Favourite Products of 2011.

2011 was a year of exciting product launches and discovering some really fabulous beauty products that I now can't imagine my collection without! I had hoped to narrow down my top picks to just 11 so that I could do a top 11 of 2011, but in the end I just couldn't decide! If I were to mention everything individually in this blog post I think I would have been photographing products for hours upon hours so I've decided to just include a selection here!

Last year was the year I discovered some incredible base products, some are fairly high end but there are also some much more affordable options. I'm so happy that I discovered beauty blogs because without them I'd probably still be using some rubbishy foundation completely unaware that there are some lovely products out there. MAC Studio Sculpt foundation is an expensive product but my gosh is it brilliant! The gel based formula makes it lovely for all you dry skinned lovelies, the lightest shade is a perfect match for me and it gives a medium to full coverage depending on how much you build it up. A more inexpensive foundation option is Bourjois Healthy Mix serum. This is also gel based but much thinner in consistency and it gives a light medium coverage.

Concealer wise there is only really one star of the show for me and that's Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection concealer. It has amazing coverage, the lightest shade is a perfect match for me & it costs under £5!

Eyebright from Benefit is a product I discovered quite late in 2011 but it's one that I wouldn't be without now. I absolutely hate the feeling of putting things in my waterline but this is worth it because it really brightens and opens up the eyes which is something I need because I only have tiny eyes! Another Benefit product I absolutely love is the Benefit Creaseless Cream Shadow in the shade Recess. This is the only thing that keeps my eyeshadow on for longer that 10 minutes which is nothing short of a minor miracle!

I'm not the biggest eyeshadow person, a lot of heavy eye make up really doesn't suit me so I tend to always go for subtle neutral colours. There are two palettes I discovered last year that I'm in love with and they are the MUA Heaven & Earth palette and the infamous Urban Decay Naked Palette.

Somehow I managed to narrow my favourite blushers down to just four, which for a blusher addict is pretty amazing, don't you think? Illamasqua cream blush in the shade Promise is the most perfect warm mid toned pink and it really does look beautiful with so many different make up looks. Another Illamasqua blush I adored last year is their powder blush in the shade Tweak and yes, it really is as bright as it looks! A red toned hot pink, this is quite a tricky shade for someone as pale as me to wear but with a light hand this gives the most beautiful flush of colour. NARS Douceur and NYX Natural are both similar subtle neutral shades that gives a lovely healthy glow to the skin.

Firstly I'm super sorry for including the limited edition Viva Glam Cyndi lipstick but I just absolutely adore it. Other lipsticks that really stand out are Topshop Pillow Talk and of course, Revlon Cherries in the Snow. Last year I wasn't a huge fan of nude lipsticks and since I'm usually a fan of a more natural base I branched out into lipsticks that make a bit more of an impact!

Finally I had to include a couple of stand out hair products the first being the John Frieda Go Blonder Controlled Lightening Spray which really has worked wonders at lighting my hair colour by at least two shades! The conditioner that stands out to me as really helping to make my hair feel and look healthier is the Lee Stafford Treatment For Hair That Never Grows Past A Certain Length. I feel like I get a lot less breakage which is pretty amazing considering I backcomb my hair most days!

Have you tried any of the products I've talked about in this post? What did you think of them?

What were your favourite products of last year? I'd love to know! 

xoxo

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