I cannot believe we are only a few days away from 2022. It feels like this year has completely flown by; where does the time go? It feels like each passing year gets faster and faster.
I'll talk more about this in my full 2021 reflection but I think I grew a lot this year. I did a lot of work on myself, my mental health, my physical health and reflected a lot on what I want from life. I feel good about what 2021 brought me and I'm really looking forward to 2022. I have high hopes for the year and can't wait to put all the work in.
For now, I want to talk all about the beauty products I loved this year. Let me start off by saying this was a very no makeup-makeup year. I hardly applied anything of color, tried a lot of new skincare and haircare products, and fell in love with so many new things.
The products I'm going to discuss are definitely my favorites of the year, the products I used the most, fell in love with instantly, and will be in my collection forever... or until the brands discontinue them. Let's get into it!
Replica Autumn Vibes Fragrance
This was the year of the perfume for me. I became a little obsessed with finding new scents and Replica became the brand that I loved most. When I saw the Autumn Vibes scent hit the shelves, I had to have it. I didn't know what it smelled like but the name alone told me all I needed to know... I knew I would love it. I wore this fragrance all fall season and it was a hit; so many people told me that I smelled great and I couldn't go a day without wearing it.
Autumn Vibes is an earthy scent, fragranced with fir balsam, cedarwood, spicy cardamom, and truly feels like a cool autumn day. It's perfect and it has made me fall in love all over again with Replica and fragrance in general.
Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation
I purchased this foundation at the end of 2020/beginning of 2021 and I have not known peace since. Charlotte Tilbury is my favorite beauty brand and everything I try, I love. This is one of her older foundations yet I had never tried it. That changed this year and I fell head over heels for this little bottle! The Light Wonder Foundation is a light coverage foundation that has a hint of illumination to it, so your skin looks glowy but natural. It's perfect for any skin type but definitely leans more toward the dry/normal folks.
According to the product description, the foundation is also supposed to increase natural collagen production, delay wrinkle development and minimize pores. It's the perfect everyday foundation, for when you just want to have a little something on your face but don't feel like putting much effort in.
I apply this with my hands and rub it in almost like a moisturizer -- it's a very natural, no-fuss foundation that is great for the WFH crowd. I cannot recommend it enough and it was truly my most used foundation of the year.
Charlotte Tilbury Hyaluronic HappiKiss Lipstick Balm
While we're still talking about Charlotte Tilbury... let's get into the best lip product of the year for me. These HappiKiss Lipstick Balms were released early in the year and as soon as I saw them, I had to have one...or two. Of course, I first purchased the shade Pillowtalk because CT cannot release anything Pillowtalk without me scooping it up. It's opaque and glossy, but applies like a balm and feels like one too. These feel like more casual lip color, that you can throw on without worrying about lip liner or smudging, etc. It's also formulated with hyaluronic acid to promote hydration and these definitely do that!
After falling in love with the Pillowtalk shade, I thought I needed something even more casual so I picked up the shade Crystal HappiKiss which is just a pale pink shade, hardly any color shows up so it's more of a traditional lip balm. I always keep one of the balms in my bag because they are perfect for every day or for something more elevated.
I highly recommend checking these out - for sure my favorite and I need to pick up more.
Rare Beauty Soft Pinch Liquid Blush
I think this is a product that everyone loved this year. Rare Beauty really took the beauty industry by storm over the past 12 months and I definitely think the Soft Pinch Liquid Blush is their most iconic product. It took me a little while to try them... I only just purchased them in November, but they have overtaken my entire beauty routine. I haven't used another blush since. I just apply a few dots to my cheeks and then blend out with any brush-- it leaves you with the most gorgeous glow and color.
I have never had a blush look like this on my skin, and I have tried so many cream blushes over the years. It's like magic... I can't even put it into words. I have the mini set but Rare Beauty just released three new shades, some of which are in the set (the set is no longer available) and I truly don't think you could go wrong with any shade.
The blushes also apply really nicely over bare skin; I have applied just moisturizer, concealer, and one of these blushes, and it's the most gorgeous look ever. I can't rave about this formula enough!
Honorable Mentions:
These are the products that I've been using before and didn't just discover in 2021, but I used them so much and they needed to be mentioned!
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