2016 in beauty products


I feel more than guilty for wishing away time but can 2016 seriously hurry up and do one? I can't be alone in saying that this has not been a great year and I for one, won't be sad to see the back of it. However for every negative there is a positive and in my opinion that has been the arrival of many new and once, U.S only based beauty brands - oh and of course the definitive arrival of Sephora the within the UK.

This isn't a favourites post, rather it is a selection of new beauty products and brands I have discovered over the last few months and the follow up purchases they are currently inspiring - all will make sense in a few short sentences.

1, Prepare to want to kick me and kick me hard; for the longest time (and I'm talking years not weeks or months) I would not burn my Diptyque candles, they were purely for show - mini sample candles that came in Space.NK orders aside. I found the idea of burning a £42 candle repugnant, until my good friend pointed out that it was quite the contrary. What is the point of having a piece of luxury in your home if you can't fully enjoy it? And enjoy it I did. At the moment all I burn is Diptyque Baies Candle, yes it is ridiculously expensive but the scent throw and composition is unlike anything else I own, and as such I find it somewhat justifies the hefty cost. I've only just found out that the stand alone Diptyque Boutiques have a range of exclusive fragrances and being the consumer that I am, I simply must own one of the more hard to come scents, which you can shop here - link.

2, Until I physically tested the Maison Margiela Replica fragrance line, I foolishly dismissed it as a novelty and overpriced range of fragrances that I had no real need to purchase. Oh wrong was I! Yes each apocathery style bottle looks more than deadacant on my dressing table but as they say, it is what is inside that counts. Unlike other fragrance brand or offering the Maison Margiela Replica captures places and specific memories using the power of fragrance - it is beyond clever. I own Jazz Club and do feel it has a certain (albeit imagined on my part) luxurious gentleman's club vibe - I can all but hear the whisky glasses clinking when I mist this scent onto my skin. From capturing the beach, freshly laundered sheets, the funfair and even the barbers, there is a unique fragrance for everyone and I can not recommend the collection enough. Next on my hit list is Maison Margiela Replica By the Fireplace Eau de Toilette  - a sweet but smoky fragrance that is all but the Winter season personified. You can find most of the Maison Margiela Replica Eau de Toilettes via Feel Unique - link.

3, I have seen everyone and their Mother rave about the Hourglass Ambient Light Edit Palette and yet I have not indulged. I made a promise with myself that I would finish at least one of my existing Hourglass blushes, powder or even make a dent in a Hourglass Highlighter before I could treat myself to this beautiful medley of powders. I may or may not still purchase said palette (we shall see if it is still in stock after I tackle my Christmas shopping) but what I have learnt along the way is that there is no powder formulation more flattering than that of Hourglass. If soft but beautifully lit skin is what you desire, you can all but bet your last pound/dollar/euro that this is the brand to deliver the goods.

4, It took a trip to NYC and several wanders past the main Le Labo store on Prince Street to finally persuade me that I should take the plunge and treat myself to something luxurious - a forever style token of my travels. In the end I purchased the Le Labo Candle in Cedar 11 and have no regrets, it is wonderfully fragrant, looks great and as a fun celebrity tid bit, the brand itself is Beyoncé's go to for a little extra ambience on the road...or at least so I am told. As much as I love budget home and personal fragrances, every now and then I do like to treat myself with something a little more hard earned, luxurious and dare I say in the case of Le Labo difficult to come by, especially if you don't enjoy blind buying. I weirdly have dollars left over from my last trip (don't ask, it has never happened before and to be frank I can't be sure that I'm not hallucinating ha!) and I plan of purchasing both a candle and bottle of cologne this time around - well if both my chosen scents happen to be in stock that is. You can find a range of Le Labo products via Liberty London - link.

5, It's not often I let anyone other than me do my make-up but not so long ago I allowed a senior NARS make-up artist to fix me up and I was pleasantly surprised by my carved out cheekbones and sleek but sultry eye look. The stand out product throughout the whole experience was the new NARS Velvet Lip Glide - a soft, comfortable, matte wash of colour, that plumps the lips but never flakes nor bleeds. In a word, perfection. Sadly they had yet to launch during such make-over so I wasn't able to purchase a few, however sometimes patience is a virtue as there is a nifty NARS Velvet Lip Glide collection to be had: six mini shades that allow you to have your very own lip wardrobe on the go. Find it here - link.

6, After much deliberation, I caved and finally bought the Anastasia Beverly Hills That Glow Highlighting Kit and have not looked back. It is all I want from a highlighter and more (I mean there are four shades within the palette).  The beauty of this kit is that there is a shade for all occasions and skintones making it the perfect, suit and do all highlighting kit; I've also been known to use the more bronze tone powders in place of eyeshadow. Now imagine my utter joy when I saw the Anastasia Beverly Hills Ultimate Glow Kit on the Sephora website - six huge, shimmering pans of dazzling light for the face, all housed in a fairly luxurious palette. I'm going to be so upset if I can not track this down in New York - heck it might be the product that breaks me and finally convinces me to place an online Sephora order. Welp.

7, Now for three Kat Von D recommendations:

a, If you twisted my arm and all but forced me to confess my favourite eyeshadow formulation, I would more than likely utter Kat Von D Metal Crush Eyeshadow. There is something about this silky, beyond pigmented formulation that I can't get enough of - it is one of those rare finds that simply glides onto the lids, requiring next to no effort on your part. At the moment I only own the shade Thunderstruck - a bright, reflective pearl come gold that is great for highlighting with. I do hope to own: Doce, Synergy, Raw Power and Thrasher before the year is over. You can find the entire collection via Debenhams - link.

b, Another product that Kat Von D beauty does so well is matte liquid lipstick, the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick is just that, it wears true for hours and then some - not to mention it comes in more shades than one person could ever possibly need. I currently own three of the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks : Lolita (I'm not a fan of the shade), Bow 'n' Arrow (the perfect nude) and Noble (pale and not for everyone but I like it) so I still have plenty of room to add to my small but humble collection. I currently have my eye on the shades: A Go-Go (bright orange) and Double Dare (muted pink) but I am open to suggestions?

c, Lastly we have Kat Von D 'Lock It' Setting Powder, now out of everything else within this post this is not only the product I am most desperate to own but weirdly the only one I have not tried. I have read that this is the Rolls Royce of face powders: it sets, blurs and perfects - I mean can you really ask for much more? What gives me the confidence to throw caution to the wind and blindly add this to my basket is the fact that all the Kat Von D facial products do exactly what they claim. Yes some may be a little too heavy for my needs or wants but they never, ever under deliver and that is something I don't get to say all that often.

If you could recommend only one (cruel I know) stand out product of 2016, what would it be and why?