Top 10 favourite skincare and haircare products for 2014

This is a top 10 collection of my favourite skincare and haircare products, a very essential post for those who are lazy to read through all my reviews to find out the important questions: What works? What should I buy if I want an immediate improvement to my beauty regime? Although most of the products are sponsored by Sample Store, Luxola, or the brand itself, I am under no pressure to specially feature them in this post and they have been collated here only by one factor - their efficacy.

1. ASIENCE Intensive Treatment Hair Mask -$18.90

Let's first talk about hair, shall we? This product single-handedly rescued me from bad hair days so many times I can't even count. This hair mask has this beautiful floral scent that has got my hair being complimented quite a few times with people sniffing into it happily. Yes, I'm serious. I only had to use this once every week (96 hours, as it promises) to maintain a visibly good hair quality. I would use it more often if I need to, but rarely do I need that. I've been using it regularly for 7 months now and the quantity only diminished by about one-fifth.

TLDR; Fantastic floral scent, visible instant results, sporadic re-usage required, long-lasting product, very cheap for what you get

2. Essential Sleeping Hair Mask - $11.90

My second haircare pick would be this sleeping hair mask which is a good alternative for the Asience treatment hair mask when I don't wash my hair but still need it to look good the next day. This is much less necessary for me because I definitely would wash my hair within 3 days, therefore would use the Asience hair mask whenever I need a hair quality boost. But I must say that this hair mask is a great pampering product and works very well too.

TLDR; The lazy alternative to the Asience treatment hair mask, great for pre-bedtime beauty regime, more helpful for those in cold/dry climate

3. Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil 3X Volume Cream

This is one of the new hair products I have in December, which I've been using every single time I blowdry my hair now. This provides an instant lift and heat protection for my hair which I've been looking for a product to do so. This is very useful in revolutionizing my hairstyling and haircare regime. I can't find the price for this one, but I think it's slightly expensive.

TLDR; Style amd protect your hair with this - two-in-one

4. BeautyBiotics Dream Cream Collagen Cleanse - $43

I've had a lot of facial cleansers this year and I've ultimately grown to love this one the most for its very nourishing, gentle action on my skin. My combination skin is extremely picky when it comes to cleansers. For those that creates a squeaky clean after-cleansing effect, it will also cause drying... for those which are moisturizing, it can result in whiteheads and oily skin. This is my favourite facial cleanser of all because I like the soft aftereffects of my skin. I actually only grown exclusively into this cleanser a month ago and my skin has seen a lot of improvement. I use it once a day (lesser than recommended) and about one-third done with the bottle after 8 months of usage. I guess if you don't need any other cleansers, this would be a comfortable price point to pay. It cleans off makeup only fairly well... would prefer to wipe off that gunk with the Biore micellar water first before using this.

TLDR; When they say it's suitable for all skin types, they really mean it. Best for those who don't put on makeup often and need a very good and gentle cleanser. If you put on makeup often... get this in addition:

5. Biore Micellar Cleansing Water - $18.90

This is another cleansing product that I've grown to become very reliant on, especially if I need to clean my makeup off when I'm very tired. It works extremely well for eye makeup and seriously wipes off everything. In my review, I initially didn't take a liking to it because I wasn't too good at using it. It requires some practice for the one-wipe-clean-all effect. It is definitely possible and I'm a believer now. I've used this for three months and the water level hardly moved. I expect it to last me for at least another three years.

TLDR; Very useful for those who put on makeup on a regular basis. Very value-for-money.

6. I Love Yo! All -In- 1 Yogurt Cleanser - $22.80

Before I converted to believing in the micellar cleansing water (almost a religion, well in the realm of beauty products), this yogurt cleanser is amazing in getting rid of my makeup. It still stings my eyes when it does, I have to be really careful, but it does the job 100% well. My sister loves this a lot and we all use it. It's almost three-quarters gone now after 8 months, and the hunt for a new one is on!

TLDR; Does makeup cleansing excellently, well-loved by the ladies in the house

7. Nivea Daily Essentials Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes - $9.50 (25pc)

These cleansing wipes are on this list because each piece is good enough on its own (ie. you don't need an extra cleansing step after this). I wouldn't use it as daily cleansing wipes because it would be quite a waste of resources and expensive in the long run. But it is definitely very convenient for travel usage.

TLDR; Get this for travel purposes.

8. Hydra Tri-Action Aqua Droplet Sleeping Mask by Bio-essence - $33.90

Another hot favourite among the ladies because of its highly moisturizing, yet not oil-inducing abilities. This is a permanent mainstay in my beauty regime and the used right after cleansing. I love the pompous skin boost feeling I get whenever I use this. If I can only choose one moisturizer out of all those I have, this would be it. Slightly one-third gone after 4 months of intensive usage by at least two faces.

TLDR; Best moisturizer. Ever.

9. ORIGINS Out Of Trouble® 10 minute mask - $50

Looking at the name and price, it is wise to say that I only use this whenever my face is in 'dire straits'. This is quite a new addition, so I only has one instance when it rescued my face from 'zeroine to heroine' once, but that has solidified my confidence for this product. On ordinary days, a thin layer of this product would be really uplifting for the face and improves skin condition by reducing redness quickly.

TLDR; Expensive but it works.. your call.

10. Avene High Protection Cream SPF 50

Avene products have always kept me out of the dark for the past two years of regular use, and I love this brand because it's very reputable for its high efficacy. If I have to choose one product for sunscreen, this would be it.

TLDR; Too many sunscreens,which to choose? This one, hands down.