Wednesday, February 4, 2015

2014 Favorites

I don't think that I've done a yearly favorites post before. I decided to base mine on products that I either purchased or received and used in 2014. There are many items that are a standard item in my routine and I've used them for years. I didn't want to include those. There really aren't too many especially since, as I mentioned before, 2014 ended up being a crazy year for me so I just didn't do much shopping other than to replace loved items. This also was a reason why I wasn't motiviated to blog--nothing new to talk about. 

So onto my favorites:

Tony Moly 7 Days Tatoo Eyebrow


You can read my review here. It has become a staple item that I can't live without. Although I'm debating (and have been for years but am scared) getting it permanently tattooed, I will probably still keep this in my stash to use.

K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner 24h WP


Although I have mentioned this eyeliner as being my HG before, I have always used the black eyeliner. At the beginning of the year, I decided that black was a bit harsh to use to line my lower lash line so I decided to purchase this in brown. It's not that easy to find it in brown but I managed to do so. I also purchased more while I was in Japan in November. What I found interesting was that I recently read a blog post by K of Cosmeddicted who wrote that she started using a brown eyeliner because she felt black was too harsh. 

RapidLash Eyelash Enhancing Serum


This was recommended by a friend who tried it and liked it. I'm so glad that she did. I found that it worked really well for me. While I don't think that my lashes got thicker, it did lengthen quite a bit and some bare spots did fill in. I know that I had taken pictures and had planned to do a blog post on it but never did. I will be using it again but have taken a break for a while. When I do start using a lash enhancing product again, I'l be using Latisse. It was given to me by Mai, who had won or received it from her doctor's office. She is very cautious with her eyes so she doesn't want to use it. I'm the lucky person who gets to.

Daiso Mascara


I just wrote about this mascara and you can read about it here. Even though I only started using it from the end of November, it has already become a favorite of mine. Mai loves it too.

Embryolisse Lait-Creme Concentre


This is used a lot by makeup artists as a primer. It can also be used as a moisturizer. I use it as a primer and really like it. I don't like primers that feel like it has a lot of silicone in it. It makes my face feel like it's itching, although there is no adverse reaction.

bareMinerals Bareskin Pure Brightening Serum Foundation


You can read my review here. I first reviewed it back in July and I'm still using the original bottle that I purchased. It is just about reaching the end so I bought a replacement. Sephora just released a similar type of foundation under their own brand. I tried it but it doesn't feel the same as the bareMinerals. 

Makana Academy Brand Blush


Back in October, Mai took me to Makana Academy to get a facial done for my birthday. After we were done, I was browsing in the lobby and found a shelf with various makeup that was being cleared out. I was told that they were in the process of moving so they wanted to lighten their load. It was very reasonably priced so I picked up this blush along with a some eyeshadow palettes. I must say that this is one of the best blushes that I have used in a long time. I had been reaching for it everyday until I needed to try another blush that was given to me.

Sparkle Collagen Peptide Supplement


I really need to do a blog post on this because I am duly impressed. When I went to Japan, I was fortunate enough to meet up with Yu Ming of Beauty-Box Online. I love her blog and when I had last looked, she had been selling a variety of different products from her online store. Apparently, she discontinued it but along with her husband, developed their own collagen supplement and named it Sparkle. She was so generous and gave me a tub to try. I will definitely do a blog post on it but just so you know, I am currently on my third tub. In the meantime, if this intrigues you, you can check out the Sparkle website here. No, I am not affiliated with them in any way. Just a satisfied customer and think of Yu Ming as a dear friend.

Did you discover anything new in 2014 that has become a favorite?

*Kat*

4 comments:

Bijin Blair said...

Yes, please do review Yu Ming's Sparkle supplement! The collagen craze is booming over here so everywhere I turn, I am bombarded with advertisements. Haven't quite decided which brand to go with yet!

Oooh, I bought a Daiso mascara too: https://twitter.com/BijinBlair/status/533286214686621696 Have you tried the Long Lash version?

Beauty Box said...

Hi Kathy, thank you so much for the wonderful mention :) I'm so glad that you are enjoying taking Sparkle daily. I'm a huge fan of the embryolisse moisturizer too!! It's available in Tokyo but so expensive - I try to look out for it when I travel.

galpal.hi said...

Bijin Blair--I'll be reviewing Sparkle in the next couple of days, I hope. I just finished taking pictures for the post.

I haven't tried the long lash version--was actually quite surprised by how much of a selection of mascaras there was. I have to go back to Japan to purchase again to try them all.

*Kat*

galpal.hi said...

YuMinng of Beauty Box--You're so welcome. Thank you again for that 1st container for me to try. I'm so glad that I got to try it and now love it so much!

The Embryolisse caught my eye because of the way they marketed it on Cosmede.com. They said it was the Japanese makeup artist's favorite item. It was on sale so of course I had to try it. I'm so glad that I picked up 2 of them at the same time as I'm almost done using the first tube.

*Kat*