Our Beauty Favourites of 2016
Hello everyone! We hope your new year has gotten off to a good start and that you're feeling well. Today we thought we'd share some of our favourite makeup and skincare pieces from 2016. For us , 2016 has been a year where we have both learned more about makeup and skincare. At the beginning of 2016, we both wore makeup, but were not looking to get excited about it. But now makeup is something that we both find so much joy in, and we hope that 2017 will be even better! Note: While it didn't make it into this post, we both give an honourable mention to Beauty Blenders!!! That beauty tool has totally transformed the way we do our makeup and we highly recommend them!
Guin: In the past I have always bought makeup when it was on sale. I feel like many beginners with makeup generally do that. This year however I wanted something that was good quality and still within my price range. I was in Montreal for a weekend in September and went to visit Emma at college, and we popped into the drugstore to look for a good concealer and Foundation. Emma said she had heard really good reviews about the Rimmel Match Perfection set. It was pricier than what I had been buying but was still super reasonable. And it was everything I wanted and more. It matches my skin perfectly (excuse the terrible pun) and it never leaves creases. I have never been happier with skin products!
Emma: My favourite base product from the past year has got to be the Maybelline Fit Me concealer. This concealer is the most brightening of all that I have tried, which is very important to me as I struggle with dark circles even after a good night of sleep... This concealer also works well to hide blemishes, which makes it super convenient to bring around with me whenever I'm out. Having one product that does it all is always a win! The one downside for this is probably that it creases a bit under the eyes, but it's easily dabbed away with your little finger if that happens.
Links: Rimmel Match perfection foundation, Rimmel Match perfection concealer, Maybelline Fit Me concealer
Emma: Time to talk about face products! I have been and always will be a huge blush fan, so a palette with three matte shades was such an exciting find. These blushes are ultra pigmented, so a tiny little dab of your brush goes a long way. They're also matte, which makes them great for layering or blending with highlighter. I have surprisingly enough fallen in love with the purple middle shade! Unfortunately, the palette I have doesn't seem to be available anymore, so I linked a gift set of matte blushes that City Colour offers. I've also fallen in love with this highlighter from Colourpop. This is the most perfect rose gold highlight imaginable. It's a powder, but the formula is creamy and stays strong all day on your cheeks! I highly recommend checking out these highlighters because they are amazing quality for the price. Lastly, this was a splurge for me, but the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light was such an excellent purchase. It is now the only powder I use, and it minimizes pores, locks in foundation and keeps me oil-free all day.
Links: City Colour Be Matte Blush set, Colourpop Highlighter in Might Be, Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light
Guin: I am not as brave as Emma when it comes to anything to do with eyes. I have two staple items when it comes to my eyes. The first is white eyeliner and very nude shades of eye shadow. This year my favs were this beautiful Lise Watier palette (which unfortunately broke) and this Annabelle Kohl liner. I could go on forever about the liner and how it far exceeded my expectations based on its price point. It it very pigmented and has lasted me so long. I have to say this is my favourite piece of 2016! I will certainly get this same one when I run out!
Funnily enough, we have both independently fallen in love with the L'Oreal Miss Manga mascara!
Guin: This is actually my second Miss Manga mascara and I have yet to be disappointed! I always find that Mascara is usually hit or miss. I love them way this mascara serrates and elongates my lashes while simultaneously offering that promised volume. I do recommend getting the waterproof version of this, especially if you are anything like me and have leaky eyes and cry al the time (I cry as a reaction to all emotions). If you have not tries it out yet I recommend getting this mascara, I promise it will not disappoint!
Emma: I have chosen the waterproof edition of the Miss Manga mascara because it is simply more functional for me in many ways! While I prefer the brush and application of the original version, the Waterproof is more easily buildable, and has been a face-saver for someone who cries nearly every hour (no shame). It has also been very handy with the onset of winter, which means for me as a Montrealer that I will have snow in my eyes anytime I'm outside...
Links: L'Oreal Miss Manga (Tip: Take a peek in your local Winners or Marshalls, because they usually have some of these in stock for 5$ or 6$ when they usually retail for 14$ at drugstores!)
Guin: Oh dear... I am so afraid of lip products that are not balms or subtle glosses. This 2016 I bought many, many balms. This Covergirl Colorlicious Oh Sugar lip balm was this year's MVP. It not only provided my lips with the most beautiful natural sheer but was so hydrating and softening. It also is shaped like lip stick... so it made me feel fancy...which I liked. This lip gloss was my go-to for anything even a little bit fancy. I do have to mention my other FAV lip balms that I find myself reaching for all the time, the mint EOS, vanilla Burts and Bees and forever amazing Blistex (a saviour for people like me who have eternally dry lips!)
Emma: Lipstick!! Lipstick, especially liquid lipstick, has really become my favourite product to use. Having to narrow my favourites down to two products has been rough, but I think I have made the right choice! I placed an order with Colourpop in the fall, and I chose this true red lipstick from their Ultra Matte Lip range in the shade Creeper. It is honestly my favourite red lipstick I have ever tried (and that is saying something, because I have a lot of red lipstick!!). It is so pigmented, the application is so smooth and it just never comes off! My other favourite is the Ciate London Liquid Velvet lipstick in the shade Pinup. This has been my go-to everyday shade the past few months. It's a dark berry shade, but it's just neutral enough that it's a great every day colour. I also threw in this peppermint lip balm from Jersey Shore cosmetics because it is so yummy and hydrating.
Links: Colourpop ultra matte lip in Creeper, Ciate Liquid Velvet in Pinup Lise Watier lip gloss, Covergirl Colorlicious Oh Sugar lip balm
We decided to take this picture to show how our different lip colours looked on our skin tones! Guin's arm is on top and Emma's is on bottom. The lipsticks from left to right are Covergirl Oh Sugar balm in cupcake, Lise Watier gloss, Sephora matte lip creme in shade 13, Sephora matte lip creme in shade 05, Ciate London liquid velvet in Pinup, and Colourpop ultra matte lip in Creeper.
Guin: So I know I said that my white eyeliner was this years MVP, but in terms of skin care this Body Shop Satsuma Body Butter has not only been incredibly moisturizing but has become my favourite scent. I love it so much. The only issue with it is I use it up SO quickly because it is too amazing. It is really pricey but I cannot explain how worth it, it is. I have chronically dry skin on my face. No cream has ever moisturized like this Nivea nourishing Night Care cream. I wake up feeling refreshed and moisturized and no matter how bitter the winter may be this cream keeps my face all good!
Emma: Because we took these photos at Guin's home and I didn't feel like lugging all of my lush products with me on the bus, I decided to bring along my most handy (mind the pun) product of 2016: my hand cream from Delectable. I discovered this brand for body and skin products this year and I am totally in love! All of their products smell like desserts, and they are all vegan and cruelty-free. This hand cream was from their Christmas collection, so it's mint and cream scented. It is so yummy and moisturizing, but it never leaves my hands feeling greasy like so many other creams do.
Links: The Body Shop Satsuma Body Butter, Nivea Nourishing Night Care, Delectable by Cake Beauty hand cream
Makeup Resolutions for 2017:
Guin: I have tendency to go for all nude everything when it comes to makeup. This year I would like to be bold and go for darker and more vibrant colours (and maybe even start doing my eyebrows!)
Emma: My resolutions for 2017 are to take better care of my skin and really invest more into skincare products, as well as to make an effort to ensure that most of my beauty purchases are cruelty-free.
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