2017 Beauty Favorites

I can hardly believe 2018 is finally here! The past year came and went so quickly! I spent a lot of money on cosmetics, skincare, haircare and nail polish this past year that'll make up my yearly favorites. I love beauty and don't mind spending some coin on new products that interest me or repurchasing my daily staples. I fell in love with a lot of products so I've narrowed down my favorites from 2017 into this list! Warning: you may want to grab a cup of coffee or tea - it's a long list!



Makeup

Fenty Beauty Pro Filt'r Soft Matte Foundation - This foundation has a great shade range! It's medium to full coverage if you want to build it up. It is smooth and easy to blend with either a sponge or brush. It feels lightweight on the skin but it's really long wearing and I just blot any oil I have throughout the day. 

Becca Ultimate Coverage Foundation - This is a full coverage foundation so it's great for oily skin. The shade match is perfect for my skin tone. I wear the shade Noisette. A little goes a long way and it blends into the skin flawlessly and lasts for hours. It covers up everything and doesn't look cakey. My friends with dry skin have also said it works great for their skin type. 

NARS Velvet Matte Skin Tint - I reach for this when I don’t want a full coverage look. It’s so lightweight and evens out my skin tone. I just spot conceal any blemishes. I love that it’s a matte finish since most tinted moisturizers and bb creams have a more natural/dewy finish.

Tarte Shape Tape Concealer - My holy grail concealer! It’s creamy, pigmented, full coverage and covers up everything! Covers up my blemishes and doesn’t crease under my eyes.

Colourpop No Filter Concealer - When I’m not using the Tarte Shape Tape, I like to use this! It’s so much more affordable but does contain less product. It’s very comparable to the shape tape in my opinion. It’s also very creamy and blends effortlessly.

Cover FX Matte Setting Powder - This powder is pricey but sets my foundation so nicely and leaves a flawless finish! I typically only use this when going out at night or have an event to go to since it’s so expensive.

RCMA No Color Powder - For everyday, I use this powder because it’s inexpensive but the quality is there! It sets my makeup and helps my makeup stay matte for hours.

KVD Lock-It Blotting Powder - I love this powder to blot my face throughout the day when my skin has gotten oily after my foundation has been on for several hours. The shade light works great for my skin tone and doesn't change the color of my foundation or make my skin look cakey. 

KVD Shade + Light Face Contour Palette - I’ve already hit pan on two of the contour shades which is SO sad! Haha. This has been my most used & abused palette to bronze/contour with. The first shade I love to contour with, the middle one I use it more as a bronzer and the last one one I use whenever I want a more defined contour. I mostly use the highlight shades to set my eyeshadow primer.

Lorac Light Source Illuminating Highligher - This is an amazing highlighter, it's smooth and creamy not chunky/glittery. I have the shade Twilight which is a light bronze that works perfectly for my medium skin tone. You can make this highlight subtle or as blinding as you want. 

Colourpop Double Play Pressed Powder Duo - I’m not the biggest fan of blush, I hardly ever wear it! I usually just stick to bronzer and highlighter. But I love this blush because it’s a warm nude that warms up my face nicely and isn’t too out there. The highlight is a nice champagne shade that gives me a glow without being glittery.

Colourpop Pressed Powder Shadows - These shadows are so pigmented! I can’t say I was surprised by this because Colourpop always releases great products at an affordable price point. I haven’t been disappointed with any shades. The palettes are so great! Some of my favs are Paper Tiger, Koi, Labyrinth, Conundrum, Note To Self, Sea Stars, Criss Cross, and Beach Blanket. 

ABH Modern Renaissance Eye Shadow Palette - This is one of my favorite eyeshadow palettes I own! It's warm toned goodness. I love the left side to create natural looks and the more bold colors on the right have really pushed me out of my comfort zone with the pinks and reds. It's an awesome palette I think everyone needs! 

Tartelette In Bloom Eyeshadow Palette - This is my favorite palette to use for an everyday neutral look for work! The matte shades blend like butter and the shimmers are nice to glam up your look. This palette also smells like chocolate so that’s a plus, haha.

NYX Epic Ink Liner - Winged eyeliner is my signature look! I used to use eyeliners from more higher end brands like KVD and Stila (which are still great) but this NYX liner is great, super black, and matte! I don't think it claims to be waterproof but on me it is which is great. 

Stila Huge Extreme Lash Mascara - So I recently got this during the VIB sale but I love it so much! The brush is amazing and it gives my lashes a false lash effect with lots of length and volume! It doesn’t clump or flake either. It's easy to take off at the end of the day as well. 

ABH Brow Gel - I used to use the tinted brow gel by L’Oréal but I had gotten this in a set with their brow powder but I had just stashed it away. However, I wanted to try a clear gel to set my brows in place and at first I wasn’t too impressed by this. I felt like there was no product on the brush but there definitely is! It sets my crazy brow hairs in place and doesn’t leave them hard/crunchy.

KVD Everlasting Liquid Lipstick - This is one of my favorite liquid lipstick formulas. I apply lip balm under all my liquid lipsticks and this is not drying on me and fades nicely. My most used shades have been Hawkwind, Lolita and Bow and Arrow. 

ABH Liquid Lipstick - This is another one of my favorite liquid lipstick formulas. It's not drying on me either and fades nicely after eating or drinking like the KVD one. My most used shades are Ashton and Rock Sand. 

Milani Amore Matte Lip Crème - This is my favorite liquid lipstick formula from the drugstore. The shade Stunning is a beautiful nude on my skin tone. It is comfortable on the lips and stays on for hours just like the KVD and ABH formulas. 

Nail Polish

KL Polish - I used to be a big fan of Essie and OPI until I tried KL Polish. The wide brush is great to coat your nails evenly and you only need two coats to be completely opaque. My favorite shades from each collection are Caramello, Miss Honey, Porter Miami, Aquarius, Chloe, and Central Park!

Skincare

Mario Badescu Enzyme Cleansing Gel - This is my favorite cleanser! I also like their acne cleanser a lot. It’s so gentle on the skin and removes all the makeup that the micellar water didn’t remove. I've been using it for over a year now and I love this product and brand so much. 

Mario Badescu Vitamin C Serum - I began using this serum in April and I have seen a difference in my skin! I've noticed a decrease in acne and my acne scars have been diminishing. My skin has also been looking brighter and more even. It's a bit pricey but you can find deals at Ulta and a little goes a long way. 

Mario Badescu Facial Spray with Aloe, Cucumber and Green Tea - I have loved the rose facial spray forever to refresh my skin during the day and night but I love the scent of cucumber and aloe so this one wins for me.

L’Oréal Hydra Genius Mattifying Water Gel Oily Skin - This moisturizer is a gel formula so it is lightweight when I apply it and sinks into the skin very fast. I apply a dime size amount to my face and neck which gives my skin the moisture it needs without feeling greasy. It actually feels like I put nothing on my face after it settles in. I think this is comparable to the Belif Aqua Bomb Cream since it's also water based. 

Muddy Body Detox Clay Mask - This is my favorite mask EVER! When I was breaking out over a year ago, nothing was really working for me until I transitioned to Mario Badescu and this mask! It really takes out all the gunk out of my face and helped clear up my skin. Worth every penny.

Hair care

Shea Moisture Jamaican Black Castor Oil Reparative Leave-In Conditioner - A little goes a long way with this product! If you apply too much (which I did the first time) it'll leave your hair feeling greasy. It is moisturizing and leaves my hair feeling  so soft and I have noticed some hair growth too since it does contain castor oil. 

Carol's Daughter Almond Milk Daily Damage Repair Sulfate-Free Shampoo - I’ve repurchased this shampoo and conditioner 2-3x now. It’s natural so it doesn’t contain any sulfates or any of that bad stuff. I’ve noticed my hair has been getting healthier and thicker. It also smells really good!

Kristin Ess Hydrating Curl Defining Creme - Curl creams are an essential for me since I do have naturally curly hair. This one is really lightweight and gives my curls life since they are a bit dull from dying my hair. It defines my curls nicely without making them feel crunchy. 

So these were all of my favorite products for 2017! I know it was super long but I hope you enjoyed. Thank you so much for reading!