Best of Beauty 2016

2016 has been a big year for makeup, I have discovered new products and continued to use old ones too. I'm taking this opportunity to reflect on my favourite products of last year, please comment your favourite products too.

Primer - Becca Backlight Priming Filter | £32
I discovered this primer through Jaclyn Hill as she has nothing but good things to say about it. I purchased this at the beginning of October and I fell in love with it instantly. It gives my skin a glowy radiance from under my foundation without making me look oily. It also makes my makeup last all day and they glow doesn't fade.

Foundation - Giorgio Armani luminous silk foundation | £37
I purchased this back in March and it has been my favourite for the whole year. I used to love double wear until I discovered this, its has the same coverage but is much more light weight. At the time I had the wrong shade in double wear so I found that the Giorgio Armani one matched my skin tone a lot better. I'm in the shade 4.5 and it is the closest I've ever gotten to my actual skin tone with any foundation.

Colour Corrector - Naked Skin Colour Correcting Fluid | £17.50
I heard amazing things about this product however when it was released Sephora wouldn't ship it to the UK. I had to wait until it was finally released on the Urban Decay website in the UK and it was worth the wait. This is by far the best colour corrector I have ever tried, the formula is amazing and the pigmentation covers my dark circles with ease. It doesn't dry out my under eyes like some products I've tried. I would recommend this to anyone looking to cover dark circles.

Concealer - Naked Skin Weightless Complete Coverage Concealer | £17.50
I have always struggled with dark circles and concealer creasing under my eyes and this was one of those products that claimed to help cover it all. I first purchased Fair Neutral but unfortunately it was way too light so I went on to get Med-Light Neutral to mix with it and now its the perfect shade. It is the best concealer for coverage, I can get away with not colour correcting with this product. It also doesn't dry out my under eyes and doesn't set into my fine lines.

Setting Powder - Laura Mercier Translucent Setting Powder | £29
This was a product that I put off purchasing because I didn't want to believe the hype, I didn't think there was a difference in setting powders. After struggling with flash back in flash photography under my eyes and really dry under eyes I finally picked this up one day. I must of been silly to think all setting powders were the same because this is by far a cut above the rest. It allows me to bake my under eyes and set my face without leaving a white cast or drying out my skin. Anyone on the hunt for a great setting powder definitely give this one a try.

Eyebrows - Benefit Ka-Brow | £18.50
This is a product that I love and hate, I love it because on a good day this can make my brows look so full and perfect. I have the shade 3 and its a perfect colour match, the formula is different to anything I've got as its kind of a gel but when its applied it dries ashy almost like powder. On the odd occasion when I apply this it dries to fast and goes slightly patchy, however I look past this because most of the time it does an amazing job.

Eyeshadow - Makeup Geek | £6-£10
I have many eyeshadow pallets that I love but whenever I do eye makeup I always find myself using at least one makeup geek shadow. These have gone up in price lately on Beauty Bay but I still think £6 for a good eyeshadow that has amazing pigmentation and good lasting power is worth it. My favourite shades would be Creme Brulee, Cocoa Bear, High Tea, Havoc and if I could only pick one it would be Jester. Jester is a foiled eyeshadow and the pigment is like nothing else I have, its like powdered metal.

Mascara - Too Faced Better than Sex | £19
I discovered this through GlossyBox and its fair to say that its one of the best mascaras I've tried. It gives my lashes such length that I don't feel the need to wear fake lashes it is also jet back which I love. I don't find anything comes close to this mascara now.

Lip liner - Gerard Cosmetics lip pencil | £11.50
After trying the Gerard Cosmetics lipsticks I thought I would try the lip liner out, I'm not that picky when it comes to lip liners as long as they don't pull on my lips when applying them. I have this in the shade Cher and I find myself using it more than any of my others. I think its the shade and the formula that makes this one of my favourites, it also adds to the staying power of the lipstick I put over top.

Lipstick - Mac Velvet Teddy | £15.50
This isn't new in 2016 but its by far my favourite lipstick, I find it goes with any makeup look. If I'm ever unsure on what to wear I always just grab this. its my perfect dark nude shade. I love this with the cher lip pencil, it gives the lipstick a different undertone and darkens it up. Mac Lipsticks are probably my favourite formula and they have a wide range or shades and finishes.

Lip gloss - Jouer Long-Wear Lip Topper | £13.50
This product is a game changer, it sits on top of lipsticks adding a sparkly gloss without smudging them. I know this isn't specifically a gloss but its the only one I use. I have this in two shades Skinny Dip and Frost Bite, the one Photoed is Skinny dip which is a gold sparkly topper. They released a darker bronze one but that was too dark for my skin tone and then they brought out a white/silver one in their Christmas collection. Jouer has become more well known in 2016 for their lip toppers, liquid lipstick and their new powder highlights too. The brand itself is producing amazing products lately but the lip topper is my favourite.

Liquid Lipstick - Smashbox Always on Matte Liquid Lipstick | £19
I had been waiting for these to release in the UK up until I went to New York and got to see them and try them out for the first time. After looking at swatches online I knew I wanted the shade Stepping Out, luckily it was in a Sephora set for $28 which included a full size of Stepping Out and five other lip products, can be seen here. The shade is perfect dark pinky nude and it is extremely comfortable to wear. It also fades nice, it doesn't flake off like some other liquid lipsticks and it allows you to reapply on top of previous layers.

Blusher - Becca Mineral Blush - Flowerchild | $32
I discovered this blush in the Champagne Pop Collection Split pans, I hadn't tried any Becca blushes until this collection was released and they are now my favourite formula of blush. They are so pigmented and and easy to blend, I get the tiniest amount on my brush and the pigment immediately colours and brightens my cheeks. You do have to have a light hand with these blushes but once you've made the mistake of putting too much on once you'll never make that mistake again, I prefer to use a tiny amount and build it up to the colour I want.

Bronzer - Benefit Hoola | £23.50
I have the product in the Benefit Cheekathon Kit and I previously had it as a mini from another Benefit holiday set. I've loved this product since I first used it in early 2016 and I don't think anything will ever replace it. The shade is so universal for all skin tones, I can use it when I'm at my palest or when I have a spray tan. The product itself is easy to blend, it just looks natural on my skin.

Highlight - Becca Shimmering Skin Perfecter - Champagne Pop | £32
I have a lot of highlighters but nothing comes close to how much I love Champagne Pop. I love it so much I have three in various Palettes. I don't want to ever run out because I feel it really complements any makeup look I do. It has the right amount of pigment, if you want a beaming highlight this is the one for you or any of the Shimmering Skin Perfecters. I also tried out Prosecco Pop last year and as much as I love that one too and mixing it with Champagne Pop nothing can replace the original.

Setting Spray - Urban Decay All Nighter | £22
I discovered this early in 2016 and I haven't put it down since, I have fallen in love with this product so much that I can't finish my makeup without applying it. The All Nighter is a game changer, it makes my makeup last literally all day and night nothing compares to it. You don't need to use a lot either so it's worth the money as it lasts  a long time.