Welcome to 2015! KaBOOM! Cosmetics is back
in business and I’m feeling very well rested after my little Christmas break
and looking forward to lots of big changes (keep your eyes peeled for updates
very soon) and bringing lots of fresh and fun content to the blog. I thought I
would start off the 2015 blog posts with a roundup of my makeup picks of 2014 (I have linked through to a
review or video featuring the products where relevant).
1.
Rimmel Stay Matte Primer
When I lived in England, I discovered the Rimmel Fix & Perfect Primer which I
absolutely LOVED but sadly, it isn’t available in Australia. There is a Rimmel
primer called Fix & Perfect but
it isn’t the same. I was overjoyed to find Stay
Matte because it reminds me so much of the old Fix & Perfect that I
loved. It’s a white, skin-perfecting primer that feels very creamy and really
helps reduce the appearance of pores, smooth the skin, prolong makeup wear and
it gives a great matte finish. It’s been a godsend for me in 2014 and is easily
my most used primer.
2.
NARS Sheer Glow Foundation in Fiji
This foundation is an absolute dream come
true! For me, it’s perfection in a bottle giving medium coverage and a little
glow without leaving my already oily skin looking greasy. I love how
lightweight it feels and just how good it looks on the skin. The only (very
minor) downside is the bottle/pump issue which you can read more about in my
NARS post.
3.
bareMinerals Stroke of Light Concealer in Luminous 2
On my hunt for a new concealer, I was
tossing up between this and the NARS
Creamy Concealer but what sold this one was two things. First, I received a
sample with purchase from Mecca and I LOVED it and secondly, when I visited
Mecca, the lovely Alex from bareMinerals was in store and she was so
enthusiastic and looked totally flawless so into my basket it went! I
definitely don’t regret it, it feel fabulously lightweight while still masking
my awful under eye bags (even when I’m not tired they still look terrible) and
just generally making me look awake and not undead.
4.
NARS Compact Powder Foundation in Fiji
NARS has been my 2014 Brand of the Year I
think! I’ve been discovering a few delightful new goodies from them as well as
revelling in some old favourites including this powder foundation. This is
actually the first high end makeup product I ever bought and I haven’t looked
back since. Whether I’m using it to set my foundation or using it alone over my
favourite primer, it’s always a winner for me.
5.
Daniel Sandler Watercolour Liquid Blush in Cherub
I have been very lucky to meet some amazing
blogger babes in 2014 including Kate from TheMinted Beauty who was kind enough to gift me with this little blush. It’s
completely unlike any blush I’ve ever tried and I adore the natural flush it
gives me. A little goes a very long way and I’ve found myself reaching for this
more than any other blush in my collection over the last few months.
6. Crown Brushes C452 Infinity Flat Bronzer Brush
2014 was
the year I ventured to Sydney for IMATS! While I found IMATS pretty
underwhelming (see my video here), I did meet some lovely girls including
Kirsty from Lipstick Addict and
Ashleigh from Beauty for Thought and
made a few excellent purchases including this brush. It’s such a soft, dense
brush and it gives a flawless finish, I use it for both foundation and blush
and I can’t even remember what I used before this came along!
7. Hourglass Ambient Powder/Blush Wardrobes
Technically,
I’m probably cheating by including 2 palettes under one umbrella but both of
these are too gorgeous not to include. I bought the powder when it first came
out (and before Mecca dropped their prices, grrr!) and recently purchased the
blush palette too, it looked to pretty to resist! Both palettes contain 3
products, for the powder wardrobe this includes Dim Light, Incandescent Light and Radiant Light and for the blush wardrobe the products are Luminous Flush, Incandescent Electra and
Mood Exposure. I get such good use
out of every single one of these, I know a lot of people were disappointed or
didn’t like the powder palette in particular but it really just works for me.
 |
| Hourglass Blush Wardrobe swatches (bottom-top): Luminous Flush, Incandescent Electra & Mood Exposure |
 |
| Hourglass Powder Wardrobe swatches (bottom-top): Dim Light, Incandescent Light & Radiant Light |
8. MAC Lipstick in Hug Me
I
finally found the perfect “my lips but better shade”! I never thought I would
be a nude lipsticks kind gal but something shifted for me this year and I found
myself reaching for nudes over bright more and more frequently. Hug Me is a flesh-toned nude pink in a
Lustre finish meaning that it’s very moisturising and very wearable. I can’t
get enough of this lipstick!
Honourable mention: I couldn’t talk about nude
lipsticks without mentioning Gerard Cosmetics 1995 which I talked about here. I was lucky enough to purchase
this from the CEO of Gerard Cosmetics herself and I think this may have been
the shade that sparked my sudden love of nudes. It only gets an honourable
mention as I don’t find it quite as easy to wear as the Hug Me and the packaging isn’t as sturdy either.
9. Rimmel Provocalips 16HR Kissproof Lip
Colour*
Again,
probably cheating by throwing in an entire lipstick range but meh! I originally
wasn’t all that impressed with these but I very quickly changed my tune after
realising that a) they DO. NOT. BUDGE and b) they don’t get all over my
Invisalign. While I don’t love all of the colours in the range, Make Your Move and Play With Fire would have to be my two favourites. Gotta love a lip
colour that stays put all day long!
10. Maybelline Eye Studio Lasting Drama Gel
Pot Liner in Blackest Black
This is
my HG of eyeliners, full stop! It’s easy to work with, doesn’t dry out and best
of all, doesn’t budge once it’s on your eyelids. While I don’t actually own any
high end eyeliners (and I call myself a beauty blogger!) I have heard a lot of
people who say that this version is comparable, if not better than the Bobbi
Brown one and for a fraction of the price too.
11. Rimmel Wonder’Full Mascara with Argan
Oil
Can you tell what my favourite drugstore
brand is? You guessed it, Rimmel! I am quite lucky in that I have quite long,
thick lashes naturally and all they need is a little oomph. I usually curl them
then add a coat or two of my favourite mascara but my pet hate is clumpy
mascaras. This mascara has quite a runny formula but it is absolutely perfect
for me and I find that it’s a great everyday mascara. It definitely lengthens
and adds a wee bit of volume AND it has the added benefit of Argan Oil to
promote growth and make your lashes look super thick and shiny too.
12.
Maybelline Brow Drama in Dark Brown
This product very recently entered my life
thanks to a recommendation from Kelsey from Kelsey Sarah. Having quite thick, almost black brows, I always
struggle finding brow products that aren’t too warm/red toned and finding
products that just fill in the gaps a little as opposed to getting instant drag
queen eyebrows. While this product won’t be everyone’s cup of tea, it is just
perfect for me and I now use it every day. It has quite a fat ball applicator
which a lot of people don’t like but it actually fits my fat fuzzy brows really
well and I like the filled but not over-filled effect that I get.
13.
Too Faced Chocolate Bar Eyeshadow Palette
I’m gonna go out on a limb and say that
this is not only my favourite eyeshadow palette but also my favourite product
of 2014, I think I might actually be in love with an eyeshadow palette. My two
favourite things are chocolate and makeup so I pretty much can’t get enough of
this. From the chocolate bar packaging to the sweet cocoa scent to the
amazingly pigmented shades, this palette is my dream come true. The only very
tiny problem I have with it is that the shade names aren’t printed on the
packaging but honestly, it’s such a fabulous palette that I can deal with such
a minor problem!
14. Sally
Hansen Miracle Gel Polish
As someone who spends a LOT of time
painting their nails and who detests having even the tiniest chip, this nail
polish is a god send. Not only do you not have to muck around with UV lamps and
acetone but this polish lasts for a week with only the tiniest bit of wear,
seriously, it’s amazing! You use any one of the 18 shades with the Miracle Gel Top Coat and you instantly
have a week of amazing polish literally at your fingertips. The best part is
that you can remove this polish with normal nail polish remover too, like I
said AH-MAY-ZING!
 |
| Swatches L-R:
Daniel Sandler Watercolour Blush in Cherub, bareMinerals Stroke of Light
Concealer, Hug Me by MAC & Maybelline Brow Drama |
And there you have it! Apologies for the
epically long post but these products all deserved a mention and hopefully you
enjoyed my Top 14 of 2014. What were your top products for last year?
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