The Best of 2014 | Make Up & Skincare!

Hey guys!

I know this post is really late but I thought I would share with you my favourite make up and skincare for 2014! 2014 was a real eye opener in make up for me and I have definitely accumulated a few long time favourites! Please note a lot of these favourites I have reviewed on this blog before so just click the tag of it to see if I've reviewed it!

>Skincare:

• Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water- I have bought bottle after bottle of this in 2014 and it allowed me to finally ditch the make up wipes. It's amazing to take make up off with and I will forever keep repurchasing it!
• The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash- This has for many years been my face wash. As someone who suffers terribly from acne I always like to use tea tree and don't want to switch up my skincare routine too much because I know what works for me. I will probably never stop buying this! 
• Neutrogena Visibly Clear Oil-Free Moisturiser- I have been using this moisturiser for about two years and I never switch it up. It smells like lovely grapefruit and feels amazing on the skin. It soaks in quickly so you can apply your make up soon after and is does not clog up pores. I'm in love with it!

>Eyes:

• Sleek i-Divine Storm Eyeshadow Palette- I love this little palette for all kinds of looks as it can take you from day to night. It is super affordable and makes me want to buy other palettes from the range!
• Maybelline Color Tattoo Eyeshadow Everlasting Navy- If you're one of those people like me where eyeshadow never seems to stay put on your eyelids then these cream gel eyeshadows are for you. I got the blue one as it matches my eye colour perfectly and I love a pop of colour. I always get complimented whenever I wear this and it is certainly long wearing! I am going to buy more from this range for sure.
• L'oreal Miss Manga Mascara- As soon as I saw the advert for this mascara I knew I wanted it. The name is great, the packaging is beautiful and the wand is a good amount of flexible. It claims to lengthen your eyelashes and it certainly does do that! I was super disappointed when I finished it and had to chuck it away and would definitely recommend it.
• Maybelline Master Precise Eyeliner- I tried this eyeliner on a whim and wasn't disappointed. Although flicks seem to fade a bit after a long day the brush is super easy to use and I can do my eyeliner quickly and efficiently. 
• Benefit Gimme Brow- Although this isn't of my eyes I didn't see the point in making a separate category for eyebrows when it was only this product. Gimme Brow is my first product from Benefit and I have been using it since April. It tints my eyebrows and is good at filling in sparse areas whilst holding the shape of my brows in place. I absolutely adore this eyebrow gel and it is so long-lasting!

>Lips:

• Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm Cherry Me- I have a few more of these baby lip balms but this one is my favourite. On days where you are having a natural look this subtle red will go down a treat. It smells great, looks great and is all around just fab. 
• Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm- I have Striking (red) and Shameless (purple) which I love equally as much. These are the ones to use when you want to put on some lip colour but don't have time to put on lipstick! They're certainly matte like they suggest. They are also the ones to use when you know you're going to be eating or kissing(!). I love them as they're super easy, beautiful and long-lasting. Definitely what I go for when I go out for dinner with my boyfriend haha! 
• Lush Bubblegum Lip Scrub- You can tell I love this when this is my second tub of it and I already have a third one in advance for when this one finishes. This is my ultimate lip scrub that lasts for about a year and does an excellent job at exfoliating your lips. I like to use it after a shower or before I apply lipstick for a smooth finish. It tastes yummy too!

>Face:

• Natural Collection Green Corrector Stick- Because I have a lot of redness on my face I always use green underneath my foundation to cancel out the redness: and this is the product behind it! I have lost count of how many of these I have bought but they're super cheap and super good at what they do!
• Real Techniques Expert Face Brush- I always use this brush for my foundation. It is an incredible brush that looks beautiful, feels beautiful and applies foundation flawlessly. Cannot recommend it enough especially for a first brush from Real Techniques!
• Collection Lasting Perfection Foundation- I always use this foundation and the colour works perfectly for me. It is high coverage which I need and is long lasting.
• Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer- I have been using this concealer for absolute years and years, even before bloggers started raving about it. Hipster, I know! It stays on for a long time and is super high coverage which is excellent for redness and acne.
• Collection Lasting Perfection Powder- To top it off is the powder that goes with the other two of the range and I love it. It definitely is mattifying and will turn any high-shine area in to Mr Matte. Love it!

It is clear from  my favourites that my ultimate make up brand of the year was Maybelline!
My next post will be my favourite books and DVDs of 2014.
What were your favourites for make up and skincare in 2014? Let me know!

Collection Lasting Perfection Powder Review!

Hello!

Due to my skin tanning I had to buy some darker make up to go with my new skin colour. I usually use Seventeen's Miracle Matte Powder but I couldn't find it in store! So instead I decided to try out Collection's Lasting Perfection Powder seeing as I already use and love the Lasting Perfection foundation and concealer.

To see my reviews of the Collection Lasting Perfection foundation and concealer, click here!

The product claims to be a long lasting 16 hour wear powder and it comes with a mirror and sponge. I like the packaging for the powder as it looks protective but I don't like the system where you have to flip the powder up to get to the mirror. This means that when you're applying the powder it can be annoying to have to keep flipping between them! I'd prefer for the mirror to be opposite the powder on the lid.

The sponge is just a basic sponge. I personally don't like to use it and find it a bit pointless but I leave it in there just in case!

Apart from those negative points, I really like this powder. It has been my saviour during the hot and humid weather as I like to apply it over my foundation and concealer to cover up the shine! I find it does cover up shine, mattifies my face and lasts alright through the heat and through sweat. I find I only have to apply it when I first put it on and then only have one touch up during the day.

This powder takes me through day to night and goes so well with the foundation and concealer within the range! You can however only get it in 3 shades: Fair, Medium and Dark. I chose the Medium colour!

PROS:

• Lasts long
• Matte finish
• Covers up shine
• Lasts through heat and sweat
• Doesn't need too many touch ups
• Packaging is strong and protective
• Affordable price

CONS:

• Sponge seems unnecessary
• Annoying to have to flip between the mirror and powder
• Limited shade range

Overall I love this powder and will probably buy it again instead of my Seventeen Miracle Matte powder. It goes great with the matching concealer and foundation and I would certainly recommend it to my friends! You can buy it at the affordable price of £4.19

What do you think? Let me know!

Boots Collection Haul!

Hey!

So I went to Boots the other day as I had to pick up some make up. I already use the Collection Lasting Perfection foundation and concealer but I have tanned lately so needed to buy it in a shade darker.

I usually use a different powder but they did not have it so I thought I would try out the Collection Lasting Perfection powder seeing as I already love the other two.

I have written an in-depth review of the foundation and concealer here if you'd like to check it out!

I will also write up a review of the powder soon.

Have you used any of these? What do you think of them? Let me know!

Collection Lasting Perfection Foundation & Concealer REVIEW! (My ULTIMATE concealer!)

Collection Lasting Perfection Foundation:

Would I Repurchase This?   Yes, 100%!

Would I Recommend It To A Friend? Yes

Rating: 9.5/10

I have always used the concealer of this but didn't realise this foundation existed until about three months ago. Knowing how much I love the concealer I bought this foundation with high expectations! I was definitely pleased with it.

On the bottle, it says:

*Lasts for up to 16 hours

*Flawless coverage

*Minimises imperfections

*Oil free

*SPF 20

I found it a bit hard to choose my shade but in the end I went with 'silky beige'. This didn't sound right for me because my skin colour really isn't 'beige' and when I brought it home even my Mum and sister said it probably way too dark for me. HOWEVER when I tried it on it matched perfectly!

This foundation is a medium/high coverage foundation which I like as I suffer from acne/red scarring. This is perfect for my skin and hides blemishes and redness well. 

I find this foundation blends very well and doesn't make me look orange. Sometimes I find it kind of clings to the dry patches underneath my eyes which therefore may not make it suitable for really dry skin but it is barely noticeable, only to me. 

It does last all day I will give it that, but sometimes it can go a bit 'dusty' looking shall we say around the nose/on wrinkles after about 7 hours. However it isn't that big of a deal and can easily be fixed although it really is not that noticeable!

PROS:

• Blends easily
• Doesn't make me orange
• Medium/High coverage
• SPF 20
• Oil free
• Great for acne prone/red/acne scarred skin
• Long lasting

CONS:

• Clings to dry patches slightly
• Can go slightly 'dusty looking' after approx. 7 hours 

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer:

Would I Repurchase This? Yes, always have done and always will!

Would I Recommend This To A Friend? Yes!

Rating: 10/10!

I have been using this concealer for many years now, perhaps four, but this is the first time I have used it since they have changed their brand, the packaging and shade names. I was a bit wary of it but when I eventually found my colour I soon realised it was just as good as it had always been.

Similarly to the foundation, the name of the colour sounded way too dark for me but in actual fact it was perfect! I was also worried about it not blending with the foundation but thankfully it does.

I have always loved this product because it is immensely good at covering up redness, acne and scarring as it is high coverage and blends well. It is so good that I have only recently started wearing it with foundation! I always used to wear the concealer and the concealer alone which worked great. I would only use it where necessary and it still blended great with my natural skin colour.

PROS:

• Long lasting
• Blends well
• High coverage
• Brilliant at covering imperfections

CONS:

• Can slightly cling to dry patches

Overall I cannot recommend these products enough. I have been excited for a while to share with you the concealer as it is my ultimate concealer I have used daily for many years. I was quite young when my Mum came home with this to help cover up the horrible 'pizza face' I had at the time and let me tell you it was quite the self-esteem saver. I will forever repurchase these and would definitely recommend you try them out!

Have you used any of these? What do you think of them? Let me know!

Boots Haul!

Hey BumbleBeas!

The other day I decided to treat myself to some new stuff from Boots. You've got to treat yourself once in a while, right?

1. Real Techniques- Expert Face Brush I have been wanting one of these brushes for a long while! I finally bit the bullet and chose to get the 'expert face' one for my foundation. I love it!
2. Collection- Lasting Perfection Foundation I have been using the concealer for years and I never realises there was a foundation until recently. I never wear foundation so this was a step up for me!
3. Collection- Lasting Perfection Concealer I have been using this concealer religiously for years and it is the best concealer ever. However, they recently altered the name, shades and packaging and this is the first time I have bought the new edition! 
4. Natural Collection- Green Correction Stick This is the second time I have bought this as my first one ran out. I used to use the most perfect green corrector stick from No 7/17 but it got discontinued so I had to find a new one!
5. L'oreal- Super Liner Gelmatic L'oreal recently either discontinued my usual eyeliner which I had been using every day for years or Boots just don't sell it any longer. Either way I had to find a new eyeliner and this is what I found!

A review for ALL of these products will be coming soon, so look out for those! 

Have you used any of these or want any of it? What do you think of them? Let me know!