2017 Favourites

Hello everyone!

How are we in 2018 already?! It's amazing how fast time flies! Over the past year I have been keeping note of my favourite products and, like the previous two years, I am going to be sharing with you all of the items that I have been loving throughout 2017. They are going to be a very random mix of products, but I hope you enjoy the post nonetheless:)

Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation:
At the end of 2016 I started to use the Double Wear foundation, but I hadn't used it long enough to include in my 2016 favourites. I am including it in this favourites post (obviously!) because I have absolutely been loving this foundation. This foundation, like all of the products I am going to mention in this post, has featured a lot in my posts throughout the 2017. Double Wear gives a lovely coverage without looking like you have lots of makeup on, and it lasts amazingly well throughout the day. 

Kat Von D Shade & Light Contour Palette:
I got this palette for Christmas in 2016, and I have been using it so much that I desperately need to repurchase. All of my favourite shades are pretty much nearly finished with. This palette completely blew me away when I tried it for the first time back on Christmas Day 2016. All six shades blend out like butter. The contour shades don't look streaky or muddy, and the banana powder especially blurs and smooths out the under eye area. 


Real Techniques Bold Metals Brushes:
Last Christmas I got some Real Techniques Bold Metals brushes, and I have also purchased a few throughout the year too. It's no secret that I love the regular Real Techniques brushes, but these ones are so much more luxurious looking. They may be a little more pricier than the original RT brushes, but they are so worth it! All of the Bold Metals brushes I own are super soft and apply my makeup amazingly. 


Kylie Cosmetics Moon Liquid Lipstick:
I have been using Kylie Cosmetics liquid lipsticks for the best part of 2017. One shade that has particularly stood out to me is Moon, which is my typical everyday cool toned taupe shade. Like all Kylie liquid lipsticks, Moon applies really well and only requires a thin layer to give an opaque finish. I have the mini version from the 2016 Holiday collection, and it has pretty much ran out now, but it is available in a full sized version. 


Kylie Cosmetics Burgundy Palette:
I bought this palette at the same time I bought some of the 2016 Holiday collection. I got lots of use from this palette last Christmas, and I have been getting a lot of use from it over the past few months too. The shades in this palette are definitely what I go for in the Winter time, and you can create some gorgeous looks too. All 9 shades in the palette are extremely pigmented and they have amazing blendability. I am going to include a few swatches of my favourite shades so that you can see how gorgeous these shadows are. 



Benefit Hoola Bronzer:
This product is such a classic but I recently realised that I have never actually featured it in a yearly favourites post, so I thought that I would include it in this one. Hoola is such an essential item in so many people's makeup bags, including mine! Benefit have released a lighter version of this bronzer, but the original version works well for me if I apply it sparingly. I only use matte bronzers as I prefer to add my shimmer in the form of a highlighter, so this one is perfect. This adds the perfect amount of warmth to the face and it still looks natural, so if you're looking for a bronzer that isn't orange then definitely give this a go! 


The Balm Mary Lou Highlighter:
One of my favourite highlighters of 2017 has been the Mary Lou. I had been wanting to try this highlighter for the longest time ever, and in February I finally purchased it. I have been using other highlighters this year, some of which I will get on to soon, but this has been one that I can rely on and use time and time again as it is a pretty champagne shade. I love that you can apply this with a fan brush and a very light hand to create a really natural looking glow, or you can apply this with a dense brush for a more intense highlighted look. 



Too Faced Sweet Peach Eye Shadow Palette:
Too Faced is a brand that I discovered in 2017, after wanting to try their products for a long time. This palette has left me wanting to try more of their products as I was, and still am, very impressed by their eye shadows. This is one of my all time favourite palettes, and that's not just because of the amazing peach scent. The shadows are ridiculously creamy and the shimmery shadows are gorgeous. I will include some swatches of my favourite shades in the palette, and if you would like to see all of the shades swatched then you can click here



Kat Von D Lock It Foundation:
Another foundation that I have been loving over the past year is the Kat Von D Lock It in the shade Light 42 Neutral. This foundation is so full coverage that you only need a small amount of product to achieve a flawless matte finish. As you all know by now, I do like a matte finish when it comes to my base makeup and this foundation is perfect as it's matte but it doesn't make the face look flat. 

Kat Von D Lock It Loose Setting Powder:
To go with the Lock It foundation I have also been obsessed with the Loose Setting Powder too. I use this all over my face as it really blurs out the skin and makes it look absolutely flawless. This powder is so finely milled that it is completely weightless on the skin, and doesn't make it look as if you're caked in makeup. This powder is definitely worth trying if you like a flawless matte finish to your makeup and are willing to spend a little more. 

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Highlight Palette:
On a trip to Edinburgh I visited the Space NK store in Harvey Nichols, and whilst I was there I purchased the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette. This was my first Hourglass purchase, so I am sure you can imagine just how excited I was! The first shade in the palette is a gorgeous champagne, the centre shade is a very shimmery shade and the final shade is a lot more bronze. I love mixing all three shades together for the ultimate glow to be honest! 


Jeffree Star X Manny MUA Velour Liquid Lipstick in Daddy:
This year it has definitely been about the cool toned brown matte lips, and Daddy is exactly that shade. The formula of this liquid lip is amazing as it doesn't cling to dry patches, like the Kylie Cosmetics one can if you don't exfoliate before hand, and the lipstick does not budge all day. I am so sad that this has practically ran out as it was limited edition, but I am excited to try more Jeffree Star liquid lipsticks in the future. 

LA Girl Pro Coverage HD Foundation:
The LA Girl Pro Coverage HD foundation has been a firm favourite of mine for a good 7 months now. This foundation is said to be very comparable to the Makeup Forever HD Foundation, although I am still yet to try it, but I can definitely see where people are coming from when they say that as even the packaging looks similar. I am not usually one for a dewy foundation (I mentioned earlier that I prefer a matte finish) so when I first got this I wasn't expecting to be this obsessed with it! I did mention that the shade range isn't great in this foundation but I have been able to look past that, and I absolutely love that this foundation has a great coverage but it's also really glowy and makes my skin look fabulous. 

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara:
To be honest I really was not expecting to be including this mascara in this post. At the beginning of the year when I first tried Roller Lash I really didn't get along with it brilliantly, but I came back to it around May time and I am now a big fan. I am so glad that I finally found a way to use this mascara that works best for me. It gives my lashes loads of volume and length, and in some aspects I actually prefer it to the They're Real because it is a LOT easier to remove! 

I Heart Makeup Unicorn Heart Highlighter:
Yet again another highlighter (and a one that is a lot more affordable than the Hourglass palette!) that I have been loving is from I Heart Makeup. This highlighter is very out of my comfort zone as I normally stick to champagne and neutral highlighters, but I love it nonetheless. I don't use each shade individually as that is a little too vibrant for my liking, but when mixed together it creates a blinding silver holographic highlighter. 



Morphe Makeup Brushes:
For the longest time ever I have wanted to try Morphe makeup brushes, and 2017 was the year for trying them. I can honestly say that these brushes are amazing as they're great quality for the price. I have two brush sets and a few individual brushes, and I am very impressed with them. As you all know, I have been using Real Techniques brushes for a very long time but I had heard tons of bloggers raving about Morphe brushes. I definitely want to build my collection up as they are quickly becoming my everyday makeup brushes. 


Morphe 25A Copper Spice Eye Shadow Palette:
Over the past few months I have included this lovely palette in a few different blog posts as it's quickly becoming one of my favourite palettes of all time. The shades in this palette are all warm toned, which I go for on an everyday basis, and they all have amazing pigmentation. You can create absolutely tons of makeup looks with this palette as there are 25 shades in the palette; ranging from mattes, metallics and shimmers. 


Sleek Solstice Highlighting Palette:
This is definitely the final highlighting product in this post, I promise! 2017 has definitely been the year of highlighters for me! This palette contains three powder shades and one cream shade. All four of the highlighters are very pigmented and, like the Hourglass palette, the shades are so buttery and look stunning when applied to the face. 



Michael Kors Handbag & Purse:
All the way back in January (I know, it seems like a lifetime ago!) I got a gorgeous Michael Kors handbag and purse. I just couldn't leave them out of this post as I have been using them all year round and I absolutely love them both. Michael Kors products are amazing quality and I can definitely see myself using both the handbag and purse in many many years to come! 

Amazon Fire TV Stick & Alexa Voice Remote: 
Around July time I purchased the new Amazon Fire TV Stick and I have pretty much been using it every single day. This is a great product if you have a HD TV and want to watch Netflix, YouTube, BBC, ITV and so much more. With the new stick you also get the Alexa Voice Remote which allows you to use voice search to find apps and programmes on your Fire Stick. I think that for less than £40 this is a brilliant product and I am very happy with my purchase.

Makeup Geek Highlighter in Midnight Sun:
Okay, maybe I lied about not including any more highlighters in this post- this one was just too good to miss out! Around August time I wanted to try out one of the Makeup Geek highlighters as I have had them on my wish list for a while now. I ordered the shade Midnight Sun from Beauty Bay and, unfortunately, it arrived broken. I didn't want to send it back as I didn't really have the time to take it to my post office so I just re pressed it. The highlight is such a gorgeous everyday shade and it works perfectly fine, despite being repressed. 


LA Girl Pro Conceal HD Concealer:
The LA Girl Pro Concealer is probably one of the most talked about concealers. I picked a tube up at the end of August after hearing so many people talk about it for such a long time, and I must say that I was pleasantly surprised. I actually need to repurchase as I used my tube up so quickly as I have been using it pretty much everyday. The concealer is great for under eye circles as it is really thin, meaning it doesn't crease. It would also be great for covering up blemishes and discolouration. The shade range is amazing, considering LA Girl is a drugstore brand, and for £5 you really can't complain!

Jeffree Star Cosmetics Velour Liquid Lipstick in Celebrity Skin:
I have already mentioned another Jeffree Star lipstick earlier on in this post, but I have also been loving this shade too. As you can probably tell; there is a theme going on here! I love cool toned nude shades and Celebrity Skin is a great alternative to Daddy as that is no longer available to buy. 

Milani Conceal & Perfect 2 in 1 Concealer And Foundation in 01:
Milani is a brand which is fairly new to the UK. They recently launched their products on Beauty Bay, but I don't think it was available to buy anywhere else in the UK before then. I have been loving their foundation. I have seen so many American bloggers raving about this foundation so I was really excited to see how it performed. The foundation offers a medium coverage, and can be built to a full coverage finish with an extra layer. The formula is on the thicker side but I personally don't mind that. As far as staying power goes; this lasts a good 8 hours on my skin which is brilliant because I have combination/oily skin.  

RCMA No Colour Powder:
The RCMA No Colour Powder is probably one of the most, if not the most, talked about loose powders in the beauty industry. I have been using this for about 5 or 6 months now and I just cannot get enough of it! I bake my face with this powder and although it is a really white powder when first applied on the skin, it definitely doesn't make your face look white. It sinks into the skin and makes my face look really soft and blurred; all without being heavy or cakey. 

Urban Decay Naked Heat Eye Shadow Palette:
Around the middle of August I purchased the gorgeous new Urban Decay Naked Heat palette. The shades in this palette are very much what I like to use from day to day, so I have been getting so much use from this palette already. The shadows are so creamy and are really easy to work with, and all of the shades have great pigmentation.


Ted Baker Sunglasses:
My final favourite of 2017 are my gorgeous Ted Baker sunglasses. I took these with me on holiday along with two other pairs of sunglasses, but I ended up wearing these ones everyday. The sunglasses do have my lenses in as I wear glasses, so they help me see a little better, but you can also purchase the sunglasses with regular lenses in them. I'm not going to need these much in England as we very rarely get sunshine, but I will be taking these with me on holiday as I am going abroad again:)


That is everything I have been loving in 2017! What products are in your 2017 favourites?

Shop this post: Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation (£32.50) // Kat Von D Shade & Light Contour Palette (£37.00) // Real Techniques Bold Metals Brushes (£12.00 to £120.00) // Kylie Cosmetics Moon Liquid Lipstick ($29.00) // Kylie Cosmetics Burgundy Eye Shadow Palette ($42.00) // Benefit Hoola Bronzer (£24.50) // The Balm Mary Lou Highlighter (£19.99) // Too Faced Sweet Peach Eye Shadow Palette (£39.00) // Kat Von D Lock It Foundation (£27.00) // Kat Von D Lock It Loose Setting Powder (£22.00) // Hourglass Ambient Lighting Highlight Palette (£59.00) // Jeffree Star X Manny MUA Velour Liquid Lipstick in Daddy (*LIMITED EDITION*) // LA Girl Pro Coverage HD Foundation (£11.00) // Benefit Roller Lash Mascara (£20.50) // I Heart Makeup Unicorn Heart Highlighter (£4.99) // Morphe Makeup Brushes (£2.00 to £120.00) // Morphe 25A Copper Spice Eye Shadow Palette (£19.00) // Sleek Solstice Highlighting Palette (£9.99) // Michael Kors Mercer Large Leather Tote in Black (£315.00) // Michael Kors Saffiano Wallet in Black (£135.00) // Amazon Fire TV Stick & Alexa Voice Remote (£34.99) // Makeup Geek Highlighter in Midnight Sun (£17.00) // LA Girl Pro Conceal HD Concealer (£5.00) // Jeffree Star Cosmetics Velour Liquid Lipstick in Celebrity Skin (£16.00) // Milani Conceal & Perfect 2 in 1 Concealer & Foundation in 01 (£13.00) // RCMA No Colour Powder (£13.00) // Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette (£39.50) // Ted Baker Sunglasses 

Until next time,

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