Happy New Year! I honestly can't believe how fast 2014 went - it seems like only yesterday we were in 2013.
I've spent the past few days whittling down my makeup collection to compile a list of my ultimate make-up picks of the year. I've taken inspiration from the lovely Vivianna Does Makeup and used her categories to list my choices for the best beauty items of 2014.
2014 was a fantastic year makeup-wise, particularly for us Irish gals. Many of the world's most popular beauty brands made their way to our shores, including Charlotte Tilbury, NYX, Physician's Formula and Wet'N'Wild, to name but a few.
If you've read my blog at any point since I made it last June, I'm sure you'll recognise some of these products - I tend to blog about my loves immediately so many of these items won't come as a surprise. So let's get straight to business: (Wait! One more thing - swatches of everything is at the bottom of the post!)

Base:

• Best Primer: My primer of 2014 is the Smashbox Photo Finish Primer, without a doubt. I've got incredibly oily skin and I have never found a primer as long-lasting as this little guy. It feels light and velvety, keeping my skin matte and my foundation in place. Love, love, love!
• Best Lightweight Foundation: NARS Sheer Matte. Although marketed as a sheer foundation, it's most certainly a buildable choice that you can make into a medium coverage if you wish. I chose it for my lightweight foundation as that's my preferred way of wearing it - it's so natural yet flawless, with fantastic longevity. It's a pricey base choice but in my opinion it is definitely worth investing in. 
• Best Full Coverage Foundation: I'm giving this prize to Maybelline Better Skin Superstay Foundation. I bought this back in June and it is my top foundation of the year, dare I say it. The coverage is nothing short of flawless, it feels light on your skin and blends in seamlessly. It's most definitely the best foundation I've ever come across at the drugstore. 
• Best Tinted Moisturiser: I'm not the biggest fan of tinted moisturisers, however I discovered the Stila Oil Free Sheer Tinted Moisturiser about two years ago and it has become a staple for me in the summer when my skin is clear and behaving itself. It's incredibly sheer but it can be built up to a nice light coverage with two or three layers. The formula is very light so there's no worry that it's going to cake up. It's very long lasting so it's an excellent option for the summer time when you don't need much coverage anyway.
• Best Concealer: No prizes for guessing what I've chosen here - of course, MAC Pro Longwear Concealer! I went through two of them this year, and got a new one for Christmas to keep me going for 2015. There are no concealers on the market that compare to it - it's ideal for highlighting under the eyes as well as covering blemishes. I've also started using it as an eyeshadow base and it works better than any primer I own! 
• Best Powder: Again, no surprise here - my beloved MAC Mineralise Skin Finish Natural. As you can tell from the picture above, it's very well loved! It'll have to be my first beauty purchase of 2015. I would describe this powder as a filter for your face - it just glides over the skin and banishes any imperfections with a light dusting. It has a light coverage so you can even use it on its own with a bit of concealer if you want a natural makeup look. I don't think I will ever find a powder that will overtake my love for this little guy! 
• Best Bronzer: Michael Kors Bronze Powder in Gleam. I love a bronzer with a good sheen to it, no chunky glitter. It's a stunning true bronze with a hint of gold, which is complimentary on every skin tone imaginable. The powder is very finely milled and delivers the most beautiful bronzed sheen to the skin. It's really the only non-matte bronzer that I reach for in my collection.
• Best Blush: I am awarding this to MAC's Dainty blush. It's part of their mineralise range, and is a stunning pink with a golden shimmer, but like the Michael Kors bronzer, it gives a sheen rather than becoming a thick glittery mess on your skin. This is my go-to blush as it looks beautiful paired with any eye and lip look, it's so effortless. 
• Best Contour: I'd like to say Laguna by NARS as I'm obsessed, but I don't think it's a fair pick as I've only had it for the last month or so. Hence, the award is going to NYC's Smooth Skin Bronzer in Sunny. It's the most fantastic contour shade as it's completely matte and is a true golden-bronze, not an orange or muddy brown. It's not too intensely pigmented, so you have great control with it and applying it is a breeze. It's also as cheap as chips, so there's no room for complaint here.
• Best Highlighter: This was a complete no brainer for me. Without a doubt, my highlighter of 2014 is Makeup Revolution's The One Blush Stick in Dream. It is the most stunning, pearlescent pink highlight that is so natural yet striking. I reviewed the whole collection of Blush Sticks, which you can view here. I love Dream because the formula is just outstanding - it has a cream to powder effect and you are in complete control of how it looks on your cheeks - you can apply it sheerly or apply it heavily for an intense highlight.

Eyes:

• Best Brow Product: Benefit's Gimme Brow has been my favourite brow launch of the year. I've found that this year in particular, every reputable makeup brand has stepped up their brow game, but I really think Benefit were on to a winner with this product. It's a brow gel that emulates the look of real hairs so you can have a natural looking brow that isn't sparce. I tend to use this on its own if I'm too lazy to do a full face of makeup with defined brows, and it gives my brows a nice bit of definition without looking like a huge amount of effort went into doing them. I will most definitely be repurchasing this.
• Best Eye Primer: I've raved about this primer countless times here on my blog, it's the Essence I Heart Stage Eye Base. I've used this for about two years now and no other primer comes close to it for me. It has a slight tint to it so it eliminates any discolouration or veining on your lids to provide you with a smooth blank canvas to apply your eyeshadow on top of. 
• Best Single Eyeshadow: I chose Givenchy's Mono Eyeshadow in Modish Brown. I did a full in depth review of it here which you can refer to for swatches and more detail. It's basically a single eyeshadow, a light chocolate brown, that is divided into four squares to give you four finishes. Fairly suave, non? It's so versatile and as you know, I'm a packaging junkie so I adore the classy Givenchy casing. I'm also a fan of a good magnetic closure, so this is an all rounder by my standards.
• Best Eyeshadow Palette: I don't think will come as a surprise to any of you. Charlotte Tilbury's Dolce Vita eyeshadow palette - also known as the make-up love of my life (well, maybe my second as I think my Tom Ford lipstick has won my heart...). Like my Givenchy eyeshadow, I've done a full in-depth review of the palette with swatches which you can view here.  Charlotte Tilbury Cosmetics took the beauty world by storm in 2014, and this product is a true testament as to why she is fast becoming the queen of makeup.
• Best Eyeshadow Stick: I actually had a few in mind for this category, but my winner is the NYX Jumbo Pencil in Milk. NYX launched in Ireland this year and Milk was near impossible to get until about a month after it launched! Anyway, it's the perfect opaque white eyeshadow base or eyeliner that is so versatile. I love to put it under my eyeshadows to really intensify them and improve their longevity. It also looks fabulous as an eyeliner on the waterline.
• Best Eye Pencil: My go-to eye pencil of the year has been the Chanel Intense Eye Pencil in Noir. I read countless reviews of how excellent this one was, so I decided to step away from my beloved Rimmel eye kohl and give this one a whirl. It was most definitely worth it! It's the most long-wearing, intense black eye pencil I have ever tried. It's completely smudge resistant and doesn't budge at all. It's ideal for the tightline as it doesn't transfer at all.
• Best Mascara: The winner here is the Kiko Ultra Tech mascara. This is another firm love that I was introduced to this year when I went to Italy. We don't have Kiko here in Ireland and at €3, I had to snap this mascara up. It's an excellent volumising mascara that is clump free and adds a false-lash effect to your eyelashes. I didn't get the waterproof formula but it doesn't smudge or dry incredibly hard, it's a very comfortable mascara to wear. It's the best I've tried in a while, without a doubt!

Lips:

• Best Lip Balm: I'm awarding this to the famous EOS lip balms. My younger sister is a massive fan of them - her collection proudly boasts over 20 of them! My collection, however, is a little more demure and holds six different flavours. They all smell divine -my personal favourite is Summer Fruits- and they're incredibly moisturising without leaving a greasy residue behind. Their egg shape makes application a dream, and also quite fun! They're a handbag essential for me - I can't be without my little egg lip balms!
• Best Lip Gloss: I found myself scratching my head a little on which lip gloss to choose - it made me come to the realisation that I've definitely been neglecting glossy lips recently! Anyway, I concluded that the best gloss I've tried all year has to be the NYX Butter Gloss in Peaches and Cream. The name is a little misleading as it's certainly not peach - it's a true pink colour that's highly pigmented. It smells like vanilla, almost similar to the MAC lipsticks, and is very buttery - and ultimately true to its name! I plan on trying more colours this year, so let me know if you've any recommendations.
• Best Lip Pencil: An absolute no brainer for me - MAC's Soar lip pencil. Kylie Jenner took over the beauty world with her lip lining techniques, and when it was confirmed that Soar was her weapon of choice, there was not a Soar pencil to be found at any MAC counter. I've used mine non-stop since October - I think I've worn perhaps five make-up looks without it! It's the most versatile lip pencil in my collection, it works well with every lip colour under the sun. I particularly like to put it under light pink lipsticks, it makes them much more flattering and adds a lovely deep tone. If you only have one lip pencil in your life, it has to be this one! 
• Best Nude Lipstick: I've chosen my Essence Stay Matte Lip Cream in Soft Nude. I'm not the biggest fan of nude lipsticks, so as you'll see from the swatches below, this is more a mauve-toned nude. I would go as far as saying this is one of my all-time favourite lip colours - the formula is impeccable, it has fantastic staying power and it doesn't feel drying on your lips, nor does it sit into any dry areas on your lips. The smell is slightly off putting, it smells like very sweet marshmallows, which can be overpowering after a while but it's worth it for such a beautiful lip colour, in my opinion!
• Best Bold Lipstick: My favourite bold lippie of 2014 has got to be MAC's Dodgy Girl lipstick. It was part of May's Kelly Osbourne collection, and it's a matte lilac which is absolutely beautiful, as you can see below. Even though this is the bold lipstick category, I think it's worth mentioning that this lipstick can easily be made into a wearable one by simply adding a slightly darker gloss. It's a true winner that I love in my collection!

And finally, that is everything that I have been loving in 2014! Wishing you all a very Happy New Year - here's to plenty more favourites posts! 

Zara :-) x

The Ultimate Kim Kardashian Nude Lip Featuring Lippy Girl & Smashbox!

Like a lot of beauty lovers, I'm incredibly inspired by the Kardashian clan's make-up looks - I think they're all absolutely beautiful and I love all their respective signature looks.
Kim in particular is a make-up icon of mine, and I love to recreate her red carpet looks. One thing she is famous for, is her perfect nude lip. It's difficult to know what she uses exactly, but I'm very pleased to report that I have found the ultimate nude lipstick from Lippy Girl, combined with a gloss from Smashbox. Let's take a look, shall we?

I love this nude lipstick so much - I've worn it so much since I received it last week!
This nude shade is called Ski Bunny, and it's a stunning nude shade, which is comparable to Creme Cup by MAC, only less pink. It has a matte finish, but it doesn't feel drying on your lips. It glides on creamily and smoothly. I did find that it clung to any dry patches on my lips slightly, so be sure to moisturise your lips well before applying it. It's incredibly pigmented and lasts all day on the lips. What I love about this nude shade is that it has a slight pinkish tone to it, so it avoids the dreaded foundation lip look! It's not a flat matte colour, it has such a beautiful finish.
It's such a versatile colour too - it looks incredible when layered over different lip pencils. I'm currently obsessed with layering it on top of Soar lip liner by MAC!
 Lippy Girl's Vegocentric lipsticks include only natural organic ingredients, which is great news too! The Lippy Girl lipsticks cost £12.50 and are available from http://www.botanicalbrands.com/

In order to achieve the perfect Kim K look, I decided to top it off with my current favourite lip gloss from Smashbox in the shade 'Illume'. I've done a full review on this in my Smashbox Try It Kit Review so you can refer to that for more detail. 

The Smashbox lipgloss is just the perfect top coat for this lip look - it provides a gorgeous shimmery shine to the lips that is essential for a Kim Kardashian lip. This lip combination looks absolutely beautiful paired with a smoky eye, as it really tones it down and evens out the make-up.

 Are you a fan of the Kardashian make-up trends like me? Let me know your favourite Kardashian-inspired products!
Zara :-) x

Christmas Gift Ideas: Smashbox Try It Kit!

Now that November is upon us, it's time to bring out the Christmas blog posts!

Today I'll be sharing the niftiest little kit that my cousins got me for my birthday a few weeks ago - the Smashbox Try It Kit. 

The kit contains five mini sizes of Smashbox's best selling products, giving you the opportunity to trial them all before deciding whether to make the splurge and buy them all full-sized! 

I absolutely love this kit and highly recommend it as a gift for any beauty lover in your life. So let's take a closer look at what you get in the kit:

• Photo Finish Foundation Primer

This is the most raved-about primer of all-time, so I was anxious to see how it would perform on my super-oily skin. It claims to smooth the appearance of fine lines and pores while creating a flawless canvas for make-up application, and it's also oil free. It has a velvety texture that makes it a dream to apply onto your face, and it reduces the look of pores. It's similar enough to Benefit's Porefessional without the tinted colour and silicone feel. I've never found a primer that has genuinely kept my make-up looking flawless with no need to touch-up or anything - I just kind of concluded that my skin was too oily and I would have to deal with constantly touching my foundation up throughout the night. 

The first time I wore this was to an 18th a few weeks ago. I applied my foundation at 5pm and when I got home at 2 the following morning my foundation still looked perfect! I hadn't used any powder, and it didn't have a greasy touch. I always doubted that a foundation primer would be worth €35, but this one certainly made me change my mind! It's my favourite item in the kit and I will most definitely be purchasing a full size.

• Photo Finish Lid Primer

From the same family as the Foundation Primer, the Photo Finish Lid Primer is another winner. It has a nude tint to it, and it feels almost powdery to the touch. It reminds me a little bit of the Urban Decay Primer Potion in Eden, only it feels a little more dry and it isn't as opaque on the lids. I really enjoyed using this primer, it's crease resistant and really improved the vibrancy of the shadows I wore over it. It didn't allow oil through and kept my eyeshadow on all day. I love how it has a doe-foot applicator, as it minimises wasted product, unlike those tubes of primer that you always end up using far too much of! The Photo Finish Lid Primer retails for about €19, which is relatively standard for a high-end eyeshadow primer, and I would totally recommend it if you're on the search for a good quality eyeshadow base. 

• Full Exposure Mascara

I'm a self-confessed mascara junkie, so I absolutely love getting new ones to try out! The Full Exposure mascara promises to expose your longest, fullest lashes with no clumps or flakes. Thankfully, this mascara stays true to its promises! 

The wand of the brush is quite big, but it's not difficult to coat your smaller lashes in the inner corners. The wand allows you to fan out your lashes to give them ultimate length and volume. It's rare that a mascara can deliver both exceptional length and volume, so this mascara is a must-have for me. It doesn't clump your lashes, nor does it make them look spidery. It doesn't flake or smudge throughout the day, even though it's not a waterproof formula. I've always been an advocate of drugstore mascaras over expensive ones, however if you're wanting to splurge out on a mascara, it has to be this one! The Full Exposure Mascara retails at €20, which is actually quite good value for a high-end mascara!

• Limitless Eye Liner in Onyx

I never thought I would find an eye liner pencil that I love more than my Chanel one, but the day has come - Chanel has been replaced! The Limitless Eye Liner in Onyx is a true jet black pencil that is waterproof and is smudge proof and budge free. The formula of this pencil is fantastic - it has a creamy consistency that doesn't drag or pull your eye, and although it doesn't smudge, it can be blended under your eyes without hassle. I love how soft the pencil is, it makes lining both your waterline and tight line so simple. The full size of this pencil will set you back €17, but it also includes a built-in pencil sharpener! I love this sample size for throwing in my bag and taking with me on the go, although I never need to touch it up! Once it sets, it's not going anywhere!

• Lip Enhancing Gloss in Illume

I've always heard great reviews of the Smashbox glosses, so I was really eager to play with this beautiful golden nude colour. The gloss is quite sticky, but it lasts a long time on the lips. I'm personally not too fussed about overly sticky glosses, I tend to just blot them into a tissue after application and then I'm good to go! I really loved this colour, it gave my lips a beautiful sheen and it looks stunning paired with dramatic eyes. It looks very shimmery in the tube however when you apply it it's much more subdued. To me, this smells very similar to the MAC lip glosses - I'd describe it as a sweet vanilla scent. I would recommend checking this out if you're looking for a nice everyday lipgloss that you could also pair with a dark smoky eye. It's a winner in my book! The full sized gloss is €20.50

As you've probably concluded, I couldn't recommend this kit enough. I absolutely love it and I think it's a fantastic means of trying Smashbox's best selling products. Before I got this kit I hadn't tried anything by Smashbox, but it has made me add some of the products to my wishlist! 

I think this would make a fantastic gift for any make-up lover, or even someone just getting into make-up. The set is €22, which is exceptional value in my opinion.

Let me know what your favourite Smashbox products are in the comments!

(Also thank you to my cousins Alanna and Katie for getting me this, I absolutely love it!! :) ) 

Zara :-) x