Current Beauty Favorites
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SPF
Fantastic, one-step SPF that gives you a little glow and sun protection all in one. It smells exactly like traditional sunscreen, but it’s subtle (which I love). The consistency is on the thicker side, but it rubs in really easily, and makeup layers seamlessly on top. If you’ve been looking for an alternative to the Supergoop Glow Screen, this is it.
If you have super oily skin, and the thought of a glowy sunscreen scares you a little bit — consider this one. It’s a tinted sunscreen that has a satin/matte finish. It’s a thinner consistency than the Elf one, but it also layers well under makeup. Even though this provides super light coverage, I feel like it evens out your skin tone enough to be worn alone on days when you want to skip foundation.
Primer
I’m calling this a primer, but it doesn’t prime your skin or hold onto makeup throughout the day. Instead, it adds a beautiful, light glow that makes winter skin look luminous. I love to layer this under tinted moisturizers OR wear it alone on days when I’m wearing little-to-no makeup.
I use this only when I’m using the Paula’s Choice SPF I mentioned above. If I combined it with the Elf one, I think it’d be a little bit too glowy.
Again, not a true primer, but this product does prime the under eye area before concealer. I love the slight radiance it provides and, as someone with really dark under eye circles, this helps lessen the appearance of those dark areas which makes whatever concealer I use a little bit more effective.
It has a cooling quality to it, and I’m on my second stick. It lasts a pretty long time because a little goes a long way, and while it seems like just an “extra step,” I truly believe it makes a difference!
Tinted Moisturizer
I know, I know — I had a whole section on SPFs and this isn’t in it. I use this like a BB Cream/Foundation rather than a stand alone sunscreen. I typically layer one of the two SPFs I listed above under this.
It provides me with medium coverage, and while it’s expensive ($32 for 1 oz) I fully intend to repurchase this as soon as I run out. I love it THAT much, and the shade match is perfect (15 Melrose). It stays on all day and both powder and cream products layer beautifully on top!
Again, while this has SPF 35 I view that as bonus sun protection rather than the primary way to protect my skin.
I’ll be honest, I debated including this on my “favorites” list, because it doesn’t provide much coverage at all. I’d describe it as light at best, but it does a fantastic job of making your skin look downright luminous and healthy. There’s a reason I keep reaching for it, and it’s hard to put my finger on exactly why!
I have shade 1 - Very Light Pink and I probably could have gotten away with 1, 2, or 3 because the coverage is so light.
Concealer
I’ve been using this same concealer for probably…a decade? I can’t find anything that’s as easy to apply AND as effective as this. I love the sponge tip application method, it blends easily with my fingers, and it doesn’t settle into fine lines under my eyes. It’s a unicorn! I tried the Tarte Shape Tape when that was huge, and I found it had way too much coverage and too thick of a formula for my preferences. I recently tried the Saie concealer, and it doesn’t cover much at all and is super oily/emollient looking on the skin. The Kosas concealer is the best I’ve tried beyond this one in the last few years, but this still takes the top spot!
I have shade 110 Fair.
Powder
When I was younger, I always thought that powder made me look older. The more I’ve gotten to know my skin, the more I realize that it helps my makeup stay MUCH longer and makes my skin look much less oily in the hotter months.
This powder is perfection. It’s virtually undetectable on the skin, but it makes your face look flawless and still allows a little “life” to shine through so you aren’t totally matte. I have the lightest shade, Airy, and it’s a perfect match.
Bronzer
If you’ve been intimidated by cream bronzer, look no further! I take a flat topped brush from EcoTools, the blending and bronzing brush, and tap it a few times on top of the product (2-3). I then apply it to the contours of my cheeks, the top edges of my forehead, and around my neck in circular motions. It goes on seamlessly! It’s incredibly easy to blend and easy to fix if you get heavy handed.
I have the shade light bronze, and it looks like they’ve extended their shade range for both darker and lighter skin tones.
Blush
I have sung this blush’s praises many times before, but I recently went through a dry spell with this product as I opted for a liquid blush and some of the other powder blushes I have. Once I picked this back up and remembered how much I loved it and how simple it was to apply, I couldn’t remember why I stopped using it in the first place! I highly recommend the Merit brush to apply it. I have the shades Beverly Hills (my fave) and Cheeky.
When I’m not wearing the Merit blush, you’ll probably catch me wearing this one. Big warning: a little goes a long way. You legitimately only need one light dot on each cheek for beautiful color. Because of how little you have to use, I truly don’t know if I’ll never run out of this product. I have the shade rosy, and I apply this blush with the same Merit brush I mentioned earlier. I definitely prefer the brush application to using my fingers. It blends out much more quickly and evenly.
Eyeshadow
I actually have the old packaging of this palette (you know, the magnetic tin one?), which means I should probably get rid of it…but I just can’t! This is hands down my favorite palette. I use every single shade, love the quality, and love the variety of mattes and shimmers. Absolutely no notes. It’s an oldie but a goodie.
Mascara
There was so much talk about this product, that I just couldn’t resist. I am VERY picky when it comes to mascara since transfer is a big issue for me. Because of how my eyes are shaped, I almost always end up with mascara on my brow bone or under my eyes. I discovered that if I adequately powder both areas, this mascara does an okay job of staying in place. I still end up with a little black under my eyes at the very end of the day, but since that happens with legitimately all mascaras with the exception of the Merit Clean Lash — it kind of is what it is. I’ve started avoiding all mascara on my lower lashes to help with the problem.
What this has going for that the Merit doesn’t is insane length and volume. I LOVE the look and hold this provides my lashes. To be fair, the Merit mascara is marketed as a more “natural looking” product, and this one touts both length and volume. If this could have the tubing formula of the Merit, I’d never buy another mascara again!