The Ultimate Throwback: A Look Back at My 2015 Yearly Favourites

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The Archive Check: A Decade of Holy Grails

Stepping back into my blog archives from the end of 2015 feels like unlocking a time capsule of the absolute golden era of the online beauty community. This was the year of everyday holy grails, simple drugstore triumphs, and unforgettable gaming marathons. Re-reading this list today is a brilliant reminder of where my makeup journey began and how many of these classic beauty favourites still hold a special place in my heart.

Let’s face it: while monthly round ups are incredibly fun to put together, there is something extra special about stepping back at the end of a year to look at the products that truly stood out. The items you reach for week after week, going through countless repurchases, are the ones that deserve a permanent spot in the beauty hall of fame.

When I originally sat down to compile this list, I wanted to highlight the rare items that genuinely made a difference in my daily routine. Looking back at it now, it reads like a checklist of the most iconic product launches of the 2010s.

From the palette that started it all to the ultimate holiday skin saviour, let’s take a nostalgic look at my classic beauty favourites from 2015.

Urban Decay | Naked Palette

Discontinued

I completely adored this palette. Because I’ve never been overly adventurous when it comes to bold eyeshadow looks, this classic layout gave me absolutely everything I needed. It was a beautiful, cohesive neutral palette, and I always loved how soft and put together my makeup looked whenever I used it. The formula was famously easy to work with and blended out seamlessly. My standout shade was easily Sidecar, it looked absolutely stunning packed all over the lid.

Maybelline | Lash Sensational Mascara

I am pretty sure this was the only mascara I touched for the entirety of 2015! That might sound a bit dramatic, but it really isn’t far off the truth. When I first picked it up, I was slightly skeptical about the curved wand, but I fell in love instantly. The bristles gripped every single individual lash, lifting them up and holding a gorgeous curl all day. I went through countless tubes of this back then, and it remains an absolute staple.

Soap and Glory Supercat Eyeliner

This eyeliner checked every single box: the felt-tip pen lasted ages without drying out, meaning I wasn’t constantly spending money on repurchases. While it lasted all day beautifully, I found it could occasionally transfer slightly on my eyelids. To combat this, I simply set it in place with a tiny bit of black eyeshadow. It made a perfect, sharp wing incredibly easy to achieve.

MAC Lipsticks

My MAC lipstick collection grew massively throughout 2015. Originally, I tried to pick just one standout shade for this list, but it was far too difficult to choose. I got an immense amount of wear out of Chatterbox (a stunning, bright red-pink) and the iconic deep berry shade, Rebel. But as you all know, my ultimate, all-time favourite was the perfect muted satin pink, Faux.

Bourjois Healthy Mix Serum

Discontinued

I still cannot believe it took me until the end of the year to properly mention this on the blog, because it was my absolute go to base for the majority of 2015. It was the ultimate lightweight, medium-coverage formula that effortlessly covered any redness without ever looking heavy. It blended like an absolute dream and never accentuated dry patches, making it a heartbreaking loss when Bourjois originally pulled out of the UK high street.

Rimmel Kate Moss Lipsticks

Discontinued

These affordable little tubes were featured in almost all of my 2015 blog posts because I truly could not get enough of them. For the high street price point, the quality was completely unmatched. While they did need a quick reapplication throughout the day, the formula was so incredibly comfortable and creamy on the lips that I never minded. My absolute favourite shade was 08, the perfect everyday dusty rose pink.

Hawaiian Tropic | After Sun

While I really only got heavy use out of this during my summer holiday in July, it earned its place on this list by being an absolute lifesaver. After getting a pretty savage sunburn, I applied this before bed, and by the morning, the redness was completely gone, and I was back to my usual pale self. It felt incredibly soothing, and the coconut scent was the absolute essence of a perfect summer holiday.

The Sims 4

Growing up, I spent endless hours completely lost in The Sims 1 and The Sims 2. Sadly, the third edition of the game never ran properly on my computer, so finally getting The Sims 4 back into my life in 2015 was amazing. It brought back so much childhood nostalgia.

The Reflection

Revisiting this list is a wonderful reminder of why the beauty community felt so special a decade ago. It wasn’t about jumping from one fast moving trend to the next; it was about finding genuinely brilliant, classic beauty favourites that you could rely on for years.

Let’s chat in the comments!

How many of these 2015 holy grails did you have in your own makeup drawer? Are you still playing The Sims 4 all these years later, or have you moved on to other cosy games?

Thank you for reading!