My Favorite Beauty Buys of 2018

I don’t do many beauty posts because I honestly don’t change up my beauty routine much at all. The core of my nightly routine is the same Clinique 3-Step system I’ve been using since I was a teenager! So while I can talk about clothes, shoes, and books until I get blue in the face and never run out of material—beauty posts eventually start to be a bit repetitive. I also don’t like to talk about things I’m trying until I’ve really had a chance to experiment with them and know they work for me. It’s why you also almost never see paid beauty posts on my blog because the brands that approach me are unfamiliar to me and they aren’t usually open to a trial period of a few months before a post! Still got my fingers crossed a few of my favorite beauty brands will approach me one day because that would be a dream…But I digress from the point, which is: here’s a beauty post with a few of my tied and tested favorites from the past year!
Pixi Overnight Glow Serum: This product is my top buy from 2018. It has honestly saved my skin. I’ve really struggled with pimples more as an adult than as a teenager and would get really bad hormonal break-outs every month. My skin would also be very slow to recover so my blemishes would really linger for ages. I read an article about break-outs as an adult (honestly I probably read a dozen articles looking for a solution) and one recommended using a chemical exfoliant and linked to Pixi’s glow serum. I bought one and it has honestly transformed my skin. I haven’t had any major break-outs since I started using this serum and when I do start to have a blemish, this helps it clear up in half the time it would normally. So hand’s down my best beauty buy of 2018, but it’s also making me realize that my skin isn’t the same as it was in my teens or even twenties. Adding this to my routine and having it work miracles on my skin is making me realize I should really be more thoughtful in the other steps of my skin care regime. I don’t want an overly complicated daily routine, but as my skin has changed over the years, the products I use on it should probably adapt as well.
Tarte shape tape: I've played around with a few different concealers/foundations over the years and this one is hand's down my favorite that I've ever tried. It doesn't make my skin break-out, it stays put all day, and actually comes in a light enough shade to match my skin tone! Finding a pale concealer or foundation, especially one with a neutral base (vs a pinkish base) is a real struggle for me, so this concealer is a dream for me.
Tarte Rainforest of the Sea cleansing gel: After falling in love with Tarte’s shape tape, I started to try a few more products from that brand and now half of my makeup bag is Tarte products! I have fairly sensitive skin, so when I find a brand that my skin agrees with I tend to really lean into it--now I have some very necessary mermaid makeup brushes and this cleansing gel. The makeup brushes don’t get a lot of use, but this cleansing gel is lovely! It makes my skin feel very clean and fresh and doesn't dry it out. I'm not a big experimenter, so it's lovely to find a brand that just works for me and it's nice trying different products from the same brand but still having good results.
My two favorite nail polishes: I think I only wore three nail polish colors for the whole of 2018—this neutral shade, this burnt orange color, and red around Christmas. Post-Christmas I’m already back to the burnt orange color (Playing Koi by Essie); on the nails it’s actually a bit darker than my ideal color but is the closest to a perfect rust tone I covet. When I was younger I loved painting my nails and would even sport multiple colors on multiple fingers, but these days I like nails to be the subtle polish (pun intended) to a look rather than a main feature. I like colors that generally match with all my outfits and don’t distract from them, so in spring a perfect light neutral, specifically Maybelline's Second Skin (a lovely not too pink shade) works and in winter a cozier rust-y shade that matches 99% of my wardrobe.