Happy #BEAUTYMONDAY, the first one of 2017!! How crazy is that?!? I hope you had a perfect New Years Eve and that you rang in the new year with complete happiness! I’ve gotta say, I don’t know how this year could possibly beat 2016, but I’m hoping it does! I’ve got a TON of exciting things planned that I cannot wait to share with you. Today, I am going to be sharing with you the BEST of 2016, makeup-wise. I got a TON of new makeup the year and tested both drugstore and high-end products for you, and rounded up my all time favorites for this post. Enjoy!

Yes. I know that I am late to the party for this one. I was like oddly against cream contour for the longest time (I don’t have a good reason), but after receiving this for Christmas and FINALLY trying it out….I’m hooked. I am going to film a tutorial on cream contouring soon because it is completely intimidating. I freaked out when I put it on the first time and saw how dark it was against my pale as heck skin but it blends out like a total dream and gives my cheekbones brand new heights. 10/10 would recommend.

I got this in the mini kit that Becca was selling for the holidays this year and when I run out, I will definitely be restocking. I use this to layer my highlight. I put it overtop my liquid foundation but underneath my powder foundation, and then put my Becca or Tarte highlighter on top of it. It helps my highlighter stay all day so that I can pretty much be seen from space. AKA highlighter GOALS.

This stuff is basically heaven in powder foundation form. For MONTHS I had been using a translucent powder with a damp beauty blender to set my makeup but had been really unhappy with the results. I’ve been on the prowl for a really good powder foundation to lightly set my makeup and IT Cosmetics totally came through. It is light coverage, stays all day and keeps my skin matte. Win, Win, Win.

I’ve talked about this liquid foundation before, but I felt like I needed to mention it again. This liquid foundation is light on your skin, but full coverage. It blends super nicely and there are a ton of colors so there is one for everyone. Because you don’t need a lot when using it, it lasts for a long time. I’ve been using mine for months down and it is still pretty full. You really get what you pay for.

This was also in my Christmas gifts this year. I always have a hard time finding blushes that work for winter because I don’t like wearing coral colors during this time of year. This is the perfect nude-pink for the winter and it is matte, so it doesn’t compete with my highlighter. It is dark enough that it gives me that “flushed” look without taking over my face.

These beauties are responsible for making my eyebrows actually visible on my face. I am cursed with sparse, light brows so I need products to help me shape and fill without looking like I drew them on with permanent marker. I do Brow Wiz first — lightly filling with hairlike strokes, fill with DipBrow around the edges and creating my brow tail, and finish with a light brush through with the Gimme Brow! These products are easy and simple to use with awesome color pay off. One jar of DipBrow lasts me almost an entire year, so even though they lean on the pricey side, they last for a long time!

This stuff is AMAZING. Also it’s a drugstore brand which means it’s in everyone price range. It is perfect if you are looking to hold your makeup all day long. It feels cool on your skin and doesn’t make it oily (a problem I always have). It smooths my skin and allows me to have a perfect, blank canvas upon which to place my makeup!

I loooooove these. Like. LOVE LOVE LOVE. I love full lashes but for an every day look, I prefer the look of partial lashes because they make me feel like they are my-lashes-but-better. They extend my natural lashes out just a bit so my winged liner looks “finished”. They don’t look over the top but they add just enough extra length and volume. 

I am actually surprised I like this lipstick so much. I’ve been switching from my opaque stay all day liquid lipsticks for the new year and bringing back my creme lipsticks. Mostly for ease of wear. While the liquid lipsticks look AMAZING, they are a pain to reapply and when they start coming off on the inside of your lips, it looks tacky. Creme lipstick typically fades nicely and is super easy to reapply. This particular shade is a your-lips-but-better kind of thing. It is a nice pinky-nude that fades beautifully and has fantastic color pay off. A+, TooFaced.

This lipstick has completely won me over. It is a creme formula so everything I stated in the previous paragraph on creme lippies applies here as well. This particular shade is a purple-bronze kind of shade that would be flattering on ANYONE. It is so gorgeous and I’m super digging the metallic colors lately. 

Okay, again, I’m late to the party. This has been out forever but I just got it and it is quickly replacing all of my other Naked Palettes. It’s got light colors and dark colors but I’m most impressed with the metallic shades. I spray a bit of setting spray on my brush and dip into the shadow and BAM! Totally stunning metallic shades. I have always been a fan of Urban Decay Naked Palettes but this one seriously impressed me. Plus now I have the complete collection. So.

Sadly, this palette was a holiday special and is no longer available. BUT. I have to mention it because I love it so so so much. I searched and searched for it to link it here, but no dice. A similar palette to the shadows here would probably be the Tartlette Pro Palette (I’ll link that one below with everything else). But this one is fun because it is essentially an entire face in a box. Every eyeshadow color you could want (in beautiful, blendable shades), blush, highlighter, two types of bronzer, eyeliner, mascara and lipstick. I was not a fan of the mascara, but I loved the eyeliner and the nude lipstick.

I hope you guys learned something new today and found some new products to try this year. These are my best makeup WINS of 2016 and I KNOW you will love them, too!! 

Did you have a product you couldn’t live without this year?? Share your best 2016 holy grail product with me in the comments!!

 

Written by Taylor from Blonde & Ambitious