Beauty Favourites 2015!

Happy New Year! My first post of 2016 is going to be a run through of my favourite beauty products from 2015. I did one of these last year, so I'm going to use the same categories that I used for that post. I said this last year as well, but I really can't believe how fast time is going. It certainly doesn't feel like a year since I wrote my last beauty favourites of the year. It was a brilliant year in terms of makeup releases so it took me a while to narrow down my winners! As I've mentioned lots of these products on the blog last year already, I've included links to every blog post so you can get all the details you need on the products!

Base:

• Best Primer: The Nivea Express Hydrating Primer was my favourite primer of last year. It's quite different to the primers I usually use, which tend to be silicone based like Benefit's Porefessional. It's just like a very light day cream, but makeup really sticks to it and lasts all day. It's super inexpensive and you get quite a big jar, so I haven't even repurchased it yet! A little goes a long way with it. 

• Best Lightweight Foundation: Without a doubt it has to be Marc Jacobs Genius Gel Foundation. I really fell in love with this foundation in 2015 when I began applying it with my Beauty Blender. It's so light on the skin but it's buildable if you like a little bit more coverage without the feeling of heavy foundation. My only issue with this foundation is that Marc Jacobs has yet to launch his beauty range here in Ireland! Click here for an in-depth review! 

• Best Full Coverage Foundation: The L'Oreal Infallible 24 Hour Matte Foundation. It was actually the only foundation I repurchased this year! It's a brilliant medium to full coverage foundation that is surprisingly light on the skin, considering the coverage can be quite full if you build it up. It's one of those foundations that is so easy to apply, it doesn't matter what tool you use to apply it. I personally recommend either a Beauty Blender or a buffing brush though! For my full review of this foundation, click here. 

• Best Under Eye Concealer: Urban Decay's Naked Skin concealer is the winner in this category. Like the L'oreal foundation, it's the only concealer that I repurchased last year! I went through two of them in 2015, I absolutely love it. I use it to brighten under the eyes, although I don't suffer with darkness under my eyes I just love how it illuminates the under eye area. Even without setting powder it doesn't crease or move throughout the day - it's probably one of the best beauty products I discovered in 2015! You can find my review of it here. 

• Best Blemish Concealer: Kat Von D's Lock-It Tattoo Concealer has been my saviour this year! It's a thick liquid concealer that can cover absolutely everything, including tattoos! I can't actually stand behind the tattoo claim as I don't have any myself, but the girl who sold me this at Sephora told me she had used it to cover her tattoos before. It's so thick, a little goes a really long way so I still have about half a tube of it left! Definitely one to put on your shopping list if you're hitting up a Sephora this year. Check out my review of it here. 

• Best Powder: At the beginning of the year I ran out of my all-time favourite powder which was MAC's Mineralise Skin Finish Natural, but instead of repurchasing it I got the Urban Decay Naked Skin Ultra Definition powder, after hearing Karen from Lovely Girlie Bits rave about it. It's a loose powder that gives you the most flawless, poreless look. It has a little bit of coverage, which I personally love in a powder as I feel like it's the best way to finish off your look. If loose powders aren't your thing, worry not as there is a pressed powder version too! Learn more about this powder by reading my review! 

• Best Bronzer: This is the category that I chose the winner of the first time I used this product. It's the Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Bronzer. It was love the minute I put it on my face, and I've even hit pan on it! Any blogger will tell you, if you hit pan on a product, it has to be a good 'un. It's the most gorgeous matte bronzer that is the perfect shade of brown for the paler skinned ladies of the world. It's so soft, it's actually impossible to over-do this bronzer as it blends out so seamlessly! I'm going to leave it here because I could genuinely write an entire essay on how much I love this bronzer! You can refer to my review for more information on the Milk Chocolate Soleil bronzer. 

• Best Blush: Another NARS winner, it's Orgasm. This was another product that I fell in love with it the minute I tried it. It's a cult beauty product and it's easy to see why. It's the perfect peachy pink shade with a beautiful gold shimmer to it. 

Eyes:

• Best Brow Product: Rimmel's Brow This Way Gel was a huge hit in my book last year. In my 2014 favourites I raved about Benefit's Gimme Brow, which is the same idea only I think it's more drier than the Rimmel one, and the brush is much smaller. I love the Rimmel one as it's so handy for lazy days where you just want to define your brows with minimal effort. My only criticism of this product is the wand - I'd like it to be a little smaller like the Benefit one, but it's a brilliant product.

• Best Eye Primer: Urban Decay's Primer Potion in Eden. I'm not a fan of any other primer in the Urban Decay range, this is the only one I use. It's an opaque, skin-toned primer which I love for covering up any redness or veins on the eyelids, and of course it keeps your eyeshadow put all day. Definitely a must have for everyone's makeup bag! 

• Best Single Eyeshadow: Maybelline's 24 Hour Colour Tattoo Leather in the shade Creamy Beige. This became a go-to cream shadow for me last year for simple but put together makeup looks. I always wear it on its own all over the lids just for a wash of colour, it's a really great every day shadow. It's the ultimate in lazy girl eyeshadow! 

• Best Palette: I was really pressed on what eyeshadow palette to choose for this category as I tried a lot of excellent palettes, so I think I'm going to do a full blog post on all the palettes I loved over the last year. For today though I'm going to go with Too Faced's Chocolate Bar palette. It's the one I've used most consistently for the last year and it's one of those palettes that   I think is a solid palette to suit all preferences. It has a good mixture of mattes and shimmers and the shades are incredibly versatile and wearable. The pigmentation is the fantastic, and I'm so excited to get the next palette in the Chocolate Bar range! You can read my review of this palette including swatches here. 

• Best Eyeliner Pencil: I'm keeping it the same as last year for this one - the Chanel Intense Eye Pencil is still my favourite! I didn't try that many pencil liners last year as I just love the Chanel one. It's jet black, stays put all day and has lasted me over a year now! It's a pricey pencil but it's most definitely worth it as it has lasted the longest time! 

• Favourite Mascara: This one is a complete no-brainer for me. It has to be the Lancome Hypnose Volume-A-Porter mascara. It's the first Lancome mascara I've ever used, and no mascara in my collection has gotten a look in since I started using this. I even got my mum hooked on it, and she's incredibly fussy with mascaras. It ticks every box for me - it lengths, volumises and although it's not a waterproof formula, it doesn't break down in the rain nor does it smudge. I really can't say enough good things about this mascara, you just have to try it for yourself! You can see my before and after pictures after using it here! 

Lips:

• Best Lip Gloss: Tanya Burr's lipgloss in the shade Daydream has been a go-to shade for me. It's a gorgeous pale brown-nude shade that really compliments lots of lipsticks, but worn on its own it gives that famous Victoria's Secret glossy lip. I love it paired with MAC's Velvet Teddy.

• Best Lip Pencil: No surprises here - it's MAC's Soar lip pencil! This was my favourite shade for 2014 as well. Although I've tried loads of new lip pencils this year, nothing comes close to Soar for me. It's a lip pencil that I can never see myself getting tired of. And as the Kylie Jenner lip trend doesn't seem to be going anywhere any time soon, I better keep stocked up on it! 

• Best Drugstore Lipstick: Last summer Rimmel expanded their Kate Moss range by adding a nude collection. As you all know, I'm a huge fan of the Kate Moss lipsticks so I snapped up a few shades, my favourite being #45. It's a satin finish coffee colour which really compliments my skin tone. In true Rimmel x Kate Moss style, it's smooth, hydrating and long-wearing on the lips. I wouldn't expect any less from Rimmel - their lip products never fail to impress me! You can find swatches and my full review by clicking here. 

• Best High-End Lipstick: I'm going to cheat with this one and choose two - I tried so many high-end lipsticks this year so I couldn't settle with just one of them. The first is my beloved Tom Ford Spanish Pink lipstick. It's absolutely beautiful - it's the perfect baby pink that is so hydrating and buttery on the lips. And just look at that packaging! Secondly, I'm going with Chanel's Rouge Coco in Adrienne. It's definitely one of my go-to shades as it's a perfect brown-nude that suits every look I wear. If you're looking to treat yourself this year, definitely look in the direction of Chanel and Tom Ford lippies! Click here to see the Tom Ford lipstick in all its glory with swatches, and here for Chanel! 

Brave

Spirit

•  Most Worn Lipstick: I didn't even have to think twice about this, but I had to choose twice! Again I had to pick two lipsticks for this category as I've worn these two lipsticks non-stop for the last year. They're both by MAC, and they are Brave and Spirit. They're both satin shades and they are gorgeous! Brave is the ultimate Kylie Jenner shade - a 90's mauve-pink shade, and Spirit is a coffee brown shade. I pair both of them with Soar lip pencil, but I also love using MAC's Whirl pencil with Spirit if I want something slightly darker. My review of Spirit can be found here.

So they are my favourite products from 2015! Again, wishing you all a Happy New Year, I'm so excited to see what this year brings for me and the blog. 

What were your favourite products of 2015?

Zara :-)x