Hey folksickles. The moment when I award my favoritism to the products I used in 2019 that I would hands down buy again and recommend or buy for a friend. Are we ready or are we ready? I will say that I don't have photos of the products here because many of them I've used up and thrown away but... there's always Google and in the instance that I've reviewed a product, the product name will be clickable and you can take a gander at the review.
1. Indie Lee Squalane Facial Oil - So I received another sample of this (update: I also received another in December) and I absolutely adore it! I feel a difference in the suppleness and texture of my skin right away when I use this versus when I don't. My skin just feels soft and smooth like a baby's behind. In addition, I do find myself overall much less red when I use this. I feel like it does a really good job of calming down any irritation or inflammation on my skin so I can use less foundation or skip it altogether.
2. One Love Organics Skin Savior Multi-Tasking Wonder Balm - I have been using this religiously as a nightly lip balm and OMG it works so well.
3. Nature Republic by Flower Jeju Jam Balm Tangerine Honey - As I've mentioned in previous favorites, I love this balm. I feel like it absorbs quickly yet leaves my lips feeling soft and hydrated. Plus it smells absolutely divine!
4. innisfree my real squeeze rice mask - I really like this because it's a very hydrating mask and while its serum is milky and hydrating it's not thick or heavy the way the shea butter one is. I just find that my skin has a tough time absorbing thick, rich cream products and benefits more from lighter-weight hydrators. This mask also has a nice, light scent. I'd have to say this, and the acai, are my favorite of the my real squeeze line and I'd absolutely pick it up again!
5. Foreo Luna Go Sensitive Skin - So I've made the switch from the Clarisonic to this last year and I have no regrets. I don't even use the anti-aging side and I still feel like my skin feels so much softer, supple, more... bouncy? Versus before I had the Foreo. It leaves my skin feeling very deeply cleansed, in the sense of I feel like it really removes any leftover traces of makeup (I say this because I use the Makeup Eraser and then I use a liquid cleanser with the Foreo after) without making my skin feel tight. I also feel like it's extremely gentle on my skin. If anything, the massaging it does helps boost circulation and is probably what's making my skin feel so good! While this particular Foreo needs more frequent charging than larger models (I charge mine about every two weeks or so versus maybe a month or longer from what my friends who own larger models report) I think it's fantastic for on the go. I love that you don't need to get any extra parts for it and that I don't have to set reminders for myself to charge it weekly.
6. patchology PoshPeel Pedi Cure - Ok so I'm unsure if it's because this has you go through a whole soaking procedure pre and post use that it works SO MUCH BETTER (I mean, it does say, for more intensity to do that) than any other foot peel I have ever used. SO MUCH SKIN... gross, dead, dry skin... peeled off my feet when I was using this. It was gross! And satisfying! And gross! I feel like I have brand new feet now. What I also liked is that this worked on my calluses too. A lot of these peels will work where my skin is thinner like along the arch of my foot or the tops of my feet but when it gets to like the heel or the ball of my foot where they're callused it just doesn't do any peeling at all. I will say that, although this does peel the callused areas it will kind of get the top layer off and if you're someone who cuts their calluses off periodically or gets them cut off (be careful either way!) you will notice that this only gets the top bits off. I think that's a good thing if you're trying to ween yourself off of removing calluses with a sharp object but if you're really looking for them to be gone completely this won't do the trick.
7. Holika Holika Aqua Petit Jelly Starter - I love this - it's a refreshing, cooling feeling primer with a gorgeous soft pink glow. I'm sure you can use this as a subtle highlight as well but the pink glow disappears under foundation and just gives it a more luminous look. I love the texture of this and the glow it provides.
8. Bath & Body Works Tiki Beach Scented Candle - This is by far my favorite summer scent! You folks know it always makes favorites and I absolutely adore it!
9. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palette - Unlocked: In a sense I hate to be raving about this palette now because it's discontinued and sold for a whopping $80 which is kind of whack given how small the pans in it are. That said though, I have been using it and loving it - the glow this gives my skin is beautiful,both the blushes are beautiful, the lighter bronzer shade blends nicely as a contour despite being warm and shimmery - it just gives my skin nice dimension, the deeper bronzer gives me nice warmth and depth (I like to layer it over a cool-toned cream product that I use to contour with), the highlighter gives my skin a gorgeous sheen. I just absolutely adore every color in here.
10. Absolute Sailor Moon Blanket: HAHAHA. YOU THOUGHT I WAS GONNA FORGET. This blanket consistently makes it to favorites EVERY. SINGLE. YEAR. and for good reason - it's cute and cozy! You can pick one up here. I bought this on Look Human which I have to tell you, has some pretty gosh darn awesome merch, so if you want a blanket but the design isn't up your alley, there's plenty of others. This isn't a cheap blanket and I believe I bought the larger size option. That said, these blankets are fantastic, they're mega cuddly and don't get matted or gross after you wash them (it's been years!). They're lightweight. I like to snuggle up in mine to watch movies or to read but you could also snuggle up with a cup of tea or... it's just a really nice snuggly blanket and it's Sailor Moon so like... what's not to love. It brings me such comfort. :D This blanker will never NOT be in yearly favorites because it's just so great and worth every penny I paid for it!!!!
11. Adventure Time: The show. I did end up watching it in its entirety this year and y'all - I was BAWLING at that last episode. THE FEELS. I'm sure those of you who have watched will understand and those that haven't? Well it isn't too late to join the fandom... Join the fandom!
12. Celeb Luxury Viral Shampoo and Conditioner in Extreme Teal: Y'all probably don't know this but my hairdresser friend gave me teal highlights on pride weekend (end of June) and progressively kept/keeps dying it more ocean-blue/teal - because ya girl didn't take any selfies for this blog - but she suggested I purchase these two to keep up the hair color and so that I didn't worry about not washing my hair. This has been really incredible in keeping the teal looking fresh - every time I used these (about once a week, sometimes I'll co-wash with the conditioner if I've gone swimming) my hair looks as though its been freshly dyed. While pricey these are absolutely worth it if your shade of unconventional hair color comes in the line. Now in terms of how these work as shampoo and conditioner - the shampoo is great at making my hair feel clean; the conditioner... I suppose because it's got the bond builder in it - left my hair somewhat grittier and more texture-y than I'd like initially, as my hair becomes healthier though I find that this makes my hair feel silky. Both smell really fantastic. What I love most about using these products for maintenance is that all those rules about keeping hair color in - not washing your hair frequently (I wash mine about every other day to avoid product buildup and dandruff from forming) and washing your hair in ice cold water (um... very unpleasant) all go out the window because of how well this maintains my color. I don't really heat-style my hair frequently, or frankly, at all anymore so that aspect doesn't concern me much.
13. Bath & Body Works Scented Candle in Hot Cocoa & Cream - I just adore this candle for cold and/or rainy weather - it's so cozy! It smells like really good quality hot chocolate with just a hint of salt topped with whipped cream. Perfect for the upcoming chilly season!
14. Inglot 353M: I use this so often I think it's kind of unfair to it to not get a shoutout. My favorite matte highlight for the brow-bone, utter perfection. I love it so much, I've had it for years and it was this year - 2019 - that I finally hit pan.
15. Smith's Brambleberry Rose Lip Balm: I bought this on a whim because I needed lip balm and I absolutely LOVE it! It smells delicious - by far the best smelling of the Smith's lip balms in my humble opinion. It leaves my lips feeling silky, smooth, and conditioned whilst having a nice silky glide - not sticky at all.
17. Trader Joe's Salted Caramel Flavored Hot Cocoa - Friends, this stuff is INCREDIBLE! It tastes so good - you can taste the salted caramel and hot chocolate notes individually, it's got a nice thickness to it - even if you just use water to make it. I drank a lot of this when I was feeling under the weather and it made me feel infinitely better. I love it so much, in fact, that I bought two tubs of it this year. :)
18. Colourpop x Hello Kitty Lippie Stix in Let's Play: This is a beautiful holiday metallic red shade that gets LOADS of compliments - I'm talking like, every time I wear it someone tells me how much they love it. My only qualm with this lipstick is that it's discontinued as I certainly would love to tell people they can go out and get it.
19. Colourpop Just a Tint Lip Crayon in Chubby Bunny: Ok can you tell that I've been playing with my Colourpop stash? When it comes to this lip crayon I genuinely look forward to the balm step of my makeup routine because that means I get to put this on - it's silky, hydrating, non-sticky, and gives a pretty hint of color. My favorite thing, outside of the texture, about Chubby Bunny is that while bubblegum pinks can be hard to pull of, the sheerness here lends it to being really soft and pretty.
Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.
9. Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Palette - Unlocked: In a sense I hate to be raving about this palette now because it's discontinued and sold for a whopping $80 which is kind of whack given how small the pans in it are. That said though, I have been using it and loving it - the glow this gives my skin is beautiful,both the blushes are beautiful, the lighter bronzer shade blends nicely as a contour despite being warm and shimmery - it just gives my skin nice dimension, the deeper bronzer gives me nice warmth and depth (I like to layer it over a cool-toned cream product that I use to contour with), the highlighter gives my skin a gorgeous sheen. I just absolutely adore every color in here.
11. Adventure Time: The show. I did end up watching it in its entirety this year and y'all - I was BAWLING at that last episode. THE FEELS. I'm sure those of you who have watched will understand and those that haven't? Well it isn't too late to join the fandom... Join the fandom!
12. Celeb Luxury Viral Shampoo and Conditioner in Extreme Teal: Y'all probably don't know this but my hairdresser friend gave me teal highlights on pride weekend (end of June) and progressively kept/keeps dying it more ocean-blue/teal - because ya girl didn't take any selfies for this blog - but she suggested I purchase these two to keep up the hair color and so that I didn't worry about not washing my hair. This has been really incredible in keeping the teal looking fresh - every time I used these (about once a week, sometimes I'll co-wash with the conditioner if I've gone swimming) my hair looks as though its been freshly dyed. While pricey these are absolutely worth it if your shade of unconventional hair color comes in the line. Now in terms of how these work as shampoo and conditioner - the shampoo is great at making my hair feel clean; the conditioner... I suppose because it's got the bond builder in it - left my hair somewhat grittier and more texture-y than I'd like initially, as my hair becomes healthier though I find that this makes my hair feel silky. Both smell really fantastic. What I love most about using these products for maintenance is that all those rules about keeping hair color in - not washing your hair frequently (I wash mine about every other day to avoid product buildup and dandruff from forming) and washing your hair in ice cold water (um... very unpleasant) all go out the window because of how well this maintains my color. I don't really heat-style my hair frequently, or frankly, at all anymore so that aspect doesn't concern me much.
13. Bath & Body Works Scented Candle in Hot Cocoa & Cream - I just adore this candle for cold and/or rainy weather - it's so cozy! It smells like really good quality hot chocolate with just a hint of salt topped with whipped cream. Perfect for the upcoming chilly season!
15. Smith's Brambleberry Rose Lip Balm: I bought this on a whim because I needed lip balm and I absolutely LOVE it! It smells delicious - by far the best smelling of the Smith's lip balms in my humble opinion. It leaves my lips feeling silky, smooth, and conditioned whilst having a nice silky glide - not sticky at all.
16. Colourpop Sol Palette: It's so funny how I'm falling in love with really warm pink-toned palettes given my love of teals and blues (as you know), greens, violets... yet here we are. I fully blame my best friend because every time I'd send him photos of this and the strawberry palettes he'd heart react to them and encourage me to get them so here we are. This palette makes it into favorites because it is quality - the colors here are smooth, buttery, well-pigmented; they all play well together. Not only that but the palette is incredibly versatile in that you can create really soft, subtle, everyday looks with it but you can also do bright, intense looks and even softly smoky looks with the browns in the palette. When I purchase this I was anticipating that I'd create bright pinky looks with it but I had no idea that the looks I created with it could be so soft, versatile, and flattering. I am genuinely excited to use this palette every time I pick it up and I NEVER thought I'd say that about a palette that wasn't genuinely neutral unless it had a pop of blue in it.
19. Colourpop Just a Tint Lip Crayon in Chubby Bunny: Ok can you tell that I've been playing with my Colourpop stash? When it comes to this lip crayon I genuinely look forward to the balm step of my makeup routine because that means I get to put this on - it's silky, hydrating, non-sticky, and gives a pretty hint of color. My favorite thing, outside of the texture, about Chubby Bunny is that while bubblegum pinks can be hard to pull of, the sheerness here lends it to being really soft and pretty.
Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.
Disclaimer: I paid for all these items with the exception of the Indiee Lee, Nature Republic, Hourglass, and One Love Organics products which were provided free for testing purposes.
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