2014 Favourites Part One: Makeup, Nails and Tools

Christmas and New Years have been and gone, we're now at the start of January (how?!) and everyone's making annual resolutions or, like me, gathering up the best of beauty from the past 12 months. It's 2014 Favourites Time. Now I have yet to actually do a 'Favourites' post of the sorts round this part as of yet, although I'm hoping that to change come this year, with more monthly faves being incorporated into my blogging schedule. For now, however, lets kick proceedings off with what I've been loving throughout 2014. Today's post will be focused on my favourite makeup, nail and tools; whilst Wednesday's addition will be primarily featuring my top skincare, haircare and bodycare items. Sit back, possibly go a get a hot drink and/or snack of your choosing and relax, it's gonna be a long'un...

Makeup:

 

BEST PRIMER - Benefit POREfessional - I picked up a sample-sized tube of this in a set I bought last summer and have thoroughly enjoyed it so far. I tend to focus this around more porous areas such as around the centre of my face and it really does  smooth everything out to create a lovely smooth base for any makeup to go on top of. I do also notice an improvement in longevity of wear-time when I slap on some of this stuff.
BEST FOUNDATION - Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation/Rimmel Lasting Finish Nude Foundation - If I had to pick my favourite foundation from this year it'd be a toss-up between these two. In this post I originally said the Bourjois offering was my top foundation find, though since that I've discovered Rimmel's latest base release and I think I'm in love. I struggle to find a difference between the two except me having a slightly better colour match in the Lasting Finish and finding it sinks slightly better into the skin. However, it does contain SPF, whilst Bourjois' offering does not, so I guess it's all swings and roundabouts here. Personally, I think I'm swaying slightly more to the Rimmel in terms of what I'm feeling for the start of 2015...

BEST ALL-ROUNDER CONCEALER - Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer - I've spoken one too many times about this already on here so I'm keep it brief - I promise. An great all-rounder concealer - covers spots and blemishes, and doesn't do too badly under the eyes either if you're more of a one-concealer type gal.

BEST UNDER-EYE CONCEALER - Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer - A 2014 concealer discovery, and the concealer responsible for knocking the above off my 'all-rounder' spot. I personally find this to work best under the eyes as it is more illuminating and brightening and also comes in handy as a highlight if in a rush. It really does help to 'Wake [you] Up' in those early mornings.

BEST POWDER - Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - Another fave from Rimmel, and this one pretty much does what it says on the tin. It mattifies any shine after base makeup and keeps it that way. It's easy to control the coverage and never, ever looks cakey. Pick up the 'Transparent' shade and you're set for any makeup look you wish.

BEST BRONZER/CONTOUR - Benefit Hoola Bronzer - I personally like to use this as a contour, though as the name implies, it could also be used as an all-over bronze too. I find this to work perfectly for contouring, as the shade is not too warm so as to appear orange, nor too cool so as to be 'barely there' and you have to apply it 52 times to chisel out those cheekbones, and it's matte too.
BEST BLUSH - Natural Collection Blushed Cheeks Blush in 'Peach Melba' - I don't often wear blush, though when I do, I use this. It does the job well, giving just a hint of flush to the cheeks without looking too Aunt-Sally-esque and the both the brown undertones and matte formula make it look even more natural.
BEST HIGHLIGHTER - Makeup Revolution Vivid Baked Highlighter in 'Peach Lights' - I feel 2014 has really been the year of me getting into highlighter, with me trying anything from cream to powder over the last few months, though this one stood out for me as a fave. The formulation means it's easy to delicately apply this without going OTT and the gorgeous golden shimmer with peachy undertones really compliments my paler skin and works perfectly teamed with the Hoola as contour.

BEST BROW PRODUCT - L'Oreal Superliner Brow Artiste Brow Pencil - This has to be my top brow product for this year, having discovered it at some point in the last 12 months when I decided to move on from my previous one as it just wasn't working for me, as I told of here. I tried this out and fell in love. It sits somewhere between waxy and creamy, meaning it's easy to apply but stays around, and the colour 'Blonde' is spot on - just ashy enough for my fair brows.

BEST EYE PRIMER - Urban Decay Primer Potion - An essential this year. I've been properly getting into eyeshadow these past 12 months and with the event of creasing becoming a too regular occurrence, a purchase of this little beauty had to happen, what with it being the top raved about eye primer amongst the beauty community. A small amount of this really does go a long way - just enough to coat the eyelid mattifies the surface ready for a dusting of your favourite shadow(s) and keeps them in place without creasing, smudging or fading - all day/night.

BEST SINGLE EYESHADOW - Maybelline Eyestudio 24 Hr Colour Tattoos Gel-Cream Eyeshadows - These cream eyeshadows work brilliantly either as a base for powder pigments to stick over the top, or simply alone as a one-wash-wonder in those busy early mornings. My personal favourite shades of the original formula are 'Pink Gold' and 'On And On Bronze', and I also love the 'Creamy Beige' shade of the 'Leather Effect' version.

BEST EYESHADOW PALETTE - Collection Little Mix Love 'All About The Eyes' Eyeshadow Palette - This has to be my favourite eye-related discovery of 2014, ever since I discovered it and told you guys the deets here. Although I go on to mention another two palettes that have rocked my year, if I had to pick a favourite favourite and one which would be most likely to come with me if a travel situation arose, this would be it. It's compact, housing just 6 shades, though the spot-on shade selection here is what makes it so wonderful. Every shade is brilliant, no room for any 'fillers' here. I have and will continue to use every single one and that's pretty rare in the world of eyeshadow palettes.

MUA 'Undressed' and 'Undress Me Too' Eyeshadow Palettes - If I wasn't using the above palette in 2014, I was using these. Yes, the shade selection perhaps isn't as spot-on, as whilst you may get more for your dollar with 12 pigments compared to 6, this also leaves room for a few I could maybe do without. I still love these both though for being able to pick up one makeup item and have so much versatility in being able to opt for classic neutrals or the odd take on colour, and the formula never lets me down.

BEST EYELINER - Collection Intense Colour Supersoft Kohl Pencil in 'Birdy Song' - I found this in 2014 and it's become my top 'pure brown' kohl eyeliner. Compared to others I've tried that pretty much always contain some variation of shimmer, this simply doesn't and that's why I love it. Perfect paired with a matte, very simplistic eye that doesn't care for sparkle, and once applied - it's staying there till you take it off.

Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajals in 'Black', 'Nude', 'Taupe' and 'Bronze' - These were my other eyeliner loves of 2014, for when I wanted something with a little more to it. The 'Black' is true black, not grey; the 'Bronze' is a warm, shimmery brown that looks fab paired with gold lids, and 'Taupe' is a classic 'barely there' shade. You'll now note that I've not included any other variation of liner in here than kohl, and as I explained in this post, I kinda fell out of love with liquid this year and became a full-on kohl wearer. Whether that'll change in 2015, who knows?

BEST MASCARA - Maybelline 'The Falsies' Mascara - My top mascara has to be this. I tried many others throughout the course of 2014, but after a good think, nothing matches up to this stuff. This makes my lashes full, long and voluminous, whilst not a clump is to be seen in sight. I am yet to find anything better.
BEST NUDE LIPSTICK - L'Oreal Colour Riche Collection Exclusive lipstick in 'J Lo's Nude' - A perfect 'my lips but better' shade, with a mix of every undertone you'd ever want from a nude lippy - pink, peach, beige - it' got it goin' on. I bought this as part of a lip option for my sister's wedding and on the day this worked brilliantly in evening our my lips and giving a light wash of colour without looking too noticeable. Besides the smell - this rocks.
BEST BOLD LIPSTICK - Rimmel London Lasting Finish Matte By Kate Moss Lipstick in '101' - Ooh look at me going all controversial and mentioning this range of lipsticks without citing the HG '107' shade. I do love that shade also, but the '101' really caught my attention. A classic 'true' red that's bright and bold but also very wearable at the same time, in a matte, but not at all drying formula.

BEST LIQUID LIPSTICK - Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvets in 'Pink Pong' and 'Ole Flamingo!' - The lipstick that got me fully into the groove that is 'bold lips'. After many a recommendation from fellow bloggers that to go bold you should go matte, I picked up these and I could not have been happier. Do not be fooled by the fact they're a 'liquid' lipstick, for once applied, they dry right down and aren't going anywhere.

BEST LIP PENCIL - Maybelline Colour Drama Velvet Lip Pencils in 'Red Essential', 'Light It Up' and 'Keep It Classy' - Another lip product that caused the 'bold lips revelation' for your truly this year. This time, a lip pencil, though one that promises to dry down to a matte finish with a slight velvet sheen so your lips don't look 'Sahara Desert' dry. These were an instant love for me - their ease of application, how they feel once applied and their lasting power all get a massive thumbs up from moi.
BEST LIPGLOSS - Maybelline Colour Sensational Shine Gloss in 'Cashmere Rose' - I have heard many a blogger rave about this whole lipgloss line in general, but I personally only own this one shade. I bought this in conjunction with the L'Oreal lipstick to pair together for my bridesmaid makeup and on the day it worked a treat. I'm not particularly much of a regular lipgloss wearer these days so if I'm honest, I don't crack this out daily, though when I do, its high-shine-though-not-at-all-sticky formula really is a winner for me.

BEST LIP BALM - Maybelline Baby Lips - If I wasn't going for a bold lip towards the latter half of 2014, I was liberally applying these. These keep your lips moisturised and hydrated, whilst the colour offerings add a slight tint to the lips at the same time.

BEST SETTING SPRAY - Urban Decay All Nighter Setting Spray - Does what it says on the tin, perfectly. A few spritzes of this in the morning after you've applied your makeup keeps it locked in right till you remove it at the end of the day. Also handy for re-spritzing during the day if your slap's starting to look a bit drab.

Nails:

 

BEST NAIL BRAND - Barry M (especially their Gelly Hi-Shine range). I cannot describe my love for Barry M and their nail polishes. Whether it be the broad colour range, amazing formula, or different types of effects and finishes they offer - they really do have it down. All for very reasonable prices and they often are one of the first to bring out the new trends.

BEST NAIL POLISH - I thought for this one I'd rattle off a few specific 'plain' polishes I've been loving throughout 2014, some which you may have already seen documented in my 'Polish Pick' posts.

• Barry M Nail Paint in 'Vintage Violet' and 'Berry Cosmo'
• Barry M Superdrug 50th Anniversary Limited Edition polish in 'Birthday'

BEST NAIL EFFECT: Again, a few of my favourite nail polishes from 2014, though this time - anything promising an 'effect' or specific 'finish'...

• Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine polishes in 'Pomegranate', 'Kiwi' and 'Guava'
• Rimmel Salon Pro polish in 'Mars'
• Barry M Silk Effect polish in 'Blossom'

BEST NAIL PRODUCT - Barry M Nail Corrector Pen. I discovered this beauty in 2014 and now I've found it, I genuinely don't know how I painted my nails without it. Before this I used to 'tidy up' my nails where any mistakes may have been made with simply a cotton bud soaked in remover, which whilst may have worked alright, wasn't always the best option. Then I found this and my nail routine completely changed. A pre-soaked, sturdy nib that almost glides around your nail, and simply requires turning round when you've got all the use out of one end. Coming with two other spare double-ended nibs, I've already been through one and found it to last a good while in the face of my constantly-untidy nails.

BEST NAIL CARE - This year I've been neglecting hand cream a little more than I should, though when I have been applying it, I've been reaching for Palmers Cocoa Butter, specifically formulated as a hand cream, after never really getting round to repurchasing my usual Soap and Glory Hand Food. This hasn't been photographed as the one I was using ran out (as documented here) and I'm now overrun with different lotions and potions of varying sorts (including hand cream) after Christmas so won't be getting a new one for a good while...

Tools:

 

BEST BRUSH BRAND: Real Techniques. I've spoken before about my love for this brush brand, I've even done a whole series - #MakeupBrushWeek - about my makeup brush collection (predominantly consisting of RT) and cleaning routine, which you can see here. Some of my favourites and most-used include the...

• Buffing Brush
• Setting Brush
• Contour Brush
• Multi-Task Brush
• Base Shadow Brush
• Accent Brush

BEST BRUSH CLEANER(S): Dr Bronner Organic Castile Liquid Soap and The Pro Hygiene Collection Antibacterial Makeup Spray - I discovered these after commendation from Anna in one of her YouTube videos a while back and, having just started to get into makeup brushes, I wanted to get into brush cleaning also. The Dr Bronner works brilliantly for a deep clean and the Pro Hygiene works well as an 'in-between-cleans-or-uses' spray cleaner. These have worked really well for me this year, featuring in my brush cleaning routine, and I'd like to think I'll continue to use them well into 2015 too.

BEST EYELASH CURLERS: Boots Eyelash Curlers - I got these a few years ago now and they're cheap but cheerful too. While I may go on the lookout for a more investment purchase in this field in 2015, these have done me well so far and keep my lashes always upright and curly.

BEST TWEEZERS: Primark Duo Tweezers - Again, another cheap purchase, but one that has served me well this year. I particular like these tweezers, as being a two-pack, they come with a flatter and a more pointed option (my personal favourite) and so each can be employed for different tasks.

BEST SHARPENER: Champneys Pencil Sharpener - 2014 was the year I invested in a slightly more expensive sharpener, having had enough of my cheapy one becoming less cheerful and more 'pain-in-the-backside' when it starting destroying more and more of my pencils. This one, however, does the job perfectly and having two different sized holes means you're covered both eyes and lips wise.

 

I hope you enjoyed delving into Part 1 of my 2014 Favourites! As I said at the start of this post, Part 2 will be coming up on Wednesday, as I ramble all about my yearly faves from the Skincare, Bodycare and Haircare categories...