Best of the Year: Make-up, Hair, Skin

First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR! I love New Years. I think it’s the thinker and dreamer in me – thinking back on the previous year, reflecting on what went well/what didn’t, thinking forward to the new year and a fresh start. I just love to think, plan, and then put things into action. This year brings some big changes that I’ll get into later on but I hope everyone has a good start to 2018! For now, grab some coffee and scroll down for another ‘Best of 2017’ round-up! Incase you missed the previous ‘Best of 2017’ posts, you can read my Top Denim and Top Activewear posts. 

Today, I’m talking all about beauty! I’ve tried some of the best skincare, hair, and make-up products over the past year and didn’t want to go into the new year without sharing these! All of these I’ll be continuing to use but I’d love to hear if you have a favorite beauty product you’ve found over the year. 

SELF-TANNER: For the body, my #1 favorite self-tanner has been St. Tropez Express Tanning Mouse. When applying with the mitt (crucial step), it results in the most natural looking healthy glow! For my face, my newest obsession is these rejuvenating self-tanning drops. I normally use this in the morning and mix it in with my moisturizer. A little goes a LONG way so be sure you only use 2-3 drops each time. This is probably in my top 5 beauty products of the entire year.

MOISTURIZER: I’ve tried many moisturizers over the course of the past year but there are three that have really impressed me. The top 3: Darphin’s Hydraskin Gel Cream, It Cosmetic’s Secret Sauce, and TULA’s Hydrating Day and Night Cream. If I had to choose ONE out of all three, I’d probably say this one due to it being slightly less expensive but still amazing.

CLEANSER: This Ocean Cleanser has been my favorite by far. It isn’t drying, it is made all natural ingredients, and keeps my skin feeling refreshed! Actually, one of my newest beauty brands I’ve discovered over the year is OSEA . However, if you’re looking for something great but a little less expensive, I’d recommend using this cleanser. During the winter when my skin becomes more dry, I’ve just been cleansing my face with coconut oil and a washcloth! The coconut oil leaves my skin feeling moisturized for a long time.

DEODORANT: I’ve mentioned this deodorant several times before but I spent a long time looking for a natural, non-toxic deodorant that actually works and was thrilled when I tried out this one! It smells so good, is safe to use, and actually keeps me smelling fresh, even after a work-out. I’ve only tried out the Vanilla and Coconut scent but they have many to choose from.

EYE CREAM: My favorite I’ve tried over the past year is IT Cosmetics’ ‘Confidence In An Eye Cream‘ although it is more pricey than I’d like. I’m currently on the search for something that works better but is closer to $20 or under. I’m not sure if that exists but I’ll let you know if I find one!

BODY SCRUB: This sugar scrub leaves my skin feeling moisturized, smooth, and it smells amazing. It’s super affordable too!

SHAMPOO, CONDITIONER, LEAVE-IN CONDITIONER || I’ve loved using this shampoo, followed by this restorative conditioner and this leave-in conditioner. I discovered this conditioner at the very beginning of the year and, while it is not cheap, it is what my hair needed to come back to life.

DRY SHAMPOO: Since my hair is so dark, a lot of dry shampoos turn my hair white but I’ve really liked using this dry shampoo to get my hair feeling fresh and more voluminous. In fact, I even use dry shampoo right after I use regular shampoo to give my hair more volume.

HEAT PROTECTANT: This is one of my most important steps when doing my hair as I am frequently using a curling iron. I’ve found that my curls not only stay protected when I use this heat protectant but my curls hold better too and have less frizz! I spray it each time before I curl my hair (on dry hair).

SPLIT END TREATMENT: Sometimes I’ll wake up and my ends will be frayed, frizzy, and just not healthy looking, especially before I had my hair cut recently. While the cut made a huge difference, I still have those mornings when my hair ends look frizzy. I like to apply this split end treatment on the very ends to help make them come back to life.

CURLING IRON & TEXTURIZING SPRAY: For the majority of this year, I’ve been using the 1” Bio Ionic Curling Iron and love it! The real key though is using texturing spray afterwards. There are two texturizing sprays I’d 100% recommend for all hair types: THIS or THIS. This one is newest but I’m finding it really hard to find in stock online. This one also works amazing though.

FOUNDATION and FOUNDATION BRUSH: The best, most natural feeling foundation that also provides coverage and SPF, is this. I wear the shade ‘light beige‘. For the brush, I’ve tried looking everywhere for this but it looks like it was a limited edition brush for breast cancer (pink and in the shape of a heart called ‘Love is the Foundation’). The closest I could find to it was this one.

EYESHADOW COLOR: This eyeshadow in ‘satin taupe‘ is the perfect neutral for all occasions. I use it on a regular basis and just use more or less depending on the look I’m going for. I apply it in the crease and the outer area over top of a very natural looking tan base color.

MASCARA, EYE-LINER, and BROWS: The best mascara and liquid eye-liner I’ve used all year are both by It Cosmetics. For a pencil eye-liner, I’ve used this Double Wear Stay-In-Place Eye Pencil in ‘Onyx’. The Superhero mascara and eyeliner both work wonders for my eyes and I have yet to find something better! For my brows, I’ve been applying this brow powder using this Beautifully Precise Dual-Sided Eyebrow Brush (only $5!)!

CONCEALER: My #1 biggest problem area is my under-eye circles. No matter how much sleep I get, I will always have dark under-eye areas so my most important make-up step is concealer. I’ve been using this Bye Bye Under Eye concealer first and then going over it with Tarte’s Shape Tape in ‘Light’. This is the best combo I’ve found to work!

LIP COLOR: My most worn lip color of the entire year has been Urban Decay’s Vice Lipstick in ‘Rapture’. My most worn lighter shade of lipstick has been MAC ‘Creme Cup’. Both are beautiful and non-drying!

BLUSH and BLUSH BRUSH: I’ve been using this blush in ‘Sweet Cheeks’ all year and have applied it using this brush. The blush has highlighter in it so it saves an extra step. I can’t tell you how many compliments I’ve received from this blush.

BEST OVERALL BEAUTY PRODUCT: Coconut Oil – I’ve used this in place of make-up remover, even cleanser sometimes, lip-moisturizer, body oil, and just an overall moisturizer. You can’t beat the value of coconut oil!