Best in Beauty 2014

The past year have seemed to gone by like a whirlwind for me, I did such a good job of keeping myself busy that I now find it extremely weird to have all the time in the world to myself. Hello blogging world, I am back for good. No more of those empty promises of posts which never arrived. I graduated, traveled for a month, worked two jobs, quit one of them, and now job searching again with the plan on going back to school. The one thing that never changed was the commitment to accumulating makeup and justifying every unnecessary purchase *makes the most innocent look on my face*. 

Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner in Deep Black: I did a review on this eyeliner a long time ago, and I would now rate it as 11/10 instead. I realized that at the time I had received a dud, all of the other Dolly Wink eyeliners I used after never had the drying issue mentioned in my post. I love this eyeliner so much that I bought five back ups. Tell me I have obsessive problems with this eyeliner.

Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Eyeliner Trio Hazel Eyes: This brown eyeliner came in a set of three. I never realized I loved it so much until noticing that it has been in my makeup bag wherever I went ever since I bought it. I always use it to line my lower lash line to finish my eyeshadow look or on days where I felt like giving my eyes an extra oomph. I prefer lining my eyes with this brown liner because it's not too dark and empowering compared to using black. More importantly, it doesn't smudge or fade throughout the day.

Yves Saint Laurent Rouge Volupte Shine in 15 Corail Intuitive: If you have been following me for a while and read my review, you would know how much love I have for this lipstick.

Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara: This was definitely a 2014 love for me. I tried a sample of this mascara earlier in the year and caved in to exchange $30 for this babe in full size. This is probably the only and by far the most expensive mascara I have purchased in history. I love the cone shaped brush which allows you to maximize your control and getting every small stick straight asian lash on your eyes. It is incredibly black and lengthens your lashes like you have not seen your lashes exist until after using it (at least for mine). Of course the only down fall is that my lashes are too short and my curl would not hold unless I use another waterproof mascara prior to using this. Usually I don't bother with high end mascaras or any mascaras that can't hold my curl on its own but this made the exception for me.

Anastasia Dipbrow Pomade: I was very tempted to also include the brow powder and pencil as part of my 2014 favourites but decided to choose one of the three, otherwise this post would be too long to read. The reason why the Dipbrow made the cut and not the other two products is because this stuff does not budge. It lasts all day and is smudge proof and waterproof (to a certain extent). The brow powder and pencil also lasts all day but does not live up the same compared to the Dipbrow in terms of smudge proof and waterproof abilities. You can think of Dipbrow as the heavy duty product and the other two as good for regular wear.

Chloe Chloe Eau de Parfum: A new member that made it to my fragrance collection tells a lot because I don't generally use perfume. This roller ball actually came in the Sephora Favourites Super Star set that I bought over the holidays. I bought the set for many reasons, this roller ball being one of them. I always thought this scent never collaborated with me well and it never came off of me the same as it does with my wifey so I never bothered to buy it. I don't know what has changed but it now gives the same scent I had hoped for.

Beauty World Dream Girl Lashes in 981 Black Brown: I have a big regret with this set of lashes....and that is not buying more when I was in Hong Kong. SaSa Cosmetics was a store I casually and frequently walked into during my stay so I bought these lashes on a whim to try out for fun and after coming home and wearing them I fell in love. The lashes are full but tapered enough that is good for daytime wear. I used to combine two Daiso lashes together to get this effect but now I don't have to with these....until I run out.

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder in 004 Sandstorm: I bought this last summer on a whim because I forgot to bring my setting powder to my friend's house on a girl's night to get ready together. Not entirely sure if it did its job perfectly that night as we all got pretty drunk but bringing this to my trip to Hong Kong definitely helped mattify my face throughout.

Sofina Jenne Oil Control Mousse: My sister recommended me to buy this product while I was in Hong Kong and its dry texture is like nothing I've tried before (Benefit's Porefessional finish comes close but not quite, I assume it's some silicone texture). The mousse does an amazing job at keeping your T-zone oil free or any other areas that you get oily with a small pea size amount once you spread it out. Definitely recommended if you are able to get your hands on it!

Sothy's Hydra-Matt Fluid for Oily skin: I have been religiously using this every morning before I go out. I like how it's a light weight gel texture and absorbs into the skin easily. It also helps keep my skin more matte during the day. I've tried other moisturizers for the daytime but I always come back to this one.

Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream in Light: I was surprised this shade worked with my medium skin tone, but then again the coverage is very light and forgiving. I was never into the whole BB Cream phase and was definitely not gonna try any American brands which are made just for the hype copying the original Korean BB Creams. However, this was also one items that came with the Sephora Favourites Super Star set so I gave it a try and I ended up liking it a lot. I was never the type of girl that had to wear foundation all the time, so this became a good option for me to avoid the heavy makeup look and go for the natural face makeup.

Too Faced Chocolate Bar Eyeshadow Palette: This is wholesome goodness to me. The eyeshadows are pigmented, smooth, long lasting and most importantly its cocoa scent is amazing. I can't help but take a whiff every time I use it. My favourite shades in the palette are Black Forest Truffle, Salted Caramel, Marzipan, Amaretto, and Cherry Cordial.

Urban Decay Naked 3 Palette: The review post for this palette has been dusting in my drafts since forever and I don't think there's a need to post that up anymore now that there are millions of reviews out there and everyone has either read about it already or owns one themselves lol. I love the rosey pinks in this palette; if I'm not using the Chocolate Bar palette then you'll most likely find me using this palette for my eyeshadow looks. My favourite shades in this palette are  Buzz, Trick, Nooner, Factory, and Mugshot.

NARS Guy Bourdin Blush Palette: This was a 2013 Winter Holiday release, however I didn't get my hands on it until late January/early February. Whenever I don't know what to wear on my cheeks I can just blindly choose any colour in this cheek palette and not go wrong. This palette is also great for traveling as you have every shade range you need.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette: When I first swatched it in store, I never understood what was the hype with this palette. That was because I didn't understand what this product really is and how to use it. It was a moment of spontaneous splurge with the Sephora Friends and Family 20% off sale and knowing that I could always return it if I didn't like it. However, the more I used it the more I fell in love. The powders work wonders in an unexplainable way. It gives life and a natural glow to your face without being obvious and it is a perfect combination to my Smashbox BB Cream and Chanel Perfection Lumiere. Now I'm debating whether or not I should hunt down the Ambient Lighting Blush Palette.