Friday, January 2, 2015

Top 14 Products of 2014 | Year in Review


Happy New Year, lovelies!! It's time we say au revoir to 2014 and HELLO to 2015! While I'm not one for making resolutions or getting too starry-eyed about the new year, I do like the thought of a fresh start and all the possibilities that a new year holds. 

Long story short.... in 2014 I traveled around the country to Las Vegas and Orlando, I saw good friends and family members get married, my husband and I celebrated our 2nd year of marriage and one year in our home, and we got a brand new puppy that has really become our spoiled little baby. It was a fabulous year! I hope you all had a great one, too!

The end of a year marks a great time to look back at all the fabulous products that were staples in my beauty routine. I've picked out 14 of the things that I reached for more than all the others in 2014.



When my skin needed a detox, I couldn't help but reach for the Barefaced Mud Mask. It has a really nice herbal scent and makes my skin feel soft and clean. I think this is a nice option for those of you who like the GlamGlow mask but don't want to shell out the ridiculous amount of money for it. It's not an exact dupe, but it's close! Read my full review on the Barefaced Mud Mask here

After washing my hair, I typically need a little something to help combat frizz, and this year that product was Josie Maran's Argan Oil Hair Serum. This magical product tames frizz, makes my hair super soft, and never weighs it down. Plus, this little sample bottle has lasted me a long time. 

I always get asked how to make eye shadow last all day without creasing. The answer? A good primer. And nothing works like MAC paint pots. I have the shade Soft Ochre which is a yellow-toned nude. I can get 10+ hours of wear out of my eyeshadow without creasing. This has trumped last year's favorite - theBalm's Put a Lid on It.

Two eyeliners rocked my world in 2014. I still very much love the Wet n Wild Liquid Liner, but these two were pleasant additions to my top 5 favorite eyeliners mental list. The first is Essence's Liquid Eyeliner. I picked this up on a complete whim and I absolutely love it. It has great pigmentation and it's really easy to draw a perfect line with. The second is Wet n Wild's Mega Eyes Creme Eyeliner in black. As you'd expect from the name, this eyeliner is really creamy and super easy to work with. It has good color payoff and lasts all day. It's not quite the same consistency as a gel liner, as it will smudge, but it doesn't claim to be waterproof or smudge-proof.



If you read this blog often, you surely aren't surprised that the Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous foundation made this year's list. I wear this pretty much every day and I rave about it to everyone I know (and constantly on this blog, too). This is a full coverage foundation that never looks cakey, and is super long-wearing. I fell in love with it when I had bad acne as it reduced the amount of concealer I needed, and even now, with a clear face, this foundation ranks as queen in my book. See a full review on this foundation here

2014 was the year of Jo Malone for me. I searched and searched in the beginning of the year for a Jo Malone scent I loved, and after months of sniffing, I ended up purchasing two scents towards the end of the year. Jo Malone's Pomegranate Noir is a scent I could not resist purchasing and I have been wearing it nonstop throughout the winter months. It's a really sexy fragrance that's fruity yet musky and could be classified as unisex. I now know why everyone raves about this perfume. Go smell it if you haven't!

I feel bad even including this as was discontinued this year (fingers crossed for a comeback!), but Lush's Creme Anglaise hand and body lotion really was a highlight of the year. My husband calls it "that stuff that makes you smell like baby powder", but in all actuality it's a super luxurious body lotion with notes of vanilla, saffron (I read somewhere once that it takes around 150-170 handpicked saffron flowers to make just one gram of this lotion), almond and cocoa butter. I have never used a lotion quite like this - it makes my skin softer than any lotion I have ever used, and it's exceptionally amazing for just-shaved legs. If Lush ever re-releases this, you can bet I'll be stocking up - and you should, too!



For a girl who likes to go a few days between hair washes, Batiste dry shampoo is my savior! I've tried many many many different kinds of dry shampo, but I always come back around to Batiste. I especially love the Wild scent, which I can smell in my hair for most of the day after I spray it in my roots. It smells like a luxurious perfume and I absolutely love it. If you want to go 2-3 days between hair washes and are prone to oily hair, pick up a bottle of Batiste and your hair will look clean and oil-free! It's a wondrous thing. 

Another perfume that rocked my world in 2014 was Elizabeth & James Nirvana Black. This perfume is a Sephora exclusive and was created by Mary Kate & Ashley Olsen. This smells amazing - it's dark and sexy with notes of violet, sandalwood and vanilla ... definitely a night time scent that's warm and alluring. The packaging also definitely deserves recognition as it's so unique and modern! 



Praise be to the amazing lipstick that is MAC's Viva Glam Rihanna. This was limited edition, too - sorry, don't hate me! I lusted after this after seeing it on a million blogs and my amazing bestie got it for me for my birthday! It's the perfect blue-toned red that has the slightest hint of shimmer, but isn't overwhelming. Take it from a girl who doesn't like shimmer on her lips, this is just right. It's extremely long wearing and it looks AMAZING on us pale girls. I never want this lipstick to end!

An oldie but a goodie, Benefit's Coralista blush is still absolutely amazing to me, and I reached for it over and over in 2014. See swatches of it here. This is a beautiful, shimmery coral blush that adds just the right amount of flush. It's perfect to grab if you're sporting dramatic eyeshadow and just need to look alive but not overdone. This will forever be a favorite of mine.

A completely underrated blush that I get compliments on nearly every time I wear it is the Covergirl Trublend Minerals blush in Shimmering Sands. This is more of a pinky-gold highlighter but I brush it all over my cheeks and then pop a brighter pink on the apples of my cheeks and BAM. It's the most beautiful flush to the face ever. Guaranteed. I have this fear Covergirl is going to discontinue this product, so I really should grab a back up of this when I get a chance. See it in action here and GO TRY IT! 

I did not expect at all that I would fall in love with NYC's Smooth Skin Pressed Powder. I had an old compact of this sitting in my stash, so I pulled it out to use and completely fell in love. I've now gone through 2 or 3 this year and I will definitely keep on buying it. This is a finely-milled powder that does an excellent job of setting foundation without making you look like a ghost, or cakey, or too dry, or all the bad things that can happen when you use a bad powder. The best part? This costs less than $5! Wooo! See it on my face here.




*BIG SIGH*.... wow! That's a wrap on my top 14 products of 2014! I'd love to know what YOU loved this year - let me know in the comments! Happy New Year!!!!

11 comments:

  1. Adding the Barefaced mask to my list of things to buy. I love GlamGlow, but cannot bring myself to spend that much on a mask. Awesome roundup! Xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, it is awesome! You can buy it on Amazon for under $30!

      Delete
  2. Even though I am procrastinating, I am excited to get together my favorites for this post! You picked such a great array of products! I especially love Coralista.

    www.youarebeaut.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Looking forward to seeing your post! Thanks for stopping by! :)

      Delete
  3. The barefaced mud mask sound very interesting, cute packaging too!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Great picks for your end of year favourites. I'll definitely be adding some of these on my wishlist :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Madeline! Let me know if you try any of them!

      Delete
  5. even though the shade of the covergirl 3-in-1 i bought isn't /quite/ right, i still put up wiht it b/c of the coverage and staying power. i really liked it!


    Jenn
    A Beautiful Zen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Seriously, the staying power is EPIC. It's all I reach for these days.

      Delete
  6. I really want to try the Benefit Coralista, it looks gorgeous. Am also now keen to try the Josie Argan hair oil as I love the face serum! xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Both products are so worth having in your beauty collection! The blush is so stunning and the Argan Hair Oil is amazing!

      Delete

Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...