Hey guys, it’s time for my 2019 Best of Beauty round-up. I had planned on doing this post a lot sooner than now, but there were a few delays, so I am only getting it up now. Apologies for that, but I hope you enjoy reading and if there are any products or brands that were favourites of yours in 2019, let me know, I would love to hear from you and would love to know what were/are favourites of yours. There are quite a few products included as I struggled to really narrow it down to just a few, and as much as I tried, this was as much as I could narrow it down to.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Sultry Eyeshadow Palette & St Tropez Lipgloss — This is without a doubt one of my favourite ever eyeshadow palettes. It’s absolutely stunning. It’s a cool toned palette which slots nicely into my collection as most of my eyeshadows are warm toned, so this makes a nice change from all those warm oranges and browns.
I’ve created neutral day looks and smokey looks with this, because of the range of shades, it’s very easy to create a variety of looks with the shadows in it. The only shadow that doesn’t really “fit” with them is the shade ‘Bloom’, only because it’s a bright peachy-coral shade, and there isn’t any corresponding shade in the palette to ‘match’ with it, if that makes sense. It’s still a gorgeous shade and one I use, but not with the other shades in this palette.
Their St Tropez lip gloss is a gorgeous metallic pink shade. I don’t normally wear metallic lip products, but on the lips, it is much more subdued, it’s really not that metallic at all. I love a little of it just dabbed in the centre of my lips as it adds a little something, but it isn’t over the top at all
Becca Under Eye Brightening Corrector — This has been my absolute favourite under-eye corrector since the day I started using it. From the very first use I could see a massive difference in the darkness under my eyes. I genuinely could not get over the difference in how it helps to brighten up massive difference in the darkness under my eyes. I genuinely could not get over the difference in how it helps to brighten up my under-eye area.
Although it comes in a pot and it is thick in consistency, it does have a creaminess to it, and it doesn’t accentuate any of my fine lines, it doesn’t crease on me and it doesn’t make my under-eye look dry, heavy, cakey or as if I have layers and layers of product on. It sits beautifully under my concealer, foundation and powder, and does affect their application, wear time or performance. As you can see, I am nearly finished my pot and it is without any doubt a definite repurchase for me, I love it so much and just cannot be without it.
Benefit BadGAL Bang & Roller Lash Mascaras — Two of my absolute favourite all-time mascaras. These two give my lashes volume (and lots of it), definition, length (again, plenty of it) and separation, but without giving me the ‘spider leg’ effect. I love the wands and formulas of both. They are both super black and don’t flake or smudge throughout the day. They are expensive, but they are worth it. A good mascara is always worth it for me.
Bobbi Brown Holiday 2018 Highlight & Glow Highlighting Duo — This highlighting duo by Bobbi Brown has to be one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. The packaging alone is just stunning. I adore the gold with the glitter that just falls whatever way you hold the palette. It is just some of the most stunning packaging I have seen on any cosmetic item.
The highlights themselves are beautiful. They are some of the smoothest I’ve used; they apply like a dream and just give a beautiful glow without appearing OTT. There is no glitter particles and no shimmer, just a gorgeous sheen from them when applied. They work well on both the face and eyes as eyeshadows and brow-bone/inner corner highlights. This was unfortunately limited edition, hence why I haven’t spoken about it much on here, but I couldn’t not include in my yearly favourites, given that is absolutely was (and still is) a favourite of mine.
Catrice It’s Easy Tattoo Liner, Generation Plump & Shine Lipgloss, Liquid Camouflage Concealer, One Drop Weightless Concealer & Ten!Sational Primer — Catrice are one of the best affordable brands there is. Their products are so inexpensive, but yet are (usually) great quality, which can be hard to find with brands that are so affordable.
Their ‘It’s Easy Tattoo’ eyeliner makes it super easy for me to achieve a nice, small wing with little work on my part. I struggle with doing winged liner; however, this eyeliner has changed that somewhat. I still struggle, but not near as much thanks to this. It is extremely black and pigmented, and dries down quickly to a matte finish, which I adore. It’s not the easiest to get off, I find something oil-based works well to really break it down for easy removal. It’s under €5 too, which is a total steal given how fantastic it is.
The Generation Plump & Shine Lipgloss has become my favourite lip gloss formula. I just love them. I have three shades, Shimmering Goldstone, Nude Sapphire and a berry shade which I think is called Bold Ruby, but as the label has come off, I can’t be completely sure of the name.
These glosses are absolutely gorgeous and very comfortable. I would even go as far to say they are the most comfortable lip glosses I have ever used. They’re almost creamy on the lips. Completely non-sticky and longwearing, which I love. They are also very affordable (as are all Catrice products). I really love the doe foot applicator; it just hugs my lips and applies the right amount of product. Highly recommend these.
The Liquid Camouflage Concealer has been a long-time favourite of mine and one I have repurchased multiple times. I absolutely adore it and it’s one of the products I would recommend most out of everything in this post. It’s a beautiful concealer with excellent coverage, it is creamy and it is super affordable, as are all Catrice products. I love the doefoot applicator, it’s just the right size and applies the right amount of product, not too much or too little. The shade range isn’t the worst, but it could definitely be better I think.
The One Drop Weightless Concealer One of my favourite affordable concealers! This is fabulous! Lightweight, creamy, medium-full coverage, minimal creasing and looks beautiful! This is without any doubt one of the best affordable concealers there is on the market. I can’t say enough good things about it. I’ve repurchased it twice, I love it so much. The creaminess of this reminds me of NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer, but without the high price tag. It’s not a dupe, but it is an excellent affordable alternative in my opinion. This is available in Penneys and Catrice stockists nationwide.
The Ten!sational 10 in 1 Dream Primer is a relatively new release from Catrice, and one of their best yet. This is a beautiful primer that gives a gorgeous radiant, healthy glow to my skin and makes any base foundation glow. It’s stunning.
It is very lightweight and doesn’t cause any issues with my makeup breaking down, gathering, smearing, fading etc. It makes my foundation look beautiful and the glow it gives is just stunning. This is a standout product for me this year, and one I highly, highly recommend to you to try, especially if you have dry skin. Full review here.
For full transparency: Catrice Ireland did send me a press pack which included the It’s Easy Tattoo Eyeliner, Generation Plump & Shine Lipgloss in Nude Sapphire and One Drop Weightless Concealer, however I did repurchase the concealer and eyeliner myself, which is why they are not marked with an asterisk.
ColourPop SuperShock Highlighter in Parallel — This is a beautiful product that I use as blusher rather than highlighter as it suits my skin better. It’s an icy-pink in the pan, but on the skin, it sheers out to a gorgeous shimmering pink shade that gives a beautiful flush of colour to my cheeks, but without appearing glittery, shimmery or OTT. I particularly love the formula of these, in the pan they are creamy, but on the skin, they are powder, kind-of like a cream-to-powder formula. It doesn’t cling to or accentuate texture, dryness etc. It’s very smooth on the skin and looks really beautiful.
CoverGirl Vitalist Healthy Elixir Liquid Foundation & Vitalist Healthy Powder — Both of these are absolutely gorgeous products, especially the foundation. It’s a very creamy and lightweight foundation that gives medium to full coverage, but can be mixed with your moisturiser for a lighter, sheerer finish. It applies and blends seamlessly and wears well, however I will say it’s not as long wearing as my NARS foundations (below), but I get a good 8-9 hours from it before there is noticeable signs of wear.
The powder is a gorgeous lightweight powder that doesn’t fully mattify my skin, it does set my makeup, while leaving a nice subtle radiant finish on my skin, which I really love. I can’t feel this on my skin, no matter what base I use it over. The packagaing is slightly bulky, but I can get over that because it’s such a lovely powder to use.
Essence Brighten Up! Banana Powder — I saw this mentioned on Instagram and at the time, it was apparently being discontinued, however I managed to nab one in Penneys and finally started using it towards the end of last year and oh my gosh, I am in love! This is a gorgeous powder for setting and brightening up under my eyes, but without giving my under eyes a ‘too light’ appearance.
It sets the area without looking dry, heavy or crepey, it adds just enough brightness but not too much and it stops my concealer from creasing. Plus, it’s under €5 too, so it’s a total steal. I have the Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder for Under Eyes, which I don’t rate at all, frankly, it’s awful! This is so much better and only a fraction of the cost too.
Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Volume 4 — Hourglass create some beautiful products, and this palette is no exception. Frankly, it is a stunning palette. From the packaging to the powders in side, everything about it screams luxury to me. I adore the formula and texture of these powders, and how they apply to and look on my skin.
The blushes in particular, are beautiful. They give a gorgous luminosity and sheen, but without being over the top. They are not shimmery or glittery in any way, which I personally love. They are very smooh and apply like a dream and they wear well too, with no fading throughout the day. Hourglass products are expensive, but they are (in my experience thus far) worth it. The palettes will last a long time so you’ll definitely get your monies worth from them.
Lisa Eldridge Lipsticks — One of absolute favourite makeup releases, ever! I adore these lipsticks by Lisa, they are matte, but they are comfortable mattes. They are not dry or drying, they are very creamy and comfortable to wear. They remind me a lot of the MatteTrance lipsticks by Pat McGrath (review here).
They are opaque in one swipe, they wear off evenly and they last for quite a while before wearing off, too. You can purchase these from Lisa’s website here. A lot of shades are currently sold out, but it’s worth signing up to Lisa’s newsletter because if she does restock at some point, her newsletter is the way to find out.
MAC x Aladdin ‘Always One Jump Ahead’ Highlighter & ‘Whole New World’ Lipstick — These were, unfortunately, limited edition, however they have been firm favourites of mine throughout 2019 and into 2020. I love a golden highlight and this is one of the nicest I’ve used. It’s pretty much the perfect golden tone for my skin and it doesn’t look over the top when applied. It’s not chunky, glittery or shimmery, it just gives a gorgeous glow to my skin. I started using a new technique last year and that is applying my highlight before blush and bronzer and then blending them over it and it just meshes the products together nicely and gives a more natural effect to my skin, which I love.
The lipstick is probably one of the brightest pinks I own — and I adore it. I absolutely love a bright pink lip, especially for Spring and Summer. A bright lip, dewy skin, little to no eyeshadow, a slick of mascara and you have a perfect summers day makeup look, that will take next to no time and look like you’ve spent ages doing your makeup, even if you haven’t. Plus, a bright lip can really lift a face and add a little something to any look.
MAC x Patrick Starrr Setting Powder — This is a beautiful setting powder that is silky soft. I’ve never spoken about it on here purely because it was limited edition and sold out pretty much immediately upon it’s release in December 2018. I was lucky enough to nab one, and I am delighted that I did, because I absolutely adore it. It sets my makeup, but without looking cakey, heavy or dry. It doesn’t fully mattify my skin, it still leaves a nice, healthy, radiance to my skin. I tend to use it sparingly because I love it so much and don’t want to run out of it. Silly, I know, but the fact it was limited edition puts me off using it more regularly for fear of running out! 🙈
Marc Jacobs Fineliners, Highliners, See-quins Glam Glitter Eyeshadows & Velvet Noir Mascara — The See-quins Glam Glitter Eyeshadows are gorgeous. They are very sparkly and intense, which I personally love, especially for a quick an easy sparkly eye with little effort but looks as though you’ve spent hours on your makeup. They remind me of the Hourglass Scattered Light Glitter Shadows, although I haven’t tried those, in photos I’ve seen they look similar to these MJ shadows. The three shades I have are Copperazzi, Gleam Girl & Topaz Flash, with Copperazzi being my favourite. I adore it. It’s a gorgeous warm toned shade that makes my eyes pop.
The Velvet Noir mascara has been a long-time favourite and was definitely my favourite (aside from Benefit’s BadGAL Bag & Roller Lash) mascara in 2019. The three of them were the stand-out mascaras for me. This one gives me everything I want in from a mascara and I want a lot from mascara. I want definition, length, longevity, no flaking or smudging, separation & volume and this mascara gives me all of those, and then some. It’s expensive at £22 but it absolutely worth it. There are very, very few mascaras that will give me all of them, but this does.
NARS Natural Radiant Longwear Foundation, Orgasm Lip-Tint Oil, Orgasm Shimmer Illuminating Loose Powder, Sheer Glow Foundation, Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base — There are quite a few NARS products I love and enjoy, but these are without any doubt my ultimate favourites.
Their Orgasm Lip-Tint Oil is a beautiful product, that despite being an oil, isn’t actually oily or greasy. It feels like a smooth balm and leaves the most beautiful, perfect pink tint on my lips. It applies sheer at first, but when you re-apply throughout the day, at the end of the day you are left with a pink tint. It’s really beautiful and has a stunning golden shimmer running through it, but it doesn’t come across on the lips, so you won’t be left with glittery or sparkly lips at all. This is expensive for a lip oil, but it is absolutely worth it in my opinion.
Their Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base is without any doubt the very best eye primer there is. It is expensive, but it is absolutely worth it in my opinion. Absolutely nothing, nothing at all compares to it, or even comes close to how great this is. I love that it is translucent too, so if you apply foundation over your lids, you can apply this on top, and it won’t look heavy, cakey etc. whereas with some creamy bases (Maybelline Colour Tattoo, MAC Paint Pots, concealers etc) you run the risk of them potentially looking a little heavy and possibly creasing.
This does dry down, but it isn’t drying on the lids and all shadows apply beautifully over it and blend without issue. I have dry lids so shadows creasing isn’t a major issue for me, but there are a few that do, however when I apply this underneath, they don’t crease, fade, etc. It’s weightless on the lids, so if you find creamier products can be heavy, you’ll really enjoy this. If you do suffer with oily eyelids, I think this is something that could work really well for you and it’s something I would recommend checking out. It’s expensive, so if it was possible to get a sample sachet or something, I’d recommend doing that first before splashing out almost €30 on this.
Their Natural Radiant Longwear and Sheer Glow foundations are two of my absolute favourites, with their Natural Radiant Longwear being my favourite of two. I just love how they both look and perform on my skin. I do find the Natural Radiant Longwear to be slightly better wearing and performing than the Sheer Glow.
I went away last year and between spending two days travelling (one day each way), I wore this foundation and between public transport, warm weather, flights, sweating etc. this lasted with absolutely no wear off or break down at all. One of the days that I was away it was in the early 20’s temperature wise and again, being on public transport, out in the sun, sweating etc. this lasted with no wear off or breakdown. I did need to blot a little, but only the once and after that it was like it had just been applied. One of the absolute best foundations I have ever used and one I will continue to repurchase.
Sheer Glow is a little lighter, but still has great coverage, it just feels a little lighter than RNL, but not by much. It is long-wearing, but during long days travelling, there is some wear, not a lot, but I do notice it when I go to take my makeup off at the end of the day. This is a lot more glory (as the name would suggest) than RNL is, which I love personally as I love a glowy/dewy base. This is a gorgeous foundation and again, it’s one I would repurchase.
Orgasm Shimmer Illuminating Loose Powder is beautiful as a highlighter and an eyeshadow. My personal preference is to use it an eye shadow, I just love the colour of it and how it looks on my lids. A nice light/dusty pink through my crease, a little of this packed onto my lids, a little black eyeliner, some mascara and you have a beautiful summertime pinky eye but without being too pink. I also love to use Tarte’s Clay Pot in Rose Gold (which I spoke about here) underneath it as it gives a nice base for this to adhere too and adds a nice touch to the pinkiness of it.
Pat McGrath MatteTrance Lipsticks — My other favourite matte lipsticks! I cannot get enough of these and Lisa Eldridge’s lipsticks! They are the most comfortable matte lipsticks I have ever used. They are creamy, non-drying, apply opaquely, they are longwearing and they wear off evenly. They don’t go patchy or give the ‘butthole’ effect that some lipsticks (matte and creamy) can. Full price these are almost €40 – I personally don’t believe that any lipstick is worth €40, no matter how good, nice etc. it is. Frankly, it is an outrageous price for one item. I prefer the mini trio sets, personally. Full review here.
Pixi Liquid Fairy Lights in Bare Brilliance & Rose Gold — These eyeshadows by Pixi are by far my favourite liquid glitter shadows. They apply evenly and give a good amount of colour & glitter to my lids, but without any fallout, and that is a huge plus for me. I have some of the Stila Magnificent Metals and while I love the colours, the fallout from them is shocking. I look like a disco ball when I wear them and it’s a real shame because they have some beautiful colours that I’d love to try, but the fall out just puts me off.
I love the Rose Gold one for adding a nice rosy sparkle to my lids, especially with a pinky shade through my crease and a little black liner. It just looks gorgeous, especially for the summer time and the pinky tones help to open up my eyes, too. This is the perfect pinky glitter for Spring and Summer. Bare Brilliance is a beautiful bronze shade that I love pairing with Benefit’s Hoola bronzer (as an eyeshadow) through my crease. The two of them together are gorgeous, and with a little brown in the waterline, they are perfect for a night out, a little glitter and smokiness.
Stila Liquid Lipstick in Patina— Patina is a beautiful mauve lipstick that dries to matte finish, but isn’t drying. I quite like the formula of these lipsticks. They are creamy but with a non-drying matte finish. I get full opacity in one swipe, though I prefer to add a little to the centre of my lips and then blend out. I love to add a little of the ABH St Tropez gloss on top (in the centre of my lips) to add a little something if I don’t want a fully matte finish.
Penneys/Primark PS…. Eyeshadow Covers — These eyeshadow shields by Penneys/Primark are amazing and so, so cheap. They are only €1.50 for a pack of thirty, which is an absolute steal. There other shadows shields that cost £7.19 (here) & here for €6.50, which is crazy expensive I think. I’ve never used them but I’d imagine they are the same (or extremely similar) but for a few times the price! I love these for catching fallout but also if I am doing winged liner. The edge of these make it SUPER easy to get a nice, crisp, precise line. These are a staple for me, I am never without them.
Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette — Urban Decay make some fabulous palettes, and this is up there with one of their very best. The pigmentation, quality, wear time, performance, application and how well they blend are just some of the reasons I adore this palette, as well as the colour selection in it. If you know me at all, you’ll know I adore a warm toned eye — warm toned eyes are my favourite to wear and this palette, along with the Violet Voss Holy Grail palette are two of the best (that I have and have tried at least).
These Urban Decay palettes are about €40 euros each, but are worth it and they are regularly on offer on Debenhams, Look Fantastic and other online retailers too, so it’s worth keeping an eye out if you are on the hunt for any of them as you will most likely get them on offer.
Violet Voss Holy Grail Eyeshadow Palette — This palette I got because of Simone (Simone Scribes on Instagram) and it is probably my most used palette of 2019. I absolutely adore it. I love warm tones (as you all know by now, I’m sure 😂) and this palette has plenty of them. The shadows are very pigmented and easy to blend, they are long wearing, too, with no creasing or smudging.
The palette itself is large in size and a little bulky, so not the best for travelling, however it was the only eyeshadow product I brought away with me last year, despite its bulkiness. I have their all matte palette, which I am not a fan of. I just find the shadows to be subpar, especially for what it costs, this palette however, is very much the opposite.
That pretty much rounds-up my makeup favourites of 2019. It was quite a long one, so if you’ve made it this far, thank you for reading and sticking around. 😂 If there are any products you’ve tried that I’ve mentioned, let me know in the comments or on my socials (linked below) what you thought of them, and of course, if there are any products you favourited in 2019, let me know, I love discovering new brands and products, and would love to hear your favourites.
Until next time, take care xx
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Products marked with an asterisk (*) were kindly gifted to me, however, this post is not sponsored or affiliated with any of the brands or companies mentioned and all opinions are my own. No affiliate links are used in this, or any other post.
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