2013 BEAUTY FAVOURITES: TOP 5s

You're no doubt seeing tonnes of these posts doing the rounds right now, so feel free to leave now if you're sick to the back teeth of them! For those of you who are interested, I thought I'd do my own run down of some favourites from the past year, covering all areas such as beauty, skin care and hair care. I have started to do monthly favourites posts but seem to have failed in keeping them up recently, so this kind of fills the gap of November/December that I missed (oops!).  Now I'm the kind of girl who finds a product she likes and sticks to it. I do try out a few things here and there but once I find something that works for me, I very rarely go off course and venture away to try alternatives., so a lot of these will no doubt have already cropped up in previous  favourites or reviews. Saying that though, there were a fair few things I wanted to include but only bought in the past few weeks which I thought would have been cheating, so expect to see some new goodies in the next favourites post in January! Enough babbling - let's get on with it! For each category I've picked my top five products that I've reached for the most throughout the year, and also included a few other products of note that I loved, but didn't quite reach the top!

BEAUTY TOP FIVE:

1. Rimmel BB Cream - Hands down the best BB Cream I've tried this year (and I've tried a fair few!). Nice amount of coverage, lovely dewy finish and long lasting.

2. Benefit Fine One One - The perfect blush and highlighter all in one. Not usually a fan of cream blushes but this one packs a punch with pretty peach and pink tones.

3. Real Techniques Expert Face Brush - One of my many Real Techniques brushes and definitely my favourite. I use this to blend in foundations or BB creams for a natural flawless finish.

4. Clinique Chubby Stick in Curvy Candy 14 - By far my favourite lip product of the year, this is the perfect pale pink and is a lovely consistency.

5. Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Fair 1 - This is always top of my list when it comes to concealers, having used it for three years! Always repurchase this for it's amazing coverage and creamy, easy to blend texture.

OTHER PRODUCTS OF NOTE: Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation // Topshop Lipstick in Boom Boom // Nars Blush in Orgasm // Illamasqua Blush in Nymph // Korres Pomegranate Lip Butter

SKIN CARE TOP FIVE:

1. Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser - My absolute holy grail skincare product. Pretty much the only thing I can count on to clear up my break outs and keep my skin clear and fresh.

2. Super Facialist by Una Brennan Vitamin C+ Micro Polish Wash - A new discovery for me, and a great one! I use this first thing in the morning as a fresh and fruity pick me up for my skin. 

3. Boots Botanics Ultra Calm Night Cream - The only night cream I've tried that doesn't break me out. A lovely light cream that helps ease problem skin.

4. Super Facialist by Una Brennan Tea Flower Mattifying Moisturiser - My ultimate day cream is this gorgeous mattifying moisturiser, another new discovery for me and now a firm favourite in my regime.

5. Boots Face Cloths - Aside from the Liz Earle muslin cloths, these are one of the best flannels I've used. I don't like my face cloths to be too soft, and these ones are just right. They are just the right amount of rough for exfoliating the skin, but soft enough not to hurt it. 

OTHER PRODUCTS OF NOTE: Savlon Antiseptic Cream // St Ives Apricot Scrub

PERFUME TOP FIVE:

1. Legend by Mont Blanc - I've never used up a perfume so fast! This was something I found by off chance and fell in love with the light, feminine scent. I will be repurchasing this one for sure!

2. Daisy Hot Pink by Marc Jacobs - A huge fan of the Daisy fragrances, this was a limited edition version of the signature scent that I picked up in Duty Free before our Summer holiday, so this reminds me of the time we spent away in Albufeira.

3. Chance Eau Fraiche by Chanel - This is my second bottle of this and I love it so much! Again another light and girly scent that instantly picks me up. Are you noticing a pattern??

4. Daisy Eau So Fresh Sunshine by Marc Jacobs - Another in the Daisy collection (and yes it is light and feminine!!!) this is a summery, fruity version that is sweet without being sickly.

5. Blue Agava & Cacao by Jo Malone - My first step into the world of Jo Malone courtesy of a friend of mine, and I haven't looked back! This is a lot more mature and spicy than the scents I normally go for, but I love it none the less.

OTHER PRODUCTS OF NOTE: Alien by Thierry Mugler // Miss Dior by Dior // Coconut Body Mist by The Body Shop

HAIR CARE TOP FIVE:

1. Redken Color Extend Magnetics Shampoo - I'm a big fan of Redken, and having coloured hair this one is a god send. It keeps my blonde bright and my hair soft and healthy looking.

2. John Frieda Sheer Blonde Colour Renew Tone Correcting Shampoo - I will never stop praising this shampoo after the wonders it worked on my hair when I first had it coloured last year. If you have orange or yellow tones in your blonde that you want to get rid of then this is a must. See the difference in my review here! 

3. The Body Shop Banana Conditioner - On my second bottle of this now and completely obsessed with it! The smell is like banana milkshake or foamy banana sweets (both of which have me sold) and it makes my hair super soft. I've only just managed to get my hands on the shampoo which I am loving too! 

4. Batiste Dry Shampoo in Blush - A bit of a basic product but one that will always be high on my list when it comes to hair products. I love most of the Batiste Dry Shampoos but I think the Blush one is my favourite scent of the lot!

5. GHD Style Straight & Smooth Spray - Something I've had for a while and rediscovered over the past few months. I spray this on the ends of my hair when I curl it, and also use it to protect my hair extensions when I heat style them. I love the smell of this and the packaging is pretty swish too.

OTHER PRODUCTS OF NOTE: Lush Daddy O Shampoo // L'Oreal Extraordinary Oil // L'Oreal Expert Lumino Contrast

BATH & BODY TOP FIVE:

1. Crabtree & Evelyn Citron Honey & Coriander Body Lotion - My all time favourite moisturiser! I discovered this when I stayed in the Manchester Hilton Double Tree hotel last year and have loved it ever since. It has a lovely citrus scent and soaks into the skin without leaving it greasy or sticky.

2. Palmer's Cocoa Butter Natural Bronze Gradual Tanning Moisturiser - I used this so much throughout summer this year to give myself some colour! I'm as pale as they come so a bit of tan is a must in the summer months. This one left me streak free and smells really nice too!

3. Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Scrub - When the time comes for getting rid of said tan, I reach for this body scrub the most. It's sugary texture is perfect for getting rid of the dreaded patches and the smell is so good!

4. Soho Soap Co. Caramel Creme Bath & Shower Gel - My favourite bubble bath/shower gel is this good enough to eat Caramel Creme one that has the most yummy, sweet  and luxurious scent.

5. Soap & Glory Smoothie Star Deep Moisture Body Milk - Another really lovely moisturiser that I reach for when I'm out of Crabtree & Evelyn. This one is very rich and sweet, and leaves the skin really soft and silky.

OTHER PRODUCTS OF NOTE: Korres Shower Gels 

Phew! So there we go, all of my beauty favourites from the past twelve months. I know there was a lot of them so thank you and well done if you made it to the end of this post! Let me know if you've done one of these as I'd love to see which products you've all been loving throughout 2013. 

Are any of these on your list? Have you any recommendations for next year?!