2014 Best In Beauty

Hello Lovelies! It's time again for my annual "M" awards! I am going with "M" because it's by first initial and because it's mostly for make-up. And because it just came to me. I really tried to streamline things this year and not award something in any category that I didn't feel was really outstanding. This is not to say that other products I raved about in 2014 weren't awesome, but as I thought back over the year and thought about truly stand-out products this is what I came up with. And I know I chose wisely because all of these products were either in the bathroom or in my purse and not in my master make-up stash. So go grab a bevvie and a snack and settle in, here we go! 

And the first M award goes to, red lips! Any brand as long as they're red. I have had a long standing, love-hate relationship with red lips, but 2014 was the year I finally embraced them and learned which hue of red works best on my skin tone. As one of my boss ladies always tells me, I really have the Wednesday and Mortitia Adams look and it turns out deep berry-reds and brick reds with hints of burgundy and definitely on the cool side pretty much rock my lip world. Some of my faves here are Lime Crime's Glamour 101, Mac's Russian Red and Ruby Woo, Maybelline's Deepest Cherry and Divine Wine, Revlon's Red Velvet and NARS Olivia and Dragon Girl. I forgot to throw in my NARS Audrey lippie (it's buried in my bag right now). And on a side note, if you ever need to put on a lipstick that will take you from ho-hum to the baddest mama-jamma, it's Dragon Girl. The name alone implies a level of bad assery that the average lipstick just can't compare with. 

And the M award for best cheek products is a three-way tie! Milani blush in Luminoso is pretty much all I wore from May until yesterday because it's so awesome. I got it at CVS and there is so much product in here, I don't know if I will ever hit pan! My NARS palette from last Christmas (2013) also got a lot of use. I hit pan on the bronzer and used the darkest one (Dolce Vita I think?) quite a bit this fall. And in the back are my Makeup Geek blushes. Makeup Geek isn't done in this post (hint hint) but peeps I'm tellin ya to get your booty over to Marlena's website and YouTube channel and get yoself some of her products. At $9.99 a pan it's cray.

Drugstore lovers unite! The next M award is for face products and everything here can be procured at your local Target and CVS. The Maybelline Dream Wonder Fluid Touch foundation is out. of . this. world. This bottle pictured here, is empty. Empty people. I used it that much. It's a light weight medium coverage foundation that is essentially pure foundation awesome in a bottle. Next up is the E.L.F. HD brightening concealer. This is the shizz under your eyes. It's $3 and this is my second tube. Guys, this is pretty major on the makeup commitment scale for me. Just understand that for a second. My other loves in this category are the Sonia Kashuk contouring stick and the Milani eye brow pencil. Both products blend to perfection and last all day. Love them.

The M awards for eyes go to two brands, Makeup Geek for the stellar eye shadows, pigments and gel liners and YSL for mascara. These shadows are $5.99 each and like $6ish for the pigments and liner. They last all day, blend like a dream, are so affordable its almost criminal and the color selection and color payoff is amaze-balls. A-maze balls. Not to be forgotten in this picture is the mascara of the decade people. It is the Babydoll mascara from YSL. Yep, it's pricey, no getting around that. But it is LIFECHANGING. Volume for days and length to match. Completely worth every lash-tastic dollar. 

The first-ever M award for brand of the year goes to, drum roll please, MAKEUP GEEK! Guys, for serious, go check this brand out! These shadows are better than Mac, cheaper than Mac, and have way cooler names and color pay-off than any Mac product I have ever tried or owned. The new foiled shadows are cray-cray pigmented. And the blushes are beautiful, last all day and are talc free. I just seriously can't say enough about this brand. I haven't tried everything they have and I am sure there are duds in there (as there are with every brand) but the quality of the product for the price point is amazing. The website is easy to use, out of stock items come back fairly quick and shipping costs are very reasonable. Try it. Now. Go ahead, I'll wait.

Alrighty then. moving on to M awards in the hair and skin care category! Many of you will not be surprised that the Tangle Teezer is getting an award. I have raved about this and bought this for a great many of you for birthdays and such. Guys and girls with long and medium length hair, you need this. NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEED IT. Target carries them and be sure to get the Tangle Teezer brand. I have had people tell me they use this on their kids' hair and it's the only way the kiddos can handle have their hair brushed. 

The Aussie 3-Minute Miracle Moist conditioner is the best leave in treatment/daily conditioner of all time. This isn't what I consider a hair mask, like the L'Oreal one I raved about and still love. This is a conditioner. And I use it daily. Also, it's $3. Yeah. Three effing dollars. My hair is so soft and shiny and smells so good after I use it. 

Batiste dry shampoo for dark hair is a life saver. I do not wash my hair every day. I usually wash it two or three times in a week. And I would be S.O.L. without this product. It smells good, doesn't leave a white cast on my dark hair and it really gets all the oil so I don't look like a Nirvana groupie (not that that's a bad thing, I love them. Just not the greasy hair that goes with them).

Skin care award winners are an oldie but a goodie and a new product taking the beauty world by storm. The Smith's Rosebud Salve has been around a long time and for good reason. I use this stuff day and night and it can be used on your lips, cuticles, dry patches on your face, etc. I even used some of this on my dog's feet once (she had her own tin that was used only for her feet, just FYI). 

The Glam Glow Thirsty Mud is another life-saving beauty product. It's mask that can be worn for 20 minutes or you can sleep in it (which I do) and it really helps to hydrate your face. I have dry skin anyway but through Minnesota winters, I get alligator-dry skin and this has saved me! This is spendy too, but I'm telling you it's worth it. Bonus: it smells like coconut! Just be sure that when you sleep in it, that you wash it off in the morning, you can't put makeup over this. 

And last but not least, the MVP M award is going to Zoya Nail Polish Remover. This stuff. OMG this stuff. It smells nice (not like I want to bathe in it, but it doesn't stink and make you high like normal nail polish remover), like lavendar or something. And it removes the reddest, glittery-est nail polish like nothing. Guys, if Beyonce were a nail polish remover, she would be this one. Yeah, I went there.

I have a couple of other honorable mention products but I will do a separate post on those soon! Tell me in the comments what your best in beauty products were this year and if you have tried any of the ones I mentioned. 

How to not look like total $#!% when you are sick.

In a perfect world no one would ever get sick. And if for some bizzarre reason they did, they would never have to go out and face the world until they are 100% better.

But, this is not a perfect world, and we all get sick. This winter has been particularly harsh. I have just spent roughly the last two weeks battling the mother of all colds and so I thought I would take a minute and share my tips for not looking like total shit when you are sick.

First off, get rest, drink lots of water and hot tea. Eat soup, take meds, etc. But in the event that you have to go out, go to work or attend some event where the "I look like I'm dying" look isn't appropriate, I recommend the following.

Wear bright colors. When you are sick you tend to be washed out and look pale, and purple-y (esp. under the eyes). Wearing gray and black will only make it worse. Try a bright green or orange sweater. A bright cobalt blue cardi and tank. You get the idea. Also, wear a statement jewelry piece. It will take people's focus off of your face.

As for make-up I recommend using a medium to full coverage foundation. Apply with a brush or sponge, but not your cold, clammy fingers. Once that has had time to set in, apply under-eye concealer, with a light hand, under your eyes. Waiting until your foundation sets (about a minute or two) will allow you to see how much coverage it will provide and not cake on the concealer. Do NOT bother with concealer around your nose. You're blowing it every 30 seconds, concealer is a waste of time there.

As for blush, if you are pasty and pale, I say it's okay to swipe some on. But go easy, when you are that sick a ton of blush (read: the normal amount you apply) can look weird. If you are feverish, skip blush all together as it will only enhance the feverish glow.

Use a nude eyeliner on the bottom waterline of your eyes. This will cancel out any redness you have going on and help you look less sickly.

Then I recommend eyeliner to define your eyes. When you are sick your eyes are red, puffy, sleepy, etc. so eyeliner (I use liquid just on the top) will help carve out those gorgeous peepers. I would also recommend NOT using eyeshadow, unless it's a brighter, flesh toned concealer to help cancel out any red or purple veins that are super visible. But a smoky eye is no bueno when you are sick.

Finally I recommend the holy grail of all lip salves. Smith's Rosebud Salve. I have been using this since high school and it is the original bomb dot com. I'm not kidding. It's $6 and comes in other scents and even in a tube, but the classic salve in the tin is where it's at. You can use this on your lips to keep them hydrated AND you can put this around your little red nose to help it heal and prevent major peeling as you get better. Another fun fact is that you can use this on your eyebrows to keep them in place, you can put this on dry patches all over your face. The possibilities are endless.

And once you have done all of that, pop some cold meds, and smile. You're sick, no one expects you to look like Giselle. It's okay.