Hello, dear friends. Welcome to the second round up of my 2018 picks, the good, the bad, and...well actually that's it. The good and the bad. No one wants to read about the "mehs". Volume 2 will go through makeup and hair care. Without further ado...
Makeup Hits
Chantecaille Future Skin Foundation: This may be my favorite purchase of the whole year, and it's not because Katie Jane Hughes personally picked it out for me. But that probably has something to do with it. True to its name this foundation looks and feels like skin. Your best skin. The first few times I wore this I got several compliments on how good my skin looked (not my makeup). It really nails the no-makeup-makeup look. I purchased the shade "alabaster" which reads very pink in the pot but is neutral on the skin. Future Skin's main claim to why it works so well is the formula is 60% charged water, whatever that is. I'm going to try and not freak out over the fact I paid nearly $80 for tinted water. Speaking of unspeakably expensive makeup...
La Mer Sheer Pressed Powder: It cost me $95 to find the setting powder of my dreams. I had a $50 gift card though, so it's all good (until it runs out and I have to pay full price for it; I might cry then). This powder does exactly what I hoped it would: sets my under-eye makeup while not taking away the "glow" or making anything look cakey or powdery. I use a soft fluffy brush and gently pat it into my freshly applied concealer, and it lasts all day. I purchased the translucent shade but the formula comes in a few shades.
Milk Kush Mascara: Hemp Seed oil apparently makes eyelashes grow longer. It took me an embarrassingly long time to figure this out (even though it's listed as a benefit on the product page). I went through two of the minis of this before I made the connection. I will say, though, once I bought the full size tube I found myself missing the mini version. The full size is massive, the bullet hefty and luxurious feeling, but the formula gets a bit dry in the big tube, which never happened with the mini. Either way, the mascara itself is thick, coats the lashes well, doesn't irritate my eyes, and, most importantly, is deep, inky black.
Milk Eye Pigment: A little farther down this list you'll find a rant from me about Glossier Lid Star. Know this: Milk's eye pigment is everything Lid Star wishes it was. Highly pigmented, these cream eyeshadows are stunning, come in an array of colors, and do.not.budge. Let me explain this further: I have the oiliest eyelids on the planet. My face is so dry I am fairly positive all of the oil that should be on my face is living exclusively on my lids. No eye primer in the world has ever given me more than 5 hours of creaseless wear. But these eye pigments? 12+ hours of creaseless wear...without primer. I do not know how I only own two of these. Clearly I need them all.
Marc Jacobs O!Mega Gel Powder Eyeshadow in "The Big-O": When these first launched I wanted to hate them. The whole marketing of "these are so big you'll never hit pan" felt off to me; in a world where we are trying to eliminate the "more is more" attitude they felt like a step back. But maybe I was reading it wrong? Maybe because they are so large you'll likely have to only ever buy one and therefore are in tune with the right message? Either way, I ended up trying the warm nude brown, as I had been searching for a shade like it for a while. It's a beautiful color and a great formula. The gel-powder has little fall out and blends easily. I will brush this shade all over my eye, smudge a bit of brown eyeliner into my lash line, and be off for the day. It's my new go-to look. Ironically enough, because I like this so much, it will likely be the first and only eyeshadow in which I do, in fact, hit pan.
Pat McGrath Labs LUST Lip Gloss: Lip gloss and I have a complicated relationship. We went pretty steady in middle school and for a little in high school, broke up around sophomore year and went our separate ways. Recently, we ran into each other in Sephora and have now basically moved in with each other. These by Pat McGrath are severely wonderful. Thick, but not sticky, hydrating(!), and come in an array of beautiful colors. My favorites are Flesh Fantasy and Twilo.
Kjaer Weis Cream Blush: The theme of this year's makeup successes is apparently, "good shit is expensive". I waited four long years (for no good reason) to buy this blush. I now own two, want them all, and would happily throw out all other blushes for these. In the event my condo was on fire, I would save these blushes. Seriously, these aren't just good "clean beauty blushes" - they are honest to goddess the best blush I've ever used, period. If you would like to try this heaven-sent product for yourself, I can offer you 15% off with the code ref15_t8tlwy if you purchase through Follain (in store or online!). You're welcome. (The code also works for just about everything else on the site if these blushes aren't your thing).
Makeup Misses
Wander Beauty Nude Illusion Foundation: With my new pigmentation friends living all over my face (melasma, acne scarring, etc.) I began seeking out a full coverage luminous foundation. This particular one was a major fail. Not only was the finish a satin matte, but it also felt heavy, dry and tight on my skin. Then it oxidized and made me look orange. Big disappointment as Wander Beauty generally makes stunning products.
Pat McGrath Labs Lip Fetish Lip Balm: I bought the shade "Blow Up". It might as well be named "Let Down". The color was almost non existent on my lips and didn't feel luxurious at all, it felt like any other balm on the market. It wasn't very long lasting, and when I went to reapply the color would gather in the lines of my lips in an unappealing way. For almost $40, I expected more.
Glossier Lid Star: Buckle. The. Fuck. Up. This is honestly one of the worst products I've ever purchased in my life. The claims: 12 hours of creaseless wear; buildable coverage; effortless. The reality: creases within minutes, you probably need a contractor and a hoard of skilled laborers to build coverage, and it requires more effort than getting into college. Even if you give up on trying to get higher pigmentation and go for the sheer look, it will be uneven and splotchy. As one reviewer noted on Glossier's website, it looks like eyelid dandruff. Thank you, next.
Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Ultra Longwear Concealer: The formula looks cakey once dried and draws more attention to the things I am trying to cover, which is obviously the exact opposite of what you need from a concealer. It's currently living (dying from neglect) in my work makeup bag and I wish I could return it.
Hair Care Hits
VERB Ghost Oil Line: I could go through each product in this line but I'm getting tired and I'm sure you're tired too. Basically, the entire line of Ghost Oil products all do exactly what they claim to do. They're lovely. Best of all, they don't make my hairline break out which happens with most hair products I try. If I had to narrow it down, I'd say go for the shampoo and the oil first. Bonus: if you shop through the link here you'll automatically get 16% off your first purchase.
VERB Dry Shampoo Light*: This dry shampoo comes in both light and dark, the light is perfect for blondes as it has the slightest purple tint to combat brassiness. The formula leaves my hair refreshed and voluminous, and like the Ghost Oil line, doesn't break my hairline out.
Bleach London Silver Shampoo: This is possibly my best find since going blonde last January. Absolutely the best purple shampoo I've tried (I've tried at least six). It keeps the brass away, keeps my hair healthy, and it doesn't break me out. I also find it to be pretty affordable compared to others. Possible bonus: it smells faintly of a freshly showered dude? So there's that.
Bleach London Reincarnation Mask: Another winner from Bleach. This massive tub is basically filled with what can only be described as the healing properties of Asclepius. My hair has never been softer or healthier, and this is coming from someone who does full bleach to platinum.
Hair care Misses
Maui Moisture Agave Shampoo: This year I tried several drugstore brand shampoos, convinced the pricer options couldn't be that different. Maybe I tried all the wrong ones, but I never found a single drugstore shampoo my hair liked. This one specifically left my hair feeling dirty - almost sticky - and dry. The smell was also completely overwhelming and gave me a headache.
Ouai Rose Hair & Body Oil: To be fair this wasn't a complete miss, it was just a miss for hair. My fine hair couldn't take it, even when I used as little as possible, and it left my locks oily and weighed down. It works nicely as a body oil, so I will use it as that until it's empty but probably not repurchase.
Honorable Mentions/Miscellaneous
Weleda Skin Food: This makes the honorable mentions list because while this product has been in my routine for a few years now, this year was the first I tried using it as a nighttime moisturizer. Previously I had been convinced it would be too rich and would break me out, but I was wrong. My dry skin loves this stuff and it has significantly changed my skin for the better; reduced redness, healed some acne, and eliminated serious dry patches.
Sangre De Fruta Jasmin de Nuit Tonic: While technically a facial spray, this mist can also be used for linens. I used it on my face for a bit but it eventually migrated to my bedside table and I mist it over my pillows before heading to sleep. The lovely light scent of jasmine is the perfect relaxing smell to fall asleep to.
Dedcool Red (Dakota) Perfume: I didn't know where to put perfume so it's going here. This is my most worn scent as of lately. I get countless compliments on it. Red (Dakota) simply gels with my body chemistry and it's hard to find a perfume that does so so seamlessly. Perfume is personal so it's hard for me to "recommend" a perfume, but I can recommend checking out Dedcool's Series 2. It's a stunning collection and you'll be hard pressed not to find something you like.
That's it, kids! Did you see any of your favorites on here? What products stood out to you the most this year? Let me know! See you next year...
*indicates product was gifted
This post contains affiliate links.
xx,
Claire
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