Top 10 Makeup Picks of 2014 - Part 2

Continuing on from part 1, I've created a list of my top 10 makeup buys for 2014.  As mentioned before these are products that may not have been released in 2014 but just ones that I've finally nabbed because, let's be real, the bandwagon has essentially lost its wheels and crashed into the river by the time I've jumped aboard it.


#6 Urban Decay - Naked 3 Palette

Prior to this palette I'd never owned any of the famed Naked palettes or any Urban Decay products either.  The hype was intense and, upon seeing a neutral palette that was more than just beige's and browns, I took the plunge.  I'm not going to say that the quality is so fantastic that the heavens parted and shone it's light onto this palette but it really is a lovely soft quality with great pigmentation and decent amount of product vs price.  It's become my daily palette and despite this,  I've still not hit pan or had any big dips in more than maybe 2-3 colours.

I'm sure many of you have seen inside the palette but here's a shot of it's prettiness.  It's a bit hard to read some of the names but my favourite colours are Dust (second colour - not nearly as much fallout as everyone loves to harp on about, treat it gently, it's a lady), Trick (sixth colour - a mild wearable gold), Nooner (seventh colour - lovely dusty pink, great base shadow), Mugshot (ninth colour - just amazing, no other words) and Blackheart (last colour - glittery, warm dark brown/black)



#7 Too Faced - Chocolate Soleil Bronzer

This is actually a mini bronzer that came in my Too Faced Christmas set and, to my surprise, I found out that this is actually the "Medium/Deep" colour (as there is also a Milk Chocolate Soleil for those with paler skin).  I've been using this since Christmas and it's just a perfect bronzer for my skin type which I found to be weird because I'm somewhat pale (I've had foundations labelled "Alabaster" as being too dark, wtf).  I would not recommend this product for those with darker skin types, I just cannot imagine it showing up well enough without some serious layering.



Here's the opened product for reference, it looks quite warm and a bit dark but I've found it's similar in colour (but a bit cooler) than NARS' Laguna and lighter and much less warm than Benefit's Hoola.  My skin is neutral-leaning-cool and this makes for an excellent contour for me plus it smells fricken amazing because Too Faced has their chocolate scent down pat.



#8 Australis - Velourlips in Grandmaster Pash

Velourlips is a pretty big deal now, I'd say it's one of Australis' most popular products.  It previously came in quite a restrictive colour range of poppy bright colours but they've now started expanding on the range, including some more muted pastels and nudes and have recently released a limited edition AC/ME range (Australis Cosmetics Metallic Edition) of velourlips that are really quite unique.  Grandmaster Pash is a sparkly metallic deep red that is just beautiful.  It dries somewhat matte on the edges (like the velourlips do) but also gives of a lovely metallic sheen - it's quite hard to explain because it seems quite impossible for something to be both matte yet shiny, it's really an anomaly that needs to be seen in person.

Here's a throwback to a previous post I did about bargain beauty buys that featured this product.  It's truly hard to capture this product on camera, it's somewhat of a deeper red and just much more lovely in person.  In addition to all these fantabulous qualities, it has a very mild drying effect compared to many other matte lip products I've used yet keeps up the long-lasting aspect (this guy will not budge, even after eating a burrito).



#9 Lancome - Hypnose Mascara

This product is probably the oldest in my list, it actually had it's 10 year anniversary in May 2014!  To be fair, this is a high-end product and my first actual high-end makeup product.  This mascara retails at $52AUD so it's not exactly something most people can shell out for on a whim.  Lancome had a series of excellently valued Christmas sets this year, many including this mascara, which made picking it up more justifiable.  It's easily the best performing mascara I've used and I've banished most of my previous mascaras because they should feel shame compared to this. Soft, clump-free, long lasting, easy to remove, smudge-proof and cry-proof (I was a mess when I saw the third Hobbit movie).



#10 Maybelline - Eye Studio Gel Eyeliner

Another product that I've previously raved about.  This gel liner actually put my M.A.C Fluidline to shame.  Very smooth and easy to apply yet dries quickly and relatively smudge proof.  I found this gel liner to be the best performer for tight-lining which is my preferred way to line my eyes for every-day looks.

2 comments:

  1. You know what? I came to realise that we have similar taste? 3/5 (Naked 3, Too faced Bronzer 7 Hypnose Mascara) are the items I own too & loved them to bits, hehe

    Your Too Faced Bronzer packaging is so pretty as compared to mine haha, I got mine in 2012 & it is still going right now. Great post :)

    xx

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    1. Great minds think alike ;) It's a little mini Chocolate Soleil, I just love Too Faced's packaging it's so adorable! How good does the Chocolate Soleil smell too? :D

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