Midyear favorites 2015

You may have noticed that I stopped doing monthly favorites about 6 months ago. The reason is quite simple – I don't have many new favorites every month, so I prefer not to talk about products until I have a firm opinion about them. With that in mind, I give you my mid-year favorites for 2015 – the products I used and loved in the first six months of this year.

Let's start with body products. I've talked about both of these before. 

My first favorite is Nivea In-Shower Body Milk with shea butter. I love the idea of moisturizing while taking a shower and it really saves me a lot of time. I prefer this formula for dry skin to the one for normal skin – the shea butter really gives it the additional *umph*.

Secondly, I've really been enjoying my Stenders Salt Scrub in Rose and it's not long before I'll completely run out. It's a fine scrub with some rose petals in it – it gets rid of the old epidermis and also moisturizes, since it's oil based. The only downside is the amount of time you'll need to scrub your shower clean after using it. 

For hair, I haven't found my new favorite shampoo&conditioner combo just yet. The only thing I am including here is my Kerastase Elixir Ultime. I apply this to my roots and about 10 cm up after each wash and I feel I've had lot less split and dry hair in the past few months. This product is quite expensive, but the bottle will last you ages, since you need the smallest amount per day / per wash.

I was the last beauty blogger on the planet to get something from the L'Oreal Micellar line, but I now understand why everyone is so excited about it. I really, really like this micellar gel – the tiniest amount removes my daily make-up without any problems. It also does quite a good job at removing waterproof mascara, although I must admit that I usually tackle that with other products. 

After L'Oreal Micellar gel, I tend to use the Ole Henriksen African Red Tea Foaming Cleanser. I have talked about this great product before -  it's really easy to use (massaged into the skin and rinsed off), smells wonderfully and leaves my face clean and fresh. 

For moisturizer, I am almost done with the Afrodita Hydra Thermal 24h Ultra Moisturizing Cream. I really like this product – it's a simple, no fuss moisturizer and it does its job. Also, from all of the products in these favorites, I would guess that it has the best price: number of uses ratio.

I have three favorites for face make-up. First is my Ecotools stippling brush which I mostly use for foundations. Admitedly, it doesn't work with every foundation (if they are too watery, it leaves tiny streaks), but for medium or full size foundations, this brush really gets the job done with minimal amount of effort. 

I won't go on about Coleur Naturel concealer, because I already wrote a whole post about it (read it here), but I will say that this has now become the one concealer I reach for every morning and it's another one of the products that is not inexpensive, but is good value for money. 

The third favorite is my Sleek Face Form contour palette in Fair. I love this palette because it's a really quick solution for every morning when I'm in a hurry. The colors are very natural and not too intensly pigmented so you don't have to wory about beeing too heavy handed with it.  It also traveled with me quite a lot and survived without a scratch.

For eyes, I have been loving my Lord&Berry Liner which I have already talked about in many favorites before. Besides that, I have been using the Lancome Hypnose mascara (now on its last legs) and although I wasn't a fan in the first few weeks, it t dried up a bit after that and now actually reminds me a lot of the Too Faced Better than Sex mascara. Unfortunately, I  always seem to prefer the higher end mascaras with an occasional exception here and there. 

I love my Maybelline Color Tattoo in Pink Gold for days I don't have the time to do any eye make-up. I use it as a tearduct highlight more intensly and then sweep it over my eyelid. It takes 15 seconds but still makes me look a bit more put together. Apparently, the Color Tattoos are prone to drying up, but so far, mine isn't giving me any problems.

I have also been loving the eyeliner brush from Essence which cost next to nothing. So far, it hasn't frayed at all and it really gives me a nice line with my gel liner. It could also be used on the waterline, since it's quite a precise, small brush.

My lips haven't been behaving too badly lately so I've been using my Cowshed Lippy Cow natural lip balm that I received in one of the Look Fantastic Beauty Boxes. It's nothing special regarding the color or taste, but it keeps my lips nicely moisturized and in good shape. 

It's no surprise I have been loving the Make-up Revolution Iconic Pro lipsticks. My two favorites are the It eats you up matte and Game of mystery matte – so both matte lipsticks which I can then wear with or without lip gloss. There is something about this formula that gives these lipsticks a great staying power and keeps them in their place. Also, the array of colors is fantastic and there  is something for everyone!

I have also written a post about the Gerard Cosmetics Lip Gloss in Candy Apple. It's a true red with a bit of pink undertones, in my opinon perfect for every occasion and for each time in year. It's quite expensive for a lip gloss though, but a nice little treat. 

Last but not least, here are a couple of my favorite nail polishes for the past few months. O.P.I. Don't Pretzel My Buttons is my go-to color for days in the office, while I enjoy the more colorful nails during weekends and vacations. The lovely mint green-blue Zoya is called Lillian and I love it both on my hands as well as my toes. Avon Glow in Flaming Orange (far right) is a newer addition to my collection but since I'm already half way through the entire bottle, I can safely say that it's been a staple on my nails during the summer months. And needless to say, I always end up my manicure with Essie Good to go top coat, which dries my nails in about a minute or so.

And that's it for my midyear favorites 2015. I hope you enjoyed the mini reviews – let me know if you have a love/hate relationship with any of these products. 

Until next time, stay beautiful!