2016 FAVORITES: Complexion Products

by - December 19, 2016


Hey guys! I'm super excited for this year's favorites posts - which is why I skipped monthly favorites this month and went straight to working on my yearly favorites. I decided to go with a High/Low kind of a favorites this year, choosing a high end favorite and a drugstore favorite in each category. I really sat down and thought about what I've really been loving, what stands above other things in my collection, and what I would give my recommendation to without question for this list of favorites. Some of these products are quite new to me and some have been staples in my collection for ages.

Without further rambling, let's start with Part 1 of my 2016 Favorites - Complexion Products!


When it comes to primer, what I look for is something that's going to really help my makeup stick without adding any heaviness to the finished product and something that's really going to prolong the weartime of my foundation. These types of primers, which are really silky but almost in a powdery way, are my personal favorites and these two choices are both very similar in formulation. 
 
HIGH END: Hourglass VEIL Mineral Primer
I believe this was listed in my favorites last year - and for good reason. This is by far my favorite primer I've ever used, but I do tend to hoard it for special occasions since it's so spendy. I find that this primer really both improves the look of my makeup and significantly increases the wear time, giving me a really perfected, long lasting makeup look. I like to pick up the deluxe sizes of this just because it allows me to convince myself that I'm not spending quite as much on a primer - but either way, it's worth the price tag, in my opinion.

DRUGSTORE: NYX Angel Veil Skin Perfecting Primer
{REVIEW} This primer has often been called a dupe of the Hourglass Veil Primer, but I don't quite agree. I think this is a very similar primer and it's really, really good but it just doesn't quite measure up to the Hourglass. That said, this is definitely my favorite lower cost primer option and the one that I'm more likely to reach for on a regular basis. I think this does give a really nice base for foundation to lay on top of it and it does help to improve the wear of my foundation and I really think that if someone is maybe interested in trying this type of primer, this is a fantastic place to start. 


Foundation can really be a struggle for me and I find that I try a lot of them without really falling in love, but I'm zeroing in a little more these days on what types of formulas really work for me. I find that foundations with a thinner consistency tend to work best on my skin because things do have a tendency to cake up on me if they're too heavy. I'm a little less concerned with finish as far as favorites are concerned, because I do like to change things up and have both luminous and matte options in my collection.

HIGH END: VICHY TEINT IDEAL Illuminating Fluid Foundation
{REVIEW} This foundation has only been out for a couple of months, but I've completely fallen in love with it and found myself reaching for it almost every day since I got the chance to try it. The thing that I love most about this foundation is the finish, which is really natural and luminous without being quite dewy but still has medium coverage. I also find that this wears really well on me and doesn't really move around as long as I set it with powder.

DRUGSTORE: Maybelline FIT Me Matte + Poreless Foundation
Honestly, this wasn't my favorite foundation when I first tried it, but as I used it a little bit more I really fell in love with it. This was my go to foundation over the summer because it's matte, but not parched matte, and really stands up when my skin gets a little bit more combination. Also, it's one of the more affordable foundations in the drugstore, but stands above the more expensive options in my opinion. Like I said, I think this is more of a demi-matte finish and the wear time and coverage are both really good for me. 


Admittedly, I'm a little bit obsessed with concealer and I try a lot of them, so my two favorites have had a lot of competition and I feel like they're really beat out pretty much everything else that I've tried. I would even go so far as to say that these two concealers have both reached holy grail status for me and, thus far, nothing has even come close to touching them. 

HIGH END: MAC Pro Longwear Concealer
As you can see, I need to repurchase another one of these and I haven't gotten around to it for a few months, but this is a multiple repurchase product and one of my all time favorites. This concealer really ticks all of the boxes for me. The coverage is really fantastic on this concealer and I feel like a little bit goes a long way, but unlike a lot of other concealers that I would say the same thing about I find that this one manages to never look heavy even if I do go a little too hard. The other thing I love about this is that it's really, really long wearing and a little bit bulletproof as far as looking as good at the end of the day as it did in the beginning. I honestly can't say enough good things about the MAC Pro Longwear Concealer.

DRUGSTORE: Maybelline FIT Me Concealer
When it comes to drugstore concealers, I think this is one of the ones that gets ALL of the raves these days, and it's honestly for good reason. I feel like the Maybelline FIT Me Concealer gives really good coverage under my eyes without looking heavy or settling into my fine lines. It's also really easy to blend, which is important to me because I don't want to be pulling too much at the skin around my eyes. I couldn't even tell you how many tubes of this I've gone through over the years that I've been using it - but it's a LOT, because this is a constant repurchase, have-a-backup-on-hand product for me.



This year is the first time I've actually had a higher cost powder that has impressed me enough to get consistent use. While I'm sure there are a lot of great powders out there in the high end price range, I've never been impressed enough with one to really get excited or feel like it was worth it to me. Anyway, this year a higher priced powder has finally gotten me 100% on board - it's a miracle!

HIGH END: VICHY Illuminating Powder Foundation
{REVIEW} Is anyone who reads the blog surprised that it's a VICHY powder that has gotten me on board? The thing that I love about this powder is that it never looks powdery on my skin. Very much like the Fluid Foundation, I feel like the Teint Ideal Powder Foundation also gives a really natural look to the skin, but adds coverage and really does help my complexion look smoother and more perfected. I've been reaching for this constantly and even though I haven't hit pan yet there is already a pretty deep divot in this pan and I'm already anticipating repurchasing it.

DRUGSTORE: Rimmel Stay Matte Long Lasting Pressed Powder
{REVIEW} As you can see in the picture, I've hit pan on yet another Rimmel Stay Matte powder. This is another one of those products that I've repurchased over and over again because I think it's just such incredible quality for the drugstore. This is definitely my summer powder and I find that none of the other powders in my collection help to mattify my skin and keep me looking smooth and matte all day long without getting cakey and creating texture on the surface of the skin. This is definitely another drugstore Holy Grail for me and one that I would recommend to the moon and back.


NOTE: Gold star denotes my favorite of the two products!

So there you have it. My hands down favorite complexion products of 2016. I really do feel strongly about all of these and would 100% recommend them! 

I'd love to hear in the comments what your favorite primers, foundations, concealers and pressed powders were in 2016 because as much as I love these products, I'm always on the hunt for more things to try!

Thanks for reading!

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