Hello everyone; I hope you're all doing well and are having a wonderful New Year!! One of my top resolutions for 2017 is to be more consistent with blogging because I do love everything about beauty and I want to share all the new products, tips, and tricks with every single one of you. For anyone new, I'm so happy to have you here and thanks so much for joining in on my beauty obsession.
Now, onto the actual post. 2016 was a good year filled with so many challenges, especially this past semester at college. That being said, I still found time to discover some amazing products that will stay with me this year. Let's jump right in!
Face:
- bareMinerals Complexion Rescue: This is marketed and described as a BB, CC and tinted moisturizer rolled into one product. I would say that this feels more like a tinted moisturizer than anything else to me. This gives sheer to light coverage and looks extremely smooth and natural on the skin. Having oily skin, this does give me quite an oily t-zone, but I can deal with that by using mattifying powders and primers. The important thing is that while this doesn't cover anything major on my skin, it lends itself well to be a sheer base where afterwards I can apply heavier concealer to cover up my acne. I'm following Lisa Eldridge's technique almost every single day now and this is a brilliant start to my base. I have this in the shade Buttercream 03, which is a light with yellow undertone = absolutely me on a description!
- Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer: The best all-in-one concealer I've ever found. It's simply a dream to work with, being so delightfully creamy and giving full coverage at the same time. I use this to cover up my blemishes and no matter how large or painful my breakout is, I can count on this concealer to help me cover it up. Lately though, I've been mixing it with the CoverFx Natural Finish Oil-Free Foundation to do pinpoint concealing via Lisa Eldridge's technique, which I mentioned above. This concealer is quickly becoming, if it hasn't already become, a cult classic. Thus, I don't think anymore has to be said.
- bareMinerals Matte Foundation: This is a constant favorite and staple in my collection. Since I'm a whole lot more tan than I was last year, I went up a shade to Light. I've talked about this product in so many posts already, but really and truly, this is a great powder foundation or setting powder. Usually, if my skin is good enough, I like to wear this on its own on top of a primer and use it as both concealer and foundation.
Cheeks:
- Benefit Hoola Bronzer: I've never really been into bronzers or contouring, but I saw Natalie Barbu using this bronzer in her back to school makeup tutorial on YouTube and I just loved how it looked on her so much that I went out and bought myself a mini one at Sephora the first chance I had. This stuff is so pigmented! Just a single tap is all you need for a contour on one side of your face. I mainly use this for contouring, rather than bronzing because, like I said, I'm still quite new to bronzer, so I try to keep myself confined to a smaller area until I get more comfortable. It's another one of those cult favorites and I can finally see why. The tone is a perfect balance of not too warm and not too cool. It can bronze up the cheeks or it can chisel out cheekbones. This will be a continued staple in my collection.
- NARS Orgasm Blush: It's starting to look like all my favorites are cult-classics.... oops? Hahah, anyway, I fell into the hype and this blush is beautiful. I was looking for the perfect blush this summer and when this was offered with a few other NARS goodies in a 500 point perk at Sephora, I had to get it! This blush is as good as people say it is; it give such a beautiful healthy glow to the cheeks and a lovely pink-ish flush as well. The entire summer, fall, and winter of 2016, if I had any blush on my cheeks, it was this one.
- Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Dollface: This is the blush that I wore towards the beginning of 2016 up until the summer. It's a very brightening, cool toned shade that works well to perk the skin up. It's completely matte, so I usually wear this if I want to use a highlighter. The formula is gorgeous and the shade is a great pick-me-up on a dreary winter day, so I haven't got much more to say about this except for, if you haven't tried it out yet and love matte, pink blushes, give it a go!
- Benefit Watt's Up Highlighter: Just like bronzers, I don't have too many highlighters, so this is a staple in my collection. I love this highlighter and anytime I did use highlighter throughout the year, this is the one I chose. It's a creamy, champagne, candle-glow color that melts right into the skin. The texture is creamy and a dream to blend out. There's never any worry of a disco-ball face with this highlighter. I invite all skin tones to try this one out; if you're really pale, apply with a light hand and blend the edges thoroughly, if you're medium, apply with a less conscious hand and blend, if you're deep, apply and blend. Once you have it on, take a step back and look at that gorgeous glow!
Eyes:
- Urban Decay Primer Potion: This keeps the shadows on all day and is another cult-classic. It was the very first eyeshadow primer that I tried out and I still use it over other eye primers today. Nothing else has to be said about this wonderful product.
- Urban Decay Eyeshadow in Midnight Cowboy: This pale, glittery shadow is what I use to brighten up the inner corners of my eyes every time I put makeup on. The silver glitter in it draws me in and I love using it even on my lids for a subtle, glittery effect.
- Urban Decay Naked Palette: I know there's 3 Naked palettes out now, but I haven't found the need to go out and buy the other ones. I've been content to using this palette all year. My favorite shades in this palette are Sin and Sidecar. I love using any of the darker shades like Darkhorse, Creep or Hustle as a smudgy liner.
- Lorea'l Lineur Intense Felt-tip Liquid Liner: If I don't have a smudgy liner effect going on, then I would have usually had a winged liner for all of 2016. This liquid eyeliner is fantastic and long lasting. It goes on smoothly and stays put, as long as there's a primer underneath. I have really oily eyelids, so if I don't use a primer, it'll smudge. Everything about this liquid liner makes winged liner a breeze.
- Marc Jacobs Highliner Gel Crayon in Blacquer: This was part of the birthday gift from Sephora and it's the absolute best eyeliner pencil that I've ever used. It stays put on the lid with the addition of an eye primer. This particular one is perfectly black and extremely creamy. It applies like a dream and works beautifully as a base for shadow to go on top for a smudgy liner look.
- Blinc Mascara Amplified: I think Blinc are known for their tubing mascaras and this one is amazing. I curl my lashes, apply a single coat of this, and my lashes are lengthened, defined, and voluminous. The best thing about this mascara? It doesn't smudge or flake AT ALL!! Because it's a tubing mascara and not one that paints the lashes, there's no way for it to smudge underneath the eyes or get into the eyes. This is amazing because no matter which mascara I used before, I would always have raccoon eyes in a few hours. If you have oily eyelids, have smudging issues, or have sensitive eyes, please try this out, it's amazing. Also, removal is so simple: just use some warm water and slide the tubes right off. This mascara has all the benefits of a waterproof formula without the painful removal.
- Maybelline Brow Drama Scuplting Brow Mascara: I never really filled in my brows or even did anything to them until I bought this. I realize exactly was was missing now. My brows have a nice amount of thickness to them, but they're unruly. Having this to tame them and add a bit of color definition made all the difference in the world. Now I have nice brows with shape, definition, and color; the perfect frame for my face!
Lips:
- Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Sassy Mauve: This lipstick is such a flattering, cool toned pink-y mauve shade on my skin. I never realized that this type of shade would look good on my skin tone until I put it on. It seems to brighten up my olive, yellow complexion and add whiteness to my teeth. I do wish that it was shinier though. I don't wear lipstick often, but when I do, it'll most likely be this as it's perfect for everyday.
- NARS Lipgloss in Chelsea Girls: This gloss is the perfect nude for me. It's not as opaque as a lipstick, so it doesn't wash me out. This is lovely on its own or on top of Sassy Mauve lipstick from Revlon. It has enough of a pink tone to give the face a fresh look.
All right, if you've made it to the end here, I congratulate you! I may do a few more posts of my 2016 Skincare and Brush favorites, but we'll have to see. If you have any comments or questions, please leave them below! I hope you all had a wonderful 2016 and a brilliant New Year!!!
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