Best Beauty Discoveries of 2014!

And along with new adventures this year, I’ve also discovered new makeup products that I’ve grown to love and really depend on as a staple in my every day makeup routine.

These are all products I discovered over the past year that were, in my mind, “the best of the best”. (To clarify, these are only the best products I discovered this year. If you want to see my top ten products of all time, go HERE.) These are in no particular order. 🙂

NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams

I can’t believe it’s taken me so long to try these lip creams, but they are amazing!! They remind me of more affordable options for the Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick and the Stila Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick. They don’t last as long as them, but they still do a fantastic job, and for $6, who can complain?

  It Cosmetics Celebration Foundation (& Illumination)

I was sent both of these to try out this year, and I really like how well these foundations cover. If I don’t have any new breakouts, I can often get away without concealer when I wear this (and for those who don’t know, I have very acne-prone skin). I prefer the regular formula over the Illumination (because I get oily throughout the day), but if you have dry skin, I think you’d love the Illumination one! And this is very good product for prom night!

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer

I finally caved and bought this bronzer after eying their extensive bronzer collection in the Sephora stores for months. This doesn’t smell as chocolatey as their milk chocolate one, but it does a fabulous job at bronzing my skin up. I love it! It’s really the perfect tone for my skin. It makes me want to try out some more cheek products from Too Faced in the future.

SHOP HERE

  E.L.F. Studio Small Stipple Brush

I purchased this after hearing Emily on Beauty Broadcast rave about it so much…and I’ve grown to love it as well! If there’s any sort of cream cheek product — blush, highlighter, or bronzer — this is the brush I grab. It works wonders — and it’s only $3!!

Maybelline Fit Me Concealer

I purchased this one shortly before my wedding, as I wanted a good, affordable concealer for any acne spots that I may have. It does a fabulous job at concealing my spots. This was the first concealer that I purchased at the drugstore (after trying many others) that actually concealed my acne and held up all day. Definitely worth purchasing!

Bite Beauty Creme Lipstick & High Pigment Pencils

I purchased the Creme Lipstick duo on a whim, when I was standing in the checkout line at Sephora…and I’m so glad I did! They glide on like butter!!They have a wide, beautiful shade selection, and are really pigmented, too! I snagged the Bite Beauty Remix over the holidays and love them, as well. They feel amazing on my lips — very hydrating.

  ColourPop Vibrant Eyeshadows

This is another product I was influenced to try because of YouTube. 🙂 Dani on Coffee Break with Dani is always raving about this company, and I finally tried out several of their products. I’ve discovered that while I am not a huge fan of their more ‘normal’ shades, I do love their bright shades. I’ve really been into adding a pop of color to my lower lash line, and this bright blue color does the trick every time.

It Brushes for Ulta #105: Airbrush Blending Crease Brush

These brushes from It Cosmetics are so luxurious…and pricey! I couldn’t bring myself to buy a face brush, so I decided to try this crease blending brush. And…wow…it feels so soft! It’s the most luxurious brush I own, and I find myself always reaching for it to blend out my colors. Definitely makes me want to get more from this line!

Clinique SuperPrimer Face Primer

I was wanting a foundation primer that wouldn’t agitate my skin or cause breakouts, and I had read that this one was incredibly gentle so I tried it out. And have really been loving it. It’s not one of those primers that sits on top of your skin…this one soaks in and almost disappears. But it helps my makeup glide on beautifully and it stays all day. And the tube lasts a good while, so that’s nice to know.

SHOP HERE

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer

I finally took the plunge and decided to try this concealer. I kept hearing awesome things about it from beauty bloggers, so it’s another one of those “youtube made me do it”. 🙂 I am glad I did, though, because this concealer is unlike anything else I’ve ever tried. It’s pigmented, creamy, and doesn’t budge. If you can afford this luxury concealer, I say try it out!

SHOP HERE

LORAC Mega Pro Palette

It’s a real bummer that this palette was limited edition, but I was able to snag it in the last batch that Amazon offered. It quickly became my #1 palette. This is the palette I take whenever I am traveling, and it has all the colors I could possibly need. It was a pretty penny, but I find that it was so worth it. If you weren’t an eyeshadow junkie (like me) you could get away with this as your only eyeshadow palette and create tons of looks with it.

Maybelline Dream Wonder Powder

I picked this up on a whim when I went to the drugstore to replace my face powder that I use to set my foundation with. This powder is very fine and light weight, making it a perfect powder to set my foundation with. I use a big fluffy brush to lightly set my makeup and then I’m good to go. Don’t really have a problem looking cakey with this powder.

SHOP HERE

PIN IT!

And you’ve reached the end of my look back on some great finds from 2014. If you’re still reading, give yourself a BIG pat on the back! Thank you!!