2014 Beauty Favourites (Makeup)

You may have seen my December 2014 Favourites where I warned you that this post will be super long but I am sure you don’t mind because one does not expect a 2014 Favourites to be a quick and dirty post so sit tight and grab a cuppa or your fav drink. I decided to choose a high end and a drug store version for many of these items. I have also linked various reviews to these products where they are available. I would love to read about your 2014 favourites too so leave me your comment below...let's dive in...

Foundation

I am sure you may have seen my stash of foundation in previous posts and I agree that I am a foundation addict; I just love them! It was very difficult for me to choose my favourite foundation because I use them at different times and for different purposes but I had to choose. For high end, my favourite is the MakeUp Forever HD Foundation in 173 Amber (review here) and it’s the most amazing foundation I tried in 2014. It is an absolute all rounder although I wish it provided a little more coverage but I love it. For drug store, I didn’t really have any issues choosing because the L’Oreal True Match Foundation in N6.5 (review here) just stands out amongst others. I love this foundation and although it also provides medium coverage, it still looks lovely and natural on the skin.

Concealer

I haven’t really found any concealer that has knocked my socks off and I have tried quite a few. However the L’Oreal True Match Concealer just takes the prize for a drug store offering because it does the job really well especially when I pair it with the matching foundation. I loved the L'Oreal True Match concealer so much that I went through three tubes in 2014 and I just recently purchased the fourth one.It is really hard to get my shade which is Cafe 9 in the drug store. I found the first three tubes in Sainsbury's (how odd!) and it was super cheap and I got the last one off Ebay.  For concealing my under eye circles, the Revlon Color Stay Concealer in Deep Fonce (review here) is super and I am satisfied with using this as it does the job well and I have no cause to look elsewhere.

Powder
Only one powder does it for me and I have repurchased it time and time again and it's no other than MAC Mineralize Skin Finish Natural in Dark and I have a review here. I just love this powder and I know I am not alone. I am yet to find any other powder that just sets my face in its best mood the way this powder does. It mattifies, sets and finishes off my makeup. Ever since they changed the packaging to include a mirror, it has become perfect for a quick touch up. Sadly, I don't have any drug store favourite but the Collection Powder comes really close but the shade recently started looking orangeish on me and ain't nobody wants to look like an oompa loompa.




Lipstick
Oh dear! Where do I even start? I love all my lipsticks for various reasons and I am not really fussed if they are high end or drug store but I love me some lipstick with a long lasting finish and a flattering colour. For high end, it still remains my MAC Lipsticks and I keep purchasing them every single opportunity I have because they are amazing. My favourite and most used lipstick for 2014 is none other than MAC's Love Lorn which has a lustre finish and it's absolutely amazing. For drug store, I found so many drug store lip products that were so amazing. My favourite of the lot is the Bourjois Velvet Rouge Edition Lip Lacquers (review here) and I know many drug store brands have tried to make their own version of these liquid lipsticks but none comes close at all. Other lipsticks worth mentioning include Collection Luxe Lipstick in Charleston 03 and the Maybelline Velvet Lip Pencils (review here)


Lip Care/Treatment
During Summer and Spring, my lips were fine and I never had to use any scrubs or treatment per say but come A/W, my lips were as chapped and dry as ever. I had to resort to using some lip care and my favourite ones were Lush Popcorn Lip Scrub and the Nuxe Reve de Miel Lip Balm. They both work really well; the Lush Scrub helps exfoliate my lips and the Nuxe Lip Balm moisturises and keeps my lips soft and supple. Honestly, these two have saved my lips and helped make sure I could actually wear lipsticks without my lips looking silly.


Face Primer
I tried quite a few primers in the 2014 and not all of them made their way into the blog because they were just about okay. However the Laura Mercier Foundation Primer  (review here) stood out amongst the rest because it helps my foundation last longer and keeps my shiny zone tame. For drugstore, I would say the Superdrug Be Prepared Primer is a strong contender because it does an amazing job of priming the face although it has the silicone-y feel but I think that's forgiveable.

Eyeshadow Primer
I have been religiously using my Essence I love Stage Primer which has served really well and I keep using it every single chance I get. It helps my eyeshadows last longer and appear more vibrant and it does not interfere with my eyeshadow colours at all. I think it's amazing especially for the price. I have not really loved any high end eyeshadow primer except the Benefit Don't Stray Primer which was a sample size.




Eyeshadows
It was very difficult for me to pick a particular eyeshadow that I loved above all others because I love all my eyeshadows a lot. Granted, some of them get more use than the others but I still use most of them for different ocassions. For high end eyeshadows, I would have to choose my MAC Eyeshadow Custom Palette  which is amazing and I think it may have been my favourite last year and it still is. MAC eyeshadows need no introduction because they are already very popular and have one of the best qualities I have tried. My custom quad and duo still remain my favourite and I absolutely love them!! For drug store, I had so many favourites but my Makeup Revolution Iconic 3 Palette (review here) and my Maybelline Color Tattoos (review here) were my most used drug store eyeshadows for 2014. They are all incredible!


Eyebrow Pencils
Eyebrow pencils are very important to me because my eyebrows are super sparse and they have always been like that despite never tweezing or damaging them when I was younger. MAC's Brow Pencil in Stud was my favourite for many years until I tried the Anastasia Brow Wiz (review here) which was heavily hyped in 2014 and holy moly!! I was super impressed. It's now one of my favourite high end brow pencils because it ticks all the boxes: good shade range, roll up, spoolie, etc. It just has everything and I don't think it's very pricey compared to the MAC pencil. For drug store, it's the Soap and Glory Brow Pencil which is an absolute dupe for the Anastasia Brow Wiz (except that the Anastasia has slightly more pigmentation). I also loved the Sleek Brow Kit which is amazing for adding finishing touches to my brows enabling them last longer.



Blush
To be fair, I am not really a huge fan of blushes and I would only reach for blushes when I feel my makeup looks really dull or I want to infuse some "drama" to my face. In 2014, I experimented with more blushes although I never tried any high end ones because all the drug store ones were fantastic. My favourite blush for 2014 was the Kuddy Cosmetics Blush Crush Palette. The blushes within this palette are all amazing and very flattering for a wide range of skin tones which is why it's one of my favourites.



Mascara
The only mascara which I absolutely fell in love with in 2014 was the YSL Baby Doll Mascara (review here) and I have not used any mascara that has come close at all. I love the way it applies and it lengthens and volumises my lashes without any clump in sight. It's not particularly a cheap option but it is worth every penny. A close contender is the Bourjois Volume 1-Seconde* Mascara (review here) which is an amazing drug store option.

Eyeliner
There is only one eyeliner for me and it is none other than the L'Oreal Super Liner which I have been using for ages. I absolutely love it. It is so easy to use, does not smudge, stays on all day. I really like this eyeliner and I have tried a couple just to compare but I always return to this. Can I also say the tube lasts for a really long time? Although it is not advisable to use eye liners for so long, I find that this lasts for a really long time without drying up which is impressive.



Contours/Bronzers/Highlight
My all time favourite contour is the Sleek Face Form (review here) which I purchased around the beginning of 2014 and it has lasted me all through even though I use it everyday. I just love how the contour part perfectly gives some shape to my face without looking ashy or muddy. I love that it also has a highlight and blush which makes it a perfect travel palette although I hardly ever use the highlight side. My other favourite bronzer is the Makeup Revolution Baked Bronzer which gives the best glow to my face without any silly glitter or shine. It is very pigmented so I use a very light hand to apply this and it just gives such a healthy glow to my face even during Winter when my skin sometimes looks dull.


Fragrance
I was lucky to receive a lot of fragrances towards the end of the year although the fragrances that I used most and loved were the Ed Hardy Love Kills Slowly Perfume (review here) and the Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir Cologne (review here). The Ed Hardy perfume was a repurchase at such an amazing deal and I always reach for this fragrance over my other bottles. I reserve the Jo Malone for evening outings or any day I want to feel very sophisticated. Jo Malone perfumes are just amazing and unique.


Nail Polish
I adore all my Lancome Nail Polishes but I tried a few different brands in 2014 because I was curious. I fell in love with the Barry M Nail Paint in Bright Red (review here) which is such a classic red colour and my fail safe colour any time I think of painting my nails. I still love my Lancome polishes and I particularly loved the Lancome Rouge Valentine which is a vintagey red shade that looks very sophisticated and polished. To top all these nail polishes off, I loved (and still love) the Seche Vite Top Coat (review here) which has totally changed my nail polish game.


That's all folks. I loved way too much makeup in 2014 and I don't think it would change in 2015 but I guess I would be willing to experiment with many more brands. I hope you have enjoyed this instalment of my favourite makeup for 2014 and stay tuned for my top skincare for 2014...See you in my next post...xx