BEAUTY: Top 10 Beauty Products of 2016

Okay, for real? 2016 was not the greatest. Perhaps you've heard? Putting that aside for a moment (we all need a break from the fear/anger/uncontrollable googling sometimes, right?), I want to reflect on the best beauty products I found this year. Some are new, some are just new to me, but they all nestled their way into my heart in 2016 and look like they won't be moving out in 2017, either. 

In no particular order...

L'oreal Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Mascara 

in Blackest Black Waterproof

I want to shed a tear from how much I love this stuff, and I can do so comfortable because this little baby is waterproof! Take it from a frequent casual crier! I've worked my way through drugstore mascaras (there was even a spreadsheet involved at one point. whatever.) and I'll never stray again. Gold mirrored packaging? OKAY. The brush is ever so slightly angled, and the old school bristles (no silicone here) taper from large to smaller toward the tip. You get a realistic fanned-out falsies look, and the dry formula holds a curl all damn day. It's one of those love-at-first-swipe mascaras - I don't know why I never hear about this stuff because it's the actual best.

Colourpop Super Shock Shadow in Weenie

Weenie on the left!

Honestly, I don't know if there's another eyeshadow I wore more often in 2016 than this! It's perfect for a quick swipe of color, or a full on metallic sheen in-your-face kinda eye. The rose gold shade is over-the-top pigmented and flatters many skin tones. Did I mention this is the softest eyeshadow I've ever swiped my finger across? Well, IT IS. Read more about my love for this eyeshadow here.

NYX Micro Brow Pencil in Ash Brown

The search is over! I've tried gels, creams, other pencils - even high end ones - but there's just something about this one. The pencil is very thin, giving you the ability to draw tiny hair-like strokes and define the border of a brow without looking like you took a Crayola to your face. This shade is dead on for me, and I love that it's a true ashy color - no secret red tinge here! I've already bought this like four times, guys. IT'S THE ONE!

Skinfood Salmon Darkcircle Concealer Cream in #1

My sister opened my eyes (face pun!) to this Korean wonder product and I'm so glad she did! The texture is super creamy, so it never accentuates dryness around your eyes, or pulls your skin when you pat it in. In fact, it totally moisturizes that area, leaving a smooth and perfectly blended finish that works wonders in brightening up your skin. The pigmentation is great, and I kind of feel like this tub will last forever, which I'm totally fine with.

Wet n Wild Contour Palette in Dulce de Leche

This is a real score, because I bought on a whim when it was on sale for, like, less than two bucks. The powder is soft and blend-able (though you'll be on fallout patrol) and the shade is pretty perfect for me. I was used to a very cool-toned contour, and thought this might be a hair too warm-toned, but it turned out to be just what I needed. The staying power has been good for me, and I grab this guy almost every time I do my makeup. Worth it for the contour shade alone!

NYX BB Cream in 02 Natural

Ugh. Choosing face makeup is hard. When I needed a new go-to, days of research and review scouring left me overwhelmed. I impulse purchased this, and ended up digging it a lot. All that obsessive research went unused, and things still ended up great. I feel like there's a lesson I'll refuse to learn in there somewhere. This BB is the perfect skin-melding formula to even out tones, and (mostly) cover blemishes, but not look or feel mask-like at all. I never feel it! You can clumsily slap it on with your fingers or carefully blend it with a foundation brush, and either way it seems to dissolve into your face within minutes, making you look like a clearer version of yourself. Gotta note that the shade range is criminal - three similar-looking colors for fair to light-medium skin, which is bullshit and dismissive. I happen to fit right in the middle of their range, but they still lose a point for this.

Milani Everyday Eyes Palette in Bare Necessities

I've already told you how much I dig this palette, and my feelings remained strong throughout '16. Just a perfect neutral eye palette, with excellent pigmentation, and some serious shimmer in several shades. With the addition of metallic gold you can do something a little more glam too, and you'll be hard pressed to find a day that this palette doesn't give you exactly what you need (at least when it comes to eyeshadow). 

Maybelline The Loaded Bolds Lipstick in Smoking Red

Anyone who's into lipstick doesn't need any more red lipsticks - I'm sure there's a scientific theory about this - but I grabbed this anyway because it's slightly different than my other reds. It's a vampy deep red, yet still bright and easy to wear. Not quite a black cherry, but definitely not a cherry red (not a girl, not yet a woman), this shade falls flatly in between those two different, yet confusingly similar-sounding, shades. It's opaque in one swipe and creamy enough not to dry you out. It's perfect for fall because it's basically the color of autumn leaves and magic. For a cheap thrill that turns into more, you can't really beat it.

Tocca Perfume Rollerball in Florence

I picked up a pack of four Tocca mini rollerballs hoping I'd love one, but it turned out I loved them all! Florence has been the standout, though, and the sweet mix of bergamot and gardenia gives me this instant feeling of nostalgia and happiness that I can't quite place. I have no memories associated with this scent, but somehow it tricks me into thinking I do! I still have more than half of this mini left, but I'd be open to upgrading to full size when the time comes.

Maroma Perfume Oil in Night Jasmine

This was a random find at a local hippie store that sells eco-friendly toothpaste alongside fresh eggs from chickens down the street. I guess you could say I wasn't looking for perfume there. When I smelled this oil, though, I was instantly flooded with the memory of a garden I played in as a child. The memory had been trapped in my brain and this shook it free! This is a sweet, sultry jasmine and it usually makes people tell me that I smell good, which is always a bonus.

My pretties...

What were your top beauty products of 2016?
What cool stuff will you be hunting down in 2017?