home                     about & contact                     pr friendly                     advertise                     disclaimer                     product directory                     FAQ

January 06, 2015

TOP PRODUCTS OF 2014 (plus a few disappointments): Make Up

Ahh, 2014 - you were a good make up year for me. Like always, I had the opportunity to test a lot of new (whether they were new to the beauty world or just to me) products in 2014; some of them were great, some really disappointed me and others were real stand out products! Like I do every year, I've compiled a bit of a list of beauty products that really stood the test of time for me over the year and today I'm here with the first instalment in the series, the make up products! 

I'm not going to talk about the products for too long because almost all of them have been reviewed previously so be sure to click on the review links if you'd like to read more about them!




There is one foundation primer that surpassed every other in my collection and has become and outright favourite, the Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer. This primer creates such a nice base for foundation. It controls my oils really nicely and, best of all, really prolongs the wear of my foundations. It's pricey, I know, but definitely worth the investment! 

Even though one was much more recent discovery, there's two foundations that have truly revolutionised my base collection this year. Innoxa's Renew Age Erase Serum Foundation* is one that I really didn't think I'd like yet, somehow, I love. Not only do I like it, I've recommended it to a vast array of people who have all reported back saying they love it too! It's a really lightweight foundation that creates a flawless finish and sits of beautifully on the skin. Whilst very different, I have also really for the Estee Lauder Double Wear Light Stay-in-Place Make Up. This foundation has lighter, yet buildable, coverage which evens everything out  and stays for a crazy long time!

The only concealer that I've consistently reached for this year is the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer. Believe it or not, I'm still on the same bottle that I was on at this time last year (though I really am at the very end) and I just can't believe how versatile it is. To brighten and highlight, however, I've been reaching for the MAC Prep 'n' Prime Highlighters in Radiant Rose and/or Light Boost. These pens are a really thin and brightening product that enhances the face and makes everything just look .. better!

Finally for the face we have cheeks and though my cheek collection has vastly grown this year, there's two stand out products that I have to talk to you all about! The Australis AC ON Tour Highlighting and Contouring Kit* made waves in the Australian beauty community and, I have to tell you, I really do love it. I think some of the shades are a little unnecessary, as I mentioned in the review, but the banana colour and middle contour shade are both great! I've had the Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-Hour Blush in Dollface in my make up collection for ages but only this year did I realise just how beautiful it was. It's a great cool toned pink that brightens up the face so nicely and I find myself reaching for it a lot. 



At some point this year I started using my MAC Paint Pot in Painterly to prime my eyelids and I haven't really used and eyeshadow primer since. I love how Painterly cancels out any discolouration on your lids and it's really a great base for eyeshadows. 


I acquired so many amazing eyeshadows and eyeshadow palettes in 2014 but two that have stood out are the Too Faced Chocolate Bar and the Stila In The Light palettes. Both of these eyeshadow palettes are extremely versatile and so well formulated. I have also really loved my Makeup Geek Eyeshadows this (swatches here), but there was too many to include in the photo!


Liquid eyeliner is something that I'm constantly battling with but the Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner has made is so much easier. This felt tipped eyeliner is so easy to use, so black and lasts so long that I don't feel bad for splurging when I buy it! I've tested out quite a few mascaras this year but two that really stood out to me are Rimmel London's Wonderfull Mascara with Argan Oil* and Too Faced's Better than Sex Mascara. The Wonderfull* mascara gives me really defined and black lashes that still look really volumised and defined, whereas Too Faced's Better than Sex creates quite thick and borderline clumpy lashes. Regardless of what mascara I was using in 2014, I found myself reaching for the Urban Decay Subversion Eyelash Primer quite a bit to amp any mascara look up! 


I played around with a lot of new brow products in 2014 and I really liked them all so I couldn't really pinpoint a favourite (no, not even the Anastasia Dip Brow Pomade that everyone seems to love. In saying that though, I found myself reaching for the Anastasia Beverly Hills Clear Brow Gel to set everything, regardless of what was underneath. This brow gel just holds everything in place really nicely but doesn't leave the brows feeling crispy or uncomfortable. 


Finally we have lips. There's a lip balm that really impressed me in 2014 which I'll be featuring in my skincare edit (mainly because I forgot to include it in the above image) but I was really about cool toned pink/purple lips this year, so much so that I even wrote a full blog post about it here. Without a doubt, MAC's x Sharon & Kelly Osbourne Matte Lipstick in Dodgy Girl (swatch here) was my lipstick of 2014. It is quite a bright colour, meaning it's not something I reach for everyday, but it's a colour that I absolutely love and will continue to love for years to come. Something that quite similar but a lot easier to wear is Innoxa's Limited Edition Satin Sheen Lipstick in Radiant Orchid.




Two palettes really disappointed me in 2014, so much so that I've actually sold both so these are old photos of mine. Whilst it was nice, the Lorac Pro Palette was not anything special in my opinion and I just didn't find myself reaching for it. Though I love the other two palettes, I feel like the eyeshadows in the Urban Decay Naked3 Palette were a chunkier and more difficult to work with. I'm not saying that either of these products are bad, they just didn't work for me!


What make up were you loving in 2014? Did you do a yearly favourites blog post or video? Link it below so I can check it out!


Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | BlogLovin' | Pinterest 

*This product was sent to me, however all opinions are my own. I was not paid for this review

1 comment :

  1. That's some very nice picks, and (for me) some very surprising fails. Call me crazy, but I like to see a blogger/vlogger talk about popular products that they disliked, I find this to be very refreshing... Everyone can't love everything. Great post. For some reason I have not done a favorites of 2014 yet. I think I got overwhelmed with new stuff this year and just can't decide what to include.

    www.loevensmakeuprambles.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete

Tiny Hand With Heart