Goodbye 2016, hello 2017!

Happy New Year!

I wanted to title this post "F*ck Off 2016" as I must say that 2016 was probably one of the worst years I can remember and I'm getting on a bit (more on that in the new year...) I cannot wait to see 2016 rung out tonight! Apart from all the crap of Brexit, notable celebrity deaths and such, I personally had a very trying year. But that's all behind me and a fresh 2017 awaits!!

So I thought I would rustle up some of my beauty and lifestyle favourites from 2016 to remind myself it wasn't all a bunch of bullcrap...

L'Oreal Elvive Extraordinary Clay hair care - still using this range, basically one year on! :) I've tried other ones in between, but I go back to this! Love me some Elvive!

YSL Huile Volupte lip oil - every day this is in my handbag - I have repurchased this!

Benefit Do the Hoola liquid bronzer - I love this liquid bronzer, nothing else to say!

Benefit Goof Proof eyebrow pencil - I enjoyed a few of the revamped and new brow products, and hated some, but this has been my favourite brow product this year!

Urban Decay One and Done foundation - I love this and use it almost every office day! :) It's not heavy or sticky, but does blur pores and gives subtle coverage.

NYX Cosmetics Lip Lingerie - best liquid lipstick bar none!

Zoya Pixie Dust 'Cece' - the whole Seashells collection was amazing but this is my top favourite!

L'Oreal Paris Pure Clay Glow Mask - masks were all the rage in 2016, with no signs of abating. This was definitely my top 'glob-it-on' style mask...

Garnier Moisture Bomb sheet mask - ... and this was my favourite sheet mask of the year!

FitBit Charge 2 - absolutely love my FitBit! It's recently had some software updates too which makes it even more amazing. If you're half-assed about your exercise, get one of these for 2017 and you'll never look back!

And my No 1 beauty product of the year!?

Of course it had to be the Urban Decay Vice Lipstick Palette 'Blackmail' - an amazing lipstick palette, well worth the £30 odd it cost :)

Merry Xmas NOTD!

Sorry I've been AWOL for a while, I've been so busy at work building up to the holidays! But one always need a nice NOTD to settle in for Xmas so I picked a favourite red glitter! :)

I can't find this for sale anymore, so I think it was a limited edition glitter Gelly last year? :( I would have bought another one of these if I could, actually. No matter.

This is 2 smooth coats with Sally Hansen MegaShine top coat. I absolutely love the intense red glitter you get from this, without having to cry when I remove it :) At this time of year I really struggle to photograph my NOTDs as you can see.

Love this so much! Anyway, I'm off to make my Xmas meatballs (I'm Swedish - of course you need meatballs at Xmas) and open presents! You can look forward to a low-down on what was in the No7 Advent Calendar and also what I got for Xmas before the year is out. And of course, best in beauty is coming on New Years Eve!

MERRY XMAS!!

NOTD: KIKO Milano Smart Nail Lacquer "19 Pearly Hot Pink"

I got this in yet another foray into the new Kiko shop, and I bought one for my mum too, it looked that amazing!

I've used some really expensive and professional nail polishes in my time, and while that feels special, when you get a great budget buy that performs you just feel so good about yourself! This is one of those. The Smart polishes from Kiko retail at a refreshing £2.50 each and come in a variety of colours. I have a few more so there will be more of these coming up!

This is 2 coats of polish and my usual Sally Hansen MegaShine top coat. The formula is excellent. Nicely opaque in 2 coats, smooth and easy to apply. The brush is a bit small but with formula this good, that doesn't matter! It's a bit washed out in this artificial lighted photo but the colour is a really rich yet bright pink. This lasted the whole week before I started seeing tip wear.

I am loving this and can't wait to try some of the other colours I bought on Black Friday!

No7 Advent Calendar #8-11

Oops so I forgot to post for a week almost... Sometimes, actual paid work just goes a bit insane and then you don't really have time for anything else.

No matter, I diligently opened my No7 advent calendar every day though! The only thing I am a bit meh about is the lip crayon. It's a nice formula, and quite glossy, but there isn't much colour payoff. I can't wait to get matched for a blush - I wonder if I'll come away with the same colour I would choose myself or something different?..

The mini brushes both seem REALLY nice, very soft and very dense. Nice one No7! :)

No 7 Advent Calendar #7: Stay Perfect Eyeshadow "Wheatsheaf"

In yesterday's awesomely marked box (No 7, haha) came their iconic little eye shadow. It's a shimmery nude colour; just the type of colour of eye shadow everyone needs in their makeup kit :) I haven't tested this yet in terms of it's 'stay perfect' claim, but I will review it more in detail when I have!

No7 Advent Calendar #6: Airbrush Away Primer

The cavalcade of the glory that is the No7 Advent Calendar continues! Box no 6 was this primer. I've never tried a primer from No7 I am curious to see how this wears under foundation. It's quite thick, but it's not sticky or feel heavy on your face. It is fragrance free as well!

No7 Advent Calendar #5: No7 Protect and Perfect Intense Night Cream

No 7 Advent Calendar #4: No7 Limited Editions "Nude" nail polish

I guess I secretly also wanted Ciate's Mini Mani Month advent calendar, however I seriously cannot justify two expensive ones in the same year! Maybe next year :) So I was pleased there was a nail polish in today's box!

This colour is simply labelled as "Nude". It's a rich, cool toned beige, and it's highly pigmented! I  think I have the correct colouring for this nude, but not sure it's perhaps universally suitable?

This is 2 coats but it's highly opaque so I just needed the one really :) I topped it as usual with Sally Hansen MegaShine top coat, and it's sooooo shiny! This dries slightly darker than the bottle colour.

Day 4 and still loving the No7 Advent Calendar! :D

No7 Advent Calendar #3: Protect and Perfect Intense Hand Cream

For Day 3 of the advent calendar it was time for hand cream! But not such a generous sample size this time, slightly disappointed... At 10ml I think this would only be good for a couple of days worth of hand protection.

As with yesterday's day cream, this smells and feels a bit like suntan lotion. I think the SPF that Boots use is the culprit here. It's not unpleasant in any way, however it feels weird I smell suntan lotion in the middle of winter... This is the day time cream, it alludes on the back there is also an overnight cream!

I am really loving this years calendar so far, best purchase of the year! :D

No7 Advent Calendar #2: Protect and Perfect Intense Advanced Day Cream

So for day 2 of the No7 advent calendar, they put in a 25ml luxury sample of their best selling Protect and Perfect Day Cream. I haven't really tried all the past incarnations of the Protect and Perfect range although I do remember trying the very first offering and not liking it very much... Here's hoping I was all wrong!

It smells and feels a bit like suntan lotion but is light enough not to leave a film on your skin. I will definitely be using this to see if it does anything for me, seeing as so many people rave about this range :)

No7 ADVENT CALENDAR #1: Lovely Lips Lips Balm "Parisian Pink"

Swatched

For day 1 of the No7 advent calendar, they went for a lip balm; as the little note inside the box says "Mistletoe ready!" :)

Lovely formula, and just that hint of nude pink. Boots website say it has buildable colour, but it's definitely a sheer tint. I can see this being a staple in my handbag from now on! It's a good size but I am yet to decide whether the 2.8g in the bullet is a full-size, or luxury sample?

Love this one - can't wait to open the next one! :)

NOTD: H&M "Glow must go on"

No secret I *love* the new H&M nail polishes :) Mixed reviews from the blogging community on the other products, none of which I've actually tried, but the nail polishes are pure gold!

So I had bought this on an order some time ago, but goodness knows why I've not used it?! I decided I wasn't really ready for the festive manicures just yet, so I picked this one out last night. You can't really see the pink duochrome in the photos, but on the nail it's there! Absolutely gorgeous glow!

This is 2 absolutely dreamy coats, the formula on this is superb! I topped it with my usual Sally Hansen MegaShine top coat.

I am one of the lucky ones who managed to get the Boots No7 advent calendar as well before it sold out, so this morning was the much anticipated premiere! :) But I won't reveal what the content of the box was until tomorrow, so that I don't spoil anyone's surprise!