Best of Beauty 2016

Best of Beauty 2016

Hard to believe but another year has come and gone. And if you're a beauty lover and follow all the blogs, you know that it's time to take stock of what we loved during this past year. I am always on the hunt for new makeup to try and throughout the year I amass a list of my favorites that were my go to's for that year. Some of these products are old favorites, while some I fell in love with this year and used often in my day to day makeup routine.

So here are my top picks from 2016 that were well loved and will continue to be loved well into this new year. Feel free to leave me a comment and let me know if any of your favorites are here and if not which products you loved in 2016.

Now let's talk makeup!...

Joanna
xoxo


Foundation:
Essence Pure Nude makeup
$4.99

This foundation has grown on me the more I use it and has become my go to foundation when I want a very natural look. It gives you that no makeup feel so to me it's more like a tinted moisturizer rather than a foundation. It leaves your skin looking very fresh and natural and it blends very easily. A great discovery and great for every day.

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Concealer:

Hard Candy Glamoflage

$6.00

This concealer has been a favorite of mine for a long time and for good reason. It's heavy duty so covers dark circles and imperfections like a dream without feeling cakey and heavy on the skin. A little goes a long way so it's a steal at only $6.00. Simply amazing.

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Illuminator:

Hard Candy Look Pro! Illuminate & Strobing Mix In drops

White Pearl

$8.00

This product has become a staple in my makeup routine ever since I discovered it. Basically these drops can be applied onto the face alone or I prefer to add a few drops to my foundation, which gives it a more dewy glowy look. These drops re pure perfection. They make any foundation look more subtly dewy. Simply put, perfection.

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Highlight:

Essence Pure Nude highlighter

Be My Highlight

$4.49

This was a new launch by Essence in 2016 and a very exciting one since it can be hard finding really affordable highlighters. This is a baked highlighter and adds a really nice subtle shimmer. A beautiful every day highlight at a steal!

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Brows:

Essence Eyebrow Designer

$1.99

This has become the only brow pencil I use to shape and fill my brows. It applies smoothly and lasts all day, especially when used in conjunction with the brow gel too. A great find at an amazing price.


swatch:

Essence Make Me Brow eyebrow gel mascara

$2.99

This brow mascara has fibers to make your brows fuller, which so many products out there have and it's only $2.99! Enough said.

Mascara:

Essence I Love Extreme crazy volume mascara

$4.99

This has been one of my ride or die mascaras for so long. If you like dramatic, full lashes then this is the mascara for you. It gives you the illusion of falsies but won't flake or smudge. Perfection.

Eyeshadow:

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips

Nude

$15.79

I have been obsessed with shimmer shadows all year and these are my favorites that I have tried.  Physicians Formula is on the pricier side, for drugstore makeup, but I think it is worth every penny. The colors are beautiful, blend beautifully and add a nice shimmer without looking chunky. Stunning.

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Eyeshadow Palette:

Urban Decay Gwen Stefani palette

I dedicated a whole post to this palette and I love it as much now as I did when I first laid eyes on it. It comes with 15 shadows, a mixture of shimmers and mattes. They apply like a dream and are so pigmented, just what you'd expect out of an Urban Decay palette. Not sure if you can still get your hands on this palette anymore but I just had to include it because it has become one of my all time favorite palettes.

Face Palette:

NYX Strobe of Genius illuminating palette

$27.00

Another favorite palette of mine that I have a whole blog post on but for good reason. It comes with 7 different highlights and they are all so stunning. They blend perfectly and can be built up if you want that dramatic highlight look. A definite must if you love highlight. Go, run and buy it if you haven't already!



Blush:
Wet n Wild Coloricon blushes
Rose Champagne
Apri-Cot in the Middle
$2.99

I can't say enough about these blushes. They are pigmented yet natural and just make your cheeks look fresh. The formula is spot on and so affordable. Amazing blushes!


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Bronzer:
ELF bronzer palette
Bronze Beauty
$6.00

If you love natural, glowy bronzers with the perfect hint of shimmer then you need to get your hands on this palette. It comes with 4 shades, all of which are very natural looking. They blend beautifully and so creamy. ELF really hit it out the park with this palette. It's the bomb.

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Finishing Spray:

NYX Dewy Finish setting spray

$10.00

This past year was definitely the year of me wanting dewy, glowing skin so no surprise that this was my pick when I had to go through my collection of makeup setting sprays. This setting spray not oly gives you that dewy look but also prolongs your makeup, so best of both worlds. If you have dry, dull skin like me then I highly recommend your try this product. It has been my go to and even more so now that my skin is even more dull due to the winter weather.

Lip Gloss:

Flower Beauty Shine On lip gloss

Baby's Breath

$6.98

I am not a big lip gloss fan, I'm a lipstick girl all the way but this lip gloss is great. First off, the formula is perfect. It gives your that shine, minus the stickiness that most lip glosses have. It also feels really lightweight on the lips. This particular shade is the perfect pinky nude. Perfect for an every day, no fuss look.

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Lip Crayons:

ELF Matte Lip Crayons

Tea Rose

Berry Sorbet

$3.00

These are one of the best lip crayons I have ever tried. Some can be drying or tug on the lips but these are nice and creamy and apply so easily. These are perfect if you want an easy look or if you have problems applying regular lipstick. Either way these lip crayons are great and these two shades have been my go tos all year.

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Liquid Lipstick:

NYX Liquid Suede cream lipstick

Tea & Cookies

\Soft Spoken

Vintage

$10.00

Everyone who is into makeup knows that 2016 was the year of the liquid lipstick. Well NYX came out with their version in so many incredible shades. These three are ones that I kept running back to but honestly all of the shades are beautiful. They feel creamy on the lips but do dry down to a matte finish although there is a little transfer so just keep that in mind. That being said, I love these liquid lipsticks. They aren't super drying, don't emphasize texture on the lips and are long wearing. What more could you ask for?!

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