Best of Beauty 2013: 13 loves + 3 fails

And the world's most incosistent blogger is back! lol No i have not died, but the blog has indeed been dead for a while, so i thought i 'd resurrect it with a very popular tag in the blogging/YT world showing you all what i loved and what i "hated" the year that passed as far as beauty products go.
Wishing you all a very happy 2014 and hoping that you will all stick to your NY resolutions as i will try to stick to mine ;) And without further ado, let's jump right in!

Truth be told, i have tried A LOT of make up this year and while i have not loved every single thing i bought, there were definitely some products that stood out and i found myself reaching for them really often (if not every day).

BEST:

1) Foundation/Makeup Base: Garnier BB cream for combination/oily skin

I have NOT used "real" foundation since discovering  this product. My skin is combination/oily and while it's nowhere near perfect, the coverage that this BB gives me is enough for day to day use. I had tried the original BB from Garnier and it was my death in a tube, very oily and no coverage whatsoever. This one gives a beautiful semi-matte finish and is also cheap as hell. The consistency is a bit runny and has a strong alcohol smell, but i am willing to go past these since i love it so much.
And yes i am backing up every time i find it on sale, hence all these tubes, lol. I use the light/clair one but i have the medium/dark too if i feel like doing liquid bronzing (about never but anyways, haha). If you're really really pale you might not suit the light one as it is pretty yellow-toned and not as fair as some people are. I wish they would come out with a greater color selection.

2) Concealer: MAC concealers (studio finish & pro longwear)

MAC does amazing concealers and i am definitely a fan of these two. Studio Finish is a very thick cream and comes in a little pot, great for covering up blemishes and/or discoloration. I would not recommend using it under the eyes, as it is rather heavy and will crease during the day. Pro Longwear on the other hand, is my Holy Grail concealer of all time. Beautiful consistency, sticky (in a good way), with very good coverage, perfect as an under-eye concealer as well as for all over the face. Outstanding staying power, does not crease and does not settle in fine lines. It comes in a glass bottle with a little pump, and quite truthfully the pump itself is the only thing i don't like in this product. It dispenses WAY TOO MUCH product and it's not really easy to control. It gets on my nerves every time, but i am not giving up on it 'cause it's a blessing from God.
 I have NC 20 (yellow-tone) and NW20 (pink-tone) in Studio Finish and NC 20 in the Pro Longwear.

3+4) Highlighter & Bronzer: Mary Lou-Manizer and NYX Matte Bronzer

Mary Lou made me like highlighting. Read my review here. I have not been using it every day since i am not that much of a shimmery-cheekbones person but i loved it nonetheless. NYX's matte bronzer on the other hand, i did use pretty often and i am fi-na-lly hitting pan (yay me! lol). I have the shade MBB01 Light and it is a pretty honey-colored bronzer, ideal to warm up the face if you're of a light complexion. It can run a little bit orange if you're extremely pale, since it is on the warm side, but overall a good bronzer for light-skinned people. It's dark enough to give you that sun-kissed look but light enough to look natural. I don't use it to contour, since i prefer more cool-toned dark powders for this purpose but you could definitely do that if you want since it's matte and blends very easily. I am really impressed with it and i will be re-purchasing when i run out.

5) Powder: Rimmel Stay Matte

What shall i say for this little cheapy. It's affordable and gets the job done. It doesn't cake up when applied, has a very light velvety feel to it and the most important: keeps me matte during the day. It won't give you any coverage, but it will set whatever you're wearing underneath beautifully. I have it in the shade "Tranparent 001" which is supposed to suit all skin colors, but Rimmel has some other shades available too.

6) Mascara: SEVENTEEN Extraordinaire Mascara

A greek brand Seventeen, but oh what a great product this is. If you want extra long, extra thick, spidery-looking eyelashes this mascara is for you. It's not the easiest to apply since the brush is huge and it brings out A LOT of product (make sure you swipe most of it with a tissue!), but it's a lovely mascara to have and a great one for that va-va-voom effect.

7) Eyeshadow: Inglot, Inglot and Inglot (Inglot).

I have raved about Inglot eyeshadows numerous times so i will not go on and on about them again, if you're interested in some of the shades i own, i have written some blogposts here, here and here. I am collecting them as if they were stamps or sth, it's not even funny.

8) Lip Care: KORRES lip butters

Nothing mends my chapped lips better than these little guys. They're creamy, buttery and really soft on your lips without feeling greasy or yucky. They moisturize well and i can feel the moisture penetrating the surface of the lips rather than sitting on them like a slimy film (*cough*Liposan*cough*). I have 4 but the plum one and the pommegranate leave a nice sheer color on the lips which is always a plus. ;)

9) Skincare: Bioderma Sensibio H20

A pricey "water" lotion for your face but oh-so-worth every penny. Amazing for removing makeup or even if you need an instant refreshing. It's very gentle and has never irritated my eyes, i just love it. My bff bought me one for Christmas and i couldn't be more thankful since i had run out of mine and i was in that awkward phase trying to decide if i should bite the bullet and go out to get myself another one, lol
p.s. i have tried the L'oreal "dupe" one, the Ideal Soft or whatever it's called but i don't feel they're the same thing. However, if you're on a budget i suggest you try the L'oreal one, it's a decent alternative to Bioderma.

10) Brushes: Real Techniques

Real Techniques by Samantha Chapman. Great quality for a very affordable price. I don't know if they could be compared to Sigma, but they get the job done, they're soft and cruelty-free. They don't shed when i wash them and they dry quickly. These three are my most used ones, the Blush Brush, the Buffing and the Contour Brush.

11) Hair Care: Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Reconstructor

A very nourishing mask for damaged and de-hydrated hair and it was indeed my favorite of the year, but i fnd it somewhat overpriced. I seem to run out of it pretty fast and i am not happy spending 9 euros for a drugstore hair mask, especially when i only get 250 ml. It has a very strong bubblegum smell which i loved when i used it the first time or two, but after a while it became a bit overwhelming and now i am just over it, lol. Overall a really good product and a very famous one, i'd say you should try it at least once but i don't know if i will be buying it again, i guess i want to try some more before commiting myself to Mr.Bubblegum over there, haha.

12) Body Care: The Body Shop Body Butters

Another great love of mine. I have a mild obsession with TBS body butters and i wasn't even fond of body moisturizing a couple of years ago, lol! These guys ain't cheap but they're of exceptional quality in my opinion. The consistency is much like that of a true butter, you really need a tiny amount and they will leave your skin feeling smooth and hydrated. I've tried most of them but my favorite ones are the Ginger Sparkle from a Christmas collection, the Coconut one (permanent, great for summer) and the Vineyard Peach which is my absolute favorite. If i was a body butter this is how i'd look and how i'd smell. A pink cream with the most divine peach smell ever existed. Can't get enough of it and HATE The Body Shop for only including it in a limited collection.

13) Perfume: Juicy Couture Viva La Juicy

My all time favorite perfume! It's very popular and for a reason. It smells heavenly, really fresh but sweet at the same time, which is right up my alley when it comes to fragrances. If you're a vanilla kind of person you might want to go for sth else, since this is sweet but mostly fruity and fresh/citrusy with a little bit of a gourmand dry down. The bottle is also adorable with the pink bow and all :3

..aaand the FAILS:

You know, there are always there, aren't they? Some products you may have bought on a whim but ended up letting you down SO much that you just can't do anything else but bash them on your blog, lol

1) Syoss Hair Conditioner for Dry Hair

Ok, let me have my moment of rant here. I have really dry hair at this point of my life which is mostly due to heat styling and coloring. I really needed a good MOISTURIZING conditioner, and while browsing the aisles of a beauty store i stumbled upon a Syoss deal (1+1 in hair products). I instantly noticed the "DEEP REPAIR BALSAM" description in this one so i was like "yes!" *jumps up and down*. It's a very promising title, isn't it? When i hear "balsam" i think of ..well, balsams! And "repair", oh boy, did i not need some repairing. I never had good experience with Syoss producs to be honest, i did not like the hairspray and i hated the shampoo but somehow i thought i'd might love the conditioners (or was it the 1+1 deal? that must have been it, yep, coz i'm just cheap like that, lol).
Needless to say, this did not hydarte nor "repair"my hair AT ALL. It was a bit runny, had a funky chemical scent and when i rinsed my hair it was left as dry as ever. I gave it soo many shots, i even left it on for half an hour for God's sake but no. Just a cream, doing nothing, absolutely nothing. I could apply hand lotion on my hair and it would do sth better i reckon, that bad it was.
BONUS STORY: So i was in the shower the other day and i realised i ran out of shaving cream. I'd use some soap but oh-the-epiphany! The Syoss conditioner was staring at me from the corner, behind my other Pantene and Aussie conditioners, calling me to take it in my hands. "This is your chance for a compensation", i thought. And there was i, casually applying conditioner on my legs. And what a great idea that was, for a smoother shave i have never had (i am reading Game of Thrones and the language is getting to my head, please bear with me , lol). Jokes aside, this is not a good conditioner but if you wanna use it as a shaving cream ...amazing! No need to rush out and buy the Skintimate Shave Gel, Syoss it is for the time being, lol.

2) Aussie Miracle Moist Shampoo and Conditioning Spray

Not nearly as moisturising as i wished they'd be, heavy bubblegum smell and overpriced. Enough said. I wish i wasn't so greedy buying ALL products of a line thinking they'll work best in conjuction with each other. This is not the case with every brand. Disappointed with those two, i do not recommend them unless you're on the hunt for a bubblegum hair "perfume", in that case the "conditioning" spray will keep your hair smelling nice for an hour, lol

3) L'oreal Elnett Hair Spray

Can you tell i had some major luck with hair products this year? haha! :S I succumbed to the hype of this and bought myself one to try. Does not hold my hair in place, smells of insecticide and is over-priced as hell. And what's up with the "VERY VOLUME" description, is it some kind of advanced English i don't understand? No L'oreal Elnett, no. Go away.


And that was it with the loves and fails of 2013, i did love (and hate) many many  more but this post is already a million lines long so i'll stop here. Wishing you all the best and do share a Holy Grail product for me to try out this year in the comments, i love knowing other people's favorites! <3

                         Have a great week! Much love and sorry for my forever absence,
                                                                            C*