Another year come and gone! Hard to believe we are almost through the first month of 2017. Today I am rounding up my top beauty items from 2016. This year was more about using products from my collection and really honing in on what I love and what works for me. My day to day makeup stays pretty consistent. Nothing too crazy for the office but putting my makeup on each day is still my favorite part!
When I looked through my collection, it was pretty easy to pick out my top items. I haven’t done something from every category, but really focused on what I consider to be the best of the best. I hope you enjoy! Let me know what your top picks were from 2016!
Cleanser: Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser– This was by far my favorite cleanser/skin care product of 2016. Glossier as a brand really has my heart. I love everything from the balm dot com to their skin tint; Glossier as a whole is really on point. This cleanser takes off all my makeup, leaves my skin feeling clean and soft, and it seems like it conditions my eyelashes, leaving them in great condition!
Lips: Top gloss was Nars Chelsea Girls for my perfect nude lip. I love the reformulation that Nars rolled out a few years ago. This gloss moves from hand bag to work bag with me. I love how minimal it is, just a wash of color and no need for a mirror to apply.
My next favorite is a pricy one but something I use almost on a daily basis. The By Terry Baume De Rose. I love the original and the tinted version in Rosy Babe. These are super hydrating, have an amazing rose scent, and the tinted one leaves a beautiful and natural flush of color.
It was the year of the nude lip for me. Even though I have plenty of bold lipsticks in my collection, my go to in 2016 was Mac Velvet Teddy. This is their matte finish lipstick. I find this color looks so different on every skin tone. On my (currently) very fair skin it is definitely more on the brown side. When I am a bit more tan it gives more of a peachy/tan color to the lips. I love the finish of this and don’t find it to be too drying.
Finally for lips my pick for lip liner is Charlotte Tillbury Lip Cheat in Pillowtalk. I was never much of a lip liner user until this year. I find this to be the best color no matter what you are putting on top. it works perfectly with my skin tone and I love the formula.
Face: Becca’s Backlight Priming Filter was released at the very end of 2015. I started using this in early 2016 and went through and entire bottle this year. I love this primer for its ability to make my makeup stay fresh looking all day and the beautiful glow from within it gives. It is a very light cream texture. I do not find it to be sticky but it gives you foundation a great slip when applying.
For foundation, this hasn’t changed much over the years. I tried several foundations this year and enjoyed many, however I always come back to Makeup Forever HD foundation. I love that it does not have an SPF which irritates my skin, it has the perfect medium coverage and blends like a dream with either a buffing brush or Beauty Blender. I think this will continue to be a staple in my makeup back (I just repurchased another bottle).
Bronzer is one thing I change up quite often depending if I am going for a radiance finish or a more matte look. However, a long time favorite and my most used in 2016 is the CHANEL Soleil Tan de CHANEL. No matter how tan or pale I get through the course of the year, this is by far the best cream bronzer I have ever used. I am fairly light handed with this as it can get a bit orange if I go overboard. But I love the cream to powder finish. Such a beautiful product and one I expect to use for a long time to come.
The last product for my face that received a lot of love this year was Mac Mineralized Skin Finish. This is the best powder for my comination skin. It adds a little extra coverage and a beautiful satin finish to my skin.
Eyes: For liners I picked a pencil liner and my go to liquid liner. I am in love with Mac Eye Kohl in Costa Riche. This is the perfect reddy brown for my blue eyes. It does a great job at staying in place on my watery eyes. For my go to liquid liner I have not strayed for the last couple of years. I still think the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner is my favorite for a dramatic cat eye/flick. I find this to be the easiest application of all the ink liners I have used and it has great lasting power.
My favorite mascara for 2016 was the Per-fekt Lash perfection Gel. I think this mascara has the best brush and it works on my short lashes. I love that it does not transfer but it comes off with my facial cleanser without having to rub harshly.
I have a love-hate relationship with eyebrows. I love that they really do frame a persons face and can completely pull a look together. However, I hate doing my brows, I want the easiest and quickest for getting my brows done. That has got to be Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Taupe. It is quick, I love the spooley, and it stays in place all day.
Oily eyelids, this is a concern of mine, so when I am wearing eyeshadow, I must use a primer or within hours all traces of any eyeshadow will be gone. My ride or die eye primer is Nars Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base. This stuff keeps my eyeshadow looking perfect all day! I cannot do my makeup with out this product.
Finally, for eyes I had to mention my Shiseido eyelash curler. I have stick straight lashes and this gives them a great curl that last all day.
Hair: I am low maintenance when it comes to hair. I have pretty long, thin hair but a lot of it. It tends to lay very flat so I want some texture added in to give me volume and movement throughout the day. Enter the BEST hair product ever. Ouai Texturizing Hair Spray smells amazing and adds the most perfect texture and movement whether I am wearing my hair straight or curling with a wand. I find it helps hold the shape and gives me great volume at the roots.
I can’t wait to see what I discover in 2017!
