BEST OF 2011 - MY FAVOURITES

I thought I would do a run down of the products I have loved using throughout the last year. I'm one of those people who finds something they like, then sticks with it, so most of these I've used pretty much all year round. There are a few things I only started using at the back end of 2011, but they were so good I thought it was unfair to not include them! I've bought these with my own money, or had them given to me at Christmas or birthdays, so I'm not being sponsored to big these up in any way. Purely because I love them! Some of these pictures have come out a little odd as they were taken in what was supposed to be daylight but turned out to be dull and rainy.

Batiste Dry Shampoo - An absolute lifesaver of mine. I always have a can of this ready for those 'OMG I don't have time to wash my hair' moments when a lie in is much more appealing than the sound of the hairdryer in the morning. I love all the scents, but my favourite edition of this is the XXL Volume one. It's amazing on fine hair as it makes it look so big!

VO5 Gloss Me Smoothly Shampoo & Conditioner - I've been using this since it came out last year and haven't changed my shampoo since. I love how it leaves my hair soft and shiny without being weighed down. I love the packaging too.

Samy Fat Hair Amplifying Hairspray - This does what it says on the tin. Fat. Hair. This is the strongest hairspray I've ever used, and a little goes a long way. A big can like this lasts me forever. I used to backcomb my hair a little to make it fuller, but with this i dont need to. The only thing is its really sticky and get everywhere, so anything valuable has to be moved out of the way before spraying!
Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish - My favourite product of the year by far. I started using it earlier in the year and I think I'm now on my fourth bottle. It's so gentle on my skin and its one of the only cleansers I've used that doesn't break me out. So easy to use and so effective. I think I'll be using this until I grow old! 

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish Natural in Medium - Now onto my third compact of this powder. A really lovely lightweight powder that I use every day to set my base make up. Really silky to apply and leaves a nice finish. The only face powder I will use now! 

Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer in Light 2 - Raved about all over the blogging community, this is hands down the best concealer I've ever used. It's creamy without being heavy, and blends easily. Best of all I've found a shade that matches my skin perfectly. The only gripe I have with this is that, as you can see, the writing has rubbed off, but I can't complain about the product itself.

Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat in Shade 1 - I only get this every now and again, usually as a gift from Dan because I can never be bothered to fork out on it myself. It is expensive (Around £20) but it is really good. to make mine last longer I just use this under my eyes and conceal my blemishes with my Collection 2000 one, so I can't really vouch for how it covers up anything other than dark circles. This is what I jump for when my eyes need waking up and bags need covering!

Benefit That Gal Face Primer - Again another product I rarely buy myself, but get given as a gift as I love it. I use this if I need my make up to last, for example when I have a long day at work or a night out. The silky formula blends into the skin leaving a gorgeous, even base to work on, and smells divine!

Natural Collection Tinted Moisturiser in Natural - At the start of 2011 if you told me I would be ditching the foundations and using a tinted moisturiser I would have laughed, but thanks to Liz Earle helping my skin clear up I can now wear this with confidence. This is such a bargain at £1.99 a tube. I love the light coverage and the smooth finish. I feel like I don't have this on my face which is a really nice feeling. I only ever go back to foundations if I'm going on a night out now, which is a massive turning point for me! 

Topshop Cream Blush in Neon Rose - I wasn't massively balled over by this when I first bought it, but I took it on holiday to Rhodes and fell in love with it after blending it in lightly with a stippling style brush. It gives a gorgeous pop of colour and a dewy finish, perfect for summer.

No 7 Natural Blush in 22 Candy Pink - I wear this most days now as it's a great daytime colour, and goes really well with the majority of my lipstick colours. I think these retail at around £8, but I used one of the Boots £5 off No 7 vouchers and got this for around £3. The vouchers have started again so I'm hoping to pick up some other shades as the colour pay off is great and it lasts on the cheeks.

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Stereo Rose - This was limited edition (if I remember rightly) so I use it very sparingly as it is so beautiful and I don't want to run out! This comes out slightly shimmery and a gorgeous coral shade. It's both a blush and a highlight all in one, and it a great alternative way of creating a dewy finish without a cream product.

Rimmel Extra WOW Lash Mascara in Extreme Black - When it comes to mascara I'm not really too picky as I have naturally long lashes. If I find one I like I just stick with it until I run out then try something new. This has been my mascara of choice lately. It is long lasting, it doesn't crumble or flake on me and gives me a nice amount of thickness to the lashes without being clumpy.

Bobbi Brown Eyeshadow in 21 Blonde - This is the colour I use to fill in my eyebrows. I used to use a pencil but found the lines too obvious and I could never find the right colour. This is the perfect match to my brows. I use a Sigma E65 (small angle) to apply it.

MAC Eyeshadows (top) White Frost, Naked Lunch, Satin Taupe (bottom) Vapour, Gleam, Knight Divine - There was no point in talking about these separately as I tend to use them mostly together for a subtle smokey eye. I love the colour pay off of MAC eyeshadows and really want to invest in some more as they last forever! These are my go to shades when I feel like wearing full eye make up.

MAC Lipsticks in (top row) Viva Glam Gaga, Chatterbox, Impassioned. (middle row) Saint Germain, Ravishing, Fanfare. (bottom row) Lady Danger - Again, no point in talking about these individually as they all do pretty much the same thing! MAC lipsticks are my favourites as they feel creamy and nourishing on the lips, and don't dry them out. I love every colour I own and I want to buy so many more! I think I have a slight obsession. Others to include are Please Me (couldn't find it to photograph!) and Hue and Creme Cup which have both run out.

Topshop Lipstick in Ooh La La (bottom, middle) - Such an amazing summery lip colour. A gorgeous bright orange coral that looks great with a dewy face. I wore this to death on holiday!

Chanel Rouge Coco Lipstick in 31 Cambon - My favourite red lipstick. A velvety true red that is so flattering worn with simple face make up. I turn to this when an outfit needs a pop of colour and I don't want to make too much of an effort with my make up.

Phew, I didn't realise there was so much! I could have included a lot more but decided to be ruthless. Let me know if you've done any posts like these as I love seeing what products people love.