Top 10 Makeup Products of The Year 2013

Sorry for the lack of blog posts here guys! I have been doing lots of YouTube videos lately, another one is set to go live later this evening so watch out for that! :)

As Christmas seems like a distant memory at this stage and we have waved good bye to 2013, I was looking back on the year and thinking of how many new things I found out about. Given it was the year I started beauty blogging I was introduced to many new makeup products, some of them have now become essentials. Without further ado, here are my top 10 makeup finds of 2013
  

1. Nars Sheer Glow Foundation

I started using this in August and it has without a doubt knocked all my other 'night time' foundations out of the water. I wouldn't normally wear something this heavy to work or during the day but for nights out or daytime events I would crack this open.. which has been a lot over the last 5 months actually. I love this, the texture, the coverage, the colour range, the finish... its all just perfect. I think it will be hard to come across a better one for me!

2. Collection 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer

 

 As soon as I saw the YouTube and beauty blogging world going crazy about this I bought it right away. This very inexpensive concealer completely over shadows my high end ones like MAC, Clinque, Armani etc. at €7.99 it is better than all of the others I have tried. It gives high coverage, perfect for redness or blemishes but also I find it works well under the eye area too. I normally try to wear something a little lighter than this under my eyes but  more times than not this is what goes on!

3. Real Techniques Expert Face Brush 

 

I couldn't not give this a mention, I use it ever single time I am applying makeup! The Real Techniques brush range in general has been a great find for me in 2013 but  the expert face brush in particular has been used every day since I bought it back in June. I think that alone means it deserves a place on the list! Again like most of the product I'm mentioning here this is the best foundation brush I have used and my poor MAC and Sigma brushes have been gathering dust since this came along.

4. Maybelline La Falsies Mascara

So I might not be in love with the packaging but hell am I in love with the product! Its amazing!! It reminds me a lot of the Benefit 'There Real' mascara it lengthens and fills lashes and it stays put all day! I predict its going to be hard to find a better one in 2014!

5. Maybelline Color Tattoo 'On and On Bronze' 

As we are already on Maybelline and in the eye area I might as well continue. This one completely took me by surprise! I didn't expect to really like this let alone love it! This is my go-to eyeshadow when rushing out the door to work, no brushes necessary.. I take my ring finger and dab it all over my lid and I'm good to go. Some days, if I have more time I go in with a darker colour in the crease. This doesn't crease up creating awful lines on your lid, at least not for me anyway, making it perfect as a base for a smokey eye!

6. Nars Blush in Orgasm

I knew before I even tried this I was going to love it. It's the number 1 seller for Nars and its on most beauty bloggers list of 'amazing blushes'. Needless to say I wasn't disappointed, the colour is just so perfect to wear any time of year day or night. Its really build-able and has a gorgeous subtle rose gold shimmer to it.. it really is very subtle though! The image above is of the Orgasm/ Laguna duo that I picked up in Sephora last June.  


7. Rimmel Apocalips in Big Bang (red)

Yet another amazing lip product from Rimmel. The Apocalips range really is brilliant, I especially loved the shade Big Bang, which is this bright, bold, flirty red colour! 2013 was definitely the year I became more adventurous when it comes to wearing bold lip colours, this was one of my favorites. The lasting power is incredible for a gloss. The thick texture stains your lips as well as creating a super glossy finish!

8. Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner

LOVE this product! It has been the only gel eyeliner that I liked enough to include in my makeup routine. If I am wearing eyeliner, this is the one I have on! Its high pigment and texture makes it so easy to apply. I find it 10 times better than the MAC equivalent and the very same, if not better than the Bobbi Brown equivalent.. and way cheaper too!

9. Rimmel Stay Matt Powder in Transparent

Again, this is one of my finds from 2013 that left me thinking 'Why haven't I tried you sooner!'. This transparency powder is perfect for taking the shine away without making you look completely caked. Great for when there is going to be a camera around and also brilliant to have in your handbag on a night out for fixes! One downside is the packaging, its ugly...and it breaks really easily, however the product is good enough and priced so well that I can look passed this.

10. MAC Brow Pencil in Lingering

Finally a product that fixes my miss-shaped, patchy eyebrows! A big thank you to the makeup artist from MAC for introducing me to this!! I don't know her name but she has lessened my makeup application time by about 15 minutes! Before using this it took me forever to do my eyebrows, the process involved brushes, pencils, wax, baby-wipes and copious amounts of attempts. Now it involves just this and takes 3 minutes to do.. if even! I love how fine the tip of the pencil is, makes it so easy and whats more is I'm not flapping around with sharpeners you just twist if you want more. Bonus!

So that was it for my 2013 favorite finds. All of these are now permanent makeup bag essentials and it will be a hard job to find better candidates, so the post at the end of this year may be exactly the same! I hope not though as obviously I love finding new products! What have your favorite products of 2013 been? I would love to hear!

Ashley :)

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