Best Makeup of 2016

This year has been a year of change for me, which is a good and a bad thing. I made changes with my school and decisions for the future. I also changed my look as I am blonde again. This year went by so fast, a cliche thing to say I know, but it really did. And thank god that it did, as I am sure we can all agree that it was a tough year.
And although so many things have changed, my products are basically still the same as they were for the past few months because I have been on a low buy budget. Let's dive in!

I think I should just start of with my base, and then continue in the order I do my makeup.

BASE

• MAC Strobe Cream (link here)
  The past few years have been all about the highlight and this year I have really embraced it. This has been a great product to help my skin look dewy and nicely highlighted, even through my foundation. It just makes my skin not look so dull, consequently making me look less exhausted.

• Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation in shade 0.5 (link here) 
  I bought this foundation around 6 months ago in Florence (another 2016 favourite to be honest) and I am on my last drops of it, now only using it for special occasions. And while 6 months seems like a lot of time to use up a foundation, you have to keep in my that I test a lot of foundations and use them. The coverage begins at medium but it can definitely be built up, and it would work with any skin type except very dry/oily. The shade selection is not anything special, a few light and even less dark skin shades with mostly medium shades. And while the selection is not great, this is the only foundation that matches me almost perfectly. The formula is very thin and easy to blend, but it feels like you are not even wearing anything.

• Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly (link here)
  This concealer is perfect, the right shade and the perfect amount of coverage. It does not cake or crease. It blends easily and dries to a perfect soft matte finish. I usually use it just under my eyes to preserve it, and then use other concealers on my spots and discolouration. It could be used on spots though and it works great for that too.

• Bell Hypoallergenic Face& Body Illuminating Powder (link here)
  It's no secret that I love this highlighter, and that it is really loved among bloggers so I really won't go on too much about it. I also wrote a separate post on this highlighter alone and I go into some deep details in it, so check it out here.
  Honestly this highlighter has been my staple product even since my boyfriend got it months ago, for my birthday. It's a really nice shade, lighter than my Balm Mary-Lou Manizer so it fits my skin perfectly. It would probably not work that well on darker skin tones, which is a shame. It applies really well and does not emphasise skin texture that much, although any highlighter will do it to some extent.

• Benefit Hoola Bronzer (link here)
  This was a big change for me this year, since I never really used bronzer in the previous years. I love this one. I have a fair skin with a neutral undertone, so it is a bit hard to find a bronzer that is not too orange but this one is perfect. It is not completely cool toned and it is not warm, it is just perfect. I still use it very lightly on my face since it does not look good in person and I use it as a bronzer and not to contour. I apply it to my cheeks and temples with a big angled brush from ELF and just try to blend it really well.

• Marc Jacobs Blush in 204 Obsessed (link here) 
  Ah another thing I got in Florence, so it obviously has a special place in my heart. It is a nice peachy pink shade, that is sheer and has a bit of a shimmer so it just gives you a very natural flush of colour. To some it might not be pigmented enough, and honestly thats how I felt at first but I have since figured out how to use it properly.

• Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Eden (link here)
  I don't know if eyeshadow primer counts as a base product but for me it does. I don't use it everytime I apply eyeshadow since my eyelids can be quite dry, but when I want my eyeshadow to last all day. I really like the shade and it is not too dry. I have tried paint pots from MAC before and they were really bad for me, dry and not the right shade.

EYES

• Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette (link here)
  I actually wrote a whole blogpost on this palette, it is so amazing. I think just about everyone who tried this palette loved it. I loved all of the shades in it, some less and some more. For more you can read this post linked here.

• Makeup Geek eyeshadow (link here) 
  Along with my MR palette, I really loved Makeup Geek single eyeshadows too. I got really warm, orange and red shades perfect for 2016 since everybody was obsessed with those colours. I am working on expanding my MUG eyeshadow collection since the formula is amazing. They are very soft and highly pigmented, but not as soft as the ABH shadows. They don't have much fallout. My favourite shades are peach smoothie, chikadee, mango tango, tuscan sun, poppy, morocco and anarchy. I use my favourite brush with it, Zoeva 228 Luxe Crease brush. 

• Bellapierre glitter in Snow Flake (link here)
  I love this glitter for my inner corners and my lower lash line to make my eyes seem bigger. I used to use it with a wet brush, but now I use Inglot Duraline or Illamasqua Sealing Gel.

• NYX Vivid Brights Eyeliner in Vivid Sapphire (link here) 
  I loved this eyeliner in 2016 paired with orange shadows. The colour was really vivid and bright so it really did pop on my eye. The formula is ok, it does not work that well when it is packed on since it can crumble off after a few hours.

• H&M Dipliner Ink in black (link here)
  I got this for Christmas 2015 and loved it ever since. The formula lasts really long and it dries to a matt finish. It has a felt tip liner, which is my favourite type since it gives a really controlled wing.
  
  

• Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pomade in Chocolate (link here)
  Most of the 2016, my brows have been filled in with this product. At first I went in really heavy with it but now I use it in combination with my Brow Wiz by ABH to create natural looking brows. I use it with my Zoeva 317 Wing Liner brush, before I dipped the whole brush in but now I only dip the top of it and use it to create hair like lines. I still love it but I am blonde now and would need a lighter colour.
  
  

• Benefit Roller Lash mascara (link here)
  I have a whole post on this mascara, so I will just link to it because this post is getting quite long. But in short, it is an amazing lengthening mascara, not really meant for volume but it still amazing. It does not transfer, only if it is really humid.
  

LIPS

• Lime Crime Velvetines (link here)
  I just recently got these, about two months ago and they are exquisite, a truly great formula. They dry quickly to a matte kissproof finish but don't dry out your lips. My boyfriend got them for me and I have been loving them ever since. My favourite shades are Wicked, Red Velvet, Shroom, Sasha and Red Rose. i also really love Jingle, because it is a metallic red, great for the holiday season which is now sadly over.

• MAC matte lipstick in Taupe (link here)
  Since I only just got LC Velvetines I wanted to add another lip product that I have been loving. It is a MAC lipstick in the shade Taupe that I depoted and put into a nicer container, as it can be seen in the picture. I love the new packaging and I obviously love the formula. I was using this lipstick all up until I got the velvetines so it truly was a favourite. Their matte formulas are amazing, not drying but still matte looking. 

• I did not really wear powder in the year 2016, thats why it is not included here. I am testing out different powders for baking right now though, so maybe next year there will be a powder included in my favourites. 

Links:

• MAC Strobe Cream 
• Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation in shade 0.5 
• Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Chantilly
• Bell Highlighter Review 
• Bell Hypoallergenic Face& Body Illuminating Powder
• Benefit Hoola Bronzer
• Marc Jacobs Blush in 204 Obsessed
• Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion in Eden
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance palette
• ABH Modern Renaissance review
• Makeup Geek eyeshadow 
• Bellapierre glitter in Snow Flake
• NYX Vivid Brights Eyeliner in Vivid Sapphire
• Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Pomade in Chocolate 
• Benefit Roller Lash mascara
• Lime Crime Velvetines
• MAC matte lipstick in Taupe

Those were all my favourites, quite a few of them I know but I wanted to do a thorough post on everything not on just a few products.
I hope you enjoyed my post!
Leave a comment and tell me all about your 2017 resolutions and about your favourites.