HARD. Very hard to whittle beauty products down to a top 10 but here we are. These are products that I tried for the first in 2019 or were launched in 2019. The ones that I went back for time and time again, the ones I will purchase when they run out and the ones that stood out in a sea of products.
For me, 2019 was a year of feeling unsettled. A little stressed with all the house moving, mortgage stuff, going’s on in the back that NO-ONE knew anything about, including many of my friends. I just felt like I had no energy to explain what had happened with our dream rental (the one with the amazing kitchen floor – it seems so long ago now!). I haven’t done a round-up of my year as it felt like I was just packing boxes and feeling a little deflated about the situation initially BUT it ended with us finally securing our beautiful new (& perfect!) home, so much happiness AND my 2019 ended on the perfect high.
Beauty *kind* of took a back seat. I was back to blogging on here a lot more frequently, but not as much I had liked. Moving from London seemingly cuts a few ties with brands, kinnnnda expected but it’s a bit of a shame, so I felt a little detached I guess from what’s launching, new products, brand events PLUS I don’t have access to any department stores nearby. I feel perhaps just a bit out of the loop now that I’ve stepped out of my London bubble *but* I was fortunate enough to just keep my new-country-village-residing foot in the door and keep up with trends and hype products.
These products are a mix of products that were launched/new in 2019, but also simply ones I only got round to trying in 2019 and a couple of just random stumble-upon discoveries.
Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter*. If you are a regular reader of this blog, this will be of NO surprise at all. I was lucky enough to be sent this at the start of the year and I had a feeling I would really like it. It was a product I had had my eye on for a long ol’ time and I wasn’t disappointed when it finally landed on my doorstep. I won’t warble on too much. READ MY FULL REVIEW HERE for the lowdown, the swatches, the before and after, and to see if it’s for you. I still love it, I still wear it most days if I am leaving the house and I will be re-purchasing it a week before it’s due to run out again. Love it, amazing, I wear shade 3.
ELF 16hr Camo Concealer*. Again, a totally new product (and brand!) I tried for the first time in 2019. I actually get on really well with A LOT of their products (the flawless primer, their baked highlighters) but the stand-out for me was these fabulous, full-coverage and long wear concealers. Again I’ll direct you to my original review for the full lowdown, info and swatches but they are SUCH a good budget concealer if you are after something substantial and heavy duty. I also use it sometimes all over my face and blended out as a foundation ; it’s super versatile and just £5!
Maybelline Eraser Concealer. I had always been told this was a really good high street concealer and people seemed to really like it. I have SO much makeup in my stash that I rarely do buy it at the moment but I needed to give this a go and I’ve worn it as my under-eye concealer pretty much every day since I purchased it (hence why we are nearly empty)! I think if I had got an off-colour it would be slung to the back of my drawers in my concealer graveyard but I was lucky and picked a decent shade. It is a great brightening slightly peachy tone and I love the fact it doesn’t feel or look heavy/cakey under my eye area. It feels like a serum-concealer hybrid and doesn’t seem to crease or disappear during the day.
IT CC+ Illumination Cream SPF50. This is another product I was late to the game with but only slapped on my face for the first time last year. SO much hype around these CC creams and I tend to get on with a lighter, dewier finish on my face so this formula is just absolutely perfect! The illuminating version gives me a really healthy skin look and feel, it has that hybrid skincare-makeup feel, SPF50 and it actually gives more coverage than any other tint/BB/CC I have ever tried. For me, this is 100% foundation territory….but with ‘features’ than a standard foundation so if you always sway away from these CC formulas as you like more coverage, definitely don’t overlook the IT CC’s. I actually use this as my ‘heavier/going out’ base.
Bobbi Brown Luxe Gems Eyeshadow Palette*. One of the prettiest palettes I now own! This was sent to me as part of the Bobbi Brown Christmas Collection 2019 and it was all SO pretty but this pipped the post. Not only does it looks incredible with it’s gold shattered outer hardware BUT the shades inside are so pretty and perfect for party looks. Check out the swatches right here. Unfortunately I do think this is now sold out everywhere (I’ve had a really good look online this AM with no luck), I really hope they bring something similar out soon!
Alpha-H Hyaluronic 8 Serum*. A product I used and REALLY noticed a quick turnaround in my skin was this serum from Alpha-H. Honestly, my skin went nuts at the end of the summer/autumn and coming into winter. The stress of having to move house, everything was in the air and I really stopped looking after myself and my skin. I got dry like never before and this serum sorted it out and quickly. It’s a light, watery gel-texture, I think akin to a typical ‘hyaluronic-strong’ serum and absorbs super fast and comfortably into the skin. You aren’t left with any residue on your skin so follow up with your favourite AM/PM moisturiser. This serum is doing the work at the deeper levels of your skin! I honestly used this up SOOOOO (too) quickly as I was slathering it on AM & PM but normally, I would say it would last you a couple of months.
PIXI DetoxifEye Eye patches*. These were much-used last year and I’m now cracking into my second (purchased!) tub. They are just so soothing, cooling and hydrating and give me that boost over my AM Oatly latte when I’ve had a rough night, I’m feeling super tired and run down. They just seem to perk me up in an instant. They are packed with hyaluronic, raspberry, coconut, cucumber and caffeine for the ultimate bright-eyed feel. I had quite a severe skin reaction just a few weeks ago and I whacked these on and they sorted out my under eye are in like 20 minutes.
Emma Hardie Moringa Light Cleansing Gel*. As you know, I’m a huge advocate of the original Emma Hardie Moringa cleansing balm. It’s the best for a PM cleanse. However I’m so glad that she launched a lighter, pump-applicator AM version for use in the shower and also I like it at the end of a makeup-free day just to refresh and lightly cleanse. It has the sumptuous EH scent, it feels nice and nourishing yet not as heavy as the original balm and you don’t need a cloth for removal.
In 2019 I completely re-discovered Umberto Giannini haircare. I was lucky enough to be sent a few of their products to try and honestly, pretty much everything I have used has been SO good on my hair and a lot of haircare brands don’t work for me as my hair is very hard to please. I’ll be talking more on my favourite picks from their ranges but one product I’ve already nearly used up is the Pick Me Up moisturising nutrient spray*. This is a leave-in conditioning spray that de-tangles, primes, gives heat protection and leaves my hair really smooth and manageable. LOVE!
Last up is a brand that I’ve fallen in love with VERY quickly. The Botanical Candle Co. are a natural (soy) candle company that are based in a town not too far from me in Dorset. I first discovered the shop whilst strolling up the high street, I purchased a couple of candles and since then have added to my collection quite a lot. I love the interesting scents they do (possibly Tinder Box being my favourite thus far), I love the choice of packaging (tins, amber jars and occasionally reclaimed jars or tins) and I think the prices are really reasonable for the quality. If you ever are visiting Dorset their shop is well worth a stop off and they do beautiful home decor/furnishings too. If you can’t get to the shop, then you can shop online and they also do subscription boxes which are really popular too. I feel like I’m a no.1 fangirl here but there Instagram is really worth a follow, not just for the gorgeous imagery of candle porn and the rest, but the behind-the-scenes on their stories is always really interesting!
So there we have my top 10 favourite beauty (& lifestyle!) discoveries of 2019. Can you spot any of your favourites here or perhaps anything you have had your eye on? I’d love to know your thoughts and what your favourite products were of 2019 – enable me!
PS The products with links to Look Fantastic (Emma Hardie cleanser, Alpha H serum ) I have 20% off if you use code LAURA_LF and this will work until the end of February 2020.
*press samples
*Contains affiliate links
