Makeup: Best of 2014

So another year has ended. It's been an interesting year in terms of makeup, all sorts of looks trended from the no makeup makeup look, to the vampy lip to the super chiseled look. This year I noticed there have been quite a few products that I have been using quite consistently, some I rediscovered. So without further I ado, I give you my 2104 fav makeup picks:

Face Products:

BB Cream: The Garnier BB cream, although a little dewy, it's been perfect for my increasingly dry skin. After powdering it looks pretty.

Primer: The Body Shop Tea Tree Pore Minimizer (review) is a lovely primer and works wonders, It's not pictured here.

Foundation: Again on the dewy side, this foundation has skin benefits as well. The Shiseido Radiant Lifting Foundation was my favorite foundation of 2014.

Concealer: Rimmel Match Perfection concealer in 060 Natural Beige not only covers my dark circles and hydrates that area, its also good for spot concealing. 

Powder: I have tried quite a few this year, but the NYX Stay Matte but not Flat powder has been my go to powder, it gives the most natural look, and keeps makeup fresh all day. My Shade is Med Beige.

Contouring: A long term favorite of mine is the Soleil Tan De Chanel Bronze Universel bronzing base from Chanel. It can warm up your face but I like to contour with it. It's give a more natural effect.

If I want something a little more dramatic, I go over it with the ELF bronzing powder in the St. Antigua Duo. 

Blush: I like the blush part of the ELF duo, its supposed to be a dupe of the Nars Orgasm Blush, but with less shimmer. 

A recent new love is the Instain Blush by theBalm in Argyle. Though the product is not new to me, this shade is. It gives a healthy flush of color and stays on for hours.

Highlighter: It's theBalm's Mary Lou Manizer all the way!

Eye Products:

Eye Primer: The Urban Decay Primer Potion and the Elf Eyelid Primer are the two I use interchangeably. I don't see a whole lot of difference between the two but the former does make the eye shadow last a bit longer.

A honorable mention to the Maybelline Color Tattoos, above are the ones in gold and silver.

Eye Brows: This Body Shop Brow and Liner Kit in 03 is ideal for my dark brows. It gives a soft and natural look, but it could be built up for a more defined finish.

Mascara: Just a perfect all-rounder, the Maybelline The Falsies Volum' Express Mascara gives volume and length.

Liquid Liner: The Body Shop Liquid Eyeliner has a lovely wand with a precise end and the formula is not only matte but also long lasting and very black.

Pencil Eye Liners: If I'm going for a wide eyed-look then the neutral pink tones of the Benefit Eye-Bright Pencil is great. For a smoky dark look, the Urban Decay 24/ hour pencil in Zero is the budge proof product I use.  A couple of honorary mentions are the Rimmel Scandal Eye Pencils (not pictured here) and the NYX Glide on Pencils.

Gel Eyeliner: The Bobbi Brown Gel Eyeliner is still going strong for me. Love this product.

Eyeshadows: This year I fell in love with the Sigma Warm Neutral Palette. I love the pink and rustic shades. It also has a great transition color.

The Naked Basics Palette (1st Edition) is my staple. It makes for a a great matte eye look or it can be incorporated in other eye looks for its mattes and the black. Everyone needs this palette.

Lip Products:

Chapstick: Love all the Maybelline Baby Lips. This one is Cherry Me and smells divine. It soothes my chapped lips, though to be honest, they don't usually get too overly dry.

Matte Lipstick: The formula of the NYX matte lipsticks is just great. Not too dry, and they give a wonderful smooth matte effect. This shade is Butter, a grey toned beige.

Balm Sticks: This year every brand has been breaking these out, and they are truly wonderful- convenient and long lasting, and full of pigment. Two of my favs have been the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush and the Rimmel Lasting Finish Color Rush Balm in 200 Keep Mauving. 

Lipstick: Most lipsticks at the drugstore are very good, makeup companies have upped their game. But nothing makes a girl feel happy like a special high end luxury product with great packaging. My favorite is the Rouge in Love lipstick by Lancome in the shade 200B. It's a great everyday neutral pick, just great for any look, any occasion.

Liquid Lipstick: Makeup brands have also been putting these out for past few months. This recent purchase has been great, it is the Too Faced Melted Liquified Lipstick in Melted Nude. It's a peachy beige shade, very long lasting and it dries to a matte finish.

Lipliners: Pictured above is the Rimmel Lasting Finish lip pencil in 004 Indian Pink- a deep pink shade, the Nivea Stay On Lip Liner in 14 Nude Brown- just a great everyday nude and the NYX Auto Lip Pencil in Plum- as the name suggests is a deep muted plum.

Below are swatched in order of appearance in the picture above:

Makeup Tools:

Face Brushes: My Sigma F-84 Angled Kabuki Brush totally rocks, but this year I reached for the Beauty Blender more often. It is faster and gives a more natural finish in comparison.

For powder it was the RT multi task Brush and for blush, the best blush brush ever- RT blush brush; this thing does the work for you.

For contouring I use the RT foundation brush, this gives me the perfect application for the contours of my face and for highlight I use the RT contour blush, ironic right? But it works great.

For concealer I use the RT domed Shadow Brush. The density and shape of the this brush makes it ideal to use around the eye area and other spots that need concealing.

Eye Brushes: Though I have many eye brushes, the ones I have used consistently are a couple by essence- the lay down shader brush and the thinner crease brush. Another great favorite is the Sigma E 25 brush, its a great all rounder. For eyeliner I just love the little brush that comes with the Maybelline gel eyeliners. 

For a more lifted eye look I use The Body Shop Eyelash Curler before applying mascara.

And that wraps it up. What were and are some of your favorite makeup products? I'd love to hear your take.