Top Ten Skincare products of 2015 featuring Oskia, Estee Lauder, Omorovicza, Aurelia & more!

On Saturday I posted my top fifteen make-up items from 2015 (here) but I've been quite restrained today and have narrowed it down to my top ten skincare items from the year. Realistically, I could have written about my top twenty, being the skincare addict that I am, but I pushed myself to just pick ten products. These have all featured heavily throughout the year so I won't waffle on for too long about them but will briefly explain why each one made the final cut. Let's get started!

Top 15 Make-up items from 2015 featuring Kat Von D, Too Faced, Clinique & more!

You've no idea how difficult it was to narrow my 2015 make-up favourites down to just 15 products! There was absolutely no way I could have included skincare, body care, hair care and make-up in just one top 15 post so I've decided to divide them up, starting today with make-up. I wasn't sure how to approach narrowing my favourite products down initially so I decided to choose the products that were most worn during the year, rather than just new products in my collection. Let's get started!

The only nail polish I'll be wearing this Christmas - Burberry Military Red

I'm back from my brief hiatus - I was really ill and couldn't even contemplate blogging but I'm feeling a little better now so today I am sharing with you the only nail polish that I will be wearing this Christmas season! It isn't exactly budget-friendly (€19 for 8ml) but if you can't treat yourself at Christmas, then when can you?!

20 brilliant beauty products under €20

Although I feature a lot of high end beauty products on this blog, I am also a fan of budget products. Budget doesn't have to mean lower quality, just like a large price tag doesn't necessarily mean great quality (I learned that the hard way!). When the lovely Edel from The Pharmer's Journal tagged me to do Thirty under €20, I was up for the challenge but I had to change it to 20 under €20 because I couldn't find another ten products in my current collection under €20 but if you read my blog regularly, you will know that I love budget body lotions (Nivea, Garnier, Vaseline Intensive Care etc) but I just don't have any at the moment, also I love Soap & Glory foot & hand creams but again, don't have any at the moment. I wanted to only feature products that I actually use and have in my collection at the moment. I have a mixture of make-up, bodycare and a few miscellaneous products, so let's get started!

Recent purchases #26 A Sephora haul featuring Marc Jacobs, Tatcha, Kat Von D & more!

I'm back with another haul and this is a really good one because it's a Sephora haul! No, I didn't just sneak across the Atlantic without telling you all - my best friend was on holiday in New York recently and she very kindly offered to pick up some of my wishlist products for me while she was there! She's also a VIB rouge member so she bought all of these with her 20% discount in the sale, which happened to be on whilst she was there. I am very excited to show you what I got!

Speedy reviews #5 featuring REN Wake Wonderful Night-time Facial & Alpha-h Liquid Laser

Another pair of speedy reviews today & both of these items are skincare products from brands that I like other products from so I was pretty confident when purchasing that I would be happy with these. Unfortunately I can't say that it's love, but it's not a case of hate either. Let me tell you why...

The repurchases: Estee Lauder Advanced Night Repair, Oskia Renaissance Mask & GLAMGLOW ThirstyMud

Don't you just hate when your favourite skincare products all run out at the same time?! I have quite a large skincare stash but these three products are Holy Grail for me and I had to replace them immediately, rather than after using up some other products in my stash - bold, I know!

How it feels to have Chronic Lyme Disease/M.E.

It's not that often that I post about personal topics on the blog but behind the façade of pretty packaging and expensive skincare, is the reality of living with a very debilitating, chronic illness. I initially posted about having Chronic Lyme Disease here and today I want to share with you what living with it actually feels like.

Pretty packaging featuring Hourglass, tarte, Charlotte Tilbury & YSL

Who can resist the lure of pretty packaging?! Even better when the products inside live up to the exterior. Today I am sharing what I believe to be the prettiest items in my collection. I haven't included perfumes because we would be here all day if I did, so that's a post for another day!

My current most worn eyeshadow palettes featuring Zoeva, Too Faced & Charlotte Tilbury

I am a self-confessed palette addict and have so many that I sometimes forget what I have and just use my most recent purchase so I have started to make more of an effort to rotate them and today I am sharing with you the four that I am reaching for most often at the moment.

Speedy reviews #4 By Terry Terrybly Densiliss Primer and Estee Lauder Double Wear Light

So it's speedy reviews time again and today I have one pretty high end product and one mid-range product. Both are products that I am reaching for very regularly at the moment and I thought it was about time I shared my thoughts on them with you.

My top three face masks for dry and dehydrated skin featuring GLAMGLOW, Oskia & Omorovicza

If you have read my blog for any amount of time, you will probably know that I am a skincare junkie and face masks are my ultimate favourite treat for my skin. I own far too many and am on a mission to use them up and then just keep a small number in rotation. Today, I am sharing my top three masks for my dry and dehydrated skin. These masks keep my skin congestion-free, exfoliated and hydrated. So let's get started!

Empties & speedy reviews #18 featuring Pixi, Clinique, Janina, Clarins, Rimmel Xen Tan, L'Occitane and more!

Although I am a beauty junkie and a bit of a shopaholic, I great satisfaction out of actually finishing products  up and I'm quite disciplined at not having too many products of the same type open at the same time. I used to be so bad at using half a product, then moving on to the next one but my collection got really out of hand so these days I'm pretty strict, particularly when it comes to skincare. This month I have a mix of bodycare, skincare and a few miscellaneous products to show you and give you my speedy reviews on!

My thoughts on some Omorovicza skincare products: Thermal Cleansing Balm, Queen of Hungary Mist, Refining Facial Polisher

Omorovicza is a brand that I mis-understood before I actually tried any products from them. I thought that the Deep Cleansing Mask would be too harsh and active for my dry, sensitive skin but when Blanche from The Beauty Bloss said that it would be in her Top Three Face Masks, I knew I had to try it because we like so many of the same skin care products. It was on sale at the time, so it was the best time to try it because Omorovicza products are pretty pricey. I was so surprised at how gentle the mask was and my skin loved it, didn't have any reaction and it has kept my skin congestion free so I decided to try the Thermal Cleansing Balm.

Christmas Giveaway! Win a Gift Set from Too Faced, Clinique & Benefit!

I know it may seem a little early for a Christmas giveaway but I would like the winners to have their prizes in time for Christmas and this giveaway is open worldwide so I need it to end in early December due to last postal dates in December, so here we go! 

I am excited about this giveaway because it is the first time that I have given away more than one prize in a giveaway and these are all items that I would love to own myself, so I am hoping you will like them too. I bought all of these prizes myself, with my own money so they cannot be exchanged. The winners will win one prize each.

REVIEW: Charlotte Tilbury Multi-Miracle Glow

If you have been reading my blog for any amount of time, you will know that I am a big fan of Charlotte Tilbury's make-up. I adore her eye shadow quads and wear her Filmstar Bronze & Glow practically every time I wear make-up. The lip pencils are second to none and the wonderglow primer is another favourite but when it comes to the skincare products in the range, I have been underwhelmed. I reviewed her Magic Cream earlier in the year (here) and today am sharing my thoughts on her Multi-Miracle Glow. 

October favourites featuring Omorovicza, Nude, Jo Malone, bloggers, youtubers & more!

Favourites time again! I really love reading favourites posts & seeing how products change from month to month as the year progresses. I was pretty ill for the first few weeks of October and didn't really wear any make-up so my favourites this month are all about pampering & comfort. 

How to fake glowing, radiant skin with Clarins, Kevyn Aucoin, Charlotte Tilbury & more!

When you suffer from a chronic illness and take lots of strong medications to treat said illness, it can be difficult to achieve naturally radiant skin that looks lit from within so I like to fake it! I have a lot of glow enhancing/faking products in my collection and today am sharing six products that I know I can rely on when I am having a very dull/fatigued skin day (most days at the moment!). They are all high end products but because I know I can depend on them, I am happy to spend my money on them. 

I'm a nudist! Are you? My top six nude lipsticks featuring MAC, Yves Saint Laurent & Clinique

I have been a nudist for years - in the lip sense, of course! It is really only in the last 12-18 months that I've introduced some colour into my lip wardrobe. I used to be a gloss girl, but I've fallen in love with lipsticks in the last year or two and thought I would share my top six nude lip options with you today. I love that a nude lip can be paired with almost every eye look and you would think that there could be nothing easier than to choose a nude lipstick, but it isn't always that easy. It depends on your skin tone and the natural colour of your lips and also how white your teeth are. I personally don't like a very pale nude because it can look like concealer lips and I don't personally like anything too brown in tone so if you have similar taste, then read on!

Recent purchases #25 featuring Estee Lauder, Zoeva, Tarte, YSL & more!

I've done a bit of shopping recently, in dribs & drabs really but I thought I'd put it all together to share with you today! It's mainly make-up and you will have seen some of them already if you follow me on instagram (here). So let's get started! 

Current foundation loves: Estee Lauder, Too Faced & Laura Mercier

Once summer is over, I tend to switch my base up a bit. I go for a bit more coverage with a slightly less dewy finish and today I'm going to share my three current foundation favourites. I have dry skin that is also sensitive and dehydrated so if you have a similar skin type you will want to read on!

Clinique bonus time with Debenhams - definitely worth checking out!

If you are a regular reader of my blog, you will know that I am a fan of Clinique products - I have raved about their Moisture Surge Spray here, their High Impact Extreme Volume mascara here, their Smart serum here, their chubby stick intense here and possibly my favourite product from them; their Lip Pops here. They regularly run promotions whereby you can receive a goody bag when you buy an number of their products and right now, there is one of these promotions running in Debenhams. I am a bit of a sucker for freebies because they give me a chance to try some products I wouldn't have otherwise and this is a good one!

Empties & speedy reviews #17 featuring L'Occitane, Sachajuan, Janina, Estee Lauder, This Works & more!

It doesn't seem like very long since my last empties post buy my empties bag is full to the brim again! As always, there are more body products that anything else, but also quite a few haircare and then some skincare and miscellaneous. There are lots of repurchases in here and some products that were new to me so I'll share my speedy reviews with you. Let's get started!

MAC Rebellious & NARS Fanny: A match made in heaven!

A few weeks ago, I bought my first lipstick from the Nars Audacious range. I chose Anna because I thought it would be the perfect everyday lip colour. I absolutely love the very creamy formulation on the lipsticks so knew that I would end up buying more but there are so many to choose from that it's quite overwhelming trying to decide. I saw Fanny on Stacey's (Expat Make up Addict) blog a while ago in one of her Lip Six posts (you need to check them out every Monday if you don't already!), so I decided that would be my next purchase. 

The Loop/Duty Free MAC haul

My brother was away with work recently so I placed two orders using The Loop's Shop & Collect service and also their discount code (looptwsum15 - valid until November 30th) to get some MAC goodies that had been on my wishlist for a while! 

The best and most luxurious body scrub I have ever used: Jo Malone Geranium & Walnut

I know the title of this post might sound a tad dramatic, but it's not! This Jo Malone scrub is without doubt the very best body scrub that I have ever used. 

A small make-up haul featuring Too Faced, Nars & more!

Another day, another haul - only this time it's a small one so I'n not sure it could even be labelled as a haul but I want to share my purchases with you anyway! I have two products from Too Faced and three lipsticks from a variety of brands; some that I have wanted for quite a while and one blogger enabled purchase. 

A skincare haul featuring Pixi, Ren, Alpha H & more!

You know me & skincare - I just can't resist trying new things in my quest for healthy, radiant skin! At the moment, I am on a number of medications for Chronic Lyme Disease  and one of them is also used to treat acne (which I don't have) and as a result, my skin is extra dry and also dehydrated. I will be on these meds for quite a while so thought I should introduce some new products into my skincare routine in an effort to combat the dryness because I find that my make-up isn't sitting quite right at the moment and my skin just feels uncomfortable and looks a bit red. I am hoping that the products in this haul will help, so let's get started! 

September Favourites featuring MAC, Jo Malone, Chanel, favourite blogs, youtubers & more!

It's favourites time again and this time it's a mixture of new products and some rediscoveries. I have been really loving a very glowy look this month and all of the products I've included have helped me achieve that look.

My top five nail berry toned polishes for Autumn!

I've finally accepted that summer is over and autumn is here (although the weather is really beautiful at the moment - nicer than it was for most of the 'summer'!). Today, I am sharing my top five nail polishes for autumn - I tend to favour pink/berry colours at this time of year before changing it up for winter & the Christmas season. 

REVIEW: Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminator in Pure Hollywood

I didn't need another highlighter, I really didn't (see posts here & here!), but need and want are two different things and as soon as I saw the latest Illuminators released from Anastasia Beverly Hills, I wanted one! There are four shades to choose from: Starlight, So Hollywood, Peach Nectar and Riviera. I chose So Hollywood because it is for medium skin tones and I thought that Starlight looked too pale for my skin. 

REVIEW: Omorovicza Deep Cleansing Mask

If you have read my blog for any amount of time, you will know that I am a skincare junkie and in particular, a mask junkie. I have previously posted several reviews of masks I have used and loved but Omorovicza is a brand that I have never tried before. I have wanted to try some products from the brand, but it is quite expensive and I was hesitant because I wasn't sure the products would really suit my skin, given that they are mud based, which I would associate with oily skin. What made me change my mind and actually take the plunge in buying the Deep Cleansing Mask, was a combination of two things: Blanche from The Beauty Bloss (if you don't read her blog, you should!) told me it would be in her top 3 masks (this lady knows her skincare) and Feel Unique had a 20% reduction on it in their recent sale - it was meant to be. 

Empties & speedy reviews #16 featuring Kiehl's, Kerastase, Clinique, Pixi, Janina and more!

I wasn't sure I would have enough products to do an empties post this month because the bag that I store them in wasn't very full, but when I actually looked inside it I realised that there were a lot of products in there - mainly skincare and if I waited until the bag was physically full, it would be a ridiculously long post so I'm doing it today! I'll begin with skincare because there are quite a few items.

REVIEW: This Works Deep Sleep range

You may have read a post earlier this year (here), where I explained that I have Chronic Lyme Disease and M.E. I recently found out that I actually have a whole host of other infections/diseases too and last week I started a new treatment plan in the hope of eliminating all (or at least some) of these diseases. One of the (many) side-effects of one of the drugs I am taking (Rifampicin) is sleep disturbances. Anybody who has ever suffered from Lyme Disease/M.E./Fibromyalgia or any similar illness will know that the fatigue that accompanies these illnesses is absolutely crippling. Paralysing is how I would best describe it - sometimes it feels like I am too exhausted to even breathe and those are the days that I am completely bedridden. It is unlike any other fatigue you would experience unless you are chronically ill - I cannot emphasise that enough. Whilst sleep doesn't actually refresh you when you have an illness like this, lack of sleep or broken sleep means that you feel even worse and this in turn makes it even more difficult to cope with not just the illness, but also the treatment. This is where the This Works Deep Sleep range comes into play. Just to be clear, I am not sponsored by This Works and I bought these products myself.

My new lipstick favourites: Clinique Pop Lip Colour & Primer

When I first saw the latest lipsticks from Clinique appear on blogs and on youtube a few months back, I was intrigued because they claimed to moisturise for up to 8 hours, as well as prime them and obviously add colour. I wondered if they could possibly live up to their claims but the great reviews kept on coming so I had to try one for myself. 

Urban Decay Brow Beater Microfine Brow Pencil VS Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz

Apart from the very famous Contour Kit, the product that most people associate with Anastasia Beverly Hills is their Brow Wiz. I have used the Brow Wiz for a few years after seeing so many beauty bloggers and youtubers rave about it when it was first released. There are lots of brow pencils from other brands out there, but none exactly the same....... until now!

BECCA x Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Pop

I recently posted about my top five highlighters and mentioned that I had recently purchased Champagne Pop, which is the latest product from BECCA in collaboration with Jaclyn Hill (a.k.a. the Queen of highlighting!). I've watched Jaclyn on youtube for a few years and love her positive, upbeat, sassy personality. Her highlight has always been "on fleek" so when I first heard about this collaboration, I was so excited but when I then heard it was exclusive to Sephora, my heart sank because I assumed it would sell out immediately. Sephora ship to the UK (there are some brand restrictions), and therefore we can order from Ireland via the Parcel Motel. I actually ended up ordering it from Rose's Beauty Store because it worked out a pretty much the same price and shipping was only £3.50. It arrived less than a week after I ordered & it was pretty much love at first sight. 

Berry lips for autumn featuring Clinique, Nars and MAC

In last week's Duty Free haul, you will have seen that I bought MAC Rebel because it had been on my MAC wishlist since last year. I am delighted to finally own it but I must admit that I laughed when I swatched it because I already own two practically identical coloured lip products - albeit in a different form. I obviously love a pinky/berry lip! 

Aurelia Probiotic Skincare product reviews: Refine & Polish Miracle Balm and Cell Repair Night Oil

Last month, I told you about my absolute love for Aurelia Probiotic Skincare Miracle Cleanser (here). Because I fell hard for the cleanser, I then bought two more products from the brand: Refine & Polish Miracle Balm and Cell Repair Night Oil and I thought I would share my thoughts on them with you today. One is a love and one is a bit meh! 

The Loop Duty Free Haul - mainly MAC but also Jo Malone, Clarins & more!

I got back from my really lovely holiday on Friday and it was so, so good to get the heat into my bones and just soak the sun up (well protected with spf though, don't worry!). We also celebrated our wedding anniversary whilst we were away and just had a really fantastic week together. It was just what I needed before starting a new treatment plan for my illness. Today, I thought I would show you what I picked up in Duty Free, as you will see from the photo, it's a pretty large haul and it is mainly a MAC haul because the products are quite a bit cheaper in The Loop. I reserved most of the products online in advance, where I used the promotional code looptwsum15 to save €10 on orders over €60, so I placed three orders & saved €30 on top of the savings already available. That code is valid until November 30th if you would like to use it! 

MAC Warm Neutrals 15 Eye Shadow Palette Giveaway!

Today is the beginning of a new giveaway on Beautylymin. I decided on a MAC Warm Neutrals Palette as the prize because I personally love it and when I gave away the Cool Neutrals Palette earlier in the year, it was very popular so I am hoping lots of you will want to win this one too!

Here are the rules:

1. You must follow Beautylymin on Bloglovin.

2. You must follow Beautylymin on Twitter.

3. You must follow Beautylymin on Instagram.

4. You must leave a comment below with your username for all three of the above. If you do not follow on all three, you will not have a valid entry. I will be checking all followers/entries at the end of the giveaway.

5. You must tweet the giveaway message.

6. For a bonus entry, save this post on bloglovin.

This giveaway is open for 1 month, ending on October 6th. It is open internationally. There is no alternative prize available as I have already bought the prize. This giveaway is not sponsored, I bought the prize with my own money. The winner will be chosen on random.org. The winner will have 72 hours to reply to my email, after which time another winner will be chosen. If you are under 16, you will need a parent or guardian's permission to enter as you will have to disclose your postal address to me.

Good Luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

My top five highlighters

Contouring is so passé and strobing is the new thing - well, according to people in the know anyway! I have always been a fan of highlighting whether it was the in thing or not and have been doing it for years because I just like the effect on my complexion. Today I am sharing my current top five highlighters - I say 'current' because I've just bought the BECCA/Jaclyn Hill collaborative beauty that is Champagne Pop and that will undoubtedly make its way into my top five once I start using it! All of the highlighters that I will mention lean towards the golden/champagne end of the spectrum because silvery/pinky tones are not really my thing.

Holiday prep purchases....

I am going to Greece next week and I cannot wait for some sun because it really helps with my bone pain (fellow Lymies will understand that) and I'm looking forward to a week with my husband without any distractions! Today, I thought I would share with you some of my pre-holiday purchases. I will be taking as many sample sizes as I can, but there were some products that I just  had to buy. I will decant some of these products into smaller travel size bottles because usually my toiletries weight far more than they should!

Review: Marc Jacobs Daisy Dream Forever

I was lucky enough to receive a bottle of the latest addition to the Marc Jacobs Daisy range: Daisy Dream Forever for my birthday last week and I thought I'd share my thoughts on it with you today. 

Products deserving of more hype #1

I think we can all be found guilty of giving in to blogger hype at times - sometimes with success, but at other times I wonder WHY so many people are raving about a product (Clarisonic and Embryolisse spring to mind). I sometimes wonder if the opinion would be different if a product was paid for, rather than given and find that I tend to unfollow blogs if I find that they only write about pr samples. Then there are times when I find a product that I love and wonder why it hasn't been hyped up or featured on many blogs. Is it because the company behind the product doesn't send out a lot of pr samples? I think that beauty bloggers should feature more than just pr samples on their blogs - afterall, if beauty is really a passion, surely they like shopping for beauty products or finding hidden gems? Don't get me wrong, I'm not hating on bloggers who receive pr samples, but I just feel that a well rounded, non-biased beauty blog should feature more than just freebies. So today, I thought I would share some products that I have in my collection that I think are deserving of more hype and I would love if you would share what products you think deserve more hype in the comments below.

Birthday pressies & recent purchases!

So it was my birthday last Saturday and I really had a lovely weekend celebrating with my gorgeous Hubby & family. I received some really beautiful pressies & thought I would show you the beauty related pressies today and also some products I bought with birthday money. I was thoroughly spoilt & I am really excited about using all of these products! Everybody knows I am beauty crazy so a lot of pressies were based around that! 

Empties & speedy reviews #15 featuring Clarins, L'Occitane, Clarins, Neals Yard & more!

Another month, another empties post! This month I only have bodycare and skincare products to share with & review for you. I'll start with bodycare because I have more of those products.