Makeup
My Favorite Makeup Products of 2015!
01 • 02 • 2016
Happy New Year! They say out with the old and in with the new, but I’ve found some 2015 Makeup Favorites that will continue to be my staples as we head into 2016. Last week I did a post about my favorite skincare products of 2015, and now it’s time to celebrate color! Read on for a recap of my favorite makeup products I discovered in 2015:
CoverGirl The Super Sizer Mascara:
CoverGirl The Super Sizer mascara has been my Holy Grail mascara for six months running! (And as a chronic mascara experimenter, that says a lot). Two coats of the CoverGirl The Super Sizer gives you full, fanned-out lashes. It also lifts the lashes and creates a wide-eyed look, no eyelash curler required! It saves me time and I think it’s probably healthier for your lashes not to subject them to an eyelash curler all the time.
The CoverGirl Super Sizer mascara is a curling and lifting mascara that is similar to Benefit Roller Lash. It has zero smudging or flaking, and removes easily. Plus it is cheap! Basically it wins in every category. Also, randomly, I prefer the Black Brown shade to the Very Black shade. You can read more about it in my full CoverGirl Super Sizer mascara review here.
It Cosmetics CC Cream Illumination:
It Cosmetics CC Cream Illumination (in shade Light) has become my favorite daytime foundation of 2015 and the one makeup item I will not leave home without having on. The coverage is full and glowy, but not cakey and obvious, and covers a multitude of skin problems in one fell swoop.
Why is It Cosmetics CC Cream my current fave on the market? First of all, it has a high concentration of physical sunscreen– Titanium Dioxide 9.0% + Zinc Oxide 6.3%–to provide broad spectrum physical protection (read my post here to make sure you understand the important difference between physical and chemical sunscreens). It is also moisturizing, with Hyaluronic Acid, Peptides, Hydrolyzed Collagen and Silk, Grape Seed Oil to provide hydration benefits. Winner winner, chicken dinner. You can read my full It Cosmetics CC Cream review here.
Urban Decay Setting Spray:
I swear by this Urban Decay All-Nighter Setting Spray to set my makeup– it truly makes a measurable difference in the wear time of my foundation! Trust me, I did not believe it would do anything, but it works so well that I now get panicky when I leave home and realize I forgot to spray it. It is like hairspray for your face that sets your makeup and keeps it from wearing off. I definitely recommend using the Urban Decay Setting Spray with the It Cosmetics CC Cream (after you set with powder- I’m currently using Hourglass Ambient Light Powder in Ethereal Light).
Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lip Color:
Two words: pillowy lips. Not to be dramatic, but this may very well be the best lip color formula that has ever existed. The Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolor formula is so groundbreaking and just different than anything else I’ve tried. This hard-to-find new Revlon lip product (available online here) is the ONLY long-last liquid lip color that is non-drying. As far as liquid lipsticks, I have tried Anastasia, Kat Von D (which is my second favorite brand), Sephora brand, Hourglass, Stila, Lime Crime, and all of them are very drying.
The Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolor is a completely different formula– it is a mousse-like formula that has fantastic coverage and pigment, but then stays “cushion-y” feeling on your lips, yet not sticky. Other reviewers online said it was not matte enough, and there is a slight sheen for several minutes until it completely dries, but overall it definitely has a matte look.
The unique mousse-like formula is very similar to NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream, except with fuller, more skip-proof coverage. Also the Revlon is less drying. The NYX feels great when you first put it on: mousse-like and moist, but after it dries completely, it does get dry feeling. The Revlon keeps on staying moist, but with the no-budge staying power of other liquid lipsticks. It also fades evenly without getting all goopy in the inner part and corners of your lips. Amazing on every level! Oh, except I must warn you that it smells exactly like fake passion-fruit candy. And strongly– blech! But it is still worth wearing because of the superior formula. Revlon, please make an unscented version.
One-by-one I keep buying additional colors, and now I have Flirtation (peach-coral), Devotion (medium pink-mauve-nude), Temptation (bright pink), and Seduction (nude). Temptation is my favorite overall, but Flirtation is very versatile– I’ve put the Flirtation just in the center of my lips, and then put Homeoplasmine on top and blended outward (or you can use Aquaphor or another lip balm), and it creates a beautiful, natural stain.
The Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolors are available Buy One, Get One 50% off on the Ulta.com website, or I have seen them at Target or CVS (usually in a stand-alone display on an end-cap of an aisle). Highly recommend {thumbs up emoji!!!!}
Buxom Bold Gel Lipstick in Guilty Angel:
Sorry to pick another lip product, but Buxom Bold Gel Lipstick in Guilty Angel might be the most perfect light nude-pink color ever!! And the formula is fantastic– are people talking about how great this new lip color line from Buxom is? It is way better than their tingly lip glosses. Usually pale or nude lip colors can look patchy or streaky on the lips, where it sinks into lines. Even my beloved YSL Rouge Volupte in Lingerie Pink does this– to prevent it I either have to fill in my lips with a primer pencil (I use this cheapo NYX lip primer pencil) or a lip liner (I like the light pink, always-sold-out Urban Decay Native), or I have to use my finger to smooth out the cakey part near the inside of my lip.
But not so with Buxom Guilty Angel! It goes on with one swipe, perfectly. No patchiness! And the amount of slight sheen is just perfection, creating the illusion of a fuller lip. I have gotten several friends (of varying complexion/hair color) to buy this lip color, and they are AMAZED how great it is! The shade is similar to MAC cult favorite Creme Cup, but the gel formula and non-patchiness is far superior. Buxom has a fantastic array of nude options for every skin tone in this line:
Also FYI after Guilty Angel was so great, I went back to buy another shade and picked a Matte Lip Color in Naturally Revealing. It is a nice lipstick and shade (very similar to NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Tokyo), but it is not a ground-breaking lipstick formula like the satin finish Guilty Angel. Maybe the Bold Gel lip colors with the satin finish are better than the matte ones from the same collection. If you want to go on a Buxom Bold Gel Lipstick deep dive, may I direct you to the wonderfully thorough blogpost on thebeautylookbook.com.
Here’s a typical 2015 look for me:
Wearing CoverGirl Super Sizer mascara in Black Brown, It Cosmetics CC Cream Illumination in Light, Too Faced Endless Summer Bronzer, It Cosmetics Universal Brow Pencil, Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolor in Temptation. I designed these cool green cluster earrings at the Color Bar at Kendra Scott! Fresh blonde highlights by Joseph at Salon Gity (book him on the BeautyNow app— it’s so easy!)
I can’t wait to find out what 2016 has in store for us, makeup and otherwise!
Love CARLI FAITH skincare products!
Gorgeous! I was wondering if you still put sunscreen (what kind?) Under the CC cream sense it has a high SPF already built in? I’m almost out of my foundation and really thinking about trying it out. I have dry skin and love the glow effect it gives on your skin! :)
Hi Marine! Yes, I definitely layer more sunscreen underneath the CC for added SPF protection! If you have dry skin, I recommend this Elta MD product: http://rstyle.me/~7rlbG Hope that helps! xoxo
Great post!
Thank you so much, Lara!
Recently, I have been applying my CC cream with a brush but I’m having an extremely hard time cleaning the brush afterwards. I clean all my brushes with the Beauty Blender Cleanser and it works well for everything expect for removing this product. Any thoughts? Maybe, I should go back to applying with my fingers?
I just use my fingers for the CC Cream. If I use a brush, which is rare, I use that dual-ended one from It Cosmetics: http://rstyle.me/n/bjhbma5uz6. I don’t have any trouble getting it off that brush? Sorry that’s not super helpful!!
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