The last year just came to an end so there couldn't be a better time to share with you my top beauty products of 2021. Today I show you all my favourites that I can 100% recommend to you.
Primer: My absolute favourite primer for makeup, especially with my dry skin, has been the lilah b. Aglow Priming Oil. It is a little bit pricey but I love how hydrated it makes my face. Even in the hot summer months, it wore nicely under my makeup. I would use it on my nose sparingly though because it's the part I get most oily throughout the day and especially with COVID-19 and wearing masks, my makeup would transfer onto my mask if I wasn't careful with the priming oil on my nose. Also, I do apply some type of pore-filling primer on my nose always (no specific recommendations though). If you're interested in purchasing, it can be found on Niche-Beauty.
Another primer I've been obsessed with is the Jaclyn Cosmetics Hydrating Undereye Primer. At first, you may think "Primer for your eyes? Sounds weird" and that's exactly what I thought too. But Jaclyn kept saying how amazing this is so I gave it a go .. oh my, this product changed my undereye game! I used to always have dry under-eyes, my concealer would always crease, the powder on top made it look even drier but this changed everything. I love how smooth my concealer applies around my eyes and even powder sets my under-eyes beautifully. It barely creases anymore throughout the day and I'm so happy with that product.
Foundation: If you know me, you know I'm not using foundation all that often so I barely own any but my favourite so far has been the Too Faced Born This Way foundation. It has a natural finish with medium coverage that can be built up to be more full coverage though. It has never failed me, even with my dry skin it never looks super heavy or cakey, it doesn't cling to dry patches all that much either so definitely worth a try if you are looking for a nice foundation. You can buy the foundation on Sephora or Douglas.
Concealer: It's an oldie but a goodie for me, the Too Faced Born This Way concealer. I know so many other concealers came out in 2021 but I still love my Too Faced one to bits. It's a great shade for me and it looks good on my skin all the time so if something's not broken, why fix it? Just like the foundation, the concealer can be bought on Sephora or Douglas.
Powder: Probably the category in which I've tried the most products in 2021. Like I said, I have dry skin which I don't want to emphasize with my powder but I also cannot not set my face with powder. I want my makeup to last all day and not transfer on someone's shirt or rub off completely on my face mask etc. so I always have to set my face.
That being said, my favourite setting powder for under the eyes is the Jaclyn Cosmetics Brightening & Setting Palette. I like that there are a few different colours so I can use them when I'm fair but I can also use a different shade when I'm a bit more tan than usual. Also, the powders are so nice, they really blur out my under-eyes and help me not get any concealer creases. I think it works great paired with the Hydrating Undereye Primer especially. I use the powders in so many different ways and it always looks perfect, no matter if I use a small fluffy brush or a damp beauty sponge or even a powder puff to add more product - it never fails me (unless my beauty sponge is too wet lol).
My favourite powder for all over the face has to be the Kosas Cloud Set when it comes to pressed powders. It's so fine and sets your makeup so beautifully without it looking powdery or dry. There are so many different shades but even if you pick a shade that wouldn't normally match you 100%, you can still get away with it because the formula is quite sheer and barely gives off any colour. Kosas can be bought on Niche-Beauty.
When it comes to loose powders, I still absolutely adore the Jaclyn Cosmetics Luminous Powders. I find them to be very unique, I've never found a loose powder that gives such an amazing sheen without looking glittery. It really is a luminous powder that gives you a radiant, lit-from-within type of glow.
Bronzer: Another one of my most loved beauty categories because I'm obsessed with looking sun-kissed. I truly cannot pick just one favourite because whenever I do my makeup, I layer like 3 different bronzers; I'm just crazy like that.
When it comes to cream bronzers, I'd definitely recommend you the Fenty Beauty Cheeks Out Freestyle Cream Bronzer. I tried a few but this one stood out the most to me. If you were always scared of using a cream bronzer, you need to give this one a go. It blends so effortlessly into the skin, you just blend it a tiny bit with your brush and it literally melts into your skin. She has a good shade range as well so I'm sure you'll find a shade that works for your skin tone. It's quite creamy but not too creamy to the point where you get it all over the place, just creamy enough to blend like a dream. It can be used sheer with a light hand or more full coverage if you use more of it; as to the finish, I'd describe it as a natural finish, definitely not dry but also not too shiny. The Fenty Cream Bronzer can be found on Sephora.
Powder bronzer is a hard one for me because I did honestly try like 15 different ones last year. But I have to say my favourite ones have been the Benefit Hoola Glow bronzer and the Victoria Beckham Matte Bronzing Brick in #02. With the Victoria Beckham bronzer, I like to mix both shades but it's extremely pigmented so I always make sure to tap off my brush before applying it to the face. If you're interested in the Hoola Glow bronzer, you can purchase it on Sephora or Douglas.
Blush: I have never been the biggest blush person, I love bronzer but blush has just never really been my jam. Last year I really got into blush though and I've been enjoying it quite a bit. My favourite one to use has been the Kylie Cosmetics Blush in "Crush" (can be purchased on Douglas) and the BH Cosmetics Vanilla Peach Truffle Blush Palette (can be found on BeautyBay). My favourite way to apply blush has been with the Morphe x Ariel A22 brush. It's nice and fluffy and distributes the product perfectly all over the cheeks.
Highlighter: I'll always be a highlighter girl, I don't care if it's not trendy anymore to have a beaming highlighter stripe on the face - I love it. I still mostly used my Jaclyn Cosmetics Highlighter Palette that came out for Christmas last year, but she does have her highlighters in single pans now. My favourite is definitely the Jaclyn Cosmetics Powder Highlighter in "Iced". Another lovely powder highlighter is the Ofra Cosmetics "Star Island" (this can be found on BeautyBay) that I used more in the summer months as it's more golden than the JH one.
Brows: Favourite brow product for me will probably forever be the Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil. I just find that the colour 3.5 works perfectly for me and also the pencil is not too creamy and not too dry; it's easy to work with and for me, it works so much quicker than a brow pen or pomade. The brow pencil can be purchased on Sephora or Douglas.
Brow Gel hasn't changed much either; The Anastasia Clear Brow Gel (purchase on Sephora or Douglas) is my go-to but I also quite like the Anastasia Brow Freeze Styling Wax (purchase on Sephora or Douglas). Really depends on my time and look. If I have more time and want a precise, not-moving-an-inch type of brow, I'll use the Brow Freeze but if I just quickly want to set, I go for the clear gel.
Mascara: My favourite mascara of all time, and a favourite for years already, is the Benefit Bad Gal Bang mascara. It makes my lashes extremely long and separates them very nicely. It's quite a wet mascara when you first get it, so do keep that in mind if you prefer drier formulas. It also lasts me what feels like forever and it doesn't transfer a lot either. If you want to get one yourself, check Sephora and Douglas.
Eyeshadows: If you know me, you know I barely wear eyeshadow. Usually, I will use my bronzer with a fluffy brush and run it through my crease but this year I've been loving the Jeffree Star Cosmetics Orgy Palette. It's full of neutral eyeshadows from light to deep shades, cool and warm tones, this palette is a nude eyeshadow lovers DREAM. The formula is really nice and pigmented, it blends easily, I cannot recommend it enough. I've always loved the look of Jeffree Star eyeshadow palettes but they've just been way too crazy for me with all the bright colours, so when he brought out this entire nude palette, I knew I had to get it. You can also get the palette on BeautyBay or Douglas.
Setting Spray: My ride or die setting spray will always be the Morphe Continuous Setting Mist (get it on Douglas), but last year I've also been enjoying the Benefit Porefessional Setting Spray (get it on Sephora or Douglas). It really helps melt all the products together and make them look more like skin, also it gives a nice natural finish to the face which I personally love. I always like to spritz a bit of the Urban Decay All Nighter at the very end of my makeup to make it last the entire day, so I cannot really comment on the lasting power of the Benefit spray.
Brushes: I really do not have specific single brushes that I recommend, I usually buy bundles but if you want a makeup brush bundle that gives you everything that you could possibly need - get the Morphe x MakeUp By Ariel Collection. These brushes are of amazing quality and they look stunning on your vanity. I use them every single time I do my makeup, I love the A22 for my blush, the A58 for bronzer, the A21 is the perfect powder brush and the eye brushes are amazing too. If you love a foundation brush, the A24 is really nice as well. Overall his brushes are just very well thought-out. He does have a video explaining each brush and what he created them for specifically which did help me a lot too. You can get the full set on Douglas.
Make sure to let me know what your 2021 makeup favourites have been, and also tell me which category you are excited to try new products in.
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