Best of 2020 - Favorites

Hey folksickles. I am extremely tardy to the party but... Oh you thought I was gonna forget? I wasn't gonna forget! The moment when I award my favoritism to the products I used in 2020 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 I've used up and thrown away many of them  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. Sugarpill Doll Up Liquid Lip Color: This is so pretty! It's a bit more of a peachy nude versus the mauve that Trinket is and, in addition to the gold shimmer, this also has silver and purple bits. It's so pretty and I've gotten loads of compliments on it. I also love that, despite being a light shade, this has full opacity on the lips.

2. Violet Voss Pro Eyeshadows Holy Grail Palette: I feel like I've sung my praises to this palette in the past but now that I've truly embraced red and pink eyeshadow I love it even more. I think it's a wonderfully versatile palette that's high-quality and easy to use - all the shades play so well with each other to create polished, blended looks effortlessly.

3. bh Cosmetics Aurora Lights Palette: My best friend got this for me as a holiday gift and I'm really loving it! It's so gorgeously sparkly and versatile too! So many different looks can be created from it, although I do suggest pairing the palette with a matte highlight and/or matte crease shades. Some of the eyeshadows make really lovely cheek highlights or blushes as well.

4.   Sonia Kashuk Essential Blending Crease Brush No. 273: For years I've heard great things about Sonia Kashuk brushes and just hadn't invested until, that is, I was in Target and I needed a brush for applying transition tones with, given that the one I had fell apart. This brush is absolutely fantastic - despite being synthetic it picks up and diffuses color just absolutely beautifully. I've had it for a year now and it still looks, and performs, as though it were brand new. At this point I definitely need to replenish on this. 

5. Bitter Lace Beauty Mermaid Dreams Bundle: I will be honest that I don't have a particular favorite in the palette as of yet, they all have such a GORGEOUS metallic glow to them and as someone who loves that super intense highlighted cheek, these are definitely up my alley.

6. Lume Deodorant in Jasmine Rose: Frankly friends, I think this may have been the first product I decided to try out because Facebook constantly showed me ads for it and here it is, making it to favorites. Granted, I know one of my friends tried it and really loved it and I trust this friend's opinion on products so I knew she wouldn't sway me wrong. Anyhow, let's get on with why I love this so much - I've tried to use "natural" deodorants in the past, not because I have anything against run of the mill deodorant - you know I was a Secret loyalist - mostly because I KNEW that all their solids worked well for me and didn't irritate my pits. I was skeptical going into using this for two reasons - one is that in the past, natural deodorants simply didn't work, everything would be fine when I first put them on and then a few hours later, due to them not having anti-antiperspirant properties I'd sweat up a storm and stink. It's no good when you smell your own pit stench! In addition, baking-soda based deodorants reduced my poor pits to sweaty, rashy, angry bits 'o meat. Lume actually works! Now when I say it works - the first few days on it, I was a bit sweaty and stinky, so there is a bit of an adjustment period. However, within a week, the smell was gone. Now I'm not gonna lie to y'all, you still sweat, maybe not as profusely as you would sans deodorant completely, but this doesn't block your sweat glands. I'm typically not so profusely sweaty that it's an issue but if you are, I can see this not being ideal. I've been using this for about a month and a half now and even when I do sweat quite a bit because it's hot out, I hardly smell at all. You need only a tiny bit of this to coat your pits nicely - now, I suggest you buy the tube. My friend suggested the tube to me too - but ya girl didn't listen. It's just that the stick is pointless. The product is gelatinous and you're only meant to use a tiny bit of it - enough to just create a thin coating on your pit - so the stick does nothing other than become a smeary mess. Also it smells exactly what it sounds like, legitimate jasmine with legitimate rose, nothing artificial - which personally I love, I was a little apprehensive ordering this but I wanted something scented and historically I've enjoyed both jasmine and rose-scented items so I decided to give it a shot. Lastly, NO RESIDUE. None. At all. Which means you can wear all your black/dark clothes with confidence that not only will you not have deodorant show, but you won't have those weird deodorant stains either. Plus because you only need so little, this will last you forever, so don't be put off by it being a lot pricier than deodorant at the drugstore. I love it so much and to be honest I'm curious to try out their bar soap now because I'm hearing good things about it as well.

7. Orly Nail Lacquer in Kiss The Bride: This is such a pretty pastel bridal/ballet type pink that looks elegant and is just perfect for absolutely any occasion.

8. Orly Nail Lacquer in Crawford's Wine: I absolutely adore this shade of red - it's this fantastic metallic cherry that I think would look gorgeous on absolutely everyone  - it's got a pinup vibe to it and I am here for it!

9. Violet Voss Sakura Blossom Palette: This is such a beautiful palette that's so versatile - you can do super bright looks with it but you can also do really soft neutral looks with it - the shadows are so pigmented and easy to blend. It's an absolute joy to play with.

10. Maya Chia Supercritical Omega-3 Chia Face Oil: This oil makes my skin feel buttery smooth and hydrated, it feels really luxurious to apply, it smells wonderful, and it relieves redness and inflammation on my skin. I really enjoy using it.

11. Youth to the People Superberry Hydrate + Glow Dream Mask: I can't believe that I hadn't put this in a favorites yet! It makes my skin feel buttery smooth, is really soothing and hydrating to put onto inflamed dry or thirsty skin, smells nice, has a beautiful whipped texture... I just genuinely look forward to putting it on at night.

12. LUSH Rose Jam Shower Gel: I genuinely look forward to using this in my shower routine because it smells so delicious! If you like sweet rose scents this would probably be up your alley. It also foams up beautifully.

13. Tocca Gia Ea de Parfum: I've been using this perfume daily and it just smells absolutely delicious. Another scent that I would suggest if you like sweet floral fragrances. It smells like spring, summertime, and a fresh blooming garden all rolled into one. I love it.

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.

15. ColourPop Just A Tint Lip Crayon in Maui Wowie: You know I've raved about these lip crayons before but I like this one in particular because its color is so pretty! It's this gorgeous pinkish red kind of coral shade that brightens up my complexion but isn't over the top because the product is sheer. I think it's fantastic. 

16. ColourPop strawberry shake Pressed Powder Palette: Ok so what makes this palette special, even more than the fact that I just LOVE it and the looks I was able to create with it. Which, let me just go off on that tangent for a bit, it's a palette that looks bright pink, intense, and crazy at first glance but is actually very versatile and allows you to create looks that are soft and romantic or bright and intense. Anyway, back to the original train of thought, my bestie convinced me last year to start wearing pink eyeshadow on a far more regular basis. Sure I'd wear it here and there and usually went for "safe" soft pinks, dusty roses, mauves but to go for bright pinks and reds - I thought they'd make my eyes look bloodshot when in reality they bring out the slight hint of hazel I've got going on. I LOVE them and I don't think I'd have gone the pink route if it wasn't for him. And then, as well, my wifey got me this palette which also makes it very special to me. So it's due to their collaboration that I have this and that I am enjoying it very much.

17. Trader Joe's Oatmeal & Honey Pure Vegetable Soap: I've mentioned my eczema on and off on this blog and this year it attacked my knuckles to the point of drawing blood - this soap honestly brought my skin back to normal. Granted, it took several weeks but I notice that when I'm washing my hands when my eczema is active on them typical hand soaps tend to be extremely stripping and drying whereas this leaves my skin feeling super soft and replenished. It also foams up quite nicely. 

18. Eminence Organics Strawberry Rhubarb Dermafoliant with Lactic Acid: I love this scrub so much! It remains fairly scrubby even with water added and I love that it's a combination of physical and chemical exfoliants. It smells absolutely delicious, like really good fresh strawberries and leaves my skin feeling like a baby's bottom. It has somewhat of a hefty price tag but given how far a tiny bit of it goes I find that it's genuinely worth the money. It also provides a nice radiance to my skin and isn't irritating at all. 

And now, some shows I really loved:

19. Somali and the Forest Spirit: I have literally harassed multiple of my friends to watch this show and I promise it's absolutely worth it. If you remotely like the fantasy genre please consider adding this to your list. It's short, only 12 episodes at half an hour each, so it's quick to get through but the story is gripping. The characters are all written wonderfully and I love nearly each and every one of them. The world design is breathtaking. The story-line is heartwarming and will destroy your feels organ. It's just such a wonderful anime that you won't regret watching.

20. Toilet Bound Hanako-Kun: This one's a bit more lighthearted, a show reminiscent of things like Harry Potter, Spirited Away, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Madoka Magica (at least in art-style at times) it follows unlikely group of high school friends as they traverse between the boundaries between the human and spirit world. Another one with beautiful character design and an interesting world to delve into, and again short, at 12 episodes.

21. The Witcher: If you enjoy magic, historical-fiction type shows (i.e.: Lord of the Rings, The Last Kingdom, Game of Thrones) this is one I HIGHLY suggest you check out. The storyline is action-packed, the characters are interesting and super dynamic, the pacing is great, it's well-written. Like, I cannot wait for season 2 and I cannot wait to get my hands on the books. 

And books!

22. The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho: One of my favorite books of all time, a book that is inspirational and the moral of which is to follow your dreams. However, it's not merely about following your dreams, it highlights the importance of the journey as much as the destination; it highlights the importance of the people that are there for you when you want to give up. A beautiful story.

23. Veronika Decides to Die by Paulo Coelho: Another book that I genuinely love, despite its dark and heavy theme. I genuinely think this book explores the concept of what I can't call anything but "yolo" and taking life too seriously, the detrimental effects of being filled with bitterness. Overall a beautifully written and hopeful book.

Please let me know if you have any comments or questions.

Disclaimer: I paid for all these items with the exception of the bh cosmetics (which my bestie got me), Maya Chia, and Youth to the People products which were provided free for testing purposes.