14 Beauty Favourites of 2014

End of year beauty favourites are my favourite posts to both read and write. Being a beauty addict, I try a lot of products, so these really are the best of the best. 

As of last year, I split my favourites into two posts, beauty and makeup favourites. I find my beauty favourites a hell of a lot easier to pick than my makeup favourites. Mainly because I change my makeup so often, but with beauty products once I find something I love, I'm pretty loyal. As testament to that, half of these products were also in my 13 Beauty Favourites of 2013.

Enough rambling, here are my 14 favourite beauty products of 2014. Makeup favourites to come tomorrow! 

1. La Roche-Posay Serozinc

Like most people, I discovered this through Caroline Hirons, who I'm sure you know is amazing for skin care recommendations. This is a spray toner with zinc sulphate which targets blemishes and marks.  I use this after cleansing, spray on a cotton pad and wipe all over my face. This, in conjunction with their Effaclar Duo + has improved my skin no end and you can now finally get this in the UK! (Chloe you need to try this!)

Escentual £8.50

2. Moroccanoil 

(Featured in my 2013 favourites)

Along with Seche Vite, this is one of my all time favourite makeup discoveries. I rub 1-2 drops of this into the ends of my towel dried hair, every time I wash it. I can't really remember what life was like before Moroccanoil, frizzier!

Look Fantastic £31.85 

3. Babyliss Waving Wand

I had picked out my favourites and photographed them, then realised that I hadn't included this and had to redo the whole thing! Pretty much the only hair tool I used all year, if I curl my hair this is the only thing I use. Its quick, easy to use and gives me the big, loose vintage waves I crave. I shared my technique in this post back in 2013 and it hasn't changed.

Amazon £27.50

4. Clarins Pure Melt Cleansing Gel

Oh I love this stuff. I originally discovered this back in 2013, loved it but then went on to try other cleansers. This year I have gone back to it and now I'm not straying. I take my makeup off every night religiously and this makes that process enjoyable. I just rub a blob all over my face and rinse of with a cloth. It feels really luxurious, doesn't sting my eyes and works well with my skin. 

Boots £20.00

5. Bumble and Bumble Surf Foam Wash Shampoo and Creme Rinse Conditioner

This shampoo and conditioner leave my hair feeling so soft and super bouncy. They also leave my hair feeling really clean and gives me some natural movement and wave. Plus the smell reminds me of holidays :)

Escentual £18.50/£20.00

6. Kate Somerville Goat Milk 

(Featured in my 2013 favourites)

When it comes to moisturisers I hate to admit but I am a bit of a diva. I hate the feeling of heavy moisturisers and having combination skin, I have to be careful that they don't break me out. Goat Milk sounds unappealing but its light, doesn't irritate my skin and calms any sensitivity. You can only get this in America but Sephora does now ship to the UK.

Sephora $65.00

7. COLAB Dry Shampoo London Classic Fragrance

A late entry but I cannot put into words my joy at finally finding a dry shampoo that doesn't leave my hair looking like an ash cloud and doesn't feel disgusting in my hair. This is so light you can barely feel it in your hair, its pretty much invisible apart from if you spray too much, or too close and it really cleans my hair. This has saved me from having to wash my hair everyday and for that, I cannot thank it enough.

Superdrug £3.49

8. Garnier Micellar Cleansing Water

For me, Micellar Water is a life saviour. I don't use makeup wipes as they irritate my skin but Micellar Water is so gentle and removes everything. Most brands seem to have released their own versions and to be honest I don't really notice a difference from brand to brand, but the Garnier wins for me as you get the most for your money.

Boots £3.33

9. Bobbi Brown Almost Bare Perfume 

(Featured in my 2013 Favourites)

This is my signature scent and I have got through countless bottles. This is a very fresh smelling perfume and the name describes it perfectly. I always get a lot of compliments on this scent, particularly from men. I have even had two strangers (both men) ask me what my perfume was, which I don't imagine is a very common occurrence. I have no shame in admitting that I live in fear of Bobbi Brown discontinuing this!

Bobbi Brown £49.50

10. Tangle Teezer Salon Elite

I take my Tangle Teezer for granted, until I use a different hairbrush and wince as I brush through those knots. This makes hair brushing a dream. 

Beauty Bay £8.09

11. Seche Vite 

(Featured in my 2013 Favourites)

If I had to pick my greatest makeup discovery of all time, including both makeup and beauty, Seche Vite would be it. In the most shallow of ways, this top coat is life changing. Your nails are dry in minutes. I can paint my nails, go to bed five minutes later and I won't wake up with a single smudge. As well as fast drying, this is also the glossiest top coat in the world and people regularly ask me if my nails are gel, no, no its Seche Vite. I would never use another top coat.

Boots £9.00

12. Real Techniques Buffing Brush 

(Featured in my 2013 Favourites)

This has to be the most popular makeup brush in the YouTube and blogging community. I really dislike traditional, flat foundation brushes. I always found they left streaks and because of this never used a brush to apply my foundation. The Buffing Brush changed that completely and since discovering this, I haven't used my fingers to apply my foundation. This really gives you a flawless, airbrushed finish and I recommend it to everyone. The only annoying thing is that you cant buy it separately, its only available as part of their core collection but well worth the money.

Superdrug £20.99

13. La Roche Posay Effaclar Duo +

Hands down, my best discovery of 2014. The beginning of the year I found that my skin kept breaking out, particularly around my chin area. It was really starting to get me down as nothing was working and then I heard about this new release from La Roche Posay and thought I had nothing to lose by trying it. Effaclar Duo + is for people with blemish prone skin and it is designed to help with blemishes and fight against the appearance of marks. This stuff is amazing and has genuinely transformed my skin, I now rarely suffer from spots and if I do its the odd one and it goes very quickly. I can also vouch for this improving marks on the skin, as my chin area which I previously struggled with, is now clear. This is my 5th bottle and I would not be without this!

Boots £15.50

14. Zoya Remove + 

(Featured in my 2013 Favourites)

Pricey, but my favourite nail polish remover. I have tried to use your standard, cheap removers but this has spoilt me and now I cant go back. Gets rid of all polish quickly and doesn't dry out my nails at all, which is the thing I cant stand with those cheapo removers. This actually leaves my nails feeling nourished.

Amazon £10.50

13 Beauty Favourites of 2013

Yesterday I shared my top 13 makeup products of the year and today I'm sharing my top 13 beauty products of the year. This includes skincare, hair, nails, tools and fragrance.

It was actually pretty easy picking my top 13, as these are the products I use on an almost daily basis. They are all tried, tested and true and I highly recommend them all!

1. Oribe Apres Beach Wave and Shine Spray - I did not want to like this purely because of the price but of course what happened....I tried it and loved it. 

Now I do very little to my hair, I don't even blow dry it. This is because I naturally have very straight hair and if I use a hairdryer I look like Gwyneth Paltrow. Polka straight hair is not for me, so I leave my hair to dry naturally to get some movement in it. If I leave it to dry naturally and spray this in, I get actual waves. If I can do this and let it dry outside in the wind, I get my perfect hair. Of course I work in an office Monday to Friday so that rarely happens, but still! The other great thing about this product is that it doesn't leave any kind of residue in your hair, its not sticky, or greasy, or heavy, you really cant feel it.

Available from Space NK £18 - £33

2. Aussie Mega Shampoo and Conditioner - Thank God I found a cheap shampoo and conditioner after that spray hey! This shampoo was recommended to me by my Sister and I have used it religiously ever since. Ive lost count of how many bottles of the stuff I have got through! I am a greasy hair sufferer but this makes my hair feel so clean, it leaves behind no residue and also makes my hair super shiny. I loved the Bumble and Bumble Surf shampoo and conditioner but they were a little pricey for everyday. This however is under a fiver and works amazingly.

Available from Boots £4.69

3. Micellar Water - My bottle of Bioderma is pictured as that is the one I'm currently using but I think all Micellar waters are the same, so take your pick. I love Micellar waters, they remove all my makeup and are so gentle on my skin. I personally hate face wipes as they always leave my skin looking red, blotchy and slightly stinging. I tend to use a Micellar water to remove my makeup and then cleanse my skin with some form of balm. If you are a face wipe addict make the change, you won't regret it.

I love L'oreal's Micellar water and its a lot cheaper and easier to get hold of than Bioderma.

Available from Boots £3.33

4. Kate Somerville Goat Milk - This is the first moisturiser I have ever found that I really like and you can only buy it from Sephora (excuse me whilst I have a massive tantrum). It feels so light on your skin, its not heavy or greasy at all and I felt like I could comfortably wear it underneath my makeup, without it slipping off. My pot is now empty so I am going to have to make a trip to America next year to restock.

Available from Sephora

5. OPI Natural Nail Base Coat - The best base coat I have found and trust me I have tried a lot. This might seem pretty bog standard but it extends the wear of my nail polish, prevents my nails getting stained and has helped prevent my nails peeling. I wouldn't even bother trying another base coat now I have found this, I'm currently on my second bottle and counting.

Available from Beauty Bay £9.35

6. Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat - This top coat is quite honestly my number 1 beauty discovery of all time,  if they ever stopped making it I don't know what I would do. This drys my nail polish completely in 5 minutes. I mean completely dry, stick your hands in your bag, put your socks on, run your fingers through your hair dry. It also gives me the glossiest, shiniest finish, to the point where I am constantly asked if my nails are gel. Nah uh, its all because of this absolute beauty.

Available from Boots £9.00

7. MAC 217 Blending Brush - The only eyeshadow brush I need. This applies my eyeshadow and blends it at the same time. There are a lot of people I would love to introduce this brush to, let me tell you!

Available from MAC £18.00

8. Real Techniques Buffing Brush - The Real Techniques brushes are amazing and the Buffing Brush is my absolute favourite brush to apply foundation. Its only available as part of the Core Collection set, so if you don't want to buy the whole set, the Expert Face Brush is a good alternative.

Available from Feel Unique Currently on sale for £15.74

9. Topshop Celestial Nail Polish - Picking a nail polish was easy because this colour has been on my nails for pretty much half of the year. I am obsessed with this colour.

Available from Topshop 

10. Zoya Remove + - All of my nail care products are in my top 13 and that is because I have found the best of the bunch and don't even bother trying anything else. This might seem pricey for a nail polish remover but because I constantly wear nail polish, normal remover drys my nails out something rotten. This keeps my nails nourished, stops them drying out and I swear it increases the wear time of my polish. I don't know how many bottles of this I have got through but I refuse to use anything else.

Available from Amazon £10.55

11. Bobbi Brown Almost Bare Perfume - If you are very strange and want to smell like me, than this is what you should be wearing! This has a very light, fresh smell and I think the name describes it far better than I ever could!

Available from Debenhams £48.00

12. Moroccanoil - This would come in second place to my Seche Vite in my best beauty discoveries of all time. This stuff changed my hair texture for the better. Years of going from blonde to brown ruined my hair and left me with some serious dried ends. Applying this to the ends of my hair every time I wash it has quite literally saved my hair and I would now never be without it. Expensive but a 100ml bottle lasts me about 6 months!

Available from Feel Unique £31.85

13. Clarins Gentle Exfoliator Brightening Toner - I much prefer using a chemical exfoliator to a more traditional gritty one, as I find the gritty ones can aggravate my skin. The Brightening toner by Clarins is my favourite chemical exfoliator, I just pour some of this on a cotton pad and wipe over my skin after cleansing. I notice such a difference when using this.

Available from Boots £25.00

I cant believe I didn't include my Tangle Teezer!