To kick of 2014 I decided to share with you my top beauty picks from last year. It was a big year for me and makeup (as ridiculous as that sounds), but it's certainly been a year where the majority of my extra money has gone towards cosmetics, either to review on my blog or just to try out myself. I feel that 2014 will see an increase in the makeup I buy, as much as I love reading reviews on what is good or bad, I like buying products I've never seen before to write about. Anyway, I thought sharing some of my annual faves with you will give you some insight into my most used and well loved products. I hope you enjoy!
I figured I'd start at the very beginning. Sometimes I prime my skin, but I don't use primer on a daily basis and have no new favourites this year. Some top primers include Smashbox Primer in Oil Free Light and Benefit's Porefessional. But onto foundation.
Foundations:
My favourite summer foundation is Rimmel's "Wake Me Up" in 100 Ivory. It's not ivory in the slightest, in fact it's my summer shade, and even though it's not a great option for my pale skin in the winter, in the summer it is awesome.
Secondly I have Maybelline's "Dream Fresh BB Cream". I have the shades light, light-medium, and medium- just to show how much I love this stuff. It's a great no-makeup makeup base and it looks very light and natural.
Last but not least is Rimmel's "Clean Finish" foundation in the shade 120 Ivory. Again, not ivory. I love the finish of this foundation, not too glowy but not too matte, however it oxidizes like nobody's business. I'll have to leave this until the spring/summer when my face can afford to be two shades darker when I step into the sun.
Concealers:
First up is Rimmel's "Wake Me Up" concealer. It's a wonderful under eye concealer but again, I only use in the summer. Why don't Rimmel have paler shades?! The formula is awesome and it wears well.
Next is MAC's Studio Finish concealer in the shade NW20. It's very heavy duty and works best on breakouts and redness, too much can look cakey and dry out the skin so I recommend using it sparsely and building up coverage as needed.
Maybelline's "Instant Age Rewind" concealer in the brightening shade is wonderful. It's a beauty blogger fave, and I totally understand the hype. It blends flawlessly, highlights and covers under eye dark circles (something I get a lot lately) and just makes you look a little more awake than you might be feeling.
Powders:
Powders have been something I've really gotten into using again this year. Not pictured is Rimmel's "Stay Matte" powder which is brilliant, but unfortunately I don't have it with me at the moment.
MAC's "Mineralize Skinfinish Natural" is a great powder that doesn't look too powdery. I would like to see a translucent shade in the future, because it does add some coverage. A light dusting goes a long way- it can look cakey if over-applied.
Hourglass "Ambient Lighting Powder" in Dim Light is one of my favourite products of the year. It doesn't look powdery and allows your skin to remain looking like skin- it doesn't mattify too much. I think for the price it's worth looking into the shade that works best for you, I wouldn't rush in to a purchase unless you were sure of the shade you need.
Bronzers:
Tarte's Amazonian Clay bronzer in "Park Ave. Princess" is a great pale bronzer with a little sparkle to it. It's beautiful year round.
Lorac's "Tantilizer" is another great option, the highlighter isn't my favourite but the matte bronzer makes a great contour shade and is quite dark, perfect for summer months.
Not pictured is Benefit's "Hoola" bronzer which I've used for most of the year. It's a matte bronzer and I love it. I don't have it with me at the moment, but it's certainly this years favourite.
Highlighters:
Dior's "Amber Diamond" has got to be my favourite highlight of the year (or ever?!). It's beautiful, makes you feel oh-so-glamorous when applied and will last forever because it's so pigmented.
Benefit's "Watts Up" cream highlight is a great versatile shade of champagne, quite shiny but blends beautifully. I don't use it enough but I love it when I do wear it.
Thirdly we have Stila's "Kitten Highlight Duo", hard to find but worth it. Works well as an eyeshadow too. I love both shades, the deeper shade for when I'm a bit more bronzed and the original "kitten" shade for when I'm a bit paler.
Blush:
Blush is my weakness, it was hard to narrow it down to three choices, but here we go!
Dior's "Rosy Glow" is a wonderful pink shade with blue undertones, creating a brightening healthy pinch to the cheeks.
Tarte's 12 Hour Amazonian Clay Blush in the shade "Exposed" is my favourite blush in the world. It's a natural rose shade which gives the perfect amount of colour and lasts forever. It suits an array of skintones and is my most worn blush.
Josie Maran's Coconut Jelly Blush in the shade "Pink Escape" is pigmented and gives a really natural blush to the face. It's a cream blush and I find it applies best with fingers. Very blendable and looks wonderful for hours on end.
Brows:
Benefit's "Brow Zings" has lasted me such a long time with no end in sight. I use the shade "light" and for a long time this was the only brow kit I used. I use the powder side more than the wax side, but find if my brows are particularly unruly that the wax works wonders, however I wish it wasn't so dark.
Anastasia Beverly Hill's "Brow Wiz" in the shade "Blonde Ash" is the perfect brow tone for me. It doesn't have any of the redness most brow colours seem to have and the precision tip of the pencil helps create natural looking individual hairs to fill in even the most sparse of brows.
Thirdly I had to mention Tweezerman tweezers. The best of the best.
Powder Eyeshadow:
Couldn't narrow down individual shadows so I just picked my two most used palettes.
Urban Decay's "Naked Basics" palette is wonderful. Almost all matte shades perfect for every day and travelling. My top two shades are Walk of Shame and Naked2.
Nars "And God Created the Woman" palette is another winner. I love Alhambra and Kalahari because they give such a nice sparkle to your eyelids without looking overdone. This palette is also great for travelling, a perfect handbag size.
Cream Eyeshadows:
Up first is Rimmel's "Scandaleyes" shadow stick in the shade "Bulletproof Beige". It's a great eyeshadow base that is a little warmer than the pink-champagne shades I love so much.
Speaking of pink-champagne shades, next is Benefit's cream shadow in "RSVP". Perfect eyeshadow base but make sure you keep it tightly closed because the shadow can dry up quite quickly.
Lastly is Maybelline's Colour Tattoo in "Bad to the Bronze". Universally flattering, warm bronze shade that makes any neutral smoky eye that more dramatic.
Eyeliners:
First up I have 2 Rimmel Scandaleyes eyeliners. I have the nude and black shades. They are creamy, long lasting on the lid and in the waterline, and very affordable!
MAC's "Prunella" is my only MAC liner, but I really like it. It's quite soft and long lasting but the colour is what really wins me over. This was a gift from a dear friend, and she specifically asked for a liner to bring out green eyes- needless to say it does exactly that.
Urban Decay recently had a sale of their old 24/7 liners because they relaunched the line. I picked up two in the sale, but this gold shade in "El Dorado" is awesome, it also makes a great eyeshadow base. Unfortunately it is no longer available, but the new line has a very similar shade range.
Stila's "Stay All Day" waterproof liner is the only liquid liner I tend to use. It has gotten better as it dries out because at first it was so watery if you made any mistake it would last forever! It takes practice to use this, but it's easier than many other liquid liners I've used. Definitely on a future re-purchase list.
MAC's "Prunella" is my only MAC liner, but I really like it. It's quite soft and long lasting but the colour is what really wins me over. This was a gift from a dear friend, and she specifically asked for a liner to bring out green eyes- needless to say it does exactly that.
Urban Decay recently had a sale of their old 24/7 liners because they relaunched the line. I picked up two in the sale, but this gold shade in "El Dorado" is awesome, it also makes a great eyeshadow base. Unfortunately it is no longer available, but the new line has a very similar shade range.
Stila's "Stay All Day" waterproof liner is the only liquid liner I tend to use. It has gotten better as it dries out because at first it was so watery if you made any mistake it would last forever! It takes practice to use this, but it's easier than many other liquid liners I've used. Definitely on a future re-purchase list.
Mascara:
Up first is Rimmel's "Scandaleyes Retro Glam" mascara. This gives great length and volume but does come off quite easily. I wouldn't wear it in the summer, but perhaps they will come out with a waterproof version. For a day to day look I really like it, but it isn't too long-lasting and if you suffer from oilier skin I wouldn't recommend it.
Benefit's "They're Real" mascara is wonderful and this years favourite. It's almost dried out now, but I think I will re-purchase it. It lasts forever, adds length and volume and I find with a cleansing balm or oil it's relatively easy to remove.
Lastly, I have Bobbi Brown's "Intensifying Long Wear" mascara. The tiny brush is great for upper and lower lashes and also getting pesky litter corner eyelashes. It lasts for a very long time and is a great everyday mascara. (Also the trial size has lasted an impressively long time!)
Lipsticks:
Another hard topic.
MAC's "Hue" is a perfect pale pink/nude shade that's very creamy and quite long lasting. Less is more, if you layer it too much you start to look a bit too pale and matching lips/face isn't my thing.
MAC's "Modesty" is a new shade I've been loving, it's a less glittery version of "Patisserie" and I think it's a wonderful fall/winter shade.
Bite Beauty's lip pencil in "Rhubarb" is one of my very favourite lip colours of the year. It lasts so long and for a dark colour it doesn't require much touching up. You'll never find this stuff on your teeth.
Givenchy's lipstick in "Rose Tafettas" is a lovely bright pink shade that is such a pretty spring/summer colour. It's very flattering without being too Barbie.
Lipgloss:
I find I wear lipgloss more than lipsticks, but this year I've really been a fan of more intense glosses that have a lipstick feel to them.
NYX's Butter Gloss in Natural is a great shade and very pigmented. I'll definitely buy more of these in the future.
Nars lipgloss in "Turkish Delight" is a bit of a daunting shade because it's so pale but when applied lightly it leaves a really nice effect. It's got a blue undertone so it makes your teeth look extra-white.
Soap & Glory's "Sexy Mother Pucker" lipgloss in the plum shade is a really nice gloss because it's not overly pigmented, however it just deepens you lip colour by a few shades. It's also a "plumping" lipgloss so some might find the tingling a bit irritating but I don't mind the sensation.
NYX's lipgloss in "Beige" is the perfect everyday shade that makes your lips just a little better. Creamy, long lasting and hydrating to your lips, this gloss leaves them soft and shiny for hours.
Laura Mercier's lipgloss in "Baby Doll" is a natural sparkly pink shade. The formula is really nice and the travel size is perfect for keeping in your purse (where this was for most of 2013) and I like to always have it on hand, making it one of my most used shades of the year.
Phew. Long post! I'm glad that's all over with and happy you guys get a sneak peak into what I loved this year. Some are loves I've had for a couple of years now, others are new to me but well-loved before hand, and others I haven't seen much on but work well for me! I hope to condense the list for 2014 but I know that isn't going to happen! Thanks for being great readers for 2013 and I hope to post more regularly (approximately 4 times per week) potentially excluding exam weeks!
Thanks again, tell me some of your 2013 faves in the comments or tweet me @makeupbymegant
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