Sunday, January 14, 2018

My top 17 beauty products of 2017


97% percent of my Instagram-story followers voted 'yes' to a post on my 2017 beauty faves and so here it is...all the products I couldn't have lived without in 2017!

Three products in my top 17 also appeared in my Top 16 products of 2016 and have remained absolute holy grails.  Which brings me nicely to my first favourite of 2017.

Violet Voss Holy Grail Palette


My palette is bruised and battered, torn and tattered and has clocked up almost as many air miles as I did last year but this palette has absolutely everything you could ever want in a warm-toned palette as well as having a delightfully buttery and easy to work with formula.  The pigmentation is fantastic across the whole palette and there's an excellent balance of matte and shimmer shades.  It's utter love for me.

Garnier Micellair Oil Infused Cleaning Water


Cheap as chips (and usually on offer in Boots or Superdrug whenever I am in the UK), the Garnier Oil Infused micellair water is my chosen weapon for blitzing through heavy eye makeup and stubborn waterproof mascara.  This is not a product I personally use on my face-I use it solely around my eyes but it's super effective, non-greasy and doesn't dry out or irritate the delicate skin around my eyes.

Nuxe Huile Prodigeuse


I should technically own shares in this product because I am constantly repurchasing it-but I can't find anything better!  This dry body oil gives the most beautiful sheen to the skin, absorbs almost instantly and leaves behind no residue or sticky feeling.  It's literally perfect.  I slather it on most days after showering and am never without it.

Laura Mercier Silk Creme Oil-Free Photo Edition foundation


Last year a Laura Mercier powder made it into my top 16 products of the year, this year one of their foundations has been my holy grail.  I'm so happy I tried the Laura Mercier Silk Creme Photo Edition foundation, especially because I hated the original Silk Creme.  My problem with the original Silk Creme was that it settled into my pores really badly and separated on my face throughout the day.  I tried so hard to make it work but it wasn't for me.  But the Photo Edition formula is perfect and this is my third consecutive tube of it and I purchased another replacement in London.  It's a medium-full coverage, luminous foundation that glides onto the skin and works well applied with either fingers or a damp beauty blender.  It sits really beautifully on the skin and the lasting power is also great.  I also mix this foundation a lot with other foundations and it seems to make any formulation sit better.  Big thumbs up.

L'Oreal Lash Paradise Extatic


A discovery late on in the year but the Lash Paradise mascara from L'Oreal is my bae.  It gives the fattest, blackest lashes without clumping, flaking or smearing-everything about it is a delight-apart from the fact I can't buy it in Dubai.  And I really really struggled to get my hands on it in the UK when I was there in December.  Luckily I now have two back ups because this is such a good mascara-and I'm a total mascara whore-I know good mascara.

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Blush in Incandescent Electra


If you're purely into matte flushes this blusher isn't for you.  But if like me you like your cheeks to shine bright like a diamond then you can't go wrong with this peachy pan of perfection.  I have banged on about how much I love coral blush for as long as I can remember but coral really is my go-to.  The formula of this blush is so seamless on the skin and the finish is so luminous I rarely add a highlighter on top.  It's not overly pigmented (my pet hate in a blush) and perks up pale skin tones like mine with one swipe.  It's love.

Make Up Geek Foiled Eyeshadow in Grandstand


Make Up Geek is an amazing brand-at an equally amazing price point.  I have a whole Z-palette of their eyeshadows and they rival MAC any day of the week.  I've chosen Grandstand as my ultimate favourite because it's bronze-y, slightly rose gold tone really suits my eyes when I add brown liner and a shit ton of mascara.  The pigmentation and lasting power of these shadows is tremendous and when I layer this over a cream eyeshadow stick I know my eye makeup is going to be intact until I go to bed.  Or the gym.  Whichever comes first.

Charlotte Tilbury Rock N Kohl Liquid Eye Pencil in Barbarella Brown


The Charlotte Tilbury Rock N Kohl liners really are the easiest liners I have ever used-and I am so crap at eyeliner it's embarrassing.  I love the fact that they literally glide across the lashline and the pigmentation of the liner is so strong and even.  I use Barbarella Brown, a rich deep neutral brown at least 5 days out of 7 to line my upper lash line and I can't see that changing anytime soon.

Kiko Long Lasting Stick


At least twice a week someone will ask me something along the lines of 'how do you get your eyeshadow to last all day without creasing or fading'? or 'why does your eyeshadow always look so pigmented'? and the secret is to use a cream eyeshadow stick first.  I've been doing it for years and couldn't tell you the last time I used an eyeshadow primer.  I have very strong opinions on cream eyeshadow sticks-the very 'popular with bloggers' By Terry Illusion D'Ombre and the Charlotte Tilbury Colour Chameleon sticks are dead to me-I've tried and tested and discarded them.  My holy holy holy grails are the Trish McEvoy 24hr shadow and liner sticks, I have raved about them here but at £24 each they are pricey.  Step forward the Kiko version at a fraction of the price and these are almost on par with the Trish McEvoy ones I adore and they make a fantastic eyeshadow base.

By Terry Sun Designer Palette in Light and Tan Vibes


Everything about this palette is perfection apart from two things 1) It was limited edition and trying to source one now is like trying to turn water into wine 2) It's fragile and this is the second one that hasn't survived a flight.

But everything else....perfection!!  The bronzer is the perfect tone for pale skins-it blends effortlessly into the skin and it's too red or orange toned.  It has a 'luminous matte' finish aka brushed on health to pale skin.

The blusher is just stunning and has an inbuilt highlighter meaning this palette is brilliant for travelling-if it didn't break so bloody easily.  If anyone sees one anywhere please let me know as I feel that bronzer is pretty much doomed.

Dior Lip Glow in 001, YSL Volupte Tint in Oil in 05 and Tarte Opening Act Lash Primer


The Dior Lip Glow is one of those gimmicky products you think you don't need but then you try it and you realise you absolutely do!  That's how I justify buying 9/10ths of the make up I own!  The concept of the Lip Glow is a moisturising balm with an inbuilt tint that reacts with your skins PH levels to create a bespoke colour on the lips-001 is 'Rosy Glow' and leaves a subtle pink flush on the lips.

I tend to keep this in the car so that if my lipstick has worn off at the end of the day I can apply this and have 'something' on my lips and I also tend to wear this to the gym, just to keep my lips hydrated and try and distract people from the fact the rest of my face is make up free and hideous!  The balm has a lovely hydrating feel and the effect is subtle enough that you can apply without a mirror.  I know Dior has just launched an extended line of these and I am extremely tempted to pick up some more!

YSL Volupte Tint in Oil is my favourite lip gloss.  It feels like water to apply and is so hydrating and nourishing.  Initially, you'll get a really glossy, glass-like sheer lip but the formula leaves behind a lovely stain that lasts for hours-I love them so much I own 4 different ones.  Once thing I will say is there isn't a huge differentiation between the colours so 4 is probably unnecessary if you're a normal beauty user....but hey, the clue is in the title of my blog.

The Tarte Opening Act lash primer builds your lashes before you add your mascara to add additional volume, separation and length-you just swipe it onto your lashes first and then apply your mascara before the primer dries.  A lash primer can also help to stop your mascara flaking and smudging so if you're prone to those terrible afflictions a primer might be the way forward.  I also highly recommend the Lancome Cils Booster.

Armani Eye Tint


The easiest and quickest way to get a super awake, put together look to your eyes is to apply a brightening champagne toned shadow across the lid and the Armani Eye Tint in #9 is probably my all-time favourite-this is about the 5th tube I have gone through.   The consistency is a mousse-y cream and the doe foot applicator makes this super easy to just swipe across the eyelid, blend out a little to diffuse the edges and you're done.  The formula sets and then doesn't crease or crack and shade number 9 is a beautiful pearly champagne colour.

Urban Decay De-Slick


The best setting spray hands down that I have tried.  Nothing much else to say!

Farsali Rose Gold Elixir


I am so in love with this elixir infused with gold particles, I have been using it every day for 3 months now and my skin has improved so much! It has a multitude of uses and is rich in Vitamin C (great for brightening) and Vitamin A (anti-ageing).  It's a dry oil mainly made up of rosehip which is fab for nourishment and reducing scarring and I have been using this as my daily moisturiser even though I have combination skin.  But it makes my skin so hydrated that makeup sits so much better on top.  It's not greasy, it's just glowy and magical!  I highly recommend trying it if you can.

Dr Sebagh Breakout Cream


Finally, the Dr Sebagh Breakout Cream was a huge game changer for my skin in 2017 and if you suffer from hormonal, cystic acne, especially around your chin and jawline this range is worth checking out.  Since using this my breakouts have reduced dramatically to almost zero.  The product is two parts-you get a pot of cream and several vials of antibacterial powder.  You simply tip out a little of the powder and rub it into a little of the cream and smooth onto your face.  This stuff really worked, my cystic lumps cleared and my skin didn't dry out.  I use it maybe twice a week now in the evenings for 'maintenance'.  It is expensive-I just looked it up and its now £90 but it's one of the only things I have ever had excellent results with.

So that's it-my top 17 of 17!  I would love to know your thoughts and what your favourites were.

I hope January is off to a positive start and I will try and blog a little more regularly this year-although this post has taken me most of the day haha!

*NB none of the products included were PR gifted to me, everything was bought with my own hard-earned money except the L'Oreal mascara and the Dr Sebagh cream which were actual gifts from real life friends!
Share:

No comments

Post a Comment

© Expat Make Up Addict | All rights reserved.
Blog Design Handcrafted by pipdig