Welcome to my round up of my Top Beauty Products of 2020. I am grateful to the brands who have turned up today and win or lose, we have all had a crap year.
2020 was not the year that any of us expected; it went from being a year full of potential to all of us working from home with loungewear becoming our uniform. Traditionally writing a blog post about my favourite products from a year would be quite difficult but last year my use of makeup was basically non-existent. Who wants to wear makeup when they aren’t leaving the house?
During 2020 skincare was king as we all tried to improve our self care thanks to it being such a difficult year. This actually made it more difficult to pick my favourite skincare rather than makeup. Without taking up more of your time, let’s get into the winners.
Skincare
Cleanser - Glossier (Milky Jelly Cleanser)
Quite often I think people forget the importance of a good cleanser, it is the beginning of your skincare routine and it is the main product that removes the dirt from your day, or in this case from when you have been asleep.
For many years I didn’t cleanse my skin in the morning because I read that it was actually worse for your skin but in 2020 I thought I would give it a go. There were two cleansers that I really enjoyed using in the morning but my favourite was the Glossier Milky Jelly Cleanser.
I wanted to try Glossier for the longest time and in February I finally had a chance to go to their Pop Up Store in London. Whilst I was there I picked up a mini bottle of the Milky Jelly Cleanser which is incredibly gentle and conditioning. It has a sweet Rose scent which I believe is standard for Glossier Skincare. I like Rose scents but if you don’t then this product might not be for you. I definitely think Glossier is a winner when it comes to cleansers and it is well worth trying if you do not wear a lot of makeup, it isn’t going to remove stubborn makeup but it is perfect for the Zoom call culture we are currently in.
If you are looking for an evening cleanser, you cannot go wrong with Liz Earle Hot Cloth Cleanser or Emma Hardie’s Moringa Cleansing Balm both of which have been a winner in previous years.
Face Mask - The Ordinary Salicylic Acid Masque
Face Masks certainly had their moment in 2020, with self care and skincare being one and the same. A face mask has been part of my sunday skincare routine for years but now that I have the time, I have been using face masks twice as week and there is one that stood out to me.
Many things changed in 2020 but my struggle with spots had been the same as always however The Ordinary Salicylic Acid Masque dealt swiftly with any skin concerns I had. I might not have been venturing out very often but I still didn’t want massive spots or excess oils and this mask sorted all of that out.
The mask smells like tea tree mixed with concrete and when you apply it to your face it spreads thin. Over the course of the 10 minutes that you leave it to dry, it dries rock hard. You don’t see results immediately and in fact you don’t see any when you wake up but a couple of days later you see a significant change. If you suffer from spots, this mask is for you.
Eye Cream - Sunday Riley Autocorrect
From a face mask from one of the cheaper skincare brands to an eye cream that is one of the most ridiculous skincare splurges I have made but it was seriously worth it; Autocorrect from Sunday Riley is the best eye cream I have ever used!
I never thought I would be able to justify £60 on an eye cream but none of the eye creams I have used before have been worthy of that spend. Autocorrect is an incredibly light eye cream that melts into your eye area without being heavy, all whilst adding the most incredible glow. No eye cream has made me look quite this awake and dealt with my morning eye puff quite this well.
Not only does it add an instant brightness under your eyes but it also helps to improve darkness overtime. In general since using this eye cream the quality of my eye area has improved astronomically. Initially I struggled to spend £60 on this but now I know that it is worth it, I question how I will be able to use any other eye cream, nothing compares!
Serum - Ole Henriksen Truth Serum
Prior to 2020, Vitamin C was a serum that did not grace my beauty drawers but last year was the year of Vitamin C. My skin had not had the exposure to the outdoors that it would usually get so I had to add as much glow to my skin as possible and a Vitamin C serum was key to this.
Truth Serum from Ole Henriksen impressed me more than the Vitamin C Serum from Drunk Elephant and it impressed me more than the other serums I had used in 2020. Truth Serum was incredibly popular back in the day when Ole Henriksen was still owned by the man himself, now it is one of the many brands owned by Kendo, the super brand that owns Sephora and Fenty Beauty. I cannot tell you if the sale has changed the serum but the current serum is a winner in my eyes. No serum has given my skin a glow in the same way that this serum does.
This serum has a gorgeous sweet orange scent that I cannot get enough of and the serum is incredibly light and sinks into your skin so quickly. Instantly your skin looks healthier and brighter but over a week of using this your skin looks glowly. This serum isn’t cheap but it is a great Vitamin C.
Mosituriser - F-Balm Electrolyte Waterfacial
Drunk Elephant might not have been my Vitamin C serum of choice but the brand created my stand out moisturiser of the year. The F-Balm Electrolyte Waterfacial was a new product in 2020 and it created waves in the industry when it launched and it turns out it was completely justified.
As a brand Drunk Elephant receive a lot of hype and generally a lot of praise but having tried some of the products I wonder why it is so hyped but this product deserves every positive review it has received.
F-Balm is a water based cream that gives your skin an immediate boost of hydration without being thick and it sinks in really quickly but that does not diminish its effects. The cream contains Vitamin F spheres which really help with a second hit of hydration. Honestly this cream is amazing for anyone who needs a extra boost of hydration in their skin, it is so light that it even works on oily skin without exaggerating oilyness.
You do get a mini T.L.C Framboos Glycolic Night Serum when you buy F-Balm and together they are the dream team, well worth trying if you can.
Facial Spray - Caudalie Beauty Elixir
I thought I had included the Caudalie Beauty Elixir in Last Years Top Products Roundup but when I went back to look it wasn’t there. I love this spray and it certainly deserves it place as part of my favourite products of 2020. I initially bought a mini bottle which I used incredibly quickly and then my best friend bought me a large bottle for my Birthday and it is the perfect end to a pampering skincare routine.
This is certainly a princess product but it feels so luxurious as you spritz it. It is incredibly refreshing and has the most herbaceous scent which feels almost spa like. This spray was an essential part of my self care last year and for that reason alone it has made it to be the winner of the best facial spray category.
Makeup
Foundation - Bourjois
2020 was the year that the UK was tragically stripped of Bourjois, a high street favourite for so many people for many years. All of their products ended up being reduced and I saw it as a perfect opportunity to try one of their iconic products, the Healthy Mix foundation.
The Healthy Mix foundation has been spoken about by all of the big bloggers over the years but I never tried it as the shade range was poor however they eventually added a shade pale enough for me. I had the shade 51 Light Vanilla and it was completely perfect for me and as the foundation suggests, adds a healthy glow to your skin. I’d never used a foundation that added a glow and looked natural, usually I end up looking like a grease ball but this one had the perfect balance.
Unfortunately we can no longer get this foundation in the UK which has to be one of the biggest disappointments of 2020 however I will always have the memory of how good this foundation was.
Concealer - Tarte Shape Tape
Few products receive as many positive reviews as Shape Tape has received over the years, in fact I am yet to encounter someone who doesn't like this concealer and who I am to break tradition? Before trying this concealer I could not see what the fuss was about, yes the applicator was bigger than the usual concealer wand but other than that, could it be that different? Well it can and I was completely wrong.
I've used plenty of cream concealers before but this one blends out beautifully whilst continuing to cover the blemish or pigmentation you are trying to hide. Not only that but foundation applies smoothly over the top without drawing attention to uneven texture or colour. Shape Tape is one of the rare concealers that works for both covering spots and also your under eye area, usually it is one or the other but the creamy texture means that it is not going to exaggerate any lines or cake under your eyes.
If Shape Tape was easier to purchase in the UK I would use it all the time however there is no real stockist other than the Tarte website itself (ships from America) or QVC. Tarte is one of the brands that needs to be picked up by someone like Cult Beauty or Beauty Bay over 2021.
Bronzer & Blush - Hourglass Palette
The Hourglass Ambient Lighting Palette was a bit of a treat pre-Christmas but I have no regrets in buying it because the powders are so beautiful and two of them have honestly made such a difference to my makeup, so much so that the palette has raced to pole position in two categories.
As one of the palest humans alive, I always struggle with finding a bronzer that works for me and the one in this palette is absolutely perfect. The colour is very neutral and starts out quite light but gives you the ability to build it up so you can perfect the colour to match your skin tone. It is called Natural Bronze Light and the name sums up the shade perfectly. As well as having a great colour, the powder is illuminating but not glittery and that is why I love the bronzer so much and it is part of the reason I love the blush shade Mood Exposure as well.
Mood Exposure is the plum shade on the right hand side of the palette and it is perfect for adding a bit of colour during Winter. The blush is definitely more pigmented than the bronzer and requires a light touch so that you do not look like a clown but it is such a beautiful colour that the effort is worth it. The bronzer and blush pair together perfectly for gorgeous Winter skin and it makes you look healthy which is something that my skin has been missing for years.
Highlight - Nars
Finding a good highlight always feels like an achievement and this year I have found one of my favourites in a long time. The Nars Orgasm Highlight does take me back to the days of a having a bold strip of highlight on the top of your cheeks which I have tried to move away from but for some reason I love that about this highlight.
The glow this higlight creates is unapologetic but it was perfect for December and the festive season and I have continued to use this now that we are in the depths of Winter. Building a highlight around the iconic Orgasm Blush shade meant taking the gold flecks and creating a highlight with a similar tone. This highlight is a rich gold shade with a subtle hint of white gold to make it a little bit more wearable. It is not glittery, it is a soft shimmer that adds a gloss to your cheeks. It also works wonderfully on the eyes as a quick and easy eye shadow.
I honestly cannot get over just how beautiful this highlight is, so much so that I actually bought a Second Mini Nars Set in the sale just so that I would have a back of this highlight. You only need a touch of this highlight but I use it daily so I do not want to be without it.
Palette - Charlotte Tilbury (Exaggereyes)
Every year different palettes come into my beauty drawer and I will test them out for a few weeks and typically move on but the Exaggereyes Quad from Charlotte Tilbury has been a staple since I bought it early last year. This quad has been on my Wishlist for years and I finally bought it, now I am annoyed that I took so long to buy it as it is perfect for everyday.
I quickly put a touch of the deep Define shade on the outer corner of my eye, some of the Enlarge shade all over the lid topped by the Pop shade, finished off with a bit of the Prime shade on the inner corner. It is a look that is both subtle but there and it does work to make your eyes look wider which is something I always want. If you have not tried this quad, it is certainly one of the best from the brand. I would potentially go as far as saying it is better than Pillow Talk which is the brands best seller.
Mascara - L'Oreal
Miss Baby Roll Mascara has been my favourite mascara for many years and I honestly cannot imagine a mascara that could topple it: it is cheap, works and makes my lashes look exactly how I want them to. Over the course of 2020 there wasn't much opportunity to try new mascaras. I mean what is the point in wearing mascara when no one is really going to see it? When I did wear mascara I just figured I would stick to my tried and tested favourite which is easy to pick up in the majority of stores and even supermarkets which has been key with our lockdown lives.
If you want to find out more about this mascara, I went into much more detail about it in a dedicated blog post: L'Oreal Miss Baby Roll Mascara
Brows - Glossier Boy Brow Gel
There are a few brow gels which everyone raves about and Glossier Boy Brow certainly sits near the top of the list of brow gels people love. For years I never thought I would love a brow gel quite as much as Gimme Brow by Benefit however Boy Brow is a worthy rival.
Much like Gimme Brow it has the same baby wand that I love and seems to shape the brows much better than the long wands that the high street brands seem to be a fan of. It allows you to work on a smaller area directing your brow hairs how you would like them, all whilst adding a bit of colour and never looking over done. This wand picks up the perfect amount of product so you are never left with gel streaks in your brows or dark patches where you have applied too much.
The only disappointing thing is that this only comes in 4 shades but I am lucky as the brown shade is perfect for my brows. I tried this thinking that there was no way it could beat Gimme Brow but I must eat my own words and there is a new brow champion in town.
Lips
Lip Balm - Fresh
Lip products have always been one of my favourites and traditionally it is an entire category but 2020 meant that it was not necessary for such a big category. Throughout the year I barely bought any new lipsticks as they simply do not have a place now that masks have become an everyday essential. A mask is going to ruin any lipstick and for the most part people won't see it so what is the point in even applying it? For the first year ever I do not have a lipstick favourite. Instead I have been opting for a lip balm.
For the second year in a row Fresh reigns supreme in the lip balm category. I was completely obsessed with the Sugar Peach Hydrating Balm and the Advanced Lip Therapy Balm. Both balms worked miracles on my dry and chapped lips that truly struggled when I stopped wearing lipstick as much. I love the lip balms from Fresh so much that I have even introduced my mother to them who loves them just as much as I do. They work, plus smell great. I have both the Peach and the Caramel balm and both smell and taste gorgeous. If you are struggling with dry lips due to the cold weather or wearing a mask all day, give the Fresh lip balms a go!
Perfume
Glossier - Glossier You
Whilst fragrance for some is only brought out during special occasions, it is part of my everyday wardrobe. I use scent as a way of finishing a look or to help express how I am feeling so even whilst I have been locked away in my house I have still been wearing perfume. 2020's favourite was a new addition to my collection and it was Glossier You by Glossier.
Glossier You is a great everyday fragrance, it is not too strong but it has a presence. It has notes of Pink Pepper, Iris, Ambrette Seeds and Ambrox but I really pick up on a floral element which my body seems to naturally pick out in a fragrance. However this fragrance cannot be described as sweet, it is quite woody with strong Earthy tones, softened by florals.
The bottle is simple and millenial focused and I like that the bottle has the dip in the side which makes it perfect for your thumb. At £45 for 50ml it is not extortionate but this isn't the cheapest fragrance. It is a good one for everyday, especially during the colder months.
Surprise Product of 2020
Sometimes a product comes along and completely changes your outlook on that entire product type and that is exactly what the Byredo x Ouai Dry Shampoo did for me. I am an avid user of dry shampoo as I am too lazy to wash my hair. I only like washing my hair once a week which means it can look a bit greasy towards the end of that week so I end up using dry shampoo. I have never used a dry shampoo which is as effective as this dry shampoo. The Ouai dry shampoo is very dry and powdery so really eliminates oils.
Not only does the dry shampoo take away the oils but as it is a collaboration with Byredo not only do you have the amazing quality of the dry shampoo but this product also has the most amazing scent. The scent is Mojave Ghost which is pretty iconic for Byredo. I hadn't smelt it before but as soon as I smelt this dry shampoo I was sold and I now want the actual perfume because I find the scent so comforting. I didn't expect this dry shampoo to be so good but now that I have used it, I don't know how I am going to be without it. This dry shampoo was a limited edition and it sold out quickly so when I finish this bottle, it is the end!
2020 might have changed so much about our lives but I have tried to keep my blog as a constant, not only so that you have something to read but also so that I have a break from all of the stresses that a global pandemic brings to our lives. Talking about beauty might not seem like peoples biggest concern at the moment but I think that respite is important. Hopefully my blog can be a place for you to come throughout 2021 for a break from the world. Don’t forget to subscribe to be notified when I post.
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