Dreadfully Divine's 14 Best Beauty Favorites for 2014 Tag!

*Press* *Purchased*

Hello Lovelies!

Happy New Year! It is finally 2015 and with the end of 2014 I came up with a list of my best beauty favorites for the year. While some of these are not exactly new products they are the products that I find myself using on a regular basis even if you don't see the photos of them. I originally had planned on taking photos of all the products but since I am currently laid up with the plague sadly you will have to settle for links. There were a lot of limited edition colors that were my favorites but nothing honestly sucks more than to have a list of really amazing products and over half of them you can't get any more. So I limited myself to products that are currently available or that are available when the stores reopen. I am also making this a tag for other bloggers to see what their favorite beauty products are for this past year.  So be sure to comment below and leave your blog listing when I can see your favorite beauty products of 2014!

So without further ado, here are my 14 Best Beauty Favorites for 2014

1. Lunatick Primer by Lunatick Cosmetics Labs  

  -I literally used this EVERY time I do an eye look. Every single time. It is like NYX Jumbo Pencil and Too Faced Shadow Insurance had a love child. This is the result. Not only is this a combination of base and a primer it is also Vegan and Cruelty Free.  Such an epic find and one jar lasts forever. I am still on my first jar and I use it daily. I love this so much if you can't tell.-

2. Cream & Sugar Matte Shadow and Black Velvet Matte Shadow from BeautyBarBaby

  -Okay while technically this could be considered two products I am counting them as one since I always use the two together so they are like one entity in my cold medicated mind. I used both of these products weekly.  Cream & Sugar is my go to highlight/brow bone color since it is a lovely matte and blends fantastically. Black Velvet is used not only for smokey or dramatic looks I also use it to set my eyeliner in my waterline by dabbing it on top of my liner. Just like with the primer, a little goes a long way and I am still on my first jar.-

3. Necromancy Blush from Notoriously Morbid

 - Not only does this blush have an amazing name it is kick ass for contouring. This is my go to contouring powder. It gives you the shadowy look without any orange or bronze tint which makes me look horrible with my fair complexion. I used this all the time when I contour and I won't be without it. The container is HUGE and a little goes a long way (be sure to blend blend blend) and I am still on the first container but I will be getting a second way before I run out since it is a beauty staple in my full face makeup routine.-

4. Leviathan from Darling Girl Cosmetics

  -I discovered Darling Girl this year and I am super impressed with not only the quality but also the colors that are offered. I had several shades from DG that were runners up however a lot of them were Limited Edition colors are I limited myself to colors that were currently available. This is simply amazing shade. It is a brilliant teal with a green flash and subtle shift that ranges between gold and periwinkle. It looks amazing as a lid color as well as for the pop of color on the waterline. DG is currently closed until sometime this month but be sure to pick up this color. You won't be disappointed. -

5. Celestial Crow from Glamour Doll Eyes

  - I also discovered Glamour Doll Eyes this year. Vee, the owner, not only has amazing products but she has one of the fastest turn around times in the indie circles. Like with Darling Girl, there were so many limited edition colors from Glamour Doll Eyes that I wanted to put on my list however they are not available any more so they didn't make this list because of it.  Celestial Crow is one of my favorites (not only for the sheer fact that it reminds me of Game of Thrones which has nothing to do with the creation of the color, it is just how my mind works) because it is extremely versatile. It is a gorgeous bluish black with an intense green shimmer and sparkles. It works well as a shadow by itself or foiled as a striking liner. -

6. Zombie Defense Palette from Lunatic Cosmetics

  -Not only does Lunatick make my go to primer, she also makes some seriously kick ass palettes. They have amazing themes and colors as well as the most unique packaging around. Seriously I haven't seen anyone else with a Ouija board palette! Her colors are rich and super pigmented and you have the option of creating your own palette if you want a specific shade of colors. They are all really amazing and I have a couple but this one is my current favorite and like their primer it is vegan and cruelty free.-

7. Black Cat Crossing from Notoriously Morbid

  -As with the DG and GDE, Notoriously Morbid had some AMAZING limited edition shade this year. However Black Cat Crossing is one of my favorites this year from their regular line up.  It is described as a darker take of the cat eye green with cool purple and warm amber sparkles on the site. It is a gorgeous almost blackened emerald with flashes of purple and gold which is really amplified by a sticky base (such as their new Shadow Bind which should be releasing this month). It is gorgeous on its' own or foiled as a liner. 

8. Sweet Heart Palette from SugarPill

  -I love SugarPill, there is no denying it. Their bright and bold colors, super cute packaging and kick ass pigmentation. I just adore their products. While I have had this palette for awhile, I kept finding myself reaching for it more and more throughout the year. All the colors are so pigmented I just couldn't get enough.-

9. Haunted Palace Lipstick from BeautyBarBaby

 -BeautyBarBaby came out with some AMAZING opaque lipsticks this year and I constantly get compliments any time I am wearing them. It was so hard to narrow it down just to one shade so I chose the color that I wore most. Haunted Palace is a lovely medium toned mauve that would look great on any skin tone. It is perfect enough for wearing to the office without being too dramatic and great for a night out as well.-

10. Burlesque HD Lip Paint from My Beauty Addiction

 -I love My Beauty Addiction whipped lipsticks. They are rich, opaque and wonderful to put on . I have several of her whipped lipsticks however this is the one that I reach for the most. Burlesque is a deep magenta pink with purple undertones. While it can be on the brighter side for some people, I constantly get compliments when I am out wearing it. The jars are jam packed full and I still have a ton left even though I wear it often.-

11. Nightmoth Lip Liner from MAC Cosmetics

 -While this is not an indie brand, this is the MAIN lip liner that I find myself reaching for constantly. I want to line everything with it. It is a gorgeous blackened plum which is pretty enough on its' own it looks amazing as an ombre lip or even under other lipsticks such as my next favorite, Kat Von D's Vampira.

12. Vampira from Kat Von D

  - I love liquid lipsticks while I discovered them last year. I really didn't play around with them until this one. Vampi As some of you may know Mr Dreadful and I finally made it official this year and got married after being together for 11+ years. I wore this color (plus Nightmoth) for my wedding and it lasted FOREVER. My lipstick never smudged and didn't fade throughout the ceremony. 

13. Lip Balms from both BeautyBarBaby and Notoriously Morbid

  -I have become a lip balm addict this year. Partially because I find that liquid lipstick are really dry on my lips so I am constantly applying lip balm both in the morning before my makeup and in the evening after my makeup is off. And on days that I don't wear make up and I apply it constantly like a junkie. I can never have enough. So due to this new found lip habit I have acquired a ton of various lip balms to try I couldn't narrow it down to just on brand. So I picked my favorite two. Currently BeautyBarBaby has two types of balms- the tinted which are slightly firmer and the non tinted balms which are slightly softer but both glide over the lips and hydrate like a dream. Notoriously Morbid also has tinted and non tinted balms (or should I say Coffin Kissers) but both seem to be of the same formula and are simply wonderful. BeautyBarBaby has unique packaging for each flavor while Notoriously Morbid's is sleek and black.-

Finally, last but not least...

14. Holographic Glitter from BeautyBarBaby and Lit Cosmetics

  -For those of you who don't follow me on my various social media pages, I will admit that I am a glitter junkie. In all blunt honesty, I am a glitter whore. I love it. I love wearing it. I just can't get enough of it. And this year both Lit and BeautyBarBaby came out with holographic glitters which are super duper sparkly. Like Drag Queen performing on my eyeballs to fabulous music sparkly. I squealed like a fan girl over these. So while I can't pick just one glitter color, I pick both Lit Cosmetics and BeautyBarBaby's holographic lines of glitter. You can't go wrong with them cause they are simply FABULOUS. 

Well I hope that you enjoyed my Best Beauty Favorites 2014 Edition. What were some of your favorites for 2014? If you are reading this and you have a blog considered yourself tagged and be sure to comment with your blog below so I can check our favorites out. 

In the Pursuit of Fabulous: Review of Glamour Doll Eyes

   *Gift*

Hello Lovelies!
    Welcome back!  Today I am doing a review on another lovely indie company, Glamour Doll Eyes. Vee , the owner, posted in the indie group that I frequent that she was offering up blogger review packs for her products so naturally I jumped at the chance. She was kind enough to allow me to choose the five colors that I wanted and after a super quick email they were on their way to me.  They arrived in record time and like a little kid on her birthday I tore into the package to check out the goodies that arrived!

Fiji Mermaid 

   Fiji Mermaid is described as "this greenish blue tells the story of a commonly used sideshow act. The Fiji Mermaid is alive and real with green shimmer undertones, reminiscent of scales."

The first color I was immediately drawn to was Fiji Mermaid cause honestly if you stick mermaid on the end of anything you INSTANTLY have my attention but when you take a look at it you will instantly know why I had to have it.

Tattooed

Tattooed is described as a " bright blue mixed with a gorgeous shimmery purple."

   I have recently been on a blue kick lately with my makeup so I was drawn to Tattooed immediately as well. I was intrigued by the description of it being a  "unque blend of matte and shimmer" which made me think of bright bold color with a hint of sparkle.

Blue Ribbon

Blue Ribbon is described as a great medium to deep royal blue color. At first this may look like a  matte color but it's more sheen when it's on."

  Like I mentioned, I am on a blue kick and I don't think that I currently can get enough of them and it seems that in my collection only had either light or dark blues and I was missing a lot of nice medium tones. The name of the color fits perfectly since it makes me picture a big blue ribbon that the best apple pie has won in the fair.

Undead

Undead is described as "a black with red undertones/ sheen, however, some have said that is has a maroonish color to it."

Just like how if you stick the word mermaid on the end of the color you instantly have my attention the same goes for undead/monster/zombie references. I am a huge horror fan and being a goth mommy I really can't have enough colors that are what I would consider part of the vamp color scheme.

S & M is described as a "dark purple (nearly black) with blue and green sheen & silver sparkle"

  S & M caught my eye since I can really never have enough purple in my collection. It is a gorgeous dark purple with  hints of blue, green and silver sparkles. It makes me think of concord grapes with a touch of sparkle.

Taylor

Taylor is described as a "rich red with medium sheen that rubs down to an intense, almost metallic pink"

   When you add the word "metallic" to any description you instantly have my attention. I would have to say that is this more of a metallic red than metallic pink but either way it is simply a gorgeous color.

  I dunno if you are like me, while product pictures are great, I also want to see swatches and looks where the product was used. So your wish is my command....

Over NYX Milk taken indoors with Flash

Over NYX Milk in Natural Light

And of course I always like to see how the product is used in looks... So here are some looks done with the colors (and there are also some other GDE shadows used in one look but the reviewed shadows are marked with an *)

Done with Sword Swallower (GDE), Fiji Mermaid* (GDE), Blue Ribbon * (GDE), 

Done with Disco White (GDE), Taylor* (GDE), Undead* (GDE), S&M * (GDE), Blue Ribbon* (GDE), and Tattooed* (GDE) 

Now finally on to the ratings..

Color/ Pigmentation 9.8 out of 10 bats
  These shadows not only have amazing color and pigmentation but their staying power is incredible. They are vibrant, applied well, blended easily and lasted all day.

Affordability 9.5 out of 10 bats
    I would have to say that Glamour Doll Eyes has excellent pricing as well on their products. Prices start at $1.25 for sample baggies with .5 grams of product. Sample Jars, which is the size that I was sent for this review, are listed at $2.50 for 1 gram of product in a 5 gram jar (which is the average size jar for most indie companies) and finally the Full Size products are $6.00 and are broken down into two options: sifter and no sifter. Sifters have 1.5-2 grams in a 5 gram jar and no sifters have 2-2.5 grams in a 5 gram jar. So you are getting a decent amount of product for the price and GDE often has sales where you can snatch up full size jars for a steal.

Shipping/ Turn Around Time 10 out of 10 bats
   The shipping on this blogger package was fast, while I was waiting for it to arrive GDE had an Easter Sale which I couldn't pass up on. I placed the order early Sunday morning and my packaged was shipped out on Monday. I am impressed when turn around time for an indie company is less than two weeks but shipped out in a day? That is AMAZING.

Customer Service 9.8 out of 10 bats
  As I mentioned earlier, the shipping time was simply incredible. I was super lucky to catch the fact that I had ordered a duplicate shadow by accident on my Easter purchase so I messaged Vee immediately asking if I could switch out the duplicate for a different color. ( I list the larger collection of my shadows by company on a spreadsheet to prevent this and after that incident I have created one for GDE) She didn't ever bat an eye and was super sweet about the whole thing and shipping the correct color and the rest of my order off the next day was incredible.

Overall 9.8 out of 10 bats
  I am extremely impressed with Glamour Doll Eyes. Not only is the product fantastic with color and pigmentation and the price is extremely fair, but the shipping and turn around time are just out of this world! As I mentioned earlier when I placed an order only to have it shipped out the very next day. Color me impressed. And the customer service can't be beat since Vee was super sweet and understanding when I asked if she could switch out a color that I accidentally ordered a duplicate of. Needless to say, I will be placing another order with Glamour Doll  Eyes in the future and I highly recommend them as well.




Until next time Lovelies!