Beauty

My Top 10 Favorite Beauty Products of 2016

 

Another year has come and gone…can you believe it? I have meant to blog about my favorite makeup products on a monthly basis because I try so many and I like to write about my faves. But once again, time slipped away, and I didn’t get to write about everything I wanted to! So instead, I decided to write about my top favorite makeup products from 2016. These are all items that I purchased, loved, and couldn’t get enough of, so I have re-purchased. (If I re-purchase, then that means I love it). So here it is! My top beauty products of 2016, my “holy grails” from the past year (both high end and drugstore)! If you are building your very first makeup kit or just looking for some new faves, then start here!

my top 10 favorite beauty products of 2016

top beauty products 2016
e.l.f. Illuminating Palette – This highlighter has been by far the one I’ve used the most this year. Not only does it show up immediately on your face without having to cake it on, (a little goes a long way here), but it actually rivals some of the high-end products in this category. I can honestly say I’ve used all four of the colors in this palette (where other palettes I don’t use most). It’s great whether you want a subtle glow or something a little more bold. The best part? The most I’ve ever seen it cost is $6. Why would I pay $50 for the high-end version that does the same?
top beauty products 2016Benefit Cosmetics Roller Lash Mascara – hands down my favorite mascara of the year, maybe ever. And I’ve tried MANY this year. Although it’s not a cheap item – you won’t find this one at the drugstores – I will say that it’s one product that’s worth the money. I used to be anti-high-end mascara because I didn’t want to spend a lot every 3 months for a new one. But this stuff is totally worth it. I don’t even have to use my eyelash curler if I don’t want to because it whips my lashes into shape and shows them who’s boss. And my lashes aren’t great, so that’s a major win. If you still aren’t sure you want to pay that much for a mascara, you can buy a mini travel size on Amazon:Benefit Cosmetics Roller Lash Mascara Deluxe Mini. That’s exactly what I did and it made me a believer.

top beauty products 2016Coty AirSpun Loose Face Powder, Translucent – I don’t think I’ll ever wear another powder again. Seriously. I hadn’t used a loose powder in a long time, they just seemed like a pain in the butt to me and they don’t travel well, of course. But then suddenly I had to worry about fine lines under my eyes, and nothing was keeping my makeup from creasing! Everything I wore looked awful on my face until this treasure came along. It’s a drugstore product (major win!) and you get a LOT of product for your money. You can use it to bake your makeup (make sure you are using the translucent one) and set your whole face and it won’t settle into your fine lines or wrinkles. It’s also perfect for special occasions when you are getting pictures taken because it really lasts all day and you won’t get flashback from this powder in your pictures! It also seems to work great for every skin type. I have dry skin and it works great.

 

top beauty products 2016Maybelline New York Fit Me! Concealer – I’ve tried so many concealers in the last year and have liked many. But this is the one that I keep coming back to. While there is another concealer that I like to use for my undereye circles pretty often (you can read about that one here), I come back to the Fit Me concealer most often because it’s more versatile. This one will cover my flaws, acne, etc AND my undereye circles. And for the price since it’s a drugstore item, it really can’t be beat. If you set this with a great powder (see above) then it will last you all day long. You can also check out this post to see how wonderfully it covers up, even with a “dewey” makeup look!

NYX Cosmetics Dark Circle Concealer – This is also a concealer, but it’s great when used as a color corrector. I add it to my naked under eye circles and it completely cancels them out, then I cover this with my favorite concealer and you can’t even tell that I’m hiding those purple-black rings under my eyes. It’s another drug store find, so you can’t go wrong.

 

top beauty products 2016Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge, 2-Pack – This awesome little sponge is now my new BFF. Not only does it do just as good a job as its more expensive counterpart in stippling on your foundation, but it also gets hard to reach areas with the flat edge side that, in my opinion, gives it a leg up on other sponges of its kind. You can use it wet or dry to apply your foundation, concealer, powder and more for a dewy look or fuller coverage. It creates a flawless finish with no lines leftover and with very little effort involved.

 

top beauty products 2016
Stila Perfect Me Hue Eye & Cheek Palette, Fair/Light – here’s a high-end product that’ll give you more bang for your buck. This little palette has gone with me everywhere this year. It comes in a few different colors (this one is fair/light that I use) to complement your skin tone. It contains two blushes and 4 eye shadows in a multitude of tones that range from a great everydook look to full-on drama for the evening. The powders are very creamy and have very little fallout. I honestly have used every single color in this palette many times. It has cute packaging and the mirror inside is large enough to see your full face, but small enough to stash in your purse. Well worth the money.

top beauty products 2016
Alterna Bamboo Shine Silk-Sleek Brilliance Cream – I don’t talk about hair nearly as much as makeup. It’s probably because I like a fuss-free look (or else I just put all of my effort into my face and I give up on everything else, haha!) My hair is dry and I don’t like to deal with a lot of product or a lot of maintenance. Actually, I hate blowdrying it also. I’ve always loved that effortless look where girls have the long wavy hair and they didn’t do anything to it. But if I get out of the shower and let my hair air dry, I’ll look like a lion in about 30 minutes. Enter this stuff. I’m in love. It’s a lightweight cream that I gently palm through my towel-dried hair and BAM – no more frizzies. Seriously, where did they go? It’s crazy. And it makes my hair look so healthy and shiny even if it really needs a cut. If I fix my hair and put up up or half up, I use a tiny amount of this to tame my bangs or flyaways also, and it works wonders. No hairspray needed.
top beauty products 2016
Desert Essence Organic Coconut and Jojoba Oil – I can’t love this stuff anymore than I do. It’s amazing. You can read about all of my favorite ways to use it here, but just know that there are about a million ways to use it for hair, skin, face, nails, etc. It’s a great face moisturizer, makeup remover, skin salve, and the list goes on. It’s also organic and non-GMO, which is a total win.

top beauty products 2016
Benefit Cosmetics POREfessional – I must admit that I don’t wear a primer every day. Not sure why, I just saw it as one extra step that I didn’t want in my daily routine. But I’m not getting any younger. And even if you are super young with a flawless face, you’ll still be in love with this stuff, I promise. This primer smooths over your face like silk. It goes on easily and lightly and doesn’t leave a weird film filming behind (as long as you don’t put too much on). It instantly gives an airbrushed effect to your skin, blurring any flaws. I especially love it over my T-zone where my pores are larger and it fills them right in. It works great with the many foundations I have tried this year and looks great alone, of course. I’ve tried several primers this year and although there claims to be several “dupes” in a cheaper version of this item, let me tell you – they may be good, but they aren’t great. This one is. A little goes a very long way so it’s worth the money, in my opinion. And if you aren’t sold on it just yet, you can get a mini trial size for a fraction of the price on Amazon: benefit the POREfessional Mini. You’re welcome.

 

So there you have it, folks! My top 10 must-have beauty items from 2016! Have you tried any of the above? What topped your list this year? Comment below!


 

 

my top favorite beauty products of 2016

 

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