The Best of 2011

I thought I would do a look back of my beauty favourites, most stand out or new discovered beauty products or treatments of 2011. I am aiming to do a regular monthly favourites post too as I try so many different products it's hard to keep track so thought a round-up would make life easier.  


Aromatherapy Associates Deep Relax Bath Oil
A God send for aching muscles and a relaxing bath time treat for luxurious pampering. I'm a huge fan of Aromatherapy Associates products as you will have no doubt heard me rave about them a great deal, you can read my review of the bath oil here.

Liz Earle Shampoo & Conditioner

The best natural Shampoo & Conditioner I have tried to date, it works a treat, smells lovely and contains no chemical nasties, you can read my review here. Liz has just recently launched a new hair treatment in 2012 which you can get a sneak peak of here.

Beauty Box Subscriptions

2011 saw a number of Beauty Box Subscriptions launch in the UK - I particularly enjoyed the special edition Christmas Box from Glossybox in December. I hope to try some other Beauty Boxes in 2012 to compare: Feel Unique, Jolie Box, Carmine & Lastest in Beauty.  

BB Cream

2011 was also the year that Beauty Balm (BB) Creams became a huge craze in the UK. I reviewed the Garnier BB Cream, and blogged about Illamasqua Skin Base and I'm sure in 2012 I shall review more BB Cream brands. I tried a sample of the Illamasqua Skin Base and absolutely loved it as I like my skin to look natural and not feel like I am wearing foundation, it's on my 'next thing to buy list'. 

Clarisonic Mia

An electronic toothbrush for your face that cleans pores deeper and helps to improve skin's texture amongst many other benefits. You can read my full review here.

Gel Nail Manicures 

I tried a number of different brands that perform Gel Nail manicures or also known as 3 week manicures as they use a nail polish which is hard wearing like a Gel. I had the Jessica Geleration treatment whilst on holiday which you can see in my Monday Manicure post here. The great thing about Gel Manicures is you can still wear nail polish over the top as long as you use an non-acetone nail polish remover and base coat the Gel's will still remain in tact. I hope to get my nails professionally gel manicured more regularly in 2012 and try some other brands, especially my toe nails to look more groomed and presentable. 

Lanolips Golden Ointment

I loved the Lanolips lip treatments (and still do!) and they have recently just launched their Golden Ointment which I review here. This ointment is very much like Elizabeth Arden’s 8 Hour Cream but without the funny smell – the Golden Ointment smells like toffee. This is super moisturising for extremely dry skin containing ultra pure lanolin, manuka honey and Vitamin E. I have been applying this on my legs which have been very dry, irritated and itchy and this helped to soothe and moisturise them and I also like applying this on my feet and lips.  

Nail Polish

Believe it or not since discovering Gel Nails I haven't worn as much nail polish recently and I'm seriously thinking I need to cut down my collection as I think owning 20 versions of the same shade of pink is excessive! One of my favourite polishes for summer was TOPSHOP Mover & Shaker which was featured in a NOTD here.

Detoxing Foot Patches

I discovered these Toxin Twin Detox Foot Patches whilst on holiday and they are great at drawing out toxins from the soles of your feet whilst you sleep, you can find out more here. I intend to find more detoxing products in 2012 (especially in the month of January!). Continuing on the detoxing theme I also discovered that Tetley Green Tea is absolutely lovely and drinkable ;) I have enjoyed using Dead Sea Salt Bath Salts and have been obsessed with Candles. 

Ojon Damage Restorative Hair Treatment 

This is fantastic hair oil treatment for damaged and dry hair it works wonders you can read my product rave here.

Xen Tan

I was very impressed with the Xen Tan Treatment I had applied at Saks Beauty, you can read my review here.

Bee Sting Facial

Kate Middleton and the Royal Family are apparently a huge fan of a new craze 'Bee Sting Facials' which is a natural alternative to Botox but at over £300 a pop I decided to give myself a DIY at home version you can read all about it here.

So that is a quick round-up of the products that most stood out for me in 2011, of course there were a lot more but too many to mention! What are your top picks of 2011?