My all time top 10 - part 2!!

Hopefully you saw Tuesday nights post, the first part of my beauty top 10. Well tonight I am bringing you my top 5 countdown!! Enjoy!

5. Marc Jacobs Daisy

When I got married in 2010, I was on a quest to find a perfect perfume for a wedding in the Med, and this was a perfect match, Since then I cannot be without this perfume. The smell is really fresh and summery and lasts all day without being overpowering. And as an added bonus, I adore the daisy decoration on the bottle.

A 50ml bottle retails for about £40.

4. Full coverage kabuki brush

I tried to not include the same brand twice in my top ten, but I couldn't, sorry! This kabuki brush from Bare Minerals retails for about £20 and is the only brush I use to apply my mineral make up in the morning. The bristles are so soft it feels good on the skin, it buffs my foundation on leaving a perfect, flawless finish. It also washes so easily and dries quickly, and the size means it can easily come on holiday with me. I literally could not live without this little tool in my make-up bag!

3.  Lancome Bi Facil 

I cannot take my eye make-up off with anything else! This is especially amazing after heavy eye make-up has been applied. The formula works when you shake the bottle to mix the two liquids, and when it is placed on a pad on the eye, it literally melts the make-up away. And there is no make-up left the next day. I have bought this product time and time again and nothing else I have used comes close. This bottle retails for about £20.

2. Decleor Neroli oil

So Decleor makes its second appearance in my top ten! This oil is pretty expensive at about £35 for a small bottle, but you literally only need a few drops a day so it really lasts a long time. I also am not a fan of the look of these new bottles, as the old ones looked more 'apothecary', but it's all about the product. This is an amazing product that really delivers results. I was sceptical when I first used this, about putting oil on my face, but I have bought this oil over and over again. If my skin is looking stressed, or spots are appearing, this is what soothes my skin and solves my skin problems. A worthy contender for the number 2 spot.

And so...Number 1...drum roll please....

The one beauty product that hands down, I could not live without, I have purchased more than once, and I definitely would not want to be stranded on a desert island without is........................................

1. GHD Hair straighteners

Yes, the infamous GHDs are my number 1. I use these every other day, to keep my thick, unruly hair in the straight, sleek manner I have become accustomed to over the last 12 years. I cannot imagine life before GHDs, and when my first pair were 7 years old, I bought a second pair for fear of them breaking, and the day my new pair were delivered, by old pair stopped working - it was fate! I have tried other straighteners, and they don't come close to delivering the finish GHDs do. We all know at £100+ they are not cheap, but they really last a long time, and deliver salon results, they are a great investment!

I hope you enjoyed my top ten beauty products! What did you think of my number 1? I would love to hear what your number 1 beauty product is, let me know by commenting below, or tweeting us @beautyu.

Thanks for reading and stay beautiful.

Stace x

The January sales phenomenon

Good morning! It's a relief to get to the end of the first week of the year, and enjoy a relaxing January weekend. At the moment it's hard to get away from the word 'sale', Debenhams plaster their 'Blue cross sale' over every media, Boots slash their gifts to 50% off (and in some years even 75%) and Accessorize are even offering an amazing 70% off lots of their stock.

This crazy 'January sales phenomenon' got me thinking. It's actually bizarre when you think about it, we spend lots of money in December, finding over priced presents for our loved ones, then come midnight Christmas Day, emails fly into your inbox informing you of sales on at every retailer. All the presents you have bought have been slashed in price, and even Next opened at 5am Boxing day last year, so if you really hated all your Christmas presents you could go and bag yourself a bargain then.

It does seem madness, that after all the spending in the run up to Christmas, the January sales are such a big deal in the UK. I can, however, confirm that this year, in my local town, the sales have been disappointing to say the least. Most of the stuff that is in the sale is old season stuff that no one wanted then, and I suspect no one will want now. If they can't shift this stuff, why don't the stores send it all to charity?

Anyway, I digress. I did actually pick one thing up in the sales. And what a bargain it was. And yes I did really need it. I am lucky enough to work within walking distance to the town centre, and often pop in to Debenhams, just to ensure I am not missing out on a bargain or three, and this week, guess what I found:

This beautiful box of Lancome goodies which I scooped up for just £20!!! And as justification for spending money in January after the excesses of Christmas, I had £5 on my beauty card, and a £15 Debenhams voucher my sister in law gave me for Christmas!! And I was going to buy the Bi Facil eye make-up remover anyway, so everyone's a winner!

So what exactly is in the box?

• 125ml Bi Facil
• 125ml Cleansing fluid
• 125ml toner
• 7ml Genifique
• 15ml Genefique repair
• 15ml lifting cream
• 7ml juicy tubes
• 2ml hypnose mascara
• 100ml hand cream

Some of these items are old favourites, and some I have never tried before, so was very excited, and I can never resist beauty boxes like this packaged so beautifully!

Unfortunately I cannot find this set online, but they do have a Lancome sale online which is worth a look at.

What have you found in the January sales? Picked up any absolute bargains? There are not a lot of bargains to be had, but it pays to keep looking and keep your eyes peeled.

Enjoy your weekend and stay beautiful.

Stace x