Georgia Phelps So here’s my final post for 2016! As promised I’m here to share with you my favourite (and not so favourite) beauty products that I’ve discovered throughout the past 12 months. Some of them were a huge shock to me and a few didn’t come as much of a surprise but I find this is generally the way it works with high street makeup, you never quite know how it’s going to work for you which is why the lower price point is helpful.
Just like my High End post, I’ll start with the misses and get the negative products out of the way first. Also, I’d like to mention that just because I don’t get on with any of these specific products does not mean that they won’t work for other people. Everybody is different so don’t not purchase something simply because of a review as you may love it! It also doesn’t mean that I completely disregard the brand as a whole because more often than not, there will be products I both love and hate in all brands for a variety of different reasons.
Misses:
Maybelline Falsies Push-Up Drama Mascara –
Surprisingly, whilst sitting down to write this I did struggle slightly with knowing what products to talk about as I find it difficult to remember products I haven’t liked. As soon as I remembered this product, I couldn’t believe it had been so difficult to remember it in the first place. I literally used this mascara once and haven’t touched it again because it made such an awful lasting impact on me. Considering this mascara has the words ‘falsies,’ ‘push-up’ and ‘drama’ in the title, this product did absolutely bugger all to my eyelashes. The wand was possibly the weirdest mascara wand I’ve ever used in my life and I think the shape of it was the reason I saw no difference in my lashes. I don’t consider myself to have super long lashes but they’re a pretty decent length so to have a mascara that did nothing was disappointing to say the least. To make the situation even worse, what I did manage to get on my lashes ended up transferring underneath my eye and made it look like I hadn’t slept for over a week.
Rimmel Fresher Skin Foundation –
I can’t say that I’m massively surprised that I didn’t get on well with this product as I don’t think I’ve ever particularly liked any foundation that comes in a pot. However, it did intrigue me when I noticed it on the shelves at Boots as Rimmel are the last brand that I would have expected to see a foundation in a pot from so I thought I’d purchase it just to be nosey. This foundation claimed to have a ‘breathable, natural finish’ which is the most literal use of the term possible. It’s claim to be ‘natural’ basically means that it’s non-existent on the skin and does absolutely nothing. It smells absolutely horrific, just like all of the other Rimmel complexion products which for me, is massively off-putting. I think the only person who would really get on board with this foundation would be somebody who wants a VERY light coverage during the summer (it has an SPF of 15) and who already has completely flawless skin so doesn’t need coverage at all.
Hits:
Now for the exciting part of the post where I can share my favourite products with you that are super affordable but great quality too. I’ve narrowed it down to my top 3 favourites as otherwise I’ll be here writing all night!
Maybelline Lash Sensational Mascara –
Some people may be surprised that this is a favourite as one of my misses was another Maybelline mascara. However, those who follow my Instagram or read my blog regularly will know how much I love this mascara and it’ll come as no surprise that it’s made it into my top 3 high street beauty products of the whole year. Not only does this mascara give you humongous lashes but it also curls them perfectly, has a jet black glossy finish and because it’s such a lightweight formula, it keeps the length and curl all day without making your lashes drop. I did find that I preferred this mascara after I had used it a couple of times and the mascara became less gloopy and wet but I find this to be the case with most high street mascaras anyway.
Loreal Lumi Magique Pure Light Primer –
I always get really excited when I find a new primer that I like because it doesn’t happen very often at all. Luckily I’ve just picked up a new one of these as mine ran out a few months ago and I’ve been wanting to replace it for a while. This primer honestly makes your skin look so radiant and glowing underneath any foundation (including any with a matte finish) that it’s hard to not want to smother your whole face in it. A tiny bit goes such a long way that the product itself lasts for a really long time even when using it every day. It helps to combat my stupidly dry skin and sits beautifully underneath make-up, meaning that foundation glides on top effortlessly.
NYX HD Concealer –
Those who have read my post all about my December monthly favourites will know how much I love this concealer. It’s the perfect consistency (a lightweight yet full coverage formula) and blends beautifully into the skin, under eyes and on the rest of the face. It wears throughout the whole day without having to touch it up at all and doesn’t crease at all when under the eye area. I love the fact it’s paraben free too as having parabens around my eyes always makes me worried that I’ll get super deep wrinkles in later life! I’ll definitely be repurchasing this concealer when the sad day comes that it runs out.
That’s it for 2016 posts! It’s been a fab year where I’ve set up my new blog on a new platform and my Instagram has taken off well too. So I’ll finish my post with saying a massive thank you to my old and new followers, all the people that have supported me so far by commenting, liking, sharing my posts on social media. I can’t wait to see what 2017 brings for me and my little beauty world and I’m so excited to take everybody with me. See you all next year!
Lots of love,
Georgia x
