2014 Beauty Favourites

2014 was not only the year I really discovered beauty, but also the year I started my blog. I've discovered so many amazing products so far, and here are some of the standouts. Apologies if you are a regular reader, a lot of these products do appear in my hauls, favourites and tutorials!

The first favourite is a powder from bath and body giant, Soap & Glory. One Heck of a Blot is the first beauty product I've tried from their range, and I've been so impressed. It works well to mattify my oily skin for something you can find in the drugstore and it has a decent price point too at £12. 

The second product comes courtesy of theBalm. Again this is my only product from their range, as it's not that readily available. When the Superdrug Beauty Studio opened in Cardiff, I was delighted to see theBalm. It was great to be able to swatch a high-end product without snooty shop assistants interfering. After one swatch of the Mary-Lou Manizer, I was hooked! I never considered myself a powder highlight gal, but this is a stunning shimmery pale gold. 

One drugstore product that really surprised me is the NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Powder in Sunny. This took quite some time to track down, but honestly it was the best £1.99 I've ever spent. It is a beautiful matte bronzer with incredible pigmentation and people aren't lying when they say it's a Benefit Hoola dupe, I use this more than the original. 

Two items that really deserve a mention are brushes. The first is one I lusted over forever, and finally bought it in October. The MAC 217 is the softest, fluffiest brush that has revolutionised my eyeshadow application. I could get away with just using this brush for my whole eye, it's that good!

The Real Techniques Expert Face Brush is my favourite choice for base application. It delivers medium coverage, and it's dense, soft bristles mean you can really blend into the skin to get a natural look. I loved it so much I bought two!

There have been two foundations that have ruled 2014. The first is the Bourjois 123 CC Cream (not pictured), but that spot was soon pinched by the L'Oréal True Match Foundation. I love the perfecting finish and the colour match really is spot on!

The Makeup Revolution Ultra Blush Palette in Sugar & Spice contains more than enough shades for the beauty enthusiast. My favourites are the pale natural shade (2nd in top row), the bright pink (3rd in top row) and the peach (3rd in bottom row). The pink baked blush is also really pretty if you're in a rush as it means you can skip highlighter! 

I've fallen head over heels for the Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Pink in the Afternoon. It is the most gorgeous warm pink shade, the formula is perfection and I like the expensive looking packaging. I reviewed it as part of my December lipstick challenge here. 

The Body Shop Instablur Primer has stolen my heart. It keeps oil at bay and makes a gorgeous base for makeup. This primer won the top spot in my Primer Edit earlier on this month, so give that a read if you want to find out more. 

I tried a hella lot of L'Oréal products in 2014, and one of the best turned out to be the Lumi Magique Highlighting Concealer. I use this under my eyes, to define the edges of my brows and lips, as a highlight. It's such a multi use product! The rose gold packaging is stunning too. 

Another winning L'Oréal product is the Telescopic False Lash Mascara. This is the only mascara to have really wowed me this year. Whilst odd at first, I like the long wand and the definition, curl and volume triple threat this mascara gives. It's the winner in my Mascara Edit post if you want to read more. 

I can't believe it was only this year I discovered the Maybelline Color Tattoos. They are an incredible cream base and so versatile. I love On & On Bronze and Creamy Beige. 

Another eyeshadow base but in the form of a pencil is the GOSH Forever Eyeshadow Stick. Silver Rose is a stunning taupe shade, perfect for all over the lid, and Brown is an incredible gritty, dirty brown for an edgy smoky eye. I've used it in my 3 Product Smoky Eye Tutorial. 

Powder eyeshadows now, and the standouts 100% have to go to the L'Oréal Color Riche L'Ombre Pure Eyeshadows. They have a gel infused formula and both the mattes and shimmers are so buttery, the quality is incredible!

Yet another L'Oréal product I love (my last, I promise!) is the Super Liner Perfect Slim. I am terrible at liquid liner, but this one is so precise. The felt tip nib doesn't bend like others I've tried and it is the only liner I don't seem to mess up too much!

One final product now, and this is from NYX. Blush in the shade Taupe is the perfect contour for my cool-toned pale skin and as it is so subtle it is literally impossible to mess it up! 

That's the end of my beauty favourites for 2014. Hopefully 2015 will bring me even better products, who knows. I can't wait to do this post next year!