Yearly round-ups are my favourite kind of blog posts to read. I love discovering everyone’s makeup and skincare heroes, even though this information is very detrimental to my bank balance. I’ve made quite a few interesting discoveries this year and I’ve tried to include as many new products as possible. Let’s face it, I could ramble on about how much I adore BeautyBlender, Spectrum Collection, Ofra and the Stila Magnificent Metals Liquid Eye Shadow for days, but I think you get the gist by now.
Best Eye Products
2018 is the year I spend an eye-watering £60 on one eyeshadow palette. It’s been nearly three months but I still feel guilty every time I use it. I missed out on Charlotte’s first palette and I was determined not to make the same mistake again. You can squabble over the price tag day all day long but you can’t deny the beauty of the Charlotte Tilbury Stars In Your Eyes Palette. The shade range is nothing revolutionary but the pigmentation is beautiful, they blend flawlessly and the layout and design of the palette is well thought-out and effortlessly glamorous. It’s no secret that Charlotte Tilbury is one of my favourite brands and I think this was my most anticipated launch of the year.
Two other highlights that I have to include are the Huda Beauty Mauve Obsessions Palette and the Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam Eyeshadow Palette. Soft Glam replaced my trusty Tarte In Bloom as my most used palette of the year. You just can’t go wrong with its classic combination of shades. The palette is beautiful and incredibly easy to use. The eyeshadows are buttery and I reach for it nearly every single day. Another one of my favourites was tiny yet extraordinary Huda Beauty palette, which I was lucky enough to win in a Twitter giveaway. It’s not something I would have chosen to purchase myself and I think that’s why it took me by surprise. It contains the most richly pigmented eyeshadow formula that I currently own. Check out the swatches here.
As for liner, I switched from the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner to the DHC Liquid Eyeliner EX. It’s just as pigmented and easy to use. The nib doesn’t catch or drag on your lid and even though my application skills leave a lot to be desired, it gives me a precise wing 8 out of 10 times. It’s worth noting that I found the Pixi Lash Line Ink to be one of the most disappointing products I tried this year. I was so excited to receive it in a subscription box but found the formula very dry and patchy. As for mascara, I don’t really have a favourite but I did fall back in love with the L’Oreal Paris Paradise Mascara. I’m planning on treating myself to either the Hourglass Caution Extreme Lash Mascara or Nars Climax Mascara in a few weeks for my birthday so stay tuned.
Best Lip Products
My most loved lip products are undoubtedly my Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks in Sexy Sienna and Pillow Talk and, a relatively new addition to my makeup bag, the Lottie London Gloss’d Supercharged Gloss Oil; a dupe for my all-time favourite lip gloss, ‘Fairy Floss’ by Colourpop. It’s a gloss-oil hybrid packed with moisturising ingredients that hydrates and nourishes whilst adding a subtle hint of colour. It also smells heavenly, like vanilla buttercream icing. What’s not to love?
Best Base Products
I have quite a few foundations that I enjoy and currently have in my rotation. The two I reached for most this year are the YSL All Hours and The Body Shop Fresh Nude Foundation. The latter is seriously underrated and just as good as my Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder. It contains English rose water and aloe vera and gives a light to medium coverage and a semi-matte finish. It’s incredibly light and moisturising and contains SPF 15. What I love about it is that it gives my skin a natural looking glow and it blends seamlessly. It gives that ultimate my-skin-but-better illusion.
As for concealer I switch between my Charlotte Tilbury (yes, I know, but it’s my favourite brand for a reason) Magic Wand and my trusty Tarte Shape Tape. Shape Tape is for full coverage days when I look like a cast member for The Walking Dead and Magic Wand is for no-makeup makeup days. One of the most disappointing purchases I made this year was the Revolution Conceal & Define Concealer. It creased like mad, wasn’t light enough for my skin tone and there was very little product in the actual tube. I’ve read that they’ve extended their shade range but I’d recommend the Collection Lasting Perfection Ultimate Wear concealer over it any day. As for setting powder, I fell in love with the Hourglass Veil Translucent Setting Powder. The unbelievably soft powder eliminates shine, seals in base products and gives my skin a slightly dewy glow.
As for bronzer and blusher I’ve tried a few new additions from MUA but I always come back to the Nip+Fab Make Up Blusher Palette in Blushed and my Filmstar Bronze & Glow Contour Palette and when it comes to highlighter and setting spray, nothing this year has come close to Ofra’s Glazed Donut and Urban Decay’s All Nighter. One discovery I have made this year is the CYO Matte Attack Matte & Blur Primer which is very similar to Porefessional but a fraction of the cost. It does exactly what it says on the tube, mattifies and blurs visible pores whilst creating an even texture to the skin which helps prevent makeup on my chin, nose and forehead from slipping.
Best Skincare Products
This is a category I could ramble on about for hours but I’ll do my best to keep it short and sweet. I’ve tried a lot of new products this year but only a few have made the cut, these include: the Caudalie Makeup Removing Cleansing Oil, REN Ready Steady Glow Daily AHA Tonic, REN Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask, Antipodes Reincarnation Exfoliator, Kiehl’s Midnight Concentrate, Bobbi Brown Vitamin Enriched Face Base, La Roche-Posay Effaclar Duo [+] and Charlotte Tilbury Magic Eye Cream. My ultimate dream team.
So here’s to 2019, a year where I’ll hopefully get around to finally trying Fenty Beauty, Sunday Riley and Drunk Elephant. What were your favourite beauty buys of 2018?
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