2014 Favourites

2014 was the year I spent way to much money on make up...Anyways, these are my 2014 Favourites: 

1. Shiseido BB Cream SPF 30 in light

I bought this BB Cream after my Maybelline one was nearing the end of its life. I immediately noticed the increased coverage I got from a better quality BB Cream. Obviously being Shiseido it is rather pricey, but it matches my skin tone quite well and has SPF 30 which is fantastic, particularly now as the sun poses a bigger threat to my fair skin. 

I think if you have sensitive skin or are tired of having to cake on your makeup to get coverage, and are prepared to spend a little bit more then I think this is a great BB Cream. I have found that applying it with a brush gives a higher coverage with less product and also gives quite a natural finish which I like.

Retails for $35.00 NZD

2. Shiseido Foundation in 020

As mentioned in my first blog post, I have a fear of looking cake faced and feeling fake, but with this foundation, I don't feel that at all because it is a really light formula. I think it it is a better foundation for the day, as I find it's really only medium coverage, but as full coverage has the potential to look quite cakey, medium coverage is perfect. I have found that it has a yellow tinge which I don't think works right with my skin tone, but it isn't so bad that I look orange. 

If you want a good quality foundation for your skin, particularly if you have sensitive skin or you believe in putting good quality ingredients on your skin then this is a not bad foundation, especially for the day. It is on the more pricey side so I would reccomend getting matched and trying a sample of it first. 

It retails for $83.00 NZD

3. Shiseido Lipstick in 307

The photo does not do the colour of the lipstick justice at all. It is a gorgeous rose pink that is prefect to wear when you have really defined your eyes as it is subtle, yet pretty and gives a gorgeous glow to the lips. It's also really nice to wear during the day as part of your natural make up look. 

The lipstick is smooth and glides on easily. It doesn't have a matte finish, but I also like that it isn't super glossy partly because if I wanted super glossy lips I would wear lipgloss. I am not really a huge fan of super glossy lips anyways, so I find that this lipstick is perfect for me. 

It retails for $52.00 NZD

4. Rimmel London Scandal Eyes Extreme Black Mascara

I originally had this mascara just in black and it was very black, but somehow this mascara is indeed extreme black. At first the formula is a bit funny, but once you start using it the formula evens out. I don't actually use this mascara by itself, using the brush I find it difficult to achieve that fanned out lashes look, but because I like bolder, thicker lashes, I have found that using this over the top of my Max Factor Clump Defy mascara, really makes my lashes look bold and black. 

If you like really bold lashes that really frame your eye then this is a good drugstore option.

It retails for $19.00 NZD

5.  Max Factor Clump Defy Mascara in Black/Brown

I don't like that the colour is only black brown, I prefer a really bold black, but the colour is more natural I guess. I do like the brush, I find it gives a nice curl to the lashes and fans them out quite nicely. The brush does work best if found if you use it a certain way, it's one of those brushes that is crescent shape and it works best I have found if I use the inside of the crescent rather than the other way. 

The mascara gives a natural look to the lashes and is subtle rather than a wow look. It doesn't clump which is good as it's supposed to not clump and gives a nice curl. Unfortunately my lashes seem incapable of holding that curl as the day goes on so that curl is lost. 

It retails for $20.00-25.00 NZD

6. Skinfood Light Moisturiser 

What attracted me to Skinfood was their use of natural products and their products being paraben free. I struggle a lot with my skin, I have oily to combination skin and that means I can't use a vast number of moisturisers because they contain oils. Also my skin is quite sensitive and breaks out in response, so I needed a moisturiser that was preferably water based, was light and used some natural products. Skinfood ticked all of these boxes, also, the staff I talked to for advice about which of the Skinfood moisturiser range was going to be best for me were super helpful and helped me find the right products for my skin (they also recommended a cleanser called cleanse all and an exfoliant). 

I love this moisturiser, I use it mainly on my cheeks and under and around my eyes as for some reason my cheeks have dry patches and my eyelids can get dry as well. I also use it to keep the skin hydrated around my eyes as the skin there is delicate and gets put through quite a bit (lack of sleep=puffy eyes and dark circles and it gets concealer put on top). I have found I can also use it on my nose and forehead which are the areas of my skin that gets the most oily and my skin doesn't have a major freak out. I don't notice it on my skin, nor does it feel heavy on my skin either which is something I hate. 

I would definitely recommend this moisteriser, I think it would work well for oily, combination, slightly dry and normal skin types. If you have super dry skin I would recommend one of the other moisturisers. 

It retails for $13.99 NZD

7. ChiChi Nailpolish in Go Go Girl 

This nail polish needs two coats to get a really nice finish, but the polish glides on and doesn't smudge or chip easily. It has a slightly pink and gold tone to it but on my nails it looks more like just silver polish. 

I do love this nail polish anyways because of how easy it is to apply and the colour is gorgeous. 

It retails for $13.86 NZD

8. Ulta3 Nailpolishes in Lollypop Lilac and Gold Rush Fever

I love both of these colours, they are so gorgeous and really only need one coat. They don't chip or smudge easily as well which is always good. The polish is really good quality as well, it's super easy to apply and the brush works really well. 

It retails for $4.00 NZD

9. Maybelline New York Baby Lips in Baby Pink 

I find that baby lips keeps my lips really smooth, and I like that this one has a warm pink glow to it. It's great because I can wear it with my everyday makeup and it just finishes of my look without being to extreme or intense. It's quite natural and pretty and it's almost like wearing a lipstick. 

It retails for $4.99 NZD

10. Shiseido Smoothing Lip Pencil in 303 

This pencil glides on to the lips, and the brush is really handy to smooth it across your lips. The colour goes with my Shiseido lipstick, but by itself it's really pretty, I often wear this on my lips and put another lipstick over the top and it looks beautiful. It does dry my lips out severely, so I have to make sure I have slightly moisturised lips before I put it on. 

It retails for $32.00 NZD 

11. Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Eyeliner Pencil in 061 Jet Black

I love this eyeliner, it glides on to my waterline and tight line beautifully and it doesn't stay on all day unfortunately, but I do have quite moist eyes, (my mum suffers from having super dry eyes) so it's not really surprising. Despite that, I love this eyeliner and it is really easy to smudge out or blend if I put it on my eyelids and it does stay put if I am wearing it on my eyelids. 

It retails for $17.00 NZD

12. MUD Lipstick in 013 Pure Passion

This is such a pretty colour, it has a slight shimmer to it as well which I love. I often wear this over the top of my Shiseido lip pencil and over the top of my Shiseido lipstick and by itself because it looks amazing by itself and over these two products. It glides on to my lips nicely and does stay put which is good. 

It retails for $6.99 NZD

13. MUD Lipstick in 004 Pretty Please

This lipstick has almost a matte finish, not quite though it's still got some shine but not too much which I like. It's a gorgeous red with a pink undertone which doesn't quite suit me as well as a blue based red would, but I still love the colour so I wear it anyway. In fact, the colour is almost a really dark raspberry colour, sort of.  The colour does not move off my lips which is good as red lipstick around your mouth is never good.

It retails for $6.99 NZD 

Thank you so much for reading my 2014 Favourites, I am sorry that it has taken so long to be uploaded, I don't have an excuse for that.

I hope you enjoyed it, and if you have any products that you think I should try, leave me a comment and I will be sure to check it out.

Jem

Xx