HBM Best of the Best List
Best Makeup & Beauty Products + Brands of 2014 – New Launches!
2015 is knocking on our doors and its time to bid adieu to 2014. The year just flew by and I’m not surprised that many felt that 2014 was on wings, too much of red bull, eh? ok fine bad joke! With just a day to go before we welcome the new year, I felt it was the perfect time to do a round up of the best beauty and makeup products & brands of the year. 2014 saw alot of new launches which kept us beauty bloggers on our toes. I’m so proud that we kept abreast with almost all the launches and brought to you the latest swatches and shades as soon as they were launched. So here are our choices as the best new makeup & beauty products this year!
The list primarily includes the best drugstore makeup products that were launched in India this year!
Maybelline Lip Polishes: This was hands down the best launch of 2014 and it is no surprise that these sold like hot cakes. It has a beautiful and lightweight texture which is hydrating. Liquid lipstick with a balm’s hydration and glossy finish made it as our choice as the best lipgloss ever! Comes in a variety of 15 shades from girly pinks and corals to bright reds and deep plums. Everyone will find a shade that catches their fancy and Maybelline Lip Polish Glam 9 is my most used lipgloss. Goes with everything- red, coral, peach, purple. The safest bet when in doubt!
Price: Rs 450
Lakme Eyeconic Kajal: Lakme surprised us all when it introduced the much loved Eyeconic Kajal in 5 more shades- White, Green, Blue, Grey & Brown which BTW have all been reviewed on HBM (just search in the search box on the side) Smooth, pigmented and great staying power coupled with a super affordable price tag made it a favorite amongst young girls and college go-ers. This launch also made white eyeliner easily available in the Indian market which definitely impressed us!
Price: Rs 250
L’Oreal Magic Nude Liquid Powder Foundation: L’Oreal came out with alot of new launches this year but many were priced on the higher side. This innovative liquid powder foundation was not only of great quality but was also well priced. This is a perfect everyday foundation with a lightweight texture that adds a hint of glow to the face. Suitable for combi- oily skin, highly recommended for summers and definitely one of the best makeup products that were launched this year.
Price: Rs 899
Revlon Colorburst Matte Balms: Bold, bright and vivacious, these Revlon Matte Balms were an instant hit. A comfortable matte texture with a highly saturated color, these lip crayons by Revlon included many close dupes of MAC Lipsticks. With MAC prices hitting the roof, these made the perfect dupes. My personal favorites were Unapologetic(dupe of MAC Impassioned), Shameless (dupe of MAC Heroine) & Elusive (a pretty nude pink)
Price: Rs 800
Maybelline Hyperglossy Electrics Eyeliner: Launched towards the end of the year, these metallic liners in beautiful hues are perfect for the festive season and Indian weddings! I’m a little surprised that the liners didn’t receive much promotion from the brand because they definitely deserved the limelight. Well pigmented with an intense metallic finish and ofcourse the fabulous Hyper glossy brush made it rank well in our best beauty products list!
Price: Rs 275
Street Wear Color Rich Lipsticks: Revlon re-launched Street Wear in a new packaging but the same old affordable price tag. While I wasn’t too fond of the lipglosses but the lipsticks were a steal for the price. These come in 24 shades are perfect for budget beauties! Though a little low on pigmentation but they are easily buildable!
Price: Rs 180
Maybelline Color Show Glitter Mania Nail Polishes: Textured nail paints were quite a hit in 2014 but nobody did it as well as our dear old Maybelline. These bling babies wowed us all and the affordable price tag tempted us to buy the whole range! The easiest way to jazz up your look and add the extra oomph to your nails. My personal favorites were Pink Champagne, Dazzling Diva & All That Glitters the reviews of which can be checked here on HBM.
Price: Rs 125
Maybelline Pink Alert POW Lipsticks: Girls love PINK and they certainly loved the Maybelline POW Lipsticks which came in 4 hues of pink – a barbie pink, a beautiful hot pink, a bubblegum pink and a coral. The quality was top notch and the colors are perfect for a night out or a date!
Price: Rs 375
Oriflame The ONE Eyeliner Stylos: It takes alot to impress me when it comes to eyeliners and I never seemed to get along well with pen eyeliners until I tried the one by Oriflame. This was the first pen eyeliner that was not only easy to apply but also gave an even finish in a single stroke! Comes in 2 shades- Black & Blue and is perfect for beginners struggling with eyeliners! Definitely one of the best makeup & beauty products this year!
Price: Rs 499
L’Oreal Moist Matte Lipsticks: Aishwarya Rai made these lipsticks extremely popular when she rocked the shade Lincoln Rose, a beautiful and flattering red from the range. They come in 10+ shades and have a semi matte finish perfect for winters. The range consists of a variety of shades from reds, oranges, pink and browns. Though the quality is great but the price still hurts! L’Oreal Paris was surely one of the best makeup brands due to the great products this year!
Price: Rs 899
Some other notable launches this year were Maybelline Color Show Lipsticks, Revlon Photoready Skinlights, L’Oreal Magique Blush, Revlon Moisture Stains, Faces Glam On Lip Glosses which were pretty good but did have some cons. Most were exorbitantly priced while others weren’t easily available.
For the best makeup brands this year kudos to Maybelline, L’Oreal Paris, Lakme, Faces Canada, Revlon etc for coming up with such great launches this year. Its great to see brands launching new products regularly in India and personally I felt Maybelline performed the best be it in terms of quality, variety and especially pricing and was certainly the best beauty brand of 2014! .Many of the brands came out with great lip products but the price was a little too much for a drugstore brand.
Expectations for next year? I want Colorbar to come out with more launches in 2015. Though they did launch the Darkened Summer Collection and the Sheer Lip Creme Lipsticks along with textured nail paints but the price didn’t really tempt me to check them out! In 2015 I hope the brands look towards other categories- eyes, cheeks, base makeup anything but lips! Lipsticks, glosses, lip crayons ruled 2014 and I’m bored of reviewing lip products now :p Give me some liners, duo chrome eyeshadows, colored mascaras!
What were your favorite new launches this year? Let us know your best beauty & makeup products in the comments below!
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I have used every product mentioned here but for the Oriflame liners and L'Oreal powder foundation and love them all to the core. However non-MNY products have always seen be a li'l partial to them giving the lip polishes sooo much love! ;)
hahaha I'm telling you those lip polishes are FABULOUS!
Lakme n maybelline impressed me too this year.. nice post love...
yes! They came out with superb launches!
I am hoping that loreal, maybelline and other brands out there launch a good number of lip palettes :) great post, Lee.
Yeah! That'd be a great edition, helpful for the brides!
Thanks love :)
My favourite is maybelline color show nailpolish- both variants........the normal range and the glitt mania range. Every time I feel like I will grab them all.
But I haven't tested the bright spark range. But I am sure, it is also a great product
hi5. Best budget nail paints. I wasn't really tempted by the Bright Sparks shades though.
Great post totally agree with you. Yet to try Revlon matte balm. I have loved Faces pro creme tooo :)
Thanks love! aha yes! The Faces Ultime Pro Lip Creme are pretty darn good too and the shades are stunnings!
You must try Revlon Matte Balms. Best lip crayons ever.
I want to grab your attention to the followings........
1) lakme launched two new things......... one is lakme lip love lip balm and lakme 9 to 5 frosties nail enamel
2) you could also include some skincare products
yes! I saw them recently but again not tempted. Boring shades and heard the balms are pretty mediocre.
I did want to include a few ZA products but wanted this to be primarily about makeup. Not many skincare launches this year no?
Is that? Is it really true that the lip balms are mediocre ? Then I would not be buying this.
I agree that there is not much skincare launch this year but you could include any skincare product that you tested this year
Awesome compilation Lisha.......... All the products in the list above are fabulous..........
Thanks sweety :)
To my surprise I have just tested Stretwear and Colorshow glitter from your list and missed so many other exciting new launches :(
I agree with Swathi Bhat even I loved Faces Pro lipsticks
oh honey u must check out atleast the Revlon matte balms! You;re bound to love them!
Sadly didnt try any of the face pro lipsticks because of the high price tag.
I cannot agree more dear.. A perfect list I must say and undoubtedly like most of the times Maybelline emerges as a winner amongst all.. I was even impressed with the products launched by Loreal this year but I felt the price was on a higher side...
Yes! L'Oreal came out with some great products this year but the price point kept it from ranking well on our list!
awesome compilation Lisha. these are the best and most affordable launches of 2014 :)
Glad u agree :)