Top 13 of 2013

It wouldn't be a new year in the beauty blogosphere without looking through the archives of 2013 and digging out all of my favourite products from the last three hundred and sixty-five days. Saving you all from the usual favourites from each possible beauty category from the glitzy products to the dull necessities, I thought that I would narrow it down to the thirteen makeup stars that shone throughout 2013. 

I thought I would kick things off with my favourite base products of 2013. As I am currently on a futile quest for a holy grail foundation/tinted moisturiser/BB cream- there have been many a product that I have *liked*, there has been nothing that I have fallen head over heels in love with (the closest to date would be Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua in B10), hence the absence of a complexion perfecter. Despite the lack of a standout base product, 2013 was the year of Real Techniques brushes, and even more specifically, the Core Collection. Housing four extremely soft, excellent quality face brushes that are all versatile, don't shed, wash well, the Core Collection was a great investment at the start of this year. Adding to my ever growing RT troupe, I'm thinking of investing in the Limited Edition Duo Fibre Brush Set... We'll see. Despite having no firm foundation faves, I have been digging the Bobbi Brown Corrector (I have the shade Porcelain Bisque for reference, but I find it a touch too light). Naturally, I have inherited particularly horrendous dark circles under my eyes- lucky me- and most days concealer on its own just doesn't cut it and I find myself applying layer upon layer of concealer to no avail. The salmony undertones of this corrector help neutralise the dark purples and blues and the thick consistency provides nice coverage. I have heard a few complaints about creasing under the eyes, but I have never had trouble with it on its own- it just depends on the concealer you have placed on top (I find that if it's creases without the Corrector, it creases on top). As you can see, I'm going to be needing a new one of these soon- I'm hanging out for Duty Free in Singapore to stock up.

I have found some excellent powder base products this year including the famous NARS Laguna bronzer which I caved into the hype and purchased mid-year. Let me tell you, it lives up to the hype- relatively matte, not muddy or too orange, this compact of powdered sun imparts the right amount of glow and bronze to leave the skin looking sun-kissed. The most expensive favourite of the bunch, the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Diffused Light is a firm favourite of mine and has fast become my favourite powder of all time. This little compact of luxury is comparable to the effects of Instagram- blurs imperfections, gives life to the skin, while simultaneously keeping shine at bay and giving my makeup longevity. Perfection. Another powder favourite is technically an eyeshadow, but whatever- I like to live life dangerously. The NYX eyeshadow in the shade Taupe (I accidentally purchased this instead of the blush with the same name online but ended up loving this) is the perfect satiny taupe colour which has become a staple product for me as it has so darn many uses. The cool undertones of the shadow make it ideal for faking naturally chiselled cheekbones, looks great swept over the lid for brown smokey eyes, run through the crease for a subtle eye contour, and used as a brow colour with an angled brush. This has become a fall back product- I always can rely on it and its ability to multitask means that it always makes the cut for travel and overnight bags. 

Eyes is a category that is harder for me to narrow down to just a few favourites because I love so many different products for the infinite looks that can be created, different seasons, different components... I could easily write my Top 13 Eye Products of 2013 but that would probably big pretty darn long. So here are just three that I have loved last year. Starting with mascara, I got a sample of Benefit's They're Real mascara a while back and it honestly is the best mascara I have ever used- it gives length, volume, it separates the lashes (what doesn't this mascara do right??) and is the mascara that I reach for at least a solid 90% of the time. Moving onto eyeshadow, I have been loving the MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study. This pot of champagne eyeshadow is creaseproof, creamy, and works equally as well on its own or used as a base for other shadows. Fun fact: this was my first ever MAC purchase which I got from the MAC Pro Shop in Chapel St in Melbourne when I went in 2012. Is it just me or does the sound of opening and closing MAC Paint Pots just leave you feeling satisfied? No? Just me then. Another MAC eyeshadow goodie is the Mineralise Eyeshadow in Love Connection which is a gorgeous shimmery duo eyeshadow with a beautiful bronzey-gold shadow on one side and a metallic shimmer with veining of pink, gold, white, and blue on the other. This one was an impulse buy and boy, am I glad I picked it up. The shadow is excellent quality and I have barely dented it after a year of heavy use. Wow. 

Honourable mentions go to NARS Ondine, MAC All That Glitters, Estee Lauder Pure Colour Stay-on Shadow Paint in Chained, and the NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. 

Moving right along to lips, there have been three standout products that have spoken to me on a spiritual level in 2013. The first is of course the Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfecter in 01, my favourite lip gloss of all time (followed by Chanel and Illamasqua). This gloss isn't sticky or gloopy at all (it's a miracle!) and gives a gorgeous shine to the lips without being too much of a shining beacon that your hair gets stuck in. I find this gloss to be lovely and hydrating on the lips and looks great alone or on top of pink or nude lipsticks. Next up is the famed YSL Volupte Sheer Candy Lipstick in #4. This is one darn luxury lipstick. Holding it in my hands makes me feel a million bucks and there is something about the packaging that sets my heart a flutter. Packaging aside, the product itself is a gorgeous sheer coral lipstick that gives the lips a very healthy look to them. I feel like this one would be great for aspiring lipstick wearers as it is low maintenance and is a few steps below a matte red or super bright colours which can be somewhat intimidating. And the smell itself is verging on orgasmic- the exquisite smell of fruit and candy intertwined makes me go nuts and I find myself sidling up to my makeup counter just to smell this one... 

Rounding it off with the trifector of lip products, I bring you my most worn chubby crayon. Enter the Bourjois (does anyone else have trouble spelling this?) Colour Boost crayon in Orange Punch. I recently did a post on my favourite drugstore lip crayons (check out my top picks in 'The Scribble-On Lip' here for a mammoth post overflowing with swatches and enough lip crayons to go a little cray cray). These crayons are lovely and hydrating and give just the right colour payoff for the summertime- quite sheer and glossy but with plenty of pigment while still being easy to apply. 

And for the finally, I give you my two most worn nail colours of the year: the starkly contrasting colours of a sunglass inducing orange and a deep cherry. The Essence Colour and Go Nail Polish in Flashy Pumpkin saw me throughout most of the year and holds a special place in my heart. This one is definitely very attention grabbing and I always manage to get at least a handful of compliments when I don this one. This shade is a great pick for the warmer months and looks ace with a tan. On the other side of the spectrum, we have the Rimmel 60 Seconds Polish in Rapid Ruby; a blackened red that comes across as cherry on the talons. I have pretty much only worn this polish for the last month and half straight so I felt it had to be included in this post. Both the brushes on these polishes meet my criteria for easy application- short, wide, and square and the formulas stay pristine for at least four days before starting to chip slightly. 

Adding it all up, that makes thirteen products in total- my top thirteen of 2013 from base, to eyes, lips and nails. Now tell me, what have been your standout products?