all time beauty favorites | 2019

I was watching a video by Samantha Ravndahl, and I really liked the idea of having all time favorites. Some people like to do the favorites of the year, but when I'm buying a product, I don't want the best of that year, I want someone's all time favorites! While I also do seasonal favorites (which you can check my fall 2019 favorites here), I want to keep a record of my all time favorites, and see what changes between year to year! So let's get right into it.

Mascara

Winner: Milk Makeup Kush Mascara

Runner Up: Too Faced Better than Sex Mascara

This was a clear winner. I've been using the Kush mascara since it was released. Before this came out, the Better Than Sex was my favorite, and while that mascara is still really good, I still think the Kush Mascara is still better. The formula is volumous without clumping as much like the BTS (Better Than Sex).

Eyeliner

Winner: Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil (Shade: Perversion)

I've tried a few eyeliners, but none of them are as black as this one. This one lasts forever and I'm obsessed! While I still think there can be a better one out there, I just haven't found one yet!

Liquid Liner

Winner: Hank & Henry Liquid Liner (Shade: Blickity Black)

Runner Up: Stila Cosmetics  Stay all Day Waterproof Liquid Eyeliner (Shade: Jet Black)

I actually got the Hank & Henry Liquid Liner inside of a BoxyCharm, and while I didn't expect it to be terrible, I also didn't expect it to be as amazing as it is. Instead of using a felt liner, it has a kind of paint brush tip. It's super flexible and yet you have a lot of control. It has a black matte finish, and even though I've been using it for a few months now, it still hasn't dried out!

My runner up was my long time favorite before I tried the Hank and Henry one. It's the Stila liquid eyeliner. It was a matte black felt liner and I loved how long it lasted without drying out! The main difference between the two of these is the type of pen it is. I like the paint brush tip better because it's easier to pass by an area again!

Eye shadow

Winners: Stila Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow, Urban Decay Born to Run Palette, Colourpop So Jaded Palette, & Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance

This might have been the hardest category to choose all time favorites! Not only am I limited to the palettes that I've tried, but I have so many favorites in my collection! I decided to choose the ones that had the most consistency in the formula within the palette and which ones have gotten the most use out of my collection!

I think that Stila has the best liquid eye shadow formula! I love their Shimmer & Glow and Glitter & Glow formulas. They spread extremely well, have tons of beautiful shades, and once they dry down they don't flake off like other formulas!

I got the Urban Decay Born to Run palette in December of 2018 and I've used this palette consistently all of 2019! It has shades that can be used on a daily basis, it has shades that can be used for nights out or just when you want to have more fun! The formula is extremely creamy and I cannot recommend it more.

Now my all time favorite might be the Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette. I think it might have been one of my first high end palettes. I remember opening it from the carton and thinking how beautiful the velvet packaging was. Then once opening it, thinking how beautiful the shades were and how I had nothing like it. The truth still stands today. The formula to ABH palettes are a little more powdery. They definitely have a bit of kickback, but the way that it looks on your eyes is incomparable. All the shades in this palette are stunning, and I have honestly used every single shade in this palette. Weirdly enough, in a lot of palettes I own, I don't use every single shade, so for ABH to create a palette where I use every single shade is amazing. While this palette isn't new, it definitely deserves to be one of my all time favorites.

I definitely have to say that I was surprised by the Colourpop So Jaded Palette. The moment I saw it, I knew I wanted it. I think if you give it a single look, you might not realize how special this palette is. There are 4 different finishes in this palette, including a super shock shadow! I feel like it's similar to the Born to Run Palette in the sense that there are all types of looks you can make. You can tone it down or bump up the intensity. Not only is the palette amazing quality, but it is also affordable. It's definitely my favorite affordable palette!

Blush

Winners: Too Faced Peach my Cheeks Melting Powder Blush (Shade: Ginger Peach) & Nudestix All Over Bronze Color (Shade: Sunkissed)

I honestly think you guys probably aren't too surprised by my favorites here. I've slowly been transitioning to using predominantly cream products. For someone with extremely dry skin, they just sit nicer on my skin! I also feel like they wear a bit more naturally than with a powder product. In terms of the cream products I have tried, these two are my complete favorites! One is a bright peachy pink while the other one is darker rosy mauve. While I'm not a fan of the NudeStix brush that is attached to the blush, I love the product! A little goes a long way with both of these products, and I truly expect to be repurchasing them for a long time! If someone has recommendations for beautiful affordable cream blushes, definitely let me know though!

Bronzer

Winners: Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer (Shade: Sunkissed)& Marc Jacobs O!Mega Bronze (Shade: 104 Tan-Tastic!)

Runner Ups: Benefit Hoola Bronzer (Shade: Medium Original) & Too Faced Bronzed Peach Melting Powder Bronzer (Shade: Toasted Peach)

These two top bronzers are honestly the best! Not only is the Butter Bronzer, an affordable prize, but it just gives you that perfect in-the-sun look. A lot of people hype this product up, so you might not be surprised, but I honestly love it! I have a huge hole in the one I currently have, and I'm ready to repurchase it the moment it does!

My other favorite is the Marc Jabobs O!Mega Bronze. I remember when the hype around this bronzer came around. I tried to get my hands on it for months, and it was always sold out! I finally purchased it during one of Sephora's sales, and I'm so glad I did. This bronzer is absolutely perfect. Firstly, it smells like coconut. Then the shade is perfect, not too warmed toned, but definitely not gray at all. I tend to use this as my contour! I've had this bronzer for a while, and have not made a dent in the huge pan. I absolutely love this product, and will repurchase it when it runs out (not any time soon, I'm sure)!

Now I definitely had to give a few special mentioned to the Benefit Hoola Bronzer. This was my first high end bronzer, and I honestly loved it! Once it hit pan, I moved on to try new things, but last year I repurchased it during a sale at Ulta. I had honestly forgotten how much I loved this bronzer. It's perfect for both contouring and bronzing. While I'm not a big fan of the brush it comes with, I honestly just throw it away and use the product with one of my own brushes. Benefit did something super special with this product.

My final mention is for my cream bronzer. As I mentioned above, I've been slowly leaning towards cream products! I feel like they just tend to make my dry skin look much...juicier! The one I've been using and loving is the Too Faced Bronzed Peach Melting Powder. I use it with my contour brush by ELF, and it looks amazing! I definitely haven't tried that many cream bronzers, to be honest, so let's see if it stays in my all time favorites by next year! If you have any recommendations for cream bronzers, let me know.

Foundation

Winner: Tarte Foundcealer (Shade: Light Medium Honey)

THIS might be one of the best foundations I've ever used. It has the perfect amount of coverage (medium, but buildable). The shade that I've listed is my perfect summer shade. It has some mineral sunblock, so it protects my face without breaking me out like some chemical sunblocks do. It wears beautifully, and when I do my full routine can look like flawless skin!

I also have the Shapeface foundation, and the differences between these two foundations is astounding. The Shapeface doesn't blend as well, dries down weirdly, and even though I got the hydrating version, it was still super drying.

The Founcealer foundation is definitely the best foundation I've ever tried!

Concealer

Winner: Tarte Double Duty Beauty Shape Tape (Shade: Light Medium Honey)

Runner Up: Makeup Revolution Conceal and Define Concealer (Shade: C7)

My ride or die for about the last 3 years has been the shape tape concealer. It's extremely high coverage, and a little goes a long way. The shade is perfect for all year round. While it is a little pricey for a concealer, I feel like a tube of this lasts me forever! I have tried dozens of concealers, and none of them are exactly like this. There are ones that are full coverage, but too heavy, especially for under the eyes. There are also ones that look great when you first wear them, but after a few hours of wear the purple under your eyes peek through. I honestly have not found a single concealer that comes close to this one.

...actually I just lied. There is one concealer that has come pretty close, and it's the Makeup Revolution Conceal and Define Concealer! I would say that it's the perfect dupe, they also have a shade that's perfect for my skin tone. It's a fraction of the cost, and also wears beautifully! The only difference between the two of them is that the MUR one feels a bit lighter in terms of formula. It's still super full coverage though! I would definitely recommend both of these concealers if you're into full coverage concealers.

Primer

Winners: Too Faced HangoverRx Replenishing Primer, Milk Hydro Grip Primer, Tatcha Silk Canvas & ELF Poreless Putty Primer

Runner Up: Smashbox Photo Finish Primer

This was one of those categories that I thought would be super simple, and ended up having a lot more favorites than I realized. The one I've been using all throughout winter is the Too Faced HangoverRx Replenishing Primer! It's super hydrating, doesn't irritate my skin, and makes my makeup look amazing. I honestly have no complaints about this product, and even repurchased another one before my old one ran out. That's how much I love it.

Now my second favorite, hands down is the Milk Hydro Grip Primer. I originally bought it thinking that it was going to be a hydrating primer, and while that's not what it was, I was still obsessed. If you want your makeup to last all day long, this is the primer you want to use. It honestly just makes your makeup look great, even after 8-10 hour wear days. I love the tacky consistency, and and the light scent it has! While I'm not using this primer much, due to the winter, this is an amazing product!

Now the next two products have really similar effects, one is actually a dupe for the other one, and they are the Tatcha Silk Canvas and the ELF poreless putty primer. Now these primers, when put on look exactly the same. You'd never know which one you had put. The main difference between these two are the price points and the ingredients! So if you don't care about having better ingredients, and can afford the high price point, then the Tatcha Silk Canvas is the way to go, but if you can't justify the price point or don't really care about the ingredients, then ELF poreless putty primer is just as amazing!

The runner up in this group used to be a cult favorite. The Smashbox Photofinish primer was amazing. It made my makeup look stunning. It would say this foundation is the silicone version of the Milk Hydro Grip Primer. While it's not one of my favorites anymore, it's still an amazing primer.

Highlighter

Winner: Colourpop Super Shock Cheek (Shade: Wisp)

Runner Ups: Anastasia Beverly Hills Amrezy Highlighter, Maybelline Face Studio Master Chrome Metallic Highlighter (Shade: Molten Gold), & Wet N' Wild MegaGlow Highlight Face Powder (Shade: Precious Petals)

I have had more than my fair share of favorite highlighters. Since switching over my products to cream, my sister introduced me to the Colourpop super shock highlighters! They are absolutely stunning. They don't make my pores look bigger, like some of the powder ones do. The color I have, in Wisp, is a perfect peachy champagne and looks super flattering on my skin. It's still pretty blinding and yet looks...natural? I'm obsessed, I'm finishing my first one up, and already have a second one waiting for me!

For runner ups, I have a few favorites, and they're all in different shades. For a white gold powder highlighter, the ABH Amrezy Highlighter cannot be beat. Not only is the packaging stunning, but the product looks amazing on! I love wearing it most in the winter months when I don't really have much of a tan. Then when I want an extra blinding highlighter (even though all the highlighters in this list are), I definitely reach towards my Maybelline one! I currently ran out of the one in molten gold, but I'll be purchasing one (as soon as I get through my moment of not allowing myself to buy makeup unless I actually need it).

The final highlight that I want to talk about is the Wet n' Wild MegaGlow Highlighter! I would say that this highlighter is the powder version of the Colourpop Supershock Highlighter. The two shades are extremely similar! I had also run out of this one recently, and while I have another one in my collection, I'm going to wait to use up one of my other products, before I open this one up. I just feel better knowing it's there if I want to use it!

Brow Products

Winner: Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz

Runner Up: Colourpop Precision Brow Pencil (Shade: audacious auburn & bangin' brunette)

So the best brow pencil I will ever use is the ABH Brow Wiz. I've been buying this product for years. Every time I buy another product that's supposed to be a dupe for it, I always end up going back to the ABH. It's perfectly pigmented, so the product doesn't wear off too quickly. The tip is super thin, so you can create hair like lines. It's honestly perfect.

In 2019, Ulta didn't put the ABH Brow Wiz for sale, and since I was running out of my current brow pencil, I had to look for another one! I decided to give the Colourpop ones a try. At first I hated it. It was a little waxier than I was used to. I stopped using it for a bit, and eventually went back to it, and I honestly loved it! If you don't press hard, you definitely don't get that "waxy" experience I originally experienced. The shades they have area actually really good, especially for my dark auburn hair. I use the Audacious Auburn shade for the front of my brows and use the Bangin' Brunette for the back of them. When I don't have time to switch back and forth, I interchange them.

If you're looking for an amazing affordable brow pencil, then definitely give the Colourpop Precision Brow Pencil.

Lip Liner

Winner: Kylie Cosmetics Lip Liners, Laura Mercier Lip Liners, & Nyx Lip Liners

If Kylie does one thing perfectly right, it's her lip liners. They're super creamy, simple to sharpen, and wear beautifully on the lips. Definitely an amazing product, even though I've heard that Colourpop lip liners are great dupes? Anyone know?

My favorite lip liner that's much more affordable is the Nyx Lip Liners. I have these lying all around. In my purses, my bathroom, and my makeup drawers. These things are not only amazing, but super affordable! I stocked up on lots of neutral shades, and just wear them under every lipstick. While they aren't the most long lasting, they still wear really nicely!

The final lip liner is more of a new favorite. Laura Mercier sent me over a few of their products, and one of them was a lip liner! It's actually a wooden lip liner, and it glides on beautifully on the lips! I would compare this to the superior version of the MAC lip liners. If you're looking for something kind of like the Mac lip liners, but better, this is it.

Lip Balm

Winner: Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm

This is a no brainer. It's my favorite lip balm. It makes my lips feel minty and really hydrate my lips. I have these lying around everywhere, and for good reason! I've converted my younger brother to using these, and he hasn't gotten another brand since! Definitely recommend this.

Lipstick

Winner: Bite Beauty Lipsticks

This might have been the hardest section to find a favorite for. I just find most lipsticks to be...fine? It's hard for a lipstick to be terrible, unless you just don't like the shade. I think the lipsticks I love the most are the Bite Beauty Lipsticks (which are actually discontinued). They were not drying, even the matte formulas. They smelled good without being overpowering. I even went to the Bite Beauty Lab in NYC Soho, and got to create two custom shades with the scent of my choosing. I'm obsessed with both of the shades I own.

I really hope they bring the lipsticks back, because they are some of my favorite formulas.

Lip Gloss

Winner: Dominique Cosmetics Lip Gloss

Now I also got this product inside of a boxy charm, and at first I was turned off by the shade. In the bottle, it came off as this super bright pink shade. I tried it on my lips one day and was pleasantly surprised by the fact that shade come off completely clear on my lips.

The product itself was not sticky, smelled like a funfetti cupcake, and was just a great product overall!

Setting Powder

Winner: Beauty Bakerie Flour Powder (Shade: Translucent)

I bought this setting powder early in 2019, and to this day it's still my favorite! This is a normal translucent powder, so there's no bells and whistles, but it's super finely milled and leaves my makeup looking stunning on my long days out wearing makeup! I am on the lookout for something that might be a little better for my dry skin, but for now it's my tried and true, and if you want something that sets your makeup extremely well, then this is it!

Setting Spray

Winners: Urban Decay All-Nighter, Mac Fix+, & Skindinavia makeup finishing spray

The cult favorite has always been the Urban Decay All Nighter. It honestly does exactly what the name says it does. It makes your makeup last ALL NIGHT LONG. It's honestly crazy. While it feels, and smells like spraying hairspray all over your face, it does the job. It's definitely my tried and true for when I want my makeup to last.

When I want to prep my skin, make my powders melt into the skin, or just need a refresher, then Mac Fix+ is the way to go. While I don't think it really makes your makeup last particularly longer, I do like the way it makes makeup look. Something in the product makes your makeup just melt beautifully. I've gone through so many of these bottles, and until I find a product I like more, I will continue to use it!

 

The final product is a new favorite, I would say that this product might just beat out the Urban Decay All Nighter. I'm not completely sure yet, because I got it around Christmas time, but it's honestly so good. It has a finer mister. It doesn't smell like hair spray, and yet? It makes my makeup last forever! I heard of the Skindinavia makeup finishing spray from Samantha Ravndahl, and it's honestly just as good as she said it was. This product is amazing. I have no complaints what-so-ever (well, I would love it, if the product was just slighter cheaper).

Lashes

Winner: House of Lashes x Sephora (Style: Marigold)

Runner Up: Ardelle Demi Wispies

These have been my go-to lashes all this year! I feel like they both look so flattering on my eye shape. I don't really have much else to say except that I love them!

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Okay, so this post was wayyy longer than anticipated, maybe next time I'll do this in a video format, so this isn't such a long post! I really enjoyed writing about my all time favorites and sharing them with you all. What are some of your ride or die favorites? Let me know below, I'm always on the lookout for something bigger and better than what I currently have! Thanks so much for reading. Sending you love, strength, and positivity.

-Melina xxx

 

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