The Best Makeup of 2014

To celebrate the end of another year, I’m going to share what I’ve been loved in the world of beauty over the last year. And I’m telling you now that it was ridiculously difficult trying to narrow this down to about one product per category, and honestly I just have really bad self control, so you might see some little sneaky honourable mentions. Oops.

This post is probably super rambley, contains many of the same words and really repetitive. 

Primer: I'm not the hugest fan of primers and normally I haven't really felt the need for them but as my skin has morphed from the Sahara to an oil producing plant, I've definitely discovered the wonders of primers. My favourite that I've discovered is the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer. It's sort of has a silicone-y texture without being too thick and plastic-like. But it does leave a really smooth finish which foundation just glides over.

Foundation: Hands down, the best foundation I’ve tried is the Nars Sheer Glow. It just gives a gorgeous finish to the skin without looking cakey or heavy and it just glides over the skin. It looks glowy and natural. I'm not going to rant on too much about it, but I wrote a review that I posted not too long ago, so I'll link it here.

Concealer: I have to admit, I'm pretty fickly with my concealers. I tend to switch between them regularly, and I don't have anything I particularly love more than another. So I'll just mention the two I've used most of the year. The first is the Maybelline Better Skin concealer which is slightly pink toned, so I use it under my eyes and it's a dream to use as it doesn't crease. I've also reviewed this product and once again I'll link the review here. The other concealer I've been using, and quite religiously, is the Maybelline Fit Me concealer. It's really creamy and easily blendable. It works well on both blemishes and under eye circles. Also the packaging is so similar to the Nars Creamy Radiant concealer and I've heard it's comparable too...

Powder: My favourite powder has to the the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light. It makes my makeup last all say and that I stay matte throughout the dayas well. It also acts a little bit like airbrush for your skin. I feel like it seems to blur imperfections like pores and little strange bumps to make your skin look more flawless than you could ever dream of. Like magic.

Blush: This was a hard one. This year has been the year that blushes have really grown on me. Going with my gut, I'd have to say that the Nars blushes are my favourite, and even then I can't pick a singular colour as a standout favourite. They're all just super pigmented and easy to use. And the packaging is just so luxurious. But I've also been loving the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Wardrobe which I reviewed here. I don't think I'll need any more blushes, but that's not stopping me from going out and getting a few more...

Bronzer: The bronzer I’ve used and loved the most this year is the Benefit Hoola bronzer. It's been the perfect thing to use in the hollows of my cheeks to carve out my cheekbones so my face actually looks like a face rather than a beachball. It's also great at warming up the face and adding a bronze glow, like all bronzers should.

Highlighter: My favourite highlighter would be a toss up between my beloved Topshop highlighter in Crescent Moon and the Nars highlighter in Albatross. The Topshop offering is definitely the more shimmery and iridescent one of the two, looking more obvious on the skin and gives a bit of a shimmering pinky gold sheen to the cheeks. The Nars one make your skin look like you're glowing from within. The warm golden sheen it leaves on the skin is so subtle and beautiful.

Brows: Hands down the Anastasia Brow Wiz. It has the perfect spoolie on one end and the perfect brow product on the other. The thin tip makes for serious precision when it comes time to drawing on the brows, and it's also really natural looking as well.

Eyeshadow: I'm not the biggest user of single eyeshadows, but I've decided to cheat a little when deciding my favourite in this category. I've decided to go with the Inglot Eyeshadow in Matte 357 which is a warm camel brown which is the perfect transition colour. Technically it's part of my Freedom palette, but it's bought as a single shadow so I though that'd be the easiest to roll with. That being said, I also really liked the Prestige Total Intensity single eyeshadows in Spellbound and Crave. I don't talk about these much but they are seriously beautiful. Amazing colour payoff. 

Eyeshadow Palette: I have to say this is probably my favourite category. I just love eyeshadows and the sheer amount of palettes I've bought is just... Incomprehensible. It was definitely tough narrowing this down, but I'd say that the Too Faced Natural Eyes palette rises above the rest. It's gorgeously packaged and has beautiful shadows that are all really pigmented with a soft buttery texture. The colour selection is also on point. I also reviewed this earlier in the year (linked here). I've also really loved using the Stila In The Light palette which is the one I usually reach for if I want something a little more snazzy and dramatic. I also really love the Nars And God Created Woman II palette as it's just so beautiful and the colours are really easy to use. I also reviewed that here.

Cream Eyeshadow: This category was a serious toss up. The Josie Maran Coconut Watercolour eyeshadows are just too beautiful to say no to. I'll link the review here instead of rambling on about them for the fourth or fifth post in a row. But I also really like the Benefit Creaseless cream eyeshadows because they're super soft in texture and blend beautifully on the eye. But the cream eyeshadow that has a little soft spot in my heart is the Maybelline Colour Tattoo in Bad to the Bronze. It's the first cream eyeshadow that I've used and I have to say I used it pretty religiously and it barely looks like I've made a dent in it. 

Eyeliner: The best eyeliners for the year are definitely the Stila eyeliners, both the liquid liner and the pencil liner. They’re both incredibly long lasting and easy to use. The liquid liner has a great felt tip that’s really precise which makes drawing the perfect wing really easy. As for the smudgestick, the pigmentation in just one swipe of this liner is incredible, as is the staying power. Also, they both come in a variety of gorgeously subtle and bright and wacky colours to choose from.

Mascara: The mascara that I've probably reached for the most is the Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara. It's super black and gives some serious length and volume to my lashes that they're sorely missing. The formula is a little wet and clumpy but I've found the best way to work with it. It also does a mediocre job of keeping my lashes curled, but that's better than every other mascara I've tried. 

Lipstick: I found this more difficult than I should've. It's not secret that I adore lipsticks. They're just great to look at, to talk about, to buy and to wear. But I felt like most of the easy to reach for lipsticks were actually lip crayons or liquid lipsticks which I mention below. But I did finally manage to collect a few lipsticks that I loved. First is Mac Patisserie. It's the iconic brand that drew me to this lipstick and a couple of very convincing beauty gurus. And I love it. It's the perfect nude lip that's also a little pinky and incredibly natural on the lips. And like many other things I've loved, I also wrote a post earlier so here's another link. I've also really liked the Maybelline Colour Sensational lipsticks because of they're great formula and amazing colour range. And they'rea really wonderfully pigmented too!

Lip Crayon: I'm not ashamed to say I have a huge thing for lip crayons. They just get me everytime. They've the convenience of a lip pencil with the texture and feel of a lipstick. I have two standouts for the year. The first is obviously the Revlon Matte Balms. They're a very unique product and I think they're the only matte crayons on the market. It's such a strange product; they're moisturising like a balm but totally matte. I just love them. My other lip crayon offering is the Clinique Chubby Sticks Intense. I'm definitely a fan of the intense one because they just give that little bit more colour that I just like in lip products. They're also really lovely and balmy which makes them really comfortable to wear. However and honourable mention needs to go out to the Bourjois Colour Boost lip crayons which just have a great pigmentation and glossy finish. 

Liquid Lipstick: Strangely enough I also really like liquid lipsticks. They're usually what i go to for a bold lip because I just feel like they're really long lasting. The ones I've loved the most this year are the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvets, especially 07 Nude-ist and 08 Grand Cru. Nude-ist is a very Kylie Jenner-esque colour whereas Grand Cru is your standard burgundy red statement lip. I also reviewed these earlier in the year so I'll link that here as well. A late entry to this list are the Sephora Matte Lip Creams which gave these a run for their money. They're a little bit drier but they're definitely longer lasting and are equally pigmented. 

Lipstain: This category wasn't going to exist until I was going through my collection and realised I really loved this product. This is the Revlon Colourstay Moisture Stain. They have a strange, wet consistency when you apply it to your lips, but it dries down glossy and it really stains the lips, giving great, long lasting colour.

Lipgloss: I'm definitely not the biggest lip gloss fan. I find it fussy and usually way too sticky, but the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfecters are gorgeous lip glosses that provide a subtle tint of colour to the lips and also aren't so sticky that it attracts hair like a magnet, which is a definite win in my book. 

And I think that's it for beauty products of 2014! Keep your eyes peeled for a second, and probably much shorter post, talking about everything else beauty related like hair and skincare. Until then! I hope you guys have a great new year, and let's look forward to some more amazing beauty discoveries in 2015!