Yes, my first post of 2012 is on my 2011 Favourites, but I wanted to post it whether I was on time or not! I wanted to post about my favourite products that I discovered/started using in 2011; ones that I would repurchase over and over again and would reccommend each and every one to all of you.
Perfumes: I can't choose between these three, they all smell totally different but they have to be my favourites of all time, not just 2011. I've been using Britney Spears Believe for about three, maybe four years now and it's probably my "signature" scent if I had to have one. It's fresh, floral but not overpowering and it lingers for hours without having to re-apply. I got a sample of Naughty Alice when I got my 21st jewellery in 2010 and fell in love with it. I couldn't justify the price, so asked for a bottle off Jack for Christmas. I don't want to use it all up so I'm saving it for "special occasions" but I admit I do sit sniffing it a lot of the time. And Flowerbomb is something myself and my bestie Heather bought on the plane to Turkey, it's divine! If you haven't tried it, I urge you to even have a whiff of it next time you're in John Lewis. It's quite strong but you only need one squirt to last you all day. I love it even more because it's our Summer/holiday scent and it always makes me think of good times.
Nail varnish: Juicy Jules - brilliant glitter polish, not as hard to remove as others, has a gorgeous holographic look and I'd wear it all the time if I wasn't already halfway through my bottle!
Hair products: V05 Miracle Concentrate. Every blogger and their mother has raved about this, so there's nothing new I can add to it, but it smooths my hair out and keeps it straighter for longer, and makes my ends looks healthy.
Loreal Elvive Triple Resist Root Treatment - Having only used this for a couple of months I can't rave about it enough. My hair used to come out a lot in the shower/when brushing, but since applying this daily it feels stronger and I've had less fall out, so it's a winner in my book!
Another hair item I forgot to photograph is my Tangle Teezer. I urge everyone to go buy one, it's done wonders for my hair. It untangles knots easily, glides through your hair without hurting or tugging on your roots, and somehow adds shine the more you use it. Also, I bought mine 2-4-1 so gave my spare to my boyfriend as he has long hair, and he prefers it to a normal brush. I find it easier to keep clean than a normal brush too, for whatever reason I find plausible.
Body/Facial products: S&G Flake Away is the best scrub I've used. Smells amazing, makes my skin so soft (especially those horrible bumps you get on the back of your arms) you get your money's worth as the tubs are huge and last forever.
Neutrogena Pink Grapefruit Daily Scrub's my favourite facial scrub to use as it's gentle enough to use twice daily, but gets rid of any leftover dirt and reduced spots and red marks quickly. It's a brilliant product for its small price.
Palmer's Cocoa Butter Moisturiser's the only moisturiser I've repurchased time and time again. I've been using it for probably about six years now, and everytime I branch out, try something new, it never seems to compare to this. (The only one that comes close is S&G's The Righteous Butter, but I'm not keen on the smell) But this works well in keeping my skin smooth and hydrated and evens out stretchmarks/scarring/skin tone.
Make up products: 17 lipstick in Beehive was my most used shade this Summer, mostly because I can't fault it. You can apply it without a mirror, it's not sticky, lasts for a good while and it's quite a light shade so it looks brilliant with a tan! Mine only looks horrible because I took it to Turkey so it went really soft in the heat and looks vile.
After using Barry M for 3 years I wanted to try something new and L'Oreal's Superliner Carbon Gloss was my first choice, even if the name's a ruddy mouthful. I love the spongey applicator, how black it is on the first swipe and the length of the handle makes it so easy to apply in a hurry. The only gripe I have with this is that it doesn't have brilliant staying power without a primer under, but I always use one so I can't reeeally complain about that.
Collection 2000 Big Fake mascara is the only mascara I've used for the last two years and I don't plan on switching anytime soon. It's waterproof, volumising, non-clumpy, lengthening and I'd class it as my HG mascara.
I won't type out a review on each book as I don't think everyone would appreciate it and may dislike me for it, but if you would like to know more about any of the above books or my thoughts on them, please leave it in a comment or email me for a more detailed answer :)
But the above are four of my favourite authors, they won't be to everyone's taste - for example Palahniuk's Haunted is a disgustingly detailed book about weird and discomforting topics; there have been people who have read the first chapter and either fainted or vomited, and it has a parental advisory sticker on the front which say it all haha.
But all of the above authors are brilliant at what they do, and I would reccommend the titles above if you haven't read anything by them yet. The Dean Koontz book is one I have read maybe three times this year, it's just such a good plot, the twists in it had me yelling at my book (in the comfort and peace of my own room though)
Band/Artist - My all-time favourite band is Deftones, and while their latest album Diamond Eyes came out in 2010 it's still a solid favourite in my book. They're not to everyone's taste, but they do have several songs that are so relaxing, they're what I listen to before bed or to chill out, here's the first and the second :)
Another favourite this year is Lights, I listened to Everybody Breaks a Glass as requested by a friend and instantly downloaded both her albums. Her slower songs remind me of another babe, Ellie Goulding, and as they are both sort of electro-pop type songs, they go together brilliantly in a playlist.
What are your favourites for 2011? Any beats I should have a look at? :)