Beauty: 2015 Favourites

2015 was the year that I really expanded my makeup collection, delving into higher-end products and trying to get one step closer to the elusive holy grails. That has always been the aim with buying beauty products, and indeed was one of the reasons I started a blog; to find the very best products. In 2015 I started to hoard my makeup. I began amassing drawers and bags of the stuff, most of it hidden away for it not being "the one". However there are certain products, those that I have discovered in the past year, that have become heroes. Perhaps not yet holy grails, but they have certainly earned their rights to a place in my makeup bag.

THE BASE

In terms of base, there really only was one star of 2015 and that accolade goes to the L'Oreal Infallible Matte 24 Hour Foundation (£7.99) . I started off with the shade Vanilla, but as the seasons changed, I picked up Porcelain too. Having tried every single drugstore concealer, I finally caved in and purchased the NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer  (£22) in the shade Vanilla (read the review here). I adore the finish of this, as it just melts into my skin. I'll wack a bit of this all over on lazy makeup days and I find it mixes with my natural oils to give a luminous glow. It's a concealer that you can get away with using on both the undereye area and on blemishes, although it is a tiny bit too dark for me. My most-used powder has to be the Bourjois Healthy Balance (£8.99) in Vanille, which has taken over my Soap & Glory One Heck of A Blot. It is much less dusty, adds a tiny bit of coverage and smells like tropical fruit.

THE FACE

A product I ummed and ahhed about getting, but didn't regret one bit is the NARS and Steven Klein collaboration, the One Shocking Moment Palette (£49). I have reviewed it in full here, but I can confirm that it is perfection. My favourite products in the palette have to be the deeper Paloma contour powder and Laguna bronzer. Whilst there wasn't a single blush that really rocked my socks, I really got into highlight this year. Having oily skin, I used to shy away from embracing the glow, but then strobing became "a thing". When I ran out of Benefit High Beam, I was recommended High Lights (£2.75) , a perfect dupe from budget brand Technic. I like to pair this with a hefty dusting of Breathe, one of the powders in the Makeup Revolution Radiance Palette (£8). I'm pretty sure this is a dupe of the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light, and I am determined to try the real deal this year.

THE EYES

This year I've been loving the more compact eyeshadow quads over my larger palettes. One of the more pricey purchases of last year came in the form of the Charlotte Tilbury Dolce Vita Palette (£38). The quality of the shadows is incredible, the shades are gorgeous and the packaging? Well duh... A drugstore palette that isn't a million miles away from this, and a complete surprise love, is the Hollywood Eye Palette (£5.99) from Tanya Burr Cosmetics (read the review here). This has a great neutral matte shade, a lovely gold and a rusty matte crease shade that I reach for on the daily. The shadows are luxuriously soft and also really blendable. I also picked up Tanya's Perfect Brows Palette (£6.99). I've been loving mixing the palest and darkest shades together for a natural brow look.

I finally took the plunge and bought the Shu Uemura Eyelash Curlers (£20) in the autumn of last year. They completely outshone my previous drugstore pair and I will never go back. Following a good curl of the lashes, I like to top with a few coats of Roller Lash (read the review here) from Benefit (£19.50). Now this isn't my all time favourite mascara (They're Real, L'Oreal Telescopic), but it is the best I've tried this year. It is wonderfully lengthening and gives a good amount of volume. Maybelline's new Color Tattoo drop finally brought us the neutral MAC paint pot dupes I'd been waiting for. Creme deNude (£4.99) is a yellowy shade that cancels out veiny eyelids and makes a great base. I'm not the biggest liquid liner girl, but for the majority of 2015 I was a slave to the Makeup Revolution Awesome Double Flick Dual Ended Liner (£3.50). The two ends make liquid liner a breeze and it is really affordable.

THE LIPS

Finally we come to lips. The first product is a relatively new purchase, but one that had been on my radar for way too long. The Chanel Rouge Coco Shine (£25) in Boy is the perfect every day shade. It is a nude with a browny, mauvey tint that really polishes off a makeup look. Another sheer lipstick on the more affordable end of the spectrum is the Essence Sheer & Shine Lipstick (£2) in All About Cupcake. This is a lovely peachy pink with a balmy texture that always has its place in my handbag. One last favourite of 2015 is the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet (£8.99) in Nude-ist. This is a warm, pinky nude that lasts and lasts and lasts. It makes a great alternative to a bold lip and can be worn both day and night. And so that concludes my 2015 Beauty Favourites...

What has been your best beauty discovery of 2015?