2018 Favourites + Fails

FAVOURITES + FAILS

This year I discovered some products that have become holy grail items in my collection, but I also rediscovered items I already owned that deserved more love than I have previously given them. On the other hand, I decluttered over $700 worth of products, so clearly I tried some duds too. Anyway, here is my best of beauty for 2018, and some things that didn't work out for me too!

FAVOURITES

• MAC Strobe Cream 'Pinklite' - I got a tube of this in a Beauty Loop box this year and at first I didn't understand the hype, but it has quickly become part of my everyday routine. This just does wonders for the appearance of my makeup, it makes my foundation look like skin and give this beautiful healthy glow. I love that it doesn't have glitter in it, it just has this luminosity (from a pearl maybe?) that brings so much life back into my face. It's going to be a sad day when I finish up the tube. 
• Rimmel Lasting Finish Foundation - This one is an old favourite (I bought my first bottle in late 2016), but this year I really learned to appreciate it, I hadn't realised before just how well it works with my skin. I love the finish of this foundation and it doesn't break down on me or cling to dry patches at all, it just stays looking perfect throughout the day. I always go to use this before any other foundation because I know this is reliable, I know exactly how it wears on my skin, and exactly how much product I need to use. I'm terrified that Rimmel might ever discontinue this foundation because for me, it's the best on the market.
• Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer - The coverage that this gives me is incomparable to anything else I've ever tried, it's incredible. This doesn't crease under my eyes, although it does settle into my fine lines (but what doesn't?). The only real downside to this is that it can dry my undereyes out if I use this for an extended period (e.g. several days in a row), but I have sensitive dry skin anyway so I can work around that. I carry this with my in my handbag because I know I can use this for touch ups and it won't ruin everything, it's just a great full coverage concealer that doesn't feel too heavy and isn't a pain in the ass to blend out - and Sephora Australia are finally stocking it so I don't have to worry about running out anymore! 
• Colourpop Super Shock Cheek 'Flexitarian' - This is another product that has been in my collection longer than the past year, but I only learned to love it this year. I used to think this was too bright for me but it's really grown on me recently, I like to use this by just patting it on my cheek bones/tip of my nose with a finger because it meshes the product with my skin a bit better than if I used a brush or sponge. This also makes the most beautiful inner corner highlight with yellow eyeshadow, the tone of this highlighter is like a mix of silver and gold and champagne so this just goes with everything. I just love the ease of this highlighter, it's compact and reliable so it's easy to travel with. I've got nothing but good things to say about Flexitarian!
• Becca Macaron Glow Kit Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Mini Highlighter Set (Opal, Vanilla Quartz, Rose Quartz, Prismatic Amethyst) - This is the highlighter set of my dreams. I'm not interested in highlighter palettes because they're just never quite right for my skin tone and you can't divide a palette between friends, but this set is just four individual minis, and Opal is the only one that is too dark for me. Rose Quartz, Prismatic Amethyst, and Vanilla Quartz are all shades I've wanted to buy in the full size so when I saw this set I had to get it, and I'm so glad I did. Prismatic Amethyst made me love purple highlighters, it has this white-translucent base with a purple shift that doesn't leave an odd cast on the skin, it's beautiful. Rose Quartz is like a less intense version of Peach Goddess by Jeffree Star Cosmetics, another favourite, so now I have bold or subtle options. Vanilla Quartz is the first highlighter with a gold tone that I've found actually suits my skin. I couldn't be happier with this set, I love the colours, the texture of the highlighters, how easily they blend into the skin, and how beautiful they look on the face. I only wish this set was a permanent product because I don't know if I can justify the price of the full sizes.
• Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara - At the beginning of the year I was a firm believer that high end mascaras were a complete gimmick, and that there was no reason to pay more than $25 for a mascara. Drugstore mascaras in Australia are already expensive, so the thought of buying a luxury mascara just made my head spin, and then I bought a set. This set was one of the Too Faced Christmas crackers from 2017, excess stock that was on sale at Mecca. I couldn't resist, $17.50 for a mini Better Than Sex, mini Shadow Insurance, and mini Melted Fig, it just had to be mine. Better Than Sex changed the game for me, I have never used a mascara that has done so much for my lashes, it volumises, it lengthens, and when I use this I don't feel the need to wear falsies because this mascara just does it all. This is just about the only mascara I've ever used that actually holds my lashes and stays looking good all day, it does flake a little bit, but it has never bled on me when my eyes get watery, and it has never smudged in the same situation either. I would highly recommend this to anyone who hasn't tried it, especially if you can find it on sale.
• Lime Crime Bushy Brow Gel 'Clear' - I'll be honest, I got suckered in by the marketing for this one and bought it on Black Friday just because I was curious. I thought it was going to be average, but I was really surprised by this. This is the only brow gel I've ever tried that holds my brows in place for the whole day, it just locks them into place. I love using this just on it's own because my brows are naturally full and I just want them to stay in place, but this is great over brow pencil too, it doesn't move the product around and make it smear on your skin because the brush is so skinny. I think this was probably the most surprising product I tried this year, because I just expected it to be like every other brow gel that has absolutely no hold whatsoever. Thank you, Lime Crime, for creating a product that can actually tame my brow hairs. 
• Jeffree Star Cosmetics Velour Liquid Lipstick 'Nathan' - Nathan is one of my older Jeffree Star products, I bought it in 2017 and it's been a favourite ever since I first got it. It's just the perfect nude lipstick for me, it has a beautiful peachy undertone, is super long lasting, doesn't dry my lips out at all. I love this lipstick and if I ever use this up or it dries out I will absolutely repurchase it.
• Jeffree Star Cosmetics Velour Liquid Lipstick 'Watermelon Soda' - I got Watermelon Soda in my gift bag at Princess Polly Live when I went to meet Jeffree Star so this is always going to have a special place in my heart. When I first saw it I wasn't sure if this was going to suit me because I don't like the way I look in reds or red tones really, but this is the most beautiful warm magenta that just looks fantastic. This colour is so unique I don't even know how to describe it, but it's easily my favourite pink lipstick. Just like all the Jeffree Star Cosmetics liquid lipsticks this is long wearing. comfortable, and just beautiful. 
• Jeffree Star Cosmetics Velour Liquid Lipstick 'Flamethrower' - At Princess Polly Live I bought the Equality mini lip bundle, and I didn't really think I'd use the minis as lipsticks they were just going to be a collectors item, but I wore Flamethrower once and just fell in love. This is my new favourite bright orange lipstick! There's something about it that is so interesting and different than all my other oranges, and I think it's that it's slightly more yellow toned whereas oranges generally tend to be quite red toned. I get so many compliments when I wear this and people always ask what it is! This lipstick is so smooth, comfortable, and of course, long wearing. It's just the perfect orange lipstick. 
• Colourpop Ultra Glossy Lips 'PS' and 'Champagne Mami' - I have never really been a gloss person, but from the second I saw Champagne Mami there was just something in me that wanted it so bad, I thought about it for months and months before I finally bought it (and I think I might have actually bought other Colourpop glosses before it... oops). I wasn't disappointed with it at all, it's a beautiful gloss that's just a tad deeper than my natural lips, but it has this fine shimmer/glitter that makes my lips look so plump, I just love it. I love PS just as much, perhaps even more so because it has a peachy-coral tone to it. These glosses are just pigmented enough to give colour to the lips, but sheer enough to just enhance your natural lips, they smell like cake, are super comfortable and hydrating, and are just the perfect thing to keep in a handbag. These really made me fall in love with lip gloss this year. 

FAILS

• Fenty Beauty Match Stix Shimmer Skinstick 'Starstruck' - I bought this earlier in the year because I thought it was going to be a cruelty free dupe of a Maybelline cream highlighter I had used up and absolutely adored, the colour looked similar and I was interested in trying more from Fenty. This has got to have been the biggest let down of the year for me. This was the hardest, driest "cream" product I have ever used, it was almost painful to use, and on top of that it just looked awful, it was just chunky glitter, it didn't look like a highlighter at all. I was so disappointed in this and really angry about it actually because this was $37, and I used it probably less than five times before I gave it to a friend. I just couldn't stand the texture, it felt gritty and dry and awful. I think the hype around Fenty Beauty is purely just because it's Rihanna's brand, because everything I have tried from Fenty has been disappointing. I don't trust any positive reviews I see of Fenty products because I haven't seen them live up to any of my standards, or anyone's really. What I don't understand is that the line is marketed as inclusive yet all the products in the range are targeted at people with oily skin, even their cream products which would typically work best for people with dry skin. Fenty just confuses me and although part of me wants to give the brand a few more tries, I honestly don't know if it's worth it. 
• Morphe Individual Eyeshadow 'Aloha' - I honestly felt betrayed by this eyeshadow, the colour was so beautiful and it was just TERRIBLE. Absolutely no pigment picks up with a brush or a finger, it has perpetual hard pan that can't be scraped away! It just seals up over and over again. This was the worst eyeshadow I have ever tried to use, because I honestly couldn't use it. This makes me very wary of Morphe's makeup so from here out I will just be purchasing brushes, not cosmetics. 
• Colourpop x Kathleen Lights Ultra Satin Lip 'Dreamy' - Everyone raves about the Colourpop Ultra Satin formula so I thought I would finally try it out, because a liquid lipstick that isn't drying sounds like a fantastic idea. I hated this for a few reasons, the colour didn't suit me, and it was too high maintenance. Sure this is more comfortable than a matte liquid lipstick, but is all the hassle of this really worth it? This doesn't dry down so you have to check up on it throughout the day and it's difficult to touch up because it's a liquid product with a doe foot applicator, you can't blot it away like a traditional lipstick without it wearing away awfully, it sticks to certain parts of your lips but completely disappears from others, especially when eating. It's just a mess. 
• Urban Decay x Kristen Leanne Vice Lipstick 'Bun Bun' - This year I learnt that I just really don't like Urban Decay's matte Vice lipsticks, they're more drying than a liquid lipstick and they almost sting my lips because of how dry they get. Even if I wear a lip balm underneath, they just suck the life out of my lips. It's a real shame because Urban Decay have some beautiful colours and I absolutely love my others from the Vice line but this was just a big no. I didn't like the way the colour looked on me and it was uncomfortable... but I did really like the limited edition packaging -  but it's about the product, not the packaging. 
• Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Polish 'Bamboo Shoot' - This polish was a disaster, I picked it up earlier in the year because it looked like a good neutral for school, and yes, the colour was great but god, this was the worst nail polish I have ever used. It was way too thick and gloopy and would take hours to dry, and even after I thought "okay they're fully dry now" they would smudge on something. The polish just wouldn't adhere to the nail at all and would peel off. It was honestly frustrating using this polish up because it was so terrible. I have other colours from this same line that perform perfectly, but I would strongly suggest avoiding this colour. 

Iz 🦀