Let's start off with tools. I've loved using my Zoeva brushes for basically everything this year. The eyeshadow and face brushes are flawless, they wash easily and dry quickly as well. I've also really loved my Real Techniques blush brush as it deposits a nice amount of colour on the cheeks and is just super soft and fluffy. For applying my foundation, I've really liked using the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion sponge (which I forgot to photograph, sorry) because it gives a really natural application and makes your foundation look just like skin. The last tool I've loved this year and I don't think I could ever live without is my Shu Uemura lash curler. I didn't understand the fascination with curled lashes before, but when I discovered this lash curler, everything made sense. It really does perk up the lashes and the curve of it fits my eye really well, making sure that I manage to curl every lash in one go.
Moving along to fragrance, there have been two standouts for me. For daily wear, I tend to reach for Versace Bright Crystal as it's quite fresh and floral which I think makes it a nice youthful scent to wear. For evening or more formal occasions, I absolutely adore the Elizabeth and James Nirvana White perfume as it's so incredibly floral, but also a little bit musky, which makes it more sophisticated and sexy.
For nails, there's been three colours that I've used the most this year. The first is the Revlon Colorstay Longwear nail enamel in 320 Trade Winds. It's the perfect beigey nude colour that gives a really polished and classy nail look. Along the same vein is the Nails Inc Gel Effect nail varnish in Porchester Square. It's a gorgeous taupe colour that just looks so elegant and sleek on the nails. I love it. For a little bit of colour, I really liked Essie's Lapiz of Luxury, which is a blueish lilac shade which gives a little splash of colour to the nails without being too in your face. My favourite top coat has been the Sally Hansen Insta-Dri because it dries your nails super quick, but is also seriously high shine and manages to keep my nails chip free for a while too.
Skincare has become a huge thing for me in 2014. I tried to used different things to solve different skin issues.
My favourite masks for the year are the GlamGlow Thirstymud for when my skin needs a moisture boost, and the Body Shop Tea Tree mask for when I have a few blemishes I want to clear up. The GlamGlow mask is incredible at softening the skin and giving it a much needed boost of moisture. It also smells like coconuts, which doesn't hurt too much either. The Body Shop mask is what I love to use when I have stubborn breakouts that just refuse to go away. The tea tree oil in the mask really does help soothe my redness and nasty pimples and they tend to disappear pretty quickly after using this mask. I wrote a review for this mask earlier in the year, so I'll link that here.
When nothing's working on my blemishes and I just need them zapped away, I love using the Mario Badescu Drying Lotion. It is this magical liquid that makes pimples disappear overnight. If I apply it to a blemish before I go to bed, when I wake up in the morning, it's less angry and red, and then will usually disappear by itself, without leaving an angry red spot behind for months either.
To counteract the hyperpigmentation, I've been using the Ren Radiance Perfecting serum on my skin to even out the discolouration on my face. It also brightens my complexion and corrects any sort of uneven skin tone.
For moisturising, I've absolutely adored the Body Shop Olive body butter. It's so nourishing, and I love the fresh clean scent of it as well which is quite gender neutral and would probably be loved by anyone. To hydrate my face, I've loved the Indeed Labs Hydraluron Moisture Jelly. First off that packaging is just so cute and handy as it comes with a pump which means I never need to dip my hands in the product which definitely makes it more sanitary. It also does a really great job of moisturising my skin without leaving it feeling sticky or greasy. I find that it's the perfect base for applying my foundation because it doesn't mix strangely with whatever's going on top. And finally for my lips, nothing has compared to the Nuxe Reve De Miel lip balm. It has given some much needed moisture to my poor dry cracked lips. I can't rave enough about this lip balm.
My favourite cleanser of the year has to be the Oskia Renaissance Cleansing Gel. It has a thick gel like texture but rather than drying out the skin, it gives a solid boost of hydration. After washing my face with this, my skin feels amazingly plump and soft and smooth. It also has this gorgeous floral fragrance that I just can't get enough of. The exfoliator I've reached for the most is the Indeed Labs powdered exfoliator as it has a really fine grit to it which makes it quite gentle on the skin. Also the powder to foam concept of the product is wonderfully ingenious and just incredibly fun to use.
The best makeup removers for the year has to be Bioderma for removing my makeup when I've got a light amount on, or for touching up little mistakes and just refreshing my face in general. If I want a serious deep clean to the skin, I've loved using the Body Shop Camomile Silky Cleansing Oil. It does a fantastic job of removing every last scrap of makeup from the face. I've never used this product and needed to go back into my lashline to remove any residual eyeliner or mascara. It's a seriously amazing product.
In the shower, I've been using the Body Shop Grapefruit shower gel. I love the scent of this product and I feel like it does leave my skin feeling squeaky clean but also relatively hydrated. But the standout shower product for me is the Soap & Glory Flake Away body scrub. It gives great exfoliation to the skin but it also has a serious punch of moisture in it to keep skin feeling soft and silky after scrubbing.
And for the final loves for my skincare routine, I've loved the Soap & Glory Hand Food and Heel Genius to use on my extremities. They both give great hydration without feeling overly creasy or sticky. They also smell pretty damn wonderful and I've noticed a clear difference since I've started using both of these products.
I'm definitely a dry shampoo fiend. I just go through that stuff like crazy. My favourite for the year has to be the V05 Plump It Up dry shampoo. It has a great fruity scent to it and sucks up the oil in my hair making it feel clean and light. But the most wonderful thing about it is the volume it gives my hair. Especially when my hair is quite greasy, it just gets so flat and heavy. This stuff really lifts it up by the roots.
To go along with the root lifting theme, I've also been using the V05 Give Me Texture Instant Oomph Powder which leaves my hair feeling wonderfully voluminous and gritty. It actually gives a visible lift to my hair when it's looking really lifeless and flat. I've also really loved the Toni & Guy Casual Rough Texturiser which also gives my hair a little bit of body and grit which makes it much easier to style and makes everything look really loose and natural.
And that's it for the best of 2014! I felt like I got a little lazy in the end with my descriptions and all, but I hope you liked the products nevertheless. Let me know what you've been loving over the last year, and let's discover some wonderful brand new things in 2015!
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