2016 was a great year in terms of beauty. I discovered a lot of new formulas, new products and really invested in some high end makeup. I found it so hard to whittle it down to one post that didn't take hours to read! Make sure you check out the links to full reviews!
Rimmel Insta Flawless Primer | £6.99 | POST
I've repurchased this twice now and it's rare that I use anything up so when I do and then repurchase it, I think that just shows how much I love something! The name of this does sound gimmicky but don't let that fool you, this is a great primer. It's tinted so it adds a bit of coverage as well as adding radiance and making a great base for makeup. Plus this is so cheap!
Becca Backlight Primer Filter | £32 | POST
Again, another product I've repurchased. I discovered my love for this at the beginning of year and I haven't looked back. This is a glow enhancing primer that promises to act like a real life filter. I wouldn't go as far as saying it's like an Instagram filter but this really does give a dewy look to the skin. I like to use one pump over my whole face. It's also really hydrating, it's my secret weapon for using matte foundations.
LA Girl Pro Coverage HD Foundation | £9 | POST
This is a very new discovery but one I've been loving and easily the standout foundation of the year for me. It pretty much does everything I want from a foundation. It has such a good dewy finish and has a really good medium coverage. I find most dewy foundations have less coverage but this has it all. The formula is light, runny and easy to blend. Because it is so illuminating I do like to set it plus this ensures it stays looking flawless all day! I have heard people say this is a dupe for the Makeup Forever HD Foundation, I actually don't think they are. See this post for more details.
BareMineral Complexion Rescue | £27 | POST
This BB CC Cream hybrid gel cream was my go to most of the year. It's a lightweight, creamy gel texture makes it a great everyday base. It's also really hydrating and sits well on my dehydrated skin. It offers a light to medium but build-able coverage. And the finish is glow-y but not too glowy. I loved it so much I actually used on my wedding day!
NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer | £22.50 | POST
I'm also trying to find the best concealer for covering my dark circles and this is one of the best I've come across. The consistency is light, creamy and so easy to blend. It covers my dark circles really well and lasts all day without creasing, cracking or fading!
Kat Von D Shade and Light Palette | £36 | POST
2016 marked the year that Kat Von D came to Debenhams and this caused quite a stir in the beauty world! The Shade and Light palette quickly took the top spot of my go too contour shades! The palette contains 3 contour shades and 3 matte highlight shades. The Yellow highlighter is perfect for setting under eye concealer and looks really good in photos. The contour shades vary from all cool to warm. My favourite is the centre shade which is perfect for my skin tone. It's not too cool nor to warm, it just gives a perfect shadow look.
Sleek Solstice Highlighter Palette | £9.99 | POST
This little palette without a doubt is my most used highlighter this year! I've actually hit pan. The palette houses 4 highlighters - 3 powders and one cream. I'm not to fussed about the cream one, it's nice, I just prefer powders. My favourite is the Peachy colour. It gives a beautiful dewy, wet look to the skin without any glitter. The formula is also so soft and pigmented.
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette | £59 | POST
Hourglass is definitely on the high end price scale, they're products don't come cheap. But they are well worth the investment. This little trio has been a real game changer for me. Having dehydrated skin I tended to avoid powders because they just leave me skin dry and cake-y looking. But these set everything perfectly and leave my skin with a lovely, lit from within glow. I can't recommend these enough! See my full review with swatches here.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Ranissence Palette | £41 | POST
As soon as I saw pictures of this palette before it was released I knew I had to have it. Being a lover of warm tones this palette accommodates all my shadow needs! It has 14 warmed shadows, majority of which are matte but it does have two versatile shimmers. The formula is incredible all the shadows are so soft, pigmented and easy to blend. There's nothing I don't love about this palette! This palette is difficult to get hold of so make sure you check out my dupes post (here) for an alternative.
Makeup Geek Shadows | £6 | POST
This year I fell head over heels for Makeup Geek. Who knew collecting single shadows could be so addictive. I put it down to just how brilliant these are. Most of the shades I have tried are smooth, soft, pigmented and easy to blend. I've filled a number of palettes with MUG shadows but there are 4 which are my absolute favourites. They are:
Creme Brulee - A light to mid toned, warm, matte Brown. This is my go too crease / transition shade.
Frappe - This a mid toned, warm matte. I love this to use to deepen the crease colour and add definition to the outer v.
Morocco - A warm toned, matte Red. This is perfect for warming the entire eye look. I like to just use a dap on a fluffy brush and use it over the over eye shadows I've applied.
Cosmopolitan - This is a warm, Rose Gold colour with a shimmer finish. My go to lid colour!
Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipstick | £16 | POST
Since discovering these in the later half of the year my love for them has been well documented! The formula is very liquidy but the doe foot applicator makes them easy to apply. One swipe is enough to achieve full opanticany. They dry down completely matte pretty quickly, but they don't look dry or feel uncomfortable on the lips. My favourite shades are Androgony and Leo. Androgony is a dusky Mauve, Purple colour. Leo is a neutral Brown colour, this would be a great nude on darker skin tones but on me it's quite bold!
Urban Decay Vice Lipsticks | £15 | POST
This year Urban Decay launched a whole line new lipsticks, in a range of colours and different finishes. I've always been a fan of Urban Decay matte lipsticks so when they launched some new ones I picked a few from the comfort matte line. Comfort matte is a very fitting name - they are matte and comfortable. The formula is very creamy, very pigmented and long wearing, The shade Hitch Hike in particular has been one of my favourites. It's a warm Rosey Brown colour. On me it's more of than nude but quite a bold colour.
MAC Lipstick | £15.50 | POST
The shade Taupe (from the matte line) has also got a lot of love from me this year. It's a lovely warm Brown colour. The formula is creamy, pigmented and pretty long lasting, whilst still being comfortable. I imagine that this is another shade that would be great nude on darker skin tones.
So that's pretty much everything I've been loving throughout the year!
Have you tried any of these? What are your thoughts?
Until next time...
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