As we come to the end of a decade and arrive in 2020, I have looked back over my reviews for the last 365 days and uncovered a lot of products I absolutely loved, many of which I have re-purchased a fair few times and then we have two products which I didn't love at all in 2019 but featured them on my blog, one out of frustration and the other as a dupe post.
It was really hard to choose which products stood out for in 2019 because there are so many from different brands that I just love and many that I constantly rave about, but I did manage to choose a mixture of skincare, fragrance, makeup and some non-beauty products that I loved and almost everything featured has been repurchased with a few exceptions.
One brand I had really wanted to try was Drunk Elephant. When something is as raved about online via social media as some brands are, you can't help but want to try them. So, I purchased the Drunk Elephant Slaai Makeup-Melting Butter Cleanser (review here). Anyone who knows me or reads my blog will know that I am a huge fan of balm cleansers, this one included.
Staying with skincare and of course, Emma Hardie was going to make it onto my list with the Moringa Light Cleansing Gel (review here). I am a huge fan of the cleansing balm and it is always a product I have within my stash for double cleansing with, but this gel is a perfect alternative for a morning cleanse and it smells just as incredible as the balm.
I never thought I would be someone who loved trainers, but ever since I injured my ankle on the last bank holiday of the year in 2018 and honestly, the photos of my ankle are grim so I haven't shared them with you. However, with my injury, which was essentially every ligament torn, tendons over-stretched and a flare-up of Plantar Fascitis means it has been agony to walk and I was on crutches for a few weeks too. So, I have had to resort to comfort shoe over 'but I really like those boots' and to begin with I was less than happy. However, Skechers trainers have been an absolute dream to wear. I can walk without being in agony, they don't hurt my feet, they feel like you are walking on clouds and my physio said I have to wear them, so what is a girl to do. My current Skecher of choice is the Skech-Air by Skechers and I absolutely love them.
Choosing a fragrance is something of a personal choice, it is rare I can walk into a department store and find a scent I like from the first sniff, I have to walk away and try it within an environment I am likely to spend some time in. In 2019 I came across two fragrances that I have continually worn. The first is from Jo Malone with Nectarine Blossom and Honey and it is a scent that came into my life accidentally (review here) but it is one I have since repurchased because it is stunning. The second is from Floral Street with Electric Rhubarb (review here) and honestly, not only does it smell just insane, it lasts and it lasts and it lasts on the skin, on your clothes and I have had so many compliments about it when I wear it. When you really love a fragrance that much, chances are you will like others within the range, so now I have my eye on London Poppy from Floral Street and Honeysuckle and Davana from Jo Malone.
When it comes to eyeshadow palettes, I am very happy with my Nude/Neutral shades and I don't think I will ever venture too far from them. The palette I have surprised myself by using a lot during 2019 is the Diego Dalla Palma Nude Eyeshadow Palette (review here).
The palette Nuda contains 12 stunning, highly pigmented shades all of which are nude and warm colours and they are said to have been inspired by the colours of the earth.
My happy place when I am stressed, feeling poorly or just want to take a time out is in the bath. We recently had our bathroom renovated and I am up for using any excuse I can find to use and try new products. I am a huge fan of bath salts, in my opinion, they are very much underrated and this year I've been lucky enough to try two new brands - Verdant Alchemy and London Bathers. Liquid Yoga by Mama Mio will forever be a product in my bathroom and I can never rave about it enough, but bath salts have been a lifesaver. The Drift Off Mineral Bath Salts from Verdant Alchemy (review here) is designed to calm your mind and help you drift off and alongside Epsom and Dead Sea Salt, you will find ingredients such as vetiver and lavender. With London Bathers, I was lucky enough to try a trio of Soaking Salts (review here). London Bathers are an independent, family-run company on a mission to offer high quality, low impact bathroom products and accessories.
One item that has probably made a bigger impact than I had anticipated is silk pillowcases and to date, I have tried three different brands and there is no going back. Slip Silk was the first brand I tried (review here) and it was like waking up someplace new and as someone who is a constant pillow turner because I hate having a hot pillow, it was quite the change. Then I tried Holistic Silk (review here) again, literally, life-changing sleeping on something so soft, smooth and not having the pillow crease face the following day is quite something. The final brand I tried most recently is SilkUp (review here) and as with the previous brands, a silk pillowcase comes with so many benefits, I simply couldn't switch back. If it is something you can afford to treat yourself too, then definitely do.
The job I do can result in a lot of stress, so I tend to opt for products which can help de-stress me and as well as spending time in the bath, I am a huge fan of candles and this year I have shared quite a few on my blog. However, Bath and Bodyworks Stress Relief Candle (review here) are definitely one I go too to create that relaxing atmosphere as it uses Eucalyptus Essential Oil to help clear the mind as well as Spearmint Essential Oil which soothes and uplifts. The entire range is just totally divine.
When I am stressed, one place it shows is my scalp and I can have a nightmare with a dry scalp at this time. Two products I've been introduced too during the last year come from Omorovicza and Living Proof. From Omorovicza we have the Revitalizing Scalp Mask (review here) a pre-shampoo treatment which is packed with amazing ingredients such as Hungarian Moor Mud a product featured in the majority of the brand's range. Then from Living Proof, we have the Restore Dry Scalp Treatment which you use on clean, damp hair. Again from Living Proof, we have a product which uses a hyaluronic acid-based Molecular Patch delivers instant soothing and sustained hydration to the scalp.
Lip Balm is an absolute must and I have recently bought the Rabot 1745 Lipbalm (review here) for a friend as part of her Christmas box because it is just so good. Part of the Hotel Chocolat range, this lip balm smells absolutely incredible and yet on the lips, it is as moisturising and hydrating as some of the higher-end brands that I have tried.
The final skincare product that I just absolutely loved comes from Fresh Beauty and having read and seen so much about the brand on my social media timeline, I went in search of something to try. The Lotus Youth Preserve Rescue Mask (review here). Described as being designed to combat signs of tired and overstressed skin, this mask uses a whole host of amazing ingredients hydrate, improve radiance and promote a youthful-looking complexion.
The final part of my likes for 2019 is book recommendations. I have been a huge book worm since the day I learnt to read and for the last few years, I have used my Goodreads account to set goals and challenges for books to read throughout the year.
For 2019 there are two books that need to read if you haven't done so already, whether you are an avid reader or sometimes pick up a book and then forget about it. The first one is by Gail Honeyman with Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. Described as being an astonishing story that powerfully depicts the loneliness of life, and the simple power of a little kindness, I can guarantee you that Eleanor Oliphant will be someone who makes you wonder how she is, despite being a character in a book, she is someone we can all relate to in so many ways. An absolute heroine who cannot help but want to be friends with. The second book is The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris and there are so many words to use to describe this book, but it is described as a beautifully written harrowing story of one man's will to survive in Auschwitz...it is a story of hope and endurance and a beauty that emerges when all around is painted in black. As a reader, you cannot help but be affected by this account the simplicity of the storytelling only adds to the poignancy. This book had me in tears, it made me smile, it made me cheer and it made me realise just how strong that human spirit to survive is.
It is rare I feature products I dislike on my blog because I prefer to promote the things I actually like, however, there is one product which drove me to distraction and that was the Revolution Foil Frenzy Creation Eyeshadow Palette (full review here). At just £8 and knowing how good Revolution usually is, I had high hopes for this palette.
Unfortunately, it was just awful and the swatches turned out to be nothing like those I had seen on the Revolution Instagram page, even when I wet them to attempt to get some colour pay off. Definitely not in my good books!
The second product in my dislike pile is the Nip + Fab Glycolic Fix Daily Cleansing Pads. I am not a huge fan of Nip + Fab as a brand in any case, I think they are overpriced for a highstreet brand especially when you can get better products for less and more so when I compared the Aldi Lacura Daily Cleansing pads (full review here) which are an almost identical dupe.
At a different in the price of more than £11 or a saving of more than £11 depending on how you see it, there was no question for me as to which product was the better of the two, more so that the ingredients are nearly identical.
So that is my 2019 round-up of products and I would love to now if you have found anything here that tempts you or is one of your own favourite products to use?
*this post contains PR samples and/or Affiliate Links unless indicated otherwise - you can learn more on my Disclaimer page.
