2015 Beauty Goals

I know this is late, very late! I had planned to get it up much earlier but other things ate into my time, like watching the Australian Open (and I don't even like tennis!), work, sleep & food. Just the normal!

Last year I wrote about my beauty, blog and life resolutions. This year I am only posting about my beauty goals. I am not referring to them as resolutions this year; I don’t feel like they are actual resolutions. They are something I want to achieve during the year and continue to do in the future but there are also some I want to continue to do after starting last year. I don’t really like the term ‘New Years Resolutions’, if you want to change something in your life or anything else you don’t need to wait until a new year to start. 

Buy Less

Duh..

Seriously, I need to cut down on my expenditure. I spend far too much of my salary on beauty related products. I had 104 new makeup items come into my stash in 2014 (I keep an inventory so I know the exact amount, if interested I could post a breakdown of the actual items purchased). Some of those items were gifts or purchased with money that I was given for birthday/Christmas, but it is still a ridiculous amount of makeup. I am not going to say I won’t buy anything because I would just be setting myself up to fail. I just want to reduce that amount, ideally I would like to limit the new products coming in to around 50 but I will see how I go. 

Invest in Makeup Brushes

I know I won’t be able to resist spending money on beauty products so I have decided to focus on brushes. I need to up my brush game! My current brush collection is primarily made up of Real Techniques and some Sigma that I purchased years ago. Whilst they work fine, after trying a couple of luxe brushes recently, I am itching to explore more brushes. I want to purchase some from Wayne Goss (purchasing the Holiday Brush is what motivated this goal), Tom Ford, Charlotte Tilbury, Suqqu and any other that interest me (I am in desperate need of more eye brushes).

Avoid ‘Drugstore’ Purchases

Now I have absolutely nothing against drugstore brands. It is all I used up until 3 years ago and there is nothing wrong with the brands or products. However I have found that whilst cleaning out my stash, it is mostly drugstore products that meet the rubbish bin. They aren’t bad products but if I have the choice between a drugstore lipstick and a luxe Chanel one, I am going to wear the Chanel. This means the drugstore one is getting neglected in my stash. My aim with this goal is to not make the purchase in the first place which will save money and a product won’t go to waste.

Cull the Stash

This is one I want to continue from last year. I have had a decent cull at the start of the year and will post about it soon. This is a work in progress goal as I try to go through my stash every few months. In essence I want my makeup stash/collection to contain products I love and actually use, not just be filled with pretty products because they are exactly that – pretty.

Keep a Lipstick Record

I am calling this ‘365 Days of Lips” as I started this on January 1st and plan to continue until December 31st. Lipsticks were my first beauty love and the product that I find hardest to part with. The idea with this goal is by keeping a record I know which of my stupid amount of lip products are getting used. I hope this will help me cull my stash towards the end of the year.

That is it for my 2015 Beauty Goals! I will probably revisit this during the middle of the year to see how I am going. At this stage I see all of my goals as achievable and I won’t be accepting any excuses for failure. We will see though.

What are your goals for 2015?

2014 Beauty, Life & Blog Resolutions - REVISITED

Whilst writing my 2015 goals post I decided to have a look back on my resolutions for 2014 (you can read the original post HERE). I was interested to see how successful I had been and thought revisiting my 2014 resolutions before sharing my 2015 goals might be interesting. 

Looking over last years post I was pretty successful (which is surprising). I felt like I had written all about them but then forgotten about them. I think they must have found their way into my subconscious because I somehow found myself following them most of the time.

Whilst I think looking to the future is important, a little bit of self-reflection never hurt anyone! 

Cancel Sample Box Subscriptions

I canceled all my sample box subscriptions, though I did sign up to The Parcel late last year (no regrets yet either). I consider this a success as I cancelled all the subscriptions I had at the time and did not renew them.

Stop Impulse Shopping

Whilst I didn’t completely eliminate the impulse shopping, I was a lot better than previous years. There was only two times I really fell off the wagon and I was shopping at Chadstone both those times. So my 2015 goal should probably be – don’t go to Chadstone.

“You don’t have to own EVERYTHING”

I am better at limiting my purchases, especially from new collections/ranges. Example – the recent spring collection from Chanel, I wanted all of the nail polishes but limited myself to one (and the most unique shade).

Start a Blog Overhaul

I think the blog overhaul was going pretty well until I lost all my mojo and decided to quit (for the a while anyway). This is something I plan to continue working on, now and into the future.

Maintain a Healthier Lifestyle

This is something I really struggle with. I have a stressful home life and am an emotional eater. This is not a good combination. My work hours also make it difficult to eat properly during the day. I am slowly working on it though and progressively making changes where I can.

Cull the Stash
This is a work in progress & I have a post coming up about it in the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned!

Work Harder

I have both failed and succeed at this. I started back at university early in 2014 and hated it. Again. All the issues I had with my mental health when I was originally at university started to come back. I decided after talking to my family, that the issues university caused me weren’t worth it and I did not enroll in any subjects for second trimester or this year. I am much happier for it. University just wasn’t for me. I spent all my high school years studying so hard just to get to university by the time I was there, I had just had enough.

In better news, my career did take a step forward in May 2014. It wasn’t really the step forward I wanted but it was a step forward. I moved up in positions and responsibility but unfortunately the position is only part time – 5 hours a day, 5 days a week with a 35-minute commute each way. I am enjoying the challenge and working towards that next step forward.

Even though I can be hard on myself around my career and dropping out of university, really I am doing okay for someone turning 24 this year. In the end though, being happy is more important than anything else.


Well, this got a bit personal in the end considering this is a beauty blog. I hope you don’t mind…

My 2015 Beauty Goals should be up in the next few days – stay tuned! 

How successful were your 2014 resolutions?

10 of the Best Australian Beauty Brands

HAPPY AUSTRALIA DAY!

Since today is Australia Day I thought it was fitting for Luxury on the Lips to celebrate some great Australian beauty brands. When compiling this post I released just how many great Australian beauty brands we have. There are so many skincare brands that are dedicated to producing high quality, locally produced and cruelty free products. Makeup brands are great quality and so affordable (often more affordable than the big overseas based drugstore brands). Great hair care and fragrance brands round out this post to give a bit of an overall view of the Australian beauty market. 

The following are in no particular order, well actually they are alphabetical, not in order of greatness (because they are all equally great).

Aesop was founded in Melbourne way back in 1987. With an aim to create a range of products, committed to using both plant-based and laboratory-made ingredients of the highest quality and proven efficacy. Aesop does great skincare, haircare and bodycare. The skincare kits also make it super easy to find products that suit your skin. My favourites from Aesop are the Purifying Facial Exfoliant Paste and Parsley Seed Cleansing Masque. The hand washes are also great and smell fabulous. Website HERE

Australis is the brand I remember from my teenage years (which feel like they were AGES ago). Australis was launched in 1987 and I remember them originally being called Colours of Australis and having a sun in their logo. Australis is super affordable and are constantly updating and expanding their range to be on-trend. Some great products from Australis include the AC on Tour Contouring & Highlighting Kit, Cray for Colour Eyeshadow Sticks and Velourlips Matte Cream. Website HERE.

Evo is an Australian brand based in Adelaide with the motto ‘saving ordinary humans from themselves”. I love this cheeky brand; the descriptions on the product bottles always make me giggle. Evo is free from the nasties and great for sensitive scalps. My favourites from Evo include The Great Hydrator Mositure Mask (my Holy Grail hair mask) and Icon Welder Hot Tool Shaper. Website HERE.

Face of Australia (FoA) is another brand I remember from my teenage years, FoA was launched in 1997. It was an black eyeliner from FoA that I used to use and use badly. Think thick black lines on the lower lash line and nowhere else, yeah not a good look (actually I am kind of embarrassed about it…). Some favourites from FoA are the Impact Curl Mascara and I cannot go past the limited edition nail polish collections. Website HERE. 

Glasshouse Fragrances is my absolute favourite candle brand and being launched in 2006, they are still a relatively new brand. The candles they produce are amazing I haven’t purchased one that I didn’t love. Even better all their products are made in Australia. My favourites are Bordeaux, Cuba and the limited edition releases. Website HERE.

Another great cosmetics and skincare brand with affordable prices and quality products. I haven’t tried a lot from Innoxa, only bodycare products and lipsticks. The Summer Matte Lipsticks are my favourite - on trend colours, great pigmentation and super comfortable to wear. Website HERE. 

This brand makes my Holy Grail skincare product for winter. I swear by the Certified Organic Rosehip Oil to keep my skin hydrated and healthy in the cooler months. Kosmea is a brand dedicated to bringing quality natural products to everyone’s reach. The Rescue Balm also makes a great lip balm. Website HERE. 

Lanolips produces some of my favourite lip products. I adore the original 101 Ointment; it is so good at soothing my dry and sore lips. It is a handbag essential. The range has recently expanded to include the ‘Fruities’. That is 101 Ointments in apple, peach and strawberry. There is also a Banana Balm, which smells exactly like bananas and leaves the lips looking lush and shiny. A new product to me is the Hand Cream with Antibacterial, which I am really enjoying. Website HERE. 

Models Prefer is a Priceline owed brand that was launched in 2011. It is a great budget friendly brand with a massive range of products. My favourites include the Infinite Colour Shadow Pencils and the quality range of brushes. Models Prefer does not have its own website but you can view the products on the Priceline website HERE.

Sukin makes great skin and body care products that are perfect for sensitive skins. They are free from all the know nasties (and some I had no idea about), Australian made & owned and are carbon natural. I love the Hydrating Mist Toner and the Sensitive Soap Free Body Wash was great on my dry winter skin. I love the Sukin motto – ‘Skincare that doesn’t cost the earth’. They mean that in more than one-way too! Website HERE. 

Wow! 

Us Australians really are blessed with our range of quality Aussie brands. I love that these brands produce affordable and quality products with many of them made in Australia (yay for Aussie made & keeping jobs in Australia). The other thing I love with the above brands is that they are all animal cruelty free (Models Prefer hasn’t been certified (as far as I know) but does claim cruelty free). 

I hope you all have a great Australia Day and celebrate by supporting some of these amazing Australian brands. 

What are your favourite Australian beauty brands? What are you doing for Australia Day?

Makeup Empties #2

I used to post monthly empties posts but I felt they were getting a bit repetitive and only filled with boring products like deodorant and shampoo. I then decided to post only about the actual makeup products I had finished. I only posted one edition of Makeup Empties before I took my blogging break but I did keep all the products I emptied in that time. As a reader I love these types of posts, to see what someone has enjoyed enough to actually finish and whether they would repurchase them. 

All of the products in this post were finished in 2014; hopefully I can finish even more in 2015.

Benefit the POREfessional 

This primer is designed to ‘fill’ your pores and smooth your skin. I used this as a sort of spot primer, only on my oily spots & larger pores. It lasted ages because of that. I probably wouldn’t repurchase this, as my skin is more in need of an illuminating and hydrating primer. This is a great product though. 

SHU UEMURA Tsuya Skin UV Under Base Youthful Radiance Boost

Shu Uemura is a brand that I have really been enjoying discovering. This primer is great for bringing a glow to my skin and helps my makeup last all day. It has a slightly odd smell but isn’t noticeable once foundation is applied. I have already repurchased this (in the limited edition Shupette packaging). 

EMBRYOLISSE Lait-Crème Concentre

Though this is technically a moisturiser, it makes a great hydrating primer. I used this constantly during winter; it plumped up my skin and left it feeling smooth and soft. I will repurchase this but I just haven’t gotten around to it yet. 

DIOR Diorskin Nude Skin Glowing Makeup

I purchased this on a whim because I felt like trying something different. I ended up really loving this foundation; the finish was perfect, natural looking skin. Coverage was on the lighter side but that worked well with the finish of it. I would repurchase this is the future. 

CHANEL Vitalumiere Aqua Ultra-Light Skin Perfecting Makeup

This is the second bottle of this I have finished. A Holy Grail product, it is just that good. Already repurchased. 

NARS Sheer Glow Foundation

I think pretty much every beauty blogger and makeup lover has tried either this or the Sheer Matte foundation from Nars. I liked this foundation but I didn’t love it. I don’t really know why but it isn’t as sheer or glowy as the name would suggest. I wouldn’t repurchase this but I am hanging out for the new Nars foundation to be released this year. 

URBAN DECAY Eyeshadow Primer Potion

This is the little sample that came with the original Naked palette. I didn’t really like this primer; it didn’t work as well for me as other brands do. This isn’t actually completely finished but the smell changed so it was time for the bin. I wouldn’t purchase this in full size. 

NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base

This is my favourite eye primer and it was a 2014 Favourite. This was a miniature that came with the And God Created the Woman palette. Even being miniature it lasted ages. It is a fantastic eye primer and I highly recommend it. I have already purchased this in full size. 

ELLIS FAAS Mascara

This came in the Glossy Box for Net-A-Porter. I found it a very basic mascara, it made my lashes darker but didn’t do anything special length or volume wise. I also found the wand to be very long and flimsy which made it a bit difficult to work with. I would not purchase again. 

MAYBELLINE Great Lash Vision in Violet Mascara

I went through a bit of a ‘love affair’ with coloured mascara thanks to an awesome blue Chanel mascara. I purchased this off eBay as it wasn’t available in Australia and I don’t think it ever became available. Which is a good thing as it is horrible product. It did not add any colour to my lashes at all. It went in the bin pretty quickly! I would not repurchase, duh. 

MAYBELLINE Mega Plush Volum’ Express Mascara

I liked this mascara but I did find the very bendy/flimsy bristles of the brush a little difficult. If I remember correctly I ended up with the mascara on my lids or under eye area quite easily when applying. I would possibly repurchase this. 

MAYBELLINE the Rocket Volum’ Express Mascara

Another eBay purchase and this mascara still isn’t available in Australia. This mascara has a giant brush but the bristles are actually quite short. I really liked this mascara, it made my lashes look really fully and long. I would repurchase this. 

CHANEL le Volume de Chanel Mascara

This is probably the only Chanel product I have not been impressed with. I found it left my lashes looking short and clumpy. It is a very intense black though. I would not purchase in full size but I do have another sample to try again in the future (maybe my opinion will change). 

GIORGIO ARMANI Eyes to Kill Mascara

OMG! I had totally forgotten about this mascara and how great it is. I loved this little sample! This mascara gave me super black, voluminous and long lashes. I was so sad when it started to dry up. I definitely need to purchase this in the future (once I use up some of my mascara stash). 

ESTEE LAUDER Sumptuous Bold Volume Lifting Mascara 

Another mascara that I really enjoyed using. The brush on this mascara is quite conical so the pointier end allows you to get all the lashes in the inner and outer corner. I found this mascara gave me black voluminous lashes. I have another sample to use so I won’t actually be purchasing it anytime soon but I would consider it in the future. 

BENEFIT They’re Real! Mascara

I may be the only one who feels this way but I didn’t like this mascara. It didn’t do anything for my lashes. Another mascara that I have another sample but I’m not sure I’ll even bother with it.

YSL Rouge Volupte Lipstick in 1 Nude Beige & 8 Fetish Pink 

These lipsticks are amazingly pigmented & creamy with the most luxurious packaging. The texture started to change on these so it was ‘quick use it before I loose it situation’. I still have a couple of these lipsticks in different shades but I don’t reach for them as much now because of their divine creaminess – it means they don’t last on the lips. I wouldn't repurchase Fetish Pink but I would Nude Beige as it is such a lovely nude shade that suits me. 

CLINIQUE Chubby Stick in 06 Woppin’ Watermelon

I love Chubby Sticks for those days when I want a more natural, soft look. This pink shade was lovely on the lips and the formula is kind to dry lips. I would consider repurchasing in the future but I still have a couple of Chubby Sticks to finish up first. 

Tallying up this post and Makeup Empties #1, I finished up 30 products in 2014 (I am including the mascara samples as I find they last almost as long as a normal mascara). Which is pretty sad. I am really hoping to finish up more in 2015 and considering it isn’t even a month in and I have empties, I think I will be successful. 

On a bit of a side note: I realised looking at Makeup Empties #1, I haven’t repurchased any of the products I finished. Out of the above products there are only three I have repurchased since finishing and probably only two I would actually repurchase. I have a habit of finishing a product and then trying something else because it could be better than the other product. I also find that I never repurchase lipsticks because I have such a large stash, I can’t justify repurchasing one I have already finished when I have so many more to finish.

Did you finish up many makeup products in 2014? Do you make an effort to finish up products or does it 'just happen'?

Nailed It - Chanel Nail Polish in 641 Tenderly

Welcome to a new series on Luxury on the Lips - Nailed It. A periodical series that will feature what nail polish my nails are donning.

I can't say whether this posts will appear often or not. I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with nail polish. I love all the different shades available and I love how they look on my nails. I however hate how easily nail polishes chip on me, no matter the brand, application or treatments. I barely get a couple of days out my painted nails before they chip or the polish flakes off. Which means I don't paint my nails very often, even though I keep buying new polishes. Oops... 

Apologies in advance for my poor painting and photography skills! I totally didn't 'nail it'.  

Tenderly was originally shown in the recent Chanel Reverie Parisienne Collection post and I couldn't wait to get it on my nails!

Tenderly is such a beautiful mauve on the nails. I love how it is purple but feels more sophisticated then just purple. I like to think of it as a grown-up purple. Application was easy, the formula was the perfect consistency and the small size of the Chanel brush allows precise application. 

In these photos I have applied two coats of Tenderly and then one coat of Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. I think I need a new one though as it has gone quite thick so application was a little more difficult. 

Tenderly has lasted well for my nails, it wore for two days before I saw any chipping. Which is really good for my nails. I normally get chipping within 24 hours of application. I have very weak nails that bend easily and it leads to polish lifting on my nail tips, it then flakes off. 

I have really enjoyed having Tenderly on my nails and can definitely see myself reaching for it again. 

Tenderly is a limited edition shade from the recent Reverie Parisienne Collection. 

Chanel Nail Polishes are available from Chanel Beauty Boutiques and Chanel Counters for $39.00.

What have your nails been donning recently? 

Chanel Reverie Parisienne Collection - Spring 2015

I saw the promotional images for the Chanel Reverie Parisienne Collection a few weeks before the collection was officially released in Australia. I knew instantly that I had to get my hands on some of the items (namely the embossed blush). I rang my favourite Chanel Beauty Boutique – the one at Chadstone, in mid December and the girl I spoke to had no idea when it would be released. She told me it would probably be out sometime in February. It was released in early January. =|

The collection is inspired by the romantic atmosphere in Paris, when winter is ending and spring is beginning. The collection contains two blushes, two eyeshadow quads, lipsticks, lip glosses and nail polishes. The eyeshadow quads didn’t interest me (I’m a neutrals girl through and through) and I would have liked more of the lip and nail products, the budget was tight after Christmas (and I had just splurged on the Tom Ford Lips & Boys collection). I ended up only purchasing 3 items – a blush, lipstick and a nail polish. 

This isn’t a full review, just an overview of my picks from this collection. Let me know if you would like a full review of any of the products. 

Jardin de Chanel Blush Camélia Rosé - $90.00

This is really the star of the collection. A beautifully embossed soft neutral-pink blush, the embossing is amazing. Not just a pattern pushed into the blush, it almost looks like carved flowers. I noticed instantly that this is quite fragranced, Chanel products are always fragranced but this is stronger than normal. On me (thanks to my naturally rosy cheeks), it is a more pink than it swatches. 

The other thing to note with this blush is the price to weight ratio. This blush cost AU$90.00 and it is only 3g in size. As a Chanel fan/collector this doesn’t stop me from making the purchase (obviously). Though I could understand those who don’t always purchase ‘high end’ products and want value for money being put off by the size/price. It is well and truly the smallest blush in my collection and for a comparison – a Tom Ford Cheek Color retails for AU$85 for 8g. 

Rouge Allure Velvet in 50 La Romanesque - $52.00

I love the Rouge Allure Velvet formula; they are a comfortable and long lasting matte lipstick. That being said La Romanesque has a slightly more satin finish than the Velvets normally have. La Romanesque is a medium fuchsia shade. With my pale skin and naturally pink lips, this becomes a little more of a berry shade on my lips. Another price to note – these have gone up $2.00, they used to be a straight $50.00. 

Le Vernis Nail Colour in 641 Tenderly - $39.00

I loved the look of all three polishes in this collection but online swatches were a little disappointing, especially one shade I was originally sold on (I’m pointing to you Paradisio). Since I already have plenty of pinks in my nail polish collection I settled on Tenderly. It is muted mauve shade and unique to my collection. To me it comes across as a sophisticated purple that I wouldn’t mind wearing to work. 

The swatch of Jardin de Chanel Blush Camelia Rose shows more coral above than it really is. La Romanesque is a pretty accurate swatch. No swatch of Tenderly, I think I will do a NOTD post using it - if you are interested.

There you have my picks from the Reverie Parisienne Collection. All up I think it is a beautiful and feminine collection. Perfect for spring. I am looking forward to adding these products into my daily routine; I can already see La Romanesque becoming a favourite. 

Did you pick up anything from the Reverie Parisienne Collection?

2014 Favourites

That time of the year again! Pretty much every blogger has or will post their 2014 Favourites list. I love reading these posts! I find it really interesting to see what products people have been impressed with enough to consider it one of their favourites for the whole 12 months that have just been. An annual favourites post can display some really outstanding products (and fill up my wish list all over again). 

I found picking my 2014 Favourites pretty difficult. My beauty stash is pretty large and I don’t limit my choices to products that were released or that I first purchased in 2014. There are some products that will feature in these posts year after year – they are just that good. 

2014 was really a year of discovering new base products and expanding my stash of products for the eyes. I purchased 8 new foundations last year and what seems to be an infinite amount of eye shadows. I had a massive problem with dry lips in winter last year. My lips were horribly dry for close to 3 months; they got so bad they were bleeding at the corners (OUCH!). I couldn’t wear lipstick because it irritated my lips too much and looked bad on (my lips were flakey & the skin around my lips was red). I lived for Blistex Medicated Relief – it was a lifesaver! This means I didn’t wear a lot of lipsticks for a quarter of the year, so they don’t feature heavily in this post.

Please excuse the poor photography - I am out of practice and had very poor light available. 

DIOR – DIORSKIN STAR FOUNDATION

This foundation is a new release for 2014 and hit Australian counters in the later part of the year. I love this for an everyday foundation. It applies easily, has good coverage, lasts well and looks great on. I will probably give this a full review later. 

CHANEL – VITALUMIERE AQUA FOUNDATION

This is the third year in the row that it has been in my yearly favourites. It is a Holy Grail product for me. ‘nuff said!

CHANEL – VITALUMIERE LOOSE POWDER FOUNDATION

This is a lovely powder foundation with buildable coverage that doesn’t look like a powder foundation. It blends seamlessly into the skin and is perfect for a ‘no makeup, makeup’ look. 

CLINIQUE – AIRBRUSH CONCEALER

This is an old favourite that I finally got around to repurchasing last year. It is amazing and I don’t know how I lived without it. It is perfect for brightening up the under eye, covering redness around my nose & chin and will even help disguise a pimple. This is a brightening concealer that actually has coverage.

HOURGLASS – AMBIENT LIGHTING BLUSH in ETHEREAL GLOW

I waited ages before I jumped on this bandwagon. On darker skins this shade probably wouldn’t work but on my fair skin it gives me what I like to call an ‘Angel Blush’ which suits very well with the shade name. This gives my cheeks a soft ‘lit from within’ glow, which I love. I also have the palette but to be honest, I haven’t used it a lot yet. 

CHARLOTTE TILBURY – CHEEK TO CHIC BLUSHER in LOVE IS THE DRUG

Charlotte Tilbury products are lovely and look very luxe. The Cheek to Chic blushes have two shades, a lighter shade to use across the cheek and a darker/brighter shade to use on the apple of the cheek. I just blend both shades together for pretty pink flush. Charlotte Tilbury is a brand I am hoping to explore a bit more this year. 

NARS – PRO-PRIME SMUDGE PROOF EYESHADOW BASE

The best eye shadow primer on the market, hands down. Eyeshadows look more vibrant, apply smoother and last longer when using the Pro-Prime. 

BY TERRY OMBRE BLACKSTAR ‘COLOR-FIX’ CREAM EYESHADOW in Bronze Moon

An amazing cream shadow that is super easy to apply (swipe on & blend out with a MAC 217), looks amazing using just the one shade and does not budge all day. I am hoping to buy more shades this year. 

CHANEL – ILLUSION D’OMBRE CREAM EYESHADOW in MIRAGE & NEW MOON

I love all of the Illusion D’Ombre Cream Eyeshadows I own, but these two 2014 releases are something altogether special (and not just because it took 10 phone calls to track them down). Mirage is a beautiful golden-bronze. New Moon is an amazing copper-bronze with a gorgeous sparkle that shimmers from every angle. Sadly New Moon was very limited edition but I would consider selling my left arm for it. It is that amazing. 

NARS – DUAL INTENSITY EYESHADOW in HIMALIA

Himalia is a champagne-bronze shade that looks amazing on the lids, even just on its own (which is actually my favourite way to wear it). The Dual Intensity Eyeshadows can be used wet or dry but I have found it is perfectly pigmented for daytime wear when dry. Colour is intense and lasts all day on my lids. 

CHANEL – LES 4 OMBRES in POESIE

Another limited edition release from Chanel in 2014 but I had to include it. The reformulated Chanel Quads are a massive improvement on their predecessors. The new quads are silky smooth, non-powdery and a dream to apply and blend. Poesie is a lovely neutral palette and a favourite of mine to reach for when I want an easy and soft, smoky eye. 

URBAN DECAY – NAKED3

Like any beauty lover, I raced out to purchase the Naked3 palette. It took me a while to use it but I really fell in love with a few of the shades. I use the Naked3 to create what I call a ‘romantic eye look’. With the Naked3 leaning quite rosy, I find it creates a very feminine eye look. My favourite shades include Liar, Factory & Mugshot. 

TOM FORD – SHEER LIP COLOUR in INCORRIGIBLE

For a sheer lipstick, this is actually quite pigmented. I love this fuchsia pink with a golden shimmer. It really lights up my face and is so easy to wear. Love the luxurious packaging Tom Ford is known for and sad it was limited edition. 

MAC – LUSTRE LIPSTICK in LOVELORN

Another repeat from last year, but I had to include it. This is a shade I always reach for when I want a pink lipstick that is easy to wear and helps me look like I actually put some time into my appearance between rolling out of bed and getting to work. This is the most used up lipstick in my stash.

CLINIQUE – LONG LAST SOFT MATTE LIPSTICK in MATTE MAGENTA

A super comfortable to wear matte lipstick, which may just be one of the best matte formulas on the market. This lipstick is pigmented, creamy, comfortable to wear and lasts really well on my lips. I only purchased this in October but it has become a firm favourite since then, I wear this at least once a week.

What were your 2014 favourites?