A Very Late 13 Best of 2013!

Hey everyone, hope you're all well. You may or may not have noticed I haven't posted for a while which is down to a combination of things. Namely having a bad time at my job and having to quit, being a busy third year university student and some exciting goings on which have meant I haven't been able to blog as much as I'd like. I'm hoping now this will change as I've really missed posting and thought i'd start my return by doing my belated 13 favourites of 2013. As everyone says, it's so hard to narrow it down to just 13 products so I really tried to pick the ones that absolutely stood out over everything else and managed to eventually whittle it down to these!

1) Benefit Porefessional & MAC Refined Zone Primer (not pictured) - This may be cheating a bit but this combination of primers is my absolute favourite. I find the Porefessional is great at hiding any pesky visible pores around my nose whilst the MAC is amazing at reducing shine and mattifying any oily patches of skin for longer lasting make-up.

2) Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation - Sticking along the theme of long lasting make up, I adore this foundation! Not only does it stick around for hours but it contains SPF which is great for daytime, is a perfect colour match and gives great coverage without looking too unnatural. The only downside for me is that it's unavaliable in the UK but if I ever visit the US I'll definitely be stocking up!

3) Loreal Nude Magique BB Powder - I really like this powder for looking really natural whilst helping with any oil control on my face. It photographs nicely and sits well on the skin whilst not being too expensive or clogging my pores. The only negative is that the shade range is limited to around two. They are fairly adaptable but if you have a medium-dark skintone, I'm not 100% sure this could work for you.

4) Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder (White) - This is one of my favourite discoveries of the whole year. The perfect powder for under eyes as it not only sets the area beautifully to allow a crease-free finish but also further brightens any undereye dark circles left after concealer. I will definitely continue to repurchase this throughout 2014!

5) Illamasqua Blush in Tremble - I have to admit, I'm not someone who always wears blush but when I do, this is the one I reach for 90% of the time. It's such a pretty, wearable peachy pink that I can't imagine looking bad on anyone. When my face needs perking up it's the one i'll always choose. I love it because it's the most long lasting brand of blush I own and it's matte so doesn't leave too much shimmer on my face. Highly recommend this!

6) MAC Patisserie Lipstick - This is definitely my all-time favourite everyday shade. It's basically a much easier way of wearing nude as it's a pinky brown shade which doesn't wash me out or look too unnatural. It provides a bit of a sheen and a wash of colour and for someone who finds nudes just don't work for them I find this perfect.

7) MAC Sable Eyeshadow - The perfect plummy toned shimmery brown. It's a hard to describe shade but it's great all over the lid or in the crease and I find it works well with practically any colour I wear. Seriously beautiful and I use it quite a lot!

8) MAC All That Glitters Eyeshadow - My favourite all over the lid, everyday colour. This is a colour I will always repurchase and that gets the most love from me! It's a really lovely pinky gold colour that is super flattering.

9) Stila All Day Waterproof Liquid Liner - This year brought about a new love of liquid eyeliner that I'd never had before and it's all because of this baby! It's a really opaque, slightly glossy black and I find the thin nib of the felt tip applicator makes application so much easier. The only negative is it does take a minute or two to dry so I do tend to wait before curling my lashes.

10) Soap & Glory Archery Brow Pencil & Liner - Another one of my favourite discoveries of the year. I never really heard this talked about but I absolutely love it. I also own the Hourglass Brow Sculpter but find this so much better. You get a felt tip applicator on one end which is great for sparser areas of brow where I need to mimic hairs and then a really pigmented pencil which leaves an amazing finish on the brows. So, so good!

11) YSL Babydoll Mascara - Although expensive, this was definitely my favourite mascara of the year. I'm still not sure if this is 'the one' but it's one of the best ones I've used for creating a slight curl, adding length and volume. It leaves a really nice finish and has left me wanting to try every YSL mascara there is now too.

12) Bumble & Bumble Dryspun Finish Spray - I've gotten through around 3 cans of that this year as I just can't leave without big hair. This stuff is really good at just adding some texture and volume to the roots and ends and creating good bed hair. I'm not 100% sure I prefer this to the Oribe offering but at £17 cheaper it's definitely worth it!

13) Models Own Hedonist, Topshop Celestial & Barry M LE Holographic Silver Glitter - As you may be able to tell, I've massively cheated here. But who realistically can be just one nail polish for the whole year?! It was hard enough to get it to three.. But anyway! These were the three that stood out to me. Hedonist is an incredible neon red shade that I could barely take off all summer. Topshop Celestial is probably my joint favourite shade ever with it as an amazing cornflower blue shade that works any season. Finally, I picked up this Barry M LE Shade (with no name) towards the end of the year and it is THE most amazing glitter - it's like a silver toned rainbow on the nails! I must have stocked up on around five so if you can find it i'd definitely recommend it.

So that's my (sort of) 13 favourites of 2013. I'd love to know what you think of any of these products or what you're favourite products were and i'll hopefully be back soon with another post! Thanks for reading :)

Favourite products under £5!

I wanted to do something a bit different today and speak about my favourite bargain products. My blog has covered a lot of my most loved expensive items so it's easy for the cheaper repurchases to get overlooked. These are all things I've either already repurchased or would repurchase when they run out and thought it would be a bit of a different, hopefully interesting post! 

Radox Spa Smoothie Bath Soak Fig and Neroli Oil (£2.20) - This is a bit of a random one but this product is something I always pick up as soon as it runs out. The scent is absolutely incredible and it leaves my skin soft after use.

Elf Wet Gloss and Brow Clear Mascara (£1.50) - I already spoke about this in my 2012 favourites but I absolutely adore this stuff. It is so so cheap (but do bare in mind I have to order this online so always do in bulk to save in postage costs!) and I honestly feel it does a just as good if not better job than any more expensive brow product and sets my brows all day. I use this purely for brow setting so can't comment on it as a mascara but a definite staple in my makeup bag I'd never, ever be without. 

Sally Hansen Cuticle Massage Cream (£4.35) - Another apricot scented product! I only started using this a few months ago and it's just amazing. It makes the process of sorting out any dryness or cuticles around my nails so easy and works within a couple of minutes. It's also not too drying on my skin. You can get this cheaper if you look around but I did mine for the price I bought it for in Boots!

St Ives Apricot Scrub Invigorating (£4.29 but currently £2.86 from Boots!) - This scrub is really good and such a good price for the results it gives. I have to be honest and say I'm not mad on the apricot scent as it is very strong, something to be aware of if you like unscented products but it does a lovely job of leaving my skin soft, smooth and brightened. They also do a sensitive one and a blemish prone but I find this one fine for my sensitive, oilyish skin.

Rimmel Stronger Base Coat (£4.59) - I've used this for years and it's a really great base coat. Dries quickly, stops my nails from breaking and does the job perfectly. I've never felt the need to try any other base coat, though I do sometimes use Nail Envy if my nails are particularly weak.

Barry M Polishes (Coral Pictured) (£2.99) - I'm sure everyone is getting sick to death of my raving about these polishes so all I will say is they last ages, have an amazing colour range and are super easy to apply. They're on offer a lot too! My favourite nail polish brand.

Topshop Polishes (£5.00) - Another amazing makeup/nail brand is Topshop. Their nail varnish is really glossy, opaque and long lasting and I'd really recommend this also. They also do my all time favourite polish, Topshop Celestial!

Rimmel Scandaleyes Eyeliner in Nude (£3.99) - This stuff is the best for making your eyes instantly brightened and awake. I use this most days, particularly on those early mornings and wouldn't be without it now. I'll be honest and say something controversial though! For me personally, this is the only one I've tried that I love.. the Taupe shade did not show up on my waterline however much I tried and the black one really smudged under my eyes!

Rimmel 1000 Kisses Lipliners (Indian Pink pictured) (£2.99) - These and the Topshop lip liners are the only ones I will use. I've never felt the need to buy a high end lip liner as I find these work so well and have a great range of colours. They don't drag, they aren't too drying considering they're a lip liner and do the job perfectly.

No7 Stay Perfect Eyeshadows (£7.00) - Right, this is a cheat one because these are £7.00 if you buy them full price but I always get mine when I get the £5 off vouchers, making them £2.00 so please forgive me! These are something I recently tried and I have the shades Wheatsheaf and Yellowshine. I'm so so impressed with these, they are buttery soft and lovely shades that definitely rival my MAC shadows, my favourite drugstore eyeshadows for sure.

Soap and Glory Hand Food (£5.00) - Aah my favourite hand cream. It smells of marshmellows, moisturizes without being greasy and is super cheap for the results it gives. I use this so much in Winter and it works wonderfully.

So there you have it! Just an honorable mention, Collection's Lasting Perfection is an amazing concealer but I don't really use it as I find it a bit too much under the eyes. However, if ever my skin gets a rash from a product or if I've had dairy I love it for more coverage!

What's your favourite product for under £5?

2012 Favourites: Body, Hair & Fragrance

Soap and Glory Scrub Em and Leave Em - I've done a full in depth review of this scrub here so all I'll say is that it works wonders on any rough skin I have and smells incredible, I will always repurchase this over and over

Armani Code & Paco Rabanne Lady Million - This are my favourite perfumes as mentioned in my perfume collection, both smell amazing and I find I always receive compliments on my scent when I wear either of these, I will never be without them

Toni & Guy Cleanse Shampoo (Detox) - I discovered this product later in the year but it's become a staple in my haircare routine. It's similar to the Bumble & Bumble Sunday Shampoo and the Phyto offering, but for a huge fraction of the price. It has a far nicer scent in my opinion (aka, not overly herbal!) and does a great job of deep cleaning any product build up on my scalp

Moroccan Oil - I'll be honest here, this stuff is pretty expensive but honestly, I don't mind paying extra for something that works this well. It leaves my hair softer than any other product and although I do really like the v05 hair oil, nothing beats this one for me

Soap & Glory Clean Girls Body Wash - Like the body scrub, this product is also scented with the 'mist you madly' fragrance which I'm absolutely in love with. On top of the smell, this shower gel also moisturizes my skin beautifully and leaves it so soft after use

Have you tried any of these products and loved them?

Review: Soap & Glory Scrub Em and Leave Em!

Today I thought I'd write a review on one of my holy grail products, Soap and Glory's 'Scrub Em and Leave em'. Although most people seem to talk about their Breakfast Scrub or Sugar Crush, I much prefer clean/fruity scents over sweet ones so this suits me perfectly.

Soap & Glory says the product contains scents of Bergamot, Blackcurrant, Magnolia, Freesia, Vanilla and Musk.  The scrub is formed of sea salt, jojaba (whatever that is!) as well as Mandarin Oil, which you can really pick up on in the scent.

I love this particular scrub not only for the scent, but the way it works at scrubbing away any rough patches of skin whilst moisturizing the area leaving it soft and smooth. I mainly use this on the tops of my arms where I have particularly rough skin and it really helps to improve the look and feel of the area.

In terms of price, it is actual more cost efficient than the most other scrubs by Soap & Glory. If you compare it to the others, the only one better value for money is Flake Away, which is £7.00 for 300ml. This one is £7.50 for the 300ml, whilst others (in particular The Breakfast Scrub which is £9.50 for the same amount!) are 50p or more expensive than this one, or the same price but for 100ml less product.

If you prefer fruity/floral scents, I would definitely recommend smelling this in store and giving it a try. I'm on my third scrub and really don't see myself drifting from it anytime soon!

Katherine xo