BEST MAKEUP PRODUCTS OF THE YEAR 2018

jane iredale gwen lipstick

This year I most definitely wanted to choose my ultimate favorite products of the year AKA the best beauty products of the year. I already did a post about my favorite skincare products here, so today it’s time for the makeup category.

These makeup products were my ultimate favorites last year. I use most of them daily and they are also the products I’m likely to travel with.

best makeup of the year

BEST MAKEUP PRODUCTS OF THE YEAR 2018

best makeup of the year lily lolo mineral makeup foundation catrice liquid camouflage concealer tony moly smooth primer

TonyMoly Silky Smooth Balm*
This primer smooths all my pores and texture and makes my skin silky soft. I love to use this with liquid foundations. It also makes my foundation last longer so if I need my makeup to last from early morning until late at night, I choose this one. The packaging is not the most convenient, but it’s fun and pretty.

Catrice Liquid Camouflage Concealer*
I was so surprised to find an affordable concealer like this that I actually liked. Especially as I was so hooked on the NARS RCC. As the name suggests the concealer is very high coverage and more on the thick-side. The longevity is great. This concealer I have been using all year long and I have a feeling I will be buying it in the future as well.

Blog post here

lily lolo foundation catrice concealer tony moly primer

Lily Lolo Mineral Foundation, Popcorn*
I got some Lily Lolo products at the end of the year, but I immediately knew I had found gold. I honestly think Lily Lolo’s mineral base is the best mineral foundation I have tried. It’s just so soft, easily blendable and it lasts well. And it’s very affordable! I love to use mineral makeup, because it actually has some skincare benefits as well.

Blog post here

essence princess lash mascara

essence Lash Princess Mascara*
My lashes are very small and they need a lot of volume and definition. Essence’s mascaras practically cost nothing, yet they are awesome. I think this one is so far my favorite from essence’s mascaras. It’s funny, because I usually prefer rubber wands.

mad4eyebrows natural brow filler jane iredale brow pen best brow products

mad4eyebrow The Natural Brow Filler
I can’t imagine life without this weird brow product. It’s a mineral powder with lots and lots of fibres – meaning it’s great at giving volume and definition. And it lasts really well. I buy mine from @kosmetologianu in Helsinki.

Blog post here

Jane Iredale Retractable Brow Pencil, Ash Blonde*
To make my brows perfect, I finish them off by drawing brow strokes with a thin brow pencil like this. I can also sharpen any lines easily with this. I love that the product comes with a spoolie brush.

jane iredale triple luxe gwen lipstick

Jane Iredale Triple Luxe Lipstick*
When it comes to the best lipstick consistency, Jane Iredale takes the crown with their new Triple Lux lipsticks. It just feels invisible on the lips, the color payoff is great and the packaging is luxurious. I have two shades and I used a lighter rosy shade (Rose) all throughout the summer. At the end of the year I got this beautiful classic red color, Gwen.

Blog post here

bobbi brown lux eyeshadows

Bobbi Brown Lux Eye Shadows: Heat Ray & High Octane*
To me, these are luxury. They spark joy in me (#konmari, right?) just when I look at them. I also think these two shades are very versatile. The golden Heat Ray is great for every day looks, whereas the purple High Octane one is made for smokey eyes and parties. And what’s best about these is that they can be applied with a finger. Actually, they work best that way. I also sometimes wear them on top of each other and have gotten lots of compliments on my eye shadow.

Blog post here

best makeup of the year charlotta eve blog

What is your favorite makeup product of last year?

*Adlinks. Most of the products are pr-samples.
P.S. How lucky am I for being able to test new products and find new favorites that way? I am so thankful for all the brands and companies I get to work with. I love this job.

2 x perfect nude lips

kicks lip cream swatches review

I hope you’re not too bored of nude lipsticks just yet. I know I’m not. Recently I got some new products to try out (as pr-samples) and I found two new perfect nude lipsticks – or actually lip creams. Swedish brand and store KICKS recently came out with lip creams and the shade range is just beautiful. Perfect colors for everyday wear, from warm tones to cool tones.

I bet you already know I opted for the cool tones. 

What’s cool about these lip creams is that they’re named after weekdays. There are seven colors all the way from Monday to Sunday. And don’t worry, the Monday color is beautiful too. Somehow I still chose two colors, that are also my favorite weekdays: Thursday and Friday.

charlotta eve lifestyle beauty

kicks lip cream friday

Friday is the obvious choice: more often or not it is the start of the weekend. You’ve worked hard all week and you’re ready to log off. Maybe there’s some parties coming up, or just a cozy evening at home with a pizza and a movie. Be it whatever – the Friday lip cream suits any occasions. It’s a darker nude color with cool purple (but also red?) undertones.

kicks lip cream thursday

Thursday is possibly my favorite day out of the week. There’s no pressure, as it’s not Friday just yet. It’s the perfect day for a romantic dinner or a coffee date with friends. There’s excitement in the air. Thursday lip cream is just like the day: casual, but nice. It makes your lips look beautiful,without trying too hard. It’s a quite light nude color and very cool-toned, so it’s not everyone. I like it on my lips though.

kicks lip cream swatches thursday friday

KICKS Lip Cream review

I like the consistency in these. The lip creams are packed with pigment, but they feel smooth and velvety on the lips. The product looks a bit like foam in the tube, but once it touches your lips it turns more watery. These are not matte and they leave a satin finish. That makes them very comfortable on the lips, but also quite long lasting. You may need to fix your makeup after eating, but then again the colors are nude, so they wear off quite naturally.

Even though these are not matte, you don’t necessarily need to line your lips when using these. I don’t use a lip liner with these (and didn’t for the photos either), and I don’t need to. The product doesn’t run to the fine lines, but stays and locks in right where you put it.

The simple packaging is nice – looking at the tube you wouldn’t necessarily know that these are from a very affordable brand.

All in all, it’s no wonder that these quickly became one of my favorite lip products.

Sadly, KICKS doesn’t have an international store. But if you ever visit Sweden, Norway or Finland, make sure to check out their store! It’s one of my favorite places to shop makeup products, as we don’t have a Sephora here in Finland. I still wanted to do this post, as I am Finnish, so I do like to show some of our Nordic brands on my blog too.

What do you think of these colors? And hey – what is your favorite day of the week?

nude lips

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