My Top Picks of The Year

I know I’m a little late to the party on this one but I still thought I’d hop on the bandwagon and make a post featuring my favourite beauty products of 2017. Moving country gave me the opportunity to try out so many new things that have since become an integral part of my daily regime.

Funnily enough, most of the products I loved the most this year are actually makeup related as opposed to skincare which is a new one for me. Are you ready to see what they are? Let’s start!

Too Cool for School Egg Mousse Soap

It’s no secret that industry insiders and beauty bloggers alike such as myself are nothing short of obsessed with Korean Beauty. If you’ve been on my blog for a while now you’d know that Korean brands are always my preferred option when it comes to nabbing products that are both highly effective and affordable.

This year I got to try the brand Too Cool for School and their Egg Mousse Soap has been a favourite of mine ever since.

The consistency is very light and airy which means it’s really refreshing and comforting to use. In the past foaming face washes have often inspired fear in me because they can so often be quite drying. But whatever it is about this one just leaves my skin feeling so well balanced, oil-free and moisturised all at the same time. I really believe that I owe the glowiness of my complexion and the fact that I havent had any bad breakouts to date to the fact that I’ve been using this morning and night. Even though I live in Paris where it’s so polluted.

Makeup Forever Step 1 Anti-Redness Primer

Now being a pale Irish gal it’s no secret that I’m quite susceptible to redness. It’s always as if the slightest change in temperature hot or cold, or even the slightest bit of embarrassment makes me blush like crazy.

For days when I’m wearing foundation this primer by Makeup Forever has been my best friend. It’s very light, liquidy and runny which makes it a dream to apply as it blends so easily into the skin and with your foundation without making your face look shiny. I just love how velvety and matte this makes my skin and especially now that it’s so cold in Paris, it feels so reassuring to have something that I know will cover up my redness and my rosy cheeks.

Winky Lux x Marzia Natura Palette

During the year I had so much fun using this palette. I even made a first impressions video on it when it was first released. While I did make an entire blogpost on this eyeshadow which you can read here, I thought that it was worth mentioning again how impressed I was with it. I love the unique gradient of the shades, they’re so easily blendable and the pigment is so strong that it takes such little product to create a look that’s really unique and show-stopping.

It’s unfortunate that the palette is sold out but having used this and loved it so much, I can’t wait to try out more products from Winky Lux. The Natura Palette really blew me away so I’m excited to test the rest of their makeup!

Garnier SkinActive Micellar Cleansing Water

The next beauty favourite from the year is really simple I know but it definitely is one worth mentioning. I always find it so hard to get a makeup remover that actually fully removes the mascara and eyeliner from my eyes but this one works just like a dream at gently melting your makeup off. The best thing about it is that it’s just made by Garnier so it’s super cheap and easy to find in basically any supermarket.

Benefit Roller Lash Mascara

When it comes to mascara I love opting for products that are going to help open my eyes more and give me big, dolly-like eyes. When I first received a travel size version of this mascara to try out, I absolutely loved it. It gave amazing length, volume, and definition. The type of brush just separates lashes so nicely and gives them a beautiful lift and thick curl as a result.

L’Occitane en Provence Pivoine Flora Hand Cream

I got this hand cream only a few weeks ago and I have been obsessed with it since. The texture is just so rich, thick and smooth. It’s like draping a silk curtain over your skin because it leaves your hands so soft once it absorbs. My favourite thing about it though is of course the floral aroma. If the colour pink had a smell this would be it. I even got little mini versions of this cream to put in my handbag so I can prevent dryness in the cold weather and also carry the fresh and flowery perfume of this wherever I go.

Kat Von D WaterProof Tattoo Liner

I always sport a classic winged liner look, so my standards when it comes to liners are quite high. I can honestly say this is the best eyeliner product I ever came across: from the rich black colour that doesn’t fade or smudge, even when it comes into contact with water, to the controlled felt tip that makes application super precise. What I love about this eyeliner is the fact that it’s extremely black so applying it once throughout the day is more than enough to give your eyes a dramatic lift. Plus it’s the easiest eyeliner to apply I have ever used in my life.

Sephora Bright Future Gel Serum Concealer

This concealer is definitely THE BEST of the year for me. I bought it not expecting much because usually when I’m buying foundation, concealers and other types makeup to use as a base I like to opt for more high-end brands. However I was just so impressed with this. It provides plenty of coverage, applies very smoothly and evenly and literally brightens my face so much, leaving a lovely highlighting effect behind with it. On days where I feel like going foundation free this is my best friend. For a relatively cheap concealer it’s a pretty powerful product!

Skinfood Egg White Pore Mask

And the final product I loved in 2017 was this Egg White Face Mask by Skinfood. This is one of the best masks I’ve ever used because it just makes your skin so soft and porcelain while shrinking pores at the same time. It really is the best product for balancing out your skin, removing oil and it even leaves a lovely little glow behind when you wash it off.

And that’s it for my favourite products of 2017! I really hope you guys enjoyed this post. Definitely let me know in the comments below if you did or if you have any products you can recommend to me I’d love to hear all about them.

Thank you so much for reading and I’ll see you again very soon in my next post!

~Mandy xx