This year I have been sticking to the basics for my beauty routine and haven’t tried as much new stuff as I usually would have. Part of that is because I’ve been trying so hard to finish things up and the other part is that I just haven’t been wearing a ton of makeup recently. But, I think these products are so worth sharing and I’ve repurchased most of my 2020 beauty favorites.
Skincare
While my skin has been having it’s challenges this year, I think I have a few products that I know work and I’m trying to slowly phase things in and out to find a good selection of products to make up both a quick routine for travel and lazy nights and a more lux routine for every day.
Ren Ready Steady Glow Daily AHA Tonic
I love this super gentle chemical exfoliant because it never stings my sensitive skin and leaves my skin smooth. With lactic acid, Azelaic acid, and BHA, this is a gentle but effective exfoliant. Because I use a strong retinoid every other night, I don’t use this as instructed and I do believe it would be better used every night. The package says that you can use this every night or even twice a day but mixing AHAs with other exfoliants or retinoids is bad for the skin. If you have sensitive skin, you’d love this.
CeraVe Facial Moisturizing Lotion PM
This is a favorite for day and night because it’s a lovely gel texture and is the perfect hydration for most of the year. While this isn’t enough for my extremely dehydrated skin in the winter, it’s a clear favorite and I love repurchasing this.
Glossier Futuredew
I didn’t really enjoy this product at first because I was just slapping on a full pump all over the skin and it felt greasy and sticky. Now, I mix a few drops with a pump of the CeraVe moisturizer to get dewy skin prepped for makeup (or no makeup).
Weleda Skin Food
I just discovered Weleda’s Skin Food in December and it’s been a lifesaver that I’ve used twice daily since finding it. Allana Davidson recommends this on her YouTube for super dehydrated skin and it’s been the only thing keeping my skin from cracking around my mouth and chin lately. It’s got a strong scent and can be used on other areas of the body but it doesn’t bother my sensitive skin at all.
CeraVe Repair Eye Cream
After searching for weeks, I finally found a tube of this and it’s lovely. It’s a gel-cream texture that feels so smooth and doesn’t make me tug at the skin around my eyes while applying it. It’s $10 and I don’t think I’ll ever buy a different eye cream. This makes my skin routine feel luxurious and truly makes a difference for me.
Makeup
I’ve really stuck to the makeup I have this year because I quarantined at my family home (not my own apartment) in the spring and am home for a month for the holidays so I’ve just had my little makeup bag of products to choose from. This has really made me use up a lot of products and learn to love what I have.
Revlon Candid Anti-Pollution Foundation
This has been a favorite for a long time. I have nearly finished my first tube and I have a backup ready to go. It’s a really natural, skin-finish look without staying tacky at all or sticking to any dry patches. I apply this with my fingers and as the day goes on it looks better and better.
Revlon Candid Antioxidant Concealer
This is a great everyday concealer because it’s so creamy, smooth, and never looks cakey or icky under the eyes. It’s a lighter coverage concealer but like the foundation, looks better and better throughout the day.
Milk Makeup Flex Concealer
This one was sent to me and I’ve used it so so often since then. It’s creamy and smooth with a bit more coverage than the Revlon one so it’s perfect for blemishes. This one I reach for basically every day. It’s smooth under the eyes and covers spots well and it’s a bit more matte than the Revlon concealer but I still wouldn’t say it’s a matte concealer at all.
Glossier Stretch Concealer
I used Glossier’s Stretch Concealer all over my face this summer, it’s perfect for a nice fresh under eye or all over to cover any redness. This is the most creamy, emollient, juicy formula so it’s perfect for summer or if you want some extra moisture in the winter. It can get creasy but it just feels great on the skin. I’ve been loving so many base products because usually when I do my makeup to stay at home, it’s just concealer.
Milk Makeup Matte Bronzer
This is the only bronzer I’ve really loved and I’ve convinced my sister to purchase this and she is obsessed. It’s a beautiful warm but never orange-y toned creamy matte bronzer. While it’s matte, it’s never patchy and doesn’t look or feel dry. This bronzes and blends seamlessly across the skin. I’d recommend you get the small one since I’ve had this for about a year and haven’t even had to roll it up at all.
Nudestix Nudies Bloom All Over Dewy Color in Poppy Girl
This was super impulsive and it’s such a bright shade but this shade and formula are stunning! It’s a super bright watermelon color that I’m sure will flatter a huge range of skin tones. If my cheeks look a little dry, applying this will instantly smooth and juice up my skin.
Milk Makeup Highlighter in Lit
This Milk Makeup highlighter has been a favorite for years and another one I’ve turned my sister on to. It’s a beautiful glossy dewy look with not too much base pigment so it’s perfect for every day. My favorite way to use this is to dot in on my inner corners or even all over my lids for a really bright eye look. On the high points of my face, it never looks too intense.
ColourPop Super Shock Shadow in Ladybird
Before this fall, I never swatched a ColourPop Super Sock Shadow before. After I purchased this shade LadyBird, I was converted and purchased 2 more shades (Roy G Biv and Ripple). These are so fun and I love lightly tapping them on to give a glitter-like look. However, they just don’t come off. I have sparkles on my face for days after using one of these.
Lawless The Little One Eyeshadow Palette
I recently purchased this palette after listening to a podcast with the founder Annie Lawless and was so attracted to their goal of really high-impact clean makeup. This is absolutely my perfect palette. There’s a light base shade, a light-medium brown, a deep brown, and a super pigmented black which are my absolutely necessities. Beyond that, we have a light gold shimmer, a bronze shimmer, and 2 super warm browns to pull this palette super warm and lush. I love pairing these basic mattes with different toppers such as the ColourPop Super Shock Shadows tapped super lightly all over.
What were your 2020 beauty favorites? Let me know!