Best of Beauty 2017
Somehow we have survived and made it to 2018. Here’s to surviving 2018 too!
Yearly favorites posts are always quite a task to write. In good news, every year I’m allowed an extra favorite! So this year I’ve got 17 favorites in honor of 2017. Because I’m an indecisive little shit, I found a few ways to cheat a little bit with the 17- item parameter.
Because I love making things unnecessarily complicated, I organizing my favorites into 3 totalyl arbitrary categories. First up are the behind the scenes favorites. They’re things that I used on all the time but seldom/ never take the time to share them on my blog or social media. Second up are overall categories of stuff that I fell in love with over the past year. And lastly third are the 10 best beauty discoveries of the year!
Behind the Scenes Favorites
Bioderma Hydrabio Micellar Water (PR gift)
$14.90 via
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Ingredients:
Water, Glycerin, Peg-6 Caprylic/capric Glycerides, Polysorbate 20, Mannitol, Xylitol, Rhamnose, Fructooligosaccharides, Niacinamide, Cucumis Sativus (cucumber) Fruit Extract, Pyrus Malus (apple) Fruit Extract, Peg-40 Hydrogenated Castor Oil, Propylene Glycol, Hexyldecanol, Disodium Edta, Sodium Hydroxide, Citric Acid, Cetrimonium Bromide, Fragrance (parfum)
Bioderma’s sensibio micellar water has been a longtime skincare favorite of mine. It might actually be the product that’s been a staple in my stash for the longest time! Last winter Bioderma sent me some PR including this hydrabio micellar water. At first I wasn’t a fan because it feels different than the sensibio version. But over the past year it’s grown on me! It removes makeup nicely, doesn’t sting my eyes at all (can’t be said for most micellar waters), and leaves my skin a bit hydrated. That said, I’m not sure if I like this or the Sensibio better. The plus side is I’ll never have to pick because I own both, the bottles last forever and are easily replenished via Amazon or Dermstore!
Up & up 10% Benzoyl Peroxide Gel
$3.49 via
Ingredients:
10% benzoyl peroxide; carbomer, disodium EDTA, hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose, laureth-4, soudium hydroxide, water (ingredients pulled from makeup alley)
I know not everyone is a fan of benzoyl peroxide as an anti-acne treatment because it can be very drying and it’s strong enough to stain your bedsheets. Personally, I spent the better part of my teen years on prescription strength anti-acne topical treaments so I’m no stranger to the ingredient. The good thing is that contact therapy works for benzoyl peroxide! You can leave it on your face for 5-10 minutes, wash it off, and reap the benefits without sucking all the moisture out of your skin. I like this up & up one because it’s dirt cheap, you can snag it for less than $5 at target. If I have a nasty breakout in the morning, I’ll slap some of this one while I use the bathroom, make my bed, etc. And then I’ll wash it off before continuing on with the rest of my routine. At the end of the day I definitely notice a reduction in size of the breakout.
Muji Cotton Pads
$3.00 via
Ingredients:
100% cotton
Truth—I don’t remember if I discovered these in 2016 or 2017… but let’s just pretend it’s 2017 for the sake of this post. These are essentially the same thing as the Shiseido cotton pads but at a quarter of the price. They’re soft and plush and don’t leave little cotton fluffies on your face.
Marvis Toothpaste
$10.50 via
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Ingredients vary by flavor
I used to think this was a super bougie toothpaste but then when I thought about, I already spend at least $5 or $6 on boring drugstore toothpaste anyways, why not chip in a few more bucks for something fun. Plus, if you wait for a Dermstore sale you can grab it for 20% off! I’m going to be disgusting for a second and admit that my oral hygiene is sub-par. Yeah I brush my teeth every day and try my best to floss and maybe sometimes use mouth wash semi-regularly (lies), but there’s much room for improvement. I found that using a toothpaste that sort of “elevated” the experience and tasted good, motivated me to be better with my oral-care routine. I also received a mini of their mouthwash as a GWP and I think I’ll be purchasing the full size once it’s over. I’ve also been eyeing the super adorable coco floss dispensers at Urban and Sephora but am hesitant because I prefer picks.
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Favorite Categories
Oils
2017 was the year that I finally embraced oils in my skincare routine.
Previously I found all oils to sit on the surface of my skin and make me greasy. Sometimes they wouldn’t moisturize my face at all! The products that truly changed my mind (and my life) were the Hyggee balance essence (PR gift from Beautibi) and the Huxley oil essence. Both products contain generous amounts of oils without being a straight up oil. Last winter my skin was dramatically more hydrated because of the two and they inspired me to give oils a second chance.
This time around I found oils that really worked for my skin. Playing around with their placement in my routine also helped—it doesn’t always have to be all the way at the end. If you’re a regular reader you probably won’t be surprised to hear that squalane oils were my favorite for the year! I even took it a step further and ventured into other oils such as Herbivore’s phoenix oil. I’m currently working my way through a travel size but you better believe I’ll be purchasing the full size once I’m through with it.
Sheet Masks
2016 was the year I discovered sheet masks but 2017 was the year where I sheet masked a ton and discovered a bunch of favorites. I love variety so it’s difficult to pin point absolute favorites but ones that I’ve repurchased are the Leaders 7 wonders masks, My Beauty Diary assortment packs, Mediheal aquaringer masks, and Papa Recipe honey bombee sheet masks.
Top 10 Discoveries
The last category is the longest category and it’s my favorite new discoveries of the year. Like I’ve done for the past two years, these are products that I discovered either from November 2016- November 2017. I do this because it feels like cheating to include something as a yearly favorite if I’ve only really been using it for a month. When I initially sat down to write this post, my favorites of the year were literally just a re-hash of my seasonal favorites. What can I say, I like what I like. But I managed to narrow it down to these top 10! They’re still all products that I featured in past monthly/ seasonal favorite so it’s basically like the best of the best of 2017.
Dr. Jart+ Ceramidin Cream
$48.00 available via
Ingredients:
Water, Glycerin, Dipropylene Glycol, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Hydrogenated Poly(C6-14 Olefin), Hydrogenated Polydecene, Cetearyl Alcohol, 1, 2-Hexanediol, Dimethicone, Cyclomethicone, Vegetable Oil, Bifida Ferment Lysate, Glyceryl Stearate SE, Dimethiconol, Cyclopentasiloxane, Ulmus Davidiana Root Extract, Amaranthus Caudatus Seed Extract, Piper Methysticum Leaf/Root/Stem Extract, Beta Vulgaris (Beet) Root Extract, Algae Extract, Artemisia Vulgaris Extract, Portulaca Oleracea Extract, Pueraria Thunbergiana Root Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Paeonia Lactiflora Root Extract, Cnidium Officinale Root Extract, Hydrogenated Lecithin, Sodium Hyaluronate, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Soluble Collagen, Pelargonium Graveolens Flower Oil, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Oil, Pogostemon Cablin Oil, Cetearyl Glucoside, Cetearyl Olivate, Sorbitan Olivate, C12-16 Alcohols, Ceramide 3, Microcrystalline Cellulose, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate, Copolymer, Squalane, Glyceryl Stearate, Peg-100 Stearate, Hydrolyzed Corn Starch, Palmitic Acid, Coco-Caprylate/Caprate, Polysorbate 60, Caramel, Cellulose Gum, Propylene Glycol, Butylene Glycol, Disodium EDTA, Panthenol, Acacia Senegal Gum, Folic Acid, Acetic Acid, Cholesterol, Raffinose, Lactic Acid, Xanthan Gum, Tromethamine, Palmitoyl Pentapeptide-4
I’m beyond a broken record when it comes to this moisturizer. I’m a broken record that’s begun disintegrating into dust in some hoarder’s attic. This stuff is the bomb. It’s me all-time favorite moisturizer that keeps my dehydrated skin moisturized but not greasy. And it doesn’t break me out. You can read all about it in the
full blog post I shared last June
and
my December favorites from 2016
and in my empties post from earlier this week!
Farmacy Green Clean Cleansing Balm
$34.00 available via
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Ingredients:
Cetyl Ethylhexanoate, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Peg-20 Glyceryl Triisostearate, Peg-10 Isostearate, Polyethylene, Phenoxyethanol, Sorbitan Sesquioleate, Citrus Aurantifolia (Lime) Oil, Citrus Aurantium Bergamia (Bergamot) Fruit Oil, Melia Azadirachta Leaf Extract, Melia Azadirachta Flower Extract, Amino Esters-1, Citrus Aurantium Dulcis (Orange) Peel Oil, Amber Powder, Cananga Odorata Flower Oil, Coccinia Indica Fruit Extract, Solanum Melongena (Eggplant) Fruit Extract, Curcuma Longa (Turmeric) Root Extract, Ocimum Sanctum Leaf Extract, Corallina Officinalis Extract, Moringa Oleifera Seed Oil, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Oil, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Water, Glycerin, Butylene Glycol, Echinacea Purpurea Root Extract, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Moringa Pterygosperma Seed Extract, Disodium Phosphate, Citric Acid
I remember how hyped I was when Farmacy announced this release. I eagerly waited for them to restock it and once they did, I quickly went and bought it! This stuff smells amazing, it cleanses off all my makeup, and it does not sting my eyes. Plus it’s green! You can read more about it in my
as well as my wtf are cleansing balms post.
Kypris Antioxidant Dew Serum
$72.00 available via
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Ingredients:
Water/Aqua, Glycerin, Helianthus Annuus (Sunflower) Seed Oil, Camellia Oleifera Seed Oil, Xylitylglucoside, Dipalmitoyl Hydroxyproline, Algae, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Phospholipids, Phragmites Communis (Reed) Extract, Symphytum Officinale (Comfrey) Leaf Extract, Urtica Dioica (Nettle) Extract, Poria Cocos Extract, Xylitol, Anhydroxylitol, Waltheria Indica Leaf Extract, Panthenol, Rosa Damascena Flower Extract, Rosa Centifolia Flower Extract, Calophyllum Inophylum (Tamanu) Seed Oil, Lecithin, Tocopherol, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Superoxide Dismutase, Ferulic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Mannitol, Dextrin, Rosmarinus Officinalis (Rosemary) Leaf Extract, Leuconostoc/Radish Root Ferment Filtrate, Sodium Anisate, Sodium Levulinate, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Sodium Gluconate, Xanthan Gum
Kypris’s packaging is what first endeared me to the brand, but it’s their ingredients list is what made me go for the splurge. Anti-aging products can be tricky because you don’t really know if something is working at the moment. Therefore, you gotta do your research on ingredients! And this serum truly delivers on that front. Maybe I'll write a post in the future taking a deeper look at all the ingredients but in the mean time you can
or
read my thoughts on it in my summer favorites post
.
Cosrx Ultimate Nourishing Rice Overnight Spa Mask (Mikaela Beauty PR gift)
$16.00- $18.00 available via
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(extra 5% off with code "WISHJAN05"), &
I’m already on tube three of this stuff. While I have a decent number of sleeping masks in my stash… this is the one I want to reach for the most (with Farmacy’s sleep tight balm coming in at a close second.) I received my first and second tubes of this from Mikaela Beauty but I’ve already repurchased two more myself! It’s so nourishing and hydrating. It really looks in all the bagillions of layers of skincare I love slapping on my face. It’s also not greasy nor does it rub off onto my pillowcase. If you need to be convinced more,
😏
Mommy UV Mild Gel SPF 33 PA+++
$16.50 available via
Ingredients:
Water, Propylene Glycol, ethylhexyl methoxycinnamate, macadamia nut oil, diethylamino hydroxybenzoyl benzoic acid Hexyl, Aloe barbadensis leaf extract, Apple extract, raspberry extract, crosspolymer (acrylates / acrylic acid alkyl (C10-30)), potassium hydroxide, EDTA-2Na, BHT, Butylene Glycol
I could have sworn I repurchased this sunscreen but I guess not…that’s why it’s not in any of my photos! Thankfully I’ve been consistently using sunscreen on a daily basis since my teens. But it’s only within the past year that I disovered the magic of Asian sunscreens. They’re so much more elegant than their western counterparts. This one in particular is absolutely invisible! And it doesn’t pill or dry out my skin. I reviewed it as well as 10+ other sunscreens in
my sunscreen hoopla! post over the summer
aaand it was also part of my
.
Sunday Riley Good Genes
$105.00 available via
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Ingredients:
Opuntia Tuna Fruit (Prickly Pear) Extract, Agave Tequilana Leaf (Blue Agave) Extract, Cypripedium Pubescens (Lady's Slipper Orchid) Extract, Opuntia Vulgaris (Cactus) Extract, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Extract & Saccharomyses Cerevisiae (Yeast) Extract, Lactic Acid, Caprylic/Capric Triglyceride, Butylene Glycol, Squalane, Cyclomethicone, Dimethicone, Ppg-12/Smdi Copolymer, Stearic Acid, Cetearyl Alcohol And Ceteareth20, Glyceryl Stearate And Peg-100 Stearate, Arnica Montana (Flower) Extract, Peg-75 Meadowfoam Oil, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus (Lemongrass) Oil, Triethanolamine, Xantham Gum, Phenoxyethanol, Steareth-20, Dmdm Hydantoin
Another product that I think I’m a broken record about. This seriously brightens and smooths out my skin. One of the posts I have in the works for later this year is a comparison of various AHA serums and you best believe this will be one of them 😉 In the mean time you can read my thoughts on it in
my Dermstore recommendations post
as well as
my Anthrpologie recommendations post
!
Drunk Elephant C-firma Day Serum
$80.00 available via
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Ingredients:
Water, Ethoxydiglycol, Ascorbic Acid, Glycerin, Laureth-23, Lactobacillus/Pumpkin Ferment Extract, Sclerocarya Birrea Seed Oil, Ferulic Acid, Sodium Hyaluronate, Chondrus Crispus Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Lactobacillus/Punica Granatum Fruit Ferment Extract, Glycyrrhiza Glabra (Licorice) Root Extract, Vitis Vinifera (Grape) Juice Extract, Phyllanthus Emblica Fruit Extract, Hydrolyzed Wheat Protein, Tocopherol, Caprylhydroxamic Acid, Acetyl Glucosamine, Hydrolyzed Quinoa, Glutamylamidoethyl Imidazole, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Tetrahydrodiferuloylmethane, Tetrahydrodemethoxydiferuloylmethane, Tetrahydrobisdemethoxydiferuloylmethane, Sodium Hyaluronate Crosspolymer, Glycine, Sucrose, Maltodextrin, Propanediol, Caprylyl Glycol, Sodium Hydroxide, Xanthan Gum, Hydroxyethyl Acrylate/Sodium Acryloyldimethyl Taurate Copolymer, Isohexadecane, Polysorbate 60
This was my first vitamin C serum and it did not disappoint! It helped minimize breakouts, tackled fading scars, and helped with the overall brightness/ tone of my skin. It does smell stinky at first but I got over that pretty quickly! It also popped up in blog posts pretty consistently over the year—
and then in August in
and then in October
and lastly in November in my best beauty buys at Sephora post! Safe to say it's been a staple.
I bought and emptied one, and luckily recieved a second bottle in a PR gift from Dermstore (coincidentally the same place that I bought the initial bottle!)
Indie Lee Rosehip Cleanser (Dermstore PR gift)
$32.00 available via
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Ingredients:
Aqua, Sodium Olivate (Fatty Acid from Olive), Glycerin, Rosa Rubiginosa Seed Oil, Chondrus Crispus (Irish Moss), Eriobotrya Japonica Extract (Loquat)
Literally just talked about it on Monday soooo (
.)
Rms Lip2Cheek Tint
$36.00 available via
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Ingredients vary by shade
I never thought I would like cream blushes until I bought this. It’s been a game changer! Ever since then I’ve been wanting to try all the cream blushes (will have a post all about them in a few weeks.) I love how this look. It gives a naturally flushed look that I love. Even when I build it up, it doesn’t look patchy or overdone. At the same time it’s easy to sheer out! It wears nicely throughout the day, doesn’t separate, doesn’t emphasize my pores, and wears well over and under foundation/ tinted moisturizer. It’s everything I could have ever wished for <3 First time it made an appearance on my blog? In my
! And then later on in my what to buy at the beauty section at Anthropologie post.
Dior Lip Glow
$34.00 available via
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Ingredients vary by shade
You can pry this $35 lip balm out of my dead hands. I own it in 2 shades (1 was PR, 1 I bought) and I have a feeling I will be adding a 3rd to my collection within the month. Also reviewed it at the beginning of the week in
😇
The End!
That is a wrap! Once again folks, I gotta say I don’t know how we made it to 2018. Let’s all pray that we don’t get blown up via nuclear weapons before 2019. Amen.
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