2014 reexamined through the beauty products we bought
The Hello Giggles editors and contributors did not wake up like this, and here is a list of products that helped us out every day.
Elena Sheppard: Call me traditional, but 2014 has been the year of the ultra-red lip for me. Nars tops my list for lipstick—it’s so matte and thick and perfect, and there are two reds in particular that I trade between and sometimes even layer: Fire Down Below (deep red and perfect for a night out) and Shanghai Express (a little orange-y and I love it for daytime).
Jennifer Romolini: I’ve been using Tarte’s Amazonian Clay blush all year as eye shadow and bronzing powder—it’s a perfect warm desert-y rose shade and it gives you a great little glow.
Amelia Olson: I might skip on mascara, but I never leave my house without lipstick. I’ve got a handful of designer shades, but my favorite of the year is Kate Moss’s Lasting Finish line for Rimmel in shade number 01. It’s the perfect deep red and has a creamy matte finish.
Sophia Elias: Clinique toner, believe it or not—it actually cleared up small blemishes for me. It’s also really satisfying to take a cotton ball to your face, look at it, and see that there is black shit all over the cotton ball. Gross, I know, but you think you’re really getting something done.
Jill Layton: L’Oréal Sublime Bronze Tinted Self-Tanning lotion, because Southern California gets chilly in the winter, you guys.
Sundi Rose-Holt: A boar-bristle brush for amazing DIY blowouts.
Carly Lane: I’m a sucker for Glossier’s Balm Dotcom. It is saving my life and lips this year.
Lindsey Robertson: Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil in Bahama. It’s basically the perfect every day lip color, especially in the winter.
Rachel Grate: I discovered Stila’s liquid eyeliner, which goes on like a pen and dries quickly. I could never put on eyeliner well before, but now it only takes a minute.
Kit Steinkellner: Smashbox’s Liquid Halo Foundation
Margaret Eby: Revlon’s ColorBurst Matte Lip Balm in Sultry. An office friend of mine tipped me off to this little number, and it’s the perfect my-lips-but-better shade, a nude-pink. Plus the formula isn’t drying and it’s available at basically every drugstore.
Brittany Allen: Just a smidge of M.A.C. lipstick, in Captive, because this makes me feel like a jazz singer circa 1926.
Gina Vaynshteyn: Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey. I’m such a beauty addict and sampler hoarder (I’m look at you, Birchbox subscription!), so this was a hard choice. But Black Honey is my go-to, I ALWAYS have a tube in my purse, and I bought like, four tubes of it JUST IN CASE Clinique decides to stop carrying it. Black Honey was introduced in the ‘90s and it’s just the perfect shade of natural berry, and it goes with anything and everything.
Gina Mei: When it comes to beauty, I’m what a nice person might call low-maintenance, but what an honest one would probably just call exceptionally lazy. Cue Glossier, with their catchy motto/mantra that “skin is in,” making girls look effortlessly dewy and glow-y and magical. Their Phase 1 Kit (face spray, priming moisturizer, skin tint, and lip balm) makes me feel like a real adult who is actually capable of looking put together, and I find the application process kind of addictive. Plus, the packaging is adorable and comes with stickers to decorate (!!!).
[Image via Shutterstock.]
