2019 Makeup Faves!

Happy New Year, Gorgeous!!! Cheers to 2020!

This is going to be a massive post on many of my 2019 favorite/most used cosmetics and facial skincare products. Sadly, I will not show absolutely every category of product but I will cover a large amount of product types with at least a couple specific faves for each. Most of these are new in 2019 or at least new to my routine. Usually, I will show one affordable option and one prestige brand.

And, please share a comment if I don’t mention your absolute favorites so that I can add them to my list to try.  Plus, I would also love to hear from you if these are also some of your favorites!

Here are the categories I will review: Face Washes, Healing Treatments (face), Daily Facial Moisturizers, Face Sunscreen, Primers, Foundations, Concealers, Loose Face Powders, Pressed Brightening Powders, Eyeshadow Palettes, and Glitter Eyelid Toppers.

Here we go (categories listed in order of application)—

• Face Washes:

Honestly, I have a number of face washes that I regularly use. And, btw, just so you know my preference of cleansers my skin is oily but I also try to make sure it gets plenty of moisture. And, I usually like a wash that is gentle and foamy. These are my 2019 faves:

1. Clarins Gentle Foaming Cleanser with cottonseed, for normal or combination skin

This thick, white face wash foams when mixed with water on the face. Its texture is thick and non-gritty. It smells fresh and possibly a little like cottonseed. The formula calms any redness and does not make my skin feel tight.

2. Green Clean by Farmacy makeup meltaway cleansing balm

I found Green Clean at Pharmaca this year and decided to give it a try. It contains sunflower + ginger root oils, turmeric, and papaya enzymes (which gently exfoliate). It comes with a tiny plastic spatula to dig out a bit of the product. I usually put a small couple of pale green scoops on my face and add warm water. With water it foams a bit and completely removes all dirt and makeup. It has a mild herbal scent. Love this gem!

• Facial Moisturizing Sprays:

I use these liberally, just after washing and drying my face and any time during the day for a refresh.

1. jane iredale BALANCE Hydrating Spray

This hydration spray balances skin’s pH and minimizes its oil production. Love that it contains natural oils and extracts. Specifically, it also contains a 3% green tea extract to calm acne-prone skin.  Jane iredale also sells a refill bottle for this dispenser. This one is a bit pricey but provides serious hydration.

2. MARIO BADESCU Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater

• Healing Skin Treatments:

I use these two for skin irritants, things like extra dry skin patches, zits, small cuts or burns.

1. Dr. Jart Cicapair TM Tiger Grass Cream

This thick white cream intensely moisturizes and heals skin with natural plant oils, probiotics and minerals. It smells like herbs but is not overpowering. I like using this as an under eye night treatment and it works great on sunburns.

2. Painted Earth Cosmetics Boo Boo Gel

I HAD to put this in my list. Boo Boo Gel (funny name, I know) is a life saver! So glad I found this miracle salve. It heals pretty much any skin ailment and is especially good at solving acne! If you are currently battling breakouts (which I did when I was younger) Painted Earth’s also has a whole range of products just for fighting acne! But I use Boo Boo Gel for a wide range of issues. The gel is very thick, clear and slightly orange (due to the turmeric, I think).

*Also in my current face wash rotation are: Origins Checks and Balances Frothy Face Wash and Shiseido Clarifying Cleansing Foam.

• Daily Face Moisturizers:

These two are purely for moisturization and when I use them during the day I definitely also add a sure to add a sunscreen, btw.

1. Giovanni D:tox System Replenishing Facial Moisturizer

This moisturizer is lightweight, contains super-antioxidants and moisturizes. I use it on all over my face at night and sometimes during the day under makeup. It absorbs quickly and really calms any redness.

*Note: I think packaging has changed since I last purchased this item and that it now comes in a black tube.

2. Formula 10.0.06 Seriously Shine Free Mattifying Moisturizer

This totally affordable moisturizer is a miracle for oil-prone skin. I use it over serum as a spot treatment for my T-zone. It keeps my skin calm during the day and stops any oil slick shine. Seriously! love this moisturizer.

• Facial Sunscreen:

Sunscreen for my face is an item that I switch brands on a lot. Currently I am interchangeably using these two drug store brands. Both come out of the tube white but blend out sheer. I add this step after any serums, and moisturizer.

1. Aveeno Protect + Hydrate sunscreen for face:

Protect + Hydrate is oil-free, non-comedogenic, broad spectrum SPF 50 and water resistant for 80 minutes. It uses a proprietary Active Naturals Oat ingredient to nourish skin.

    2. ANDALOU NATURALS Ultra Sheer Daily Defense Facial Lotion:

I prefer the ingredients in this broad spectrum sunscreen but this one is only an SPF 18, so I’ll choose to wear this one only if I know I won’t be spending any longer periods of time outside. It also contains a fruit stem cell complex, resveratrol CoQ10, and super antioxidants. Plus, it is more lightweight than the Aveeno.

• Face Primers:

1. The Ordinary High-Adherence Silicone Primer

If you are not familiar with The Ordinary brand, they are VERY affordable and offer some fabulous skin solutions. Plus, Sephora now carries this brand. If you order directly from The Ordinary they have been known to have longer ship times but the products are great! I recently started using their primer and it has proven very effective. It can be used just over skincare or also before makeup to set products. This primer blends out invisibly and holds makeup in place all day. I need to stock up on it.

2. Cover FX Water Cloud Primer

Cover FX offers a number of primers. I love this one because it primes but also protects against pollution and blue light. It comes out of the tube a pale blue but blends out sheer. It creates a smooth canvas for makeup and is vegan plus free of parabens, gluten, mineral oil, fragrance, talc, sulfates and phthalates. This one would be perfect for those with ultra sensitive skin.

• Foundations:

These are both new to me in 2019.

1. Juvia’s Place I Am Magic Velvety Matte Foundation

What I particularly like about this foundation is how thick it is and that it comes in a squeeze tube. So, it can be blended out or built-up depending on the amount of coverage you need. Of the 42 shades of this foundation, I chose 700Vienna which is a warm, pale tone. Best of all about this foundation is its price of $20.00 (and I found that it was on sale today for $10.00)!

Juvia’s Place is a new brand to me, but I am already planning to buy a few eyeshadow palettes as well. Stay tuned for those reviews. (Never could resist eyeshadow palettes, lol.)

2. benefit hello happy flawless brightening foundation

Hello Happy has sheerer (medium coverage), more natural finish but I appreciate that it brightens. I chose shade 3 – light neutral warm. It brightens skin with flower acids and hyaluronic acid (which also attracts moisture). Plus it contains ‘photo chromatic pigments’ with are supposed to adapt to any lighting for brighter skin. Its 12-hour wear and has a satin finish. This is a very easy to wear face color option.

*And I thought I’d also mention a couple of my all time favorite foundations here: Estee Lauder Double Wear Foundation in 1N1 Ivory Nude and Guerlain Lingerie De Eau Invisible Skin-Fusion Foundation in 02N Light.

• Concealers:

1. HUDA BEAUTY Overachiever Concealer

Huda’s concealer is one of the absolute best I’ve tried. It is high coverage and has a silver, cooling Zamac tip for smooth application. Of the 20 shades offered I chose 06G Nougat.

2.  P.Louise Base

A cult favorite as well, P.Louise Base makes a perfect eyelid primer for eyeshadow but I like to use it as an under eye concealer/brightener (P.Louise products are all touted as multi-functional and perfect for artists). I have shade RUMOUR 02, and I noticed this is also currently on sale!

• Loose and Pressed Face Powders:

My favorite face powders for 2019 include fluffy, soft loose powders and brightening pressed compact powders:

These two pressed powders are Makeup Revolution Bake & Blot in Banana Light and Essence Brighten Up! banana powder. 

These loose powders are Kat Von D Lock-It Setting Powder (need to get a full size of this), Too Faced Peach Perfect Mattifiying Loose Setting Powder in Translucent (it also comes in Carmelized Peach) and Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Setting Powder in Butter (they offer 8 shades).

• Contour Color:

I generally use two shades of stick foundation (darker than my skin color) to contour because one of these is cool tone (perfect to mimic shadows in the hollow of the cheek and along the jaw line) and one is warm toned (for top of the forehead and side of the face).

1. Makeup Revolution Fast Base Stick Foundation in F13 (deep color with a warm undertone)
2. Anastasia Beverly Hills Stick Foundationin the color Fawn (cool medium brown)

OR, Sometimes I prefer a powder contour, in which case these are my go-tos:

I got the Parkave Princess palette in my Boxycharm and the Revolution Pro Illuminateur et Contour is in the lightest set Sands of Time (which is such a gorgeous duo of shades!).

• Eyeshadow Palettes:

I’m not going to review each of these separately here, but I did want to show you this set of palettes that I have really enjoyed creating daily looks with over the last year:

• Glitter Eyeshadows:

1. Colourpop Frozen II The Dark Sea 19J2 large iridescent white glitter
2. Kaja Beauty Bento Bouncy Shimmer Eyeshadow Trio in 01 Rosewater (also comes in 7 other trios of shades)

The Colourpop is fairly large glitter and fun to use for evenings out. The Kaja sets are smaller glitter and are very versatile. You can also find these at Ulta.

Whew! I’ve got more to go, but I think this may be enough for today.

I hope you’ve enjoyed seeing these much loved makeup items from 2019. I have a few more, but will save those for later.

Go gorgeous!

xo,

Jen