Best of Beauty | 2018

A Beauty Recap

Happy 2019 everyone! I hope you had a fantastic Christmas and New Year! Today we’re talking about my favorite beauty products of 2018. I’ve narrowed the list down to the very best, most used and abused. It’s impossible to talk about every single product I’ve loved because this will turn into a dissertation quickly. Like previous years, I’ve gone through my monthly favorites to get a refresher on the items I discovered and stood out the most to me, and it’s a pretty big list. Grab some coffee. 😉 

Skin

2018 was an incredible year for skincare; I discovered so many wonderful products. First, The Ordinary AHA 30% + BHA 2% Peeling Solution. I can’t say enough good things about it. It makes such a difference in the texture of my skin. I use it once a week to exfoliate; it cleans out my pores and leaves my skin smooth. If you’re sensitive to AHA’s, I recommend a patch test first. I’m on my second bottle of the Lumene Arctic Berry Cocktail Brightening Hydra-Oil and I can’t get enough. It’s full of good stuff like vitamin C, B3 and B5, and omega fatty acids. It keeps my skin looking radiant and hydrated.

Finally, the Weleda Skin Food is holy grail skincare for me. It’s a highly thick moisturizing cream you can use anywhere. Yes, I use it on my face. Some might say that’s too much, not for me. A little goes a very long way this product, and it’s a savior during the winter months. The best part is all these products are affordable!

Face

The Armani Luminous Silk Foundation and Glossier Stretch Concealer are still my go-to’s. I still haven’t found anything that compares to Luminous Silk. It’s still my most reached for foundation and I love how it makes my skin look. If they ever discontinue it, I’ll cry. I’ve talked about the Glossier Stretch Concealer so much this year; it’s one the best concealers I’ve tried for dry skin. Personally, I don’t like a heavy coverage. This concealer provides the right amount of coverage for me while looking natural and skin-like. I even use it as a foundation when I’m in a hurry. If you’re looking for something to cover acne this may not be for you.

Yes, Charlotte Tilbury Filmstar Bronze & Glow is making another appearance in my yearly favorites. I use this every time I do my makeup, and can’t imagine not having it my stash. I use the bronze side all over my face to warm up my complexion; you can see I already hit pan on it. The highlighter adds a beautiful dewy glow to the skin. It’s good skin in a palette.

Cheeks

I think 2018 was the year of cream blushes. Now I love blush in general; it’s a makeup essential for me. What I love most about these particular blushes is the quality is outstanding. First, the Kjaer Weis Cream Blush in Suntouched is the Bentley. Packaging wise, it’s my favorite and the most luxurious I’ve seen in a long time, and less wasteful with their refill system. The formula is phenomenal. It has great color payoff, on top of that it’s full of skincare benefits. Suntouched is a beautiful coral color; I used it non-stop in the summer. It looks gorgeous on the lips too!

The Tata Harper Volumizing Lip and Cheek Tint in Very Charming has been living in my bag all year. Like the Kjaer Weis blush, it has great skincare properties. Very Charming is a rosy pink you can pair with any look and it’s perfect for touch-ups on the go. The newest addition to my cream blush collection is the Kosas Color & Light Palette in 8th Muse. I absolutely love this blush/highlighter duo. Many people stay away from cream blushes because they’re a little hard to work with, not this one. It feels like second skin and blends beautifully. Check out my full review here.

Eyes

This was a hard category because I LOVE eyeshadow. I decided to go with the ones I wore consistently throughout the year and surprisingly enough there are no palettes. The first is Tom Ford Cream and Powder Eye Color in Golden Peach. This is stunning on the eyes! I’m so impressed with the pigmentation, and how well it wears throughout the day. I haven’t been able to find anything quite like it. The Chanel Ombre Premiere Longware Eyeshadow in Desert Rouge looks a little scary, yet I get the most compliments when I wear this shadow. Desert Rouge is a complex shimmery red; it’s edgy and sophisticated. It’s beautiful and one the most unique shadows in my collection.

The Diorshow On Stage Liquid Eyeliner in 876 Matte Rusty is my favorite eyeliner. It’s a beautiful burgundy color and I think it would flatter any eye color. I’m not good at liquid liner, but this is so easy to use it’s practically foolproof. It has a nice fine tip, and I’m able to create a precise line.

For brows, last year was all about Boy Brow, but I have to give it to the Milk Kush Fiber Brow Gel this year. I haven’t stopped using it since I got it. It deposits the perfect amount of color and keeps my brows ultra-groomed. My top mascara is the Maybelline Lash Sensational. It holds curl very well, it doesn’t clump on me and I love the pink tube! 

Lips

The Armani Smooth Silk Lip Pencil in #12 is my go-to lip liner. I think it’s the perfect combination of Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk and MAC Soar; it’s a beautiful pinky nude that goes with everything. I’m buying back-ups. Thank you for the recommendation, Dena! Picking one lipstick was hard. After long deliberation, I’m going with Tom Ford Lips & Boys in Julian. I don’t think I’ve talked about it on the blog because it’s been living in my bag for a year. If you’re into mauve pinks you will love Julian. I adore Tom Ford lipsticks; I just hate they go bad quickly. Lately, I’ve been into the Lips & Boys line because they’re less expensive, and the shade range is massive.

Last but not least, my favorite lipgloss is the Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer. I’ve been using it consistently throughout the year; on its own or as a lipstick topper. It truly is a universal color. I love that it’s not sticky, it’s super glossy, and smells incredible. I can’t wait to get my hands on the new FU$$Y shade!

Fragrance

My favorite perfume of the year is still Tom Ford Jasmin Rouge, it’s intoxicating. Full review here!

So those were my 2018 beauty favorites! Thank you so much for reading and supporting my blog! Looking back I’m so happy I did Forgotten Favorites each month; it was a New Year’s challenge I gave myself to shop less and use what I have in my collection. I challenge you to pick a Forgotten Favorite from your beauty stash and show it some love!

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