2018 BEAUTY FAVORITES: Makeup Top 10

by - January 04, 2019


Hey guys! Probably the most exciting of all of my favorite posts is this one, which actually used to be split up into several posts but has been condensed to one Top 10 list this year. Honestly, when I initally sat down to put together this list, I thought it was going to be hard, but it turned out to be by far the easiest list for me to put together because every single one of these products has been a staple for me this year. Seriously, these are products that I reach for constantly and have been ever since I got each of them. 

Keep reading for more!


One thing that I feel I have to maybe apologize for going into this is the fact that not everything on this list is still available. I went back and forth on whether to include limited edition and discontinued products on this list, but for the sake of making it a genuine yearly favorites post, I knew that I had to include them. I know that a lot of bloggers tend to avoid mentioning products that are no longer available, but since this is a snapshot of my beauty routine there was just no getting around it. Luckily, there's only one that you truly can't get anymore period, so... yay!


Physicians Formula The Healthy Foundation
{Full Review} There are a lot of foundations that I like and I tend to cycle through them and choose which one to reach for based on the weather and where my skin is at, but this one has been one that I've reached for constantly, recommended constantly, and considered buying several shades of just in case of tan. Seriously, this is a foundation that I will always have on hand for as long as the brand is making it because what it does for my skin is just stunning. It has a solid medium coverage and a finish that is basically indistinguishable from skin on me. If you're looking for one foundation in the drugstore that will almost certainly live up to its claim of being for all skin types, it's this one. And it's amazing. 


Revolution Conceal & Define Concealer
{Full Review} This is one of those products that had alllll of the hype and took forever to get to Canada, so it's actually only been in my collection for the past few months - but I've already picked up a backup. I love the formula of this, which gives me a really good coverage to smoothness ratio. What I mean by this is that I get the coverage that I'm looking for without a texture that emphasizes fine lines and texture underneath the eyes. It also wears really well, has a good shade selection, and is at a drugstore price (if a little bit pricier than some of the others that I like from the drugstore, based on the volume of product in the tube.) Honestly, I think this one really does live up to the hype and if I happen to reach for something else in my collection, I always seem to wish I'd reached for this. 


Sonia Kashuk Chic Luminosity Glow Powder
At the beginning of 2018, I got my mom to pick up a couple of these for me while she was down in Palm Springs because I had been missing it in my collection since Target left Canada and I knew that this wasn't going to be available much longer. Now that I'm into my second one and making a definite dent, I'm already mourning the loss of it. I use this to set my concealer and it seriously never lets me down. It does bring a little bit of light under there, which I absolutely need with my deep set eyes and the shadows that they create, but it also gives me the most beautiful, smooth finish there without ever looking like powder. Honestly, if you know of a really fine, pressed translucent powder with that barely there finish, please let me know because this will  be gone soon and I've never found anything that measures up for me. 


Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer
Shall we call this pan porn? I've already hit major pan on my second Butter Bronzer and there's really no end in sight. This is a cult product that 100%, in my opinion, deserves every bit of love that it gets and is really the only bronzer I reach for. I have a couple of others in my collection that I use sometimes, but this one always gets it done for me and looks natural and healthy on my skin tone. This was a favorite in 2016 and 2017 and I have confidence that it will probably be a favorite next year as well because it's just. that. good. What more can I say? I'm sure this is still popping up on other people's favorites lists even though it's not even remotely new, which in the beauty community definitely says something. 


theBalm Girls Getaway Trio
Though this set isn't still available, the three blushes in it are sold separately, though I do wish that this trio was permanent because it's just so great for my skin tone. I don't know if you can tell from the photo, but my most used of this trio is definitely Balm Beach, which is a neutral dusty pink tone that's perfect pretty much all year. I tend to most often reach for Balm Springs and Balm Desert in the summer months, when I'm looking for a little bit more colour on the cheeks. So obviously, I love this palette all year and I think that if push came to shove and I could only choose one product from my blush drawer, it would be this one because it ticks all of the boxes and has a great formula. Highly, highly recommend. 


Wet N Wild Nude Awakening 10 Pan Palette
{Full Review} When the new formula of the Wet N Wild eyeshadow palettes was released, I almost didn't buy this one because it seemed sort of unremarkable, but I'm so glad that I did because for me it stands above the other, more trendy palettes in this collection. First off, the formula is really great on these shadows, the mattes blend beautifully and the shimmers have solid impact. But more importantly than that and what makes this palette stand out for me is that it's a workhorse palette that will suit pretty much anyone and create a versatile selection of classic, wearable looks. In general, I'm kind of over neutral palettes, but this really has become my favorite neutral palette in my collection. I seriously think that it deserves a look if maybe you've passed on it because it seemed boring. 


Colourpop Good Sport Pressed Powder Palette
{Full Review} I almost didn't include this because it's so new to my collection, but I really couldn't resist because I just love it that much. I actually sat down and went through the other palettes that I've been reaching for consistently throughout this past year, but this one still stood above it for me. I feel like, in constrast to the classic, wearable nature of the last palette, this one hits right on trend and is most effectively used to create beautiful, dramatic looks. Seriously, Colourpop knocked it out of the park for me with this one and I feel like it hasn't gotten anywhere near the attention that it deserves. 


Benefit Precisely, My Brow Pencil*
{Full Review} You know those times when you thought you were perfectly happy with the lower cost option of something until you try the more high end option and it blows everything you were using in the past out of the water? That's what happened to me when I tried this brow pencil. I had pretty consistently been using drugstore brow pencils (though my favorite for years has been the Anastasia Brow Wiz) and I was content until I tried this one and now I don't think I can go back. This brow pencil just gives me the most perfect, defined but not harsh, natural looking brows ever. For me, this beats the Brow Wiz and literally everything else that I've tried. Occasionally I reach for something else... and then I just wish I had grabbed this instead. 


IT Cosmetics Superhero Mascara*
I'm a big fan of some super black and full lashes that still look fluffy and this mascara is just my absolute favorite for that. Admittedly, this is definitely one that I prefer once it has dried out a little bit, because initially it can be a little bit wet, and I actually prefer the sample size because for that three months that I use it, it's just a killer every time, but the full size gets it done as well. This is actually another one that has been featured in my favorites before and so far no mascara has managed to do for my lashes what this one does - which is exactly what I want it to do. It also lasts incredibly well on me without any flaking or smudging, which is something that I highly, highly value.


Maybelline Superstay Matte Ink Liquid Lipstick
I don't know if you can tell from the photos, but these tubes are actually pretty mangled because I basically always have one in my purse. Why, you ask? Because they're an absolute dream. They have amazing colour, a formula that wears basically forever without getting uncomfortable or starting to look funky, and a shade selection that has something for every occasion. I know that matte liquid lipsticks have gone a little bit out of fashion for a lot of people, but for me this formula continues to stand above the rest because I love knowing that I can put them on in the morning before work and they'll still be going strong by dinner time, regardless of how much coffee I drink or what I eat for lunch. Seriously, if you avoid matte liquid lips because you've hated formulas you've tried in the past, check these out because they're so unlike the dry, uncomfortable formulas of the past. 


As I sit and look at these products, I feel like I could streamline the crap out of my collection and really only reach for them and I'd be perfectly happy. I have a pretty big collection of makeup (too big, if I'm being honest) but if I only had these they'd get the job done and I'd literally be able to do everything I want to do. Every single product in this post gets a huge thumbs up and recommendation from me - and so many of them are just incredibly affordable, which I think tells us just how far drugstore makeup has come in the past 5 years or so. 

Thanks for reading! If there are any favorites of yours that you think I'd love, please let me know in the comments!


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