Hi Everyone
Hope you all had a great New Year.
There were a number of beauty products I enjoyed using in 2017 – some items which I have not needed to repurchase yet but a number I already have, a number of times, so wanted to let you know what they are and why I keep repurchasing. If you have been following me for a while you will not be surprised about some of them.
SKINCARE
L’Occitane Shea Cleansing Oil (200ml) RRP £17 – this is currently my favourite cleanser because it cleanses my face perfectly (although I usually remove heavy eye makeup first with a micellar water/cotton pads), removes all makeup effectively, leaves skin hydrated, non greasy but fresh, perfect base to apply rest of my skin care – cannot recommend enough – earlier review here. I have tried a number of different cleansers throughout 2017, some of which I thought were v good and some which just did not meet my needs but still keep returning to repurchase this one as have yet to find another cleanser that is as perfect as this cleansing oil, just love it. Also the light fragrance is lovely and the pump applicator is great;
Antipodes Divine Face Oil with Rosehip & Avocado Oil (30ml) RRP £21.99 – this is also one of my hero products and as I use this serum night and morning under my moisturisers I have repurchased it a number of times throughout the year – always have one spare as just cannot be without it as even if I try another serum I always like to have the Antipodes one there for me to use afterwards as have yet to find a serum as good as this one. This has a dropper type applicator and you just need one drop for face and two for face and neck. It has a light spa type fragrance which is not overpowering for me personally. When you massage it on your face in upwards strokes, it gives a slight sheen to the face and although may feel slightly silky to the touch, great base for applying moisturiser / tinted moisturiser. I have found using this along with the Antipodes Manuka Mask (below), it helps keep blemishes at bay and also helps your skin to look brighter / refreshed. Again highly recommend trying this serum/oil if you haven’t already;
Antipodes Aura Manuka Honey Mask (75ml) RRP £24.99 – this is also a regular repurchase and I cannot be without this mask. It is the perfect creamy mask, feels lovely on the skin and is the perfect boost for you skin, leaves your skin hydrated as well as soothed. It is the perfect product alongside the oil above for keeping blemishes at bay and also for applying over blemishes during the day or overnight, takes redness out of them as well as helping them to heal. If I could only have one mask this would be the one – you can also see my earlier review on it here;
Embryolisse Lait-Créme Concentré (30ml) RRP £13 – this is a multi function moisturiser, perfect for all skin types. Great as a moisturiser and over night mask as keeps my skin so hydrated but the main reason I love it is as a primer as I have found this is the perfect base for my applying my makeup – have tried a number of primers and none have been as good for me personally as this cream. You can also use it as a cleanser so it is a great product to take with you travelling – again you can see my earlier review here;
Pommade Divine Nature’s Remedy Balm available in 50ml jar RRP £19.80 and 30ml tube RRP £14 but appears to be out of stock in a number of online sites at the moment – this is the perfect multi-purpose ‘family’ balm. Previously would always have repurchased the Elizabeth Arden 8 hour cream(gel) but although it is still good just now prefer the Pommade Divine that bit more and have also purchased as gifts for family/friends as I think it is so good and majority of them have now also went on to purchase as well. This balm helps to soothe any redness, irritation, rashes, blemishes scratches, bites, slight burns, itchiness or can also be used as a cuticle/lip balm and also is the perfect product for removing any stickiness after removing plasters;
Kiehl’s Creme de Corps Body Moisturiser from RRP £9 for 75ml – although this is more expensive than a number of body lotions/creams I have yet to find a body moisturiser that is good as this one. A number I have used have been v good but just not quite as good as this one. You only need a little amount of this pastel yellow lotion/cream to keep all your skin hydrated. The pump applicator of the larger sizes make it so easy to apply and I apply straight after a shower or bath, it sinks into the skin quite quickly and keeps my skin soft, smooth, hydrated without any dryness. I also mix with ‘wash-off’ tans to help them spread more evenly;
Ultrasun Lip Protection SPF 30 (4.8g) RRP £6 – this is my all time favourite lip balm. I always have a few spare as I find it is the only lip balm that helps keep my lips hydrated in all weathers – so I keep one spare at work, in the car in my bag etc. This is a non fragrance twist up balm, it is so easy to apply and I apply a number of times throughout the day, last thing at night to keep my lips hydrated and as it also has SPF 30 it helps protect you lips in all weathers. It is also the perfect balm to apply after a lip scrub for even better results – definitely think this is the perfect product for everyone. It could also be classed as a ‘makeup’ product as I find it the perfect base for applying lipstick especially if you have dry lips or for applying lightly before or over a matt lip product.
MAKEUP
Not as many makeup items as although I would repurchase a number of products I am currently using no need to yet as they wont be finished for a while, unless I see a great offer in the meantime that I can’t resist.
IT Cosmetics CC+ Cream SPF/FPS 50+ (32ml) in Light RRP £30 – this is more than a CC cream it is a medium to full coverage foundation. My favourite foundation to date as well as being v hydrating, it is long-lasting, gives a little glow to the skin and does not settle into fines lines or make pores more visible. The pump applicator tube is perfect and I have recently repurchased another one. If you have found it difficult to get the perfect foundation recommend trying this one if you haven’t already. You can see my earlier review here.
Mac Cosmetics Eyeshadow in ‘Shroom’ Satin (1.5g) RRP £13.50 – this is my favourite eye shadow for all over the eye, perfect for applying over an eye primer, to be worn by itself or underneath any other eye shadows – It usually takes a while to hit ‘pan’ with most eye shadows but this one I use that much I purchase a few times a year – see below another new one I have already. This shadow has a light sheen to it which I like, blends so easily and is long-lasting when worn over an eye primer and I also think it helps any eye shadows applied over it to last even longer. No swatch as hard to see true colour as it shows up quite light in photos;
Another MAC product I would repurchase is the In Extreme Dimension 3D Black Lash mascara £19.50– this is my favourite mascara as non clumping, long-lasting, good strong colour with no fall out. Although I am lucky and have ok eye lashes this mascara makes them look even longer and fuller and does give a bit of curl as well. The only reason I have not put down as a repurchase is that I have been lucky with recent orders to receive a number of samples of it which I am using up – lasts about 4-6 weeks using every day but once they are finished I will definitely be repurchasing again.
Pur Cosmetics Eye Polish in ‘Satin’ or ‘Silk’ RRP £17 – this is my favourite cream eye shadow / polish – just adore it, as you can tell from my earlier review here. It can be used as a base by itself or majority of time I use as a top coat all over the lid on top of the Mac Shroom eye shadow above or inner / middle of eyelid. It applies so easily dries quickly and opens up your eyes, makes them appear brighter. It lasts all day as well – it is sold in other shades but I prefer these two colours as they are perfect everyday shades and go perfectly with any other colour of eye shadows.
My Favourite Beauty Product in 2017 with the exception of all of the above has to be the BPERFECT X LMD MASTER PALETTE – you can see my earlier review here. I think it is the perfect palette, my favourite to date and I have a lot of palettes. So versatile, pigmented, colours stunning and v long-lasting – so impressed because as well as eye shadows, there is a blush, contour/bronzer and highlighter included – quality excellent and at £24.99 very reasonably priced. If you haven’t got one yet definitely recommend treating yourself if you can. I am hoping there will be another palette released v soon with different shades as love this one so much.
Most disappointing product – I try a lot of products and although some of them are just not for me personally there is only one product I ‘purchased’ this year that really disappointed me that is the Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv Intensive Smoothing Hand Creme (100ml) RRP £58 (but you can get is cheaper) – I would never normally purchase a hand cream at this price as love my L’Occitane Shea Hand Cream from £8 for 30ml & £20 for 150ml, but as I had credit to spend after an Estée Lauder treatment I decided to redeem it against this hand cream as I enjoy using hand creams and apply a number of times throughout the day. The Estée Lauder hand cream states ‘slip on one of the most indulgent hand cremes ever created’ – although indulgent because of the price and does feel good when you first apply it, does feels like a creamy balm on the skin, I did not notice any additional prolonged benefits, my hands did not look any better, feel as ‘nice’ or as hydrated throughout the day as when I use the L’Occitane hand cream regularly, (or a number of other hand creams), which is a lot more reasonable at £20 for 150ml – personally do not think the Estée Lauder Re-Nutriv Intensive Smoothing Hand Creme is worth the price, but on a positive note at least having credit to go towards it was a good way to try it – would have been even more disappointed if had actually spent ‘cash’ on it.
Look forward to any comments you may have – love to know if you have tried any of my ‘hero’ products above or love them as much as me. If you decide to purchase any of these items remember to always check around to see which retailer/store has the best offer prior to purchasing.
If you are not already a follower would love you to follow my blog too – would mean a lot.
Thank you – enjoy the rest of the week – will have more posts up later in the week.
Hope 2018 is a great year for you all.
Take care.
Best Wishes Liz x
Beauty Fashion Chit Chat 
What a great and informative post. Like yourself I love the look of the palette. I really like how the shades are not all varying shades of brown and light. I like to be creative and this is a perfect place to begin for trying lots of colours. I do enjoy l’occitaine products generally and they are always good quality. I will possibly purchase the mask but thanks to your post I will be buying birchbox this month. I especially enjoy fast blusher in the morning as sometimes powder needs to be blended and so the crayon will be perfect.
I very much enjoy that your posts are detailed and makes them very worthwhile to read so thank you, we will speak very soon, love from Susie
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Thank you Susie – so, so pleased you are enjoying them. That’s great, nice treat for yourself. Take care & chat v soon love Liz xx
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Liz, I just got my beautiful package about ten minutes ago. Well how wonderful, I absolutely love everything. I use claudalie and have the foam cleanser so the toner will pair perfectly with that which I am delighted about.
I absolutely love the antipodes duo. It is a first for me and boy I am impressed. I also use rituals particularly in summer so will use every drop and I do enjoy Baylis and Harding especially for this time of year. I am over the moon happy and you have made my day, thank you so very much from Susie. xx
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Thank you Susie – so glad you received them & over the moon you like them all. My absolute pleasure- enjoy using them. Hope you have a great weekend- take care & chat soon love Liz xx
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