My 2014 favourites!

Hello!

So, this year has absolutely flown by and although it seems to have gone so fast, there are lots of things I’ve grown fond of. So much so that I’ve decided to put them all into a blog post that is my 2014 favourites. There’s so many that I’ve categorised them so it’s just easier to read and if there’s something that doesn’t particularly interest you, you can scroll past the category.

Beauty

I’m no beauty guru but I do take an interest in beauty products and often do slap a bit of make-up on before venturing out (though I’ll happily admit I can go without it and there’s many days where I won’t touch my make-up bag), so these are the products that I’ve been drawn to this year:

Maybelline New York’s Master Precise Liquid Eyeliner – this has been an absolute dream to put on for eyeliner. It’s like a thin felt-tip pen and it’s so easy to apply. I’ve got quite shaky hands but it doesn’t really matter with this product as it’s so simple to apply and looks really good.

Benefit Cosmetics Porefessional – I was introduced to this a few years ago and fell in love with it. My pores are quite big and make me slightly self conscious but this product literally works like magic. I don’t know how, but it manages to make your pores practically invisible and your skin look healthier. I don’t recommend you solely use this as you should treat your skin with cleansing,etc. for it to stay clean and healthy, but if you tend to get big pores and need a quick fix, I highly recommend this product. It’s not the cheapest but it’s so good, it’s well worth the cost. I picked my latest tube up on the ferry home from Paris so I’m not sure if it’ll be the same price as it is usually.

e.l.f’s Little Black Beauty Book: Warm Edition – I’m quite keen on natural and bronze colours for eyeshadows and I came across this product which is full of all the shades I use. It’s so small but you get a really good use out of it. It’s great because there’s tones you may not always use but you can experiment using without having to buy that specific colour. It’s what I’ve used for my everyday make-up routine and I’ve had a great use out of the pallet.

LUSH cosmetics Ocean Sea Salt- When purchasing this, the woman behind the counter said it would change my life. She wasn’t wrong! Whenever I use this product in the shower or the bath, it makes my skin feel so much softer and look a lot healthier as well as cleaner. It smells amazing and I just feel such a difference on my skin when using it. There’s been times where I haven’t used it (like being on holidays) and when I’ve gone back to using the product, there’s a massive difference.

Music

As you may have seen from previous blog posts, I quite like music. A lot. More than a lot. Okay, it’s my life.

One Direction: FOUR – This is, without a doubt, their best album by far. The lads have progressed over the past four years and now that they have complete control over writing their songs, each track from the album really reflects their personalities and experiences that the fans are aware about. FOUR has an 80s vibe but with a slight twist. It’s a new sound which they have introduced to their fanbase and I, for one, am totally in love in it.

Olly Murs: Never Been Better – This is Olly’s 4th (or 4.5th? He released a special edition last year of album 3) album and like the previous albums, he never keeps the same sound. They follow the same sort of genre but no two song sound the same. It’s a feel good album and a compelling comeback from his 8 month break- something that makes up from his break from touring and full of songs I am itching to hear on the 2015 tour.

5 Seconds of Summer: Self titled album – This is the band’s debut album which has been long awaited. It was definitely well worth the wait. With songs they have been performing from their early days at gigs to newly written songs including collaborations written with the likes of James Bourne (McBusted) and Alex Gaskarth (All Time Low), this album is typically 5 Seconds of Summer and is definitely of a pop punk style.
Joan Jett: The Greatest Hits – I fell in love with Jett’s music over five years ago now and having rediscovering this song in my iTunes library a few months ago, it’s something I highly enjoy listening to. It’s full of feminism, in-your-face and stand up for yourself kind of music which never fails to get me in a positive mood.

Film and TV

The Big Bang Theory – I’ve been a fan of the show for some time now, but this year I had a big marathon of every season which took a couple of days but it reignited my love for it! I’m waiting for the new season to be available on iTunes so I can have a season marathon again.

American Horror Story – After my friends constantly kept talking about the show, I felt the need to see what the hype was about. I’ve only seen season one but Murder House was really good and had me gripped! I plan to watch all the seasons throughout 2015 to catch up.

The Fault in Our Stars – I read the book last year and thought it was amazing and really well written. I anticipated the film for ages and went to watch it with my friends in the cinema. I won’t lie, I did have a little blubber! People question why other people like sad films, but the film wasn’t completely sad and it was just a nice teen film to watch and fall in love with the lead characters.

Love, Rosie – As you’re probably aware, I went to the world premiere of the film and just fell in love with it. The storyline was gripping and the actors did such an outstanding job, I felt like I was living in the fictional world where the plot took place. I definitely want this on DVD when it releases.

Miscellaneous

River Seine Cruise – As mentioned in my October monthly favourites, I loved the Bateaux Parisiens River Seine cruise tour. It was definitely one of the highlights to my trip and the quality of the trip for the price is just outstanding. I managed to take some really good photos, especially of the Notre Dame and the next time I have the opportunity to go to Paris for the day, this is on my list of things to do.

La Trattoria – This has been my favourite restaurant this year. Italian is my favourite cuisine and the food here is amazing. The food is of a high quality and the service is phenomenal. There are two restaurants, one in Talbot Green (South Wales) and one in Pontypridd, I’ve been to both and they are amazing but as the Pontypridd one is closer to home, I go to this one more often. If you live in South East Wales and happen to be near either location, I highly recommend you go to La Trattoria. It’s outstanding.

Those are my 2014 favourites! There’s so much I could have written about but I didn’t want the post to be too long. What did you love this year that I should check out in 2015?

Merry Christmas!