A year in beauty: 2015 favourites

2015, eh?  One moment it's January, and just a moment later it's over.  Still, 2016 promises a whole new load of experiences and exciting new products, but first... here are a few favourites from 2015.

Hair wise, I discovered a few really excellent masks, which are an absolute essential when your hair is as heavily colour treated as mine.  Bleach London's Reincarnation Mask has become a firm favourite - I'm on my fourth tube now - because of it's rich, thick texture, intensive moisture-giving properties, and the fact that it contains wheat protein, which my bleached hair really loves.

Ojon's Rare Blend Moisture Therapy Conditioner has also become a favourite - it's less intense than the Bleach mask, but it still packs a ton of moisture into my hair in the two minutes I let it sit before rinsing.  When I want a quick moisture fix, this is the stuff I turn to.

And on the topic of Ojon, I'm still very much in love with their Rare Blend Cleansing Conditioner.  It's a very gentle cleanser, and does a great job of cleaning the hair without stripping moisture or colour.  I can't use it every wash, but I alternate it with my favourite low sulphate shampoos to keep my hair super clean.

Makeup wise, I found a gorgeously soft, candle lit blush in the form of Max Factor's Creme Puff Blush - it's cheap, it's buildable, and the finish is natural and glowy without any sparkle.  Love it.

Foundation wise, there's only one absolute stand out from the year - Bare Minerals' Complexion Rescue.  A light, hydrating gel texture combined with a light to medium coverage with a gorgeously fresh and natural finish, I use this product a couple of times a week and have already repurchased.

My brows have gone from red to pink to a cool grey/brown this year, changing to match my ever changing hair colour.  Since I moved away from trying to match my brows to my hair, I've been completely loyal to Anastasia's Brow Wiz in Granite - it's a super fine stick colour with a spoolie included to tame the brows.  The hardness and fineness of the colour makes for a strong, defined brow - something I absolutely love - and the Granite shade is cool and grey enough to match whatever colour I choose to put on my hair.

I loved every last drop of Clinique's limited edition Chubby Lash mascara in Black Honey - an unusual deep burgundy shade, it made my eyes look more green whilst adding a ton of volume.  So sad it's not permanent.  Bring it back, Clinique!

Nails wise, I've spent a lot of the year wearing gel, as a result of a huge amount of travel and a fair amount of laziness.  When I've been wearing normal polish, I've been wearing Kiko's Power Pro - intense colour, smooth application, and amazing wear make it a winner, particularly at the fabulously low Kiko price of £4.90.

2015 has seen some great palettes released, but my favourite came relatively late in the year.  Urban Decay x Gwen Stefani is a fantastic palette if you're pale and cool toned - it's got a great range of pale-friendly neutrals, with a few pops of colour for good measure.  I particularly love the number of matte shades included - there are just a few all-out shimmer shades, with the rest being either a more subtle pearl or true matte.

Brand of the year for me is definitely, definitely Colourpop.  The inexpensive LA brand offers some amazingly metallic and duochrome eyeshadows (see my first purchases, and then my second set) and gorgeously pigmented matte lipsticks.  And now the brand has added gel and pencil eyeliners to their lineup, I can see myself buying more of their stuff in 2016.

Skincare wise, my stand out product of the year is Alpha H's amazing Liquid Gold.  I started using it in August, and my skin has never been more smooth or more even.  I use it every three days - I find it too intense to use every other evening - and always wake up to clear, smooth skin.  My original 100ml bottle is almost finished after six months, which makes this product a bit of a long term bargain - £33 for six months of clear skin?  Well worth it.

So those are my 2015 picks - what have been your favourites?  Here's to a 2016 made of all sorts of gorgeousness.

This post originated at www.londonbeautyreview.com. If you're reading it elsewhere, it's been stolen, violating my copyright.