2015 has personally been a WILD year when it comes to life in general but more specifically when it comes to beauty products. From landing a position as a beauty columnist with The Irish Times to just blogging in general I’m blown away by the amount of stuff I’ve been sent to try out and also the amount of stuff I’ve bought based on other bloggers recommendations too. All in all I have to be honest and say that most stuff I’ve tried out has ranged between the pretty good to the downright amazing. Here are the newer products that have been (mostly!) launched this year that I’ve been reaching for over and over. I thought this post would be shorter but I got typing and I couldn’t stop. 

Mascara Dare I say I think I’m close to having found my favourite ever mascara’s…massive statement there! I find Benefit a bit like marmite in theroy, some products I’m a bit meh about and others I love (and if their brow bar is a product then I love that the most!). Benefit’s Rollerlash mascara was launched earlier this year and already I’m on my second tube. I love it pure and simple, I love the wand and don’t find it clumps and gives great coverage to my lashes. Essence launched the multi-action mascara this year too which I find myself using as much as my Benefit mascara lately. Not as easy to apply it tends to leave product on my lid which I can deal with but it’s a pain but it really gives great coverage to my lashes.

Nails Essence’s range of gel nail polishes are easily my stand out range when it comes to polish. Perhaps its because they are so cheap and my expectations were low but these really do last as well as any other polish. A great range of colours and I like the brush that comes with it, it’s wide and flat and applies the colour well. 

Penny’s false nails – these are so cheap at €1.50 and come in a massive range of shades. The tip is square so I reshape them to make them rounded but they are really short, feel really light, last for about a week. I would love to get acrylic nails but it just isn’t practical and I think I’d get bored of them after about a week. 



Eyes I love eye shadow palettes – there’s just so much value in a palette and much easier to take away with you. Hands down my favourite palette for 2015 and for high impact eyeshadows look no further than Urban Decay’s Naked Smokey palette. So many beautiful wearable shades I’ve found myself reaching for this more than any other since I got it. 

By way of individual eyeshadows I’ve been thoroughly impressed by Maybelline’s Colour Tattoo cream eyeshadows. They are so easy to apply and last so well and look really good. 

Hair One product I’ve raved about and I will keep raving about is TIGI Bed Head Joyride Texturising Powder Balm. Amazing prodcut for a busy Mama that wants to look good without the effort. I like to curl my hair but hate when it falls out a day or so later. This product keeps the curl exactly as you want them to look for as long as your can bare to go before a washing.

Makeup Tools I’ve been blown away by makeup brushes this year and even more so by the quality of the Irish brushes I’ve started using. Nima Brush, AYU brushes and Blank Canvas all feature daily in my makeup routine. Some stand out products include the Girls on Tour brush set from Nima Brush as well as their 5 piece eye detail set which is the perfect collection of brushes for everything you might want to create on your eyelids. 

Face Again I’ve tried a ton of foundations this year from high end to budget brands like essence. I kind of have to say that even though I do reach for essence Pure Nude and Fushcia’s Perfect Skin foundations more regularly than all the others I still think the Estee Lauder Double Wear Light is my favourite. There is a great range of shades and don’t be afraid to go in and ask for a sample to try out the product yourself as it is rather expensive so make sure you get the right shade. When Nyx hd concealer for under eyes – the colour of these

Tan I’ve tried a LOT of tans this year, my favourite to date is The Tan for a long lasting tan that gives a lovely, lovely colour and wears off really nicely. By way of instant tans I love Cocoa Browns new instant tan bronzing gels. These are so handy if you happen to be heading out last minute and need some colour on your skin. They don’t streak if exposed to a bit of rain and don’t smell either once they’ve dried.

Random products I got a sample set of Bia Beauty products at a blogging event in Cork and I was really impressed with all the products. So much so I bought the eye cream again when I had finished the little pot and I got the Skin Superfood from my Kris Kringle with the ITWBN network which was brilliant. Great products that feel and act luxurious but without a huge price tag and they are made from all natural products and made in Cork. 

Skinceuticals Aox Llip Complex is a new product I’ve been trying recently and I really love this. In general I would feel that a lip balm is a lip balm but this is more than that, it’s like a treatment for your lips. I would normally find my lips sore and peeling during the winter but since I started using this once at night I’ve had no peeling and lipstick still looks good on. My only minor gripe is the dispenser at the top of the tube pumps out too much so I feel like I’m wasting product and given the price I don’t want to do that! 

Nip and Fab Glycolic Fix range is absolutely blowing me away with how well my skin improved within a few weeks of using it. I mentioned it here before so I won’t go on about it again but safe to say this is one set of products I’ll be using long into the future.

 I’ve tried a lot of oils this year which I’ve been really enjoyed, there’s something luxurious about them. I bought the Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse and it’s so gorgeous, its give a really lovely subtle shimmer but looks after your skin while doing so. I was sent Guinot’s Huile Mirific Gold not long after buying the other product and it’s equally as nice but I’m not sure it’s all that widely availble just yet.

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