Best Beauty Discoveries of 2015

I am very excited to finally share with you my Top Beauty Discoveries of 2015. Let me tell you, it was not easy to narrow it down, but I had to be pretty ruthless and think which products actually stood out to me. I am very content with the selection and I stand by every single product mentioned here. If I have a separate review on any of these products I will link it below. So, shall we dive right in?

Gwen Stefani x Urban Decay Eyeshadow Palette

First up and probably something that doesn't come as a surprise, is the Urban Decay Gwen Stefani eyeshadow palette. This palette is a neutral girl's dream. Since I got it, I haven't touched any of my other eyeshadows. I love everything about it, packaging, shades, longevity and blendability. If you are lacking on the neutral shadows department, pick this one up!

Urban Decay Matte Revolution Lipstick in 1993 and Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Rapture

Keeping it within the Urban Decay theme its Matte Revolution and Revolution lipsticks are one of the best lipstick formulas out there. Revolution lipsticks have been around for a while, but I have tried them for the first time only in 2015. In my opinion the Matte Revolution lipsticks are comparable to NARS Audacious lipsticks, but come with a more affordable price tag. 

Urban Decay After Glow 8-hour Blushes in Video and Fetish

Moving along, Urban Decay Afterglow 8-hour Blushes were pretty much all I wore for the past 6 months. These are extremely pigmented, long-lasting and talc-free (in case you are allergic like me). Can't fault these blushes, amazing stuff. I am not sponsored by Urban Decay - in fact, they have no idea who I am. I just genuinely like their products which are cruelty-free. 

La Girl Pro Concealer in Natural

I always had difficulty finding a concealer that provides a decent amount of coverage and does not emphasise fine lines. La Girl Pro Concealer does exactly that, and what's more it's cruelty-free and will not break the bank. I honestly have no idea how it can be this good and cheap. 

T-B: Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Marvelous Mauve, Milani Amore Matte Lip Creme in Lust,
Rimmel Exaggerate Lipliner in Eastend Snob

2015 was the year of liquid lipsticks and lipliners. People went bananas over a matte 90s lip, yours truly included. The two liquid lipstick that I used on a daily basis were: Sephora Cream Lip Stain in Marvelous Mauve and Milani Amore Matte Lip Creme in Lust. In terms of lipliners there was just the one and only Rimmel Exaggerate Lipliner in Eastend Snob. This is hands down my favourite lipliner of all time. The only downside is that it's not cruelty-free. A good alternative would be Catrice's Long Lasting Lip Pencil in 080 That's What Rose Wood Do!

Lastly a few skincare bits and a perfume that I discovered during 2015. Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel is by far my favourite product discovery of 2015. This cleanser is amazeballs. I have been using it for a couple of months now and my skin loves it. I have extremely sensitive, eczema and acne prone skin. This cleanser never leaves my skin feeling irritated or dehydrated. Instead it leaves it feeling smooth and nourished. I won't go into much details here, as I will be having a separate review on it soon, so keep your eyes out for that. Another skincare item that impressed me was the Sephora Mud Mask Purifying and Mattifying. It's great for clarifying the skin, especially if you have breakouts or congested skin. It's non-drying and you can actually see how it pulls all the nasty stuff out of your skin. Perfume wise the honours go to Jo Malone Mimosa and Cardamom. I don't have anything like it in my collection. It's floral, powdery but warm at the same time. Lovely scent and unlike other Jo Malone fragrances that tend to wear off on my skin pretty quickly this one stays put for a really long time.  

These are my tried and true beauty products which I will continue using in 2016. I would love to hear if you are loving any of these or what are your best beauty discoveries of 2015!

Until next time,
Muffy

Urban Decay Round-Up

Let's talk a little bit Urban Decay today. I heard that Urban Decay will be finally launching in Finland. Yes! And I thought what better timing to share the products I own from the brand. I have a bit of everything, maybe it will inspire you to try something out as well!

Let's start with the Naked Basics 2 palette. It's a very handy palette IF you like cool tones. This palette will take you from day to night. It will be your best friend for travelling and rocking the dusty rose, greyish - 90's eye looks that are so in right now. In terms of pigmentation these shadows are overall good. They do however kick off a considerable amount of powder, so keep that in mind. They blend effortlessly on the eyes without feeling chalky or streaky. I also appreciate the fact that this palette doesn't have a matte black. Every palette nowadays has a matte black colour. I don't know about you, but I rarely use black on my eyes. Therefore, I was thrilled to get a smoky brown-grey instead. It's still not the colour I use everyday, but I like having that option if I want to go for a more dramatic look.

Urban Decay Naked Basics 2

L-R: Skimp, Stark, Frisk, Cover, Primal and Undone

This palette comes with 6 shades : Skimp - pale nude satin, Stark - matte cream, Frisk - warm grey matte, Cover - brown-mauve matte, Primal - muted brown matte and Undone - smokey brown-grey matte. I think the colour that is particularly unique is Cover, the rest can be duped (e.g Stark = Wet n Wild Brulee, Frisk = Makeup Geek Uninterrupted). But of course you get the benefit of having all these beautiful shades in one palette. In terms of packaging it's sturdy, compact and sleek. Would I say it's a must have? Yes, if you like cool and taupe shades or if you like Naked 2. Otherwise, it's not extremely versatile in terms of colour range especially if you like warm tones.

L-R: Urban Decay Revolution Lipsticks in Naked and Rush

L-R: Naked and Rush

Next up are Urban Decay Revolution Lipsticks. I have two here: Naked and Rush. These lipsticks are some of my favourites. They are creamy, wear comfortably on the lips and come in a variety of shades. Naked, as the name suggests, is a peachy nude colour, while Rush is a dusty mauve. My personal favourite has to be Rush. It is such a wearable colour that falls right under "Your lips but better". The staying power is relatively good, considering the texture. I like to pair Rush with Rimmel's Exaggerate Lip Liner in Eastend Snob (review here) and it's just the perfect combination which lasts for hours. I am always worried that creamy lipsticks will feather, therefore I prefer to use a lipliner but you don't have to. What's more these lipsticks are vegan, excluding the Lovelight and Venom shades. They come in a lovely gunmetal sturdy packaging. Would I say these are a must? Yes. I think you should try at least one and see how you get along. They are just a few euros more than Mac, but feel way more luxurious - if you know what I mean.

Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Rush

Urban Decay Revolution Lipstick in Naked

Last but certainly not least is the Urban Decay Afterglow Blush in Video. This is a relatively new product that Urban Decay has released. I got this as a present from my best friend and I have to say this blush is my go-to. Let's start with the colour. It's a universally flattering muted rosy-nude that leans slightly towards warm tones. It's the sort of blush you can pair with any makeup look. In my mind it falls in the same category as Mac Cubic, Tarte Exposed and Armani Sheer Blush #5 (discontinued). The texture is extremely soft, not chalky or powdery at all. It applies on your cheeks like a dream. Even though it looks matte in the pan it has a satin finish in my opinion. It claims to last 8 hours and I have to agree with that. And the best part, it's talc free. All Urban Decay products are cruelty free. I like the packing of these blushes as it doesn't feel cheap. It's colour coded at the back, which is quite useful if you have several shades in your collection. It's magnetised and sturdy.

Urban Decay Afterglow Blush in Video

Urban Decay Afterglow Blush in Video

Urban Decay Afterglow Blush in Video

Would I say these blushes are a must? Hell, Yes! If you can pick only one item from Urban Decay I say go for blushes. They have an extensive colour selection ranging from nudes, to purples to reds. If unsure which colour to pick I highly recommend trying Video.

Even though I haven't featured the Urban Decay Primer Potion here, I tried it as well. Currently, I am using Nars Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. Urban Decay Primer Potion is a good all-rounder and my best friend swears by it. If you want to try it, I say pick the original formula.

To wrap up, all the products I have tried from Urban Decay I have liked. If I could recommend something that would please everyone I would say revolution lipsticks and blushes. These are hands down my top pics from the bunch. Don't get me wrong I enjoy the Naked 2 Basics palette, but it's not universally flattering. Plus if you are bothered by powdery eyeshadows, I say this one is definitely not for you. I hope this post was helpful and gave you some ideas next time you are at the Urban Decay counter. Possibly I will be picking up naked skin concealer and brow beater next.

What are your favourite Urban Decay products? Let me know!

Cheers,
Muffy