My Holy Grail Makeup Products of 2017
My Fave 15
As the year of 2017 is coming to a close, I wanted to round up a list of all my favorite beauty products that I used religiously throughout the year. These are the products that I could not put down and traveled with me on the go! Some of these products are not drug store, but I’ll try to find some awesome dupes! As for the products that are a little too pricey, you can ask for them as birthday or Christmas gifts, or work a few extra shifts and then treat yo’ self!
Prime & Prep
My all-time holy grail primer is the Benefit POREfessional Face Primer ($31 at Sephora). I never ever EVER used to use primer because I thought they were pointless until I got my hands on this little baby. I have super large pores around my nose and a pea size amount of this stuff makes them vanish! A little bit goes a long way and I only apply the product where it is truly needed, so although it’s pricey, I still get my bang for my buck because it last me SO long! As a drug store dupe, I heard the NYX Angel Veil Perfecting Primer ($16 at Ulta) works really well but I haven’t tried it out myself yet!
Next on the list is the Mario Badescu Facial Spray ($7 at Ulta). I’m not exaggerating in the slightest when I say I’ve gone through at least four bottles of this stuff. I think I’m so obsessed with it because it smells like a pile of roses (they also have a cucumber one which is ahhhhmazing) and it’s so refreshing! I have extremely dry skin so a quick spray of this stuff makes my face feel alive again! I spray this before and after doing my makeup and sometimes randomly throughout the day.
Face
Following my primer, I apply concealer. My favorite (and all of the internet’s fave) is the Tarte Shape Tape Contour Concealer ($27 at Ulta). I know this is super pricey for concealer, but I am telling you it doesn’t get better than this! The smallest amount goes a long way and it is so high coverage, even all-nighter-finals-week-studying-dark-circles are concealed. Another huge bonus is although it is extremely high coverage, it doesn’t crease. I don’t have a dupe for the Shape Tape because concealer is one of my favorite makeup products and I don’t mind splurging on it because I know it will last me and I’ll use it every time I wear makeup.
For foundation I LOVE the IT Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream ($38 at Sephora), it makes your skin look so healthy and glowy without the heavy feeling foundations/CC creams sometimes leave you with. Unfortunately, my college wallet cannot afford a $38 foundation every two months so I switched to the Neutrogena Hydro Boost Hydrating Tint ($12 at Walmart). I wouldn’t say it’s necessarily a dupe because I truly enjoy the IT Cosmetics CC cream, but the Neutrogena one still gives my skin a healthy glow and I love that it has a doe foot applicator which allows for super quick application. I would only reccommend this product to someone who has dryer skin and someone who wants light to medium coverage.
Regardless of what foundation I’m using, I can guarantee I’m applying it with my Real Techniques beauty blender and blending it with my favorite Morphe M439 brush ($14 on Morphe.com). This brush has changed the game for how quick I can apply my makeup before rushing out the door to class.
To set my concealer, I use the Coty Airspun Loose Face Powder ($6 at Walmart). This is my favorite drug store setting powder because it’s so cheap and does a really nice job! My biggest complaint is that since I have dry skin it can sometimes feel a little too drying but I found that only happens on days I skip a hydrating primer. I’m going to try the cult favorite Laura Mercier Translucent powder ($38 at Sephora) and do a comparison so keep an eye out for that in a future post!
To achieve a sun-kissed glow, I use the Physician’s Formula Butter Bronzer ($13 at Walmart). Every time I smell this bronzer it brings me back to summer on a beach! It smells so heavenly and gives you the perfect bronzed look.
Eyes & Brows
I don’t wear eyeshadow on a regular basis, I normally just pop in some Butter Bronzer in the crease to give my eyes some definition, BUT, when I do decide to do a full glam look or even a natural eye, my favorite palettes to use are the Jaclyn Hill Palette by Morphe ($38 on Morphe.com) or the Morphe 35O Palette ($23). If you love a warm toned look, either of these palettes would be perfect for you! To finish off the eye look I use the L’Oreal Original Carbon Black Mascara ($5 at target). I’ve been using this mascara for years and it has yet to let me down.
For eyebrows, no matter what I try, I always comeback to the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz ($21 at Sephora). My eyebrows would not know what “fleek” is without this product, I’m not kidding!!
THE Glow
To make my highlight poppin’ I use the infamous Jaclyn Hill Champagne Pop ($38 $19 on sale at Sephora). Do I even need to talk about this? I mean it’s Champagne Pop!!! This highlight gives me my favorite golden peachy glow. My second favorite highlight is the Wet n Wild Megaglo highlighting powder in the shade Precious Petals ($5 at Walmart). Talk about a bargain! This product is so beautiful and you can’t argue with a price point like that!
Nothing goes better with a blinding glow than a perfect tan! I’ve tried so many self tanning lotions that I probably could have been casted in Charlie in the Chocolate Factory as the lead Oompa-Loompa. Though I have faced many orange days, I have finally found my favorite self tanner! I used to use the Bareminerals one, and I tried St. Tropez, and I refused to buy the Loving Tan Self Tanner because I think its outrageously expensive, but I have finally FINALLY found my favorite! It gives the a nice natural color, fades evenly, and doesn’t leave you feeling sticky applying it. Alas, my favorite self tanner is the LA Tan Luxury Sunless Mousse ($9 at Walmart).