2014 Beauty Favorites

2015 is finally here, which means one thing and one thing only – it’s time to look back and talk about my favorite beauty bits and pieces of the past year. Here are the crème de la crème products, the best of the best makeup items that I have been using religiously and which have earned a Holy Grail status. Choosing them was surprisingly quite an easy task as all these gems have really been game changing for me and have boosted my confidence like nothing else. They’ve all been living in my everyday makeup drawer and if you haven’t tried some of them I urge you to add them to your 2015 Wishlist and go check them out asap  – they all rock! Now without further ado, let’s dive into my 2014 beauty standouts…

Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua Foundation // Here

2014 was the year when I rekindled my love for Vitalumiere Aqua and our relationship is now stronger then ever. It photographs beautifully, lasts really well and meshes beautifully with my skin. The coverage is buildable and it basically has ‘flawless skin in a bottle’ written all over it. It’s definitely my bad skin day bff as it covers imperfections and smooths everything out nicely. The stunning ‘healthy glow’ type of finish is to die for as well – total winner.

Chanel Le Beiges Face Powder // Review // Here

Chanel is definitely owning it in the ‘flawless base’ front and Le Beiges is the living proof. My love for this luxurious little product is infinite and it ticks all the boxes. It is extremely finely milled and adds very sheer color to the skin and the best part is that no matter how much you put on it never looks cakey or has that ‘powdery’ finish we all know and hate. Le Beiges doesn’t completely mattify the face as it has beautiful healthy luminous finish but it does set everything in place and still manages to keep the oils at bay. Oh, and the subtle luxurious scent of the powder is such a nice touch as well.

Soap & Glory Kick Ass Concealer // Review // Here

For concealer I picked one that is a good all rounder and takes care of the whole shebang – redness, blemishes and under eye darkness. Kick Ass delivers on all those counts and I just adore how multifunctional it is. The salmon-y color counteracts any purple / blue bags I might be having under my eyes and helps brighten everything up. The yellow shade covers any redness flawlessly and I use it prior to my foundation and then go over with the pink-y shade if I need some extra help covering spots. Both sides of the concealer have very high coverage, feel super light on the skin and last all day. It gets an A*.

Benefit Hervana Blush // Here

I couldn’t narrow down my blushes to just one so I picked one powder and one cream. My powder option is this beautiful four-shade Benefit beauty and I’ve been using it religiously for the past year. I adore the stunning peachy pink shade that also illuminates the cheeks beautifully without being too shimmery. Hervana perks up the skin and just adds a hit of color and healthy glow. It’s buildable, hangs around for ages and is a dream to apply.

YSL Cream Blush in #9 Baby Doll // Review // Here

For my cream blush offering, I had to include Baby Doll as it’s a fab all-year-rounder and it’s been gracing my cheeks a lot in 2014. I simply adore its cool toned baby pink shade. It is ideal for the spring/summer time when I have more tan on and it helps brighten everything up or during A/W when it gives that ‘I just came back from the cold outside’ type of vibe. The cream-to-powder formula is super easy to blend and it also makes my skin radiant and dewy without accentuating any imperfection. The high price tag is 100% worth paying with this one.

Soap & Glory Solar Powder Bronzer // Review // Here

2014 saw me fall head over heels in love with bronzers and the one that stood out to me the most has undoubtedly been Solar Powder. It’s any fellow pale skinned gal’s best friend and I am smitten by both beautiful not-too-orange, not-too-ashy shades. Mix the colors together and dust them all over your face for an overall sun kissed glow or just use the darker matte shade for contouring – simples. The creamy formula is simply dreamy and it blends beautifully without going patchy or uneven. If you’re on a hunt for a new affordable bronzer – look this way ladies!

Soap & Glory Glow All Out Illuminating Powder // Review // Here

Pretty much the only highlighter I’ve been using for the past twelve months is this S&G baby. It still blows my mind every time I use it and I haven’t seen anything like it on the market. It basically injects light and life into the skin, making it look naturally radiant and glowy, minus the shimmery / greasy effect. It’s extremely flattering and I love how it highlights my cheekbones and lifts my skin. It is a good’un.

Benefit Gimme Brow // Review // Here

2014 was the year when I tried my best to up my eyebrow game and even though I’m still trying to grow those bad boys, I feel like I’m one step closer to having my brows the way I want them. And I have this Benefit life changer to thank for that. This tinted brow gel with lil’ hair-like fibers in it has become an essential in my routine and I love that it fills in those gap areas perfectly while still makes everything look natural. Gimme Brow not only volumizes my brows but it also keeps the hairs in place all day. Running the tiny wand across my brows is my favorite finishing step but the gel could also make a fantastic lazy day companion.

Too Faced Magic Mushroom Eyeshadow // Review // Here

The formula of this beauty is what got me choosing it for my most-loved eye shadow of 2014. Magic Mushroom is the most pigmented, buttery smooth and easy-to-apply eye shadow I’ve ever had the pleasure of using. It’s blendable, doesn’t crease and the unique rose gold shade illuminates the area and makes the eyes appear wider and brighter. It is seriously dreamy.

YSL Shacking Mascara // Here

Dramatic lashes and I definitely had a moment over the past year and Shocking has proved itself to be everything I want in mascara, and more. It makes my lashes super long and black, separates them beautifully, holds curl well and adds tons and tons of volume without clumping or flaking. Love. It.

Essence Lip Liner in Satin Mauve // Here

2014 was the year when I *finally* got introduced to lip liners and the one that converted me to a full-time lip liner lover was this Essence Lip Liner in Satin Mauve. From the pigmented, uber creamy formula that lasts for hours on the lips to the beautiful nude mauve-y shade that gives me the Kyle Jenner vibes – I love everything about it and the best part is that it’s cheap and chips. It defines my lips nicely and makes them look fuller and plumper as well and I like to sport it on its own with no lipstick on top. I’m obsessed.

Maybelline Color Drama Velvet Lip Pencil in Berry Much // Review // Here

Hands down my favorite beauty launch of 2014 comes from these little Maybelline gems! I adore their creamy, non-drying formula that gives you full-blown color in just one swipe. They are hybrid between a lipstick and a lip liner, giving you precision, easy application and incredible 6+ hours longevity. Knowing my soft spot for purple / fuchsia pouts Berry Much has got to be my favorite of the bunch – it peps up my skin tone and it is such a great confidence booster. Definitely go swatching ladies; the Color Drama Lip Pencils are a must for any lipstick lover!

Chanel Rouge Coco Shine Lipstick in Suspense // Review // Here

Last but certainly not least we have the lippy that has been gracing my lips more then anything else for the past few months. Suspense and I bonded straight away and just adore its stunning cool-toned fuchsia berry pink shade. It’s feminine, sophisticated and elegant and it brightens up my complexion beautifully. Speaking of Chanel, needless to say that the formula is on point and luckily it’s way more pigmented then the original Rouge Coco Shine offerings. It also glides on and feels really balmy and hydrating – no drying and no imperfections accentuated. If you fancy treating yourself to a high-end lippy get involved with this gem – it will blow you away!

Which beauty products have you been loving over the past year?

Lots of love,

Andrea

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