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This year I went a little crazy trying new beauty products. In fact this was the first year that I spent enough to qualify for Sephora’s Rouge level reward program. We also need to add in all of the products I purchased from other sites. Of course, I had a good reason for making all of those purchases. I am a blogger after all and to write about beauty requires trying new things. Now we are at the part of the year, where I reflect on my 2018 beauty buys.
My purchase list for 2018 is epically long. So instead of sharing every one of my purchases for the year, I am just going to share my hits and misses.
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2018 Favorite Beauty Buys
Let’s start with the good stuff. These are the purchases from the year that are the cream of the crop. The are my favorite purchases from the year and are products I reach for regularly. I’ll share why I like them and why you might like them too.
Skincare
Burt’s Bees Brightening Facial Cleanser: I have purchased this face wash 3 times in just one year. I have so many cleansers I need to test, but I just can’t quit this one. This cleanser is great for anyone that wants brighter, more radiant skin. Bonus: This face wash is SUPER affordable.
Boscia Exfoliating Peel Gel: This product is a game changer. I use it a couple times a week to remove dry dead skin from my face. It gives me the smoothest skin and the best glow. Just trust me that you need this in your life.
belif Aqua Bomb Sleeping Mask: If you haven’t tried any belif products you are missing out. This sleeping mask leaves my skin so soft and smooth, plus a little goes a long way making it a good value too. I recommend this sleeping mask to anyone with normal, combination, or oily skin. If you have very dry skin you might not find this rich enough.
Kiehl’s Turmeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Mask: I do this mask every week. It has really helped even out my skin and it fades my acne scars. If you want soft, radiant skin, you need this mask.
Dr. Jart Ceramidin Sheet Mask: My sensitive skin can get red and dehydrated, especially in the cooler months. This mask helps to calm my redness and it leaves my skin feeling hydrated. If you suffer from redness or have dehydrated skin, you will love this mask.
Makeup
Benefit Roller Lash: This is the high-end mascara I turn to when I want my lashes to look long and defined. If you are looking to define your lashes, pick up this mascara. Pair with a volumizing masacara for a more dramatic look.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Soft Glam Palette: This was my first ABH palette and I love it. While I’m not usually a fan of warm looks, I love the colors. If you want to dip your toes into warmer eyeshadow looks then this is the palette for you.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Amrezy Highlighter: I love a good highlight. Just a touch of this and you will glow like an angel. Again, this is not a subtle highlight. If you love a poppin’ highlight, this is for you.
Marc Jacobs Hydrating Lip Gloss Stick: I love Marc Jacobs lip products, so I wasn’t surprised that I loved this gloss. It’s so easy to apply and gives just the prettiest wash of color. Pick this up the next time you want to spoil yourself with a little luxury.
Hair
dpHUE Cool Brunette Shampoo: Finding a toning shampoo that doesn’t dry my hair out is hard. I use this shampoo once a week to keep brassiness at bay and it doesn’t leave my hair feeling like straw. If you want to keep your brown hair cool, you will love this shampoo.
Oribe Split End Seal: Since I have fine hair, I don’t like to use a lot of cream products. Most of them weigh my hair down and leave my it feeling greasy. However, I love to apply this luxurious product to the ends of my hair. I love that it makes my fried ends feel soft.
IGK Low Key Cleansing Walnut Scalp Scrub: I tested a ton of different scalp treatments this year. I loved this one because it helped remove residue, but it didn’t dry my hair out. If you are addicted to dry shampoo or have dry scalp issues, you need to consider this scalp scrub.
2018 Beauty Misses
Unfortunately, I didn’t love every item I purchased in 2018. There were a few misses and items that I regret buying. I’ll share why I didn’t like the item and who I think might actually like it.
Skincare
Dr. Andrew Weil For Origins Mega-Mushroom Relief & Resilience Soothing Treatment Lotion: I purchased this to help with redness and sensitivity. This actually made me break out. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend this to anyone.
Glow Recipe Watermelon Pink Juice Moisturizer: I had the opportunity to try the moisturizer as a deluxe sample. I am so glad I didn’t buy a full size of this. The fragrance in this is just so strong and it made my skin red.
Makeup
Stila Shimmer and Glow Liquid Eye Shadow: These shadows are fine. However, I found that I don’t reach for this type of shadow enough to make the price point worth it. I picked up a couple of the Essence Metal Shock Eyeshadow and found I liked them just as much. If you go for the shimmer look often, you may find it worth investing in the Stila version.
Too Faced The Chocolate Bar: A lot of people said this was a classic palette and that everyone should have it. Personally, I haven’t had much luck with Too Faced products but wanted to give them a chance. I picked up the palette when it was on sale at Sephora. I’m glad I didn’t pay full price because I just wasn’t impressed with the formula. You might like this palette if you love the color story and are better at applying and blending shadows than I am.
Too Faced Tickled Peach Palette: Yes, I tried another Too Faced palette. Honestly I didn’t use them enough to speak to the quality. The shades were just too orange for my pale skin. If you like shades that lean orange, you will like this little palette.
Benefit Cosmetics Dandelion Twinkle Highlighter: This is a beautiful highlight if you have the right skin tone and like a more subtle glow. I decluttered this highlighter because it was too subtle for my liking. If you like a soft pink highlight then you might like this one.
Too Faced Born This Way Foundation: Part of this last year, I had an identity crisis. I went from never wearing full coverage to feeling like I HAD to wear full coverage to hide my face. This is one of the foundations I tried. Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to find a good shade match. All of the colors were way to yellow for my skin tone. I can’t speak to the quality of the foundation because the bad shade match turned me off.
Final Thoughts
I really love skincare. Thankfully, I have learned a lot about what works for me so I had a lot less misses in that department. This year I wanted to branch out and try different brands. Unfortunately, most of the Too Faced products just didn’t work out for me. For 2019, I will be testing out new brands since you seemed to enjoy my brand review posts (Caudalie, Boscia, Belif). Leave a comment letting me know which brands you’d like me to feature.
