My top 15 'forever repurchased' beauty heroes

I have a lot of beauty products. And I'm not saying that to brag...I'm saying it to confess. I buy far too much makeup, and too many skincare, bodycare and haircare items, and am lucky enough to be able to try the occasional new release for my job too. But there are some bits that I literally feel I couldn't live without, and are my all time staples. When trying to put this list together (it was initially meant to be made up of 10 items...) I decided by asking myself what I would run to the shops to repurchase the second I knew I had ran out of it. The above 15 products are what I finally decided on. I would recommend them all whole-heartedly, and they will forever be my beauty heroes! 
1. Bumble and Bumble Surf Spray for perfectly tousled waves.   2. Real Techniques Buffing Brush for flawlessly finished foundation. 
3. Chanel Chance Eau Fraiche perfume for a fresh and citrusy aroma. 
4. Xen Tan Moroccan Tan fake tan for those rare occasions when I fake tan- this is the only thing I trust! 
5. Charlotte Tilbury Bronze and Glow palette for totally perfect bronzing, highlighting and contouring.
6. Bioderma Micellar Water for cleanly cleansed skin before a balm cleanser at night. 
7. & Other Stories Fig Fiction body souffle for deliciously unique smelling and soft skin. 
8. Soap & Glory One Heck of a Blot powder for a shine-free face. 
9. Mac All that Glitters eyeshadow for a beautiful sheeny all-over eye shade. 
10. Makeup Forever HD foundation for absolutely spot on coverage all day. 
11. Makeup Forever Full Cover concealer for especially stubborn spots, scars and everything in-between. 
12. NARS Creamy Concealer for erasing under-eye circles completely. 
13. Pixi Glow Tonic for exfoliated and toned skin. 
14. Seche Vite top coat for making painting your nails 10,0000x easier. 
15. Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in perversion for the most seductively dark pencilled eyes (I've never found an eyeliner like it!)

What are your top beauty heroes? 

The Top 13 of 2013

In the spirit of New Year honesty, I will admit to you that I seriously considered a 2013 beauty favourites post and maybe, just maybe a video. I decided that setting up a Youtube account might be more of a 2014 aim however, so settled for a slightly more restrained version in the form of my Top 13 beauty products of 2013 (catchy ey?). The 13 include makeup, skincare, haircare, nails and body; and let me just tell you that whittling it down was not an easy task. But here they are: the staples, special editions and standouts of the year, according to yours truly...

Urban Decay Naked Palette 3: Despite being given to me just 6 days ago at Christmas, Urban Decay's newest cult offering has already wowed me more than the other two versions combined...it's definitely love. Warmer, pink based and encased in an even better tin, what's not to lust after?

Chanel Chance eau fraiche perfume: 2013 was the year of the scent search for me, and this Chanel classic became my one and only. I'm already on to my second bottle and I predict this will be the first repurchases of many...

Oribe Maximista Thickening Spray: Oribe was a brand that seemed to blow every beauty blogger away this year, including me. As a member of the limp and flat hair klan, this product has been a saviour in a bottle, and it doesn't smell half bad either (full review here). 

Chanel le volume de chanel mascara: As well as a scent, I do believe Chanel has officially made my most beloved mascara to date. The volume and length of lashes after one use of this is unrivalled in my opinion, and I will definitely be repurchasing like crazy this year. 

Ren Clarifying Clay Cleanser: This spot saw a toss up of my nightly cleanser (Emma Hardie's amazing face balm) and this beauty, which I use in the mornings. The thing I love about this the most is how brilliant it is for oily and problem skin. It also lasts FOREVER. I bought this in June, use it every day, and it's STILL going. 

Laura Mercier Almond Coconut Milk Scrub: I always feel it's so hard to find the perfect scrub. Lots I've tried are far too gritty and almost hurt to use, but this is so gentle on skin but also really gets to work (and smells good enough to eat).

Mac Creme Cup and Show Orchid Lipsticks: I know this is sort of cheating but I couldn't choose just one. Creme cup is my go to everyday shade whilst I only bring out Show orchid for those extra special 'show' stopper occasions. 

Lush Snow Fairy Shower Gel: Smells like sweeties, is full of glitter and has the cutest name, need I say more? As it only comes out once a year around Christmas I made sure to pick up and extra big bottle this time round. Lush...NEVER discontinue this! 

Essie After School Boy Blazer: Super Shiny Navy Blue/Black shade. I am praying this bottle will last forever as it was a limited edition buy. 

Origins GinZing moisturiser: I have just repurchased my second little tub of this stuff, because I truly have found no moisturiser like it. It has such a light gel-like texture which is perfect for my skin slightly oil prone skin.

Philip Kingsley Elasticizer: Three words: SAVED. MY. HAIR...(and still does). 

Estee Lauder Cheek Gelee in Tease: Another limited edition product which I have grown seriously attached too. Tease is a gorgeous pinky blush/highlighter hybrid which gives a light winter flush or full-on party glow depending how you want to wear it. 

Diorskin Nude BB Creme: This single handedly changed my opinion about BB cremes. I was so anti-them and had had such terrible experiences with until I started using this. It gives a light weightless coverage and perfect glow. 

So there we have it: my top 13 of 2013. 

As cheesy as it sounds, I just also want to take a second in this post to thank anyone and everyone who has supported my little blog since I started it back in March: any readers or followers, the lovely fellow bloggers I have met throughout the process, any brands that have reached out to me and offered me the opportunity to attend their events or collaborate with them, and to my friends and family for helping to promote my blog any way they can, helping with photographs and all in all just being awesome. 

On a lighter note, I would love to hear which products you would include in your top 13 in the comments below!! HAPPY NEW YEAR! 

B.

The US/UK COLLECTIVE HAUL

This Haul has been a long time coming, and I have to point out up front that this is a collection of things I have been buying since I came back to uni nearly two months ago! Admittedly I initially went a little mental when my loan came through, but who doesn't? 

I will start with the bits my Dad kindly picked up for me in the US. I had a long long list of things I wanted to try but whittled it down to a few of my most lusted after. I ended up asking for the Tarte Amazonian clay blush in Tipsy (which I am yet to use), the Makeup forever full cover concealer (AMAZING at covering anything), some Crest whitening strips (UK store bought whitening kits are known to be pretty appalling due to low bleach levels) and some more of my beloved Chanel Chance perfume from duty free. I also asked for the Weekender bag from Sephora but sadly they didn't have it at the store my Dad tried so he picked up the High Roller for me instead which I am now completely OBSESSED with. It has such a sleek design and cute labelled sections inside. 

Next up is Mac and Lush (and a little online purchase). I FINALLY got round to filling my Mac quad, which you can read about HERE. I also picked up a new 217 brush and a 239. Their Teddy Eyeliner was also on my shopping list; which is a gorgeous bronzey brown colour. When I went into lush there was only one thing on my mind: their Snow Fairy shower gel, which only comes out around Christmas. I picked up a big bottle because I can never get enough of the stuff. I also ordered the infamous StarGazer metallic look nail polish online, which I'm a little disappointed in as I expected much more of a chrome finish. 

Last up is Boots, which is always like going into a huge sweet shop for me, and the Nottingham store is so big and extra exciting! Bourjois' latest offerings made their way into my shopping basket; I picked up their new Happy Light serum and foundation and their Java Rice highlighting powder. I also grabbed a couple of the new matte Barry M polishes in the shades Crush and Mocha. I was also in need of a new night cream and the Soap and Glory sleek packaging drew me so much that I bought their Beauty Sleep accelerator cream. Lastly, I picked up a Bleach London Rose colour bottle (which I had massive hopes for, but sadly it really didn't take to my hair at all!). 

I hope you guys enjoyed looking at my collective haul! What have you been buying lately? 

B. 

The July Favourites

This month I have been loving SO MUCH. With my birthday this month and my splurges in duty free, I had plenty of new bits to play with and fell in love with so many products. Most are unfortunately high end and a little on the pricey side, so sadly are not too purse friendly for the future! 

Let's start with makeup. My ultimate product of the month has to be the Estee Lauder cheek gelee blush in Tease, which I found in Cyprus when it had sold out everywhere else. This blush gives colour and highlight in one and is gorgeous. For blotting and helping to create a natural glow I have been loving the Chanel les beiges powder, which I finally caved in and bought in duty free. Also from Chanel is the new le volume mascara, which is honestly one of the best mascaras I have ever used. For lips, the Bourjois colour boost in Peach on the Beach is my one and only. Last is the Dior BB cream, which I received for my birthday and wore non stop on holiday to give me a light, glowy coverage. 

Onto skincare, I have completely fallen for the Origins Drink up Intensive overnight mask. My skin feels super dewy and moisturised the morning after I use this. The Emma Hardie amazing face cleansing balm has been my other skincare saviour for the past 2 months, but sadly so far I have only been able to afford/get my hands on testers and smaller pots. I have also been using the Cetpahil gentle skin cleanser which is an affordable blogger favourite and another French skincare wonder. Tanning wise I have been blown away by the Clarins instant smooth self tanning for face, which gives a beautiful glow and doesn't botch up your skin! I also like the Rodial brazilian clear tan in light (which came as a magazine freebie!) as it is so easy to apply. I have been applying it after using my Waitrose baby bottom butter, which was bought for me by a friend who works in Waitrose and said it was selling like hot cakes after being featured in a top beauty article! For hair, Philip Kingsley's Elasticizer has saved my post-holiday dry frizzy locks.

What have you been loving this month? Follow me on Bloglovin' HERE if you'd like :)

B.

On my beauty wishlist this month...

1. Jo Malone 'Pomegranate Noir' Candle 
2. NARS Sheer Glow foundation 
3. Illamasqua speckled 'I' mperfection nail polish in' Fragile'
4. Smashbox primer
5. Xen-Tan Deep Luxe Bronze Dark Lotion 
6. Mac quartet of eyeshadows 
7. L'oreal professional techni art super dust
8. Yankee candle in Vanilla Satin 
9. Chanel Rouge coco shine lipstick
10. YSL Rouge Volupte lipstick 
11. Soap and Glory Sugar crush body wash 
12. Clarins Liquid Bronze Self tan 
13. Urban Decay Naked 'Flushed' palette
14. NARS the multiple stick 
15. Lush Snow fairy body wash 
16. Mac studio sculpt foundation 
17. Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir perfume
18. Dior Nail glow 
19. Benefit triple emulsion moisturiser 

Favourite January Products: The Monthly Gems

As we are already half way (nearly) through February…a little late to the party…I know.

 But as I’ve only just started blogging I decided this would be a good start.

Last month served up some real goodies for me. After receiving Christmas treats and a few bob to spend, there was only one thing on my mind. GET ME TO THE BEAUTY COUNTER. What follows is a list of products I have therefore discovered and completely fallen for.

Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet in 307 L'impatiente, Barry M Lip Paint in 54. 

Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine. 

Swatches of Barry M, Chanel, and apocalips in Apocaliptic and Nude Eclipse. 

Firstly, I have gone a little lip product mad since Christmas. My brother kindly bought me Chanel’s Rouge Allure Velvet Lipstick in 307 ‘L’impatiente’ from their Christmas range. It is a beautiful dark purple colour (I STILL haven’t gotten over last seasons goth-themed trend) and has a matte finish, perfect for night-time glamour. Next up is Barry M’s lip paint in 54: a vibrant creamy orange colour which would suit any skin tone. Korres Jasmine Lip Butter has also been on my radar, giving my lips a smooth feel and pretty nude sheen. Lastly, I’ve been loving Rimmel ‘Apocalips’ (I picked them up in apocaliptic and nude eclipse). I know everyone has been raving about these beauties, and I can honestly say they are a PERFECT substitute for the YSL glossy stains. I wore the hot pink colour (apocaliptic) on a night out recently, and it stayed on ALL night and didn’t feel overly sticky at all.

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine nail paint in Blueberry. 

NARS blush in Deep Throat. 

Another couple of make-up bits I’ve been loving include Barry M’s Gelly Hi-Shine nail paint. I purchased the colour ‘Blueberry’, and it is fair to say I have been impressed! I am a bit of a nail polish snob and so I was pleasantly surprised how good Barry M’s polishes actually were. The gelly formula gives a shiny, glossy finish to the nail, and lasts around an impressive 5 days chip free. I am also really liking NARS’ ‘Deep throat’ blush. It is so SO pretty pink on the cheeks, and I have just always been in love with the minimalistic packaging.

Clarins Super Restorative Replenishing Comfort Mask. 

Bumble and Bumble BB Sunday Shampoo. 

Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir Soap. 

 Lastly, some face and body products. A product I’ve been raving about to anyone who will listen is Bumble and Bumble’s ‘BB Sunday Shampoo’…makes my hair just amazing. It’s a clarifying shampoo, so it’s best to avoid using it more than once or twice a week (perhaps alternating with your usual shampoo), ESPECIALLY if you have coloured hair. And now that bumble and bumble is available in boots, it is a hell of a lot easier to get your hands on the stuff, hurrah! Clarins' ‘Super Restorative Replenishing Comfort Mask’ has also caught my attention. As a huge fan of face masks, I am very picky when it comes to what I use on my face. But this mask smooths on easily, doesn’t dry uncomfortably and smells pretty nice too. Go try it! And finally, Jo Malone’s Pomegranate Noir soap has been a favourite. The smell is just divine, admittedly it is an acquired scent, but if you like it you will grow to LOVE it. Also lasts a really, really long time, and the ladies at the Jo Malone stand will package it beautifully for you.

Thanks for reading!

B.