The Best of Beauty for 2017 is Here!

So we’re halfway into January and I’m finally deciding to post my Best of Beauty for 2017. Let’s just say I’m a little behind! I considered not doing it all together, but there were some really amazing products that I fell in love with last year!

There are a few different ways to do “Best of Beauty”. Since I’m horrible at remembering when products launch, I’ll focus on my favorite products that I used and loved over the past year. These may not have launched in 2017 but they were essential to my beauty routine that year. Without further ado, lets jump into my Best of Beauty for 2017!

Skincare

Skincare was a game changer for me in 2017 and you can’t have a “best of beauty” without it! I genuinely tried to get into the habit of taking care of my skin and I love the results!

Face Masks. I don’t know why but I always thought that these were gimmick-y and a waste of money. Until I got a gift card and finally tried these uber-expensive Lancome Genefique sheet masks. They came in a pack of six and retailed for about $100 – ouch! But it wasn’t my money so I figured, why not! Holy cow, I wish I could use these every day! I was amazed at how plumped and rejuvinated my skin looked and felt. And the results lasted for several days – similarly to getting a facial done professionally. $20 a mask does seem expensive, but if I had to choose between that or a professional facial, it’s a lot more cost effective!

After falling in love with the Lancome masks, I was on the hunt to find more face masks that were more cost-effective. I discovered that Dr. Jart had some winners (especially the Wrinkless Solution mask) and I really loved the Egg Cream Masks too! I started to see Korean beauty become more prevalent in the US market last year and I’m really excited to try more Korean skincare in 2018!

Facial Peels. The first chemical peel or exfoliator I tried was the Kate Sommerville Exfolikate and I was amazed at how much better my skin looked! But that was back in 2016. This past year I started using the Drunk Elephant T.L.C. Sukari Babyfacial (mainly because there was so much buzz surrounding it) and I love how it polishes my skin! My skin looks so healthy and luminous afterwards and it helps with the texture too! By removing the dead skin cells laying on the surface it helps the rest of my skincare dive even deeper into my skin. Neither of these products are the cheapest, but I was so fed up with my dry, uneven skin that something needed to change. I try to use it sparingly, but it makes a world of difference!

G. M. Collins. I started getting professional facials on a monthly basis and I saw huge results! My skin went from being irritated, dry and acne prone to smooth, clear and hydrated. I decided to purchase almost everything they used on my skin which was all from this brand called G.M. Collins. I used the Sensiderm Treating Mist (for sensitive skin) as my toner, Hydramucine Optimal Cream (for dehydrated skin as my moisturizer) and the Hydramucine Optimal Serum (for dehydrated skin). Using all three of those in combination really helped my skin bounce back immensely!

Foundation

I have so many different foundations that I like to use that it was a challenge trying to narrow it down! The foundation I fell in LOVE with again this year was the CC cream from It Cosmetics! It was highly recommended to me from a fellow performer at Disney who had amazing skin. It’s a full coverage foundation but what’s really cool is that it’s a CC cream too. So you have all those added skin care benefits while looking great!

Another foundation that has been a ride or die for me for a few years now is the Make Up For Ever Ultra HD stick foundation. I love that it has a natural finish to it and it’s build-able so I can make it as natural or full coverage as I need. It’s not one that I discovered this year, but it’s been a long-time favorite and it was worth mentioning!

Setting Powder

Setting powder is not glamorous, but it can make a world of a difference! Here are my biggest issues when it comes to finding a good setting powder. 1. They make my wrinkles show up more than they should. 2. I have dry skin naturally and they make my skin feel like chalk. So when I find one that works it is a game changer!

My favorites for this year were the RCMA No Color Powder and the Charlotte Tilburry Skin Perfecting powder. The RCMA powder is more heavy duty and would be best used for baking. The Charlotte Tilburry powder creates a very natural but airbrushed finish. Personally I like using them together by putting down the Charlotte Tilburry powder as a base layer – it creates a truly flawless finish!

Bronzer

No new bronzers for me this year, but a die-hard favorite will always be the Hoola bronzer from Benefit. If you’ve never tried it, you really should! The undertones are super flattering and it actually makes for a wonderful soft contour! The texture blends out so smoothly too!

Highlight

It’s so tough narrowing down a favorite highlight! One that really impressed me was the Dandelion Twinkle highlight from Benefit. I became a Benefit Club Pink member last year and they sent me a ton of products I wouldn’t normally get the chance to try. One of them was this highlighter! I love how soft and naturally it was, and it blended out so easily too! Beaming highlights look great on Instagram, but I prefer using a highlight that gives a natural glow in real life.

Eyeshadow

My favorite beauty product will always be eyeshadow! Its the one product that truly inspires me to be creative. There were some amazing palettes last year, so I’ll try to narrow it down!

The Jaclyn Hill Palette from Morphe. I love pretty much everything Jaclyn creates (she’s one of my favorite beauty YouTubers!). But I was very impressed with both the shade range and the quality of this palette! It’s reasonably priced too? Sold!

Colourpop Cosmetics Dream St. Palette. Even though I bought this in December, it still makes the cut! I hadn’t tried Colourpop before but I heard so many great things about their quality products at a great price. I went out on a limb, tried the Dream St. palette (a collaboration with YouTuber Kathleen Lights) and fell in love! The shadows blend out SO well and the shimmers are simply gorgeous! I’ve gotten tons of compliments every time I post a photo or a video when I’m wearing these shadows!

Stila Cosmetics Glitter and Glow Glitters. Not sure if these launched this year or last year. I’m obsessed regardless! The glitter payout is intense, plus you don’t get any fallout or transferring! The glitter will stay on your lid for hours and you don’t have to worry about it getting all over your face. Huge win!

Makeup Geek Eyeshadows. So this isn’t exactly a palette, but I am SO impressed with the shadows from Makeup Geek! I fell in love with them years ago and this past year one of their employees sent me a ton of them after finding my YouTube channel. Honestly it was one of the best PR packages I’ve ever gotten and I take my self-made palette with all my individual Makeup Geek shadows with me wherever I go! They’re pigmented and super bendable which makes them very easy to use, even for beginners! Check out my Disney World Makeup Tutorial where I used some of my favorites!

Lashes

I’m obsessed with lashes, and once I find a pair we’re like soulmates for life. This year I happened to add some newbies to my list of favorites! They were the “Girl Boss” lashes from Tarte Cosmetics and the Sephora X House of Lashes “Timeless” lashes. I’ve also loved the Iconic lashes from House of Lashes for forever and I’m even more in love with their Iconic lite lashes! Similar design to the Iconics, just not as full and more natural looking! All of these lashes frame the eyes beautifully, while adding a touch of glam and without being too over the top!

Brows

Similarly to lashes, I’m a ride or die with my brow products. However I was pleasantly surprised this year by some new favorites from Benefit Cosmetics! I’m super sad that they had to get rid of their Gimme Brow (it was a brow mousse that made your brows look extra thick), but I’ve loved using their Precisely, My Brow Pencil and the Goof Proof Brow pencil! Plus they come with a spoolie on the end – extra bonus!

I’ve also loved the Infinity Waterproof Eyebrow Liner from Thrive Causemetics and they added a new shade this year! It also comes with a spoolie and it’s thin enough where you can precisely shape your brows to perfection!

Lips

I was seriously impressed with one of the holiday gifts this year at Sephora! I got the Stila Cosmetics lip kit (the one that came with 8 liquid lipsticks) and I fell in love with all of them! They’re all travel-sized and I rotated them throughout my trip to Florida in October. I’m a huge fan of Stila’s liquid lipstick formula and I loved the shade range. My favorite was “Patina” if you’re looking for a good soft pink color!

Thrive launched tons of lip products this year. One of them is very near and dear to my heart! Their Aspen liquid lipstick is named after one of my best friends from high school! She is a phenomenal and extraordinary woman and it’s so wonderful they named it after her! I also love Thrive’s Headliner lipsticks! I’ve found them to be very hydrating and they’re build-able too so you can choose whether you want sheer or full coverage!

You made it!

Phew! That was a mouthful but that wraps up my best of beauty products for 2017! I’m sure there’s so many that I forgot, but I didn’t want this list to stretch into 2019! What were some of your favorites from last year? I’d love to hear your suggestions!