One more year is over, and those 365 days translate to tons of beauty products.
I want to celebrate the end of 2019 and compile a list of my favorite products of the year. (Remember that I am manifesting that one day I can jump up and down screaming about how everyone gets a night cream.)
I use a lot of stuff, whether to test and write about or for my own fun. There are tons of products I switch out for others, but there are a select few that remain staples in my beauty routine. Here’s my best in beauty from 2019.
See you in the next decade.
Cleanser
Farmacy’s Green Clean Makeup Meltaway Cleansing Balm melts away every last bit of makeup off of my face, from foundation to waterproof eyeliner. Even if you don’t wear a lot of makeup, this is a great balm cleanser to have in your arsenal. It rinses right off and makes my skin feel clean and soft, never filmy or stripped.
Treatment
Tarte’s Knockout Tingle Treatment Toner is an acid toner with both alpha hydroxy acid and beta hydroxy acid, which gently break up bonds between dead skin cells. As a team, this mix of AHA and BHA has revealed smooth, clear, glowy skin and smaller-looking pores for me. If I don’t use it, I notice congestion and dullness. This has made the single biggest difference in my skin care routine.
Mist/essence
Made up of more than 20% botanical oils and humectants including hyaluronic acid, Tatcha’s Luminous Dewy Skin Mist leaves skin dewy and ultra-moisturized. It can work as an essence after cleansing, to help products penetrate deeper or to refresh skin under or over makeup.
Moisturizer
Like a protein shake for your face, Drunk Elephant’s Protini Polypeptide Cream is packed with amino acids, peptides and more to boost collagen production and support existing collagen. This makes for hydrated, bouncy, firm and healthy skin.
Night cream
Ole Henriksen’s Goodnight Glow Retin-ALT Sleeping Cremé’s main ingredient, bakuchiol, mimics the effects of retinoids such as softening lines and wrinkles, fading pigmentation and improving elasticity and firmness, without the sometimes unpleasant side effects. It makes my skin look incredibly fresh and glowy.
Foundation/tinted moisturizer/BB or CC cream
Even though it’s in a stick, Anastasia Beverly Hills’ Stick Foundation has a super creamy formula with a comfortable matte finish. It’s also buildable and can be used as concealer on days where I just need some spot-coverage. The stick makes it mess-free so I can apply it anywhere from the car to at my desk. You can blend it with a Beauty Blender, brush or your hands and get the perfect coverage every time.
Powder
I have a real problem with powder because I hate to look dusty and crusty. But Charlotte Tilbury’s Airbrush Flawless Finish Pressed Powder is light and gorgeous, and it still soaks up oil. It also sets makeup beautifully.
Bronzer/contour
Benefit Cosmetics’ Hoola Matte Bronzer is the OG of bronzers that I always come back to. It’s never orange and is the perfect shade to dust along my forehead and nose to fake a sunkissed glow.
Blush
I didn’t expect to love Mrs. Kardashian West’s blushes as much as I do, but here we are. The formula for KKW Beauty Blush is smooth, and the pigment is buildable. The sleek packaging rounds this out as a hero product in my makeup bag.
Eyebrows
Brows can make or break your look, and Glossier Boy Brow is here to help. It fills in sparse areas and puts stray eyebrow hairs in their place in seconds. It’s the easiest brow product you will ever use.
Eyeshadow
Haus Laboratories’ Glam Attack Liquid Shimmer Powder from Lady Gaga’s beauty line is a liquid-to-powder pigment made to be worn anywhere on your face, but I like to use them as eyeshadows. They’re easy and quick to apply and never crease or disappear.
Mascara
My eyelashes look darker, longer and separated (almost like I had a lash tint and lift) after two swipes of Glossier Lash Slick. It also doesn’t budge until I’m ready to take it off.
Eyeliner
I love a sharp cat-eye, and no other liner has come close to Kat Von D Beauty Ink Liner. Everyone loves KVD’s Tattoo Liner, but I prefer Ink Liner because its tip is a little thicker. It goes on smooth, dries instantly and doesn’t move.
Lipstick
A staple in my makeup bag, I can wear Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk to work or to a night out. It’s just a perfect pinky-nude shade and buttery-smooth formula in luxurious packaging.
Lip gloss
Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminizer in Fu$$y is never sticky and gives the prettiest natural pink color. The flecks of shimmer are super fine and slightly reflect the light to make lips look a little bit bigger.
Fragrance
Every time I use Glossier You (eau de parfum), someone asks what perfume I’m wearing. It’s warm, clean and familiar with top notes of woody iris root and sparkling, spicy pink pepper with base notes of warm ambrette, smooth ambrox and musk.
Gia Mazur is an award-winning staff writer and beauty obsessive who joined The Times-Tribune’s Lifestyles department in 2015. She’s a product enthusiast who can’t live without an eyelash curler. A proud Virgo, Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillow Talk is her go-to. Contact: gmazur@timesshamrock.com; 570-348-9127; @gmazurTT
