Best Beauty Products | August 2019 Report

Here’s a look at the top 25 products reviewed in the month of August, plus a summary of how many products and brands were reviewed and a break out of ratings! 🙂

I think it’d be fun to go through what we used, purchased, resisted, and so forth each month, here are some questions:

  1. What were your favorites from the last month?
  2. What didn’t impress you?
  3. Did you return anything you purchase?
  4. Or successfully resist temptation?

13 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
SaffyTaffy Avatar

What were your favorites from the last month? On a lark, I found LimeCrime highlighter palettes at TJ Maxx and they’ve been delightful to use. I’ve been tapping them on my eyelids, and I just really like the tones of the highlighters on my cheeks. I also got the Pat McGrath Fetish lip balm, the clear one, and I’m having so much fun pulling it out and using it every two minutes.

What didn’t impress you? I really wanted to like the Ofra Covent Garden highlighter because of how delightful it looks in the pan. But like all Ofra highlighters, I found it too hard to use easily and too chunky to be sophisticated. I also ended up not liking MAC’s new lipstick in My Little Secret (I like the formula, but the color is not for me). Oh, and this WILD mix-it-up masque from Sephora, a coconut one that was messy and got stuck in my hair.

Did you return anything you purchase? The Ofra highlighter.

Or successfully resist temptation? I didn’t buy Nars’ Shanghai Express (I’ll buy anything with Shanghai in the name) or a backup of Clinique’s Take the Day Off.

Valerie Avatar

It seems like, across the board, highlighters get higher scores than any other category of makeup. And then, I run out and buy the next new A/A+ rated highlighter – to the point that I now have a drawer dedicated to them! It’s like I think that maybe there is some brand new amazing formula and entirely forget my love affair with Amrezy and Dior…
Christine – can you please stop rating new highlighters?? I have a sneaking suspicion there’s something uniquely easy about making them that isn’t with any other makeup category but that I’ll keep falling for them anyway every time I see you raving about some new one.
I need someone else to take responsibility for my highlighter purchasing decisions ?‍♀️

Celesta Avatar

What were your favorites from the last month?
– Physicians Formula The Healthy Foundation
– ND Safari palette (this month and every month)
– Revlon HD Lip Vinyls
– Hourglass Scattered Light Eyeshadow in Smoke
– Nivea Blackberry Lip care
– Fyrinnae Multichrome shadows

What didn’t impress you? I can’t think of anything… Everything I have in my collection I love and I didn’t purchase anything I didn’t really like in the last month.

Did you return anything you purchase? I did not.

Or successfully resist temptation? I’m resisting the ABH x Jackie Aina palette… I LOVE the color scheme, but I have so many dupes for so many of the shades, I just don’t need it.

AJ Avatar

Favorite: I’m really happy so far with the Mountain Trail bundle from Sydney Grace!

Not Impressed: I finally tried NYX Cosmic Metals in Extraterrestrial and I was disappointed that it wasn’t more opaque — although after I blotted it way down, it made for a really cool sheer green-leaning glitter look, so it’s not a total waste.

Returned: Nothing!

Resisted: Melt Impulsive palette. I thought about buying it during the Sephora sale, but I’d just purchased a $120 turquoise ring so I decided I really shouldn’t splurge on yet another palette.

Seraphine Avatar

What were your favorites from the last month? MAC Love Me Lipsticks and my newest Laura Mercier Caviar Stick (Burnished Bronze).

What didn’t impress you? The new NARS lipsticks. I tried a few of them and was disappointed.

Did you return anything you purchased? NARS Rosecliff Lipstick. I don’t like making returns, but it was truly My-Lips-But-Worse.

Or successfully resist temptation? Nope. I had no resistance to the Love Me lipsticks, and I now have five shades.

Deborah S. Avatar

What were your favorites from the last month? Viseart Coy palette, MAC prep and prime for lips, Dior blush in 999, Dior Forever Glow foundation, Buxom Waterproof mascara, MAC Natural Born Leader lipstick, Lancome Effacernes concealer, Waterlilly perfume and Buxom e/s in Best Life.
.
What didn’t impress you? I didn’t try anything that I wasn’t happy with last month.
Did you return anything you purchase? No
Or successfully resist temptation? No because I had been fighting the Melt Impulsive palette and finally caved during the Sephora sale.

Lesley Avatar

What were your favorites from the last month? C.Y.O. Lifewear Foundation and ABH Jackie Aina palette.

What didn’t impress you? Joah Eye Scream Ultra Volume mascara. Actually, it did impress me…with how bad it was.

Did you return anything you purchase? No. I threw the Joah mascara away. Not worth the hassle of trying to return it.

Or successfully resist temptation? Not in the least. I always give in.

Rachel R. Avatar

What were your favorites from the last month? Of what I bought: Sydney Grace pressed shadows/pigments, ABH x Jackie Aina Palette, Geek Chic Lip Zazz Liquid Lipstick in Bio-Exorcist; SugarPill Fun Size Palette; Apocalyptic Beauty Scarab Queen LOTM collection; Milani Color Statement Lipstick in Dulce Caramelo; ColorPop Strawberry Fields Collection.

What didn’t impress you? I was disappointed that Revlon Cherries in the Snow was raspberry on me instead of the beautiful, bright fuchsia shade it seems to turn on everyone else. It’s still a very pretty color, just not what I expected.

The Smashbox Cover Shot Palette in Ultra Violet is just OK. Some of the shades don’t have the pigmentation that I hoped, but they can be built up and they blend well. Not the best of the Cover Shot line, but still pretty good for an all purple palette. I’m probably going to keep it and play with it more, and try some different eye primers.

That I didn’t buy: Smith & Cult blushes; Too Faced peach collection (not due to quality; I thought it was kind of boring); Anastasia Norvina Vol. 1 Pro Pigment Palette (not due to quality; I just thought the color combo didn’t work).

Did you return anything you purchased? No

Or successfully resist temptation? More Sidney Grace Shadows; Impulse cosmetics loose eyeshadows; Natasha Denona Coral Eyeshadow Palette 5 pan; Pat McGrath lipstick sale; Fyrrinae pressed shadows; Cover FX Blush Duos; Melt Cosmetics Impulsive Palette.

Bridget Avatar

Hey Rachel!

I had the same experience with Revlon – Cherries in the snow. On my sisters, it’s the most magnificent shade. It didn’t really work for me either. Just a regular raspberry lipstick!

I’d be curious to hear it about a shade of lipstick that you tried without any expectations and it worked magnificently for you!

Rachel R. Avatar

Hi, Bridget! The only one I can really think of off the top of my head is e.l.f. Beautifully Bare Satin Lipstick in Touch of Berry. I got it as a gift with purchase. I’m usually not into sheer colors, but I tried it and ended up loving it! It’s beautiful on and really suits my coloring.

Also…kind of…Anastasia’s Dead Roses. I knew it was a great shade and would look good on me, but I would have never have guessed just how good.

Genevieve Avatar

What were your favourites from the last month? Maybelline’s Copper Spark and Hot Lava lipsticks, Colour Pop’s lippie sale – I bought Tea Thyme, LA Lady and another Foolish lipstick as backup.

What didn’t impress you? Everything I bought impressed me, which is surprising as sometimes lipsticks don’t end up looking the same on me as they do on others.

Did you return anything you purchase? No.

Or successfully resist temptation? I have resisted temptation to buy Sydney Grace eyeshadows, but I seriously do have dupes for quite a few of the ones I like.

Bridget Avatar

Very cool new feature!!

Favorites of the month: I went on holiday and finally became a bit tanner than usual. I’ve done so responsibly so I have been loving my Nivea matte finish sunscreen with spf50. I can finally use my bronzer liberally to match my face with the rest of my body. So I’ve been using my sephora bronzer and my blush from sleek in the shade pomegranate! It’s giving me a nice tan and flush combo.

What didn’t impress me: the reformulated NARS lipsticks. It seems to be hit or miss from your reviews

Stuff I returned: I didn’t purchase any makeup this month so no returns!

Resisting temptation: I have been eyeing the Laura Mercier caviar sticks the whole year. And resisting them…however they have popped up quite a lot on temptalia in the last week (especially on the “one and done eyeshadow” question). I’m hoping I can hold out until the holiday season, if they release another holiday set, then I will take the plunge!

Erica Avatar

What were your favorites from the last month? Melt Gemini. Stila Shimmer and Glow in Jezebel. Colourpop Super Shock Eyeshadow in Tea Party. Essence Lash Princess Mascara (Green tube). Shisedo Lip Gel in Juniper

What didn’t impress you? Colourpop 9 pan monochromatic palette in Strawberry Shake. Imo the quality is poorer in those 9 pan. Mattes are drier. Shimmers are difficult to pick up and you have to build up greatly to have any effect. I think I’ll stick to their regular pressed eyeshadow pan singles

Did you return anything you purchase? No, no time for that!

Or successfully resist temptation? The ABH Norvina Vol.1, Colourpop Peach Palette, Natasha Denona 5 pan coral palette

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!