The Best of 2018 - New Beauty Discoveries
Last year I did a pretty hefty roundup of everything I loved, this year I want to give a ‘Best Of’ post where I go through my top pick (or two) in every category. I tried my best not to list previous yearly favorites and focus more on new discoveries. This post will be focused on beauty discoveries and I’ll be posting a separate post with skincare/haircare/body care bits.
BEAUTy
Blush
Cream: Glossier Cloud Paint (Storm / Haze), but Lilah B in b.lovely is a very close runner up. The Glossier Cloud Paints are my favorite and this year I embraced some of the brighter/bolder colors, particularly in beautiful berry/plum hues. Cloud Paints are honestly some of my favorite out there and you really can’t go wrong with them! If you accidentally overdo it, just add a little bit of concealer/foundation and balance it right back out. The Lilah B Divine Duo (lip/cheek) in b. lovely is a lovely warm beige color which adds the healthiest glow to your cheeks. It is a bit thicker in consistency and does require a bit of warming up on the fingers first before it can easily spread.
Powder: Laura Mercier Blush Colour Infusion in Peach * is a light coral which gives the healthiest glow to your cheeks. This mixed with some bronzer and a highlighter (see below) gives you a healthy beauty glow!
Highlight
Cream: Kjaer Weis in Ravishing * KW is an extremely luxurious brand and their packaging is the heftiest around.
Powder: Honestly the OG BECCA Opal is my fav. I’ve had a mini of this powder for a long while now and it’s still my absolute favorite. It has a hint of gold in it which I think meshes really well with my yellow undertones.
Powder
Laura Mercier Candelight Powder * I’m usually quite weary of products that have dimethicone, but this one is a big exception. I’ve learned that anything with silicone/dimethicone that is trying to blur pores is where my skin goes wrong, but aside from that we’re in safe territory. I ended up giving this one a try and I’m so excited that I did! This one gives a sheer diffused look which gives a healthy glow without letting any shine, well, shine through. I like applying this with a big fluffy brush or the NARS Yachiyo brush and it worked quite well!
Bronzer
Laura Mercier Matte Bronzing Powder Soleil 2 * Aside from Benefit Hoola, I don’t think there’s been a bronzer that I’ve loved in a long while. This one gives such a nice healthy glow without looking orange or unnatural. I wouldn’t say that this one is ideal for contouring, but it does give a sun-kissed glow when placed on your cheekbones, forehead, bridge of your nose, etc. It does have a bit of a tropical smell (coconuts maybe?) so if you’re sensitive to fragrances, I might stay away from this one. But if that doesn’t bother you, I highly recommend! I don’t believe this is available at Sephora / Nordstrom, so you’d have to order it directly from the LM website.
Brow Product
Powder: Dior BACKSTAGE Brow Powder (Light) Much of the embossed lettering on the powders is fading away. I had seen some other blogger with dark hair using the light palette and it looked good, but I’m thinking it’s a tad on the lighter side for me. If I do pick this up again, I will most likely pick up the dark version.
Pencil: Karity 3-in-1 Brow Tool * I received this a while back and finally got around to using it and loved it! The pencil part of the tool has a wider edged nib like the Hourglass brow pencil. One thing I liked about this was that it has the dip powder with a sponge which can help fill in bare patches. And last it has a spoolie which lets you brush everything out for a full and natural brow.
Gel: Glossier Boy Brow This should come to no surprise as it’s a fan favorite for a reason. Aside from the Benefit Gimme Brow, I’ve never tried any other brow gels and this one is a good one! I don’t really care much about my brows “staying in place” so this one works for giving me a fluffier and fuller brow.
Lip Products
Balm: Drunk Elephant Lippe Balm* was a fairly recent discovery thanks to the Trunk 2.0* that DE sent my way. I was able to try some new products, including this balm, which has not disappointed. I’ve brought this with me from bag to bag for about 2+ months and it never fails me. It’s extremely hydrating and leaves my lips feeling so soft. It does have quite a wide applicator which means I can basically get my top and bottom lip in one go. This has a semi natural but sweet scent/taste to it and I actually quite enjoy it (oddly enough). I’m not sure just how much of it I’ve used, but it’s safe to say that I would definitely repurchase this - even if just to have one for every bag so I don’t have to switch lol.
Lip Mask: I’m cheating because I have three that I use for different purposes:
AM: Tatcha Kissu Mask * This one is not really fair as it was LE and is no longer available. I was using this one pretty much every single day from September through the end of last year. It’s extremely nourishing and hydrating while giving a nice little pop of gloss. This is mostly the reason why I like using this in the AM as it serves as an alternative to an actual lip product but still makes it look like you did put in a bit of effort.
Throughout the Day / On-The-Go: Patchology Lip Service * is so great for reapplying on the go and while you’re at work. While I do love the jar type lip masks, I don’t love applying those when I’m out and about - because germs. The Patchology Lip Service has a sweet scent/taste (reminds me of something from when I was growing up, but I can’t remember) and applies as a balm but turns into a semi-shine product. I’ve used about half of this tube up but I would definitely want to pick up another one of these once they run out as well!
PM: Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask * This one is a fan favorite and for great reason. This smallest amount goes the longest way and I really love the strawberry scent that this one has. I know the scent isn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but personally I love it. I like to use this at night and it’s one that I can definitely still feel on my lips the next morning. If I’m good and regularly use this, my lips end up in great condition and they thank me for it. If you don’t have this but are able to snag it during a Sephora 100 point perk, I highly recommend it because it will probably last you months on end.
Exfoliator: The Fresh Beauty Lip Sugar Drops is a natural exfoliant (hello, AHAs) that applies to your lips and almost instantly leaves behind baby soft lips. Miracle in a bottle? I think yes. Of course this requires consistent use and while I seem to have misplaced mine, it really works with regular application. I would use this in the morning as I started applying my makeup and would top it off with the Tatcha Kissu Mask (mentioned above).
Gloss/Balm: Lancome L’Absolu Lacquer in Beige Sensation (honorary mention to YSL Volupte Liquid Balm in Devour Me Plum *) // These lip products are quite interesting as they’re lip stains with a top layer of gloss which make them extremely comfortable to wear and 10x better than your typical lip gloss. Beige Sensation is a pink-brown color which is a perfect neutral lip color. This is one that you can throw in your bag and not have to worry about it clashing - it makes any lip color into a MLBB. The YSL Plum hue is also a beautiful berry frost-bitten lip look which I absolutely loved wearing in the Spring. I’m excited for warmer weather to come around so that I can whip the YSL one again.
Nails
Remover: Nothing New // Zoya Nail Polish Remover is forever my HG remover. I didn’t try any new ones this year as I don’t really see the need to. I’m trying to cut down on “reckless” spending and am trying to pull back on getting my nails done at a salon and doing it at home instead.
Polish: J. Hannah (specifically Ghost Ranch & Himalayan Salt) - I’m sure you’ve heard of J Hannah polishes and while they are cleaner polishes (7-free), they come in bold but muted colors. Ghost Ranch is the red hue of my dreams, it’s a beautiful brick-brown-red that gives you a darker vampy look but is wearable year round. Himalayan Salt is a good neutral creamy pink that applies evenly without streaks and without a ton of layers (resulting in goopy polish). The shades frequently sell out but I ordered mine directly from J Hannah’s website and haven’t had any issues. One of my polishes did come broken and when I reached out via email, they quickly sent a replacement along with an extra polish as an apology - such kind customer service! I will say that as I’m almost 1/3 of the way through my bottle and I have noticed that it is starting to get a little thicker in consistency. I’ll need to play around with it more and possibly add acetone to loosen it up - will keep you guys posted on this.
Oil: Essie Apricot Oil I still don’t have any new discoveries and am still loving the Essie Apricot Oil after all these years.
FRAGRANCES
Candle: Overose Indasmin/Ultraflora, honorary mention to Boy Smells (LES) & Otherland (Canopy). Indasmin/Ultraflora probably has to be my all time favorite candle of all time. It actually smells like Jasmine - both when it’s unlit and lit. It burns evenly, disperses a nice even smell throughout the room and is one I don’t ever see myself getting tired of. This year I branched out and tried Boy Smells candles (specifically LES) and fell in love with how fresh and comforting it was - also nostalgia because LES was my favorite part of NY and if I ever moved, I’d try to convince T to find a place there. Other than that, Otherland Canopy is probably my 3rd favorite where the candle smells fresh and makes you feel like you’re on a crisp morning walk in nature. Swooon.
Perfume: Aside from Chloe EDP which is my hands down signature scent, one fragrance that I surprisingly loved a lot was the Commodity Fragrance in Nectar*. Other ones I reached for a lot this year, which are not new discoveries either, were Diptyque Eau Rose (in the Spring/Summer months) and Glossier You.
And that’s my 2018 beauty roundup! I tried to look through all my photos over the last year on Instagram to see what products I actually reached for AND posted about. I’ll be posting my 2018 skincare/bodycare/haircare favorites soon so stay tuned. Let me know what you loved last year and share them with me!
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Products marked with (*) were gifted to me, but all opinions remain my own.
This post also contains affiliate links. Feel free to read more on my disclaimer.