2014 was a bit of a crazy year, but I learned so much about myself in this past year and that made everything worth it. In terms of blogging and beauty, I feel like my blog really blossomed into its own kind of identity during 2014, and I can't wait to experience 2015 will all of my readers, and the new ones to come! This year, I decided to do the same categories as last, with a couple of additions!
Best Hair Product
Matrix Biolage ForteTherapie Strengthening Conditioner. I'm super bummed about this product because I'm currently reading that it has been discontinued! This conditioner was a hair savior this year, and I've noticed my hair growing so much faster and stronger than it did before. My hair is super damaged due to coloring and heat styling (but mostly lots and lots of coloring), and this conditioner really helped to refortify my hair and make it feel like new! Matrix did release a line that is supposed to be a replacement for the ForteTherapie line, but according to the reviews, it's nothing compared to the original. Time for a new holy grail conditioner hunt I guess! Any suggestions?
Best Nail Product
INM Out the Door Fast Drying Topcoat. I found this product earlier this year, and it has done wonders for my manicures! I still use my trusty Revlon ColorStay Longwear Nail Enamel Base Coat, but I have replaced my Revlon Top Coat with the INM Out the Door Topcoat, and I am so happy I did! This stuff is super comparable to Seche Vite, only much less expensive, and it won't goop up over time like Seche Vite does! Finally -- a nail product I'll actually be able to get through!
Best Brow Product
Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette -- "Triple Fudge." This category caused a huge internal debate for me, as I couldn't decide between two different products I use almost exclusively for my brows. Finally, I decided on the "Triple Fudge" shadow from the Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette. I use this color on my brows almost every single time I do my makeup, and it never lets me down! It's a great shade for my brows and, with a small angled brush, filling my brows in is a total breeze.
Best Face Product
Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer. This should certainly come as no surprise to any avid reader of my blog. I use this concealer for pretty much everything -- under the eyes, over blemishes, to highlight the brows. Everything. It's the perfect consistency to use under the eyes without being cakey, with just enough coverage to hide any acne or blemishes, and just a slight brightening effect which makes it great to clean up the brows! I couldn't find this product in North Carolina, so I hoarded the last little bit of it that I had for as long as I possibly could, until I could come back home and buy more! You can see that this little tube is obviously very well loved.
Best Eye Product
Best Lip Product
Best Makeup Brush/Tool
Maybelline The Mega Plush Mascara. This product did so well for me this year. It's been my go to mascara all year, and I am still loving it! It's especially great for minimal makeup days, since it has such a soft effect on the lashes. It really helps to separate your lashes, so it's a great first coat of mascara to keep other products from clumping up!
Best Lip Product
Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm. This lip balm is...dare I say it...the balm. -buh dum tss- No but really, this lip balm is my holy grail. It just hydrates my lips so beautifully and is the reigning champ for "Best Lip Product" on my blog after making my Notable Products of 2013 post almost a year ago. It has given ever other lip balm I've tried a total run for their money. I've repurchased tube after tube of this lip balm and I don't think I can ever turn to anything else!
Beauty Blender. It's almost embarrassing how long it took me to get into this sponge, and although it isn't quite a "brush," it's totally a major makeup must-have! I'm obsessed with this thing, and after doing my Battle of the Blenders post back in July, my love for the Beauty Blender only grew even more. It applies face makeup absolutely flawlessly, and no other sponge can even truly compare! If you haven't bit the bullet and just gone for it yet, this is definitely one thing I would say you should splurge on!
Biggest Surprise of the Year
Maybelline The Rocket Mascara. If you have been reading my blog for a while now, you'll know that when I first tried this mascara, I was not a fan. I even included it as an "un-favorite" for the month of March! Then, come May, I withdrew my statement, after finding out how this mascara only got better after it dried out for a few months. This mascara has continued to surprise me throughout the year. I find that, my favorite way to apply it is over the Maybelline The Mega Plush Mascara, to give me full, defined lashes!
Biggest Disappointment of the Year
Benefit They're Real Push-Up Liner. Oh how I wanted to love this product so much, but I just couldn't. I know so many people who loved this product (including my friend Sarah of Diary of a Beauty Padawan), but I just couldn't get on board. It balled up and applied weird and didn't even last all that well. I did a full review of it here. The photo for this product is even just an old one from my review because I returned it and never looked back! How funny that both this year's and last year's disappointing product is a Benefit They're Real product.
Most Loved/Used Product of the Year
Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm. This stuff is soooo good that it's on this list twice. Go back up to "Best Lip Product" and read about why I love it so much. I have gone through multiple tubes of this over the course of 2014, and it is without a doubt my most used product of the year.
Last-Minute Honorable Mention
Mally Volumizing Mascara. For Christmas, Andrew bought me The Perfect Wink by Ulta, which I talked about in my Christmas Beauty Gift Guide post in November. This mascara came in the collection, and it is amazing! I had been wanting to try this mascara for a while, but it's $20 a pop, which deterred me for a long time. However, I'm not sure if I can go back now. I've worn this mascara quite a few times since receiving it from Andrew, and it doesn't smear, smudge, or flake, and gives me super long, super thick lashes that almost make it look like I'm wearing falsies!
Overall Top Brand of the Year
Makeup Geek Cosmetics. I debated on whether to award this to Makeup Geek or to Too Faced, but when I really looked back on the year, Makeup Geek had my heart. For one, Marlena, the CEO of the company, is pretty much the sweetest, kindest woman in the YouTube Beauty Industry. Second, her makeup is absolutely incomparable to anything else. The quality of the products, the pigmentation, and Marlena's constant motivation to keep her products top-of-the-line made Makeup Geek my absolute favorite brand of 2014!
Looks like this was a great year for mascaras! What were your 2014 favorites? I hope you had a wonderful and safe New Year!
- D.
p.s. Around the turn of the New Year, one of my very best friends in the world (and one of those most talented people I know), Ciarlene, started her own blog! It's more of a lifestyle kind of blog, and she pretty much posts about anything she feels like talking about -- anything from food, to beauty, to video games, and crafts. I feel I need to give a bit of a profanity warning, if you're sensitive to that kind of thing. But if not, definitely check her out here. I've been nagging her for months to start her own blog, and I'm so excited that she finally did!
p.s. Around the turn of the New Year, one of my very best friends in the world (and one of those most talented people I know), Ciarlene, started her own blog! It's more of a lifestyle kind of blog, and she pretty much posts about anything she feels like talking about -- anything from food, to beauty, to video games, and crafts. I feel I need to give a bit of a profanity warning, if you're sensitive to that kind of thing. But if not, definitely check her out here. I've been nagging her for months to start her own blog, and I'm so excited that she finally did!
I had a huge list of what I liked for 2015 over on my blog. I liked the Benefit one alright. It was a bit hard to work with at times though. Generally I dislike their whole brand. I think they stand more on their marketing than the product quality.
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