BEAUTY ROUNDUP | Year in Beauty: 2016 Edition Part 1

Welcome to my first post of 2017! It's been another 366 days around the sun and many a beauty love has been discovered. In previous years, I chose four products in six categories to talk about. Strategic buying made this year's list harder to compile because I really do love so many things! Some things will come as no surprise but there are others that are just getting their spotlight now. I'll link to related blog posts so y'all can get more information if you're interested. I've split it into two parts and this one will be all my makeup loves. So without further ado, here is 2016's Year in Beauty!

Face Products

• MUFE HD Foundation + Bourjois Foundation Mix -- The MUFE HD Foundation has been featured in two of my Beauty Round ups: once in March 2014 and again in June 2016. This was my holy grail foundation but as I've transitioned to cruelty-free, I'm enjoying this while it lasts. This is great for those who don't need a lot of coverage and struggle with slightly dry skin. With my skin going haywire lately, I've been mixing it with the Bourjois foundations. I don't see a difference in either formulations and enjoy either one in conjunction with the MUFE. I get the best of all worlds: coverage, hydration and great color match. Definitely my favorite pairing!

• Becca Mineral Blushes (CF) -- In August 2016, I discovered what I consider to be my holy grail blush formula. I'm not one to try out collaborations anymore due to them being of a lesser quality than their standard stuff. But the Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Face Palette is one of the best buys of the year. I originally got it for the highlights but fell in love with the Mineral blush formula. Both Amaretto and Pamplemousse are limited edition, unfortunately, and while I hate to include stuff y'all can't buy, these blushes have the greatest formula I've encountered so far. They are pigmented but blend out without much effort. Color is true to pan and the formula is so buttery soft. No kick up in the pan because I hate having a messy palette. And while blush is usually the first thing to disappear on my face, these look exactly the same at night as they did in the morning! That's all I ask for in a blush - for it to last. I'm itching to add more of these beauties to my collection but will have to wait until I can get my collection down to a manageable size.

• it Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC Cream SPF 50+ (CF) -- This year was definitely a good one for face products. I've heard nothing but good things about this cc cream and am so glad I gave it a try. I bought a travel size in case it didn't work out for me (don't know why I was skeptical) and eventually bought the full size once a good deal came up! Color match is the most important thing when it comes to foundation. I can deal with not enough coverage, either too dewy or too matte a finish, and poor longevity but the right color is hard to come by and fix if it's wrong. Light is my perfect shade when I'm tan but I can make it work with some bronzer when I'm paler. It adds just enough hydration for my dehydrated skin and has amazing coverage -- on par with my regular foundations. I have a review on this cc cream along with comparison swatches with others in my collection but I already know that this will be the only one I repurchase forever!

• Tarte Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Loose Powder (CF) -- Again, this featured in my June 2016 Beauty Roundup and a few other posts a long time ago. I always thought loose powder was such a mess but surprisingly, it isn't as bad as I thought. Of course, I don't shake out product willy nilly and am careful to lay out a tissue underneath to catch the mess but the finish is like nothing else. If a foundation remains too tacky for my liking, this sets it down without leaving a flat matte look to the skin. There's a subtle glow that isn't coming from the white powder. I haven't experienced flashback from using this powder but I am careful to not over-apply. I have a full size of this powder waiting for me and I can't wait to crack into it!

Eye Products

• Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara (CF) -- Risqué name aside, this is one of the best mascaras I have ever tried. I hit the unlucky gene pool when it comes to lashes because the hairs are fine and short. Most volumizing mascaras tend to weigh down my lashes and clump them together in an unflattering way. Both the formula and the brush work in conjunction to give my wispy lashes tons of length, volume and separation. While I'm working on a dedicated post to this mascara, I have posted two FOTDs using it: Transformation Tuesday, in which I recreate Snow's look from Once Upon a Time, and my Prom 2.0. look, featuring sparkly purple eyes. My only gripe is that it isn't budgeproof but my next item takes care of that problem!

• NYX Proof It! Waterproof Mascara Top Coat (CF) -- Another June 2016 favorite and will be for a long time! Mascara used to be my least favorite item to wear because everything would run down my face given enough time, even those that claim to be waterproof. This remedies the panda eyes look - no smudges or flakes here! This makes any mascara stay put, even when submerged in water (as I found out when I played at a water park over the summer). I frantically bought another one when I misplaced my original, so you know the love is real. I want to dedicate a whole review to this eventually so I'll just say this much. Definitely a must for those who have trouble with their mascara staying where it's supposed to!

• Maybelline Color Tattoo in Inked in Pink -- Color Tattoos were my favorite cream shadows until I went cruelty-free. But that doesn't deny their superior formula. I even featured it in my September 2016 Beauty Round up. Finding an affordable cream shadow at the drugstore was unheard of until these came on the scene. While I haven't indulged in any further colors since my initial foray, Inked in Pink remain my favorite cream shadow. The darker rosy pink shadow complements my Naked 3 Palette and intensifies the pink tones in any shadow I put over top. If I want to use cool toned shadows but don't want it to look stark against my skin, using this underneath brings a warmth to the shadows without compromising their original color much. I like using this underneath my Colourpop shadows to increase longevity as well. I'll be sad once this is gone because I have yet to find an affordable alternative but that day will be a long way off since I haven't even hit pan yet. 

• Colourpop Super Shock Eyeshadows (CF) -- 2016 was the year for exploring Colourpop. I tend to be skeptical about highly raved about products so it took me a long time to be convinced enough to give it a chance. For me at least, the hype was real. Several orders later, I now have 34 of their shadows! My favorites have to be their Pearlized finish. It has the right amount of shine and pigmentation. Their mattes are also great but I'm a sparkle girl at heart. Picking my favorites is like trying to decide upon a favorite child but if I think about what colors I'd buy over and over, the three are Wattles, Paradox, and Sailor. I have a Colourpop Haul that features Wattles in it and another Colourpop Fall Haul that has swatches for Paradox and Sailor, including how I like to wear them. Wattles is my kind of everyday shade; it's a dusty pink with a satin finish that prevents it from looking dull on my lids. I wear this all over my lids and it adds enough definition without looking like I'm wearing makeup. Sailor reminds me of my favorite Urban Decay Moondust shadow in Solstice and layered on top of Paradox, makes wearing red eyeshadow pop!

Lip Products

• FRESH Sugar Lip Treatment -- I've gotten a few minis over time and with how many lip products I have, this somehow got lost in the shuffle. Cue to last summer when I wanted something with a little SPF for everyday use and picked up the Rosé one at random. Instantly, it became a purse staple. Dry and chapped lips are something that I can't stand -- I'd rather have pimples than dry lips, if you can believe it. This one actually rehabilitates my lips rather than masking the problem like so many others. I used to love the Maybelline Baby Lips but those can't bring my lips back from the dead. Heck, they hardly do any moisturizing unless I layer them thickly and reapply often. I even featured them in a Lip Balm Smackdown, declaring these my all-time favorite. It sucks that FRESH isn't cruelty-free because I'd gladly throw out all others and dedicate myself to this one.

• Dior Addict Fluid Stick in Vertigo -- I bought this two years ago and have been loving it on and off. When I first got it, I wore it all the time. Finding my perfect lip formula is a struggle because I want something long lasting (no need for touch ups) and something that doesn't dry out my perpetually dry lips. Liquid lipsticks are the obvious choice but I couldn't deal with how drying they can be. This hybrid formula starts out like a pigmented lip gloss and over time, dries to a soft stain and more importantly, soft lips. The high price tag deterred me from purchasing more colors but if it weren't for Dior not being CF, I totally would pick up more colors as a treat. 

• Lancôme Lip Lover Dewy Intense Lip Color in Framboise Etoile -- Very much like the Dior Fluid Sticks, this goes on like a lip gloss and wears away to a comfortable stain. I've loved every Lancôme product I've tried and this is no exception. In a previous post, I stated that it was discontinued but the line is still available on the official Lancôme website. I feature this shade along with Vertigo in my Favorite Long-Lasting Lipsticks for Blogmas, so check it out for swatches! Heads up: Lancôme is not CF for those who only buy CF.

• Ciaté London Liquid Velvet in Pin Up (CF) -- Just as I said that I wouldn't be purchasing anymore makeup collabs, I quite enjoyed the Chloe Morello x Ciaté London Beauty Haul Makeup Set. The shadows in the palette are well thought out and perform well enough. The standout product for me is the Liquid Velvet in Pin Up. I was expecting a soft pink nude but this darker rosewood color is much more flattering and fitting for winter. Wear time was decent and the most important part: it didn't dry out my lips! It's a bit too early to declare it my favorite liquid lipstick formula but it's one of my favorites, for sure. If you wanted to see how it looks on me, I wear in my Sparkly Purple Smokey FOTD!

Missing out on last year's Year in Beauty along with three months' worth of Beauty Roundups had me hard pressed to pick my favorites for this year. I'm happy to see that the majority of my picks are cruelty-free because that means I'll still be able to buy them once I'm done! As for the non-cruelty free favorites, this encourages me to find a great alternative to share with y'all! Stay tuned for part two, which will include my skincare favorites, honorable mentions as well as the products that disappointed me this past year!

What makeup products did you enjoy in 2016?

 Share them with me below!

XOXO,

Cindy ♥

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