Make Up Favourites || 2013

As we say goodbye to 2013 and take a look back at all the memories, we also say goodbye to our well-loved products that we religiously used throughout the year. Just kidding, of course we're not going to say goodbye to these beauties. In 2013, my banks balance was given a good hit and I was a regular visitor in Boots and Superdrug. My makeup collection has most definitely filled up this year, all thanks to blogs and YouTuber's. Yes, I blame you all. I have a tendency to buy a new product every time I'm shopping, even if I don't necessarily need it, and so I've grown to love many products that I have used almost everyday. I'm going to admit, it was hard finalising my choices for each section but I did it!

Face

Primer: Benefit POREfessional

This primer was all the rave in 2013. I thought I'd it to my collection and bought it at Heathrow airport back in February. I'm not really a primer fan. I sometimes wear it, especially when I'm going out and want my make up to last, however other times I usually just stick with my everyday moisturiser. But, this does wonders, it is easy to apply and makes your skin feel silky smooth with the added bonus of making your make up last. It is quite pricey at £24.50.

Foundation: Rimmel Wake Me Up and Bourjois Healthy Mix

I found it quite difficult to choose one foundation as I had used one for the majority of the year until around autumn when I changed. So, I stuck with two. I began the year with Rimmel's Wake Me Up foundation, another well-hyped product in the blogosphere. I loved this foundation so much that I repurchased it without wanting to try another foundation, which kind of proves it's worth using right? It contains a slight shimmer to give the skin a radiant glow. I wrote a full review on it here and you can buy it from any drugstore for only £8.99. However, after summer was over, my skin started to become dry and a nesting area for spots. Basically, I needed a higher coverage foundation. I took my usual trip to my local drugstore and searched round for a new foundation. I had heard so many good things said about the Bourjois foundations and I really liked the sound of their healthy mix range but could never depart from my trusty Wake Me Up. I did manage to whip out my debit card and purchase the Bourjois Radiance Reveal Healthy Mix foundation for £9.99. I haven't put this foundation down since I bought and i would highly recommend it for anyone who wants a higher coverage foundation. It still leaves a nice dewy finish and doens't look cakey on the skin.

Concealor: Collection Lasting Perfection

Oh, the well loved Collection concealor, how we all adore you. I'm going to stick with this concealor as my favourite because it is honestly amazing. Such good coverage and lasts all day! I can get bad under eye shadows sometimes and this hides them perfectly! It's a good buy as well at only £4.19.

Powder: Rimmel Stay Matte

Again, another well loved and trusty product. This powder is by far the best powder I've used. I just dust it over my forehead, nose and chin and then pat it into the skin around my eyes after I've completed my foundation and concealor. Itt sets your make up into place and helps it last longer. It's a bargain as well at only £3.99!

Cheeks 

Bronzer: Bourjois Delice de Poudre Bronzing Powder

I'm more of a blush girl and when it comes to bronzers, I don't really have a preference just as long as they're not too dark for my skin because I'm quite pale. I'd heard loads of good things about this bronzer so I thought I'd give it a go and it does the job. I haven't used any other bronzer this year, but mainly because I don't use a lot of it so it is no where near the stage of running out. I use it to contour my cheekbones and bronze up my nose and neck to give a bit of warmth to my face. It also smells like chocolate and costs £6.99.

Blush: Bourjois Little Round Pot Cream Blush and MAC At Dusk

Again, I couldn't choose one blush so I went for two, well three (kind of). I used these Bourjois Cream Blushes in 02 Healthy Glow and 03 Rose Tender and applied them by using a Real Techniques Buffing brush which gave them a great finish. They're well pigmented and last all day! These were the first cream blushes I had tried and certainly loved them throughout 2013. They cost £7.99 and I've already hit pan on one of them! Sad times. I then turned to a powder blush from MAC in the colour At Dusk. It is an Extra Dimension blush and is pricier than the other products mentioned at a cost of £20.00. It's a dusty pink shade and suits my skin tone perfectly! It is well pigmented and very long lasting, gives a glowing look to the skin.

Highlighter: MAC Soft and Gentle Mineralise Skin Finish

This had been at the top of my beauty wishlist for such a long time and when I went on holiday in the summer, I thought I'd treat myself to it before I left. It is honestly the best highlighter I've used and I always turn to it for an amazing glow to add to my cheekbones, cupid's bow and nose. It's not too shimmery so it doesn't make you look like Edward Cullen when you step outside but gives a subtle shimmer and brightens up your look. It's quite pricey at £22.00 but well worth it!

Eyes

Base: Maybelline Colour Tattoos

This was the year that I got into eyeshadows. I never used to do anything but apply eyeliner and mascara so I thought I'd experiment more with my make up and push myself to try some eyeshadows. I knew I needed a base for my eyeshadow and after the whole craze over the Maybelline colour tattoos came about I thought I should join in. They're known as the dupe for MAC's paint pots and they're such a cut on the price. I love the shades Pink Gold and On and On Bronze and sometimes I just wear them on their own with a bit of eyeliner or use them as a base to keep my eyeshadow in place. They're only priced at £4.99 and at that bargain they're definitely worth a try!

Eyeshadow: Urban Decay Naked Palette

I bought this for my Year 11 prom back in 2012 and I never really used it again until this year. I've been experimenting with different looks from the palette and I'm in love with it, just like everyone else. It's a trusty palette with a range of neutrals, both shimmer and matte, and the colours are so pigmented and long-lasting. The palette costs £37.00 which can be seen as pricey for many but what you get in it makes it definitely worth the money.

Eyeliner: Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel Liner

After running out of my well-loved Seventeen liquid eyeliner pen and discovering that it was discontinued *sigh*, I needed to find a new eyeliner friend. I decided to go for a gel eyeliner because I had heard that they were long-lasting and easy to apply. Let me tell you, the first bit is right, but the latter...it takes a while to get used to applying it. I'm still no good and I've had it for a few months now! It's a great little eyeliner and finishes off the look perfectly. However, at a price of £7.99, I personally think it's a little overpriced for how much you get but still worth it.

Mascara: Maybelline The Falsies

After watching a few of Tanya Burr's YouTube videos, she always went on about how much she loved this mascara and whenever she applied it, it looked amazing! So, yet again, I thought I'd treat myself. It is honestly one of the best mascaras I've used. It lengthens your lashes, curls them, volumises them and lasts all day. Perfect. It costs £7.99 from any drugstore.

Brows: Body Shop Brow and Lash Gel

I don't tend to fill in my eyebrows because I have thick and dark eyebrows already however, I do have to tame them and keep them in place. I bought this product at the end of 2012 and have used it ever since. I'm in need of a new one though, hence why it looks so dirty, my baaad! It keeps my brows in place and costs £10.00.

Lips

Lipstick: MAC Hue and Creme Cup

I always wear nude lipstick, even if it's just something to pop on in a hurry. However, this year I have branched out and reached for the reds and darker tones but nothing will ever be the same as these two beauties. MAC's Hue is the perfect nude. It suits any skin tone and is great when you want to keep the look simple and sophisticated and not look like you have foundation lips. MAC's Creme Cup is more of a pinky nude and gives a girly feel to any make up look. They are both moisturising and give a hint of gloss too so that they don't mattify your lips. Well pigmented and very long-lasting! They cost £15.00 which I think is getting a bit overpriced, the prices seem to be going up which I'm not impressed with!

I found some great buys in 2013 and definitely products that I will use again. I wonder what 2014's make up collection will bring and we'll see whether any of my favourites are the same this time next year! 

Let me know in the comments below what your favourite products have been throughout 2013!

Charlotte xxx

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Let's take a look back into 2013...

Hi everybody!

How fast has this year gone?! I can't believe 2014 is just around the corner and we have to say goodbye to 2013. I can remember writing a similar post to this taking a look back into 2012, which was an unbelievable year! For me, 2013 has been a mixture of a year. It's had its ups and downs however, the majority of it has been amazing! I thought I'd share with some of my favourite moments of the year, along with a few (really badly done) collages that I made with a few of my favourite pictures. So, let's begin...

Family

London

At the beginning of the year, my parents and I travelled to London for a few days, as a sort of mini holiday. London is one of my favourite cities and I used to go quite a lot when I was younger as my dad worked there so I know the city quite well. However, when he changed jobs, we weren't able to visit as much as we used to. Now, that he is located back in London, we decided to make a little journey down South for a long weekend. We went shopping in London and Westfield, did all the touristy sightseeing things and then went to see Wicked which is something I've been wanting to see for a very long time. This visit brought me back to when we used to go down and it was nice to just get away and spend time with the family. Also, I had just got a new camera for Christmas so I was very excited to look like a typical tourist with it round my neck and take a few (just kidding, a lot) of photos!

Cayman Islands

Our family holiday this year was to the Cayman Islands in the Caribbean and it's safe to say that this was one of my favourite holidays by far. Having two weeks relaxing in the sun, getting a tan and eating food was just perfect! I honestly could've lived there, I didn't want to leave! I think this would definitely be a place to revisit. I did a blog post about my holiday to Grand Cayman so if you want have a look, check it out here.

Great North Run

My dad started running as a hobby and decided to run the Great North Run which is a half marathon race in the North of England where people from around the country take part in. This year, my dad did it for St.Oswald's Hospice, a charity close to our family's heart and did us all proud! A few of us went to support and also went down to the charity village to meet him at the finish line. Although the weather was pretty cold and miserable, he still did it and we were all smiling. I think the fact that I saw and got a photo of Mo Farah was also another highlight to this event ;-)

Family Photos

When I was little, my dad used to do 'the magic'. This was when he basically put his camera on self-timer and took a photo of us all. We thought it was amazing, but nowadays, it's a pretty simple thing to do. It's not really magic anymore. But to bring back that little bit of childhood, we decided to do a couple this year. since my brother is at uni, we rarely get photos of all of us together because he is hardly ever home so we set up the tripod, put my camera on and boom....we have a few photos.

Friends

Malham

In March, I went on a school trip to Malham in Yorkshire for a Geography fieldtrip. We stayed there for 5 days to do preparation for our exams. Although it was a school visit and we had to do work, the other times were great. I remember a few of us went on a walk in the pitch black once and because where we stayed was in such an isolated area, that made it extra scary. One night, we were all so scared that we sprinted back to the house with our torches and had no idea where we were running because we couldn't see a thing. The amounts of cups of tea we had that week was ridiculous but it honestly was a pretty good trip!

Summer

Summer is always my favourite time of the year because I feel like you can do absolutely anything and don't have the pressure of school, work etc. One of my best memories would be when I went to York with one of my closest companions (he told me to say that), Matthew. I love York and like London, it's one of my favourite cities. We did a spot of shopping, but when I go to York I tend to spend ages in shops so I wouldn't really say a spot ;-) I think I might have bored Matthew out by spending a while in Boots. Sorry ;-) Another good memory would be my birthday. I always love celebrating my birthday because it's in Summer and I'm always off school. A group of friends and I went to Pizza Express for a nice meal but I also got to spend time with my family on the actual day of my birthday so I had a really nice time. I wrote an outfit post which you can read here. I can finally drive now yey! 

18th Birthdays

As of September, I have entered the year where everyone is turning 18. However, being an August baby, I have to wait until after everyone else which is just unfair. It really is. Anyway, a lot of my friends had little parties at their houses so it was great to celebrate their birthdays with everyone and I'm sure there'll definitely be more to come. Next year is going to be amazing for birthdays!

Christmas

The weekend before Christmas was probably one of the best weekends I had throughout the year. On the Friday, I took part in a 12 hour lacrosse competition at school to raise money for a charity called Victim Support. It was great fun but so tiring. I think by 4 in the morning everyone just wanted their beds but we still managed to play a few more matches! The next day I basically went straight to sleep for about 4 hours and then started to get ready for our sixth form Christmas party. That was such a good night, had such a good laugh with everyone! Then the day after it was my best friend, Sarah's 18th and we went round her house for a party. This was fun but VERY interesting, I have to say!

There you have it, my little review of 2013. It's been a pretty rollercoaster of a year but honestly, I have loved it. I just want to say thank you (cue cheesy moment) to everyone who has been a part of it and I hope next year will be even better! I really hope you all have a lovely start to the New Year, whatever you are doing and all the best for 2014 from me! :D

Happy New Year!

Charlotte xxx

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