Best of 2018: Skincare and Makeup Edition
Hey everyone! The first month of 2019 is about to wrap up, and I hope you’re all getting settled down from the business of the holidays and gearing up for another product year ahead! I know this post is a bit late, and I was going to scrap this post all together, but I decided that since I’ve only done one favorites post at the beginning of last year and I still have a few products I really want to talk about that deserved to be mentioned, I went ahead and wrote this post. As you know I’m big on trying a lot of different products and finding the next great beauty item, so I definitely have a bit of a list from the products I tried last year! This list will exclusively be on skincare and makeup, but of course I will do a lifestyle and fashion version of it on the next post as well. So without further delays, below are some 2018’s best beauty products!
Makeup
Hourglass Brow Sculpting Pencil in Ash - I’ve been wearing more of a natural makeup look a lot this year and this has petty much been my go to brow pencil whenever I needed to fill in my brows. It just gives my brows a soft filled-in look, that does not lean too warm or too dark.
Tom Ford Eye Kohl in Metallic Mink - I did not want to love this eye pencil because of its price, however I really love the bronze metallic color that it has. It’s just a perfect liner for the lower lash line. It gives my eyes definition, while the metallic finish definitely brings subtle attention to my eyes. I’ve used it so much last year I’m on my second pencil! MAC’s Teddy is similar but a lot warmer than this one.
Lancome Absolue Powder - Debated about including this here because I’ve only used it for the last 2 months of the year, but I have not used any setting powder allover my face in a while (only my undereyes) until after I learned about this product from Jaclyn Hill. It really is just a nice smoothing setting powder, perfect for allover the face without giving your face a powdery or cakey look.
Dior Forever Undercover 24H Full Coverage Foundation - When you do find me wearing foundation, this most definitely is the foundation I’ve wearing last year. It just looks amazing on the skin and wears sooo well for hours on end. Definitely recommend you guys to try it out!
Too Faced Primed and Peachy Cooling Matte Skin Perfecting Primer - This was a random purchase from Sephora around Spring of last year, while waiting in their minis section along the cashier line. I’ve been meaning to try out this line from Too Faced because I have a very oily t-zone especially during the Summer. I decided to pick up the travel size since I wanted to cut down on products sizes that I have with me on my travel makeup kit, anyway. Oh boy, was this mini version such a hit! I started using it every single day on my t-zone and it just helps keep me from getting oily. I like how light it feels and you don’t need a lot of it. I still am just about to finish the mini that I got after 8 months of using it!
Kiss Faux Mink Lashes in Little Black Dress - So I’ve been consistently getting lash extensions since March of last year (will post a review of my experience very soon), but before I did that, I was obsessed with these false lashes. I literally keep at least 10 pairs on my lash drawer to make sure I never run out! I also have them on my freelance kit for my brides who want a fluffy semi-dramatic lashes, but don’t want it to overpower their makeup look.
Tom Ford Fiber Brow Gel in Espresso - I have very fine black hair on my brows, and it’s hard to find a brow gel that doesn’t lean too dark or too warm on my brows. This one is just a great neutral dark brown that has more of an ashy undertone. The best part is I can get away with just wearing this on my brows when I’m in a rush, and it just defines them a bit more and make them look fuller.
Marc Jacobs O!Mega Eyeshadow in Daddi-O! - I need Marc Jacobs to come out with more colors for this eyeshadow formulation because they are fantastic! This particular color is a medium dark neutral brown that just looks good as a natural eye contour color on your crease or as a soft smoky brown eyeshadow allover your lids for girls who are medium dark to tan skin tones. Literally this has been my one-eyeshadow makeup look go-to!
Pat McGrath MatteTrance Lipsticks - I am obsessed with her matte lipstick formulation and in love with the color selection she has! She has beautiful muted neutrals, but she also has very rich deeper colors and vivid brights! They are so pigmented, creamy and feel very comfortable for a matte lipstick. I think every girl needs at least one shade in her collection!
Skincare
Kate Somerville ExfoliKate - I have realized early last year that using my Clarisonic is not enough to fully exfoliate my skin. I’ve started using the Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Exfoliatior again and I cannot rave about this product enough. It just really helps get rid of excess dead skin on the surface of my skin and helps refine my pores.
Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask - Another find from the cashier line minis section! My lips are very dry and I am so into trying different lip masks, and this one got my attention because even though it’s in a pot, it came wirh a mini silicone spatula for application use. FYI, I hate dipping my fingers on potted lip products because of how it makes my fingers feel sticky and it just gets gross dipping your fingers all the time there. Anyway, this lip mask formula feel so hydrating and light, but keeps your lips super hydrate for a long time. My cousin and I love the glossy sheen it gives your lips!
Tatcha The Essence Plumping Skin Softener - I was really skeptical with using an essence because I feel like my skin is pretty good with my current skincare routine, but being a beauty junkie, I was intrigued with its skincare benefits. I went ahead and started using this product early last Fall and this product just makes my skin extra plump and soft as the name suggests. It’s hard to explain, but my skin just feels very healthy and hydrated from deep within whenever I used this essence. I tend to apply it after toner, before my serum.
Sheetmasks (in General) - Talk about the poster-child of #selfcare! For a bit there I tried resisting using these masks because I thought that while each sheet can be cheap, their prices can add up real quick if you use them multiple times a week. However, I’ve tried a few and really love how they make my skin look afterwards. The one I recommend are the Sephora brightening and pore minimizing ones. I also like using the aloe hydrating one during Summer after being under the sun for the whole day.
Belif The True Creme Aqua Bomb Moisturizer - This one is my skin savior during the super dry winter months when my cheeks tend to get really dry. The texture is more of a gel creme, so it does not feel heavy on the skin and it just moisturizes my skin really well. Also recommend using it during the Summer as like an aftersun moisturizer!
Bodycare/Haircare/Fragrance
Aerin Amber Musk Perfume - Got the recommendation for this perfume from Lydia Millen, and oh my gosh, is this the most wonderful perfume for Fall and Winter! It just greatly balances a musky scent that still feels delicate and feminine yet sophisticated! You just need to smell it to understand what I mean, but definitely addicted to this one.
Macadamia Hair Mask - This hair mask has been my ride or die for a while now, especially the past 18 months. It just hydrates my hair really well, especially the ends, and makes it feel soft and less tangly!
Olaplex Treatment - AKA my hair savior! If you’ve read my haircare post, you know I swear by this treatment a lot! It just saves your hair from extreme damage, especially if you bleach it!
Batiste Dry Shampoo - Finally a dry shampoo that absorbs my hair oiliness really well without breaking the bank! I have a very oily scalp that makes me want wash it everyday, but because I’ve colored my hair, I have to avoid doing so, and this dry shampoo absorbs the oil and makes my hair feel very clean!
La Mer The Reparative Body Lotion - I didn’t want to add this, but this lotion is just amazing at keeping my hands and legs hydrated and soft! I have very dry hands, feet and legs, especially around Fall/Winter time and this body lotion just keeps them soft and hydrated without the heavy feeling of body cremes. The La Mer associate told me that it’s more of a body serum than a moisturizer and I agree with her. My skin can look very wrinkly and dry, especially on my hands and legs, but I use this to keep them from looking that way. I don’t have issues using a heavy body cream on my body, but it can get annoying when I used them on my hands because they tend to feel very thick and sticky, and as I’ve said, I hate when my hands/fingers feel that way!
So that’s it! These are my favorite products from 2018! I still pretty much use all of them, and love incorporating them into my beauty regimen. Another item that is beauty related that I want to talk about but it doesn’t really belong in any category, would be my lash extensions. I think my best decision was trying out this lash artist I’ve heard about last year, and she’s been doing my lash fills every 2-3 weeks since the beginning of March 2018. Lash extensions just open up my eyes and give me a done up look, even if I don’t really have any makeup on. Basically I feel like it elevates my natural look, because this girl was not born with long nor voluminous lashes! I promise I will be posting a review about my lash extensions and experience very soon.
Also, I would love to hear all about some of your favorite products from 2018 in the comments! I love making a list of products to research and try out. Let me know what products I’m missing out on below!
Lastly, keep an eye out for my lifestyle and fashion favorites for 2018, coming out in a few days!
