Oh man, guys, putting together this year's Makeup Favorites this year was probably the easiest it's ever been, but I procrastinated HARD on sitting down and actually taking the photos of the products. Admittedly, when it comes to makeup I've been pretty committed this year and the products that I love I really, really love and reach for constantly. I think I've managed to transition away from wanting to try all of the things and constantly reaching for the new new and instead when I find favorites I tend to stick with them. I also didn't choose favorites from categories where I just don't have a favorite product, because I didn't want to be disingenuous and just choose a product to have something to mention. 

SO, without further ado, let's get into my favorite makeup products of 2019!

2019 was actually a really, really good year for me when it came to foundations that really work with my skin. What I look for in a foundation is medium coverage with a fairly naturally looking finish that's going to wear well on me all day long. I mean, isn't that what most people are looking for? The Physicians Formula The Healthy Foundation is the only repeater from last year and it's one that I continue to reach for consistently (in fact, as I'm writing this, it's what I have on my skin.) The two new entries to my favorites are the Catrice HD Liquid Coverage Foundation, which has a solid medium coverage and wears absolutely beautifully all day with a natural matte finish, and the Almay Clear Complexion Foundation*, which was an absolute surprise and gives a really natural finish with a solid medium coverage and wears beautifully even during really long days. 

Concealer

Both of the concealers that jumped out at me as my favorites were new to me in 2019 and they both sort of fit into the trend of super high coverage liquid concealers with massive doe foot applicators. And trust me, I jumped into that trend really hard over the past year and tried SO many of the drugstore options in this style and these two are head and shoulders above the rest. The elf 16Hr Camo Concealer was one of those huge releases and though the formula is strange (see my review), it really works beautifully for me. It gives me really solid coverage and doesn't setting into or accentuate the creases and fine lines around my eyes. A less hyped release that really surprised me is the COVERGIRL TruBlend Undercover Concealer, which gives me super high coverage and a really flawless look with only the tiniest bit of product and blends out really seamlessly without accentuating my fine lines. Of all of the high coverage concealers in the drugstore, I feel like both of these are well work picking up and are ones I'll continue to repurchase. 

The pan is STRONG with these two....

Bronzer

I actually have back ups of both of these bronzers ready to go, but I really wanted to show you guys the ones that I'm still in the process of using up to really just drive home the fact that these are the only two bronzers that I reach for consistently and I've hit major pan on both. The Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer has been in my favorites every year for the past... 4? I think 4 years in a row this has been a favorite for me and it's still going strong. This is, in my opinion, basically the perfect pale girl bronzer and gives a subtly luminous warmth to the skin that looks natural and lovely every time. The Body Shop Honey Bronzer is another really perfect option for pale girls. It's actually available in 3 shades, but the lightest one does for me pretty much what the Butter Bronzer does in that it adds warmth without looking unnatural or muddy on the skin, and I can basically just slap it on and it blends seamlessly. If you're also pasty pale like me, either of these options are pretty much must haves. 

Blush

I've always been a little bit of a blush fiend and I've actually finally sat down to declutter my blush collection because I know what I love and I don't need a huge collection. Both of these products have actually been in previous yearly favorites and they're both ones that I reach for consistently when I'm doing my every day makeup. The Clinique Cheek Pop Blush in Heather Pop is just an absolute staple. It's the perfect mauvey pink for my skin tone and the formula is just... gorgeous. I actually have several other cheek pop blushes and I love them all for their natural, subtly brightening effect on the skin, but Heather Pop wins for me every time. The theBalm Girls Getaway Trio is literally perfect all year long and, though Balm Beach is by far my most used of the three, this trio palette is perfect for me all year long to pair with pretty much any makeup look. 

Admittedly, I don't wear highlighter every day and I'm actually really picky about it, so it's kind of funny to me that I have three different favorites this year, but honestly when I've been reaching for highlighter it's pretty much been one of these three for most of the year. (Until recently, when I've been testing out a new one that I really enjoy as well - look for a review soon!) The Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Powder is a loooooong time favorite and the one I reach for when I want that really perfect natural looking glow at the high points of the face, especially for special occasions. The next two favorites were both new to me this year and really, really big surprises. The Wet N Wild Megaglo Highlighting Powder in Bloom Time isn't one I ever would have thought would work for my skin looking at it on the shelf, but it's absolute perfection on my pale skin. It was probably my most worn highlighter during the summer months, when I really want that intense, beaming glow to my makeup. The Revlon PhotoReady Highlighting Palette in Sunlit Dream* was a really big surprise to me but I've been reaching for it often this year. Shockingly - especially to me - I can make all of the shades in the palette work on my skin and it's really versatile as far as how much glow I want at any given time. I really wanted to include this because I really do think it's a drugstore gem that doesn't get enough attention. 

Eyeshadow

I have SO MANY palettes that I really thought that choosing favorites would be more difficult, but once I sat down and really looked at my collection, the three palettes I've reached for most this year was really, really clear. The Colourpop Good Sport Pressed Powder Palette was in my favorites last year and will probably be in my favorites next year. The formula is really, really beautiful and the curation of the shades is basically exactly perfect for my taste, giving a versatility that I can't even begin to describe. Unfortunately this palette isn't available anymore (Why, Colourpop, why???) but it's such a beauty. For the first half of the year, by far my most reached for palette was the Dominique Cosmetics Berries & Cream Palette, which is basically winter perfection. The formula of the shadows is gorgeous and I really love the unique and versatile curation in this palette as well. Honestly, this is one higher end brand that I really think is worth taking a closer look at in 2020. Finally, on a day to day basis I do tend to lean more simple and neutral in my eyeshadow looks and my most reached for neutral palette this year was definitely the Wet N Wild Color Icon 10 Pan My Glamour Squad Palette. When I first reviewed this palette, I predicted that it would become a workhorse palette in my collection and it really has. The formula of the shadows is gorgeous - I think Wet N Wild has the best mattes in the drugstore - and the curation of this palette is just a really solid every day, half-asleep-doing-my-weekday-makeup kind of selection. Well worth the... what, $6?

Mascara

Ahhh mascara... how subjective thou art. My absolute favorite of these three products, I must admit, is the Marc Jacobs Velvet Epic Lash Primer*, which I use pretty much every single day. It seriously just makes every single mascara that I apply over it better and it is literally the only mascara primer that has seemed worth using to me. Yes, it has a pretty steep price point for a lash product, but I personally have no qualms paying for this and then pairing it with a $5 mascara for amazing lashes. And speaking of $5 mascara, the Essence Volume Stylist Lash Extension Mascara is another product that was featured in last year's favorites as well. I honestly don't even know how many tubes of this I've been through at this point, but it's one of very few mascaras that I repurchase over and over. It's definitely a drier formula - or just dries out fairly quickly in the tube - which is really what works best for my lashes. It gives me really good volume and length for those really fluttery, pretty lashes. Finally, another long time favorite mascara for me is the It Cosmetics Superhero Mascara* (though I would say that I actually prefer it in the travel size to the full size, because the formula is a little bit drier.) This mascara is probably the most volumizing that I own, but it doesn't clump up and give me spidery lashes. It's just beautiful and one of few mascaras that I'll happily buy at a high end price point. 

Brow Products

In 2019, my preference for brows was softly defined and hairy... Hairy is a weird way to put it, but I like a textured looking brow. Like last year, my favorite skinny brow pencil is definitely the Benefit Precisely My Brow*, which blows pretty much every other skinny brow pencil out of the water for me. It gives me that really natural, soft definition that never gets harsh. A surprising favorite this year when it comes to brow pencils, though, has been the Wet N Wild Retractable Brow Pencil. This is one of those more wedge shaped pencils and it's the one I tend to reach for when I want to give my brows a quick fill and shape without having to work too hard (which is most weekdays, if we're being honest.) Once my brows are filled in, I've basically only been reaching for two brow gels this year. For days when I want a softer, more natural hold, I've been using the NYX Bare With Me Brow Setter, which includes conditioning ingredients for your brows. This definitely gives a softer look and hold, which is great for my personal tastes at the moment. When I want a little bit more hold and definition, I reach for the Maybelline Brow Precise Fiber Volumizer, of which I've gone through 3 or 4 tubes by now and just keep repurchasing. It has incredible hold while also really adding texture and volume to the brows. I just love this product and I really do think it's another one of those drugstore gems that doesn't get enough play. 

Lip Colour

Finally, when it comes to lips I'm honestly going to talk a little bit more about formulas than I am about shades because all three of these formulas have multiple shades that I consistently reach for. First off, there are some seriously great matte liquid lipsticks in the drugstore these days, but none of them do it for me like the Maybelline Superstay Matte Ink. This is the lip colour that I wear for pretty much any night out and it's what I actually wore when I was the maid of honour in my best friend's wedding this past spring, and it held up perfectly throughout the entire affair without drying my lips out or getting the least bit crusty and weird. LOVE this formula. Next, unsurprisingly, is the BITE Amuse Bouche Lipstick (which is apparently no more??? WTF.) because it just wears really beautifully and there are a few shades that I basically can't live without, like Pepper which is pictured here and which I now really, really I had picked up a backup of. Finally, and probably my all time favorite bullet lipstick is the Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick*, which is the perfect balance of matte finish and creamy comfort. Pictured here is the shade Very Victoria, which is probably my favorite nude lipstick of all time, but I also really, really often wear Walk Of Shame when I want a red shade that is a little more subtle and easy to wear.