My 2015 Favourites ♡

I know everyone says it, but 2015 went so fast! It wasn't particularly the best of years for me, but I got on with it and while I'm relieved that it's over I really enjoyed looking back on the year, picking out the things that I loved, whether they were beauty items, random things or memories it was really nice to think back and pick my absolute favourites.

I have so many to get through that this might be a very long post, sorry about that in advance, it was much longer but I forced myself to only choose things that I really truly loved, for the whole time that I've been using them.

Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara This mascara is probably the best I've ever tried, I started the year trying a few high end mascaras but since the Summer this is the only one I've been using, it adds length and volume, and curls as well, to me it does everything that Benefit Roller Lash claims to do, but better and at a much lower price.

Eyesore Fleur Loves False Eyelashes I really struggle with false eyelashes, they tend to make my eyes water, making the inner part flick up, I have never seen lashes like these before, and I don't think I'll ever use anything else now, they are 3/4 length lashes, which you apply on the outer part of your eye, they add volume and definition and are on the more natural side of dramatic lashes...if that makes sense..they're so pretty and fluttery and I don't have to worry about them flicking up and looking silly, I've used quite a few packs already, though you can get about three uses out of one pair, I really love them!

Soap & Glory Supercat Eyeliner This eyeliner kind of took me by surprise, I hadn't used any Soap and Glory makeup before this, and bought it on a whim, but it's so good, it's a felt tip liner which I find really easy to use, it lasts a long time but isn't difficult to remove and it doesn't dry out too quickly, which is what I usually find with these type of eyeliners.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfecter Champagne Pop This is a highlighter that so many people have loved this year, and for good reason. It's a stunning peachy rose gold highlighter that is quite intense unless you use a soft touch. It adds a beautiful glow to cheekbones and I'm so sad that it's limited edition, I do have a backup but I'm going to have to find a dupe for it before I run out completely.

Mac Soar Lipliner This lipliner has been such a staple for me, I use it almost every day under so many different lipsticks,  obviously it is more for nude/pink lipsticks but it also works under brighter or darker lipsticks to tone them down slightly if I want them to be slightly more subtle.

Top to Bottom-Champagne Pop, Brave, Mehr, Amazing Grace & Soar

Mac Brave & Mehr Lipsticks I've been liking a lot of Mac lipsticks this year, but the two that stood out to me were Mehr and Brave, they are both beautiful nude shades, Brave is a satin, and a very easy to wear everyday shade, Mehr is a matte and is kind of like a deeper, more put together version of Mehr. 

Charlotte Tilbury Amazing Grace Lipstick The Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution lipsticks are one of my favourite type of lipsticks, Amazing Grace is a beautiful rose pink colour, I find that this brightens up any makeup look without being a bright lipstick..again..not sure that makes sense..

Tweezermen Tweezers At the start of the year I thought that spending more than a few pounds on tweezers was ridiculous, but as I lose my tweezers all the time I thought I'd take a chance and buy the tweezerman ones anyway, I figured that if they were really worth the hype then maybe I would look after them better...and it really worked! They have a sharp, slanted tip, not so sharp that it hurts, but sharp enough to get all of those annoying little hairs that hide from normal tweezers, they are so good and I would really recommend them to anyone.

W7 Power Puffs I won't go into these too much as I am planning on doing a whole post just for them, but I am so in love with them, they are amazing for blending foundation and concealer and are so much better than the Real Techniques one and are only about £2 depending on where you buy them from.

Urban Decay Naked Smoky Palette I was in such a rush to take the photos for this post that I managed to forget to include one of my most favourite products of them all, when I saw the promo pictures for this palette I fell in love instantly, and even set an alarm on their release day to make sure I managed to get hold of one, I love smokey eyes and this palette really is amazing at them, it has a good mix of matte and shimmery shades, something which previous palettes have struggled to balance, it has the amazing quality that you should come to expect from Urban Decay eyeshadows and the packaging is much nicer in this edition as well.

Beauty Formulas Tea Tree Pore Strips A bit of an odd one, but they had to be included, I've gone through so many boxes of these! We sell them at work for £1.99 and I honesty find they work better than the Biore ones, I feel so lost when we don't have these in stock and I've run out of them.

Lush Lord of Misrule and The Comforter Shower Creams I've gathered such a collection of Lush shower gels and creams but the stand out two to me this year have been these two, Lord of Misrule is one of my favourite Lush scents ever (I have a whole blog post on the range here) and The Comforter is definitely up there with my favourites, I love using The Comforter for just that reason, it's such a comforting scent, perfect for when you've had a rubbish day and need a pick me up, and Lord of Misrule great for if you want something a little heavier, they both lather really nicely, and feel really creamy, the scent also lingers softly, I really like putting them in the ends of my hair after I've conditioned it as the scent stays in the hair really subtly.

Lush D'Fluff Strawberry Shaving Soap This is another product that I feel really lost if I don't have any, I find that a lot of shaving foams and creams really irritate my legs because of my eczema, but this really helps sooth them and creates a nice barrier between the blades and my skin. You don't need to use a lot, so a pot of this goes far enough to be worth the money, if you struggle with sensitive skin after shaving I'd really recommend this.

EOS Lip balms I didn't actually discover these until a little later in the year, but I really wish I'd tried them sooner. I've always just assumed they were overhyped and over priced, in reality though they are really nice and smooth on your lips, they keep them moisturised and don't end up making them even drier, and they smell amazing too! I have Honeysuckle Honeydew and Vanilla Mint and love them both so much.

Lush Intergalactic Bath Ballistic If you couldn't tell, I've been really obsessed with Lush this year, I've loved them for years but this year I've been really loving them, Lush Oxford Street opened in the Summer and I was so excited to go and visit, and even more excited when my favourite exclusive was released into the general lines, Intergalactic combines peppermint and grapefruit in a beautiful uplifting scent, a new favourite of mine from them, and one I wish they'd use more. The effect this has in the bath is stunning, and unlike some of the other bath bombs, this one is beautiful even after it has finished fizzing, the water is left deep blue and sparkly and it so amazing!

Mac Turquatic Perfume I bought this in my local CCO in the summer and it very quickly became my summer scent, I bought the rollerball to go with it as well and the packaging for both is probably one of my favourite perfume packaging, it's very fresh and warm, perfect for summer, I don't know how to explain the scent, it's unlike most fragrances I have band I'm so excited for summer to come again so I can wear it more. 

Emporio Armani Diamonds Violet Perfume I bought this in the late summer/early autumn and it was such a nice scent to transition with, it's a mix of floral and fruity, and is slightly heavier, perfect for evenings and nights out, but I love it for the whole day. The bottle is adorable and I love that they had Ella Eyre promoting the release.

The Hunger Games Mockingjay I somehow missed the first part of these films when it was released, so had to watch it when it came out on DVD, I love all of The Hunger Games books and DVD's but think Mockingjay in it's entirety is definitely my favourite, I cried so much in both and I am so glad that the films improved the book, I actually watched the second part in the cinema after having only half an hour sleep but it was so good it kept me on the edge of my seat.

M.J Arlidge's DI Helen Grace Book Series I became so hooked on these books last year that I have actually struggled to get into other books since, again this is something that I want to write a separate blog post about, hopefully when the next book comes out, but if you like crime books, or are interested in crime and the psychology behind them then you will probably like these books, I can't wait for the fifth book, and will probably re-read the first four before it is released, I think it comes out in March so I'm so excited.

The Night Circus  This one I've had to photograph separately, because I've lent it to my boyfriend, it took me a few chapters to get into this book, but I think that's because I was reading it while feeling pretty down, so couldn't focus very well, the story enchanted me and I absolutely love it! I wish the circus was real, and am hoping for a film adaptation and maybe an adult colouring book based on it, that would be amazing!

Lush Kitchen This year I really got into ordering from the Lush Kitchen, I've made so many orders from them and I love the concept and products that they release, I might make a whole blog post about the Lush Kitchen, as before I looked into it myself I was really unsure about what it was and how it worked, but if you like Lush limited edition items, or older discontinued products from them then I'd really recommend you check the kitchen out.

American Horror Story I tried to watch this a few years ago but struggled to keep up with it, but with the first four seasons on netflix it is now so much easier to watch, I think Murder House was my favourite but they are all really good in their own way, if you like darker, gory TV shows then this is a good one to try, it's different to a lot of shows I've seen before but it's so interesting it keeps you hooked.

Gossip Girl This couldn't be much further from American Horror Story if it tried, I was bored and looking for something to watch alongside AHS as I was watching that with my boyfriend, and started to watch Gossip Girl on a whim. It isn't as girly and soppy as I was expecting, it's actually really addictive and I love the characters so much, I really wish there were more episodes to watch! 

Ed Sheeran This one is kind of a music/experience favourite, I've been loving Ed Sheeran's music for a long time, I saw him once when he was a surprise support act for Example, but for my Christmas present in 2014 my boyfriend got me tickets to go to his Wembley tour, so in July we had a trip to London, to do a little shopping but mostly to see Ed perform live, and it was incredible, he's the only artist so far to have performed Wembley as a solo artist, and seeing him on the stage, just him and his guitar was amazing, that might sound really soppy but if you get a chance to watch his DVD that comes with his latest edition of his album you'll know what I mean-and you'll see the duet he did with Elton John on the second night, it's so cool!

Brighton At the end of the Summer me and Greg had a couple of  days in Brigton, a birthday present from my great grandmother, to have a nice little break before he went to uni, on my best friends recommendation we stayed at the Oriental b&b and it was so lovely! We had a nice walk along the beach, seeing both piers and just had a really nice, peaceful time. Neither of us had really been to Brighton before so it was nice to experience it together and really want to go back sometime.

Tewin We also went to visit Greg's grandparents in the countryside a couple of times this year and it was so nice! Tewin is beautiful and so relaxing, it's now one of my favourite places!

Other than that, I've just really been loving appreciating the small things in life, spending time with my family and friends and finding happiness in the moments I spend with them, like the day we put my little nephew into a huge parcel filled with packing foam things, he was giggling like mad and having so much fun, or playing with him on the trampoline in the Summer, at a time when so much in my family life was on edge, he's brought to much joy to everyone. 

I also turned 21 this year, and it might sound really soppy but one result of what's happened this year is that I'm a lot closer to my dad, and having him there on my birthday, and him lighting the candles for my cake for the first time since I was so much younger meant so much to me.

I've also really enjoyed becoming a vegetarian this year, I made the decision towards the end of summer and have not regretted it at all since, I'm thinking about talking about it on here sometime, to see if anyone has any advice on becoming fully cruelty free or just recipe ideas or anything.

One last one now, and not so soppy I promise, but getting two new tattoos this year made me so happy! I got my arrow back in the Summer, and a little lucky black cat later in the year and I love them so much, I'm really looking forward to getting more now, they are quiet addictive..ooops.

So that's that, I'm now ready to leave 2015 behind and look forward to 2016, hopefully it'll be a good one, if I've learnt anything from the last few years it's to not expect to have a good year, but to take each year as it comes, I'm hoping to work towards moving down to Southampton to live with my boyfriend this year, I've missed him so much since he's been at uni, a few days or a week is definitely not the same, and through visiting him I really think I'd enjoy living here, I'm visiting him at the moment and really don't want to go home tomorrow! So that gives me something to work towards I guess, I'm hoping that I'll manage to find a way to balance work, life and blogging, but for now I'm happy with working hard on each blog post, and making them as good as I want them to be, quality over quantity right? I'm hoping they have the quality down at least?

Thankyou so much for reading this, I really appreciate it, please leave any of your yearly favourite links below, I love reading them, or just any favourites you have, whether they are beauty related, random ones or memories. 

Thank you again xx