Beauty + Health

40 Beauty Products to try in 2019

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Last year, instead of doing a “best of beauty post,” I put together a very extensive list of my absolute favorite beauty products and recommendations and titles it: “40 Beauty Products to Try in 2018.” I did NOT expect it to take off the way that it did. It’s been shared thousands of times on Pinterest, referred to frequently by the HTC community, and became a one-stop shop for anyone looking for a solid recommendation on what product to add to their beauty collection. So, it only made sense to sit down and create the same type of post for this year.  Without further ado, here are my top 40 beauty products that I TRULY tested out through 2018 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 a few are repeats from last year because they are THAT good. I truly feel like I’ve rounded up the BEST of the BEST and hope that this is helpful for anyone who is looking for tried and true product that won’t let them down.

40 Beauty Products to Try in 2019

Skin Care

• Pixi Rose Flash Balm – My skin never looked better this year when I was regularly using this and since I’ve run out, it’s been downhill from there. This nifty little product works as a primer, moisturizers, and mask (although I never washed this off because my skin wanted to drink it up every time I put it on my face!) It instantly brightens skin (and I can say that I agree with this claim! My skin always looked so much brighter and healthy after applying it.) It also has a slightly tacky feel right after applying so it works great as a primer as well and it smells amazing. Reordering this asap!
• Doctor Dennis Gross Acne Pads – I picked this product up a couple months ago as a last-ditch attempt to find SOMETHING that would help treat the painful cystic acne that I’ve been dealing with since October. This is a miracle worker. It may even replace the Mario Badescu drying lotion that I’ve sworn by for years (but didn’t do much for me over the last few months.) It drastically reduces the pain, redness, and swelling overnight with the cystic blemishes without (I repeat, WITHOUT) drying my skin. I have not dealt with a single flake since using this product! I will say that it does burn a little bit when first applied buy goes away after 5 minutes and is 100% worth it for the results!
• Dr. Brandt microdermabrasion age-defying exfoliator – This was sent to me by Boxycharm and I was excited to try it out since I’ve heard nothing but great things about it for years. It does an incredible job of exfoliating the skin and the grain is SO fine but so powerful. I only use this once every two weeks to prevent my skin from drying out (or breaking out even more) and it always leaves it feeling so soft and smooth.
• Fresh Soy Facial Cleanser – This is by far my favorite facial cleanser I’ve used in the last year. It’s so, SO gentle on the skin but breaks down all the makeup and dirt on your face. It’s also made with Rosewater, so it’s really soothing and gentle on skin that’s struggling with breakouts (like mine right now.)
• Sand and Sky Pink Clay Mask – This was sent to me in PR and has been the only mask I’ve consistently used over the last year. It’s formulated with Australian botanicals and it works on clarifying skin and removing impurities. I took a break from using it when my skin started going downhill but just started using it again as a spot treatment and it’s helping immensely! This product is also cruelty-free and marked as Clean by Sephora, so it’s made with great ingredients that really work.
• Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask – If you live ANYWHERE dry (like Utah in the winter) you have.to.get.this. This is 10X more effective and powerful than any chapstick or lip balm out there! My lips get so dry and chapped in the winter and I usually go through a tube of chapstick in a week trying to keep the peeling at bay. After wearing this for one night, they felt SO much smoother, soft, and moisturized. I consistently wear this at night and my lips have not been dry or sore at all this winter! It’s got such a glossy consistency that I actually wear it as a gloss during the day when my lips need a little extra love or just want some extra moisture

Makeup

• Laura Mercier Flawless Fusion Foundation – This may be my favorite foundation…ever. I picked this up on a whim a few months ago and I was 100% blown away by how beautiful the coverage and finish was and how well my other makeup sat on top of it. It has such a beautiful satin finish that really melts into the skin and has great coverage. There is no cakiness and it works well with my combination skin. 10/10 would recommend this foundation!
• Estee Lauder DoubleWear Light – A close second place to the Laura Mercier Foundation and what I wore all through summer when I needed good coverage but not something super heavy. I prefer this to the regular Estee Lauder DoubleWear because it has the same coverage but is definitely lighter and has a more natural finish. It also wears for a long time and doesn’t settle into my fine lines!
• ItCosmetics ByeBye Foundation – My GO-TO during the summer! I love this more than the CC cream (there, I said it) and I loved seeing so many of you buy it over the summer and love it, too! It’s got great coverage and is really moisturizing without being greasy like the CC cream can be. I also love that this product comes in a wider shade range then the CC cream, so it’s easier to find one that matches. (Tip – always choose a shade lighter then you think you need because this stuff runs dark.)
• Covergirl TruBlend Matte Foundation – This takes the cake as my favorite drugstore foundation of the year! It had medium coverage that’s slightly buildable, comes in a wide range of shades and lasts decently long. I did find that it slightly oxidizes during wear, so it will get a little darker throughout the day. Don’t let that scare you if you’re looking for an affordable drugstore foundation – just choose a shade slightly lighter then normal to counter that!

• Tatcha Silk Canvas Primer – Welp. This was an expensive purchase. I cringed slightly when I finally brought it up to the counter to check out. I have absolutely no regrets. I don’t know what this stuff is made out of (besides magic) but it literally makes my pores disappear and allows my foundation to apply like silk. My skin looks absolutely amazing every time I use this and my foundation lasts all day long and doesn’t settle into my fine lines. While the price point may be a bit alarming, the product is actually HUGE and will easily last me 8 months – a year, so that definitely makes the sting of the price a little less!
• Tarte Shape Tape Concealer – A repeat from last year but that’s because I truly haven’t found a concealer that does a better job. This is 100% worth the money: it’s full coverage, it DOES NOT crease, and it works great as an eyeshadow primer as well. One tube lasts a long time because a little goes a longgggg way. (Don’t let those beauty youtube videos deceive you, you do NOT need to make giant triangles under your eyes with concealer! That’s too much product! Just a little swipe will do!)
• Maybelline Curvatude Liquid Liner – I don’t know why I haven’t heard anyone talk about this eyeliner because it’s my favorite from the drugstore (next to the wet n wild mega slim liner.) It’s inky black, it doesn’t transfer or bleed, it stays all day, and I absolutely LOVE the curved shape of the applicator. It makes winged liner on my hooded eyes SO much easier to apply!
• Covergirl Ultrafine Brow Pencil – I just did a WHOLE Instagram Stories Tutorial (saved to my highlights) about how I fill in my eyebrows and my go-to brow products (so check it out if you are in need of some eyebrow help) This pencil has been my favorite for months and I like it way more than my ABH Brow Definer pencil. It’s pigmented, it is easy to apply, and it lasts all day without smudging!
• Fenty Beauty Matchstick in Amber – I just started to cream contour this year and have decided that 1. I love it and 2. this is the only product to use when cream contouring. It has the perfect undertone to create the effect of a shadow (not too orange, but not too muddy) and it blends out beautifully on top of foundation without moving it. I love how it’s a powerful enough shade to handle bronzer on top without losing the effect of the contour as well!
• Huda Beauty Obsessions Palette – This was a huge impulse buy when I needed to make my order an extra 16 dollars to hit VIB. I’ve heard good things about them but was not prepared for HOW GOOD they were. These are some of the most beautiful and buttery mattes I’ve ever used and they blend out so flawlessly. The shimmers are very pigmented and apply well without needing to use Mac Fix+ to enhance their quality. I own the Amethyst and Emerald palettes and love how much they encourage me to play with color because they have no neutral shades!
• ABH Sultry Palette – My favorite ABH palette. Yep. I said it. I love it more than Modern Renaissance and Soft Glam and Subculture. I LOVE that this eyeshadow is more cool-toned (something that you rarely see) but still can create beautiful looks that are not SO cool that you look like you’re dying. The metallics are the best performing out of all her palettes: so pigmented and so creamy. I love the bright pop of coral and love how easy it is to get an every-day look out of this palette and a glam look. I used it in this tutorial if you want to see a more in-depth look at it.
• Charlotte Tilbury K.I.S.S.I.N.G Lipstick in Penelope Pink – This is my favorite nude lipstick of all time and I’m so glad I bought it when my friend Janelle recommended it to me. This is a TRUE nude lipstick with very slight pink undertones and it is a great way to balance any smokey look out. The lipstick formula itself is so moisturizing and pigmented and lasts all day long. CT lipsticks are a bit pricy, though, so I’m on the hunt for good drugstore shade dupes!
• Almay Lipvibes Lipsticks – I’ll admit, I was drawn in by the packaging when I first saw these in my local Walgreens because it felt so new and hip! I picked up two shades to try (Be Strong and Love Yourself and immediately fell in love with them. I was over the moon when Almay reached out and offered to send me the whole collection in PR. These lipsticks are SO PIGMENTED and SO moisturizing. They are so comfortable to wear and the shade range is extensive, from very wearable nudes to bright & vibrant pops of pink and orange. Definitely my favorite drugstore lipstick of the year!
• House of Lashes Lash Glue – I’m a falsies girl through & through (mainly because my lashes never recovered from chemo so I love anything that will make my lashes look bomb again) and the HOL glue is hands down the best lash adhesive on the market. It dries quickly, so you can start applying your lashes within 10-15 seconds after putting it on the strip. Once it’s set, it’s set for the rest of the day. My lashes NEVER lift when I use this glue and I can confidently rock whatever falsies I want without worrying if one is going to fall off halfway through a workday. Plus, it’s pretty affordable at only $9.00 and you can order it through Sephora.
• ItCosemtics ByeBye Pores Bronzer – The ByeBye Pores pressed powder is one of my favorite products of all time, so I was absolutely over the moon when ItCosmetics released a bronzer version this last summer. It did not disappoint. First of all, the shade is great. Not too warm and not too cool. It’s not glittery, but it does have a nice sheen to it when applied, so it gives the skin an extra glow. And yes, it does make your pores look amazing!
• Ofra Cosmetics Highlighters – I snagged two of these during the 21 Days of Beauty sale in September and they are basically all I use. Oops. Sorry to my drawer of all my other highlighters. But these are SO good. They have such amazing reflection properties and they really blend into the skin instead of sitting on top of it. I really love Pillow Talk but Glazed Donut is my favorite. They are another pricier product but the size of the pan is massive that I don’t think I’ll ever need to repurchase them haha.
• Covergirl Vitalist Healthy Powder – My favorite powder to use to set my foundation! I use the light shade and love love love how smooth this makes my skin look and how it does NOT cake up at all. It also allows all my other powders to blend beautifully on top of it and makes my foundation last all day long. Definitely recommend!
• Morphe Continuous Setting Spray – The mist on this is so fine that I NEVER have to worry about giant drops of water landing on my face and drying weird! This also really makes my makeup last all day and is relatively affordable!
• elf Beauty Shield – I LOVE using this in the summer when I want to have some extra sun protection but don’t want to put on a lot of makeup. It has a slight tint to it, so it evens out my skin tone without covering my skin. It’s perfect for those afternoons spent outside when you want your freckles to peek through and your skin to breath without worrying about any weird blotchiness!

• Buxom Plumpline Lip Liners – These were sent to me in PR but I really love them! They are really easy to apply (no having to push down really hard to get the color payoff and no worrying about splinters in your lips either.) I like that they have a little brush on one end to help smooth out the liner so that it blends seamlessly into your lips, which helps your lipstick sit better on top of it. No weird 90’s liner, if you know what I mean. My favorite shade is Hush Hush, followed by Incognito.
• Maybelline Superstay Ink Lipsticks – BULLET. PROOF. LIPSTICK. If you need a liquid lip that will literally last all day, not transfer, not smudge, and not get anywhere and NOT burn upon application, this is for you. Any time I am wearing a bold color, I’m wearing a Superstay Ink. I can kiss Dustin, eat a hamburger and drink from a glass and not have a single ounce of color budge from my lips. And it’s under $10.00 and available at the drugstore so it’s basically the best.
• Maybelline The Matte Bar 300 – Okay, I did buy this just a few weeks ago but I’ve used it EVERY DAY since and am so blown away by it that I had to include it in this post. These shadows are pigmented and blend out beautifully and are some of the best drugstore mattes I’ve ever seen. Also, the color range is very similar to the Naked Heat/Heat Petite palette so if you’re looking to add some of those colors into your collection but don’t want to pay the Urban Decay price tag, this palette is a great option.
• Lancome Monsieur Big Mascara – This mascara has replaced my holy grail Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara, so if that doesn’t tell you how good this mascara is, I don’t know what else I could write that would.
• Laura Geller Baked Blush-N-Brighten in Tropic Hues – This came in one of my Boxycharms and it’s one of my favorite blushes of all time! I love the shade and how rosy it makes my cheeks look, along with the beautiful glow that it gives to my skin!

Hair Products

• Living Proof T.B.D. multi-tasking styler – My FAVORITE hair product of 2018. This stuff does it all. It’s great to blow out your hair with and it’s AMAZING at resurrecting your curls on day 2 and 3 hair. I just put a little in between my palms and scrunch it up into my lifeless curls and before I know it, my hair looks like it’s been freshly curled within seconds. The amount of volume and shape it adds to my hair is unreal and it doesn’t weigh my hair down with any residue.
• Living Proof Dry Shampoo – I guess I’m on a Living Proof train because I LOVE this product. I really like to use it to give my hair extra texture for when I need some grip without loading it with other products. I usually spritz some in my roots at night and brush it in the morning and can go 3-5 days without washing and without my hair looking nasty!
• Kristin Ess Air Dry Creme – This is the most weightless hair cream I’ve ever used and I LOVE using it in the summer or when I’m on the beach. I just throw some into my damp hair and let it do its thing. It helps bring out my natural wave, makes my hair super soft, and doesn’t feel crunchy at. all. It’s truly amazing. Also, only $10.00 at Target.
• Kristin Ess Hair Detangler – JUST as good at the air cream and for all the same reasons. It does exactly what it says it will do (detangles hair) without weighing your hair down with the product. It’s mind-blowingly effective!
• Ouai Dry Shampoo Foam – I was SO skeptical about this dry shampoo foam, but after using it when visiting my girlfriends in Philly, I was sold. It works so well and it’s my favorite product to put in my roots when I need a good boost of volume. It dries down and disappears without leaving your hair feel wet, believe it or not, and it leaves your hair with great volume and shape. I bought my own before leaving Philly because I was that sold on it. I will say that this will only prolong a wash day by one day – but I love it for the volume I get!
• Got2b Mess-merizing putty – Absolutely LOVE this stuff for making my curls look piecier and messier. I just take the tiniest bit, spread it through my fingertips and rub it through the very ends of my hair. It works like a charm and really finishes off any beachy look!
• Briogeo Don’t Despair Repair Hair Mask – Dry and damaged hair? Just do a 10-minute Briogeo mask and it will feel better then it ever has in your entire life. Not even kidding. I’ve only used this twice since I bought it in October because it does that great of a job.
• Hask Coconut Oil – If you have dry ends, this is a must. I use this on my extensions primarily to make sure they stay healthy with all the heat I use, but its great for anyone who has ends that need a little extra loving!

Body Products

• Soap & Glory No Woman No Dry Body Butter – First of all, how fantastic is the name on this product? I absolutely love it. Soap & Glory sent it to me in PR and it’s so moisturizing and smells fan-freakingtastic.
• Viktor & Rolf BonBon Perfume – While Flowerbomb is for sure my number one fragrance love, I bought this one because my I called my grandmother Bonbon and it just felt right. It smells a bit sweeter and isn’t as florally as Flowerbomb but it is a great fragrance and I alternate between them both depending on my mood!

WHEW! I hope this was helpful and I hope it gives you some guidance on what products to choose this year when you make your next Ulta or Sephora run! Let me know if you have any questions (or your own recommendations) in the comment section below!

P.S. If you found this post helpful, I would SO appreciate it if you pinned the image below to your Pinterest! Thank you!