BEST OF 2014

I can't believe how fast this year has gone by and I just want to thank all of you for visiting and reading this blog, I appreciate it so much! I haven't posted as much as I thought I would but with a new year comes a new blog name, layout and lots of new ideas and inspiration. Also if you have any requests or feedback please feel free to tell me via social media or leave me a message on Tumblr :)

Here are the products I consider my 2014 favourites.

MAC Eyeshadow Palette
I've bought a few too many neutral eyeshadow palettes this year but this is definitely the one I use the most. I really like warm-toned and bronze eyeshadows so I could use this palette everyday and be happy. MAC have so many eyeshadows you can choose from but my favourite shadows all happen to be matte - Brule, Wedge, Soft Brown, Cork and Swiss Chocolate.

MAC Fluidline Brow Gelcreme in Deep Dark Brunette
I've never considered a makeup product to be my 'holy grail' before because to me, if a product is my holy grail then I wouldn't need or want anything else - until now. I can't imagine myself trying out any new brow products for a very long time because this one is just perfect. I even like it better than the Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade (I will do a review and comparison on the two soon).

Toofaced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer
I've had this bronzer for so long (it's still in its old packaging and doesn't even have a colour on the back) but have really fallen in love with it this year. It's very buildable but looks so natural. I find that I can easily over-do other bronzers, but not this one.

NYX Powder Blush in Angel
I really don't know what it is about this blush that I love so much. When I first got it I thought it was your average peachy-pink blush, nothing special. But since then I can't remember the last time I used a different blush. It's just the perfect blush shade that goes with everything and looks good every time.

Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Nude Delight
This has been my favourite nude lipstick for a really long time and I'm so sad that it's been discontinued in Australia. I've bought 2 back-ups from beautyjoint and I feel like I need to buy more because I love this lipstick so so so so so much.

MAC Lipstick in Pure Zen
If I'm not wearing Nude Delight then I'm probably wearing this lipstick. It's a really nice peachy colour - not too nude, not too brown, not too orange and not too pink. It doesn't last too long on the lips but it's really moisturising so I don't mind.

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Fiji
I've already told you guys how much I love this foundation so I'm not going to say too much about it here other than it's my favourite foundation and I'm probably going to buy another one in a darker shade for summer.

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard
This concealer has amazing coverage, can be used under the eyes to brighten or on spots. It's really creamy but doesn't crease or smudge. The applicator is easy to use and it's really blendable and natural looking. My favourite concealer this year by far!

Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer
You might not be able to see from the picture but I've literally scraped every last bit of this primer. It's on the expensive side but no other primer has been able to make my makeup last all day and keep me matte. It's summer now so if you're looking for a new primer to try, this one's perfect.

Jordana Easyliner for Lips in Rock N Rose
I've found my perfect lipliner this year and it only cost be $3. It's the perfect shade for my lips and I can use it on it's own or with any lipstick whether it be nude, peach, pink or even bright colours.

Stila Stay All Day Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Black
Other eyeliners just don't compare to this one. It stays on all day without smudging, the felt tip is easy to use and doesn't dry out. A lot of people have been recommending other eyeliners to me but I can't let go of this one just yet.

MAC 217 Blending Brush
I don't think I would use eyeshadow if I didn't have this brush, everyone needs one in their life. It makes blending eyeshadow so easy and always makes your eyeshadow look good.

Real Techniques Expert Face Brush
I love this brush for foundation, it's soft but dense and I love the size. It's big enough to blend foundation flawlessly without streaks, but small enough to get under the eyes and around the nose. I use this to blend out my concealer as well.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit in Vanilla, Banana, Nude, Fawn, Java, Havana
This is a really great palette. For $40 you get 6 highlighting and contouring powders, it's really versatile, convenient for travel and good for beginners or those who want to experiment with different bronzers and highlighters.

Thank you so much for reading! Watch this space in 2015 and have an amazing new year :) And follow my new URL on Bloglovin if you have one!

EMPTIES 1 - LOTS OF SKINCARE

HI GUYS. I have this bag that sits next to my makeup table that I put products that I've used up in and today I went to put something else in it and realised it was full, so here's my second empties post! It's mostly skincare just because I've been trying out heaps of makeup recently so I've been opening more makeup than using it up.

First here are some makeup removers and cleansers that I've finished up. The two on the left are both by Maybelline, the first one has actually been discontinued and replaced with the second and I honestly liked the old one so much more. I felt like it a bit more oily than the new one which made taking off waterproof eye makeup easier. I still like the new one, it's about $5 for a 70ml bottle and works okay. I have two more bottles of it that I bought when it was on sale, but after I finish those up I don't think I'll repurchase it because I'd rather look for something better. Next is the Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water which I love. To me, it's exactly the same as Bioderma but for way way cheaper. I use this to remove my makeup almost everyday and I would recommend it to everyone! After I use the cleansing water, I wash my face with my Purity Made Simple by Philosophy. I can use this alone to take off my makeup but I feel like it's easier when I use the cleansing water as well as the cleanser because I don't need to spend as long washing my face. I love both of these products, they're so gentle but still take off all my makeup, and will continue to repurchase.

I've also used up a Peppermint Stick by Philosphy which is a shampoo, shower gel and bubble bath. I just use it as a body wash and it smells so good. It was a limited edition scent that came out during Christmas last year but Philosphy have heaps of other scents that are permanent. I really liked this body wash. I think because it was a shampoo, shower gel and bubble bath, it lathered up really nice and made the shower smell so good haha. I've mentioned the Nivea In-Shower Body Lotion before in my last empties post and I've still been using it. I can never be bothered mosturising after I shower because I just want to put my clothes on, so this product is perfect. It's literally a conditioner for your body, so when you come out of the shower you're already moisturised!

I bought a huge can of Batiste Dry Shampoo when it was buy-one-get-one-free a few months ago. I'll forever repurchase this product because my second (sometimes third) day hair loves it. My favourite scent has been the tropical one because it smells like coconut, but I really want to try the new tinted dry shampoos that they have as well. I've used up a Tea Tree Water from Lush before, a few years ago and I remember I really liked it. I remember it being really refreshing and making my pores look smaller , but for some reason I don't feel like it did anything for me this time. I still used it up but I'm trying out another spray on toner now. My favourite scrub has to be the Biore Pore Unclogging Scrub. It's so cheap but works so well at cleaning my face and reducing my blackheads. It's quite a thick scrub so I like to use it in the shower because it's easier to rinse off. I would recommend this to anyone with oily skin or thinks they have lots of blackheads. Next is my only 'makeup' product, the Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer. It was pretty expensive so I'm currently opening the cap and scraping the product out - I WILL USE IT ALL! I mentioned it in my top 3 foundations post, and said that it was my favourite primer. It keeps your makeup on and looking good all day and is definitely worth the money. I love it so much and would recommend it to anyone! And lastly I finished up a Seaweed Mattifying Day Cream from the Body Shop. It was a pretty good moisturiser. I didn't notice it controlling my oils amazingly well, but it felt really light and did it's job. I'm using another moisturiser at the moment just to try out new things, but I might repurchase this in the future.

This was a super long post so thank you for reading! If you have any eye makeup remover recommendations please let me know as well :)

TOP 3 FOUNDATIONS

If someone was to ever ask me what my favourite makeup item is I would have to say foundation. I love trying new ones and I can never have enough. I have a whole drawer full of foundations so I was thinking that I might do a hits and misses post in the future but for now I'll share with you guys my top 3 foundations that I've been loving for the last few months. 

First is the Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow! foundation. It is an "oil-free brightening liquid foundation with light to medium coverage". It also has SPF25 which is why this is my favourite everyday foundation. It feels so light but the coverage is decent if you use a dense brush like the Sigma F80 or Real Techniques Expert Face Brush which is what I use. It blends so easily and I would say it's definitely medium coverage. The thing that I love most about the foundation is that it stays on all day and it looks very natural because it has a bright dewy finish. I have oily skin and it keeps my forehead and nose matte throughout the day which I did not expect. The one down side is the colour range. I first bought this foundation in the shade 'honey' which was a bit dark for me, but the shade above it 'champagne' was way too orange so I bought the next shade up 'petal' which is still a bit orange but I think it'll do. I'm so glad I gave this foundation a go because it surprised me a lot and exceeded all my expectations.

Next is a cult favourite, the L'oreal True Match foundation. I think everyone knows about this foundation and it deserves all the praise because it's really great. It feels really light but the coverage is medium to full. It has a very thin consistency so it's really easy to build up and has never ever looked cakey on me. I do get a bit oily throughout the day when I wear this but a good primer always fixes that problem. The shade range for this foundation is fantastic, better than some more expensive foundations. There are over 20 shades available both warm and cool-toned so you'll be able to find your "true match" (hehe). I think this is the best foundation at the drugstore and would recommend it to everyone.

Lastly, my all time favourite foundation is the NARS Sheer Glow. I had my eye on this foundation for the longest time and didn't buy it mostly because of the price ($59) but I'm so glad I did. I don't know how to describe this foundation but it just looks so good. And it always looks so good, so whenever I'm having one of those days where I need my foundation to look good without question I will use this. It's not very sheer or glowy in my opinion, it has a medium coverage which is buildable, and it has a natural yet flawless finish. I have oily skin and it doesn't make me oily throughout the day, again, it just looks so good. I would recommend this foundation to everyone, don't be scared of the name and don't be discouraged by the price because it's such a good foundation, you won't regret it!

Finally I do have to give an honourable mention to my Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer which is the primer I use when I need my makeup to last all day, and it's the primer I use under any foundation that makes me a bit oily, and it's just my favourite primer ever. I would definitely recommend this to anyone with oily skin, or anyone that has a problem with their makeup fading throughout the day. I've nearly finished my first full sized bottle of it, it's amazing.

The foundations that are on my to-try list are the Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk and the Chanel Perfection Lumiere, if you have any other recommendations please let me know! 

MASCARA MONDAY

Let me start off by saying I have short lashes, made even shorter by my hooded eyelids. I would say that my lashes are very high maintenance, I need a mascara that will hold the curl all day and be both volumising and lengthening. The eyelash curler I've been using for years is by Shu Uemura and I don't think that will be changing any time soon. Here are the four mascaras I'm currently using and my thoughts on them.

 L'oreal Falsh Lash Telescopic Waterproof

I'm not actually too sure why I bought this mascara because it says "unlimited length" on the tube and I usually always go for volumising mascaras. It doesn't add any volume at all but I don't regret purchasing it because it lengthens and separates my lashes really nicely. And because it's waterproof I can use it under a more volumising non-waterproof mascaras to hold my curl. I wouldn't repurchase this again because I feel like it doesn't do much and there are better mascaras out there.


Eyeko Skinny Brush Mascara

I've seen Shaaanxo use this in so many of her videos and even though her lashes are amazing, I somehow thought this mascara would work for me. This mascara has a very wet formula which I'm not used to so when I used it for the first few times it went all over my eyelid. Because of its wet formula it's very heavy on my lashes and does not hold my curl even though it's a water resistant formula. It did add volume and length so I would definitely recommend it to you if you didn't have a problem with your lashes falling down. I will continue to use it with the L'oreal Telescopic mascara to help hold the curl because it was the most expensive of the bunch but would not purchase again. I have to say I do really love the squeeze-tube packaging, and again, would recommend if you have naturally curly lashes.


Jordana Best Lash Extreme Volumising Mascara

I bought this mascara for $3 from beautyjoint.com and it is so worth the price. The brush looks pretty average but the formula of this mascara is great, it lengthens and adds a lot of volume without clumping. The only bad thing about it for me is that it doesn't hold my curl but I kind of expected that because usually waterproof mascaras are the only ones that do. If I didn't have that problem though, I would probably buy hundreds of tubes of this mascara in case it ever became discontinued. Even now I would probably repurchase it because it's so cheap and makes my bottom lashes look really long and thick.


Covergirl Lash Blast Volume Mascara Waterproof

This mascara is my number 1 favourite mascara ever. It holds my curl all day, adds a lot of volume, lengthens well and does not smudge. Whenever I try out new mascaras (like the three above), I always go back to this one no matter what. The wand is quite big which you might need to get used to but I found it easiest to hold the wand at the base of your lashes and blink down a couple of times, then coat your lashes as normal. I would recommend this mascara to anyone and will repurchase forever or until I find a better mascara.