Beauty Faves 2018

Heyy Baes!

Long time no speak. And Happy New Year! I hope you all had an amazing start to the new year. I for sure did. I spent it with my Co-Blogger/ Bestie for the first time. EVER. In our 7 years of friendship. Crazy right?! And not forgetting the group hug with the girls on a hill in west London with fireworks going off around us. Oooooo.. it definitely was a ohhhh and aaah moment.

How many of you started to reflect on 2018 towards the end of last year? 2018 was a year that flew by waaaayy too quickly for me. Started the year off with a bang by booking a holiday with the girls being unemployed, finding a new role, then focusing on more exciting things like the blog. This talk is getting me all sentimental now. Focus. Focus.

First and foremost, I want to tell you about the Beauty Advent Calendar. Did any of you end up buying a beauty advent calendar? And if you haven't read my blog on it then click here.

I personally think they are a great buy, as a gift to a dear one or to yourself. Mine was to myself and I have been getting them for the last 3 years. This time round I got the GlossyBox Beauty Calendar. Oh the packaging.. it was so so beautiful. I am all for glam. I was excited to see what I could get out of each day and what new brands I would come across. Have a look at my instagram account to see what I got each day: @priyana91. It just makes December extra special, you know? Warm fuzzy feeling.

I also feel that some beauty calendars can educate you to try and find new brands, new products, and give you that little push to get out of your comfort zone.

Let's go back to reflecting 2018. In this post I will be sharing my beauty favs over the last year. Now don't be shocked with the number of products. I couldn't decide on my absolute favourites. So please no judgy eyes 8-).

2018 was a big skincare year for me. My main focus was to better my skin tone and texture and maintain the good skin I had. (This is according to the beauty consultants I had spoken to, not solely my opinion). I had been told that even though I had acne, breakouts or whatever you want to call them.. my skin was still soft, well moisturised and "taken care of".

I'm in my late 20's now, and I panicked the moment I saw the little crows feet around my eyes. Those pesky little wrinkles. I get told to smile less too, as my smile line wrinkles will start to appear too. *shrugs shoulders* I even had one of my male colleagues ask me what he should use to help reduce the appearance of these "crows feet". And don't ask me why they are referred to as a birds feet.

I purchased the Origins Eye Doctor moisture care for the eyes. I suffer from dermatitis, and this cream adds that extra bit of moisture around my eyes, and smooths out any creases. I religiously use this every-night. I have had this little jar for over 6 months and I still have some left. So it goes a long way.

Another three brands that are part of my skincare routine are, The Ordinary, Alpha H and Liz Earle. I use a combination of all, in my night time routine. I use the Cleanse and polish to remove any remaining makeup, the gentle face exfoliator twice a week. I then tone my face with either the Skin Tonic, Alpha H liquid Gold or The Ordinary Glycolic Acid to tone and exfoliate my skin. I then have 5 different serums and oils from The Ordinary. I use each one depending on how my skin is feeling, if I feel like my skin needs extra exfoliation or help to boost the skin cells then I use one of the three serums Lactic Acid, Salicylic Acid or Granactive Retinoid. I then top it up with either the cold pressed Moroccan Argan oil, or I use the Rose-hip Oil.

Hold Up.. let's rewind a little. You saw acid right?

"Omg she's using acid and so much acid!?"

Lol it's okay, they are low concentration and like I have always said you have to listen to your skin and YOU are the only that knows what suits it. I mean I saw a review on Cult Beauty where an individual had used the Salicylic acid serum all over their face and must have had active acne. This in turn scabbed the acne and caused soreness and pigmentation. First of all with any new products, don't just assume that it is right for you. Come on. It's like someone telling you to jump off a cliff to find a million pounds? You wouldn't do that would you? Then why assume every product is for you?

Moderation ladies and gentlemen. All in moderation.

If I went through my entire skincare favourites, you'd be sitting there reading this post for days, so have a look at my insta post to see the list.

Makeup up favourites! Firstly can we thank Rihanna for the Fenty Pro Filt'r primer. I use this every single day. Even as a top up moisturiser. It's so good! I am on my second bottle since its been out. I also love the match stix, they are so quick and easy to use and blend out easily. One beauty sponge or brush is what you need. For the days where I cannot be bothered to spend time blending, I turn to the Tarte shape tape concealer and BareMinerals Bronzer. These products help me get ready, half asleep in the morning in 10 mins. Literally.

And for foundation I have been turning to Nars All Day Luminous Weightless Foundation. Wow that's a bit of a mouthful. (Easy, control thy thoughts!). But the foundation is exactly what it reads as. It's all day wearing. It's Weightless. It's Luminous. And it's a Foundation. You can stipple/buff this on to the skin, and build up the coverage if you need to. I use roughly a pump and a half for my everyday face. And I do not bake my face or apply powder. At all. I mean there are somedays where I can see the foundation breaking away around my T zone. But that's with most foundations and constant temperature changing environments like an office.

For brows I pick up the Nyx eyebrow cake powder. Quick and easy. I've been a little less adventurous with my everyday eye makeup hence no favs. But for lips I have loved Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb, its moisturising and gives your lips that extra oomph.

And back to the cycle of taking off the creative work. On days when I want to pamper myself I turn to face or sheets masks. It's the best way you can relax and let all the crap and beating of the day disappear into a distant thought. Boys.. you can do this too! You can have that beautiful skin underneath that beard! I'm team beard gang too. And pampering (or looking after) yourself won't turn you into a female.

Last but not least. I had to include my favourite fragrances. I have been pulling towards Tom Ford Noir Extreme and Armani Diamonds Rose. I love the Tom Ford perfume. It's got that mysterious yet sexy scent and the diamonds rose has that fresh and alert scent, great for every day wear.

So my lovelies, I am going to wrap this up here, before I ramble on. It's late, I am running on very little brain power and yes I left this to last minute. I hope you enjoy reading this and let me know your favourite products of 2018.

Lots of love,

Pri xo