Happy New Year! I have a couple of best
beauty discoveries posts to round off some new favourites from last year
starting with skincare! Nothing new really stood out to me in the haircare and
bodycare departments but makeup will be coming soon!
Starting with cleansers and the e.l.f. Holy Hydration! Makeup Melting Cleansing Balm RRP $14 CAD/ £11really
impressed me this year! It’s the only skincare product I have tried from e.l.f.
but I will definitely be checking out the rest of the range! It contains sunflower
seed oil, ceramides, and glycerin and the balm melts into an oil making easy
work out of removing makeup! It’s lightly scented, lasted me a good amount of
time and it’s super affordable! Definitely not as luxurious as my all-time
favourite cleanser – the Emma Hardie Moringa cleansing balm – but for the price
it’s impressive!
Moving onto serums and I tried a few this
year that I can’t get enough of! The Biotherm Life Plankton Elixir RRP $116 CAD/ £69*is a beautiful hydrating and soothing serum that contains glycerin,
life plankton and Vitamin C. It’s also scented which I don’t mind but I know
some people do but it’s so fresh and “blue” smelling it really adds to the
experience for me. This makes my skin feel hydrated and supported and it looks
brighter and feels smoother! Sticking with Biotherm and I have also been
enjoying their Blue Retinol Night Serum RRP $99 CAD/ £75*. It contains
0.25% retinol as well as life plankton, glycerin, HA and niacinamide. This has
worked well to smooth and even my skin and target fine lines while also not
causing any sensitivity or peeling due to the formula!
Next up is a classic that I only started
using last year and I finally get the hype! The Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair RRP $108 CAD/ £65is a restorative serum containing peptides and
hyaluronic acid bifida ferment lysate (an ingredient that’s also in the Biotherm
Life Plankton Elixir) which helps protect against UV damage and repair skin. It’s
called night repair but can be used AM or PM though I tend to use it in the
evening and I wake up with hydrated, plump and firm skin. Lastly for serums, I
have the Pixi Clarity Concentrate RRP £26* which has been my go-to when
I have been experiencing breakouts and it’s been a saviour over the festive
season! It contains glycolic, salicylic and lactic acid as well as probiotics
and aloe and really helps to gently exfoliate my skin while still keeping it hydrated
and my breakouts have been healing faster!
For moisturisers and SPF’s, I found quite
a few I fell in love with this year! The Naturium Multi-Peptide Moisturiser RRP $20 USD/ £21is a great, simple, lightweight moisturiser I used in the
AM that kept my skin hydrated and worked well with SPF’s and my makeup! At
night, I loved the Biotherm Blue Pro-Retinol Multi Correct Cream RRP $103 CAD*.
This is a rich overnight cream that smoothed my skin leaving it plump the next
morning with less visible fine lines. It felt so luxurious, and, as I mentoned, I love the
scent of Biotherm products!
For SPF’s I really rate the older version
of the Fenty Hydra Vizor – the Invisible Moisturiser Broad Spectrum SPF 30 RRP $49 CAD. This seems to have been recently reformulated to a mineral SPF
and I am gutted I replaced it without realising the new one gets awful reviews.
It seems to be out of stock in a lot of places but hopefully she brings it back
as it’s perfect under makeup, no pilling, hydrating, protecting and smells
good! Sticking with the purple theme and the Isntree Onion Newpair Sunscreen
SPF40 RRP $30.64 CAD* was another stand out product. It’s lightweight,
again didn’t pill with my makeup and hydrates all day. Not pictured as I used
it up way earlier in the year is the Beauty of Joseon Relief Sun: Rice +
Probiotics SPF 50 RRP $24.08 CAD which I couldn’t not mention as it might
be my favourite SPF ever! Super lightweight, this feels like you have nothing
on and like the others, doesn’t pill or react with other products or makeup. It
just stands out a little more to me and I like that it’s SPF 50! Another product
definitely worth the hype!
Did I mention any of your favourites? Let
me know what your favourite skincare discovery was this year! If you want to
see my previous best beauty discoveries in skincare you can check out 2020, 2021
and 2022!
I left it a bit too long with these
empties so couldn’t fit them all on a flatlay - they all just seemed to empty
at once! Anyway, as always, I am glad to get them in the bin before the new
year!
Loved this – it works a smidge better
than the OG which I also finished and works way better than drugstore dry
shampoo! This jumbo size lasted me ages and I find I use much less than
drugstore dry shampoo! It has a fresh citrus scent which isn’t my favourite but
not a deal breaker! I just repurchased a few Christmas sets while it was on offer!
Living Proof PhD Dry Shampoo & mini
As mentioned, this works great and I have
already repurchased! I can get away with a couple extra days without washing my
hair as it actually absorbs the oil! See my full review here!
Batiste Original Dry Shampoo
This worked better than it normally does
for me and didn’t leave a white cast this time! It good for the price and I use
it if I only need to get one day more out of greasy hair as opposed to more!
Would repurchase on offer!
Obsessed with the scent of this range,
it’s so fresh and clean and the conditioner itself is lightweight and hydrating
and didn’t wear my hair down. I have a full review here and will repurchase
this in the future once I finish off some more haircare in my stash!
Another love – this worked so well to
remove build-up and exfoliate my scalp leaving it refreshed and my hair clean!
Read my full review here and I will repurchase in the future!
A lightweight mask that left my hair soft
and hydrated and didn’t weigh it down! I do have others I prefer but would
repurchase this if on a good offer!
Seems like I finished a lot of haircare
favourites because here’s another one! This is a leave in treatment after
washing hair and it’s made my hair feel so much stronger and smoother and my
split ends much less noticeable! I prefer it to Olaplex! Read my full review here! Have already repurchased!
The Ordinary Multi-Peptide Lash and Brow
Serum
This worked so well to reduce fall out in
my lash and brow hair! Have repurchased!
Bodycare
Olay Retinol Nighttime Body Wash
I enjoyed this body wash, it was nicely
smoothing and moisturising and smelt like parma violets! Would repurchase on
offer!
Sephora Lagoon Moisturizing Body Lotion
This was lovely to use during summer as
it’s very lightweight but not hydrating enough for me in winter. I also liked
the scent which was very inoffensive and fresh! Can’t seem to find it on
Sephora anymore so it might have been discontinued but I would have
repurchased!
This worked great throughout summer on
hikes and kept me well protected. It took a little more work to rub in than say
an invisible SPF but didn’t leave me feeling sticky once it absorbed! I’d probably
go for something more affordable in the future so not a repurchase for me!
Fenty Skin Butta Drop Whipped Oil Body
Cream
This felt so luxurious and had a lovely
subtle scent. It was rnicely moisturising and I enjoyed using it at night as it
did feel a little oily for during the day. Would repurchase on offer.
Enjoyed using this up, it felt
lightweight but hydrating enough for my skin which gets drier in winter. The
scent was subtle and weirdly familiar but I’m not sure why and while the pink
colour of the cream is fun I did find it stained some clothing which puts me
off repurchasing!
Necessaire The Hand Cream
Love the packaging but otherwise this is
a pretty boring but functional hand cream. It moisturised my hands well and
didn’t leave any residue behind but there is no scent and its expensive so not
a repurchase for me!
Sol de Janeiro Brazilian Touch Hand Cream
Loved this one, I know the scent is love
or hate but I love it! It was hydrating and smoothing and a little went a long
way. Like the Necessaire, it didn’t leave any residue behind and its expensive
so I would only repurchase on offer or as part of a set!
Goldbond Healing Hydrating Cream
Picked this up in America on a recent
trip as I only had hand luggage and didn’t take a body lotion! This worked well
to hydrate but I have others I prefer so not a repurchase for me!
Really enjoyed this cleanser, it contains
vitamin E to moisturise and natural exfoliators to smooth and refine skin.
Whilst “scrubby”, it still feels gentle enough to use every day and cleanses my
skin leaving it well prepped for my next steps! Have others I prefer more but
at this price I would repurchase! See my full review of this and the next two cleansers here!
Another cleanser I loved – this one lathered
up more than any other cleanser I think I have tried before. It is soap free
and contains bioceramides, niacinamide and life plankton and while it left my
skin feeling squeaky clean and soft, it never felt dry or tight. I also love
the scent though I know some people don’t like added scent! This is fresh like
the ocean! Would repurchase on a good offer.
Versed Wash it Out Gel Cleanser*
This is a lightweight gel containing
rosewater, seaweed extract and ceramides. It doesn’t lather up as much as the
Biotherm but still made my skin feel cleansed and soft. It does have a strong
scent of mint however this doesn’t make my eyes stream at all! Enjoyed this but
I have others I prefer so not a repurchase and I believe this has been recently
discontinued!
I loved this cream, it was perfect for night
time! Rich but didn’t clog my skin at all and kept it hydrated all night
leaving soft, brighter skin in the morning! Would repurchase on a very good
offer!
Loved this cleansing balm! It quickly
melts into an oil then a milky emulsion to remove makeup effectively! It
contains hyaluronic acid, ceramides and peptides so my skin felt soft and
hydrated. The scent is not overpowering at all and it’s so affordable I will
repurchase this soon!
Loved this. Lightweight but hydrating, my
skin felt protected and this didn’t pill with my other skincare or makeup
products! Scented very lightly and I would repurchase though it seems like Fenty
have reformulated and the new version does not get good reviews!
Nivea Double Effect Waterproof Eye Makeup
Remover
The best waterproof eye makeup remover!
So gentle and effective as well as being affordable! Forever repurchased!
Fresh Soy Face Cleanser
Have been through a couple of these minis
over the years and I really enjoy it! Perfect as a second cleanse or morning
cleanse and leaves my skin feeling fresh and soft. Would repurchase. See my
full review here!
Biossance Squalane and Hyaluronic Toning
Mist
I took this to work with me and it was
nice to use to mist through the day over makeup. The mist comes out so finely which
I loved but not worth a repurchase for me!
Like the eye cream, this was hydrating
but left a white cast so I really had to rub it in. I used this at night time
so that was fine for me! I didn’t love the smell but this kept my skin soft and
hydrated and I think it’s a great budget option! Would repurchase.
Drunk Elephant Protini Polypeptide Cream
I don’t love this brand and do not get
the hype. A pretty boring, standard cream that does the job but is not worth
the money! Not a repurchase.
Dr Dennis Gross Alpha Beta Extra Strength
Daily Peel
Love these for a treatment once in a
while! Gentle yet effective and my skin always feels and looks smooth and soft
after use! I don’t experience any sensitivity and would repurchase!
A vitamin C serum I really enjoyed, this has
kept my skin looking bright and I haven’t been noticing fine lines much since
using it! This also helped with oil control especially around my nose. Unfortunately,
this is way out of my price range so not a repurchase!
Benton Deep Green Tea Toner
A nice basic hydrating toner that I was
glad to have on trips! Would repurchase!
Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser
This was just OK, I’m glad I tried it and
it wasn’t bad but I don’t get the hype so not a repurchase for me!
Dr Jart Ceramidin Serum
Nicely hydrating but not a repurchase for
me though I love the cream in this line!
BioEffect EGF Serum
Another super hyped product and one I didn’t
notice a difference with. Would like to try again but at this price I’m glad I didn’t
fall in love! Not a repurchase!
Vivier Radiance Serum
Got this from my beautician and it was another
nicely brightening and smoothing Vitamin C serum. Like the Skinceuticals, it’s out
of my budget so not a repurchase for me!
Lancome Advanced Genefique Serum
Been through a couple of these minis now and
really enjoy them when I am on a trip! Feels very hydrating and supportive on
my skin but again with its price tag not a repurchase!
Pai Rosehip Oil
Lovely oil for an extra hit of hydration
overnight as well as tacking pigmentation. Would repurchase!
Burt’s Bees Beeswax Lip Balm
One of my most repurchased products! I love
this lip balm, it lasts ages on my lips and keeps them moisturised and smooth!
Have already repurchased!
Makeup
Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Soft Matte
Longwear Foundation
Love this and the bottle lasted me ages
as I used my finges to apply as opposed to a beauty blender or brush! Its medium-full
coverage and lasts all day on my combo skin, easily covering blemishes and
making my skin look perfected but not cakey. Have already repurchased!
I don’t notice a huge difference in
staying power with this unfortunately! Not a repurchase!
Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting
Powder
Love this powder, adds a touch more coverage
and blends easily making my skin look perfected. I do find I get oily around lunch
time so it’s not completely fool proof, but I forgive it! Have already repurchased!
Maybelline Sky High Waterproof Mascara
My favourite mascara, this doesn’t smudge
and adds length and volume while keeping my lashes separated! Already repurchased!
Fenty Skin Cherry Treat Conditioning Lip
Oil
Another favourite, this is the best lip
oil I’ve tried! Hydrating and lasts on my lips giving a nice sheen. Have already
repurchased!
NARS Afterglow Lip Balm in Fast Lane
I enjoy these tinted lip balms but they aren’t
the most longlasting! This was a lovely mauve shade and I have repurchased in
the dolce Vits shade!
Miscellaneous
Purely Inspired Collagen Peptides x3
Love this, works well to help my joints,
already repurchased!
Gutted I didn’t get this finished before
it went bad! It’s a mineral sunscreen that shields against digital blue light
damage, UVA, UVB & pollution. The formula is lightweight and has a peachy
tint that is easily worked into the skin leaving no white cast (I have pale
skin for reference). It sits well over the rest of my skincare as well as under
makeup and I love that its SPF 50, my skin feels protected and the formula is
beautiful, no difficulty rubbing in or pilling either!See my full review here!
La Roche Posay Anthelios SPF50
Unpopular opinion but I really didn’t get
on with this, I found it drying and my makeup did not sit well over the top. I
never reach for it so it’s got to go!
Garnier Anti Dark Spots Anti Pollution
Super UV SPF 50
Same as above for this one too unfortunately!
I definitely prefer the creamier SPF options than liquid/high alcohol content
ones!
Congratulations if you made it to the end
of this post! I hope you had a great Christmas and wish you a happy New Year! Let
me know if you saw any of your favourites in this post!
