Well, hello there strangers! Coming at you slightly later than normal with my 2020 Beauty Favourites! I fully expected to be back working the second week of January. However, my body had other plans. After a C-19 scare, a negative test and 2 weeks of feeling like utter rubbish, I’m back and ready to start baking and testing makeup again!
I’m by no means 100% better, but I am about 95% there. Still having some issues with taking deep breaths as my chest is a bit rattly and it flutters/pounds when I breathe deeply. But I have my energy back and no longer want to sleep all day, every day. My sore throat, headache and slight sense of smell loss are gone.
I would like to just mention my positive experience with our home testing service in the UK. All I seem to see online is people moaning and being negative, but I found the process smooth, quick and easy. I ordered my test on Saturday afternoon at 2pm. At 11:30am the next day it arrived. I did the test on Monday, it was posted at 2pm Monday and delivered at 9pm same day. 23 hours later I had my results. The instructions were clear with the home test. So if you have symptoms, just know that there are people who have had good experiences with it. I’m sure some people have had bad experiences, but when you see nothing but negativity, it’s hard to see the positives.
Anyway, let’s talk about my 2020 Beauty Favourites! I loved so many products last year, it was very hard to narrow it down to these 11 products. I really wanted to be strict and only pick one of each thing, like 1 blush, 1 concealer etc. But for a couple of the categories, I have 2. I just couldn’t pick one!!
I found so many amazing foundations last year and blushes. Since we had to wear masks, I ended up not bothering to buy many lipsticks. That was the only category that was easy to pick as I think I only bought three lipsticks the whole year!
So, without further ado, let’s see what products made it into my 2020 Beauty Favourites!
DISCLAIMER: Product links are affiliate. This means I earn a small commission if you buy through my link, but it costs you nothing extra. Thank you for supporting my blog, so I can continue creating content!
ESTEE LAUDER FUTURIST AQUA BRILLIANCE WATERY GLOW PRIMER – £30.50 from LookFantastic
What a long winded name!! However, I’ll forgive the name because this primer is absolutely brilliant. It came in and instantly took over as my Holy Grail primer. It’s lightweight and really helps prolong my makeup.
This primer is a gel cream and when you start applying it to your face tiny micro droplets burst and it becomes a watery, hydrating, slightly glowy, soothing base for your makeup. It’s not a pore filling primer, but it does smooth everything out and I do find that my foundations don’t sink into my pores when wearing this.
I’ve had foundations that I’ve liked, but that didn’t last long on me become favourites because with this primer, they last so much longer and look better.
When I saw that this primer was part of the Futurist line, I knew I needed to try it to see if it was worthy of being associated with the Futurist Hydra Rescue foundation. Happy to report it is. It’s an absolute dream primer!
ESTEE LAUDER FUTURIST HYDRA RESCUE MOISTURISING MAKEUP – £36 from LookFantastic
It’s been a good year for Estee Lauder and complexion products for me! I did a full review of this foundation back in February and since then, I’ve fallen even further in love with it! I’ve found myself consistently going back to this foundation because it lasts a full long day, it never looks heavy or cakey, it looks gorgeous on the skin and it’s almost 100% transfer proof with masks.
You need a really small amount of product to get a solid medium coverage. The pumps are quite small with this product, but one pump is all I need. You can get this built up to pretty full coverage too. I prefer medium coverage though. The packaging is fantastic, it’s a squeezy tube with a pump, so you will be able to get alllllll of the goodness out!
I cannot sing this foundations praises enough. I never thought I’d love a foundation more than Armani Luminous Silk, but I do. This foundation is hydrating without making me look like a greaseball, doesn’t cling to any dry patches, works well with any and every product I put on top of it. This with the above primer? Dream team! I know that I can rely on this foundation to get me through a long day and I don’t have to keep checking up on it. Perfection!
L’OREAL PARIS SKIN PARADISE TINTED MOISTURISER – £10.99 from LookFantastic
This is my favourite tinted moisturiser ever! I always used to think that they didn’t last on my skin. I’d put a tinted moisturiser on and in 3 hours I’d look at my face and be like “where did that go!?”. However, I can get a full day with this and it looks gorgeous all day. It’s the perfect Summer “foundation” – lightweight, glowy and it manages to give you that healthy radiance, like you’re lit from within.
It’s a light coverage, but enough that it evens everything out. I don’t need to set this moisturiser. It does get more glowy in the day, but I normally don’t bother blotting or powdering. I would if I was going to go out in the evening, but that’s not happening at the moment.
I’m surprised by how much I love this. When I saw it advertised, I knew I wanted to try it, but I didn’t know what to expect. I ended up keeping this out when we moved house and it was the only base product I didn’t pack. For a month in the Summer, this was all I wore!!
NUDESTIX NUDEFIX CREAM CONCEALER – £24 from LookFantastic
This is a really beautiful concealer. It’s lighter coverage than I normally go for, but it still gives enough to cover under my eyes. It’s a good medium coverage wise. I can also use this on acne and under my eyes. I normally have to use separate concealers as they just don’t work for me.
This is super creamy and lightweight, it doesn’t really crease, it lasts all day and I don’t need to set it. This is the first product I’ve tried from Nudestix and it made me want to try more! Since then, I’ve also bought their Tinted Cover foundation and I love that too!
Nudestix are really good at creating products that allow your skin to shine. There’s enough coverage, but their products are lightweight and create that no makeup, makeup look. It just looks like you have the most amazing skin!
GIORGIO ARMANI LUMINOUS SILK CONCEALER – £34.50 from Selfridges
I couldn’t pick between this and the Nudestix for top spot in my 2020 Beauty Favourites, so I’m mentioning both!
This concealer had a lot to live up to being part of the Luminous Silk line. Happy to report it’s fabulous. You get quite a lot of product (12ml – on average concealers are about 6ml) and the finish is just beautiful. It really is luminous and makes you look so healthy. I don’t love this under my eyes, but it’s great on my face It manages to cover my acne, without drawing attention to it. I was worried it might draw attention to it, since it’s quite luminous, but nope. It looks beautiful on the skin.
This lasts all day, I do set this to get longer wear, however, I can get plenty of wear without setting it. The colours are a bit on the yellow side, as is normal for Armani, but shade 2 works perfectly for me.
L’OREAL PARIS BROW ARTIST PLUMPER – £7.99 from Boots
I was an avid user of the Hourglass clear brow gel, however it was extortionately expensive for how much product you got. So, I started looking for a drugstore alternative. I tried a few, but they left me with crispy brows, which I cannot STAND! However, I then found this L’Oreal Brow Artist and it’s amazing.
You can get coloured versions, but I prefer clear brow gel. This gives enough hold that your hairs won’t move out of place, but you don’t get crunchy, crispy brow hairs. It works well on top of eyebrow pencils or just on brow hairs. The applicator is perfect. It’s small and slightly angled which makes shaping a cinch. I love this stuff and have already bought back ups!
MAC GLOW PLAY BLUSH – £24 from MAC Cosmetics
Is it any surprise that the Glow Play blushes are my favourite blush release of 2020?? I’ve been waxing lyrical about these since they were released. I now have 8 out of 11 shades. The only ones I haven’t bought are ones I genuinely don’t think would suit me. Every other one, I’ve bought.
The formula is just stunning. They are ridiculously easy to work with, they blend like a dream and last all day. These are cushion type blushes, with a spongey texture. It’s my first foray into anything like a cream blush and now I’m converted and have bought loads of cream blushes!
I’ve hardly worn any of my powder blushes in the last 6 months. I’ve either been testing cream blushes, or using the Glow Play blushes. Before Christmas MAC had 20% off, so I got 2 glow play blushes and my husband bought another 2 for my stocking. I’m obsessed with these blushes and the obsession isn’t waning any time soon. If you try one thing from my 2020 Beauty Favourites, let it be this!
NABLA SKIN GLAZING – £20 from Beauty Bay
I wanted to try these Skin Glazing highlighters as soon as they were announced. But I sat on it and then missed out because for the next goodness knows how many months, the shade I wanted (Ozone) was out of stock. I finally bought it during the Black Friday sales and boy am I glad I did.
I’ve worn nothing but since it arrived. It’s stunning. It doesn’t enhance texture, it blends effortlessly and you can build it up to be a really blinding highlight if you want. I prefer a more sheer application, so I do one dab with my brush and that’s enough. It always looks seamless, no strips of unblended highlighter here. It really is a stunning formula!
NATASHA DENONA GLAM PALETTE – £60 from Cult Beauty
If ever there was a palette that was made for me, it’s this one. It literally sings to me. It’s the most incredible cool toned, wearable palette ever. I adore it. The formula is incredible, the shimmers are unlike anything else I’ve used. The creamy mattes are so easy to work with, ultra smooth and blendable. You can create some stunning looks with this palette.
This is the first bigger palette I’ve bought from Natasha Denona. I had some of her mini palettes, but some people say the formula is different. Now I have one bigger palette, I want more because the formula is just incredible. I’m still eyeing up the Bronze palette, even though I think some of the shades might be a bit warm for my colouring.
I always say that with higher priced eyeshadow palettes, I have to know I’m going to use all of the shades, otherwise I’m not parting with my money. As soon as I saw this, I knew I had to have it and I have no regrets! This is the only category where I knew for definite it would be making it to my 2020 Beauty Favourites. There weren’t any other palettes that even came close!
NARS CLIMAX XXL MASCARA – £22 from Space NK
I’ve used the original Climax mascara since it came out and I love it. It had been the only mascara I was using. Then Nars released the XXL version. Oh my goodness, it’s like the original one on steroids!
You get thick, fat lashes with one swipe! I only ever need one layer of this and I barely touch my eyelashes and bam! they’re there haha!! This doesn’t smudge or flake on me, just as the original doesn’t. I feel like if you layered this up, it could get pretty clumpy, so beware of that. However, if you apply one layer, you get voluminous, curled lashes that last all day!
MAC X NICOLA CHAPMAN LIPSTICK – £17.50 from Selfridges
For the final category in my 2020 Beauty Favourites, I really didn’t have much trouble picking a winner! I gave up wearing lipstick because it just gets all over your mask and it’s a waste. When I don’t have to wear a mask though, this will probably be the lipstick I’m wearing. It’s so gorgeous, so wearable. The perfect peachy nude.
This was the only lipstick I didn’t pack when we moved house, so like the L’Oreal Skin Paradise, this was the only thing I wore for a month! It goes with everything, it’s not too orangey peach that I can’t wear it. For the first time ever, I’ve actually bought a back up of this lipstick! That’s how much I love it. Hence why I felt the need to buy another!
It’s their cremesheen formula, which is my favourite of all the MAC lipsticks. Creamy, opaque, easy to wear. Not the longest wearing, but I don’t particularly go for drying, longwearing lipsticks. Nic Chapman knocked it out of the park with this lipstick!
And there we have it! My 2020 Beauty Favourites! I can’t believe another year is over. Mind you, I’m glad we made it through the most difficult year ever. Right now, it seem more of the same, but I’m trying to stay positive. Just remember “this too shall pass”.
