Saturday 11 January 2014

13 Things: Makeup Favourites for 2013



   Apologies for the poor lighting in these photos, the sun is barely coming up in Sweden at the moment and so natural day-lit images are simply impossible.  I managed to narrow the list of favourite products down to 13 which I felt was appropriate, being the end of 2013 'n' all. I feel very pleased with myself as over the past year I've become a total product junkie and have been binging on makeup all year long. It was tough, but this is what made the cut...

BASE BASICS
1. Estée Lauder Double Wear Light, 2. Make Up Store Cover All concealer, 3. Revlon Colorstay concealer

   My favourite foundation of the year has to be the Double Wear Light.  It gives flawless but lightweight coverage and I don't know what it is, but it makes skin glow.  Product number 2 is my favourite undereye concealer from Make Up Store.  I use this every single day and the salmon toned concealer is perfect for camouflaging blue tones.  My favourite spot concealer has to be the Revlon Colorstay.  I love this for it's coverage and non-cakiness, as well as how long it lasts and how easily it blends.  My miracle powder, MAC Mineralise Skinfinish Natural sadly cannot be pictured as it was dropped and trodden on repeatedly and I need to replace it, however I'm still including it in my list of 13.  I've never come across a powder that makes skin look as perfect as this and is as perfect for touch ups, it makes you look "done" in seconds.


THE NARS FAVOURITES
5. NARS Laguna, 6. NARS Sin

   Onto "colour", my favourite bronzer of the year is predictably, NARS Laguna, quite possibly the only bronzer I've used all year.  There's nothing I can say that hasn't already been said, I love it and I reach for it every morning.  NARS Sin might not be the blush that I reach for the most, but it is absolutely my favourite.  The photo above is not an accurate representation of it - it looks more like Orgasm due to the artificial lighting - Sin is much more of a purple, berry tone and bold in colour and it's the one I reach for when I'm going out either somewhere fancy or on a night out, or on a cold winter's day. 

THE EYE-SSENTIALS
7. Clinique High Impact Curling mascara, 8. MAC Patina, 9. Urban Decay Naked Basics, 10. Rimmel Scandaleyes

   This year, the Naked Basics palette has truly been a game changer.  It's so versatile and can do everything from a smokey going-out eye to appropriately subtle look for work or a job interview, it's great for filling in eyebrows, inner corner highlight, brow bone highlight, eyeliner, setting concealer under the eyes... this baby does it all.  My favourite solo eyeshadow this year has to be MAC Patina, which goes perfectly with every eyeshadow I own and is similarly versatile to the Naked Basics in the dressing up or dressing down department.  The eyeliner favourite has to be the Rimmel Scandaleyes but I can't narrow it down to one colour so I'm choosing them all!  They go on smoothly, blend well and they last for hours without smudging.  My mascara of the year has to be the Clinique High Impact Curling. I swear this conjures eyelashes thick, glossy lashes out of nowhere, it looks natural and not clumpy and I really like the curved wand for getting into the roots of all the lashes at once.

THE MOST LOVED LACQUER
11. Essie After School Boy Blazer
   I've had this for just over two weeks and I truly think that already it's my favourite nail polish of all time! I'm several months late jumping on the After School Blazer bandwagon but I'm so glad I eventually did.  The colour is just divine and the formula is really nice too and dries surprisingly quickly without needing a top coat (post-Christmas laziness) and stays in tact for the best part of a week with no chips.  I'm calling it already; this will probably be a 2014 favourite too.

LIPS
12. Chanel Rouge Coco Shine in Boy, 13. Clinique Vitamin C Lip Smoothie in Strawberry Bliss
   Again, not quite an accurate colour representation, however Boy has to be the most perfect lipstick colour ever.  I believe this is the most popular shade of Chanel's Rouge Coco Shine range and with good reason, in my opinion.  The packaging is nearly as gorgeous as the lipstick itself and instantly makes me feel like a sophisticated and groomed woman when I put it on.  My favourite lipgloss of the year has to be my old favourite, Vitamin C Lip Smoothie. The tube in the photo is a sample size that seems to be lasting forever, but I have bought a full size so that I don't have to be parted from it when it finally runs out! Despite being one of the darker shades in the range, it blends with my lips really well and gives the slightest hint of colour and is very smoothing, as the name would suggest. It doesn't last all that long, but it's no faff to top up and isn't as sticky as most lipglosses tend to be.  

So there we are, that was my 13 favourites of 2013! 

What were your favourite products of the year?

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