Best of 2015 & Resolutions

Hi guys!!

Running short on time here, so let's just cut to the chase LOL.

Happy New Year!!

Last year I ranked my yearly favorites... this year... in no particular order. Let's start with skincare :)


1. Albion Skin Conditioner

Really the most conditioning toner I've ever used. My skin feels so calm and comfortable every single time after I use it. Stopped using it for a while cuz I got distracted by the SK-II Clear Lotion, but when I went back to it again, I was like OMG I FORGOT HOW GOOD IT WAS!!!! It's very expensive but I definitely recommend :)  By the way it's just a very conditioning/comfortable feeling... if you're looking for something more it might not be for you.



A shout-out to the SK-II Facial Treatment Clear Lotion. Unfortunately this did NOT make it to my Best of 2015 list. I was OBSESSED with it for months, but after a while I feel like I stopped feeling/seeing effects from it. You can read about my initial thoughts about it here. I ran out of it but still have a second bottle. Maybe after this little break I will be able to see if it makes any difference again?


2. Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil

Last year I raved about the Innisfree Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask. This year it was replaced by this XD Now I just use this whenever I cleared out my blackheads. Not only it keeps the pores tight, it also nourishes and reduces the peeling process to a minimum. I mean the Mask is still great... it works through a different mechanism (ie, drawing things out) so it depends on what you're looking for. Personally, the oil > mask because the mask is such a hassle to wash off. Before I was willing to put up with it just because the results were phenomenal, but after discovering this oil does the same... I haven't touched the mask at all lol. Prob will save the mask for the summer. I also use it all over my face once in a while. Personally can't use it every day-- too much exfoliating/breaks me out. 


Here are my most used skincare from 2015

Cetaphil is awesome.

Still loving the Clinique Smart Custom Repair Serum.

First Aid Ultra Repair Cream is awesome.

When I had that peeling problem around my mouth, Luca's Paw Paw Ointment helped with the healing process a lot (that and it's a great lip balm in general). Not as much as Carmex though :) Seriously, Carmex is the cure/godsend for any lip problem O_O

Want to give a shout out to the Origins GinZing eye cream. Used to think it was just okay but not only it's great for dark circles, it's also awesome for reducing puffiness.

And of course, the Diorsnow UV Shield is still the most amazing base makeup I've ever used =)   


3. Innisfree Smart Foundation Super Moisture

Best liquid foundation award of course goes to this! Although.... it might be discontinued already O_O I have no idea. You can read my review here.



 
Want to give a little shout out to the Too Faced Born This Way foundation. Although I only tested out that foundation briefly... still thinking about it lol. Review here. Although I heard they expanded the color range... I might be able to find a better match?


Most used base makeup...

Clinique Air Brush Concealer-- Don't use it as a concealer cuz I just can't place anything underneath my eyes =_= so was just trying to use it up by using it to highlight my forehead, between my brows, my nose bridge, around my mouth, and under my chin. It's grown on me =D

Too Faced Chocolate Powder Foundation. Review here. Now I actually really like it since moving to Cali.

Lancome Teint Miracle Powder Foundation (Asia edition). Talked about it LONG LONG time ago here.

SK-II Auractivator CC Cream. Reviewed here. It was only most-used because it's sheer coverage + sunscreen in one... I used it a lot when I was lazy. But it's not something I would repurchase... I'm kind of over the super glowy look and plus it doesn't last on combination skin.


4. 廣源良菜瓜水 Luffa Water Facial Mist

Favorite mist of the year LOL. So cheap, yet the spritz bottle is so nice! Super portable and light. Also the mist it gives out is pretty fine. Pretty damn impressed. Did I mention it's so cheap??? LOL. Been enjoying my Jurlique Rose Water Mist but this is something I definitely will go back to. Thumbs up! Hmm... not sure where you can get it, bought it when I was in Taiwan. If anyone is interested let me know I'll look into it.


5. Lunasol Beige Beige eye shadow quad

Favorite eye shadows award no doubt goes to this quad =D


Really, can't find fault with any of the colors. Still obsessed with the glitter shadow, and the brown shadow. Really want to try out more Lunasol eye shadows. Pretty sure if I ever run out of this palette I would repurchase (or at least I would buy another quad from Lunasol). See here for details/swatches.


Of course... you guys know it by heart now, the only eyeliner I use is by Milani Infinite eyeliner in 06 unlimited.


My best advise for long-lasting eyeliner is...
1. Avoid liquid foundation over the eye area. Or if you must, at least set it with powder. Just use a powder foundation
2. Do your eyeliner first with an eye shadow. My favorites are the brown one from Lunasol Beige Beige and L'oreal Infallible eye shadow in Bronzed Taupe. Those two seriously make EXCELLENT eyeliner base. Helps my eyeliner stay on super long... and gives my eyeliner and much more softer and blended look.
3. Then layer this eyeliner over the eye shadow

Years and years of wearing makeup and these are my best tricks to long-lasting eyeliner =D Seriously, give this a try. Don't do liquid eyeliner first then layer with eye shadow, that doesn't do anything. Do eye shadow as eyeliner first THEN the liquid/gel eyeliner.



Trusty and beloved Shiseido eye lash curler, and Majolica Majorca mascara and mascara primer.


6. Neuve eye brow pencil

Faaaavorite eye brow product this year!!! the Maybelline one and everything else fell out of my favor. And this is so freaking cheap too.


Favorite blushes

If I have to pick a favorite one, it will have to be the THREE blushes. However, I feel like these all got equal amounts of love from me... the formulation for all three brands are amazing. Check them out!

THREE- Sweet Thing-- LOVE THIS for spring/summer.

THREE- Into the Aether-- OBSESSED for colder months. Currently reaching for only this LOL.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blushes-- Mood Exposure and Luminous Flush are my favs. Mood Exposure is just an amazing all-year-round color.

For these blushes you can see my swatches here. 

Discovered the Bobbi Brown blushes like in mid-year and they have amazing formulation. I love both colors that I got-- Coral Sugar and Peony, but I prefer Coral Sugar :)


I actually made a little dent!!!!!! I've never made a dent in a blush before!!! *Le PROUD*


Favorite lip products

3CE lip laquer in Dahlia. Formula is VERY drying, me no like. But I love the color and the matte finish so I'll deal with it LMAO

YSL volupte shine in corail intuitive. It's a nude pink... I seldom use it on its own, but it's the PERFECT nude pink to layer over :))) One of my fav combos is to layer the Clio Lipnicure in Revenge Pink over it to create the gradient lip.

YSL glossy stain in #29... an all-around favorite now lol don't think I can live without it. It just goes with EVERYTHING.

Favorite lip tint/stain award goes to the VDL Triple Shot Tint Bar. It's not gimmick at all lol. Cannot say enough good things about it. Staining is decent, but the formula is impeccable-- super moisturizing!! I would really really love love LOVE to collect all of the colors... but... calm your panties now Frances =_=


Shout outs to Rouge Dior Nude in 169 Greige. No idea if it's still being sold, but at one point was obsessed with wearing nude lips hahaha.

Aritaum Honey Melting Tint deserves a shout out too... great great formula. Would've made it to the best if I have different shades I guess? For some reason even though these two are super cute shades... I don't always feel it.


Fav brushes awards go to...

SUQQU cheek brush. Yes. It's love! Awesome for small face girls lol. And I mean it's pretty multi-functional too... for powder, highlight... etc :)

And a surprising favorite... SUQQU eyeliner D brush. Funny thing is I kind of hated this brush for a while LOL cuz it felt so scratchy. Was about to give up on it. Took me 3 months to break it in I'm not even exaggerating =_= not sure if the turning point was when I decided to clean it with my cleansing oil?? Maybe that helped. And yes, I prefer this over eyeliner C now, simply because I like a softer look.












Of course... additional shout-outs.

Well actually the Bubbi multi-function brush isn't a shout-out, it's an all-time favorite. Why is it discontinued??? I don't get it. SO GREAT for traveling, and honestly sometimes I just use it even when I'm not traveling cuz it's so great. So soft and applies powder SO WELL and so portable. Love love love.

SUQQU Face Brush... okay I would NEVER travel with this thing. Too expensive and I'm too scared to lose it. It's a luxury brush and it's super soft... but it's not a must. Still, a pleasure to use so here it is lol!

Eyeliner C also deserves a shout-out. Good brush =) 





Only one favorite hair product from this year (aside from my old standby-- Aveda shampoos). Bumble & bumble Surf Infusion hair spray. Already talked about it on Instagram so not gonna elaborate.


Favorite perfumes!


Jo Malone Nectarine & Blossom. Still going strong =P Might get a full size one... Although I want to buy the Blue Agava & Cacao next... hmmmmm....

Chloe... the perfume?? LOL too lazy to look up the name...



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Beauty resolutions for 2016 =)

This might be shocking to all of you XD But I want to stop using liquid foundations. For good. I will continue using up what's already been open on hand (or I might not... still deciding), but I think I will get rid of the rest and just use powder from here on out.

The reason why I made that decision is that being a pharmacist (yayy I can say that now) you learned that your skin ABSORBS a lot of stuff. A lot of medications work by being absorbed from the skin into the blood stream (like gels, patches, etc). I don't want my body to absorb anything unnecessary. These days I sometimes only apply skincare at night... or I haven't been wearing my Dior sunscreen at all just because it's been very gloomy and I just got lazy with the sun protection. Interestingly my skin got better O_O so even skincare products are just full of chemicals. Feel like my skin does better without most of it. I mean of course I'll still continue to use them LOL. But just trying to keep them to a minimum and just back to the basics. I think even though the Dior sunscreen is great, but because it literally fills in all the pores, it adds burden to my skin without me even realizing it.

Second resolution... take off my lip products before I eat. Don't want to swallow all that shit LOL. I still forget a lot of times. Working on it!!

Third... keep gyming/be physically active

Fourth... eat only till when I'm full. My new thing is to eat whatever I want and whenever I want (preferably only when I'm hungry or really really craving for something... or just if it feels really good/fits the mood :D) but to never be too full. NEVER stuff myself!! lol. Been doing really well on this. I no longer do cheat days... I feel like that kind of mentality actually made me have very unhealthy relationship with food. Cuz you're constantly restricting yourself and thinking about what you should reward yourself with at the end of the week you know? lol! I just want to eat and enjoy food and not think/obsess about it.

Fifth... cut down makeup expenses. Hahaha. Feel like such a hypocrite saying this cuz obviously I'm sharing things I like and therefore "promoting" stuff (in the sense I make my readers want to buy stuff XD)  but I really just need to get away from YouTube and all that so I won't get "triggered". These days I mostly watch vlogs and just try to put my energy elsewhere. Time to move on to bigger and better things??? Can I save up for a house please??? LOL!!


Alrighty, if you've stuck around for this far, thank you =) thanks for reading my blog and just put up with my general ramblyness haha. Not sure where the direction of this blog's headed... I mean I love reviewing stuff... but since I want to actively distance myself from the makeup world so I won't get triggered to always wanting to buy/try new stuff... not sure what kind of content I will be able to bring you guys. Any thoughts?

Again... happy 2016 to you all!  I'm really excited to see what 2016 has in store for me ^__^

Much much love,



<3 Frances

Best of 2014

Hello my friends!!

It's that time of the year =DD (actually it's wayy past that time of the year... but it's still January!! So I consider myself doing good wahaha).

For the year 2014, I actually don't have that many items to share. But I am extremely happy with the list that I came up with! :) it's kind of hard to do this list because I discovered so many awesome products in December, but I didn't want to include those because I haven't been using them for long enough time. Instead I'll just talk about those in a January favorites, so you guys can look out for that :D Without further ado, here come my favorite products of 2014~~~

Favorite Products of 2014

1. Diorsnow White Reveal UVB Protection Sunscreen

My number one, top product of 2014, without a doubt, is this Dior sunscreen. Why? Because this sunscreen transforms any foundation that I have, making them look 10x better!


Here I'm wearing my SK-II foundation with my Dior sunscreen. If you want to see what the SK-II foundation looks like on its own, click here. Actually if you look back at my foundation reviews from August 2014 on, I am wearing the Dior sunscreen underneath for the *most* part (I think I did try to point that out every time if I do have it on).


PS: Notice anything different? I AM WEARING COLOR LENSES OMG lol.

I think it makes my foundation looks pretty freaking HD. Seriously, I was feeling quite ambivalent toward my SK-II foundation after using it for a while, but this Dior sunscreen made me fall in love with it, hehehe.

What this sunscreen does for me:
1. It acts as a primer. It does have a thicker consistency so you have to rub/work it into your face. Since it's slightly thicker, it fills in the lines and pores and makes your foundation go on VERY smooth. Hence the HD effect :D

2. It controls oil. I still get oily at the end of the day, but I notice I don't get oily as fast. It's really interesting because this sunscreen is very thick and dewy (when I first used it I even thought it felt kind of oily), but it does not make me oily at all.

3. It's super dewy and glowy. No highlighters needed because the glow just work its way through the foundations. This is especially awesome when I am wearing powder foundations, because my foundation wouldn't look as matte... in fact, it would still have a soft, luminous glow :D  I guess this could potentially be a bad thing because if you have the glow all over your face, it can make your face look wider. But you know, nothing a little bit of bronzer/contouring can't fix.

4. It's slightly sticky. For me it's a good thing because it provides a really good grip to my foundations, especially my powder foundations.

The only downfall for this sunscreen for me, is that because you really have to work it into your skin, it doesn't look too great if you have major flakeness going on. It tends to accentuate that. Other than that, I have absolutely no complaints about this sunscreen. To me, it's a primer and sunscreen in one.
Reasons I think ppl might not like this sunscreen would be of its thick and slightly oily consistency. Also wearing this sunscreen on its own can make you look like a shiny mess (especially in the summer lol). Personally I don't find this sunscreen to be heavy, but I strongly suggest getting a sample and testing it out before purchasing, since it is very pricey and quite an investment.



2. Coconut Oil

My number two recommendation would be coconut oil as a facial treatment/moisturizer :D (it was a close tie with the Dior sunscreen lol).

I am kind of obsessed with coconut oil now. I never talked about it on my blog, but I have mentioned it a couple times on my Instagram. I think it works even better than natural yogurt and oatmeal. It is very anti-inflammatory (calms my skin and helps with breakouts), and of course, nourishing. When I first tried it, I paired it with this massaging routine from Lisa Eldridge:



Nowadays I just do whatever massage/whatever I feel like. I use coconut oil in place of my normal skincare routine on weekends (Friday, Saturday and Sunday) when I have the time to indulge in some facial massage. And whatever is left over on my hands, I just rub it all over my hands, and some into the ends of my hair. Seriously, cheapest and most awesome skincare you can find out there.


3. Aveda Shampoo

Doesn't matter which Aveda shampoo. I think any Aveda shampoo is really good. My favorite is the Pure Abundance one, but that one is more expensive. I think Shampure is the cheapest out of all Aveda shampoos. I have used Aveda on and off for the last several years-- off mainly because it's really expensive so I was trying to get back drugstore shampoos/try out other shampoos like the WEN cleansing conditioner. Earlier this year I had a hair crisis (from using the Wholefoods brand shampoo called "365"... the lavender one. Nasty stuff. STAY AWAY). There was SO MUCH residue that I couldn't get it off. I rushed to Aveda to buy a shampoo to save my scalp because I just could NOT take it (hence the one on the left for Scalp Benefits). Man, I never want to stop using Aveda shampoos anymore. What's more, I noticed after I started using Aveda shampoos again, my hair started growing out thicker O_o it was very noticeable for me this time around because my hair is still in the process of growing out since I went through that hair loss process from losing about 20lbs. Really recommend you guys trying them out! I have no intention to switch back to drugstore anymore lol nor am I tempted to try out other high end shampoos. At least not at the moment :P (I do use drugstore conditioner since I only condition the ends of my hair, so it doesn't touch my scalp. Don't really recommend the Aveda conditioners-- they don't do much).


4. Innisfree Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask.



I love this mainly because it does an AMAZING job at tightening my post-blackhead-squeezing pores. On my nose. Lol. For me, it does not extract blackheads. That pretty much says it all lol. Here's a little review I did on my Instagram if you'd like to read more:

The innisfree super volcanic pore clay mask is good stuff 🙊 I remember the first time using it I was unimpressed, and thinking what was all the fuss about? But the more I use it the more I fall in love with it. I doesn't extract blackheads (but my pores aren't big so it might work differently for others), but I noticed it is REALLY good for shrinking pores. Whenever I squeeze out my blackheads my pores are usually left a bit "open" for a couple of days before they recover. But if I follow up with this clay mask... What pores? 😆👌👌👌 leaves my pores feeling super clean too. Shrink pores much better than the Origins active charcoal mask! Although the Origins mask has this cooling effect that I LOVE for summer, so I don't think I will be giving it up entirely. For now, loving the innisfree mask ❤️❤️❤️ sorry I keep posting about innisfree 😆 went cray-cray on the brand last month lol #innisfree #supervolcanicporeclaymask #supervolcanic #claymask #mask #origins #clearimprovement #activecharcoalmask #charcoalmask #skincare #koreanskincare #review #beautyblogger

A photo posted by Frances (@bbudgie) on Oct 18, 2014 at 11:36am PDT

5. Chloe Perfume

I am rubbish at describing scents. The notes of this perfume listed on Sephora: Pink Peony, Freesia, Lychee, Magnolia Flower, Lily of the Valley, Rose, Cedarwood, Amber, Honey.

Basically: OBSESSED. It started with a free perfumed body lotion sample from Sephora, and now I'm hooked <3 comment-3--="">



6. Clinique Smart Custom Repair Serum

I discovered this pretty late in the year, but I feel the need to include this. As I mentioned my last post, it managed to make it to my holy grail list within a very short period of time ;) I already talked about this on my Instagram (as well as my last post LOL). So I'm not gonna elaborate. Really does repair the skin :) One thing I will add though is make sure you use a generous amount (a full pump). For a while I was using half a pump cuz I noticed it was pumping out air O_O and I was trying to save the product by using less. I noticed when I used less, the effect was pretty much unnoticeable. So don't be stingy on this product!

I have no idea what's in this stuff... But it's AMAZING 😳 Currently having a lot of flakey/peeling skin going on on my nose because I squeezed my blackheads 🙈 but when I smoothed this over... It literally smoothed EVERYTHING DOWN. Like you can't even see the slightest flaking 😳 how does it do that???!?!??? Usually I have to use a stickier moisturizer to pat down the flaky skin but the texture of this serum isn't even runny or sticky. The finish is matte, which is completely mind boggling LOL. Tried it again this morning (only used it twice so far) and got the same results!! 🙌🙌🙌 granted the flakey skin is still there, but just no longer visible. Makes makeup application 100x easier 🎉🎉🎉 I NEED to pick this up while the VIB sale lasts!! So glad I got a sample of this ❤️❤️❤️ #clinique #cliniquesmart #customrepairserum #serum #amazing #skincare #beautyblogger #sephora

A photo posted by Frances (@bbudgie) on Nov 8, 2014 at 11:27am PST

That was all for my top picks for 2014 =) 6 items, really not that many eh? I really recommend all those products from the bottom of my heart. ^____^



But I have more to share! =P

Best Investments of 2014

1. Superfeet Orthotics





So... I sustained some feet injury throughout last year. Which was stupid cuz I never hurt myself while I was exercising -_- actually hurt myself while I was walking... walking down the stairs... etc. Anyway, it never got better so I finally went to see a sports medicine doctor. He recommended me to buy these shoe inserts/orthotics. Not gonna lie, I was HIGHLY SKEPTICAL. In my mind, I was all like... yeah... like shoe inserts are gonna help. But I was desperate enough to try anything LOL. These babies made ALL THE DIFFERENCE. What happened was, I have very high arch in my feet, so when I walk, the arch of my feet "collapse" because I put weight on my feet funny. With those orthotics, they filled the space between the arch, and basically forced me to redistribute my body weight when I walk/exercise/whatever, so it takes the stress off my arch. These were around $45 a pair. Not cheap, but I am so so grateful for them. I no longer have issues and pain in my feet :)  If you are interested in seeing if orthotics are right for you, you can go to a sports store that does orthotics fitting. They will be able to recommend you ones that suit your needs the best! (My doctor just recommend the stores for me and told me to look for orthotics. The sales person at the sports store was the one who picked out these particualr orthotics for me). 

2. Epillator

Mine is from Braun, but I have never used other brands so I don't have any point of reference for comparison. But if you're still shaving your armpits/legs, girllll you need one of those!!! One of the best decisions of my life XD  My biggest advice will be to MAKE SURE you exfoliate your armpits the day before and after you epillate.  I use the St. Ives scrub, which contains salicylic acid (it's the same one I use for my face, heyy why not). This helps prevent ingrown hairs. This is very important because if you don't exfoliate, you WILL get ingrown hairs, just like shaving.


Now... on to honorable mentions of 2014 :)

Honorable Products of 2014

In the blushes department:

I really couldn't pick a favorite blush for 2014... cuz I didn't really have one lol. But I can tell you my top 4 :) It will be Benefit dandelion, which is a rediscovery :D Benefit Rockateur, Canmake Cream Cheek Blush in 01, and Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in 15. I didn't really try out that many new blushes last year I guess O_o well not until the end of last year, so not gonna mention those here.

Swatches

I do have a post dedicated to the Canmake Cream Cheek blush, if you want to check that out, you can click here.






Sorry not that exciting XD


2. LUSH Fresh Face Mask.

I tried everything except the garlic one. That one I COULD NOT stand the smell. It was revolting. It was so bad that I had to exchange it. I have a review for all of the LUSH Fresh Face Masks... somewhere lol. Need to dig that draft out. But anyway! My favorite is the BB seaweed :) makes my skin very soft and plump. Like like like!!!




3. Innisfree Long Wear Cushion

See my review here. The reason why it only made it to the honorable mention, is because I noticed when I tried this when I have breakouts/dryness on my skin... it accentuates them LIKE CRAZY :(  it would look very dry and powdery on top of my blemishes. Not pretty at all. So basically, only good when my skin is perfect. But other than that, I did love it very much. Although I'm not gonna lie I'm getting over cushion foundations... for two reasons:
1. My Innisfree cushion smells kind of funny now. I think I have to throw it out :/ Not the most hygienic application.
2. SO BULKY. Not friendly for travel at all. 

4. Favorite winter lipsticks go to...

1. MAC lipstick in Media. See swatches here. 
2. Maybelline Super Stay 14hr Lipstick in Ravishing Rouge.

Swatches

I never mentioned the Maybelline Ravishing Rouge because I was waiting to mention it when I write about my red lipsticks collection O____O but it never happened. Anyway, this is a repurchase, cuz I have no idea where the old one went (probably in one of my purses when I brought it out but I couldn't find it anywher T__T). Maybelline Ravishing Rouge is my favorite red lip color ^___^ it complements my skin tone the best. Super flattering. Every time I wear it I get compliments :D One time I was wearing this and I was at the MAC store, and someone asked me which lipstick I was wearing XD awkward when it actually wasn't from MAC, ha ha ha...


The formulas of these lipsticks really aren't the most hydrating (in fact, on the drier side), but I love the colors so much that I can overlook that little flaw ;) especially Ravishing Rouge, hehehe.

5. Tanya Burr lip gloss


I have to give this a shout out... cuz I remember being obsessed with them (I have no idea where the "Heart Skipped a Beat" went T___________________T prob lost it when I took it out with me... couldn't find it... sob sob). Anyway, the novelty had worn off and I haven't been reaching for them, but they are worth checking out! See my review here. 


6. Za Ever Brows

I had this much left :D  I could've used it up a long time ago but I chose to dye my hair... hence... cannot use grey anymore -____-|||

Was trying hard to use it up and it really grew on me lol. Good for areas when you have sparser hairs... in fact, now I appreciate wax formula on my bald spots. They do cling on better than powder. Have to give this a shout out because it's a nice brow product, but just not my favorite. I think I remember mentioning it fading... I notice when I use a slightly heavier hand then it doesn't really happen, haha. But don't worry it won't make your brows look unnatural :P 


 7. Hot Tools Deep Waver
 
Was using this a lot cuz I love the result from it... but then noticed my hair got so damaged -_-" 


 I would recommend using a wetter heat protectant so your hair will come out less frizzy. I found that my Aussie Hair Insurance works really well with this Waver.

Most Used Products of 2014

Left: Lancome Teint Miracle Natural Light Creator Bare Skin Perfection Compact Foundation (Asia edition). This is my second Lancome powder foundation that I hit pan on (I used up the other one). This one I got it in the summer and it's too dark for me now, so I use it for shading, which works fantastically :D

Right: Paul & Joe Compact Foundation. I am really lazy and most days I just reach for powder foundations, so that is pretty much why this is one of my most used product LOL. It's pretty good, I like it, but I think I like Lancome more. 




Favorite liquid foundation remains YSL Touche Eclat!! What else?! LOL. Think this was also on my favorites list for 2013. Review here. Also did a comparison review with the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua, you can check it here.



Most used powder... Aveda Mineral Loose Powder. It's the only powder I'm using pretty much LOL. I feel like this product deserves more attention. Really good stuff. I think this will last me a life time XD But it really does set my foundation beautifully, and is somewhat oil controlling (I say somewhat because I still get oily at the end of the day).







Most used eye shadow goes to L'oral Infallible eye shadow in Bronzed Taupe! I mainly use it to line my eyes before layering liquid eyeliner over it. It really helps my eyeliner stay on all day (yes, all day). And it softens the eye look as well :) Also, I found avoiding using liquid foundation around the eyes/applying a light dusting of powder foundation over the eyes also help my eyeliner stay on all day long. Please note: a thin layer of eye shadow or powder foundation will do. Applying too much eye shadow/powder foundation thinking that it would keep the eye area drier/keep your eyeliner from smearing even more... it doesn't work like that lol. In fact, that will also make your eyeliner smear more easily because there are too much powder sitting there, so it can crease and clump. Remember, less is more. Of course, the type of eyeliner you use matters as well. I don't think I have to mention them here on my blog again... all my long time readers know I only use MAC Liquidlast in Coco Bar and Milani Infinite Liquid Eyeliner in 06 Unlimited.


You've already seen those a million times... Majolica Majorca mascara and primer. Can't live without.

Have to give a shout out to the Benefit They're Real mascara. Even though it has no curl hold, and smudges on my lower eyelid (need to dust some powder over my lower eyelid to prevent that from happening). The lengthening is impressive and I do miss it when it's gone. Check my review here.




Most used lip product goes to YSL Glossy Stain in 29. See swatches here.  Actually, for a better swatch, go here LOL. The second link is more true to color. I guess I should've crowned it my favorite lip product of 2014 :) want to give a shout out to Etude House Kissful Tint Choux, cuz I did use it quite a lot and I adore the color, but the formula is just not as good as YSL (mainly because when the stain fades it doesn't do so gracefully). Check review here.


Most used beauty tool goes to BeautBlender! Honestly... I think this was all I used in 2014 O_o didn't touch my foundation brushes. But toward the end I started just using my fingers LOL. Now using my own finger is my favorite way to apply foundation. All back to the basics huh? =P

Whew! That concludes my best of 2014 products! I hope it was worth reading O_O I know there are a lot of repeat products... but that's just what I like lol. What are your favorite products from 2014? Hope you guys are staying warm and sheltered and not too affected by the snow storm (there is no storm where I live... even though the news kept predicting it to be catastrophic... lo and behold IT WAS SUNNY TODAY wtf LOL).

That's all guys! Need to go sleep. Will catch you guys in my next post ^_~



<3 Frances