I took two days off from the blog to focus on Christmas with my family and it was so nice. I hope you all had a beautiful few days with your families and loved ones. Now, I'm on vacation and taking these days before 2019 to relax and I'm so excited.

It's time I start wrapping up the year on the blog and I'll be talking about all my favorites from 2018. Today, we're kicking it off with my favorite beauty items of 2018. This was a year where beauty took a backseat and I stopped shopping at Sephora twice a week. I was much more mindful of what I was purchasing and the items I did pick up quickly became favorites. Here are just a few of them...

Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask

I think this was a beauty item that will be in a lot of end of year round-ups because it made the biggest splash this year. It is definitely my most used beauty item of the year and I can't remember a night where I didn't slather this on my face and bask in its glory. This is a mask that can be worn as a mask or as a moisturizer, meaning you don't have to wash it off. I use it as my night cream and my skin feels so soothed and healthy afterward. When I have a heavy makeup day or just feel like my skin needs extra love, Jet Lag cures it all. It isn't too heavy where you feel like you're a greaseball afterward, and you can even wear it under your makeup -- that's the beauty of it; it's deeply hydrating but not heavy. It was definitely my favorite item of the entire year.

Neutrogena Hydroboost Cleansing Lotion

I love a good cleansing oil but sometimes they are too greasy and heavy; sometimes I want to use them as a cleanser and not a makeup remover. This year I discovered one of my favorite cleansers; the Neutrogena Hydroboost Cleansing Lotion. It's thinner than a cleansing oil but thicker than cleansing milk -- it's the perfect happy medium. I use it on its own or with my Clarisonic and it gets all the remanents of my makeup off. It's very gentle, has no scent and hydrating. If this sounds like something you need, I highly recommend picking the Hydroboost Cleansing Lotion up!

Slip Silk Scrunchies

I've fallen in love with $40 scrunchies and I think this is what rock bottom feels like. I thought I had found the perfect scrunchie in Invisibobble and while those are still awesome (and only $8) my Slip Scrunchies are just incredible. From the brand Slip, the Silk Pillowcase brand comes silk scrunchies that won't leave indents and won't damage or break your hair. They have big scrunchies which are the first ones I got and then the thin ones (which are my current favorite). They hold my thick, curly, unruly hair in place and look so adorable in the hair or on the wrist. I don't know if I will ever buy another type of scrunchie again.

Charlotte Tilbury Pillowtalk

This may be cheating as I only picked up these items within the past two months but my goodness, they are the best. I'm talking about the Charlotte Tilbury Lip Cheat Pillowtalk and Matte Revolution Lipstick in Pillowtalk. They are the best pair in beauty, the most natural and gorgeous colors and incredible formulas. Wear them alone, wear them together -- the possibilities are endless. They both apply like a dream and are comfortable on the lips. There is a reason that the shade Pillowtalk is a cult classic -- you NEED THEM!

Below are a few other honorable mention items!

xoxo
B

My skin has not been in the best shape the past few weeks. I've been super dry and had some weird allergic reactions to a few things (I think a Charlotte Tilbury eye cream was to blame) so I've been really trying to get everything back to normal.

About a month ago I noticed that I felt super dry, everywhere. My mouth, nose, hands, cuticles, face, and body were just completely parched. I drink my weight in water each other (it's the only thing I drink) so something had to be done.

I've been in a huge beauty funk; I wasn't really taking care of my skin and I wasn't feeling any of my makeup and I was just over it. Within the past 2-3 weeks, I've hit a reset button and makeup/beauty is all I want to do.



It worked out well because I've kind of amped up my skincare routine, or at least started using some products a little more strategically.



1. Neutrogena Skincare: About a month ago I did a sponsored post on Instagram with Neutrogena. They sent me their Hydroboost line and holy hell, I've been obsessed. I've been out of the drugstore game for a while but this pulled me in. My three favorite products have been the Cleansing Lotion, Exfoliating Cleanser, and Multi-Vitamin Booster.

I love a good cleansing oil but this cleansing lotion is not as emollient as a cleansing oil and has a much better consistency in my opinion. It's gentle but removes all my makeup like a dream.

The Exfoliating Cleanser is also super gentle but it doesn't dry out my skin like some exfoliators can; it has tiny beads that aren't too rough and also has a great gel-like consistency. It deep cleans my skin and leaves it feeling fresh and hydrated.

Finally, the multi-vitamin booster serum has been great to lather on at night when my skin needs an extra boost. I haven't noticed a huge difference when I use it but I like to incorporate some kind of serum into the routine and this has been a great addition.

2. Tatcha Violet C Radiance Mask: I don't think this can really count since I used it once, and it was a foil packet sample but holy crap, I'm buying the full size. My skin was feeling very discolored, uneven, and blotchy last weekend and I was fed up with it. I knew this mask had amazing reviews and I knew I had a sample of it. I slathered the violet mask on, left it on for 15 minutes and was stunned at the results. My skin looked totally different; a lot of the spots were gone and my skin looked brighter. The results have lasted almost a week later. I am stunned at the magic that is in this mask and I need more of it. I have never seen a skincare item act so fast and so well.



3. Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask: If you have seen my Instagram post, you know I've fallen in love with the latest social media beauty craze. Star influencer Mariann Hewitt launched her brand Summer Fridays a few weeks ago and the first product is this Jet Lag Mask. It's very aesthetically pleasing in terms of packaging and is perfect in the formula. It's made to be a mask that will hydrate your parched and ragged skin, two things that happen to your skin when you're constantly flying and feeling jet lagged (get the name?). A special thing about this mask is that it is a white cream but doesn't look like a regular face mask when applied on your skin. It's basically clear or looks like a regular moisturizer. Since receiving it a few weeks ago from Sephora, I haven't used it as a mask. I use this nightly as a night cream, after my Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil or the Neutrogena Serum. I wake up and my skin looks healthier, plumper, and just better all around. I never, ever want to be without this mask.

4. Drunk Elephant Baby Facial: I might've mentioned this once before, either in a video or in an old blog post but I've been thoroughly enjoying this mask lately. It's like a reset button for my face and I put it on whenever I feel like I need to even my face out, or when I just need to get rid of dead skin cells. There is a reason it's so popular and it's because it really works. Similar to the Tatcha mask, I see immediate results, like I actually went and got a facial, after I use it. It's expensive AF but if you could get the mini size like I did, I recommend it!


What are your current favorite skincare products?
xoxo
B