It’s been a super exciting year in terms of beauty and makeup I think , with so many new budget brands hitting the high street, more experimental colours and brights and the continued love of Instagram has influenced many makeup lovers to go outside the makeup *norm*.
I’ve had a pretty spendy year in terms of makeup, as I went to America later on in 2016 and did a huge Sephora makeup haul which you can watch on my You Tube channel here. It was hard to refine it down to less than 100 products but I managed to do it!
Here are my Makeup favourites of 2016:
Look Good Feel Better Makeup Brushes.
Look Good Feel Better (LGFB) is an international cancer support charity. I only discovered they sold brushes last year and they are such beautiful brushes, that are not only lovely to use, cruelty free and great quality, but help LGFB by donating 8-12% from the sale of the brushes. A personal favourite is the multi-tasker brush.
Bareminerals Barepro Foundation.
I’m not a huge fan in general of powder foundations, but THIS was truly a game-changer for me. An absolutely gorgeous formula that covers imperfections, redness and ER-thang but also looks NOT like a powder and gives a wonderful airbrush finish. Just check out my before & after’s here…no photoshop has been used!!
Make Up For Ever Ultra HD stick foundation.
If you always associate a stick foundation with full, thick coverage then this one will change that opinion (it did mine). This is my aboslute no.1 foundation of the moment and the one I am using when I want my skin to look absolutely perfect. Easy to apply, I literally draw this over my face, straight from the stick and then buff it away with a fluffy foundation brush = great results every time! It has a medium-full coverage but you can sheer it down to the coverage you want if you like it a little lighter AND it has a semi-dewy finish. LOVE. As soon as this runs out I am hot-footing it to the counter to replace.
They do SO many shades of this as well so there will be your perfect match I will guarantee. The staff has always been super helpful as well when I have ever been shopping.
Too Faced Sweethearts Blusher.
Arggggghhhhh have you seen they have just launched even MORE products into their glorious peachy collection?! A bank balance drainer no doubt. This is shade ‘Sparkling Bellini‘ and I absolutely love it as warmer peachy tones seem to work really well on my skintone. I love the fact that these blushers have also a lot of *glow* to them as well, so kind of like a blusher-highlight hybrid that makes quick work of dull, flat skin. Hooray to more peachy goodness coming out from Too Faced, I cannot get enough of this brand.
Kat Von D Tattoo Eyeliner ‘Mad Max Brown’.
If you have followed me anywhere for a while you will know I am a huge fan of this eyeliner pen and this is like my trillionth one. I can never be without it. I actually use this as a brow ink, and I use it EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. I know she does a range of specific brow inks but the brown tone for me is a little warm whereas this eyeliner tone is more flat and cool. I am so happy that they have now opened a counter in Debenhams Oxford Street so it means I don’t have to panic re-stock on Sephora online or beg my friends to buy me a bunch when they are in the U.S. Yay KVD.
Models OWN Gilt Rose Gold Lipsticks.
A great lipstick formula and just one that I was super impressed with when I was reviewing it. The colours are great (Wild Rose 04 is my favourite), the packaging is gloriously rose-gold-instagrammable, and the formulas are creamy, high pigmented and ahem…..better than a MAC lippie in my opinion (and 1/3 of the pricetag). It’s a shame that these are limited edition (I think) as I would love to see an extended range of colours for these. See my full review and swatched here if you fancy.
MAC Mariah.
Ok, I’m gonna be real. This is just here for the packaging. I pretty much purchased the entire glittery, gorgeous, twinkly, sparkly range. Thankyou and goodbye.
DHC Liquid Eyeliner.
A holy grail makeup product for me.
Never beaten for a black liquid eyeliner by anyone. Simply the best (….better than alllllll the rest…better than any..shut up Laura) but it’s good. If you use a black liquid liner a lot and that is your thing then you need to put this on your to-buy-list for your next one. It has a super fine nib for perfect precision and easy application, even if you aren’t that adept at the feline flick, this will make your work a lot simpler. Very dark, inky black too with high payoff & pigment. Water-resistant…..£16…..do I need to go on? It’s the best. >>BUY
NYX HD Concealer.
A great budget dupe for something like the NARS Creamy concealer and I am using this pretty much day-to-day for my under eye concealing. I don’t use this as a blemish/face concealer simply because I chose quite a peachy tone for more correcting under my eyes but I am sure it will work wonders on all areas that need a little help. For me, simply a fantastic under eye brightener and concealer and it’s an absolute steal for just £5.50.
MOAN : I’m so glad to see NYX counters popping up everywhere now (I found this in Selfridges when it first opened the counter last year) BUT HOLY SHI* they need to get some staff on those counters. Every time I visit a NYX counter it has been an absolute shambles in terms of testers, stock etc and also rarely any staff. The Boots @ Liverpool Street Station, London has been a particular hot mess whenever I have been to pick stuff up. No fault of the staff FYI, NYX need to employ more so they aren’t snowed under with customers, stock etc. I digress. Moan over. Great concealer.
Kevyn Aucoin ‘Starlight’ Highlighter.
The younger and sassier sister of the original highlighting powder from Kevyn Aucoin, Candleglow. Candleglow is a paler, cooler tone but the ‘Starlight’ is warmer, more rose gold and I cannot get enough of it. Also a great colour washed over the eyes. Lids FYI, not actually in your eyes. Probably my no.1 highlighter of all time, and just nudges BECCA’s Champagne Pop off the top spot.
Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lip Color.
LOVE this liquid lipsticks too much. The best I think you can buy in terms of formula and $. They do not dry the lips, they smell glorious (absolutely not important….but) AND the colours are so pretty. My favourite is Passion which is this stunning blue-red. I recently featured it in my favourite red liquid lippies so you can see it swatched/ on my lips etc there. Would love to see Revlon double their current line of shades so fingers crossed for this year. A really nude, beige, greige line would do so well… I don’t wanna say Kylie Jenner shades but I just did and that’s the kinda tones I mean.
Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick.
I purchased a mini set of these on my last shopping trip to Sephora in Boston as I had never tried them before. Love at first swipe! Creamy, full pigment and you just cannot beat her selection of beautiful shades, including the more experimental : I am actually a little partial to ‘Echo’ which is *that* navy blue. You can see my full Sephora Haul here.
Crownbrush 35 Colour Rose Gold Eyeshadow palette.
Save the best until last : Possibly my no.1 makeup product of the year. This is my favourite eyeshadow palette I think…….um ever. I was honestly blown away at the pigments and how creamy, in particular the metallic shades, are. The colours selection, for me , I could of pretty much handpicked them : warm coppers, browns, golds, neon pinks, reds and ochres. A steal as £22.99 . I will be doing a more in-depth review soon. Treat yo’self > Crownbrush Website.
Any products here you have used or have been on your radar?! Let me know.
