Firstly, Happy New Year! I hope you all had a lovely New Year and are looking forward to what this year brings to us. I have decided to pick out my favourite beauty and skincare items from 2014 and review them for you all. Enjoy...
Best Foundation:
Well this isnt exactly a foundation, it's a BB cream but I think that the formulation is that of a good foundation. My favourite foundation product has been the MAC Prep + Prime Beauty Balm in Light Plus. I think it has great coverage for a BB cream and often wear this on nights out. It has a light to medium coverage I would say and on nights out I wear it because it doesnt feel heavy on the skin so it makes it more comfortable to wear. I think it blends out really well and you can build it up as much as needed until you are comfortable with it. I think the shade Light Plus is great for my skin tone and I am very happy with it. I have used it quite a lot but there is still a lot left so even though it is slightly pricey, you do get a lot for your money.
Best Concealer:
I have tried a variety of concealers this year. Cream concealers, stick concealers, liquid concealers but there has been one which does wonders for my skin. This has been the No7 Match Made Concealer in Calico. I tend to use this most often when I use No7 foundations in Calico so the concealer and foundation match perfectly. I tend to apply this concealer using a concealer brush around my eyes, nose and on any places where I have a breakout. The only problem I have with this concealer is that I find it hard to use it on its own as a base as I dont think that it fully blends onto the face perfectly.
Best Powder:
I am a lover of anything matte as most of you know whether that be a matte face, lip or nail. Because I tend to get quite a shiny face throughout the day, I top up on powder when needed. The powder I have used consistently for this is the Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 001 Transparent. I use this after applying my makeup in the morning and at times when needed throughout the day. This is a powder which my mum also uses so we tend to have about 3 on the go in the house at any one time so it's rare that we would run out completely which is a good thing. If you were to look in my makeup bag at anytime throughout the year, I pretty much guarantee that you will find it in there!
Best Blush:
Now there were two products up for this title and I was going to give it to them both but then I thought about which product I would use most and how much I have used. So, for me, the best blush of 2014 has to be Benefit's Coralista. This is what I would say to be the most perfect Spring/Summer face product. I bought it back in February to treat myself for my Birthday and I am now starting to worry that I will soon hit pan as I have used it so much and there is a major dip. I am surprised that I havent hit pan already! The packaging is a bit bulky so is hard to fit in a makeup bag but all in all I would have to say that it is probably one of my makeup favourites of this year. It works perfectly for a daytime or nighttime look and would look good if you wanted a minimal makeup day as well as a full makeup day.
Best Bronzer:
I wasn't too sure about including this category as I dont own that many bronzers. They are mostly all drugstore ones which arent too expensive and I dont tend to use them too much with the fear of looking like an oompa-loompa. I purchased this bronzer in the Summer and had forgotten about it ever since but over this past month I have used it quite a lot. My Bronzer of 2014 has to be Nars Laguna. I gave in to all the hype and bought what I thought at the time to be a very expensive bronzer but I think it is just great. It is highly pigmented and lasts ages. I have used it quite a lot recently and it hasnt even got the slightest dip in the product. It is a great contour product too due to minimal amounts of shimmer and orange tones.
Best Eyebrow Product:
This was the year where I actually took care of my eyebrows. I had them shaped and dyed but when they werent looking as great, I looked for good brow products to help my brows shape my face. I have tried both high end and drugstore products but it is safe to say that there has only been one product for me this year and that is the Soap and Glory Archery in Love is Blonde. The felt tip end is great for drawing in hair like strokes and the waxy end is also great. I just love this and the duo always makes an appearance in my makeup bag. I have nearly finished the waxy end so will have to be repurchasing it very soon.
Best Eyeshadow Palette:
If you know me then you know what this answer is. The best palette of 2014 has got to be the original Naked Palette. I always take this palette with me when I go away whether that be for one night or for a week. It is lovely and lightweight and the packaging is perfect. The variety of shades is just perfect. I think that Naked as a base and using Half Baked all over the lid or in the crease is a great nighttime eye look. The only downside is there are barely any matte shades.
Best Eyeliner:
Now if you have read my weekly No7 advent calendar reviews, you will know that up until recently, I havent been an eyeliner girl. I owned shed loads of eyeliners but never used them because I didnt think that they really suited my eyes very much and wasnt sure what colour to wear etc. In the advent calendar though I was lucky to get the No7 Stay Precise Felt Tip Eyeliner which I have loved so much over the past month that it has to be my top eyeliner for 2014. Trying to master the feline flick is something which I have never really bothered to attempt after many failed attempts. This eyeliner though I think is perfect. It has a great felt tip nib which isnt too flimsy and it has a nice fine point so you can get right to the edge of the lid. It has great staying power and it looks great when applied subtly or going all out for either a daytime or nighttime look. The only downside to it though is that I dont know how long it is going to last before I need to invest in a new one; but I have my purse at the ready for when that day comes!
Best Mascara:
I love trying different mascaras but there is rarely a time where I find the perfect mascara. As most of you probably know, I am a lover of the plastic wand and not the furry fibre-y ones so when I found this I couldn't wait to use it. I love a mascara which can bring volume and length and this mascara brings both to the table. The Bourjois Volume Glamour Max Definition is so fab that I couldnt not give it a mention. You can use one coat for a great daytime look but you can also build it up really easily for a false lash effect in the nighttime. The best thing about this is that it doesnt clump your lashes together. The worst thing though is that it is a nightmare to get off. You think you have got it all off but then you find more and more hidden away somewhere in the eyelashes. Mine is beginning to dry up now so I will need to repurchase next time I'm in Boots or Superdrug.
Best Lip Product:
I was dreading this category! I have recently had to move my lipstick collection to a bigger box after a few new products headed my way on Christmas Day. Having to choose between nudes, pinks and reds, drugstore and high end, lipstick, lipgloss and lipliner was a bloody nightmare let me tell you! I got it down to 5 and then had to sleep on it but I think I have chosen one. This isnt necessarily my favourite one at the moment but it has been multiple times over the year and it is the one I think I have used the most and got the most compliments from. My lip product of 2014 has to be the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet in 02 Frambourjoise. These lip products have amazing staying power and are really buildable. I think they look great whatever the time of day and whatever the time of year. If you are to look in my makeup bag, handbag, schoolbag or whatever bag I have, it is pretty certain that it will feature in it. I love a liquid lipstick and want to purchase some more of these to add to my collection - now to wait until theyre on 3 for 2 again...
Best Makeup Brush:
This is the category which I failed to only pick one for. I have decided though to pick one eye brush and one face brush. My top eye brush has to be the MAC 217. I finally gave in to the hype of this in the summer after contemplating buying it for 6 months previously but I am so happy I did. It is expensive for a single eyeshadow brush but I use it every day so you really get your moneys worth. My face brush of the year has to be the Real Techniques Buffing Brush. I got this last Christmas in the Core Collection Set and I use it everyday for applying my foundation. The main problem with this brush is because it obviously gets dirty really quickly, you have to keep washing it and after a while I would want to repurchase it but this brush is only available in the Core Collection Set or in the Sam's Picks Set and so you end up getting duplicates of other brushes you may not use. I am hoping to get another one at some point though but when that will be I dont know.
Best Skincare Product:
I have tried a variety of products this year from the drugstore and more high end ones too. I have tried makeup removers, cleansers, toners, exfoliators, moisturisers and basically the whole shebang! After much deliberation, I have decided that my favourite skincare product of 2014 has to be Benefit's Triple Performing Facial Emulsion. It is a great moisturiser for all year round. It doesnt make my skin too oily and it can be used before bed or in the morning underneath makeup. The glass bottle makes it look really sophisticated and only a few pumps are needed each time so it will last a long time.
Best Nail Varnish:
I have a lot of nail varnishes but I think that it was one of the easiest choices to decide which was my best nail varnish of the year. My top nail varnish of 2014 is the Barry M Nail Paint in Vintage Violet. Even though I only bought this at the end of November, there have only been a few times in the past month where I havent worn it. It is a great shade for all year round and it lasts ages with very few chips. It only needs 2 or 3 coats to look opaque. At £2.99 it is a bargain and I am sure I will continue to use it constantly over the next few months. It looks great on both fingernails and toenails and I always get compliments when wearing it. It is a great shade to wear with glitter effects over the top.
Best Fragrance:
I have wanted this for about the last 5 years and with my first ever pay packet last year I decided to treat myself to Marc Jacobs Daisy. It is a great scent for daytime and nighttime. I think it is nice to wear all year round even though I would tend to wear it more in the Spring/Summer months. Because it is quite pricey and therefore of high quality, a little spray goes a long way. It also lasts all day and because of it, I like to wear it on special occasions especially. The packaging is so lovely and it looks so beautiful on the drawers where all my beauty bits are stored.
Best Haircare Product:
There are a lot of haircare products I have used this year but this is the one which I have used constantly, when my hair was longer and now it is shorter. When curling my hair, there is only one hairspray for me and that is the L'Oréal Paris Studio Line #TXT Volume Supersizing Spray. It is a great hairspray and a great volumising product. I have already reviewed this fully HERE so if you want to read more about it please do.
I hope you have enjoyed reading about my favourite products of 2014. Please let me know in the comments what you have been loving and give me any recommendations as you know I am always up for trying and buying new things.
So until next time lovelies xx
No comments:
Post a Comment