Over the past year I discovered YouTube and several beauty guru's who I follow religiously, including FleurDeForce, ThePersianBabe and Pixi2woo (to name a few). Thanks to them, 2011 was definitely a year when I went beauty crazy and began trying more and more products, as well as becoming interested in writing more beauty based posts. I have gone through my collection of hair, make up and skin care products and compiled what I guess will be my 2011 favourites.
1. Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish; £12.75 - No surprises here, I've banged on about this product for months. I've just passed my first anniversary with using this product and I don't think I'll ever not buy it now. It had dramatically cleared my skin up and I can't rave enough about it.
2. Moroccanoil Light; £12.85 - £30.45 - After hearing so many reviews I decided to give this a go. I bought the 25ml light version as my hair is extremely blonde at the minute. It is honestly an extremely good product. You need only a small amount through your mid-lengths and ends which will decrease drying time as well as give it a healthy shine. I will be re-purchasing this in full size (100ml) when I run out.
3. MAC Prep and Prime; £18.00 - I've used this primer for years, it's always the one I come back to when trying others, as for me, it's the best. It smoothes out any fine lines and pores I have before applying foundation and it has never caused any issues for my skin.
4. John Frieda Colour Renew Shampoo; £5.49 - After taking the plunge and dying my hair a serious shade of blonde, I invested in a bottle of this shampoo to counteract the brassy tones. It has worked wonders and leaves my hair feeling soft.
5. Chanel Nail Lacquer in Particuliere; £17.50 - I got this last Christmas and it has been one of my go to shades ever since. I wear it a lot more during Autumn/Winter seasons and find it looks very sophisticated.
6. Clinique High Impact Mascara; £15.00 - Another product I have used for years. Originally I'd only ever use the sample sizes of it when my mum, sister or auntie bought from Clinique. This year I picked myself up a full size and I have never looked back. I get so many compliments when I wear it, people even ask if they can have my eyelashes! I'm currently trying out Benefit's 'They're Real!' so we'll see if this still stays number 1!
7. Barry M Nail Colour in Vivid Purple; £2.99 - A cheaper alternative to my Chanel. This is another shade I wear all the time. I've re-purchased a gazillion times. I think it looks lovely on the nails, and even better with a tan! A good colour to wear on a night out.
8. Urban Decay Naked Palette; £35 - This is pretty much the only palette I ever reach for when I want to create a smokey eye or an everyday look. For everyday I used Naked all over the lid, Buck to deepen my crease and then a liquid liner to create a winged look. It is definitely a good investment palette and I'm already eyeing up the Naked Palette 2 out this month (anyone know what date?)
9. MAC Penultimate Liner; £13.50 - Speaking of liner, I have been using this pen over a year now and it is the best liquid liner I've used. The felt tip pen application makes it incredibly easy to do even winged liner. A great product overall!
10. Benefit PowdaWowzer; £19.50 £9.00 - Hoola Bronzer in particular. This trio was a limited edition set that I picked up as I'd always wanted to try Benefit's boxed blushes/bronzers. I now used Hoola everyday to contour and bronze my face. I also use Coralista a lot too. It is currently £9.00 in the ASOS sale (click link no. 10 above), but be quick as they will be gone!
So that is it for my 2011 favourites! What have been your favourite beauty products of 2011? If you've already done a beauty round up post, leave it below - I'd love to read about new products!
