Hollie's Beauty Corner

2022 has to be one of my favourite years for makeup, skincare and haircare ❤

I tried a lot of new beauty products this year because I’m a sucker for a new release. I’m always excited to try out new products and the turnover within my collection is constant so on the occasions when do I keep gravitating back to the same products I know they must be keepers. With that in mind, I’ve pulled together a list of those products that stuck around in my routine this year that I’m super excited to talk about, starting with makeup.

Oden’s Eye Eyeshadows

I first tried Oden’s Eye’s eyeshadow formula at the end of 2021 and a year later I’m still yet to try anything better. I’ve got 3 Oden’s Eye palettes now, the Alva II Palette and the Mini Forest Palette which I bought in 2021 and this year I picked up the Solmåne II Palette. I nearly purchased the original Alva Palette at 50% off this year but I stayed strong and I am low-key regretting it now…

All three palettes have very different colour stories so it’s tricky to pick a favourite but they all feature the same beautiful formulas. The mattes by Oden’s Eye are super soft and easy to work with, they blend like a dream but the colour payoff stays strong so you’re not in danger of blending them into nothing. The shimmers have the perfect mix of a metalic and shimmery finish with a great balance of base colour and glitter. The two formulas work perfectly together and I’m never disappointed by any of the palettes I own.

I kept going back to Oden’s Eye’s shadows in 2022 because I knew the formula wouldn’t let me down, they’re such a fantastic indie brand that I am excited to try more from!

VIEVE Lipsticks

I tried my first VIEVE lipstick in 2020 and they’re still one of my favourites for every day. I now have multiple shades (7 if you must know) so if I’m wearing lipstick you can bet I’m probably wearing VIEVE.

VIEVE’s Modern Matte Lipstick formula is creamy and moisturising but the matte finish makes it long-lasting as well. This combination makes them effortless to wear all day, with just a light touch-up needed after eating. My favourite shade of the moment is their limited edition release Brat, based on the Modern Lip Definer of the same name. It’s a gorgeous pinky brown that manages to pull either more pink or more brown depending on the lipliner it is paired with or the intensity it’s applied with.

I love blotting these lipsticks on in the mornings for a day in the office, they last well and fade very naturally so I don’t feel the need to reapply if I don’t want to which makes them the perfect everyday product for me and one I continue to return to.

No7 Stay Perfect Foundation

I first tried the No7 Stay Perfect Foundation towards the beginning of this year and I can’t see myself being without it now. I’ve never given No7 their due, thinking they’re a brand focused on simplicity and utility over groundbreaking and exciting releases, but this foundation shot to the top of my favourites as soon as I tried it.

Stay Perfect is my ideal base. It’s got medium buildable coverage with a skinlike finish, so if you’re into spot foundationing rather than all-over application it looks almost undetectable on the skin. The foundation’s seamless finish is also thanks to No7’s colour match technology which has given me my perfect shade in Macadamia.

Stay Perfect is my number 1 reliable base product and has been a staple for me throughout the year. You can usually go into store and get a tester if you’d like to try it out which I would definitely recommend!

Refy Cream Bronzer

2022 has been the year of cream products for me and Refy is the brand that got me to fall in love with them. I’ve always struggled with liquid face products because I don’t love the application process and the packaging can be messy, liquid products can also be much trickier to work with. But Refy’s Cream Bronzer has changed my mind this year.

I have not been able to put Refy’s Cream Bronzer down since I first tried it. The product is beautifully creamy and super easy to work with. I love how cream bronzers give me that extra level of depth and I find it much easier to control the product placement. I love this on its own but I tend to layer a powder bronzer on top to get my perfect shadow and the extra longevity from both products.

I have the shade Sand which is very warm so great for Summer and it was the best available shade at the time. Refy have now launched the shade Dune which literally looks like my perfect shade and has been on my mind since I saw it. Refy has been my gateway cream bronzer so I’m also excited to try others with a similar formula and next on my list is the Elf Putty Bronzer, watch this space 2023.

Retinol

I’ve really focused in on my skincare this year and tried to nail down my routine. This is definitely something I’m still working on but a definite winner I added to my routine is Retinol.

It’s taken me a long time to try Retinol because it’s always scared me. Retinol can be irritating so I started out small with The Ordinary’s 0.2% Retinol but I still saw great results. If you’ve ever wished for smoother skin you’re wishing for Retinol, my texture all but disappeared within a month or 2 of daily use and I’ve never seen such impressive and tangible results with any other ingredient. After finishing my first bottle I’ve now moved up to The Ordinary’s 0.5% Retinol solution which I use every other evening, it can irritate my skin a little but there’s no visual signs of irritation and I’m working on building up my tolerance because I know it will be worth it.

Retinol is still not often recommended for those with sensitive skin and although I only have a very basic understanding of skincare the benefits of retinol are astounding so I would encourage anyone to test it out, just remember to start small!

Pre-shower hair oil

2022 was the year that I took my haircare seriously. I tried new treatments, shampoos and conditioners and I still have so much more I’m excited to dive into. Only over the past couple of months have I started using a pre-shampoo oil before washing my hair and it’s one of the easiest and most cost effective changes I’ve made, I’m blown away.

Covering your hair in oil just to wash it out a few hours later can seem simultaneously counterintuitive and like it would leave you a greasy mess even after you’ve washed your hair, but trust me on this one. I’ve been slathering my lengths and ends in the OGX Coconut Oil for anywhere between an hour and overnight before washing recently and it’s both nourished my hair before washing and protected it from shampoo during. This has helped leave my hair shiny and less damaged after washing, what’s not to love?

The specific product isn’t super important but this new step in my routine has been too good not to share. Your oil of choice just needs to be full of nourishing ingredients (like coconut oil!) and there’s also no need to worry about it being too thick and heavy as you’ll be washing it out. I also wouldn’t spend too much because I use a lot of product on each use, much more than the few drops of oil you would run through your hair post-wash.

My favourite products to talk about are my true loves, the one’s that I don’t put down and I feel like have made a significant change in my routine and I think that all of these fit that description!

Have you tried any game-changers this year? Any excuse for me to try something new!