I love to look back and see what I discovered in 2018 that I really loved. Here are the makeup products, makeup tools or accessories and two nail products that I found in 2018 and have become favorites of mine.
Surprisingly, no eyeshadow palettes. I am thinking I don’t need to buy any more of them for quite a while because I don’t use them enough. I know that’s not normal but it’s me!
Makeup Faves
Since you already know that I love cream everything, you won’t be surprised to find creamy things at the top of my list of favorites!
- ColourPop Super Shock Blush, shade Between the Sheets: I figured since I am a fan of the Super Shock shadows (though they do dry out if you don’t use them), I should try the blush. I am so glad I did. This $8 blush that I probably bought on sale is fabulous. So easy to apply, and on me, it lasts all day. I love this “beige pink” shade, Between the Sheets, that I would describe as deep mauve. Today, it’s on sale for $4.80!
- Butter London Glazen Blush Gelee and Glazen Eye Gloss: More cream but I didn’t kind from ColourPop Super Shock. Butter London’s Glazen line is wet and creamy like a gelée after it’s been in the refrigerator for a little while. I touch my finger to it and dab on just the smallest amount because it is very pigmented and a little goes a long way. On my dry skin, both the blush and the eye shadow are extremely long lasting. The blush shade that I bought is Flicker, a gorgeous peach with gold shimmer. I love it! I have a lot of the Eye Gloss because in addition to the full size Moonshine, a burnished gold with a shimmer, I bought a limited edition set with a bunch of shades.
- Speaking of golden Butter London Moonshine Eye Gloss, I love to wear my new Urban Decay Heavy Metals glitter liner in Midnight Cowboy, gold glitter on top. It’s a great holiday combo. Truth be told, I wear it around the house if I need a lift 😉
- Make Up For Ever Aqua XL Color Paint: I got a sample size MUFE Color Paint in a milk chocolate shade in my last regular Ipsy bag, and of course I loved it because it’s a cream shadow. It comes in a tube, and like my other creams, a little goes a very long way. Again, super pigmented and very long lasting. I bought a full size tube of shade I-12, a matte grey. It looks great with my UD Heavy Metals glitter liner in silver Glam Rock.
- Burt’s Bees Liquid Lipstick: I got the Burt’s Bees Liquid Lipstick as a PR sample, and at first, I groaned when I opened the box because I was afraid they were traditional liquid lipstick that dries down to a matte finish and drying down my lips in the process. But I was so wrong, thank goodness! Actually, I don’t know why these fantastic lipsticks are called Liquid Lipstick because they are super creamy and much more like a lipgloss. They feel great on my lips, are somewhat hydrating, they look glossy, and my hair doesn’t get stuck in them. An all around great lipstick in a tube. My favorite shade is Garnet, #822, a stunning deep red. I highly recommend this drugstore lipstick!
So those were the creamy, glossy things. Here are other makeup and nail favorites that I bought or got in 2018.
- Benefit Bad Gal Bang Mascara: It seems with Bad Gal Bang you either love it or hate it, and I love it. I get both length and volume from the non-clumping or flaking formula, and I like the wand with plastic teeth. It works for me!
- Morgan Taylor nail polishes: I discovered Morgan Taylor Professional Nail Lacquer this past year. First, I saw a recommendation for Morgan Taylor REACT Base Coat from a nail blogger I follow, then a gorgeous peachy mauve shade of polish from the Marilyn Monroe LE Collection, and finally I picked up Liquid Bling Fame Game, a grey-silver holo, while I was browsing Ulta.com during their last coupon sale. I love the formula that dries fast and last a long time, and I love the wider brush that makes application faster and easier.
- Cuccio 7 Second Reactive Top Coat: Another nail blogger I follow mentioned how much she liked Cuccio 7 Second Reactive Top Coat, and I am always looking for a topcoat that dries faster and last longer. For me, this is it. I do my nails before I go to sleep so fast drying is a must. And since I started using this topcoat, I get about 5 days wear with all the polishes I’ve tried so far (though I sometimes have to touch up the tip of my left index finger since it’s the finger I use most to do things). That has been unheard of for me.
Makeup Tools and Accessories
This is kind of an odd category. I put in things that I use to enhance my makeup, put on my makeup or hold my makeup.
- The Vintage Cosmetics Company: I love everything that the Vintage Cosmetics Co makes, but two pieces I got this year were real standouts for me. I bought this adorable floral satin makeup/clutch bag on the UK Vintage Cosmetics website, and I am glad I did. I even think the shipping was free and fast, too. It is so darling, sometimes I just look at it! I also have a shower cap in the same floral print that I bought in 2017 that I love. Second in the makeup tool category is their fantastic pencil sharpener. I have never had a pencil sharpener that was this good! I love that the top stays on with plastic sealers, and I love that it containers a little pick to help remove the bits of pencil/crayon that get caught in the blade. It is a brilliant inexpensive but high quality pencil sharpener for regular and chubby size pencils/crayons! The sharpener comes in a 5 piece Manicure Set, and I use everything in the adorable, affordable set.
- Not shown in the group photos is the Good Janes Kiss My Lashes 3 way Mirror that I received in November as a PR sample. Honestly, without this mirror I cannot put on false lashes. This mirror makes all the difference in the world. And at less than $30, it is a bargain.
- Speaking of Good Janes, their cruelty-free mink false lashes are fabulous. They are so soft and easy to apply with their mirror. Love them!
- And speaking of mink lashes, I also adore Esqido Mink Lashes. Also, so soft and easy to apply. They come in two sizes so I have less to trim off. I love the tapered Radiance lashes! Plus Esqido lash glue is by far the best I’ve ever used. For $10, you need this lash glue!
- Luxie Makeup Brushes: Although the brand isn’t “professional” I don’t think, I adore Luxie Makeup Brushes. They are super soft, densely packed, cruelty-free, easy to clean, easy to use, and well-made/good quality. Plus they’re pink and rose gold (or many of them are). I got several of the eyeshadow brushes in my regular Ipsy bag this past year, and I bought the Luxie Kabuki Brush set on Ipsy.com on sale – at less than $20 for 5, what a bargain!
- Revele Velvet Oval Foundation Makeup Brush: I got this inexpensive truly velvety makeup brush when I posted a Fashion Flash Beauty & A Book giveaway, and I was so surprised that it has become one of my favorite makeup tools for 2018. It is soft and springy, unbelievably easy to clean and dry, and it is the right size for me to apply foundation or blush. Although I bought a similar style foundation brush from Real Techniques recently, I prefer this one because the size of the head is a better fit for my face. For $7.99, you can get both the brush and a blending sponge .
That’s it! My favorite makeups for 2018. Probably there are a few more things I should have added like
- the ybf Liquid Star Eyeshadows that I received a couple of weeks ago that go on like a breeze and last all day
- the Makeup Geek pressed shadow singles that I bought back in March and use all. the. time.
What made your Best of 2018 makeup and accessories?
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What lovely picks, Allison! I need to dig up my Butter London Glazen Eye Glosses, and I love the look of those beautiful pink-handled brushes!
I agree with so many of these! I do want to try Cuccio though – they’ve been around so long but are really making a brand comeback!
I’m the opposite. I feel like I never reach for my single shadows and always use palettes. I still want to try the Burt’s bees liquid lipsticks!
Me, too.
Pretty picks! Those MUG shadows look fab. I didn’t even know Burt’s Bees made liquid lipsticks. I’ll have to take a look next time I’m in a store.
Great picks. That mirror looks super interesting! I could use one of those!
The 3 way mirror is great for putting on makeup as well as false lashes!
I love seeing all your picks!
I love the YBF eyeshadows and have been wearing them so often. Picks like The Vintage Cosmetic Company and Morgan Taylor polishes are wonderful too. Great choices.
You know I love the Burt’s Bees liquid lipsticks and Benefit BADGal. I forgot to add the Luxie brushes to my list!
I really need to try the Cuccio topcoat. *hops to amazon* There. Taken care of. Now I can see for myself what you’re raving about. 😉
Among my best of are more Zoya Pixie Dusts (you sooooo knew that was coming, lol) my Colour Pop Lux Lipstick in Liquid Courage (wear it allllllll the time) and a Chanel matte lip crayon that looks much brighter on my face than it does in stick form. At first that was a disappointment, but after wearing it for a while it’s really grown on me.
You do need to try the Cuccio Top Coat. I know you love Pixie Dusts so I’m not surprised they’re on your list. I just looked at Liquid Courage, and it is indeed a stunner! I love brick red lipsticks. I wish I could wear the CP formula coz even though it is supposed to be hydrating on me it isn’t. I haven’t worn any Chanel lipsticks of any kind for years because of the fragrance. Is the lip crayon fragranced too? Surprisingly, I bought Frederic Malle’s Lipstick Rose perfume that is based on Chanel’s fragrance. Go figure.
Cuccio arrived in mail- check.
I think I’d maybe classify the CP Lux formula (at least the one I’ve got, and it’s a creme, not a matte) as more hydration-neutral. If my lips are fine when I put it on then they’re usually fine when I take it off. I’m probably not the best test subject though, since I’ve usually got some sort of lip balm under whatever lipstick I’m wearing on a given day. I may try one of their mattes in the Lux line, but I can understand why you might give it a pass!
My Chanel Jumbo Longwear Matte Lip Crayon (as if that weren’t a novel in and of itself, the French printing of the name actually calls it “mat” twice, lolol) seems unscented. Like, if I twist it completely out of the casing there might be the barest whisp of something (maybe?!?) but when I go to apply it, nil. I also have a Rouge Allure Velvet that doesn’t have the rose scent (it’s more of a powdery pigment smell) which makes me wonder if the regular Rouge Allures have it? Or was my LE velvet colour a one-off for that? Or did the matte pigments overpower the fragrance? So many questions! I might hit up a Chanel counter this weekend and see what I can sleuth out. I actually really like the rose scent in the Rouge Coco and Rouge Coco Shines, but it would be nice to know if there are any lip products in the permanent lineup that don’t have fragrance!
I don’t think it’s too terribly odd that you’d like the scent as perfume but not in lipstick. Just because I like a fragrance doesn’t necessarily mean I want to taste it!
I agree, Luxie is not a professional brand…to me it’s a ‘beauty subcription’ brand which kind of cheapens it down. That said, I have so many of their brushes and they are soft and durable and I love them!
Yes, Luxie is not a professional brand. The pink and rose gold handles and ferrules are meant to appeal to regular customers. But I disagree that because it is often given out in subscription boxes like Boxycharm and Ipsy, it cheapens the brand. I see it for what it is: promotion, getting the brand out there. For instance, I get lots of Make Up For Ever in my subscription boxes, but I don’t perceive that as cheapening the brand. Interesting to hear our different opinions!
That’s a ton of great products!!! So glad you found Morgan Taylor, they have some stunning lacquers. I discovered the Vintage Company this year and fell in love with them.
I have always wanted to try the Butter London gel shadow! Sounds so good!
OK Insomnia looks SO pretty! Also love Morgan Taylor brushes, and you cant go wrong with colourpop!
Okay I REALLY need that lash mirror in my life! As for professional brushes, I use whatever brush actually works in my kit. I have Sigma, Real Techniques, and even Luxie Brushes in there. What I don’t have though is Morphe but that’s a different story for a different time 😉
I’m glad to hear that Luxie brushes make your kit. While they aren’t technically professional brushes, I think the quality is wonderful. The Morphe brush that’s supposed to be for underage concealer is actually too much brush for me. I’ve heard that there’s a lot of drama around Morphe these days, but honestly I haven’t read about it.
MUG singles are phenomenal! Nice to see them on your favorites list 🙂
I wish Ulta would carry MUG. It’s such a fab brand!
I am determined to try Esquido this year! I keep hearing rave reviews about their glue in particular so I need to try it along with some of their lashes.
I think you’ll love Esqido lashes and the glue is definitely the best I’ve tried!