December 27, 2013

The Favourite: 2013 Beauty Staples

 
As it's the end of the year I've been thinking about my favourite products and have come down to a selection of 14 products that I've used almost all year round and that I truly love!


 



Nails:
Essie's "Spaghetti Strap" has been my real fave of the year. It's a perfect rosy nude colour that compliments my skintone and makes my nails look as if they've got a fresh manicure every day. It's already been featured in a Week's Nail post so if your interested in more information check that out here!

Also featured in a Week's Nail is Korres 45 Coral, THE perfect red-orangy-coral colour for the summer. As it's full coverage after one application, I've been wearing this all summer, as it's so easy to wear! (Week's Nail Post here.)

Hair:
I've been testing quite a bit hair products this year, but my absolute favourite I just found when I was on holiday in Corse at the beginning of November. It's the Le Petit Marseillais Nutrition Shampoo Au Lait de Karité et au miel and both the boyfriend and I have been using this non-stop since then. It's the most nourishing shampoo I've ever tried and I've even stopped using a conditioner! A real wonder product. I would have never thought that I'd love this so much as I just bought it because of the lovely honey smell. The shampoo doesn't way my hair down and makes it feel silky and shiny. Outside of France you can easily order it via Amazon (we're already on our second bottle..).

For pumping up the volume I've been using the John Frieda Luxurious Volume Boosting Blow Dry Lotion. I don't use this everyday, but if I want quite some volume I just spritz this in my wet hair and blowdry it upside down. Et voila, massive volume!

Face:
As I struggle with eczema I really need to watch out for my skin not getting to dry. Besides my love for Bioderma I've extended the skincare step of taking off my makeup by including the The Body Shop Camomile Sumptuous Cleansing Butter into my routine. Normally I use Bioderma, but if I'm getting dry patches around my mouth and eye area I gravitate towards the cleansing butter. It smells just a bit of camomile and soothes my irritated skin really well.

And on those dry skin days I also use the Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask. This really does wonders to my dry patches. And it's also my skin saviour when I'm not getting enough sleep. Just slap this on when I go to bed and the next morning I look as if I've slept 8 hours instead of 4.

Body:
So you've already heard about my dry facial skin. It sadly doesn't end there, but continues over my whole body.. BUT I'm not down in the mouth. I've just found brilliant products that help me solve those problems. My skin is saved by the duo of the The Body Shop Brazil Nut Cream Body Scrub and the Ahava Deadsea Plants Caressing Body Sorbet. The body scrub peels very gently and doesn't irritate my skin as it's quite hydrating at the same time. And the smell is just incredible. After taking a shower i ALWAYS moisturize with the Ahava body sorbet that sinks in fast, repairs and hydrates my dry skin and smells phenomenally. I even bought the matching dry oil body mist so that I can wear the scent as a "perfume"..

Make-Up: 
So last but not least: my favourite makeup items of 2013.
  • Mascara Clinique High Impact Mascara has been my favourite in 2012 and has still been this year. I just love this. It holds the curl, volumizes and lengthens. Amazing!
  • Foundation The Clinique Moisture Surge CC Cream (with SPF 30) has been my favourite base throughout the year. You can apply this with a brush or just your bare fingers. And even with no mirror! It's just the perfect base that gives you enough radiance but also coverage to correct any blemishes. I even dot this on my dark circles if I'm going for a no-makeup-makeup.
  • Blush Actually the Dainty Doll Eyeshadow 003 isn't meant to be on your cheeks. But I just couldn't resist in using it as a multi-purpose product. It's the perfect coral for my skintone and it has a beautiful shimmer running through, without looking glittery. Amazing product!
  • Lips My most used product of the year has to be my The Body Shop Vitamin E Lip Care (with SPF 15). I probably use one stick a week and I really can't live without this. If I forget it at home I even have to go back or grab a new one at the Body Shop. As my boyfriend also has this lip balm at hand most of the time, you really know that this is good stuff! When I'm going out or having a good-lip-day I often use the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector in 02. You've probably all heard about these and I can just say that this is the best looking (and smelling) lipgloss I've ever tried. Moisturizing, shining and a great amount of colour.
  • Eyes and Brows The NYX 10 Color Eyeshadow Palette in Caviar & Bubbles (sometimes also called Champagne and Caviar) is the ultimate nude palette on a budget. It only costs 7,95€ which is incredible for 10 eyeshadows I think. They're all great pigmented and allow you to create a lot of different looks. From a day-to-day nude makeup to a heavy golden smokey-eye. The dark brown colour is also the perfect match for my eye-brows. I've been really travelling light with this. If you're interested in a blogpost with swatches about this brilliant palette, just comment below!
So that are all of my favourites of the year 2013. I've been really loving all of these and hope that they will keep staying strong in 2014. I hope you've all had a lovely christmas and are enjoying the company of your families. On New Year's Eve I will be staying in Berlin, so you will probably get to see some pictures from there.
 
Do you have any favourite products that you've been using all year long? Let me know!

Lots of Love
Julie