Monday, January 22, 2018
Hey guys! I'm only like, three weeks behind what literally every single beauty blogger has already done this year but it's cool. It's how I roll. I feel like last year was a big year of sampling for me. I had such a huge mix of price points in my favorites throughout the year. So, I'm compiling my absolute favorite products of 2017 today! Let me know in the comments what your favorite product was.





Foundation:

  • L'Oreal Infallible Pro Glow Foundation ($12.99) - Can you believe there was once a time where drugstore foundations were pushed to the side? For me a lot of drugstore foundations oxidized heavily which made finding the perfect match for my light skintone tough. Actually, I think finding the perfect match for a lot of skin tones were hard to come by, but it's a new age and now there's a lot more variety out there. The L'Oreal Infallible Pro Glow Foundation has 12 shades to choose from which, quite honestly, isn't enough but I have good faith they'll release more. I personally love this foundation as it gives such a nice glow-from-within. It's lightweight but has medium coverage and is buildable if you want more. This foundation is the only foundation that I have found to give an actual "no filter filtered look", so to speak. I apply this with a damp blender for the best application.
  • tarte Double Duty Empowered Hybrid Gel Foundation ($39) - Another fave foundation of mine is the tarte Double Duty Empowered Hybrid Gel Foundation. It comes in a medium size pot that you can dip your brush or sponge into. The foundation has a strong paint smell (super weird) but thankfully goes away once applied because the foundation is pretty amazing! It has a nice, smooth, matte appearance with a medium-full coverage. I always like my foundations a little more on the medium coverage side so I apply this with a damp sponge for that effect.
  • Urban Decay Naked Skin One & Done ($36) - If you are looking for a tinted moisturizer with a little more coverage than your average one, this is it. I can't recommend this stuff enough. It's the bomb! Apparently, it's supposed to have long-lasting effects as well, leaving your skin firmer after 12 weeks of use. Honestly, I've never used this every single day for 12 weeks but I'll take that as an added bonus!

Mascara:

  • PUR Cosmetics Fully Charged Mascara - I am SUPER picky about mascara's. They can't be too wet or too dry and, with my stick straight lashes, they need to be able to hold and lengthen. It's a tall order to fill but PUR Cosmetics Fully Charged Mascara knows what's up! The consistency isn't too wet, although slightly more wet than I prefer, but nonetheless, it never goops up together or creates those dreaded spider leg lashes. Also, this mascara is awesome as lengthening your lashes!
  • L'Oreal Voluminous Lash Paradise Mascara - L'Oreal coming though again! I only wish I knew about this mascara sooner. This mascara is supposedly a dupe for the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara and is the only mascara to lengthen, volumize and pump up my lashes without the use of a curler beforehand!

Palettes:

  • ColourPop She, My Little Pony and Yes, Please! Palette ($16) - ColourPop introduced pressed powder eyeshadows in 2017 and never looked back. Palette after palette, ColourPop created gorgeous shadows in super cute packaging that made everyone go ga-ga over them. My favorite palettes from ColourPop are Karrauche's She Palette, the My Little Pony Palette and the Yes, Please! Palette.
  • Bad Habit Beauty Aphrodite Palette ($12) - Affordable palettes were name of the game in 2017! Bad Habit Beauty came out with the Aphrodite Palette, a palette that looks pretty similar to the HUDA Beauty Rose Gold Palette, but for about a quarter of the price. I tested the palette and was super impressed with the quality of the shades! 
  • ittse x Love For Lacquer Glambition Quad (Discontinued) - In June of last year, Jess of Love For Lacquer came out with this insane highlighter/blush quad with ittse and I've been glowing since. The highlighters are out of this world. In fact, Goal Digger is still one of my favorite highlighters of all time. Each highlighter and blush is super pigmented and creamy to use. If you can get your hands on them, I highly recommend!

Highlighter:

  • ColourPop Pressed Powder Highlighter in Here Kitty Kitty ($8) - Another new release from ColourPop were the pressed powder highlighters. Apparently, anything CP touches is gold but this highlighter is phenom. It's a light champagne that is absolutely gorgeous applied on the cheekbones!
  • wet n wild MegaGlo Highlighter in Blossom Glow ($4.99) - Have I talked about wet n wild yet? They totally upped their game last year, with releases that couldn't stay on the shelves! Their MegaGlo Highlighter in Blossom Glow is insane, especially for a drugstore product. Blossom  Glow is a gorgeous pinky-champagne shade. I'm not normally a fun-color highlighter type of girl but this one is so subtle and beautiful that I can't help it.

Bronzer:

  • Makeup Revolution Ultra Bronze Bronzer  ($7) - Guys, this bronzer pan is the size of my hand. I mean, I know I have toddler hands but still, this thing is huge. And amazing, especially for my light skin tone girls but honestly, this could work for medium skin tones as well. I normally apply this with a light hand but the tone is so beautiful and never orange.
  • Urban Decay Beached Bronzer in Bronzed ($28) - Okay. So, I feel like the Makeup Revolution Ultra Bronze Bronzer is kind of a dupe of this. If you're looking to save money, go for that one, but the packaging of the UD one is so tropical and fun! If you're like me, packaging can totally sucker you in. So if you like fun packaging, go for this one!
  • ColourPop Pressed Powder Bronzer in Afternoon Delight ($8) - Afternoon Delight is slightly lighter than the two bronzers mentioned above, but so, so damn good. It's pigmented and buildable and just ahhh. I can't say enough good things about it.

Blush:

  • ColourPop Super Shock Cheek in Birthday Suit ($8) - Confession: This has been one of my favorite blushes since forever, not just last year. It's the perfect neutral pink with that fun bouncy ColourPop Super Shock consistency. I know some people had issues applying these so I'll share how I do it. I either use my fingers, dab on my cheeks and then, using a fluffy cheek brush, rub it in.
  • tarte Amazonian Clay Blush in Exposed ($29)  - I've never been a nude blush type of girl. I never really understood why 

Nail Polish:

  • ColourPop Nail Polish Be Fairy Afraid ($3) - ColourPop came out with polishes in 2017 and my heart burst. Their formulas are out of this world and out last almost all of my other polishes. This shade is a soft, baby pink that is opaque with three thin coats.
  • ColourPop One Wish Two Wish (discontinued) - I wish I grabbed five of these because this is, quite possibly, one of the best polishes I've ever owned - nonetheless a gorgeous holo!
  • Julie G. Nail Polish Peep Toe Pumps ($3.99) - Julie G. is one of my favorite brands for nail polish. They're cheap, they're convenient (you can find them at your local Rite Aid) and have amazing quality! The shade Peep Toe Pumps is the gorgeous vampy maroon that I seem to ALWAYS have on my toes.

Skincare:

  • Garnier SkinActive Micellar Water ($6.99) - Hands down, my most used makeup remover ever. I literally stock up every single time I go to the drugstore because they're that good. It removes any stubborn mascara or eyeliner and even removes matte lipsticks with ease.
  • Josie Maran Light Argan Oil - Speaking of which, totally need to get more. The Josie Maran Argan Oil is what I use to prime and moisturize my face before makeup. I also use this at night to wake up to a significantly softer face, every single day. It never breaks me out and always makes my makeup look fresher. I'm obsessed!
  • Paula's Choice Skin Recovery Enriched Calming Toner ($21) - Two years later and I'm still obsessed with this stuff! After I remove my makeup, I dip a cotton ball into this toner and rub all around my face. Not only does it pick up makeup I might've missed but also soothes my dry skin and leaves it feeling soft.
  • Mojo Spa High Society Purifying Moisturizer ($35) - When my skin needs a talllllllll drink of water, I love slathering this one before bed. It's rich, y'all and is made with a whole bunch of goodies (lavender water, truffle oil, orange blossom - just to name a few). It's scent can be a smidge potent but totally wears away once it's on.

Eyeliner:

  • Eddie Funkhouser Ultra Definition Eye Lining Stylus ($10.99) - I happened upon Eddie Funkhouser back in my Rite Aid Network days (miss y'all!) and have been a huge fan since. This eye liner is the bees knees. It's pigmented and has one of the best consistencies for a liquid eyeliner. It has a small, thin, felt tip that is amazing for wings!
  • Jesse's Girl Liquid Eyeliner ($6.99) - If you're ever in a pinch at the drugstore and need an eyeliner, this is the one to get! In fact, it's the one I always carry with me when I'm away because I know it's going to do exactly what I need it to do. Again, like Eddie's, it has the perfect consistency and a nice thin felt tip that works so well applying that liner.
  • Kat Von D Autograph Liner ($20) - Can you ever go wrong with Kat Von D? I'm obsessed with her and all of her products. Not only is the packaging great, but this liner is fantastic. In fact, I may or may not have had this for years and it has yet to dry up. 

Lipstick:

  • ColourPop Lippie Stix in Climax, Boys Town, Baewatch and New Rules ($6.50) - I have a confession. I sat here for a while, trying to pick only four lippie stix. It was super hard. ColourPop's Lippie Stix is one of my favorite creme lipsticks - ever. Climax (unfortunately discontinued), Boys Town, Baewatch and New Rules are all Matte X formulas and are some of the smoothest, longest wearing lipsticks out there. Love them!
  • wet n wild MegaLast Liquid CatSuit Matte Lipstick in Sea Seduction (discontinued) - I bought this on a total whim last year and have worn it quite a few times since. wet n wild is now one of the brands I run to when I get a chance to stroll the makeup aisles at the drugstore. The shade Sea Seduction was one of their LE Halloween shades, if I remember correctly, and is this stunning dark blue metallic. Insanely gorgeous!
  • tarte Drench Lip Splash Lipstick in Cabana Boy ($17) - Last year, I was on the hunt of the most perfect pink nude lipstick for my light skin tone. And this was totally the winner! It's smooth, moisturizing and so pigmented. Huge fan of this shade and formula!

Concealer:

  • ColourPop No Filter Concealer ($6) - At this point in this point, would you expect anything else? ColourPop's concealer was a huge launch last year and naturally, I had to try it. I grabbed the two shades Light Neutral and Fair Neutral and fell in love. In fact, a little goes such a long way that I have yet to re-purchase because I still have some left. It's creamy, pigmented, full-coverage and amazing.
In retrospect, ColourPop kind of rocked my world in 2017, huh? Truth be told, I'm not rolling in the dough so ColourPop is, in my opinion, one of the easiest ways to stay on trend, get great quality and not have your wallet hate you. Jesse's Girl is also a really great option if you're browsing around your local Rite Aid and am looking to pick up a few items without going broke as well.

What were your favorites of 2017?

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