2014 favorites | hair and bodycare

I was a pretty late bloomer when it came to makeup, and it's no different in terms of haircare and bodycare. In fact 2014 was the year that I started taking care of my hair and skin, and before that I'd rarely use lotions or hair products.

soap & glory hand food » My all-time favorite hand cream. I've gone through more tubes of this stuff than I can count, and when I can't squeeze any more out I snip off the top so I can get to the extra left in the crevices. My boss and coworkers always mention how I use this all the time. It sinks in very quickly, keeps my hands moisturized until my next hand wash, and doesn't leave a greasy feeling. It also smells nice, but not overpowering. I know it's probably a very boring description - it's what everyone looks for in a hand cream, and this one hits all the points for me. I switch my hand creams up from time to time, but I always come back to this one.

fixx argan oil no-frizz hair serum » Like all haircare products, this is a temporary fix for damaged or unruly hair but it's one is my favorite by far. I work about two pumps of it into the ends of my boob-length hair (is there a better way to say that??) when it's still damp, after towel drying. Back when I used to bleach and dye my hair like crazy, this is the one product that did wonders for my damaged ends... Words can't describe my feelings for this product, so see the post on Instagram, here!



the body shop body butters » These body butters are intensely hydrating and my super dry skin loves them. It does leave a slight film, but I think it's so that it keeps the moisture in instead of evaporating. I also love how many scents there are, and even though most of them are a basic, flat scent there's probably something for everyone. I'm not kidding when these are making it into my bodycare favorites. Out of this picture I've finished the three minis, and about one and a half of the fullsize containers. Don't even get me started on how many empty containers I've thrown into the trash. Personally my favorite scent is the Olive one :)



skincraft organics fresh cut deodorant » I mentioned this quite a while back and I'm still loving it. It smells good - though not exactly like freshly cut flowers, maybe the tea tree oil overpowers it? - and it lets me sweat like I'm supposed to do without body odor stinking up the place. It also doesn't leave a waxy film after showering, which is the main reason I avoided wearing deodorant like the plague for years. Gross fact but hey, I'm being honest. Also, almost a year later, I'm still using the same tube. Out of curiosity I twisted it all the way up and then all the way down to see how much I've used and OVER HALF OF IT IS LEFT. Now I'm quite aware that this is way past the "best used by" date but I swear, it's still as good as it was when it first arrived in the mail.

That's the last of my 2014 favorites, finally! That felt like a ton of products to go through and write about, and I feel like a lot of bloggers did their yearly favorites in a much more efficient way, haha. Note to self when it comes around to do 2015 favorites: take note of Terri's and Rachael's favorites because I NEED TO STOP WRITING PARAGRAPHS UPON PARAGRAPHS.

2014 favorites | makeup part 3: eye makeup!

Of course eye makeup will have its own post... For me, it's the most fun part about makeup, even though I don't have the time to play around with it every day. Here's the list of eye makeup that I find myself using consistently!

2014 favorites | makeup part 2: blushes, bronzers, and highlight

After I apply my concealer and sometimes-foundation, my face is looking pretty blank and flat! Here are my favorite blushes, highlight, and bronzers to add the color back in.

dolce & gabbana blush in tan 22 » It says blush, but it's clearly an overpriced bronzer. Even so, I'll buy this over and over because it's just that good. I have a review, here!

benefit hoola bronzer » Unfortunately just one bronzer isn't enough for me because I go completely bananas when it comes to contouring. Hoola is darker and more pigmented than the D&G one, so this one goes on just the hollows of my cheeks.

too faced a la mode eyes » BECKY THAT'S AN EYESHADOW PALETTE-- I know, I know! But, I like super shimmery highlights and even though it doesn't look natural at all... well, I like it so much to the point where I use La Croisette which is a SUPER pigmented and shimmery eyeshadow, as my highlight. I might look into the Becca highlighters but at almost $30..... I'm going to cry.

too faced full bloom ultra flush blush in cocoa rose » My go-to neutral blush, it works with both neutral and more out-there looks. I believe this is the first ever high-end blush I bought as well, around 2 years ago. Since then it seems like they've been out of stock of this shade in particular, and I really hope it's not discontinued.

tarte 12-hour amazonian clay blush in captivating » The perfect coral on the cheeks, I like using this when my makeup is fairly neutral to give a pop of color. I've been using it for a while and the imprint doesn't seem to fade away. Magic, I tell you.

The last of the makeup favorites series will be up tomorrow, featuring my favorite eye products! Unfortunately the hair and bodycare favorites won't be up until sometime in January (it feels so weird saying that!) since I'm saving the 31st for a post that will be special to me.

2014 favorites | makeup part 1: bases & details

After sorting through my makeup favorites from this year... there's too many! I'm sure most of you guys can relate, haha. I'm be splitting this section into a few separate posts, cause I don't like having super long posts myself. So here's part one of the (hopefully) makeup favorites trilogy: bases, and the little things at the end that tie everything together.

I'm changing things up a little bit by trying out different styles in writing... Usually I like to provide a (quite lengthy) mini review but I'll try to shorten things up a little bit especially since most of these products aren't new to the blog... I suppose that's the point of having these as my all-time favorites this year, though! A lot of these are featured in my everyday makeup post as well, if you'd like to read about how I use these products.



First things first I'm the realest - the things I slap on my face after skincare...

2014 favorites | skincare

2014 was the year where I discovered and frequently lurked /r/skincareaddiction thanks to James and learned so much about taking care of my skin. I'd recommend the subreddit to anyone, whether you're struggling with skin issues or not. The main things I changed in my skincare routine are using oils, switching over to an inexpensive moisturizer that does the same job as some of my favorite high-end ones, and most importantly using sunscreen. So, here are my favorite skincare products from this year!