The Oddball List

Every year when I make these lists, there are a few products that just don’t fit into the other lists. Sometimes it is because they are the only one of that item in the category and there fore don’t make a very good list on their own. sometimes they fulfill multiple roles. either way they are still favorites so i decided to give them their own category.

1- Embryolisse Lait Cream

The one I pulled out of my empties bin is the sensitive version. There were also two of the Concentre versions in there. Technically this could have gone with the moisturizers but honestly that isn’t how I use it. It is a good moisturizer, but i have a lot of good moisturizers. This cream works best as a pre makeup base. it has been around since the 1950s and has that I am old school skin care scent. As my grand mother and mother both used this cream I find the scent somewhat comforting. For me I apply my skincare in the morning when I first get up. Sometimes I don’t put my makeup on until much later. Usually around ten but sometimes later, especially if i have an afternoon meeting. (I tend to get up answer e-mails and do a lot of desk work, then take a break once I see how my day is shaping up to put on my makeup. It is one of the benefits of working from home and one of the reasons I love this cream. By the time i do my makeup my skin care is all absorbed. Applying a small amount of this cream (smaller than a pea) helps perk up my skin and locks in moisturize so the makeup sits better and nothing looks powdery. I love this cream and even when I forget to add it to my makeup list, I am probably still wearing it underneath. It is just a fantastic secret weapon to have around.

2- Wander Beauty Glow Ahead Illuminating Face Oil

Again Is suppose i could have put this in with the serums, but Honestly it is my post work out face treat. As I mentioned I wash my face first thing in the morning and then again before my night time skincare. With all of my efforts to lose weight, I have been doing a lot of workouts. And So post work out I will rinse off in the shower. if I am not washing my hair, just rinsing it out, I probably won’t be using face wash either I will just sort of rinse the sweat off and pat dry. This often leaves my skin with dry bits. Applying a full on moisturizer would be too much, however a drop or two of this glow oil works really well. It is light weight absorbs quickly and isn’t greasy. It hydrates the spots where I need hydration and gives my skin a nice little glow. Mostly it is just the right amount of moisture for my freshly rinsed skin. It is the perfect post work out skin treat.

3- Peach and Lily Glass Skin Veil Mist

I keep this mist on my desk, especially in the winter time. The vents blowing hot air can dry me out a bit and it is nice to have something to spritz with. It also has peach, Lotus and Cucumber extracts which my skin likes. And if you are going to spritz you might as well go with something that has some skin care benefits. It is cooling, soothing and it works well on both bares skin and a full face of makeup. It has a fine light mist that settles easily over the skin and doesn’t damage your makeup. I really enjoy having it around in the winter. It smells vaguely spring like without being too heavy a scent and feels refreshing.

4- i Method Beauty Eyebrow Stamp Kit

And finally we come to the only makeup item on my list. I really enjoy this eyebrow kit. It has a great pomade and a set of brow stencils for you to choose from. The stamp is excellent and honestly this is the first time in my life where my eyebrows actually look like each other. Usually they look like they might be distant cousins. I love the pomade formula and am thrilled that it is exactly the shade I need for my brows. They have others of course. This one works for me and I will continue to use it. The pomade jar is almost empty and I will have to reorder soon. But it is one product I will keep on hand.

And those are the oddballs. The items I love, I use, but didn’t quite fit in with the others, often because they are the only example in their category. They are favorites of mine just the same and i thought I would just use them to wrap up my version of the 2022 favorites list. I know my loves aren’t universal. Products that work for me may not work for you. Or you may have once liked these and then found something better. However I love looking back over the year and seeing the items that I used and the items that I liked enough to continue using. And I really like seeing how my tastes change as well as the styles change. For some of the favorites on the list this year was their moment in the sun and in the coming year they will be forgotten. Others will settle in and become permanent use items. I like having theses lists as a sort of time capsule. This was the beauty Time Capsule of 2022. It will be fun to see what changes in 2023.

The tools of the year

Every year there are tools that I try. Some are the latest thing, others someone’s holy grail product. While I have a few constants that stay with me from year to year, many are products I try out and then forget all about. These are the ones That I kept around after I tried them out and will be keeping going into 2023. Narrowing it down to just five was pretty difficult, but n the end, these are the five that top my list.

1- Color Switch pad

This one is has been with me for several years. The material is pretty much plastic so it doesn’t really wear out. Every time I think it isn’t doing anything, I take it out and see the collection of powder in the bottom of the tine and realize it does. To wash I empty the powder rinse and dry the tin and then rinse the plastic bit out like a sponge with some antibacterial soap. If I have makeup sponge cleanser I use that with it. This tool has one purpose, to take off excess pigment from your brushes so you can switch between shades while still using the same brush. It really helps when traveling or if you have very few brushes. It isn;t a substitute for washing your brushes but it is great between washes.

2- Luxie Makeup Brushes

I only put one in the picture but they are great brushes. I have gotten a lot of brushes from a lot of different places. They come in all sorts of subscription boxes. Some are nice, some not so much. when I did a mass declutter of my brushes this year i realized that even though some of my Luxie Brushes were among the oldest in the collection, they were still in the best condition. I have no problem using cheaper brushes (and in fact I do so a lot) but when I am going to splurge on a good set of brushes (or even individual ones), I know the brushes I buy are going to last longer than pretty much any other brush. They have all sizes shapes and colors available and you can buy them in sets or as a brush at a time. Personally I always drool over the sets and think I will order that one and then I end up buying the individual brushes because they aren’t in the set. I tell myself I am going back and I really need to especially as there are now some gaps in my brush collection I think one of their sets could fill. Regardless of your purchasing style, They are good brushes well worth picking up as if you care for them they will last a really long time.

3-Odacite Mon Ami Facial Accupressure Beauty tool

This is one of those items that I received in a subscription (IPSY I believe) and thought, It’s pretty but pointless. Here is the thing though. It is designed with two uses. The round end is used for accupressure. They give you a chart and i tried it. Maybe it works for some people but it didn’t for me. The secondary use is as a skincare spoon. And oh wow is it fantastic. While it is nice to stir up masks that settle, it is perfectly designed for mask application. It scoops the product well and then the curve of the metal perfectly angles over the face for a smooth application. It is exactly the right angle to smoothly apply face masks. The rounded point lets you put the mask in the slightly harder to reach areas and while the concave side works well for scooping and applying if you flip it around you can easily smooth the mask over the skin. This has replaced all of my silicone masking spatulas. It is perfectly shaped. pretty to look at and compact enough not to take up a lot of space. I love this little tool I have no use for the acupressure end, but it looks nice and works fantastically well with skincare products.

4- The Jade Roller

I know you’ve seen them everywhere. I think I have about five in the house from subscription boxes alone. The thing is if you have puffy eyes, they are a great tool to hae around. i will roll it over the rest of my face but really the cool stone over the under eyes that are puffy from allergies or lack of sleep are where I really use this one. I keep one on my desk and will use it just before meetings so I look a little more awake and aware after a long day. It is a good tool. I don’t need any more, but they are really good and inexpensive tools. When you pick one up, go with one made out of some sort of stone. They stay cool naturally and while they warm up after hey have been on your skin, if you set them back on your desk for a while they will cool down on their own and be good to go. No refrigeration needed.

5- Comper- Smarkin 4-in 1 Beauty Device

I love this device. The system has a step by step tutorial on my phone and it lets me know when my next treatment is according to the regimen I have set up. It is easy to use and doesn’t take that much time. My skin really feels improved. I have no idea what the lights of the LED treatment do for my skin, but everything else is fantastic. It is like a super charged Gua Sha tool. It uses the same principals as the tool but takes it up to another level. I adore this skin care device and have incorporated it into my weekly routine. It is a bit pricy (although it is on sale now). If you like the thought but aren’t sure if you would use it as routinely as needed then get an inexpensive Gua Sha tool and spend a month using it routinely. If you have no problems incorporating that into your routine then you would be fine with using this. I liked the gua sha, I love this device and will happily continue using it. It may be my favorite skin care tool of the year.

And there you have it, the top five tools I can’t do without. I know it isn’t a shocking list. There are many things I tried and while they were fun or nice, I just didn’t find myself incorporating them into my daily or weekly routine. And a good tool is only good if you will use it. These are the good tools I will continue to use. Or at least did this year. I can’t wait to see what makes the cut next year. Because there are always new things to try.

You’re making me blush…

Looking at the blushes I reach for I find myself a bit surprised. I know these are the ones I reach for but I find the formulas that they turned out to be surprising. But we’ll get into that as we go through the top five blusehs I reached for in 2022.

1- BareMinerals Bounce and Blur Blush

This is the only sample in the collection and when the sample does run out i will be repurchasing. It is just one of those samples that never seems to run out. I suspect once it starts showing pan it will disappear immediately there after. But I am happy to use the sample until then. It is a cream to powder formula. I apply it with a finger tip and then blend with a makeup sponge. It gives a fantastically natural looking blush to the cheeks and is prefect for a natural makeup day. It blends well and lasts all day long.

2- Illamasqua Gel Blusher

I bought this gel blusher out of curiosity as at the time i had not tried a gel blush. I love it. the shade I have is a sort of powdery pink which for me leans to a more natural look I’m sure other shades are more dramatic but this dusky pink tends to lean natural flush for me. It needs to be blended as you apply it, don’t apply it on one cheek apply the second and come back to blend. Apply it with a fingertip and blend as you apply. Once settled in it stays there for the rest of the day if you blend it right away you don’t have to think about it the rest of the day.

3- Dominique Cosmetics Cream Blush In natural Rose

This cream blush is more of a summer shade for me. I do need to warm it up with my finger tip but once it becomes less stiff in the pan i switch to a makeup sponge. I wipe my finger on the sponge so as not to waste product and then apply the cream blush with a sponge. this is another one that needs to be blended as you go. Don’t try to put it on both cheeks and then blend. And once it is in place it styas all day. I am a big fan of this cream blush and will be using it all summer long.

4- Hourglass Ambient light blush

This shade looks toxicly pink in a swatch but blends out to be a lovely soft pink on the skin. i can really only wear this shade in the winder but it is now coming into it’s season. It is a baked powder formula and the marbled white and pink really help it blend.

5- Doucce Posh Powder Palette

I thought about putting this with the face palettes but I really only use it for blushes. There are three blushes and three highlighters. The highlighters I will use if I take the blush palette out but they not the reason I reach for this palette. I do like the gold toned one though and it is the one I reach for the most and would probably pick up separately. They are just there when i reach for the blush. The blush is one of my favorite powder formulas. And which of the three I wear depends on the season. The orange-ish one I can only wear at the height of summer, the soft pink I can only wear in the winter and the third I can wear all year round. I really enjoy these blushes.

And those are the top five blushes for me this year (I know I sort of cheated the numbers with the palette). what I find interesting is that this time last year, I was using the Bare Minerals cream to powder, but all of the others were powder formats. This year, that isn’t the case. I love blush and I think it will be interesting to see where I am next year with this. This year cream blush seemed to have it’s moment and while there were a few I hated, there were a couple of really good formulas. I will be curious to see how this changes in the following year. But for now, these five top the charts for me anyway.

Four Fabulous Bronzers

When looking at bronzers, I realized I am kind of picky. I tried a lot of bronzers this year but there are consistently four that I come back to time and time again.

1- Trestique Bronzing Stick

This is the old packaging that was in my empties bin of doom when I went to count things up. The newer ones are refillable So this will be my last throw away version and I will just keep buying refills for my refillable version. This is my only cream bronzer on the list and I really like it. I can easily control where it goes and it blends like a dream. Some of the other cream bronzers I have tried didn’t blend quite so well and where you put it was where it stayed, or it blended out to not much. This is creamy and blends well without blending out. And even in the disposable one, the brush end of the product unscrews allowing you to wash it. And I have to say, the brush included works really well at blending out this bronzer. Most brush included products I tend not to use the brush. this one I like.

2- Ciate Bamboo Bronzer In South Beach

This is a lighter formula and for me it is perfect for the winter Often times I find in the winter all of my bronzers are simply too pigmented for me. this one is not. It is light but buildable. I do tend to use a stiffer bristeld brush with it, but I find it blends really well and if you are nervous about putting pon bronzer, this might be a good starter product. For me it is great for the winter.

3- Buxom Staycation Primer Infused Bronzer in Roof Top Tan

I don’t know if the primer does anything in this Bronzer but I do live the formula. It is soft and has a slightly pink cast to it which works really well with my skin tone. It is buildable. There are only a few months out of the year I can’t use it. It is great spring summer and fall. It is just a little too rich for the winter. Otherwise I love this bronzer. It blends well and builds well, but it does have a slight reddish tint that tends to work best with those who have pink under tones.

4- Viseart Bronze Noix

This is a little deeper toned than the others and perfect for summer wear. It isn’t as soft a formula as the others but it builds really well and blends amazingly easy. And I just adore the little fold up packet. It is also easy to travel with and is amazingly long wearing. It is a summer product for me but it is one I look forward to using every year.

And those my darlings are the four bronzers that made the top list. There are more but none of them I reach for as consistently as I do these. For me they performed better than the other bronzers. There are other bronzers I like in face palettes, but that is a different category.

Popular Powders

This year there have really been five powders I have reached for. I have others I like, but these have been the top products I use more often than others. One, is discontinued, but I still felt it was worth mentioning because it is different from the others and while I will be finishing it up in the next month I will be looking for a replacement for it. You know, why don’t we start with that one.

1- Becca Pink Haze Setting Powder

This setting powder is pink. For me that is unusual because generally I have setting powders that are white translucent to medium translucent. I have pink undertones to my skin. I know not everyone does, but i also know there are other tinted powders out there, although I do believe the pink tint might be good for a lot of people. I have a friend with very dark skin who uses it for pretty much the same reason I do. To add a slightly healthy glow to the skin when you feel kind of winter washed out. If you have really red/rosateia you might want to avoid this though It isn’t the same kind of glow that you get from a highlighter it is more of a healthy skin look. It makes you look a little less like you spent three months sitting at your desk with the only light available being the computer screen. when I first saw this i thought it would be like putting blush all ove my face but it isn’t. it is just a healthy tint when you look a little sallow. Becca is done and my container of powder has very little product in it, but i will be on the hunt for a new pink powder to replace it this year so I thought it deserved to be on the list.

2- Kim Chi Chic Beauty Puff Puff Pass Set and Bake Powder

Okay first off, the powder looks adorable when it arrives. It is wrapped in paper and just feels like a present. Then it has the powder puff. I would buy this just for the powder puff. And trust me when this powder container is empty, I will replace the container but keep the puff to use with other powders since a new one will be with the new powder. this puff is an actual puff and not a thin piece of foam that looks like it has been hit with a steam roller. Then there is the powder. It is finely milled and the shade I have (03) has just enough tint to really blend well with my skin tone. There are several other shades so you are very likely to find one that suits.

3- Beauty Bakerie Setting Powder

I am using the shade Oat. It is white but has just enough of a tint that it blends really well. I also like that it is not a huge container of setting powder. I don’t use a lot of powder with each set (I don’t do the intense bake layer, I just set my makeup with it which doesn’t take a whole lot) So this size will last me a while. Plus it’s size makes it perfect for longer travels. For shorter trips I use a smaller travel size. I love that there is a lid lock inside so that the holes can be blocked off and powder won’t spill into the cap when not in use. For space concerns I store my powders on their sides in a row and sometimes there is spillage. But not with this one.

4- Tatcha The Silk Powder

This is extremely finely milled powder. I picked up the travel size because I wanted to try it. I had a sample from a previous Tatcha order and it comes pressed onto a sheet with a plastic overlay. I tried the sample and it felt a bit like a pressed powder because it was pressed to the paper. It worked well. I would have loved it in a compact though. if Tatcha ever makes this into a pressed powder I will purchase it immediately. I love it as a loose powder though. I mostly want it as a pressed powder because there is only one pressed powder I really use right now. This is a greatly good powder but it is fine enough that I sometimes hold my breath when dusting off the excess. That is it’s only flaw. It wears well and looks fantastic.

5- No 7 Perfect Light Pressed Powder

This is the only pressed powder on my list because honestly it is the only pressed powder i use. I need it to pat the shine off, especially in the summer so it is a constant makeup bag to purse traveler. This is the third compact of this I have used this year and it has about two more months left of use in it. It is really good for mid day use. It can powder down the shine without adding powdery weight to your look. It is a long term favorite of mine and probably will be for a long time to come.

And those my darlings are the top five powders of 2022. There are many more powders in my collection, but these are the ones I reach for first and use the most.

A trio of skin loving lotions

Body Lotion and hand cream are a staple of subscription boxes. Most come in, are used and while I may enjoy them while they are here, they are quickly forgotten. These three made an impression. They are also ones that I have actually picked up again after they ran out and for that alone, they deserve a mention.

1- Soap and Glory Heel Genius

This is the best foot cream I have used thus far. My feet take a beating and I often have caluses and dry rough spots on my feet. When I do this is what I pick up. I will apply it, an hour before bed. Put my socks on over the creamed up feet and then just before bed take the socks off. By morning everything is only half as rough or as dry as when I went to bed. Repeating this on the following nights keeps cutting the problems in half until I am left with soft hydrated tootsies.

2- Dr. Botanicals Lemon

This is a rabidly absorbing hand cream that has very little scent. (lightly Lemon) It hydrates without feeling greasy and is the lotion I keep in my purse because I can apply it after hand sanitizing with out worrying about my hands slipping on the wheel. I find this at my local grocery store but it can be ordered from the site as well. It is very inexpensive and well worth keeping around.

3- Rituals Ritual of Mehr

This is my indulgent hand lotion. It absorbs well and the scent is just fantastic. All of their hand creams had the same consistency and all of their scents are quite potent. while I adore this particular scent, it is not a hand cream I can use out in public or when scent sensitive people are around, My skin loves it and I will order this as a personal indulgence.

And there you have it three lotions well worth looking into. They made themselves stand out among a heap of competitors and I will happily purchase all three repeatedly. They hydrate, they fight foot calluses and they balance out hand sanitizer, all while being quite fabulous.

Mighty Mascaras

Ah mascara, one of the few items i never forget to put on. For me it is all about the length and the fullness. For me, curling isn’t really something I look for. So with that in mind these are the mascaras I really enjoyed this year.

1- Benefit Cosmetics They’re Real Extreme Lengthening Magnet

While I am not terribly enthused by the regular They’re Real Mascara, this one I adore. It’s brush is still a bit spiky which helps with a bit of volume, but there is some difference in this that just makes the the lashes a mile long. Two thumbs way up.

2- Stila Huge Extreme Lash Mascara

While I did make a little fun at the name, it does what it says. It lengthens and volumizes. The wand is fuffy and hourglass shaped. I loved my lashes while wearing this one.

3- Anastasia Beverly Hills Lash Brag

Luxe feeling packaging. Fluffy wand. Long lashes. Thick lashes. No clumping. Big win.

4- Eyeko’s Black Magic Mascara

Curved wand that actually lets you get to the lower lashes as well if you want (I always forget). Lenghtens beautifully and the curved wand lifts the lashes and makes them look even longer. No flaking and great all day wear.

5- Milk Rise Lifting and lengthening Mascara

This gave me great lengthening and no flaking but didn’t really add any volume. It was fantastic when lengthening though I I would 100% use it again in any size that came across my path and I will be purchasing a full size.

I know that was kind of a quick and dirty mascara list. I like lengthening and volume and for the most part these are the mascaras that gave me what I wanted. I would be happy using any of them again.

Five Fantastic Eyeshadow Palettes

Oh the eyeshadow palettes this year. There were a lot. Last year was the year where subscription boxes put skincare in all of their boxes, this was the year of the eyeshadow palettes, at least for me. Admittedly two of the top two were ones I purchased myself. These are the five I reach for the most and while some of them are a matter of color preference, each has it’s own reasons for being this year’s favorite.

1- Urban Decay Naked Honey Palette

It is no surprise that I purchased this palette. I love my browns and bronzes for everyday use and this one gives it to me in spades. I had the original Naked palette and i used it down to pan. I suspect that I will do the same with this one. The shadows are soft, pigmented and blend really well. I also like the color story. with Urban Decay I think that color story is key. The shadow formula is nice, but I tend to only buy the palettes from them where I know I am going to really like and use the shades presented. I think that is why every time I get an Urban Decay palette I end up using the shadows until they can no longer be used and then repurchasing the same palette if possible. They are just that kind of shadow. For me the Naked Honey works. If you are looking to pick up an Urban Decay Palette, think about what works for you before you buy.

2- The Balm and the Beautiful from The Balm Cosmetics

For a long time The Balm cosmetics was everywhere. I think I went through three containers of Bahama Mama Bronzer myself. It is a good product. I don’t hear The Balm mentioned a lot these days which is a shame. Their shadows are good. They are a medium pigmentation which I find really easy to work with. The are buildable so even though they may not come out of the gate with the depth of color you want, they can be deepened to get the right shade. They have also gone to eco friendly packaging which always makes me happy to see. The trick with The Balm is getting the right color story. I have had several palettes from them where I liked two shades but didn’t use the rest. This palette I like because it is a good everyday shadow range and I will use all of the shades. often i end up buying The Balm Shadows in singles because there are just shades I enjoy. this is one of the few palettes where I really just enjoy all of the shades., Hence it’s place on this list.

3- Lawless The Baby One

If you are looking for a pink toned everyday neutral’s palette this is a good one to look into. the shades are pigmented, blend well and last all day long. They feel buttery soft to the touch and even the shimmers had very little fall out. I enjoyed using it very much and reach for it often. Interestingly enough this is a mini version of a larger palette. The larger palette doesn’t appeal to me that much. In looking at it, the full sized palette mostly adds shades I wouldn’t use while this mini one is a great size to travel with or to use quickly in the morning.

4- Lime Crime’s Venus Immortals

This year I wanted something a little ,more dramatic and I really wanted a palette with a good black shadow. This one was nice and black and it applied without going streaky. With this I can create more dramatic looks than my everyday palettes are capable of. The dark brown has a touch of maroon and the gray of ash can go from deep ash to light storm cloud. Adding the white sparkle of marble over it is also a great way to turn a soft smoky eye up a notch. This was never going to be an everyday palette for me, but when I want drama I tend to lean into the darker shades and this gives me what I want when i am in the mood to play with shadow and light.

5-Fluide’s Otherworldly palette

Occasionally i do go for the color and sparkle. It is a rare occurrence though. And generally when I do I start off with a more neutral look and then add a bright shade or glitter. this is the palette I have been reaching for in that department. It has a light and a dark brown which when used together can create a lovely soft everyday office look. Then there is the orange and the yellow mattes which can really brighten things up. The shimmers and the one glitter are the real reason I keep this palette though. the yellow shimmer is a gorgeous gold and when applied the green looks like satin across the skin. I don’t actually have a lot of glitters. Usually they end up getting decluttered because they are part of a colorful palette I know I am never going to use. That is perhaps why I love thie purplish glitter in this palette so much. It is also buttery smooth and has very little fall out (I would still use a lid prime with it). The palette is also a small eight pan one which means it doesn’t take up a lot of space. It isn’t an everyday palette, but it is one I reach for deliberately when i have a colorful look in mind.

And there you have it my darlings, the five palettes I tend to reach for and why i tend to reach for them. each of them have easy to blend formulas and little fall out. Not only do I enjoy the formulas but each of them fills a space in my personal world of eyeshadow. And this year, they were the best.

Incidentally Urban Decay still has a sale going on. Well worth looking into if you are stocking up.

Year end Sale! Enjoy 50% Off E&Os + 5-Piece GWP ($40 value) on orders of $85+ at Urban Decay Canada! Valid 12/10 – 12/31

Prime Time for 2022

You know my love of primers. They can make bare skin look fantastic under a dusting of powder for a no makeup day, they can make you lit from within under a matte foundation. They can fill pores and lock in makeup for hours longer than it would last on it’s own. It was really hard narrowing it down to my favorites. There are just so many that i really enjoy. But time and time again, these are the products I find myself reaching for and so this is my list of top five primers, at least for this year.

1- Tatcha The Silk canvas Protective Primer

Oh the number of times this appeared in my daily makeup posts means that it had to be on this list. This year I not only used this a lot, I compared it to their liquid formula. Both are fantastic. Oddly once put on the skin they both feel the same as you blend them in, one just starts out as a liquid while the other starts out as a balm. I prefer the balm, but I would happily use and purchase either. Both not only work really well to blur out pores and even out skin tone as well as keep makeup looking fantastic, they are really good on the skin. I generally find that if I wear this primer under my makeup on days when I know I am going to be wearing my makeup longer than usual using this primer helps keep my skin from breaking out over the extended makeup time. I adore this primer.

2- Dr. Brant Pores No More Luminizer Primer

This is a really good primer for not only giving your skin a slight luminous glow under your foundation but for helping to blur out your pores. It is more luminous than pore blurring So if you have medium sized pores you are golden with this primer. It has a slight tan tint to it so It really works to even out the skin tone as well. It beasicaly creates a really nice canvas for your foundation to sit on. And it is also one of those primers that I find fewer breakouts from extra long makeup wear if I use it underneath. Let’s hear it for skincare infused makeup!

3- Milk Makeup Hydro gripping Primer

If you want your makeup to stay in place this is the primer you want to lean towards. It smooths over the skin like a cool gel. It then becomes sticky. Very sticky. And any foundation you put on top of it is staying in place. It is thee until you take it off. Of course the better your foundation the better it looks for a long time. This sample size always goes into my travel bag because it never fails that someone will need a primer and I can hand the sample size off. I keep the full size at home because some how the samples never get returned to me. It is a really good long wear primer.

4- Yensa Essential glow Tone Up Primer

This is a long time favorite and one i have used many tubes of over the years. It has a slight tannish pink tone to it that takes down any redness I have. It has a light glow that isn’t too much, even under an illuminating foundation and it is also moisturizing. In the summer i will generally wear it on it’s own when I want a no makeup day, but because of the moisturizing element it really sines once the weather cools down. when my skin is leaning into the dry side, this is just a beautiful primer to reach for.

5- Yves Saint Laurent Touch Eclat Blur Primer

Okay this is one of those primers that looks beautiful in the bottle, feels good on the skin and looks fantastic under makeup. It blurs the pores just a it claims and gives a light illumination to the skin. It is a bit on the pricy side but it you are looking to splurge on a makeup item this is well worth the splurge. it is a fantastic primer.

And after much deliberation, those are my top five primers this year. there were many others that I like and as soon as I see the list typed up on the screen I have at least three more popping in that I could easily have added. There were a lot of forgettable primers but even more good ones. But in the end, these are my five favorite and the ones I reached for the most this year.

Five Fabulous Foundations

This year I tried a lot of really good foundations. There are a few though that I find myself reaching for on a regular basis. These are the products I know will work well for me with little trouble no matter what else is going on. And having a foundation you don’t have to worry about is always a good thing.

1- Yensa BC Full Coverage Foundation

This is the second tube of this that I have used this year. No other foundation product can make that claim in my world of makeup. As you can see this second tube is edging towards empty as well. I had to put it away so that I would start reaching for other products. It is just an easy product to work with. Two pumps covers my entire face with a medium coverage. it can be built up, but honestly that is the level of coverage i enjoy. I can wear any primer under this and it looks good. If I want a glowy look, I use an illuminating primer. If i want a more matte look,. I use a more mattifying primer. It is my first pick from the foundation drawer.

2- No 7 Lift and Luminate Triple Action Serum Foundation

This is just a beautiful medium coverage foundation. It has a slightly luminous look to it so I tend to use pore filling foundations underneath it rather than illuminating primers. I am not a super glowy skin person. I like a little glow but i don’t like to look dewy. In my head dewy always translates into greasy looking, at least on my skin and then I end up reaching for powder to blot. this foundation gives a beautiful luminous glow to the skin while offering beautiful coverage. It is a makeup bag staple.

3- Revolution Fast Base Stick Foundation

This is a foundation that looks good travels well and is the product i reach for when i am in a rush. It is creamy from the get go and doesn’t need to be armed up before use. I scribble across my face with the stick, blend it with a brush and done. It blends beautifully. It doesn’t build though. What you get is what you get. For me I need a pore filling primer underneath for this to look it’s best. It will settle into the fine lines around my mouth after about eight or nine hours but it looks fantastic the rest of the day. It’s benefit is it’s ease of use, quick application and fabulous travelling capacity. I initially bought it to have a foundation that wouldn’t spill when I travel but I liked it enough to take it out of the travel bag and use routinely.

4- One Size Turn up the Base Versatile Powder Foundation

This powder foundation really works. It takes down redness and provides a really good low to medium coverage. It is buildable to a point. the point is about medium coverage. Beyond that and it starts to look powdery. This is the product i pick up when I want a more natural look as it does light weight coverage really well. It is easy to use, looks and feels good and blends well. plus the compact is really pretty.

5- Bite Beauty Changemaker Foundation

I seriously debated not adding this foundation to the list because I think Bite Beauty is going out of business. it is still available at places like Kohls and Amazon though if you are looking to purchase. And I have to admit, this is one that I may stock up on even though the brand is gone. In the end I had to include it because it is just such a fantastically beautiful foundation. Any time i wear this I get complements on how my skin looks. When I first tried it I didn’t think i liked it because it didn’t apply well with a brush. This is a foundation you are going to want to use a damp makeup sponge to blend out. using a sponge makes all the difference. And then when you do it looks so good. It evens the skin tone and makes the skin look like you are glowing from within. i pair it with a pore filling primer to keep it from sinking into fine lines (which it only really does after about 10 hours).It builds well but really looks best at medium coverage. I don’t know the fate of Bite Beauty but this was one of my favorite foundations this year and I really couldn’t leave it off the list, especially as it is the foundation i will be wearing for my holiday events this year.

And that my darlings is my list of my favorite foundations this year. There were a lot of really good ones I tried, but these are the five I find myself reaching for consistently. they are the ones i gravitate towards because they just work and always look good with little effort. What else can you ask from a foundation?