2013 Beauty Favourites (Belated - whoops!)

Before you say anything, I know I'm probably the last to jump on the bandwagon and this is also quite belated. However, I used these products consistently throughout the year and I can't see them leaving my make up bag any time soon! These are my staple day-to-day beauty items, which I think are useful for any kind of occasion. 

First up is the MAC Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle. This is a beautiful subtle shade that gives highlighted areas a radiant glow. I tend to use it as a highlighter across my temples and the top of my cheekbones to brighten up my complexion. It blends easily and if you don't have a make up brush for the application, using your fingertips would work just as well. In photo's, this looks really pretty when it hits the light, but it also adds a bit of sparkle to my everyday makeup routine. I think it's quite pricey (£20ish?) but luckily this was a birthday present last year and it's definitely going to last me a good couple of years before I need to repurchase. 

Next is another MAC product. I'm not actually a massive fan of MAC, I just have a couple of pieces which I absolutely love, but I can't justify their price tag enough to centre my entire make up collection around them. This is one of their paint pots in 'Bare Study', which is a shimmering champagne colour with a creamy consistency. Sometimes I just use this as a base for my eye shadows because it allows pigments to stick, reducing fall out and providing a pretty shimmer. It can also be used as a quick and easy fix by sweeping it over the lid with your fingertips and voila, you're ready to go! A very versatile product that looks gorgeous however you apply it. The only issue is the price, as I believe this retails for roughly £15 and I do go through it quite quickly.

A very popular product in the beauty blogger-sphere, made famous by Samantha Chapman from Pixiwoo, the real techniques brushes are every beauty guru's must-have. And rightly so, because they do an amazing job. I own the core collection, the stippling brush and my newest favourite: the expert face brush. For a long time, I was using the Stippling brush to apply my foundation and it worked really well, so well in fact that my best friend also fell in love with it and I had to buy her one before she stole mine! I've recently converted to the expert face brush which I find to be softer and better at blending into the skin. The other shown is the contour brush which I obviously use for contouring! Whether it's highlighter, bronzer or blusher, I find that the shaping of this brush allows easy application and blending. They're also fairly affordable, the core collection being roughly £20 for 4 brushes and I picked up the expert face brush for half price in boots at £5.. Also, yes, maybe I should have washed these before photographing them but it proves how well loved they are.. right? 

Since my hair now reaches my lower back, I've wanted a tangle teezer for God knows how long! But it was one of those products I could never justify as I already owned countless amounts of hairbrushes. When I started uni however and moved into a flat with 3 other girls, my hairbrushes began mysteriously disappearing.. Hmmm. So when I was casually perusing TK Maxx and found this bright number I decided to snap it up quickly. Firstly, I love the contrast of bright orange against the purple, I think it looks really funky. But for practical reasons as well, this is a really ingenious product. Sometimes people describe my hair as a birds nest, but it has never been easier to untangle than with this. Also, it is so portable, living comfortably in my make up bag. I believe it was just less than £5 which I see as completely reasonable.

Finally, my last beauty favourite of 2013 has to be the YSL Shocking mascara in black. At the start of the year when I began working full time, I bought this for myself as a treat, justifying it by the extra income I was earning. This was a mistake as now, a poor student, I have to repurchase it every few months, and it's not cheap at roughly £23 a pop. However, it has to be the best mascara I've ever used. The formulation is so smooth that it applies like a dream, never clumpy, perfect every time. I love how fine the wand is, making it easy to get into the corner eyelashes and the volume it provides is incredible. Volume is the one quality I must have in a mascara and Shocking just does it for me! I think the packaging is also super classy and I really couldn't big it up enough. There's no going back for me now!

So those are my absolute favourites of 2013 with regards to beauty, I'd love to see what everyone else's were and if any matched mine? Post yours in the comments so I can check them out :)

March Glossybox

Here goes, my final Glossybox review! I hope you guys like She Said because that's what you'll be seeing on here from now on! I just want to point out, I don't have anything against GB and i think they're probably the strongest beauty box on the market at the moment. The products they provide are usually very high quality and i appreciate that trying to cater for a wide range of people with different preferences and skin types etc. is probably really difficult. However, i felt that the excitement of GB had worn off for me and the samples included tend to be wasted and after a while, just end up sitting in my drawers. I much prefer trying new kinds of make up and nail products rather than skincare and recently that's all I've been getting.

This box was free for me as i had enough glossy dots to covert but now i have unsubscribed. I really hope now that i don't see all of your reviews and regret it! But hey ho, onto this months box.

Now, as i'm sure you all know already, this months beauty box was a collaboration with the luxurious Harrods. I have to say, i really like the idea of Special Edition boxes, and this was no exception (although the Valentine's box was a bit poo). I was a bit disappointed that the little information sheet this month had no prices or full sized product info so i can't inform you guys of that today i'm afraid but without further ado, this is the box i received in all of it's glory..

At a glance, i'm like WOAH look at all those luxury brands! But to begin the elimination process, i handed over the skincare things to my mum. I appreciate YSL and Clarins aren't cheap, but i'm only 18 and I don't feel like my skin needs to be "lifted." That's not to say i think skincare products aren't worth it though because in order to keep your skin in it's youth, it is important to take care of it. Like i said, i appreciate that GB have included these fabby brands, but unfortunately they're just not for me. (On a side note, my mum loves them!) I'll just quickly let you know, the YSL serum is said to help increase youthful activity in skin cells, and the Clarins body cream is said to help lift and tone for firmer skin and a younger looking body.

Moving on from the negatives... The perfume sample in this months box is SO DAMN YUMMY! I'm currently using one teeeeny spritz a day praying that it doesn't run out because i can't get enough of it! I have used Marciso Rodriguez before and i love love love it. I can't describe it at all, but it's a really feminine almost clean scent, but sweet at the same time? I like that it really stays on you all day and i catch wafts of it as i go about my business. Thumbs up from me! 

Next, the Molton Brown heavenly ginger-lily moisture bath & shower gel, this product for me screams luxury. It's a wonderfully subtle yummy scent which isn't too overpowering and it does a lovely job at moisturising your skin. It's definitely a special occasion product rather than daily use but overall i was pleased to try this out. It's a shame Molton Brown are so expensive.

Finally, saving my favourite until last, i received the Burberry miniature lip mist in shade No202. I've been wearing this everyday this week to give an honest, fair review and i've found it to be a lovely product. I love the cute packaging which makes it feel so luxurious and i love the attention to detail because even the lipstick has the famous Burberry design printed onto it. The colour i received wouldn't be one that i'd pick out for myself because it has quite dark undertones, it's more on the brown-y side of coral pink which doesn't suit me particularly well. Perhaps worn over the top of a brighter lipstick may have better results. The finished look is quite glossy so it can be worn alone for that type of finish if that's what you're looking for but for me, the product doesn't seem all that long. Overall, i enjoy using the lip mist and i would consider repurchasing but definitely in a different shade.

 A bit of a mixed bag for me this month, i can't wait to try She Said next month and i'll let you all know how it goes. 

What did you think of this months Glossybox? Hope you all have a fabby weekend!

*P.S Don't forget to enter my giveaway here*