Clionadh Vibrant Multichromes really swept me off my feet–they are inspiring, fun, and excellent in quality! Every time I use Pat McGrath’s Celestial Divinity palette, I love the end result. Sara Happ The Lip Slip has really helped stave off dry lips!
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Oh man, this is a hard one… I’ve found so many beautiful products this year!
1) Paula’s Choice Super Light Daily Wrinkle Defense Sunscreen, mixed with my Missha M Perfect Cover BB Cream has become my perfect base.
2) Pat McGrath Celestial Divinity. It’s so beautiful.
3) Natasha Denona Triochrome. A newer palette to my collection, but a fast favorite. But Natasha Denona is my favorite always.
That’s one of the best things about Paula’s RSLDWD. It cocktails beautifully with others. I pop in Jouer TM, BM TM (that sounds like something in the potty mouth category,) or the KGD Aqua or cushion. Not certain that it plays well for darker skintones, though.
1. Urban Decay Stray Dog eyeshadow (I found it cheap at Winners; I don’t know if Sephora near me ever carried it but they haven’t in quite a while) – it’s a perfect “one and done” (or 2 and done, if I put something like Soba in the crease) shadow for me
2. MAC Sweet Heat Extra Dimension eyeshadow – again, just a lovely, flattering colour that doesn’t require a lot of work (well, maybe not any work).
3. Burt’s Bees Red Dahlia Tinted Lip Balm, for obvious reasons (mask wearing and lip chapping….). Same goes for all the hand creams and lotions I’ve been using, especially Saje’s Anti-microbial hand lotion – I don’t know how much of a weapon against the virus it is, but it smells herbal and clean and sanitizing (in a good way) and is soothing on my hands after all the hand washing.
An honourable mention has to go to Dior’s Jungle e/s palette. It is so beautiful but I didn’t want to make this “all” about eyeshadows!
1. Volition Beauty Strawberry-C Serum. It’s been a godsend for my post-menopausal skin. It balanced my skin and back to normal (which for me is really oily).
2. Fenty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Blushes. A great formula that dries down and gets along with my oily skin. I love how sheer yet buildable it is.
3. Milk Hydrogrip Primer. It’s really good, and is working great now that my skin is back to being really oily.
Make-up wise, this year was all about MAC Prolongwear Concealer, MAC Blotting Powder and Anastasia Beverly Hills eye primer.
Skincare wise, the products that really came through were all from Paula’s Choice, the lip balm with SPF, the peptide booster and the azelaic acid booster.
1.) Sephora Cream Lip Stains, due to our current mask wearing circumstances, these have been a lifesaver since I only feel completely put together once I don my lipstick!
2.) One very different color scheme e/s palette for me that I really happen to love: ND Glam Palette gifted to me by a fellow cat mouth cancer pawrent ❤️
3.) Another e/s palette I wasn’t expecting to love as much as I do: CT Bejeweled Palette. Just WOW!
I am super fair with blue eyes and I am in love with ND Glam. It’s my first of hers and I don’t think I’ve ever loved a palette so much.
I lost my beloved Muffin to adenocarcinoma on his lower lip. It was several years ago. He was a fluffy tuxedo and my absolute joy. 💜
Lori, I’m so sorry for your loss of your precious Muffin. These big, floofy tuxies have personalities that are just larger than life! When I lost my beloved Scunci to mouth cancer just a little over a month ago, it was absolutely devastating and soul gutting. I’ve had other kitties during my lifetime. Some of those losses were very traumatic and crushing, but this one was by far the worst. This cat behaved almost dog-like in many ways. Following me around, giving me kisses, holding my hand hand in his giant paw ever so gently, holding my feet or legs as I slept. Suffice it to say, it is so utterly lonely and depressing around here without him. I do have another kitty, but she’s nothing like him.
Sorry for your loss Lori! 🙁
Pat McGrath Mothership I – Subliminal; Mothership VIII – Divine Rose II; Natasha Denona Mini Gold palette
1. Colourpop Just a Tint crayons – fuss-free moisturizing lipcolor also serving as cream blush
2. Cle de Peau stick concealer – great at vanishing dark undereye circles
3. Colourpop 9-pan eyeshadow palettes – inspired me to try colorful eyeshadow again after decades of brown and beige
Most of my favorite 2020 finds are from Niche brands. I’ve been really into perfumes while stuck home.
Clionadh Multichrome eye shadows!
Initio Parfums- Absolute Aphrodisiac and Psychedelic Love perfumes
Xerjoff -Lira and Bouquet Ideale perfumes
All new favorites!
Makeup-wise, it has been a year with very few purchases for me.
– Lisa Eldridge’s Velvet Beauty Kit and the lip gloss in Blush are my faves.
– Shiseido Minimalist Whipped Powder Blush in Sonoya (whipped texture that transforms into a weightless powder on the skin – gorgeous shade!)
– Indeed Labs Nanobronze Bronzing Drops: what’s not to love about the products from this Canadian company which combine skincare benefits and makeup? These drops can be used alone (face, body) or with a cream. A tinted bronzing serum that is phtalate-, sulfate-, paraben-, silicone-, fragrance-, denat alcohol- and mineral oil-free + not tested on animals and vegan. They help reduce the appearance of redness over time amongst other things. Caroline Hirons was right when she was raving about this brand.
Skincare: I was blown away this year by Cosrx Triple C Lightning Liquid. I was skeptical that the 20.5% vitamin C was not going to go well with my sensitive skin, and I could not have been more wrong. I hope that Soko Glam brings back this product.
The three beauty products that came through for me this year include:
1. PMG’s Sublime Mini eye palette
2. ND’s Glam – which was everything I hoped it would be and more
3. Maybelline’s Mauve for Me lipstick – a surprising find as I wasn’t sure whether that shade would work for me and it did, seeing as I picked it up by mistake.
1) Pat McGrath Celestial Divinity palette. It’s beautiful and so much fun!
2) Pat McGrath Lip Fetish balm. I wear it under my mask and it keeps my lips soft. And it’s pretty for when it’s time to unmask.
3) Too Faced Pumpkin Spice palette. I can see myself using it long after fall is over.
L.A. Girl Shockwave Neon Eyeliners -these are FANTASTIC!!! I prefer them to other neon or bright pencil eyeliners I’ve tried that were more expensive too!
Inglot AMC Pure Pigment – these aren’t a newly launched product for Inglot but thanks to a great sale, I own a BUNCH now and they are always always stunning, so shimmery and beautiful and I’ll never finish any of them because of how little you need to create a look.
JD Glow Galaxy shadows -these came into my life in 2020 and they are some of the most gorgeous and dazzling shadows I’ve ever encountered. I especially love Prismatic. I can’t wait to show them off to the world one day.
My fave products this year:
1) Maybelline Lifter Gloss. Doesn’t smell too strong, isn’t too thick or thin, pretty design, stays on my lips, and is super moisturizing! I sometimes wear it to bed. HG for sure.
2) Milani 2 in 1 Foundation. Such a large shade range, looks nice on my skin, and it blends so easy! I literally never have to worry about it being streaky, which is great because I’m lazy and don’t want to blend for 5 minutes because my lighting sucks.
3) Olaplex conditioner. Works great as a regular conditioner, shines as a leave in. I have fine hair that I put up in a bun constantly and my hair can tangle so easy. I literally will have to cut the knots out of my hair. This is one thing that I can say saved my hair!
Niacinimide! It is what I always wanted for my skin and I somehow had no idea it existed. I have more clear skin days than bad days… finally… at 40.
Hourglass mini ambient lighting edit sculpture unlocked palette. Yes, I had to flip between screens repeatedly to get the name right, but it is worth it. I have been seeing the same guy for about three or four years casually and he has never stopped stunned and looked at me like he did when I wore this palette. He said, “you look absolutely beautiful.” Well, I already knew that, but it was lovely to hear. This palette makes me look like I did at 30 when I was at the gym 6 days a week, drinking my water and eating zero processed foods. I had never worn hourglass face products because they didn’t appear to work with my coloring (medium-tan), but this palette called to me and I am so glad I gave it a chance. I cannot put it down.
Grande Cosmetics GrandeLASH MD lash enhancing serum. IT WORKS. My lashes are so long and thick it looks like I am wearing my best mascara when I am wearing nothing at all. I have naturally curled lashes, but now I curl them more so they won’t hit my glasses. Lashes are just… that defining feminine feature. I blame cartoons. I only used a sample and before it was empty I was fluttering proudly. I have now purchased a full size and I am using another serum I had to maintain. I will say… the instructions advise you to draw it on like liner. I think this is way too much and it gets in my eyes so I just brush it through my lashes and let it wick down to the root. It works, uses less product and is less uncomfortable.
1. Lisa Eldridge Velvet Lipsticks and her new Gloss
2. SuperGoop Play every day SPF 50 Sunscreen Lotion
3. By Terry CC + Marc Jacobs Foundation Concentrate (mask-proof foundation mix)
Honorable mention: The Balm Instain Blush (mask-proof blush)
Maybelline Full N Soft waterproof mascara – picked some up on a trip to Brisbane, Australia in February and then was DELIGHTED to find it stocked at my local department store about 6 months later. It’s now my go to, Holy Grail, love it. Holds a curl like nobodies bidness!
BH Cosmetics Poolside Chic brush set – affordable, pretty and I use every single one! The stippling blush is unlike any other I’ve tried and I adore it for pigmented blushes.
Beautylish’s Good Molecules instant Cleansing Balm – I tried an Elemis pumpkin butter enzyme balm and Innisfree apple seed oil and a bunch of other options but I ALWAYS go back to this for my initial cleanse at the end of the day. Waterproof mascara, who dat??? 🙂
Hmmm, that “really came through” for me??? PMG’s foundation was ALWAYS just right (color and texture) for me. If I don’t want to work for a flawless skin, Pat’s was the go-to. Eyeshadow wise I’m just not regular enough to say any brand “came through”, but I’ll say that I went Natasha Denona’s palettes the most, followed up by PMG Subliminal (because it’s the only one I have), and theBalm (What’s the Tea..’s). And skin wise, Laneige for the lips (ooooh yeah!)