2014 Favorites ::: A year later!!!

I had a lot of fun compiling my favorites from 2014 (Click here for the complete blog post). That was the first annual favorites post on my blog and I totally enjoyed preparing it. I am currently working on my 2015 favorites, meanwhile I thought it will be a good idea to give an update on my last favorites, if I still love and use them etc. Well, I am happy to report that I am constantly using and loving them. Please keep on reading.

IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Palette ($42): This palette has officially been included in my “holy grail” palette. I have tried a lot of different eyeshadow in single and in palettes this year but I always end up grabbing this palette to finish off my eye looks. All the shades here are my absolute must-have crease and outer-V shades. One whole year later, all of these shades are still performing exactly the same; good blendability, opacity, color pay off, no fall out and great staying power! I, very occasionally I would create an entire look from this palette itself, but with any other palette I have, I only feel peace when I use Naturally Palette to finish off the look! I have been using it almost every day that I wear makeup but there as you can see there is hardly any dent :-)

MAC Paint Pot in "Layin' low" ($21): Another Holy Grail product. I always use this if I am wearing powder eyeshadow. If the eyeshadow is way too thick or very powder-y, I prefer to use Urban Decay Primer Potion but otherwise I use this Paint Pot on a daily basis and it’s not even halfway done(?). I even scooped out a bit in a jar to give to my sister. It may be costly but it definitely goes a long way as you need just a tiny bit. Excellent eye primer! If it’s not 100 F and extremely humid, my eyeshadows are not going anywhere once I apply this underneath them :-)

It's a 10 Miracle leave-in Plus Keratin ($20 for 4 oz.): Absolutely loving this leave-in conditioner! It’s been a year since my last hair-straightening treatment and hence my original hereditary crazy waves are coming back! May be because of that its effect has not been as mind-blowing as before. But it still does a great job in managing my uncontrollable wavy hair and makes them look smooth and presentable. I will continue to use it.

Bare Minerals First Resort Bronzing Kit ($35, Limited Edition): My love for this bronzer is still there. But I am mostly grabbing for matte bronzers this year. I wear a lot of shimmery neutrals on my eyes on a day-to-day basis and I am just little worried about wearing any shiny bronzing product on top of that;  it might be a bit too much for my conventional office environment . Also, it is a limited edition product so I have been very gentle while using it to avoid finishing it up. :-) But I still occasionally use it and love it whenever I do!

Time for a little lip story. For the first 7 months, I did not buy a single lip product. To be honest, I was not buying a ton of makeup either. But all of a sudden since August, I have converted into a lipstick hoarder. I am not able to stop buying them. Does that happen to any of you? The point is I have been wearing and trying a lot of new products which means old favorite colors have taken a backseat! I only get to wear bold, bright lipstick colors only on weekends. I still absolutely love Ruby Woo, Cin Cin and Quince but I have not been wearing them as much I would have liked to!

Makeup Geek Eye Brushes (varies from $5.99 to $8.99): MUG eye crease brushes are my most used brush. Truth be told, I am yet to find an affordable range of brushes that has firm, dense and small crease brushes. Regular crease brushes from different brands are too big for my tiny eyelid spaces. It has been almost 2 years with these brushes and now they aren’t such a delight to work as before. I am slightly disappointed. 2 of the crease brushes have started to appear scratchy and irritating! It was so smooth when I first started using them. Especially the crease brush is getting really rough and unpleasant to use. But, unfortunately I have not been able to find any other brush that are small and of the perfect size for my small eyes. These have the perfect shape and very fitting for my eyes. So I am still using it.

Hope you enjoyed this quick little update. I cannot wait to share my 2015 favorites! Stay tuned!

Love,

~Arrru

Beauty Favorites - 2014

"Monthly Favorites" is a very popular topic in the Beauty Blogger/Vlogger's world. My work require that I travel a lot and I am on the field all the time. This is a challenging work environment to use and experiment with my cosmetics products. Hence it is almost impractical to carry a lot of makeup with me, which eventually does not inspire me enough to pick up my "monthly favorites" and blog about it. 

Nevertheless, I have been completely enjoying the world of beauty and cosmetics and it has been great till now. Today I am very excited to share the few products that stood out to me this year. I have been constantly using and loving these products:

BareMinerals First Resort Bronzing Kit (Limited Edition, 35$ for the whole kit with a brush and lip gloss): This is undoubtedly my MOST used product this year. I have raved about this in my earlier blog post back in May '14, and, 7 months later, my love is still intact! This product changed how I felt about bronzers; now I love using them throughout the year to bring some warmth to my face. This palette has a matte warm tone mid-brown (with a VERY little sheen), a highlighter shade and a golden shimmery shade which is my most favorite. It looks a little bit too shimmery on the pan but when applied it gives a BEAUTIFUL healthy-glow without the shimmer showing up much.

MAC Ruby Woo ($16): My first MAC lipstick and I could not have chosen better. I love how flattering it looks on my skin tone; makes me feel elegant and very alluring about myself! It's a retro matte finish which makes your lips very dry! But I love the color and the amazing staying power. More review and swatches here.

Bite Beauty Lip Products: Bite Beauty is undoubtedly one of the best lipstick brands that I have experienced till date. Every single product and shade that I have tried has totally impressed me; they are hydrating, creamy and stay on for a long time on my lips. Among the ones I have, I am a little biased towards Rouge Crème Lipstick in Cin Cin ($24) and High Pigment Pencil in Quince (bought in a kit, $25)! You know I love my bright bold colors :-)

IT Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Palette ($42): Prior to 2014 I own only one tiny little eyeshadow Quad. And then makeup fixation grew on me and now I have more palettes than I can ever possibly finish up. This palette from IT Cosmetics however will always have a special place in my heart! These are some very-soft-buttery-smooth-long-lasting matte eyeshadows in some very beautiful soft and romantic shades. I do love shimmery-glittery eyeshadows and use them quite often, but, I picked this palette for "2014 Favorites" because of how easy these shadows are to use. The only problem is the outer velvet-clothing type packaging; it has started to accumulate dirt. More swatches here in my earlier blog post.

MAC Paint Pot in "Layin' low" ($21): A must have for me. I use it almost every time I wear eyeshadows. It keeps them in place for a really long time. Read my previous review here.

Makeup Geek Eye Brushes (varies from $5.99 to $8.99): Considering it’s been just a year for me since I have dived into the world of makeup, I am still experimenting with brushes, especially for the face. I am trying to find out my Holy Grail tools. But as far as eyeshadow brushes are concerned I am pretty much set with these brushes from Makeup Geek. I love the sizes of the bristles because they are just the perfect size for my tiny eyelids. The stiff dome brush is wonderful for very precise application on the crease, and the soft dome brush is amazing for blending. I also love how affordable they are :-) 

It's a 10 Miracle leave-in Plus Keratin ($20 for 4 oz.): Such a long name ;-) It's a pricey product but I think it is worth it. I don't believe that it can satisfy all the 10 claims mentioned in their packaging but I absolutely love using it. I apply it on damp hair after wash and it makes my hair very silky and fuzz free. It also manages to lengthen the interval between hair washes. I received it as a sample product from Ulta but I already have repurchased the biggest size :-)

SPECIAL MENTION
Tarte Amazonian Clay waterproof liner in BRONZE definitely deserves a mention in this list. It's a gel liner but I mostly use it as a single-lid color. It is a very rich bronze with golden micro-shimmer. I have reviewed it in detail here. It's my wonder product; needs just a minute to apply, looks good even without an eyeliner and has an amazing staying power. Slap it on and go outta door; FOOLPROOF   ;-) ;-) ;-) 

So, there you go! I really enjoyed sharing my most favorite products from this year. While I continue trying my best to use up my current products I cannot wait to see what new items hit the market in 2015 :-) NARS Dual Intensity Eyeshadow Palette expected to release in January looks very interesting :-) What are your favorite products this year? Share with me :-)  

And I hope you all are having a wonderful holiday time with your friends and families... 

Merry Christmas in advance folks! 
Love,

~Arrru