot harsher on the skin – the sugar particles are a lot bigger and don’t melt away. It feels like like the particles were scratching the skin, though it did feel softer afterwards. It was after this flopped so hard that I knew I would eventually shell out for the Fresh exfoliator.
Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA++++ x2 – Β£15.02 each (Β£30.04)
I bought this SPF last year and it was just incredible. I decided to repurchase it and it doesn’t seem as though I got the same formula. Kao, the parent company of Biore, announced that as of Feb 2019, they would be releasing a ‘new and improved’ formula of the essence and gel versions of this SPF… but the formula really is not improved at all. The previous formula was just beautiful – it was cooling, it spread and absorbed easily and was nourishing too. My main issue with the new formula is that you can smell the alcohol and you can feel it too. The second ingredient on the INCI list is ethanol which is one of the bad alcohols that dries out the skin. I could tell as soon as I put the new formula on the skin that it wasn’t the one I fell in love with originally. I ended up giving these away.
Pretty Athletic Cool Down Cleanser x5 – Β£18 (Β£63.18)
Can you tell I love this stuff by how many I’ve bought? If you want aaaaaall the details, you can find it here. I hate running out of this stuff and always need a back up. In the Black Friday sale, I picked up 3 backups which should last me most of the year now!
CliniqueFit Foundation x5 – Β£13.67/Β£20.50 (Β£88.84)
Without a doubt, this was the BEST product I tried this year. I wrote an entire review on how much of a banger this foundation isΒ and I am still in love. I am seriously worried that this has been discontinued because it is now out of stock on their website and on Selfridges and has been for some time, but I really hope it will come back because I adore this! In my panicked state, I bought 3 more back ups of this because I can’t bear to be without it! It suits my lifestyle perfectly in that it is very longwearing and lasts beautifully throughout my long day.
Milk Stick Bronzer in Baked – Β£17.42
I bought this stick bronzer to avoid using powders in the summer time, plus I had been wanting to try Milk for ages and when they finally arrived at Cult Beauty, well it was fate. I went for the lighter of the two bronzer shades but was a bit worried that it would still be a bit dark for me. Actually the shade was perfect! I really loved using this though it was quite a faff. It was much more time consuming to apply than a powder bronzer, but I didn’t have to worry about my face turning to sludge in the heat. I would generally use a different sponge to blend this in to avoid applying the bronzer to other areas of my face by accident, though this did happen a few times. Once the weather cooled off a bit, I put this to one side and picked my Fenty bronzer back up. I’ll definitely be revisiting this very soon and if you like stick products, you’ll love this! You get heaps of product and I’d be surprised if you ever managed to use it up!
Milk Stick Blush in Werk – Β£17.42
Everyone raves about this blush from Milk, but honestly I just couldn’t make it work for me. I find stick products quite difficult to work with and whenever I used this I would apply too much and end up looking like Bridget Jones when she goes to Mark’s lawyer dinner with bright red cheeks. It is a really lovely shade, probably the most natural/neutral in the line, but whenever I would over apply it it would look a lot like a bad sunburn! Maybe it’s unlucky for me as I am quite pale and it is the exact shade I go when I’m burnt, but it made me quite nervous to use it because I would mess it up every time.
Milk Glow Oil in Glimmer x3 – Β£12 each (Β£36)
I bought three of these, one for me and two to give away. I preferred this glow oil to the blush because it is less pigmented and way easier to blend out. However, I’m really just not a massive fan of stick blush and I’ve barely used this.
Pixi Glow Mist – Β£16
I needed a new mist to work with my Hourglass Vanish Stick Foundation. If I don’t have a very dewy base then it’s too dry on my skin. I got a bit confused by this spray because I felt like there was some highlight/makeup in it and that put me off using it as a skincare product. There was actually no need for me to be put off it so I’ll have to pull this out and get using it again. Plus I need to use up my Hourglass stick.
Benefit Roller Lash x2 – Β£17.60/18.60 each (Β£36.20)
My favourite mascara ever! I think the formula can be a little dry on my eyes sometimes but it’s just the best mascara I’ve ever used. I’ve been using this mascara for about 5 years now and it’s just excellent. I know exactly what I’m getting with it and it lengthens and lifts my lashes beautifully.
Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Brown – Β£6.30
Used it once, never used it again. I’ve tried the black gel liner before and it’s pretty good but it dries up really quickly.
Beauty Pie Fresh Glow Breathable Setting Spay x3 – Β£5.28 each (Β£15.75)
When I got the email for this, I knew I wanted to try it. I bought two on the day it launched and fell in love with it as soon as I used it. The bottle is pretty small (50 ml) but it lasts a really long time. Unlike other sprays, you don’t have to fan it down to dry it. It is a really natural finish that makes makeup look much more life like.
LancΓ΄me L’Absolu Mademoiselle Shine Lipstick in 157 – Β£24.30
I fell in love with this one after I say Allanaramaa on Youtube using it. It was a lovely sheer red shade that looked perfect for summer! I wanted to have it for my summer holiday… and then I saw the price – Β£27 for a sheer lipstick! I nearly fainted. In the end I managed to get this with some sort of discount on it otherwise I wouldn’t have picked it up! It was a lovely colour but I probably didn’t get as much wear out of it as I should have done.
Kiko Lipstick – Β£6.99
This is a sheer red lipstick that I bought as a dupe for the more expensive Lancome one. It did work really well and is really quite comparable! But I still couldn’t resist the pull of the luxury lipstick.
Kiko highlighter – Β£5.99
I had just purchased the Milk bronzer and blush and regretted not picking up their highlighter to have the triology. When I found a stick highlighter in KIKO, I was really pleased! It was a really lovely light gold shade that looked a great dupe! However, when I applied it to my face, it stayed quite sticky and my hair would get stuck to my cheek throughout the day. It was REALLY annoying and I haven’t worn it since.
Body Shop Camomile Cleansing Oil x4 – Β£12 eachΒ
This is a great oil cleanser that is really affordable. I tried this after I used the Kiehls Midnight Cleansing Oil and fell in love with cleansing oils but didn’t have the budget to consistently repurchase it. This is a great, more affordable alternative that removes makeup and SPF brilliantly.
Body Shop Vitamin E Eye Cream – Β£13
I used this eye cream pretty consistently for a few weeks and literally noticed no difference. I don’t know if I just expect too much from eye creams but they always let me down.
Body Shop Drops of Lightβ’ Pure Resurfacing Liquid Peel – Β£18Β
This ruined my skin lol. It is a gel consistency and when you apply it to the skin and rub it around, balls of gunk come up where the dead skin cells are exfoliated. It’s very satisfying to use and see the gunk but I think it was too strong on my face. Immediately after using, everything stung for days. I have not used this on my face since. I thought it could work well on my arms as I have Keratosis Pilaris and while it feels okay and a touch smoother straight after, it doesn’t last.
Body Shop Roots of Strengthβ’ Firming Shaping Essence Lotion – Β£17Β
This one never really got a fair shot. I got it at the same time as the resurfacing liquid peel and this made my skin sting when I used it because the peel over exfoliated my skin. I was too nervy to use this again.
Sol de Janeiro My Sol Stick x2 – Β£24 (Β£48)
I repurchased this twice since this summer and it’s been a dream. The scent is just beautiful – it’s different to the standard bum bum smell and is a mix of caramel and nuts. It’s really user friendly and perfect for on the go, it comes (obviously) in a stick and is great for reapplying as the day goes on. It can feel on top of the skin a bit if you don’t rub it in, but it’s easily remedied.
Sol de Janeiro Samba Foot Fetish – Β£25
I had heard really good things about this but I don’t think that this foot cream was the most moisturising. It does have that amazing bum bum cream scent, but I don’t think it is quite nourishing enough for my feet. In the end, this was pretty basic moisturiser with a nice smell, but not one I would repurchase for Β£25.
Kosas Tinted Face Oil – Β£30
I wrote a mini review of this on my Instagram a while back (here it is!) where I basically said this is okay but pretty overpriced for what it is. It’s light coverage but does manage to cover a fair amount, but it’s not the longest wearing foundation ever. I always need a longwearing base as I work in the city and commute each day, but if you’re not doing much in the day or only need to wear your makeup for a few hours then this will probably work very well for you. I managed to get this with a Β£10 off voucher on Cult Beauty because I refused to pay full price for it. In my mind, the more coverage a foundation offers, the more justified a high price is. However I just don’t think it’s lighter coverage foundations warrant such a high price tag.
Eyeko Eye Do Liquid Liner – Β£16
This was a repurchase and it is a very black liner that is really easy to apply. It is the darkest black liner that I own and I know I can rely on it. The felt tip is really nice and thick so it is much easier to try and get the shape that I want. It doesn’t dry out like some other felt tip liners do so it lasts a really long time!
Garden of Wisdom Vitamin C Serum 23% + Ferulic Acid – Β£10
I had heard great things about the GOW vitamin C and it’s so affordable I decided to give it a go. I used it consistently for a little while but didn’t notice much of a difference. When I received some of the I Dew Care products, I swapped over to their vitamin C instead. Now I have finished that one I need to change back over to this, if it’s still good.
BYBI Boosters – Β£12 each (Β£105)
I purchased the Strawberry, Buriti, CBD, Blueberry and Bakuchiol boosters from BYBI. My absolute fave is the Buriti booster which I like to add a few drops into my moisturiser in the evenings. I’ve repurchased the Bakuchiol and Buriti boosters the most times, Strawberry twice and have only bought CBD and Blueberry once. Strawberry is for drier skin, CBD is for acne prone skin, Buriti is for sensitive skin and Blueberry is to protect from blue light. I got a few little spots from the Strawberry and CBD one but just adjusted the amount I used (AKA didn’t douse my face in oil and added a few drops to my moisturiser instead).
The Ordinary Rose Hip Oil x5 – Β£9 each
I think I’ve repurchased this five times this year and I will continue to repurchase this going forwards. I adore this oil, it’s a firm favourite of mine and I can’t bear to be without it. It’s so affordable and gives me such super soft skin that I don’t think I’d ever try a more expensive rosehip oil.
Cosrx Advanced Snail 96 Mucin Power Essence – Β£15.59
Another repurchase that I didn’t realise I would miss until it ran out. This essence (I suppose like most essences) preps the skin really nicely for all the products to follow and makes me skin feel really soft and smooth. When I ran out of my first bottle, I didn’t repurchase it because it’s a bit difficult to get hold of. In the UK this is quite expensive and I didn’t want to make a Yes Style order for a while. In the time I didn’t have this, I noticed that my skin wasn’t as soft and things just felt different. It took me quite a long time to pinpoint what was missing but eventually remembered that I had run out of this. I did a Yes Style order straight away and will continue to repurchase this!
Ole Hendriksen Phat Glow Facial – Β£42
When this product launched, EVERYONE raved about it. Ole Hendriksen is really overhyped to me having tried three of their other products and it won’t waste my money on their products again. I used it twice in one week and broke out immediately.Β I got breakouts in places where I would never usually get them (on my cheeks) and caused a massive spot near my mouth that I couldn’t shift for over a month. It was really disappointing at the time because I bought this as a reward to myself for losing a stone. I think this was probably the product that messed my skin up and I’m still fighting now (in December) to sort my skin out when I used this in mid-September. I don’t know if this over-exfoliated my skin and compromised my skin barrier but it only did it in one area? I stuck to the recommended usage (twice a week) so I’m not impressed at all.
Dr Jart Ceramidin Cream – Β£26.35
If you have dry skin, this will be your best friend. This honestly is a moisturiser like no other. It is aimed at dry to very dry skin and it is probably the thickest moisturiser I’ve ever come across. I’ve repurchased this 3 times I think and I will continue to repurchase. I keep this on reserve for when my skin is going through the ringer in winter and it always sees me right.
Japanfusion Supreme Cream – Β£9.92
Another repurchase that I’ve enjoyed for a long time. This is my go-to am moisturiser – it’s lovely and light for the morning and I think it would suit both dry and oiler skin types. It’s a gel moisturiser that absorbs quickly and leaves no heaviness. If I had oily skin, I would use this at night instead of in the morning.
Beauty Pie Japanfusion Deep-treatment Serum – Β£8.17
This was a repurchase of a serum I forgot about, not because I didn’t like it but because whenever my allowance updates on Beauty Pie, I’m always looking to pick up their moisturisers that are total HG for me. This is a great serum that is really moisturising and hydrating and my skin now misses it. It’s quite thick and is a bit gel like which I think makes it pack more of a punch.
Beauty Pie Superactive Capsules Pure 3% Resveratrol Microsponge + Exotic Fruit Oils – Β£10.10
I was really curious about the capsules that BP offer and so I picked these up. It took ages for me to try them out and honestly I’ve only used one once. They felt very thick and silicone-like and that really put me off. I will eventually use these again, but I think I would add a squirt of hyaluronic acid in there so that it spreads much easier across the skin. I think this is also probably a lesson in only buying skincare that you need, rather than aimlessly buying ‘cool’ looking stuff with no idea what it does or why I need it.
Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara – Β£13.60
I bought this over and over again a few years back but was frustrated with the size of it and how quickly it would run out. I decided to repurchase it as I was getting sick of my lower lash mascara transferring under my eyes and making me look daft. Of course it didn’t disappoint but has run out really quickly. For Β£17 (yes, Β£17) I wish they would make it bigger because it’s exorbitant for the amount of product you actually get and it does give really good results. The brush is really small so it coats each lash and there is minimal transfer. I’ll begrudgingly repurchase this again because it is so good.
Charlotte Tilbury Hot Lips 2 in JK Magic, Glowing Jen and Dancefloor Princess – Β£23 each (Β£69)
When the Hot Lips 2 collection came out in the summer, I fell in love with them. I always think that it is quite hard to judge shades online, so when I tried them in store, I fell for all three shades. Without a doubt the most beautiful shade is JK Magic – it is the ULTIMATE nude and by far my most used shade. Dancefloor Princess is very similar to JK Magic but with a pink undertone rather than a nude/brown while Glowing Jen is considerably darker and is described on the website as ‘a ‘tawny rose’ shade (whatever that means) and is just a darker pinky nude. I haven’t really worn Glowing Jen or Dancefloor Princess that much (GJ only once, DP maybe twice?) so I’ll have to work on that in the new year.
Kiehls Midnight Cleansing Oil – Β£25.72
I got the smaller size of this last year and it was really nice. I love the Midnight Recovery Oil so I had a pretty good idea that I’d like this too. I bought this as a treat to myself just before my birthday as something a little more luxurious. It smells like Lavender and does contain lavender essential oils, so if that’s not your thing, you might not like this too much. However, it works really well to remove stubborn makeup, leaves the skin feeling really soft and smells amazing.
Charlotte Tilbury Rock n Kohl Eye Cheat – Β£15.28
This was another repurchase for me – my other one lasted months and months. I wanted a good nude eyeliner for my waterline to open my eyes a bit more and give a brighter look. I’ve been doing this for years and find that nude looks so much more subtle than white, which can look really quite stark and obvious. My eye looks are never complete until I line my waterline with a nude. This eyeliner is expensive for what it is, but it lasts absolutely ages!
Belif The True Cream Moisturising Bomb – Β£29.82 (β¬34.94)
I have been lusting after Belif products for aaaaages but they’re next to impossible to get a hold of here in the UK. When I went to Sephora in Spain, I knew I had to pick it up. This is a really nice moisturiser – it probably suits my AM routine a bit more as it’s probably not quite thick enough for nighttime. It is really moisturising but has seemingly been breaking my out. I have a troublesome patch around my mouth which breaks out really easily at the moment. When I first tried this out, there were no issues around that area so I know it’s my skin rather than the product.
Belif Moisturising Eye Bomb – Β£33.23 (β¬38.95)
Like the Moisturising Bomb, I had my eye on this one for a long time. I had heard great things about it and it’s a great consistency. It’s pretty moisturising under the eye but if I’m being super picky, I would probably want it a bit more. Because it is lightish (it’s not heavy at all), I’d use this in day time. I need to test it some more – I keep forgetting to use it!
YTTP Superberry Hydrate + Glow Dream Mask – Β£30.67 (β¬35.95)
Youth to the People is really hard to get a hold of in the UK so I went a bit wild when I went to Sephora in Spain. I wanted to try the Superberry Dream Mask but have only tried it once so far on the night I got home from the airport super late and couldn’t be bothered with my entire routine. My skin felt good the following morning, but I haven’t really had a chance to give it a proper go because my skin has been a bit troublesome lately.
YTTP Adaptogen Deep Moisture Cream – Β£40.91 (β¬47.95)
This moisturiser is esssspensive. Despite it being called the ‘Deep Moisture Cream’, I don’t find it to be the thickest consistency and was surprised by how thin it was. Regardless I bought it because I wanted to try it out. I haven’t used it on my face yet because of my troublesome chin, so I’m still waiting to use this! I don’t think I’d repurchase this because a) it’s hard to get a hold of in the UK but b) I have other great moisturisers for far less money.
YTTP Superfood Cleanser – Β£8.49 (β¬9.95)
This cleanser had me super curious so I bought a mini of it. It is an excellent texture on the skin – it’s quite a thick gel that lathers a little bit and leaves the skin feeling VERY soft. Hoooowever… this broke me out π¦ I think my skin is just in a really rubbish place at the moment and I need to address the underlying problem before I can keep using
Peace Out Spots – Β£16.16 (β¬18.95)
I’ve been interested in trying out pimple patches for a long time but was unfortunate enough not to get any spots???? Well luckily my luck has changed and I finally had the chance to use them. I can’t say I had the awesome outcome that others have had where loads of gunk comes up on the patch, but it did go down over night after I used it. This has happened a few times but I’ve never noticed that these had incredible results.
Marc Jacobs Beauty See-quins Glam Glitter Eyeshadow in Pop Rox – Β£21.80 (β¬25.55)
I had been looking for a glitter eyeshadow for the longest time in a shade that actually appealed to me. Pop Rox is a lovely light pink/purple shade and doesn’t have too much fall out. It does tend to get less pigmented on the eye the longer you wear it but it still looks very pretty.
Marc Jacobs Beauty O!mega Glaze All-Over Foil Luminizer in Showstopper – Β£38.86 (β¬45.55)
I got totally dragged in here. I tried this shade over the top of the highlighter I had on and it had the most beautiful pink shift to it. I didn’t buy it on the spot, but I literally couldn’t take my eyes off my cheek bones all day and had to go back for it. Since buying it and using it on holiday, I haven’t used it a great deal. I really need to get more use out of it, but it’s so massive (It’s the same size as the O!mega bronzer), she isn’t going anywhere fast.
Sephora Vivid Earth palette – Β£11.90 (β¬13.95)
This is a copper/gold/khaki eyeshadow palette and it was total crap. The shadows were really chalky and sometimes they would blend out too easily and other times they would not blend at all. I destroyed it instead.
The Ordinary Alpha Arbutin 2% + HA – Β£6.93
This used to be a holy grail of mine and it really helped to get rid of acne scars on my cheeks. I stopped using it for a few years when I felt my scars had gone and decided to repurchase it. It isn’t agreeing with certain areas at the moment, so I’m only applying it on my cheeks where I’m trying to reduce some pigmentation.
Paula’s Choice Resist Daily Smoothing Treatment with 5% AHA (50ml) – Β£24.75
I purchased this because I wanted to try more Paula’s Choice and I wanted to try some different AHA treatments. I am a physical exfoliant girl but most other people seem to prefer chemical exfoliation and I want to see what all the fuss is about. Like I’ve said before, my skin is a bit troublesome right now and I think this poked the bear. I’ve stopped using it for now but I’ll revisit this.
Paula’s Choice Resist Anti-Aging Eye Gel – Β£24
This is a really snazzy eye cream. I use this in the morning before makeup and it’s a lovely thin gel with a metal tip applicator. Not only is it cooling because it’s a gel, but the metal applicator really freshens up the under eye. I can’t say that I’ve noticed much of a difference from using it, but I haven’t been using it for long.
Fresh Beauty Sugar Face Polish – Β£43.20
I got a deluxe mini of this last year and I knew very quickly that I wanted a full size of it… until I saw the price. I tried to find a less expensive dupe but it just didn’t measure up. I managed to get it on sale at John Lewis for 20% off and had to make the most of it. Despite being a physical exfoliant, this is very gentle. The exfoliation beads melt under the fingertips and into the skin and leaves the skin silky smooth afterwards. There is honestly no comparison to the Klairs polish I thought could dupe it with. It’s just amazing.
Colourpop Single Shadows – Β£3.43 each ($4.50) (Β£20.58)
The single shadows from Colourpop are banging. They have excellent pigment, not loads of fall out and blend really easily. I got mainly nude shades (shock) and would definitely buy single shadows from Colourpop again.
Colourpop Ultra Glossy Lip – Β£5.34 each ($7) (Β£10.68)
I picked up two new lip glosses and have well and truly fallen for one shade in particular. Me V World is the most amazing orange red shade that is PERFECT for autumn. It lasts really well on it’s own and works really well over lipstick to make the look last even longer. Obviously with it being a gloss it does come off when you eat and drink, but it keeps the colour very well and it’s more the shine that goes.
Sol Body Shimmering Dry Oil in Warm Gold – Β£7.63 ($10)
I got a mini of the dry oil and it looks AMAZING. I’ve tried it on my hand and it is an excellent formula. Despite being an oil, it doesn’t stay wet or sticky at all (like I’ve seen from other formulas). It leaves a shimmer on the skin that would look amazing in the summer time, so I’m going to reserve this for warmer weather when I get my legs out.
Sjo Skin Happy Honey Mask – Β£33.60
This one was a repurchase. I absolutely adore this mask! This is the only mask that I ever notice a real difference with whenever I use it. Admittedly I do keep it on for a few hours each time, but my skin feels instantly softer after I take it off and any issues or blemishes I have are massively reduced the following day.
Colourpop Just My Luck Palette – Β£6.41 ($8.40)
I’m not really sure what got into me here. This palette was launched on St Patrick’s Day and is an all green palette. I have been wanting to try more khaki shades, which this palette doesn’t have a lot of (lol). I have green eyes, so I’m interested to try these shades out and see what I can create. Green obviously isn’t the most wearable shade for everyday (and would probably get some strange looks at my day job)
Colourpop Made in the Shade bundle – Β£11.76 ($15.40)
This was part of the recent coconut collection – the bundle contained the two lip crayons and the Go Coconuts palette. The lip crayons are both really lovely shades and feel great! They may suit people with lighter skin tones better but they do have pretty decent pigmentation that could work as quite light nudes on darker skin tones. The palette is a great cool nudes palette if you don’t have anything similar. The white shimmer shade is very chunky with quite a bit of fall out and no real colour pay off. I’d say if you already own nude palettes or singles, then you definitely have these shades. They come in a plastic palette (boo) that seems to be magnetic. Weirdly 5 of the shades completely fell out of my palette despite not being knocked or forced out. Overall, it’s a pretty good little palette for anyone who is new to eyeshadow.
Colourpop Aquarius Ultra Glossy Lip – Β£4.27 ($5.60)
This was a repurchase because it’s my go-to lipgloss. It’s a lovely pink nude shade that I often put over my nude lipsticks to just give more of a sheen. It does have quite a lot of pigment to the gloss, but it never overpowers the lipstick I put it over.
Colourpop No Filter Concealer –Β Β£3.47 ($4.55)
RawBeautyKristi loves this concealer so I wanted to see what all the fuss is about! For $4.55 (on sale), it’s a total bargain! The shade range really impressed me – it had a massive range of shades and undertones and it went up really slowly with no big gaps. I went for Fair 08 and was amazed that for once I wasn’t the palest shade! Even this is quite light on me, which never happens! I think this has the shade range to rival a high end brand and seemingly a really good formula too. I need to test this one out a little more, but so far it’s two thumbs up from me. The only downside is how long it takes to get to the UK from America.
Colourpop Blush Stix –Β Β£4.27 ($5.60)
I picked up this blush stick in More is More as a dupe for the Fenty Match Stix in Trippin’. Both are pink shades with a coral shift, though the Colourpop one is a much creamier formula. Because it is creamier, it means it’s much easier to get a lot of pigment, so use this sparingly.
Colourpop Bronzer – Β£3.74 ($4.90)
Now that I’ve reached pan on my Fenty bronzer, I wanted to find a newer, cheaper dupe. Colourpop have a really good shade range when it comes to bronzers so I picked one up. It is very pigmented formula but there is a LOT of kickback in the pan. Normally I’m not that bothered by fall out but there was SO MUCH OF IT. It managed to get all over a grey jumper of mine somehow, which I wasn’t too impressed about! You’ll have to use aΒ much lighter hand with this than you would with the Fenty one or you’ll end up with a band of brown across your face.
Fourth Ray Mellow Milk Mist – Β£4.27 ($5.60)Β
I see a lot of people using and loving mists and I’ve never really got the hype? A lot of mists can be quite pricey and I’m just not prepared to spend a fortune on something I’m just going to spray on my skin and use up quickly. I haven’t used this yet, but it looks pretty good and it’s very affordable. I found it very strange though that the full ingredients list was no where to be found on their packaging (the bottle or the box). They have their ‘key’ ingredients on the box, but I’m interested to know how high they are on the INCI list.
Pat McGrath LuxeTrance Lipstick x2 – Β£10 each (Β£20)
These lipsticks are usually Β£35 EACH. On Cyber Monday these went down to Β£10 each and every gal and her nana were picking these up. I had never swatched these before and had never even tried Pat McGrath before (because of the price). I used Temptalia to see reliable swatches and picked Donatella and Unnatural Natural. These both looked quite different when I got them in person but I’m going to force myself to use them to get the most out of them.
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TOTAL – Β£1,945.48 (YIKES!)
Looking back at my purchases from this year is pretty terrifying but so productive. I tried out so many hyped brands and products and ultimately so many of my purchases weren’t worth it. There are brands that I now would not revisit because they’re products are pretty bang average. I’m surprised I spent as much as I did to be honest but I know for sure that I won’t spend that much this year coming. It is quite eye opening to review my purchases like this but it’s a really great learning exercise.
Did you try any of these products? What did you think?
Let me know!
Xo
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Small Town Beauty Addict 