Believe it or not, we're over halfway through the year! So I thought it was the perfect opportunity to share with you my absolute favourite beauty releases of 2016 so far.
10. Nars Velvet Matte Skin Tint | £30 | Although there's another light base that ranks a little higher on my list, I still thought this deserved to be in my top 10! It's a sort of matte-satin finish with a light-medium coverage. It looks very natural and flawless without being at all drying on my skin. It's not the longest-lasting product in the world, however I don't mind powdering my t-zone at lunch when it looks so great on the skin.
9. Urban Decay Vice Comfort Matte Lipsticks in Carnal & Hitch Hike | £15 each | I have only actually tried out one finish in the newly re-launched Urban Decay Vice collection, however I'm already itching to pick up more! Of course, last month Urban Decay scrapped its entire lipstick range and released 100 new ones in 5 finishes. Both the lipsticks I picked up are in the creamy, pigmented, long-lasting but shine-free Comfort Matte formula. I just love how easily these glide onto my lips without skipping or feeling at all drying. Somehow at the same time they give a matte finish and just have this IN-SAAAANE colour pay-off! Carnal is a gorgeous warm-toned mid-brown nude. Hitch Hike is this really interesting shade that's somewhere between a muted brick red and a deep rose.
8. Anastasia Beverly Hills Glow Kit in That Glow & Modern Renaissance Eyeshadow Palette | £39 and £41 | Anastasia Beverly Hills has really been killing it with the amazing, high-profile releases this year and there have been two products that I just had to snap up and ended up totally loving.
ABH launched 5 Glow Kits this year and I of course opted for the gold-toned That Glow. It contains 4 large highlighting shades that are removable and magnetised so can be put into a custom palette when you're travelling. I was pleasantly surprised by how subtle and natural this formula is. They have such a lovely, smooth (glitter-free!) texture that blends out beautifully on the skin to give a gorgeous, dewy highlight. I honestly use every single one of these shades: Sunburst is a bright yellow-gold, Golden Bronze is as the name would suggest, Bubbly is a champagne and Dripping in Gold is a golden-champagne.
They've also released the stunning Modern Renaissance palette (full review here). This contains 14 shades: 11 mattes and 3 shimmers according to Cult Beauty, though I'd argue that one of the 'matte' shades has a definite sheen. I've been trying to avoid buying any more palettes but this really is something different. It contains gorgeous brown, red, pink and gold shades that are amazing for creating a warm eye look. I love the ABH eyeshadow formula and these really lived up to my expectations; they're some of the creamiest, most pigmented and long-wearing eyeshadows in my arsenal. Some of my most-worn shades are Antique Bronze (a reddish-brown shimmer), Love Letter (a deep pink matte), Raw Sienna (a warm light beige-mustard matte), Primavera (a light gold shimmer), Red Orchre (a muted red matte with brown undertones) and Realgar (an orange-nude matte).
7. ColourPop Ultra Satin Lips | $6 each | I never quite got on with the Ultra Matte Lips from ColourPop so when they released a new Satin version, I was into it! These have that matte finish and amazing longevity but don't feel drying on my lips or make them look weird and wrinkly. The formula is so opaque as well. For $6 they're even better than a lot of liquid lipsticks I have that are 4 times the price. The shades I have are: Alyssa (a light, cool-toned mauve-pink nude), Echo Park (a light-medium peachy-brown nude), Dopey (a mid-toned mauve), November (a vibrant strawberry pink) and Frick N Frack (a deep warm terracotta brown). My favourites are definitely Echo Park and Frick N Frack.
6. Zoeva Rose Golden 3 Luxury Brush Set* | £75 | I pretty much talk about my Zoeva Rose Gold brushes incessantly; they're by far my favourite makeup brushes and the finish is just stunning. This year, as has become tradition, Zoeva released a brand new set of these. This time all 8 brushes are completely finished in the rose gold colour and they are split equally between eye and face brushes. You can check out my full review here however my favourite brushes are the 103 Defined Buffer for a flawless, full-coverage foundation look, the 109V Face Paint Vegan for cream contouring, the 114 Luxe Fan Brush to get a subtle look with my highlighter and the 234 Luxe Smoky Shader to pat a darker shadow on the outer part of my eye.
5. Urban Decay Summer Collection: Naked Skin One & Done Hybrid Complexion Cream, Naked Skin Peach Colour Correcting Fluid & Beached Bronzer in Bronzed | £17.50-£25 | Urban Decay are really killing it at the moment, especially with their new releases for summer. The One & Done is essentially a CC cream but actually has really impressive coverage. I was expecting it to be almost nothing on my skin, however it's actually a good medium coverage. It's long-wearing and gives the skin a really flawless look. It has a 'satin' finish so isn't hydrating and dewy but isn't completely matte either.
The correctors aren't actually out in the UK until September however I got my hands on one in New York. It's really different to any other corrector I've used, so I wasn't sure how much I'd actually like it! However it has a really similar formula to the Naked Skin Concealer in that it's quite light and fluffy but gives great coverage. I personally would've opted for a slightly darker peach tone if I'd had the choice, however it works for me. I blend it out with a damp BeautyBlender and it really makes a difference in terms of how noticeable my dark circles are.
Finally I love the Beached Bronzer and I have the shade Bronzed (though there's also a lighter option). The formula really is beautiful; it blends out so effortlessly and evenly on the skin and although it's pigmented, it isn't anything too intense on first application. It has a nice warm tone but isn't too orange, so just gives my skin that natural sun kissed glow.
4. Benefit Brow Relaunch: Gimme Brow Gel* & Goof Proof Brow Pencil* | £18.50 each | Though there were a couple of products I tried from this re-launched range that I don't think I'll repurchase, there were two absolute standouts for me. Gimme Brow is an old favourite of many that was repackaged for the launch. I'd actually never tried it before however I've been converted! It's got a really small brush that allows me to apply it very precisely. The formula itself adds the right amount of colour and volume but isn't too thick or crispy. It also holds my brows in place without feeling at all stiff.
I also really like the new Goof Proof Brow Pencil which is one of these larger, angled pencil products. It isn't that super-precise look you get with a thinner pencil, it's a little bolder but still looks natural. There's also a good-quality spooly on the other end to brush out your brows and give it a softer look. I really like the consistency of this pencil; it's not so soft that it crumbles under pressure and smudges during the day and it's not so waxy that you can't get any colour from it.
3. Clarins Sunkissed Summer Collection: Ombre Iridescent Waterproof Eyeshadow in 04 Copper Brown* & Comfort Light Lip Oil in Red Berry* | £18 each | Clarins always seem to kill it with their Limited Edition seasonal collections, however I think this year's summer offering is the best yet! It was actually really hard to narrow down my favourites but I have to say these two are the ones I've been reaching for at least once a week for the past couple of months.
The Ombre Iridescent eyeshadow is the most incredibly long-wearing formula! It comes in a tube, which I really like (who wants eyeshadow under their nail?) and it's actually so easy to control how much product comes out. They have this amazing dewy, multifaceted shimmer but when they set down they will not shift or crease even after a long day in the sun. The shade Copper Brown is this gorgeous golden-bronze-brown shade that's gorgeous for the evening all over the lids.
I'd never tried a lip oil before this but I've been obsessed with this one! It's so hydrating and nourishing and gives a glossy finish without any stickiness at all. It also has a very slight rosy tint that just looks so natural.
2. ColourPop KaePop Collaboration: Cheek Shock Highlighter in Glo Up, Cheek Shock Blush in Flush'd, Cheek Shock Bronzer in Bronze Me, Super Shock Eyeshadow in Sunset Blvd | $5 - $8 | I actually own almost all of this collection, so again I had to whittle it down reluctantly. ColourPop is an amazing, affordable brand based in the US (that now ships internationally). They regularly collaborate with YouTubers and smaller celebrities and this collection was with Karrueche Tran, an American actress/model. I wasn't particularly familiar with her however decided to check out the collection because I thought it might have some products that would suit my skin tone. It then turned out that pretty much everything was amazing!
I picked up all 3 of the Cheek Shock products from the collection. ColourPop's products for the eyes and face are all cream-based, however it's a very unique formula. These are so pigmented and not at all greasy; they're actually almost a cream-to-matte product. The Glo Up highlighter is a gorgeous bronze-gold shade that's perfect for a sun kissed summer makeup look. Flush'd is a vibrant coral-peach shade with a subtle golden sheen. It doesn't go patchy on my cheeks like a lot of cream blushers and wears well throughout the day. The Bronze Me bronzer is one of my all-time favourites! It's a deep warm brown with a very slight gold sheen that adds subtle definition and warmth to my face. I honestly find these so quick and easy to apply and use my fingers for their blushers and highlighters and a synthetic brush for the bronzers.
I also really rate their eyeshadows; again it's a cream formula with an unusual spongy texture. Sunset Blvd is one of my most-used one-wash eyeshadows because it's this gorgeous pearly gold-bronze nude shade. It's a subtle shade however it's perfect for off-duty days. It's incredibly long-wearing and even on a hot day, if I skip the primer it still doesn't crease or fade.
1. Becca x Jaclyn Hill Champagne Face Collection Palette | £48 | review | Obviously this is no longer available however you can get the same shades in the split pans in-store for £32 each. The eyeshadow drama did dampen this launch, however I still think this is my favourite new release of the year so far. It contains a stunning array of blushers and highlighters, all in Becca's amazing formula. I obviously love Champagne Pop but I do have that as a single so for me it's been all about the true gold tone of Prosecco Pop, which just blends out beautifully on my skin. I'm also obsessed with the warm peachy-brown nude Mineral Blush Amaretto and the shimmery golden-rose-peach tone of Rose Spritz. The pigmentation of all of the colours is just incredible and it's amazing to have everything in one palette.
What are your top beauty launches of 2016 so far?
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*DISCLOSURE - PRODUCTS MARKED WITH AN ASTERISK ARE PR SAMPLES/GIFTS OR PURCHASED WITH GIFTED VOUCHERS. ALL OPINIONS ARE MY OWN.
PLEASE VISIT MY DISCLOSURE PAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION.