Favorites of 2019: Fashion & Beauty
Happy New Year, y’all! I hope you had a fun and safe celebration. There’s a lot of 2019 that I couldn’t wait to leave in the past and I’m determined to make 2020 an amazing year. Let’s start it off by talking about some fashion and beauty products that have never disappointed. There were so many others that I wanted to include, but I’ve finally narrowed it down to the best of the best. It’s a long one, so grab a snack and get cozy!
Fashion
One of my first favorites came from my birthday trip to Atlanta that my husband surprised me with at the beginning of the year. While we were in the city, we visited one of their malls to do some shopping. Little did we know that mall was nothing but “fancy” stores that I had never heard of and didn’t have any interest in stepping foot in, so we went across the street to TJ Maxx.
It’s a good thing we did because we found this super cute tan leather jacket for an amazing deal. My husband actually saw it first and practically forced me to try it on. A leather jacket is never something I thought I’d want to add to my wardrobe, but this one is so flattering. It matches with almost anything and is definitely my most worn Winter coat.
Living in Florida, you’d think I’d have a closet full of shorts. I do have a few that I like, but this year I was on the hunt for some new denim shorts. It was incredibly difficult to find low-rise distressed denim shorts that didn’t roll up at the bottom. I finally found some at Zumiez and had to go back for a second pair. These are exactly what I was looking for and I can’t wait until next Summer so I can wear them again.
Target is my favorite place for comfy clothes, especially pajamas! These slippers were so popular last year and I waited forever for them to go on sale. They never did, so I finally caved and picked up the last pair they had in my size. They’re not as plush on the bottom as I would’ve liked, but the incredibly soft fur definitely makes up for it. I’m hoping their hard bottoms underneath will make them last a long time.
My other favorite pair of shoes this year are these Cobian flip flops in the Nias Bounce style. Cobians are definitely my favorite brand of flip flops because they’re such great quality and super comfortable. I love how slim this style is and that they’re specifically made to be water friendly.
My last fashion favorite are these prescription sunglasses. Most of the time when I’m going out I wear my contacts, but that’s not really ideal when doing something like going to the beach or riding a bike because the wind can quickly dry out the contacts and it becomes really uncomfortable.
These sunglasses are from GlassesUSA in the Ottoto Margaret style. I’ve gotten many glasses from GlassesUSA over the past three years and they’ve all been amazing quality. I love the brown and gold combination on this pair and how big they are to really block the sun from coming in around the frame.
Skincare
Makeup headbands became a big thing this year and this leopard print one is definitely my favorite. I love the colors on it and the bow just makes it that much cuter. I got it at Ulta for around $5 or so and it really does help keep the hair out of my face when I’m washing it. I especially love using it to keep the little baby hairs around my forehead out of my face masks. We all know how annoying that can be!
Ever since I discovered self tanning three years ago, I’ve always used the St. Tropez mitt because I thought it was good enough. It wasn’t until discovering this Norvell mitt that I realized how luxurious applying tanning mousse can actually be. This mitt is so soft and has never left any streaks, no matter what mousse I paired it with. One of our dogs actually chewed up the first one I had, and I immediately repurchased another one on Amazon.
Another thing I’ve used for years, but have never been really satisfied with is eyebrow razors. I’d get whatever I could find at Target or Walmart and while they did work, I still thought they could’ve been better. I finally decided to look on Amazon and I’m kicking myself for not doing so sooner.
These are by a brand called Tinkle and they came in a pack of 6 for less than $5! I think it’s a combination of a good quality razor blade and the long shape that makes these work so well. I use them to remove peach fuzz around my brows and anywhere else around my face.
Anytime I do a face mask, I always follow up with a pore extractor tool to remove whatever the mask didn’t. The one I had for years finally broke, so I bought this set on Amazon. It comes with a total of ten different extractor tips for $8! The quality of these is even better than the one it replaced. It can be kinda gross, but it’s such a good feeling to have smaller pores and a clean face.
My last skincare favorite before we get into makeup is the Pixi Peel & Polish. It’s one of the best facial exfoliators that I’ve ever used. It smells absolutely delicious and leaves my skin feeling smooth for days. I seriously wish they’d come out with this scent in a lotion or body spray, it’s so yummy!
Read my full review here.
Tools
The only makeup tool that has really been a game changer for me this year is the Ecotools Total Perfecting Blender sponge. I had kinda gotten away from using makeup sponges for a while, but I heard this was a great dupe for the actual Beauty Blender. While I still have not ever tried the Beauty Blender, this one is extremely squishy and makes foundation look absolutely flawless.
Makeup
This is the third year in a row that the Elf Acne Fighting Foundation has been featured in my yearly favorites. It’s just so good! I have it in two shades, Porcelain and Buff, to switch between year round. It looks so beautiful on the skin and stays in place all day long. It amazes me how it can provide such great coverage while still feeling so lightweight.
Read my full review here.
While I’ve loved that foundation for years, their Camo Concealer is a new favorite. It took me a few tries to find my perfect shade match in Medium Sand, but once I got the color right I immediately fell in love with the formula. The coverage on this concealer is insane! It keeps me matte and stays in place all day without settling into pores or fine lines. It’s especially amazing in hiding dark under eye circles.
Read my full review here.
It was only a matter of time until a brand released a dupe for the Laura Mercier loose powder. Maybelline finally did it with their Fit Me Loose Finishing Powder (in Fair Light). I have both powders and even prefer the Maybelline one more! It keeps the skin matte all day and makes the pores practically invisible. It’s like a real life Instagram filter!
Read my full review here.
Brightening the under eye area is one of my favorite steps in my makeup routine. I love how it instantly wakes up the entire face. My favorite product for doing so this year has been the Peach Light and Vanilla powders in this Profusion Cosmetics Highlight Contour palette. Sometimes I’ll just use one powder or the other, but most of the time I like to combine them. The warm tones in the Vanilla shade will help to color correct dark circles while the Peach Light shade brightens.
This was the year I used my very first brow pomade. I had never really been interested in them before, but I finally gave in after hearing so much buzz around the Maybelline TattooStudio Brow Pomade. It’s pretty affordable at the drugstore and has an incredibly creamy formula. The blendability is one of my favorite things about it. Even with my extremely oily skin, this pomade stays in place all day and looks amazing in photos.
Read my full review here.
Eyeshadow is my favorite type of product and while I’m always testing new formulas throughout the year, there have been a few palettes that I’ve consistently reached for again and again. The first two are both 10 pan palettes from Wet n Wild. They’re one of the most affordable brands and have one of the best eyeshadow formulas on the market.
Rose in the Air has a more berry color selection with both cool and warm toned options, whereas My Glamour Squad is much more warm focused. I’ve featured both of these in various tutorials and they really are two of my go-to palettes.
The other three palettes I’ve been loving are from more high-end brands. The Tarte Be You, Naturally palette is definitely my favorite that I’ve tried from their round palette collection. The color selection looks super simple, but it’s perfect for a natural glam look.
The Pretty Vulgar Nightingale palette has a much more cool-toned color selection. The quality is what really impressed me with this palette, along with the fact that it has everything needed to create an entire eye look all on its own. These shadows are insanely pigmented and blend effortlessly.
When I want to feel a little extra special, I reach for the Pür Cosmetics Soirée Diaries eyeshadow palette. This is the palette I used on my wedding day, so it always brings back sweet memories every time I open it. But aside from the memories, it’s just a great quality palette and I love the color selection.
If you caught any of my tutorials within this past year, then my two favorite mascaras will probably come as no surprise. The Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara and the Benefit Roller Lash have been in a constant rotation. The Too Faced one provided more volume than the Benefit mascara and got better over time, but the Roller Lash does a better job of separating each individual lash.
The only lip product that I’ve used consistently throughout the entire year is the eos stick lip balm. I think it’s just as good as their sphere lip balms, but much easier to travel with. These are great for keeping the lips moisturized and nourished underneath lipstick, lip gloss, or a liquid lip. But within the past few months, I’ve learned to appreciate them as a standard lip balm. They’re not petroleum based, which allows the formula to really soak into the skin and prevent (or heal) chapped lips.
Nails
I went to my first Five Below store earlier this year and because I’m so insanely obsessed with all things beauty, I couldn’t help but want to try one of their nail polishes. I love bright neon nails and this orange is just gorgeous! It’s by a brand called Fresh Paint and the shade name is Guava. This is by far the absolute best neon formula I have ever tried. It’s so opaque, it could even be completed in one coat!
My other favorite nail polish is this entire L.A. Manicure set from Emma Beauty. I’ve been all about white nails and soft nude polishes and this set has it all. The quality is amazing and the selection between all six shades is wonderful. If I absolutely had to choose, I’d say my two favorites are Soft Lips & White Tips and Beach, Sand, & Tanned.
The only base and top coats I’ve used this year are both by Emma Beauty, which also made it into last year’s favorites! The Stuck on You base coat and the Rock Hard top coat keep my nail polish on for an entire week, no matter what polish I pair them with. The top coat will get pretty thick and not work as well after being opened for a while, but it’s nothing a few drops of nail polish thinner can’t fix.
When I wanted to take a break from nail polish or wear something that looked a little more fancy, I went with the Kiss imPRESS Press-On nails. It’s been so many years since I’ve used press-on nails, I can’t even count. I wasn’t sure what kind of quality to expect from these, but they were seriously so impressive - pun intended! My favorite style is called Yeah Boy. I love the combination of the marble and glitter together!
Read my full review here.
Oh my goodness! Was this a good year in beauty or what?? There were so many amazing products and dupes that I was not expecting to find. I’m looking forward to carrying these great products with me into the new year and starting 2020 off with high standards.
In case you missed it, don’t forget to check out part 1 of my yearly favorites that was posted earlier this week featuring all my home and lifestyle faves!
XO ♥ Christina ♥
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