Being selective with make up, for your reading pleasure, was nightmarish. However, with rigorous qualifying criteria, I’ve somehow managed to compile a list of my most used products of 2017. Those little gems that I reached for on the regular. Surprisingly, no Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in here, but I don’t tend to use full on liner frequently enough to allow it to make the cut!
Forewarning, these are photos of my own banged up, well loved, much used products, so they aren’t all sparkly and new. Let that be a testament to their level of usage!
Anything you’re interested in, just click the pink links and let me know what you think!
Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Wear £31.50
So I don’t think the colour match service I received in Boots was spot on for this one, which was disappointing considering the extensive shade range, but bearing its price point in mind I’ve just been making the shade I have work. The hype surrounding this foundation when it launched was crazy. Every YouTuber and their momma was raving about it. I resisted for a while, but gave in when Estée Lauder put the price of Double Wear up AGAIN! Don’t even get me started. I’ve refused to buy it for a while now on point of principle!
Anyway, despite the coverage this gives, you’ll be surprised at just how comfortable it feels on the skin. It lasts well into the working day but, more importantly in my opinion, it wears down evenly. It also contains silica which helps absorb excess oil and the finish I would describe as matte but not drying.
Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation £8.29
You know when you buy something, you love it but somehow it gets lost among other lovelies and you forget about it? That was the deal with this one in 2017. I get on ok with drugstore foundations in general, but never fall for one, body and soul. They always seem to miss the mark. Enter Rimmel! Beautiful texture, blends like a dream, gives a subtle, believable airbrushed effect and doesn’t cost the earth. It really is amazing. Even on my oily skin! Why I pushed this to the back of the drawer, I’ll never know. As with Teint Idole, it wears evenly. I think I’ve given up on hoping something will look just as perfect after 8 hours as it did after 8 minutes. Even wear is the way forward!
Combo of Revlon Colorstay£12.99 and Mac Studio Fluid Fix £23.50
This foundation combo plus the setting powder below has been a revelation for me! Find out more by clicking here.
Coty Airspun Loose Face Powder (Extra Coverage) £14.99
The obsession I have with this setting powder is unhealthy, most probably. Especially when my biggest plus for this is the scent. Yes, this smells amazing. Fragrance aside, because let’s face it, that adds nothing to its performance, baking your base with this will give the most flawless finish you’ve ever experienced. Matte, smooth and silky!
Maybelline Age Rewind Concealer £8.99
Once upon a morning this would have been my concealer of choice. Then one day I looked at the component and the sponge tip applicator and felt uneasy about just how hygienic it was, or not as the case may be. Into the bin it went. Then I picked up a new one because most of my other concealers just didn’t compare. I somehow managed to get over the fact that the applicator was perhaps not my number one choice and just allowed myself to use a flipping good product! I use this all over the face because it’s fluid in consistency, and therefore spreads will, but it covers a multitude!
Mac Blush in Warm Soul £23.00
If you love to look bronzed and healthy, you’ll love this blush. If you want a blush that goes with practically every make up look you could ever create, you’ll love this blush. If you shun the pink clown cheeks, you’ll love this blush. Basically, you’ll love this blush. Lasts well, blends beautifully, colour is complimentary and you’ll have a healthy flush. The end.
Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Bronzer £25.00
A bronzer that smells of chocolate is always a favourite in my book. As a bonus, this shade is perfect for my pastey complexion, pigment level is just right and it’s matte. Shimmering bronzers in Northern Ireland? No dear. But the smell…oh the smell!
Tanya Burr Cosmetics Champagne Sorbet Illuminating Powder £7.49
The first of two of Tanya’s products in my favourites. This was a newcomer in 2017 and became a hit in no time. The shade is a little more golden than I’d usually go for in a highlight but this has become almost a daily staple. Use a fluffy brush for a more subtle shimmer or apply with a fan brush for something a little more blinding. Can’t wait for warm summer days (if we ever get any) so I can try it out on my collar bone and shoulders.
Tanya Burr Cosmetics Perfect Brow Palette £7.00
When we went to Florida in 2016, this was the only brow product (bar a setting gel) that I brought. Not only that, but it was also the only thing I brought that I could have used as eyeshadow or liner. The three shades (plus highlight) can be mixed and matched to your heart’s desire, ensuring your brows are perfectly colour matched, every time. If you don’t mind using minis, the palette comes with a pair of tweezers and teeny angled brush so works well for travel. I loved it in 2016 and I loved it in 2017.
NYX Control Freak Brow Gel £6.00
Ok so this looks like a clear mascara. Maybe it is, I don’t know, but mascara or not, this is the only thing that I have found to tame my unruly brows. Much like my wig, my eyebrow hairs also have a slight curl at the end, which is a nightmare when you’re trying to make them look sculpted and groomed. Once I fill them in, I comb them through with the applicator wand and, voila! Tamed!
Too Faced Chocolate Bar and Sweet Peach Palettes £39.00 each
Narrowing my eyeshadow palettes down to favourites was a challenge. I’d compare the emotion to picking a favourite pair of shoes or a child you favour slightly more over another. So, I had to go with whatever I used most throughout the year. I admit, there were 4 or 5 others that nearly made the cut but, on reflection, I reached for these a tad bit more. With both of these palettes you have your neutrals, the comfort zone, the every day, going to work, running errands eye looks that many of us use on a daily basis. With these looks you’ll get pigment, blendability and longevity (if used with a primer).
Then, you’ve got little pops of something different. Shades that you look at and, all of a sudden, feel you could pull off. Shades that you wouldn’t ordinarily pick in single pans or even in a wee quad, but nonetheless, shades that take your eye game up a notch. If you’d like to see swatches of the Sweet Peach palette, click here.
Bare Minerals Gen Nude Matte Liquid Lip Colour £17.00 each
2017 was the year of the lip for me. Previously I had been a gloss girl. A sheer gloss girl at that. Now, I haven’t gone mad with bright colours or anything and I don’t ever go for whatever lip shade is on trend (I’m sorry but chocolate brown, grey and purple lips are just not ok) but my lip product wardrobe has expanded considerably over the last 18 months or thereabouts. Of course I have my favourite lippies and I still love my gloss from time to time, but these mousse like, matte, liquid lipsticks from Bare Minerals are comfortable, not as drying as you’d imagine, last well, wear quite evenly and the shade range, for me, is perfect! If I were to recommend just one, it would be ‘Swag’, a nudey pink that is beautiful on the daily but I think it would make for a stunning bridal look. Just sayin’!
There we have it! I’d love to know your favourite make up products from 2017 in the comments below!
Thanks for stopping by!
J x
