2016 Beauty Discoveries

So 2016 definitely wasn't my best year for blogging, but I thought this would be a great time to mention a few products I found in 2016 that I loved, that may not have gotten the blogging attention they deserved. I obviously loved more products than just the four I'll be mentioning today but these are the new-comers to my stash that really stood out.

1. Tata Harper's Regenerating Cleanser. So 2016 was the year in which I was introduced to Tata Harpers products, and narrowing down a top pick from her cleansing range wasn't easy, (I also have the Purifying and Oil Cleansers and they're both FAB options too). I decided to go with the Regenerating one for a couple of reasons: firstly, it got me back into manual exfoliation. Second? It's unlike other things I have. While I love the Oil Cleanser, we all know I love a bit of Una Brennan for oil cleansing. Equally, I really enjoy the Purifying Cleanser, but it's not leaps and bounds away from the Oskia Cleansing Gel that I've been using for years. The Regenerating Cleanser is a thin cream cleanser with little sand-like grains (no plastic beads) that provide a light exfoliation during your cleanse. I use this either AM or second cleanse in PM. Bonus points for the scent.

2. Pixi Rose Oil. This is just genius. Now I will never be caught bad mouthing the MV Organics Rose+ Booster, but if there's ever going to be anything that comes close to rivalling that product, for texture, for how it leaves the skin looking and feeling, for scent, it's Pixi Rose Oil. It's mind-boggling how they've managed to make an oil that is so lovely for such a good price. It's £26. just go buy it. Your skin will thank you.

3. Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner. Let me go on record for saying: liquid eyeliner was once the absolute bane of my makeup existence. I found it difficult to apply, and once I did apply it I found that it never really lasted well on me, that it faded or smudged. This eyeliner pen is so user-friendly because of it's flexible felt nib and the ink inside the pen is super black, doesn't fade and it's very water resistant (and I'm a contact lens wearer so trust me I have tested that claim). It's not the cheapest liquid liner out there but it's also not half the price of the Tom Ford one, so I'd say I'm on to a winner.

4. Urban Decay Vice Lipstick in "Ex-Girlfriend". So do we remember the series of posts around this time last year where I went a little loopy for the Gwen Stefani for Urban Decay collection? I did go back, I did buy the lipstick in "Ex-Girlfriend" and I have worn that shade at least once a week since. It's just such a good nude for paler people. It's nicely sheer and a little deeper than my skin-tone and has a lovely, wearably glossy finish. Goes with everything, super comfortable, thank you Urban Decay.

May Favourites

So it's time for another favourites post. I've kept it pretty short and sweet this time but I'm absolutely loving everything I've included. So lets have a look:

For makeup I've gone back to an old favourite: the L'Oreal True Match Foundation. I did a post a while back comparing the new formula to the original and I was pleasantly surprised that they had in fact managed to improve the formula. It's still super lightweight on the skin and the coverage is nicely buildable but it has a little more glow that help it to look super natural on the skin. I've always gone back to True Match for the warmer months and I'm super happy that I still love it.

If you haven't already heard me harp on about Sunday Riley's Luna Sleeping Night Oil, I think you're a minority on the blog. When this first launched last year I was very much put-off by the price. I've tried a couple of Sunday Riley's oils in the past and I've not been nearly as impressed with them as I have been with other more affordable (but still pricey) oils (MV Organics Rose Plus Booster, and the Clarins Lotus Oil to name a few great options). While I still don't rate the other oils in the lineup, Luna has earned a permanent spot in my skincare stash. It just makes your skin look better overnight and since I've started properly looking after my skin I'm finding it's not often I find skincare products these days that do that for me. Totally worth the hype.

Another skincare product that I've been obsessed with this month is the Tata Harper Regenerating Cleanser. I got a trial size of this in a set I got for Christmas and had it have not been in that kit I definitely wouldn't have picked this product out of all the things in Tata's range but I absolutely love this cleanser. It has super refined granular particles (think more "grains of sand" than "those horrible plastic bead things") that are held in a thin creamy cleanser that just feels great on the skin. I like to use this as a morning cleanse or a second cleanse in the evening. Since it's a bit exfoliating so it's definitely not one to be removing makeup with. Also, I know I go on about scents all the time, but the scent on Tata Harper skincare products is just amazing, this has a light citrusy scent that's so fresh and relaxing.

And finally this month, something I never thought I'd be including in a favourites post: Stila's Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner Pen. I never thought I'd find a liquid eyeliner that I enjoyed. I generally have loads of trouble applying liquid liner and if I do manage to apply it I end up with panda eyes before long but this is different. The nib is a long thin felt tip nib that just makes applying your liquid liner so easy to do that I've literally been reaching for this everyday since I got it. the formula is nice and long wearing but it isn't completely smudge resistant, if you have especially watery eyes or you rub your eyes a lot this will move a bit.

The Answer To My Liquid-Liner Prayers

Now I'm a self-confessed liquid eyeliner rookie. I've always been the girl who opts for a smokey eye for a night out because I just couldn't get the hang of eye liner, and I'd tried so many products and techniques. However recently I found something that has me on board with the winged liner: the Stile Stay-All-Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner.

It's one of those felt-tip style eyeliners and the nib is a little longer than some and comes to a really nice sharp point that makes doing liquid liner a breeze. The formula is great too, it's super black and smooth so it aids the application. I also find that when it dries down it's not too shiny so it gives amazing definition to the eyes. The waterproof claim seems to be pretty fair too, I haven't noticed any smudging with the formula and it doesn't flake off either so really long-wearing.

To apply the liner, I just lay the nib along my lash-line and press it down, then draw a little triangle flick on the end and colour it in if needed. Being an eyeliner novice I must admit I generally just do a three-quarter line (rather than starting the line from the very inner corner of my eye, I usually start it from where my iris starts if I'm looking straight forward. Generally I find the smaller you make the flick, the easier it is to keep both eyes relatively symmetrical. And trust me, If I can do it, anyone can.

Days 19-24 of the M&S Beauty Advent Calendar

And we're back! Sorry for the unscheduled break on Friday - I was going to do a post on the good stuff in the Boxing Day Sales but I decided that, actually, the sales this year were a bit pants and not worthy of a post and so I had a day off, but we're back. Today brings the final instalment of my Mark's and Spencer's Beauty Advent Calendar! I know that Christmas is over, but I figure you'd be interested to see what the final 5 things were, so here they all:

On day 19 I got an Autograph Ultra Shine Twist-Up Colour in the shade "Nude". This is a glossy lip pencil in a shimmery brown-neutral colour. It's a bit thin and sheer in colour but there's a nice amount of shine on the lips with this and it's comfortable to wear.

As mentioned in my Stocking Stuffers Gift Guide Post (clicky link here), I love the  L'Occitane Verbena scent, so I really excited to see that there was a nicely sized Verbena Shower Gel behind door number 20. It's not the most lather-y shower gel ever but the scent is lovely and refreshing and it isn't at all stripping on the skin.

Day 21 brought the wonderful Pixi Glow Tonic. This has been a favourite of mine since I picked one up in the Caroline Hirons Beauty Box 2 (clicky link here). It's a lovely acid toner that you use with cotton pads after cleansing and it's gentle enough to use morning and night.

On day 22 I opened a mini size of the REN Flash Rinse 1 Minute Facial, which is one of my favourite face masks. It comes out of the tube a little bit like toothpaste but it leaves your skin feeling amazing and it's a really quick fix.

I'd heard a lot about the Stila Lip Glaze and day 23 brought me shade "18 - Sugar Plum", a dusty plum-pink colour. These come off quite sheer on the lips and they're a little sticky on the lips. The click-up applicator is cool but personally I prefer the formulas of the Lipstick Queen Big Bang Gloss or the NYX Butter Gloss.

And finally, on day 24, we have a Morgan Taylor Professional Nail Lacquer in the shade "Pretty Woman" (a bright pillar box red). I must be honest, I haven't even bothered trying it, it will be given straight to a sibling, I really just don't do red nail polish :( - a really good week of picks there until that last one!

30 Lips in 30 Days - NUDEstix Lip Pen

NUDEstix isn't a brand I here a lot about in the blog-o-sphere but I mentioned one of their lip and cheek pencils in a blog post I wrote a while back (clicky link here) and I figured I'd try some more things from them. The packaging for their Lip Pens is a sleek black tube with a click-y brush applicator, similar to the Stila Lip Glaze packaging. I like this applicator as it means you don't need a separate lip brush but do bear in mind that it's very easy to click out too much product.

The actual lip gloss formula is a bit thick and sticky and it has that menthol scent to it that a lip-plumping product would have, although for me it doesn't offer any lip-plumping effects. The shade "Buff" is a light nude with a glossy sheerness to it that makes it wearable but it's not a shade I see myself reaching for so often just due to how pale I am. I can see it working nicely as a centre of the lip highlight product. I'd love to try some other shades as it lasts quite well due to the thickness.