Beautyheaven Best in Beauty Awards 2014

Australian votes reveal best beauty products of 2014

Last week the Winners of the Best in Beauty awards 2014 were announced by leading Australian beauty website beautyheaven.com.au. Nearly 2000 votes from across the country were submitted for most loved and effective beauty products, showing what is really in makeup cases and bathroom cabinets of Australia.

The beautyheaven Best in Beauty awards show top beauty products Australian women simply can’t live without from a huge range of price point and brands, ranging from the most expensive Crem de la mer by La Mer to the most cost effective Ulta3 nail colour. Overall, Benefit and Garnier swept up the most awards with three products each in the make-up, skincare and hair categories. 

Commenting on the awards, Olivia Mackinnon, Hair Editor of beautyheaven, says: “A record number of people voted in this year’s Best in Beauty awards, picking out products that are consistently reliable and essential to beauty regimes. The Best in Beauty awards help men and women across Australia determine the crème-de-la-crème of what is out there, discovering the hidden beauty essentials of others along the way!”

There are over 60 winning products across 12 categories, chosen from over 1,100 nominees. There were some recognisable names which held onto their titles from last year’s Best in Beauty awards including Benefit Hoola as Best Bronzer and ghd eclipse as Best Straightener, as well as some new names including Morrocoanoil Original Treatment claiming Best Hair Treatment and Dr. Lewinn’s Day Cream winning Best Day Moisturiser.

Olivia Mackinnon, Hair Editor at beautyheaven.com.au, adds: “The Best in Beauty awards are about establishing and rewarding cult products, so it makes sense that some of the winners are those that have made their way into the hands and hearts of consumers and win time and time again.”

beautyheaven members submitted reviews and gave products star ratings for their favourite nominees, with an additional secret ballot to reveal the most highly regarded products in each category. Everyone across Australia is encouraged to join the conversation to express their opinions on the winners, nominees and runners-up using the hashtag #bhbestinbeauty.

Makeup

Best Eyeshadow - Maybelline NY Color Tattoo                    

Best Eye Line - Maybelline NY Master Precise Liquid Liner

Best Mascara - Benefit They’re Real Mascara

Best Lashes - Ardell Lashes #120     

Best Lip Line - Innoxa Invisible Lip Shaper

Best Lip Gloss - Lanolips Lip Ointment with Colour

Best Lip Plumper - Mirenesse Velvet Lip Lift Moisture Shine

Best Lip Balm - Nuxe Reve De Miel Lip Balm

Best Lipstick - YSL Rouge Pur Couture Lipstick       

Best Blush - M.A.C Blush      

Best Brow Product - Benefit Gimme Brow   

Best Bronzer - Benefit Hoola 

Best Illuminator - YSL Touche Eclat 

Best Concealer - Maybelline NY FITme Concealer  

Best Foundation - Estée Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup        

Best BB Cream - Garnier Skin Naturals Miracle Skin Perfector BB Cream

Best Primer - L'Oreal Paris Base Magique Primer   

Best Make-Up Tool - Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler   

Best Make-Up Remover - Garnier Skin Naturals Micellar Water

           

Skincare        

Best Exfoliant - Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant       

Best Face Mask - Biore Self Heating One Minute Mask      

Best Day Moisturiser - Dr. Lewinn’s Day Cream Moisturiser

Best Night Moisturiser - Nuxe Creme Prodigieuse Nuit       

Best Age Management Product - Estée Lauder Advanced Night Repair Syncronized Recovery Complex II

Best Spot Treatment - La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+]    

Best Eye Treatment - Strivectin Eye Concentrate for Wrinkles       

Best Wash/Cleanser - Cetaphil - Gentle Skin Cleanser        

Best Face Wipes - WOTNOT Facial Wipes  

Best Toner - Sukin Hydrating Mist Toner      

Best Skin Care Device - Olay Regenerist Advanced Cleansing System     

Best Skin Tone Corrector - Trilogy Rosehip Oil Antioxidant+           

Best Treatment Product - Trilogy Certified Organic Rosehip Oil      

Hair    

Best Hair Treatment - Moroccanoil Original Treatment        

Best Shampoo - Fudge Clean Blonde Shampoo      

Best Conditioner - Aveda Invati™ Thickening Conditioner   

Best Hair Colour - Garnier Olia Hair Color    

Best Curler - muk Haircare muk Curl Stick  

Best Straightener - ghd eclipse          

Best Dry Shampoo - Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk  

Best Hair Dryer - Philips Pro Dryer   

Best Styling Product - Wella System Professional LuxeOil Reconstructive Elixir   

Best Hair Accessory - Lady Jayne Bun Styl'r

To see a full list of winners across all categories please visit:

http://www.beautyheaven.com.au/hair/hair-treatments-masks/best-in-beauty-2014-winners-announced-13622

What do you think? Did any of your favourites make the list? Are there any products on there that surprise you?

Have a great week!

Michelle xx

Manicare Cuticle Therapy - Saving my winter ravaged nails!

Hello there! Do you remember me? Huge apologies for disappearing for a little while but life just got a little crazy for a while and something had to give. Unfortunately the easiest thing to give up without too many consequences was this blog. I really have missed it though and can't wait to get back into posting about all of the products I've been loving.

Today I am telling you all about a little gem I found in the form of Manicare Cuticle Therapy. After the cold winter we just went though my poor nails and cuticles were a little worse for wear and after applying this treatment for a couple of weeks the results were amazing!

Cuticle Therapy contains Apricot Kernel Oil, Wheat Germ Oil, Coconut Oil and Aloe Vera Extract and is great for dry and rough cuticles and weak, brittle nails.

I have been applying it at night after showering and before bed and have begun to really enjoy my little routine of massaging it into my nails. I find that you really have to make sure you massage it in well though as it does have a tendency to stick around on top of the skin for a while before sinking in which can make things a little messy.


It applies the same as a regular nail polish where you just brush it onto the nails and cuticles and then massage in. I find it easiest to brush some onto every nail on one hand first, massage it all in as much as I can, then do the same on the other hand.

It has a very subtle lemony kind of scent which goes away pretty fast after use. I think it will last forever too as I've hardly made a dent in the bottle so far even though I've used it practically every night for around a month now.



The difference in the look of my poor, dry cuticles and nails has been amazing and I don't seem to suffer from torn cuticles anymore either. My nails seem to be a little stronger too and less transparent looking which is a nice bonus.

The photo on the left above was the state of my poor, dry nails before I started using this treatment and the photo on the right is how nourished they look after just a few uses.

If you have dry, brittle nails and cuticles then I sincerely recommend trying this stuff out. I got mine from Priceline so it's pretty easy to track down.

I hope you are all having a lovely weekend!

Michelle xx

New Lipstick Love - Mary Kay Creme Lipstick in Pink Melon

Yep, so I think I've discovered that I'm a bit of a pink lipstick hoarder. I can't seem to get enough of them lately and my current favourite that I picked up a little while ago is this Mary Kay Creme Lipstick in Pink Melon.

 

This lipstick is the first Mary Kay product that I have used in years! A friend of mine is a consultant so I decided to help her out by getting this lipstick the last time she had a little get together. I'm really glad I did get it as it's been on very high rotation ever since.

This lipstick is very creamy and glides on nice and smooth. It's super pigmented and usually one coat is enough to last on my lips for a good couple of hours. As it wears off it leaves a nice pink stain too. It doesn't bleed into the lip lines and isn't drying at all which is something I love.

I also love the scent as it's almost caramel-like, but not in a too sickly sweet way. It's not too strong tasting on the lips once applied and fades pretty quickly to be practically unoticeable.

(Mary Kay Creme Lipstick in Pink Melon - Natural Light)

(Mary Kay Creme Lipstick in Pink Melon - With Flash)

The packaging is nice and sturdy too and I like the way you can see what shade the lipstick is by looking at the top of the lid.

I have been wearing this lipstick an awful lot lately as it's such a versatile shade that looks great for work but is also not too overpowering to wear to the shops or out to lunch. 

I'm so glad that I picked this up!

Has anyone else used Mary Kay cosmetics lately? Is there anything else I should try?

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend.

Michelle xx

The Old 'Olive Oil for a Dry Scalp' Trick

Yep, winter is most definitely here now and I know this more than most people because my dry, eczema prone skin has started screaming it at me loud and clear the past couple of weeks.

One of the worst things I find during winter is when my scalp starts to dry out and get really itchy and irritated. Usually I crank up the use of hair masks and start to leave my conditioner on a little longer than usual but nothing ever really eases it completely until the weather starts to warm up again and I stop being surrounded by so much artificial heating.

A few weeks ago my poor three year old son started having issues with his scalp and being the protective mother bear that I am I couldn't let him go through the same thing that I do every year so I went to our local pharmacy and asked what I could do to help him. Much to my surprise the pharmacist suggested using olive oil on his scalp as a pre-wash treatment rather than some other medicated product so back home I went to raid my pantry and give it a go.

And surprise, surprise, after applying pure olive oil to his scalp for three nights in a row, leaving it to work its magic for around 10 minutes each time while he played in the bath, then washing it out with his regular baby shampoo, his scalp wasn't itchy or irritated looking at all anymore and his hair was so silky and soft!

So, being in a bit of a desperate position with my own itchy head I decided to have a go at using some olive oil on myself as well one night. I poured a large palm-full into my hand then massaged it into my scalp for a couple of minutes. I then did all of the usual stuff in the shower while it worked its magic for a few minutes, every now and then massaging the oil in a little more and distributing some of it towards the ends of my hair as it heated up with the steam in the shower. After I was done I massaged some shampoo in and rinsed it all out and applied my usual conditioner.

I can't believe the difference I noticed pretty much as soon as I stepped out of the shower. My scalp almost breathed a sigh of relief and felt soothed for the first time in weeks. Once my hair dried there didn't seem to be any noticeable oily residue and my frizzy, curly hair even seemed to be much smoother and more manageable.

Seriously, this is like the discovery of the year for me. Since trying out this miracle treatment a few times my scalp has never felt better and my hair is now so soft. I've since done a bit more research and found the following facts about olive oil that may be of interest to some of you:

• Olive oil is full of antioxidants that help to keep your scalp in better shape. It also contains other nutrients like vitamins A and E that reduce the damage done by hair care products (chemical based) or overuse of styling products.
• It contains mono-unsaturated fatty acids which help to coat the shaft of your hair and keep it healthy and protected. It coats the damaged outer layer of the hair and gives silky, shiny, smoother, healthier hair.
• It acts as a natural moisturiser when applied on the scalp and reduces the appearance of dandruff by preventing a dry and flaky scalp. It contains vitamin E which is super moisturising.
• It contains antibacterial and anti-fungal properties that fight against common scalp and hair problems like dandruff, head lice, etc.
• The scalp will be much cleaner after performing an olive oil treatment as it contains polyphenols (a water-soluble substance). It also helps to smooth out dry and frizzy hair without the buildup of greasiness.
• Olive oil makes lifeless and damaged hair manageable and easier to style. It softens your hair and makes it pliable by adding extra moisture and strength to your hair. 

So there you have it. If you didn't already know about this miracle (and super affordable!) treatment and also suffer from any form of dry, itchy scalp I definitely recommend you give it a try. My son and I are so much happier for it :-)