40 Beauty Products to Try in 2018
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I love seeing everyone’s “best of beauty 2017” posts, but every time I read one, I find myself thinking that since those products came out in 2017, I shouldn’t spend money on them since something better is bound to be released in 2018. I realize that isn’t really a logical thought pattern because it takes me months of trying out a product before I feel comfortable recommending it to you all. That being said, I wanted to share my top 40 beauty products that I TRULY tested out through 2017 and that I feel 100% comfortable recommending to you. Some of these products were sent to me in PR, most of them I bought myself, and I truly feel like I’ve got the BEST of the BEST! Don’t get caught up in the same thought pattern as me - just because I tried all these out last year doesn’t mean that they aren’t just as stellar this year! These are seriously (in my humble opinion) the best beauty products to try in 2018
(*cue Taylor Swift) Are you ready for it?
40 Beauty Products to Try in 2018
Skin Care
- ItCosmetics Bye Bye Makeup Melting Balm - I’ve talked about this stuff before and I still stand by it - this is one of my favorite products to use when taking my makeup off. It melts off the most water-proof makeup and it’s super moisturizing and doesn’t leave my skin feeling raw.
- elf Cosmetics Makeup-Removing Wipes - I like these WAY more than the Neutrogena ones. I think these are more gentle on the skin, just as effective, and more affordable.
- Paula’s Choice Skin Recovery Super Antioxidant Serum - This has been a staple in my skincare routine for 2 years now and I still love it just as much as I did when I first started using it. It’s a really thin serum (as in, your skin doesn’t feel sticky after you use it, which is ideal) but it packs a punch of moisture and skin-brightening antioxidants that makes SUCH a difference in skin. If you have dry skin, you NEED this in your life.
- Paula’s Choice Radiance Renewal Mask - I use this mask twice a week at night, especially when it feels like my skin is looking dry and dull. I literally can see a difference in my skin brightness when I use it - I wake up and my skin looks brighter, tighter, and like it has LIFE in it. I never really understood what “skin brightening” meant until I used this mask and now it’s a staple in my skincare line!
- Pixi by Petra Glow Tonic - This was sent to me in PR as a Christmas Present from Pixi, but I’ve been using this product for a long while. This tonic gently exfoliates to remove dead skin cells and helps reveal healthy glowing skin. I love to use this on the days I’m not using scrubs or masks to help keep my skin brightness up.
- Nip & Fab Glycolic Fix Scrub - I use this scrub in the shower once a week (because you don’t want too much of a good thing and this can dry out your skin if you use it too often.) This scrub is really fine and gritty, so it removes all of the dead skin cells that may have built up and smooths out any dry patches. My skin always feels buttery soft and refreshed after I use it.
- Luzern Labs Urban Protect Moisturizer - This was sent to me last year in PR and I am weeks away from having to order a new bottle. It’s pricey, but it’s worth every cent! I LOVE this moisturizer - it’s the lightest, yet most effective moisturizer I’ve ever used. I love that it neutralizes the effects of pollutants such as smog and heavy metals - and that is so important for me since I live in SLC and deal with inversion during the winter.
- Mario Bodesco Drying Lotion - This stuff is ESSENTIAL if you deal with cystic acne or pesky pimples that take their time to build. It literally will dry the pimple out before it gets ugly. I use this whenever I feel a blemish starting to form and wake up with it almost completely gone the next morning.
- Mario Bodesco Buffering Lotion - This goes hand in hand with the drying lotion - I keep this in my purse since it’s clear (the drying lotion is pink) and I can apply it on a blemish during the day if I feel something starting to come in. It also is really effective for cystic pimples!
- L’Oreal Pure Clay Mask Detox & Brighten- My favorite mask that they launched from their mask line - it’s super affordable and really pulls out the impurities in the skin. Plus, it’s gentle, so it’s great to use for sensitive skin.
- Curology - I’m going to give this product the biggest game changer for my skin in 2017. Since I started using it, I have only had one cystic pimple, and that’s a BIG DEAL for me. Curology is an online service where you get paired with a profession dermatologist who creates a custom prescription medicine for your skin so that it will specifically target your issues. I uploaded some photos of my skin, explained the problems I was having and my dermatologist sent me my custom prescription by the end of the week with instructions on how to use it. Within a few weeks, I started seeing a difference and after a month, my skin was the clearest it’s been in two years! The best part about Curology is that your dermatologist can make tweaks to your prescription if you have new problems pop up. You can also pick how often your prescription is shipped. Also, the best part of this service is that it’s only $19.95 a shipment, so it DEFINITELY does not break the bank. I have some pretty crummy quality before pictures below but at least it will give you an idea of what my skin was like before I started using it.
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Makeup
- Wetn’Wild Photo Focus Foundation - Best drugstore foundation of 2017 and a must-try for 2018. Love the coverage, love the finish and love the wearability of it!
- ItCosmetics CC Cream - This has been around for ages, but if you haven’t gotten your hands on it, 2018 is the year to try it. It’s got amazing coverage, but feels light on the skin and has a beautiful finish. Cannot recommend it enough!
- Tarte Double Duty Shape Tape Concealer - Yes, I am onboard the ShapeTape train and it is just as amazing as everyone else who raves about it says. The coverage is amazing, it comes in a great shade range AND it doesn’t crease on me, even when I forget to set it with powder. The finish is so beautiful that I’ll sometimes apply just this concealer and blend it out and forgo foundation all together and it will look just as flawless.
- Too Faced Sweet Tea Bronzer - I LOVE the glow that this bronzer gives the skin - it really makes my skin come alive and adds that perfect sunkissed look without being too intense and shimmery.
- Kat Von D Shade & Light Face Palette - Still my holy grail contour palette after all these years and still what I recommend you get your hands on if you want to try contouring in 2018. The powders are silky smooth, set under-eye concealer beautifully and the contour powders blend out beautifully!
- Jaclyn Hill X Morphe Palette - I’ll be honest, I wasn’t very excited about this when I first got it - I found some of the shimmers a little tricky to work with at first. However, I found myself going back to it again and again and it’s grown on me SO much since those first few weeks. I’ve found that some of the shimmers just need a white base to really shine (or need to be applied with a damp brush.) The matte shades are so buttery and blend out beautifully. I love that there are some bright shades to play with and a lot of beautiful shimmers that work for daily wear and more dramatic looks. If you are only going to buy one eyeshadow palette this year, let this one be it (especially at the price!)
- Too Faced Sweet Peach Palette - This was my most used palette this summer and I found the shadows to be on par with my favorite eyeshadow palette of all time (the Too Faced Chocolate Bar.) They are buttery, smooth, blend out well, and smell delicious!
- Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette - It’s almost impossible to explain how good the quality of these shadows are - they are SO pigmented and blend out like a dream. If you haven’t gotten your hands on this palette yet, then PLEASE treat yourself to one in 2018. I promise you will not be disappointed.
- Essence Cosmetics Make Me Brow Tinted Brow Gel - This is a PERFECT dupe for the Benefit Give Me Brow gel and I honestly think it’s better. I just tried the Maybelline version because the Essence was oos at my Ulta and I’m regretting it already. There is nothing out there as good as this tinted brow gel and it’s only 2.99. So yeah, you really can’t beat it, and I can’t recommend it enough.
- Buxom Cosmetics Eyeshadows - I had some of these sent to me in PR and was so impressed with how well the shimmers performed! If you are looking to customize your eyeshadow palette, the Buxom eyeshadows are the way to go! You can pick what colors you want and they snap into a sleek compact for you to keep them in. My favorite
- Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer - Oh yum yum yum. This is another amazingly scented product and it performs SO well. I love that this bronzer doesn’t have an orange undertone - it pulls the perfect warmth color on me and blends out beautifully!
- Lorac Color Source Buildable Blush in Prism - This has been my favorite blush for a couple years now and I never see anyone else rave about it, so I want to share my love for it and encourage you to try it in 2018. It’s a beautiful formula, pigmented, and the shade Prism has a beautiful peachy-rosy undertone that would look beautiful on a variety of skin tones.
- ColourPop Pressed Powdered Highlight in Here Kitty Kitty - I was so excited when ColourPop launched their pressed powdered highlights because their super shock highlights are amazing. This is my FAVORITE highlight of 2017 and a must-try for the new year. It’s so creamy, pigmented, and blends beautifully. PLUS, it is an amazing price and comes in its own compact with a mirror. WOOHOO!
- Sleek Cosmetics Solstace Highlight Palette - This palette is INTENSE. I initially thought that the texture of the highlights seems a little chalky, but they sit beautifully on the skin, and that’s all that matters.
- L’Oreal Lash Paradise Mascara - Another beauty product that was raved about by every beauty blogger and their dog, but for good reason. This mascara is almost an exact dupe for the Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara (which was my holy grail mascara for years.) It gives the lashes such a full and fluffy look without getting clumpy AND it performs even better with the L’Oreal lash primer.
- Buxom Hold The Line Liner - This is the inkiest black, smoothest gel liner I’ve ever used. I like it even more than the Ardency Inn liner. It is definitely a must-try in 2018 if you’re in the market for a solid-preforming kohl liner.
- elf ACTIVE Post Workout Cool Setting Mist - This was sent to me in PR a few months ago and I haven’t used any other setting spray since. It’s actually part of their new active line that’s launching in Walmart this month and meant to refresh your skin before or after a workout. However, I’ve used this as a setting spray and it is SOLID. It really locks in my makeup, makes it last all day long, and helps any powders melt into my skin.
- WetnWild MegaSlim Liner - I’ve got an instastory saved on my Instagram comparing this eyeliner to my Stila Stay All Day liner and it’s almost an exact dupe! It’s inky black, has great stay-power, and applies really smoothly. If you’re looking for the power of a high-end liquid liner without the price tag, this is the liner to use in 2018.
- NYX #nofilter Finishing Powder - This is my favorite finishing powder of all time and I LOVE how it sets my foundation and gives it a smooth and flawless look. It doesn’t look cakey or powdery on the skin at all.
- ColorScience All Calm Clinical Redness Corrector - This is a product on the pricier end, but once again, worth the money if you need a product like this. This 3-in-1 formula instantly neutralizes the appearance of redness and helps soothe and calm sensitive skin while giving SPF protection to the skin. I also have a couple patches of skin that don’t seem to hold pigment as well, so I love to use this as a base to even out my skin tone before applying foundation.
- Buxom Full-On Lip Cream - This is my favorite gloss formula of all time and I made sure to stalk up on them when Ulta was offering them for 50% off during their 31 Days of Beauty deal. These glosses are thick and pigmented without being too sticky. Plus, they have a fun cooling sensation (but NOT a burning one) and they last a long time. My favorite shade is White Russian because it looks beautiful on its own and it is a great top gloss for literally ANY shade of lipstick.
Hair Products
- Miracle 7 Leave-In Mist - This is my FAVORITE leave-in conditioner/detangler of all time. Yes, I like it more than It’s a 10. It’s so lightweight and NEVER makes my hair feel heavy or greasy. If you deal with tangles, this stuff will make brushing through them feel like butter.
- Hask Argan Oil Repairing Shine Oil- I went through 4 lightening processes in 2017 before cutting most of my hair off and going dark. My ends are still pretty dry, but this oil does a great job of adding shine and smoothing down the frizzies to my ends without feeling greasy or heavy. P.S. A little goes a LONG way!
- Living Proof Texturize Mist - I have tried just about every texturizing spray under the sun (or at least, 5 of the biggest name brands that Sephora carries in their texturizing sample box) and this is my favorite one. I find that it gives the right amount of grit and texture without feeling too yucky and it doesn’t weigh down curls or waves. It also gives me more of that piecey look than other sprays.
- Kenra Professional Platinum Blow-Dry Spray - Not even kidding when I say that I sometimes spray this in my hair when it’s dry just because I love the way it smells. IT smells SO good. However, this spray has more to it than a great smell - this stuff has reduced my blow-out time by half. It seriously makes my hair dry so much faster and it makes it look shiny and healthy. Plus, it also doubles as a heat protectant, so I don’t worry about blowing my hair out with it. I am never without this in my hair basket.
- Got2B Playful Texturizing Creme Pomade - I really love getting a super piecey look with my short hair when I have it curled or in beach waves. I feel like it really makes it look easy and effortless. This pomade is perfect for making sure that the texturized look in my ends stays all day! I just rub a tiny bit in between my fingers and then roll the ends of my hair through it. It’s not gunky and a little goes a long way!
Body Products
- Simply Scrub Chocolate & Coffee Body Scrubs - These scrubs were sent to me in PR and I am SO glad to have them, especially during the winter. The skin around my scar on my left leg has gotten SO dry and these scrubs do a great job of gently exfoliating without irritating my scar. Plus, it has cocoa and shea butters, so it also adds moisture back into those dry patches. CAUTION - YOU MAY WANT TO EAT THIS because it smells divine.
- Viktor & Rolf FlowerBomb Perfume - I have been on the search for the perfect perfume for literally years. This is the first (and only) perfume I’ve actually purchased after using the sample. It is the PERFECT combination of floral and oriental scents without feeling too old or too fruity. It’s literally the perfect combination of scents and I can’t imagine wearing another perfume.
PHEW! I know that was a lot of information, but it’s my goal to help someone not feel so overwhelmed when walking into Ulta and trying to figure out what to buy. I hope you feel confident enough to treat yourself to a new makeup product this year and to ROCK it, because I firmly believe you deserve to feel awesome in your own skin (even if that’s with a little mascara!)
Let me know what must-try product for 2018 I should put on my list - I’m ALWAYS up to try more out!
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