2014 Beauty Awards

Welcome to my 2014 Beauty Awards.

This is the Beauty Blunder Awards of my absolute favourite products I’ve loved this year. There has been some amazing new launches this year which has made it very hard to whittle the list down, I’ve also included a lot of cult classics in the mix.

So without further ado here are the winners – Drumroll Please!!

Best Overall Brand – Makeup Revolution

I don’t think I have been addicted to a brand like Makeup Revolution in a long time if ever. It ticks so many boxes for me – they constantly introduce new lines of products, the range of products they have on offer is amazing and the price above everything else is incomparable. I’m sure they’ll be my favourite throughout 2015 also.

 

Best Lipstick – Wet N Wild Megalast

I have a bit of an addiction when it comes to these lipsticks, I’ve lost count of how many I have of them. I love their staying power and have compared them to the matte Mac lipsticks in the past and because they’re so cheap I love to bring them on a night out so if I do end up losing one then it wouldn’t be as tragic as losing one of my more expensive lipsticks. If you haven’t tried them yet I would urge you to go out and get some!

Best Nail Polish – Wet N Wild Megalast

Apart from their Megalast lipsticks the Wet N Wild Megalast varnishes have been my favourite new find this year from Wet N Wild. The formula, brush, staying power, colour range, brush and price tick all the boxes when it comes to nail varnishes. I love to do my nails but when it comes to taking it off I’m very lazy so having a nail varnish that last for pretty much the whole week is way up my lazy street.

Best Shadow Palette – Maybelline The Nudes

It annoys me a little that I’m picking a palette that can only be bought in the US. If the rumours are true it will be released to the UK & Ireland in 2015 and fingers cross it does because you won’t be disappointed when you guys try it! There are 12 shades in the palette of matte and shimmers. The pigmentation you can get with or without primer is pretty impressive for such a budget palette. You can get so many looks from this palette, well worth the buy if it comes to our shores.

Best Mascara – Bourjois Une Seconde Volume Mascara

I feel like I’ve gone on and on about this mascara since its release. I’ve compared it to the Benefit They’re Real Mascara as it is super black and lasts for hours but unlike the Benefit mascara it is a lot easier to remove and is a fraction of the price. It has a big brush, with little tiny balls attached to make sure each and every strand is reached, even the little tiny hairs that some brushes don’t get. If you’re in the market for a new mascara this one is worth every penny.

Best Primer – Benefit The Porefessional

My face is like an oil slick some time so every little helps when it comes to sticking foundation to my face, I’ve also very large pores which can be as visible as the craters on the moon. At the moment the only thing that seems to be doing the job is The Porefessional, my makeup sticks and my pores are concealed (and the little lines too). I’ve yet to actually buy a full tube of this primer, samples and deluxe samples keep coming across my path and they last that long that I’ve never had the need to buy one, but when I do buy one at least I know it does the job.

Best Liner – Urban Decay 24/7

I have gels, liquids, pens and everything in between but when it comes to liners I always go for a Kohl pencil and there’s no better than the Urban Decay 24/7 pencils. Perversion or Smoke are my favourite ones. I also love kohl’s because I’m shit at doing winged liner so liquids and gels aren’t always an option when I’m running out the door in the morning.

Best foundation – Revlon Colourstay

I always go for matte foundations and I find this the best one. I stocked up on a few of the Colourstays when I was in the states as they were only $9.99 but €17.99 here so I’ve a good few to get through. It has a buildable coverage so depending what way I want my foundation that day it caters to my mood. It has been the most consistent foundation as well, working well with my skin and working well with any type of brush I use, the colours are also perfect matches for my skin.

Best Skincare - Glamglow Supermud

I don’t really have a favourite bit of skincare like moisturiser or cleanser but I do love face masks. This year I finally got my hands on the Glamglow Super Mud and I’m super happy I did. As a girl with craters for pores this stuff has really helped reduce them. It pulls all the gunk out and closes up the pores. It is pricey but I’ve gotten so many masks out of it and I’m not even half way through my tub yet so the more I get out of it the cheaper it becomes.

Best Bronzer - Matte Bronze Powder

I didn’t like my MAC bronzer at the start but the more it gets closer to the pan the better it looks on the skin. It’s not to brown or too red it’s just that perfect middle bronze colour.

Best Highlighter - Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector

I love a good highlight and my favourite is the Becca Shimmering skin Perfector in Opal. It’s a gorgeous champagne highlight that just makes the cheeks pop. This one isn’t an everyday highlight, I keep this one for nights out as it’s a bit more expensive than my everyday highlights.

Best Brow Products - Anastasia Beverly Hills

Give me anything Anastasia Beverly Hills and I will love it. I have a few of their products and I love them all. The Brow Wiz is my favourite though, it fills in the brows giving light hair like strokes to give a natural look and if you want you can go a bit heavier to give a more sculpted look. I use Soft brown for the front of my brows and use Dark Brown on the ends.

Best Concealer - Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer

I love my MAC Pro Longwear concealer but after finally getting my hands on the Collection Lasting perfection concealer this year it has really been my go to concealer in the mornings. Apart from being super cheap it gives a full coverage that lasts all through the day.

Best Beauty Tool - Beauty Blender Original 

This has been the best beauty buy of the year. I love the beauty blender, it makes applying foundation and concealer so easy. It gives an airbrushed finish that I never could have achieved with a normal foundation brush. Definitely worth the money!

Best Powder - MAC Studio Fix

Not only does this act as a powder but it is also heavy enough to be a foundation. I have tried it on its own as a foundation but it didn't work for me, while my skin is clear it just made my pores incredibly visible. As a powder though it is perfect, I only need to apply it in the morning and i'm done for the day and with my oily skin that is a success.

Best Fragrance - Victoria's Secret Bombshell

I love the VS perfumes but think they are so expensive so I always go for their sprays. They're just as fragrant but a fraction of the cost. Bombshell is my absolute favourite, it reminds me a little of the Abercrombie and Fitch aftershave but more girly. It's one of those fragrances that gives you live when you spray it on.



So that is my long list of beauty favourites from the year of 2014. I can't wait to see what 2015 has in store for me, i've already found a few favourites so I can imagine it will be a bigger list next year!!

Thanks for reading.

Let me know what your favourites have been.

Love Sarah xoxo

Top 5 Posts of 2014

The New Year is upon us so I thought I would do a little recap of my Top 5 most read posts of 2014!

I know I say this every year but this year has gone so fast, even faster than previous years. A lot has happened over the last year - luckily all good stuff- so I hope 2015 can bring me even better luck and success both in my personal life and blogging life.

So here's a rundown of my top 5 most read blog posts of 2014!

Lime Crime Velvetine dupe

Back in the summer I picked up a few of the Lime Crime Velvetines at IMATS and loved them but I found the perfect dupe of them for a fraction of the cost with the Makeup Revolution Salvation Velvet Lacquers. 

Seventeen Falsifeye HD Mascara

I don't think I was too blown away by this mascara when I reviewed it but I have used it a lot since, mostly as a throw on mascara for when i'm in a rush in the mornings or if I don't have a lot going on that day i'll just swipe it on to give my eyes a bit more definition and make me look that little bit more awake! 

Mac Objects Of Affection Pigments and Glitters

I love these pigments; I got them in the Pink & Rose and Gold & Beige! I haven't really used the Pink toned box but I've used the gold pigments a lot over the Christmas holidays. Try your MAC stores I think you might still be able to get them, they're only €35 and the box comes with 4 pigments and 1 glitter.

Dupe Tuesday Benefit High Beam Vs Mememe Beat The Blues

My dupe posts proved to be very popular; i'll have to try coming up with a few more for 2015. This dupe post was comparing Benefit High Beam to Mememe Beat the Blues liquid highlighters. You literally can't tell the difference from these two highlighters and there's about €20 in the difference. I have been more into my powder highlights this winter so I can't wait to get the liquid ones out for the spring to give that dewy fresh look.

Dupe Tuesday Urban Decay Naked 3 Dupe

Finally we have one of my favourite dupes of the whole year. I compared the Naked 3 palette to the Makeup Revolution Iconic 3 palette. With the exact same results and a whopping €40 difference in the price you can see why this was one of my most read posts of the year. 

If you haven't read them yet just click on the headings and it will bring you straight to the post, and if you have read them why not go back for a recap :)

I'm still in my first year of blogging and have learnt so much in that time that I can't wait to see what the next year has in store for Beauty Blunders and Other Wonders.

Thanks for reading.

Happy New Year :)

Love Sarah xoxo