Best of 2018

The mere five products I selected for this post boosts my confidence for No Buy 2019: I'm less interested in purchasing slews of stuff and more interested in using what I love, and I've become a lot more particular about what I love. I didn't just enjoy these products in 2018; they became actual staples, items I use almost daily and repurchase without hesitation. Without further ado, here's the five best of 2018!

Skin Laundry Daily Moisturizer SPF35

I can't remember what, exactly, prompted me to buy this moisturizer. It promised more than SPF15 and great hydration while containing none of no-no ingredients, sure, but so has every other day cream that's absolutely wrecked my face. Whatever the reason, I'm beyond glad that I took the chance. As far as day creams go, this thick lotion is rich and hydrating without feeling heavy or looking greasy on my skin. It works wonderfully under makeup and never seems to break me out or irritate me. And it's proven its worth as a day-to-day sunscreen: the only time I burned during our Toronto vacation was when I forgot to apply this moisturizer in the morning. I'm actually at the end of this tube and am therefore rationing it until it's back in stock at Sephora, but when it does come back, I might get two tubes so I don't run out again. Thanks, Skin Laundry, for creating a day cream I love.

Glossier Lash Slick

"Another year, another Glossier favorite" seems to be a running theme on this blog, and 2018 was no different: I fell in love with Lash Slick mascara. I was a little surprised when they launched this product, actually, because it's not the barely-there lash tint I expected, but rather a fiber mascara that lengthens and separate. While the effect is nice, what really made me fall in love with this mascara is that it doesn't smudge or flake as horribly as almost every other mascara I've tried. I can swipe it on at 8:30am, work all day, and come home at 6:00pm with next to no black specks or racoon-y smears. As an added bonus, the stopper inside the tube works perfectly, getting off every extra bit of product so you can go straight from the tube to your lashes. Glossier has produced some questionable products, but Lash Slick is a definite winner.

Jordan Samuel Hydrate Serum

Objectively, most people shouldn't spend a lot for hyaluronic acid: it's a cheap ingredient that's easy to use in a range of formulations. Unfortunately, most of the cheap, readily available hyaluronic acid serums and essences seem to break me out or irritate my skin--I'm thinking there's a common carrier ingredient that my face doesn't like. I'm willing to shell out $29 a bottle for Jordan Samuel's serum because it gives my dry, dehydrated skin the help it needs without any irritation, and it never pills under my other skincare products. I'm about to start my third bottle, which, based on how frequently I use it, suggests that each ounce of serum would last about 3 months with daily use. My favorite way to apply this? I mist my skin with a little distilled water, pat 2-3 drops of serum in to my damp skin, then top with moisturizer. Magic.

Philosophy Renewed Hope in a Jar Skin Tint

While this jar packaging continues to be the bane of my existence, I've loved the tinted sunscreen inside. It's weightless, it looks like skin, and it's easy to slap on when I'm half awake and still glugging coffee. And despite containing SPF, this skin tint never turns white in flash photography, making it great for outdoor special events; I've worn it to several weddings, for instance.

Charlotte Tilbury Beauty Light Wand

It wasn't so much the hype that made me buy this highlight as it was the absolutely stunning photos of glossy-cheeked YouTubers and Instagrammers. That mixture of dewy and high-shine can be tough to achieve, but the Beauty Light Wand makes it a breeze. It's fairly flexible as well: you can use the tiniest dot for a more natural glow, or you can layer it on thicker for cheeks that look outright wet in pictures. My only qualm? Last I checked, there was just one shade, a light champagne gold. Expanding the shade range would make this an absolute Holy Grail for me.

Honorable Mention: That Sequin Fabric

Remember when I always had a television or some other janky nonsense in the background of my pictures? That finally stopped when I got a yard of sequin fabric on sale and JoAnne Fabrics. I know it's not to everybody's taste, but I finally brought that fabric back with me to our new apartment, and I couldn't be happier. In my opinion, it helped my photographs look more professional and more consistent in 2018. I'm hoping for more of the same in 2019.

Charlotte Tilbury Mini Reviews

Charlotte Tilbury is a talented makeup artist, no doubt, but between her using the word "pop" a few too many times in her videos and her Into the Gloss interview that described wearing makeup to bed so her husband doesn't see her bare-faced, I've found it a bit hard to stomach her as a person. For a time, those feelings were transposed to her makeup line. I held off trying it for a couple of years.

Now that I have tried several products from the range, I have to admit that I'm impressed. Is every product as revolutionary and unique as she claims in her tutorials? Of course not; sometimes, a black eyeliner is just a black eyeliner. However, most of the range seems solid, and while there are some definite duds, there are also a few standouts that I would wholeheartedly recommend. So it's time to give them their due and write some mini reviews. (I've already written a full review of the Light Wonder Foundation, which you can read here.)

I purchased the Beauty Light Wand from Nordstrom earlier this year, and I gotta say, the hype is real. It's a beautiful champagne gold highlight that maintains a wet, glossy look even after drying down. It looks amazing in photographs and always garners compliments in real life. I've also used it on my eyes without any irritation or issues--your mileage may vary. I am a bit weirded out by the sponge tip applicator because you can't really clean it, but I like that you can lock the tube so it doesn't leak in your bag. It has become one of the stars of my highlighter collection.

The other three products mentioned in this review were sent to me by Influenster in preparation for Charlotte Tilbury's big Sephora launch. Let's start with the Hot Lips lipstick, which I expected to get in a more muted shade like Secret Salma and instead received in the very nude color Kim K.W. This is one of two satin shades in the range, and if by satin they mean "not matte," then okay, I'm fine with it. But for me, "satin" has always been between a true matte (with no shine) and a glossy, rich-looking cream, ie, most of the Besame Classic Color lipstick range. Charlotte Tilbury Kim K.W. has more of that plush look I associate with cream finishes.

Quibbling aside, it's a good lipstick. It feels comfortable on the lips, it isn't drying, and it photographs really well. It can look a bit smeary on me in real life, but I think that's just because the color is so light, and using a darker lip liner around the edges of my mouth definitely helps. That said, I won't spend $34 on another tube unless they make a shade I desperately want. It doesn't beat the aforementioned $22-a-tube Besame lipsticks, so it's not worth the extra $12 to me.

If any of the Charlotte Tilbury makeup products disappointed me, it was the Colour Chameleon Eye Shadow Pencil, which I received in the shade Champagne Diamonds. It's not awful, it's just...very meh. Based on the name and the description ("mineral, soft-focus effects transform and enhance eye color for a range of looks"), I expected something complex and versatile. What I got was a pretty but plain champagne color with some flecks of glitter, which looks ordinary and one-dimensional even in the above macro shots. Eh.

That said, the actual formula of the eyeshadow pencils is just fine. It's a bit dryer than I expected, but it applies smoothly and evenly, and it definitely sets. I had no issues with creasing, and I didn't notice any of the glitter dropping down on my face. Again, this is not something I'd purchase with my own money, but I'm not opposed to wearing it or recommending it. It's a wonderful product for long days at the office, for instance. I just expected a little more shade complexity from a $27 eyeshadow called Color Chameleon. I'll stick with the cheaper Butter London Glazen Eye Glosses for now.

Now...let's talk about the Magic Cream. I'm trying to be more restrained with my skincare snark, since I've gone through half a dozen bottles of a $24 cleanser that is objectively rather basic. But I think a $100 cream that claims to contain "patented anti-aging, hydrating, and youth-boosting ingredients" that can "fight the aging process" needs to back up its claims with more than run-of-the-mill cloggers. I'd joke that reading this ingredients list gave me nightmares if it weren't all so generic. Butylene glycol and glycerin are cheap-as-dirt moisturizers included in most affordable options. Dimethicone is a form of silicone, and it's often used in skincare to make it seem smoother and more softening than it really is. Shea butter is a lovely ingredient, but it clogs my face like crazy. So on and so forth. Basically, it's $100 worth of hype based off of a mixture of other moisturizers Charlotte used to slap on runway models' faces.

Even if I weren't rolling my eyes a little too hard at this cream, I wouldn't be impressed. As expected, it didn't patch test well on my face, but I could use it on my neck and hands. It was a wholly average moisturizer with a thick lotion texture that took some time to soak in, then provided adequate moisture. And that's it. I'm sorry, but for $100 a tub, you'd better make my dry-as-a-grilled-chicken-breast skin plump, soft, and super-hydrated.

The only thing I liked about Charlotte's Magic Cream was the soft baby powder scent that reminded me of my mother, and I only liked that smell when it was on my hands. I certainly wouldn't want my face to smell like that.

I know that three out of four mini reviews ending with "I wouldn't spend my money on it" sounds like a lot of negativity. It's not: the makeup is usually good, sometimes great, occasionally shit, just like most other brands. It's just that I have found cheaper products I like just as much (Besame lipsticks) or better (Butter London Glazen Eye Glosses), and in those cases, I'm always going to save a few dollars. The Charlotte Tilbury makeup products are still worth recommending, say, if you want a nice nude lipstick or a quick and easy eye color for work.

The skincare range? Not so much. I've looked at some of the formulas for other products, and I'll take a hard pass on trying those in the future.

Charlotte Tilbury products will be available at Sephora on September 13.

This product was sent to me by Influenster in exchange for an honest review.

REVIEW: Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation

There's little doubt that Charlotte Tilbury is an incredible makeup artist. As far as marketing is concerned, though, she could use a 101 class. Like many people, I abandoned Tilbury's YouTube ship when she released her line and her every video became an awkward advertisement for her products. Don't misunderstand me: she has every right to be proud of what she's accomplished, and to use her stuff exclusively. But I can only hear "pop on this lovely, divine product" so many times before I start to twitch. Suffice to say that her videos weren't really selling her products for me.

But if you ask around the internet for the "absolute best foundation for dry skin," you're going to stumble over a dozen comments screaming, "Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder!" I resisted and resisted and resisted, but when somebody offered to sell me their lightly used bottle on the cheap, I gave in. This product has been referred to as everything from "super dewy" to "glossy"--how could I fail?

The Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Youth-Boosting Perfecting Skin Foundation (referred to as simply "Light Wonder" across the net) is $46 for 1.4 ounces of product. It's housed in a square, clear plastic bottle with a tiny nozzle. I admit that I'm not wild about Tilbury's gilt packaging, but this bottle is overall very practical; the foundation has a thin, runny texture, so a nozzle is ideal for distributing the perfect amount of product without making a mess. Speaking of that texture: yes, 1.4 ounces is more than the standard 1 ounce, but you will need to use a bit more of this one because it's so thin.

Light Wonder does have quite a strong floral smell, and unfortunately, I can still sniff it on my skin after application. This comes from the added perfume. It will fade after a half hour or so, but if you're sensitive to fragrances, be forewarned.

Natural light on top, flash on bottom. From left to right: Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder in 1 Fair, Kevyn Aucoin Sensual Skin Enhancerin Sx01, Glossier Perfecting Skin Tint in Light, NARS Sheer Glow in Siberia.

I have the lightest shade in the range, 1 Fair. Comparing it to two of my closest matches (Kevyn Aucoin SX01 and NARS Siberia), I'd say this is darker and more neutral. On a MAC scale, I'd peg this at about NC/NW15. That makes this product a match for my face, too dark for my neck. Unfortunately, as you'll see in the wear photos, this foundation does seem to oxidize a little on me, making it way too dark.

The shade range does go decently dark, but as per usual, I would love a little more undertone variety at the deeper end of the range.

I've tested this product with fingers, a brush, and a Beauty Blender, and fingers definitely work best. A damp sponge sucks up way too much product, and while a brush gave me a decent application, it took more time to prevent streaking.

The above before-and-after photos show a single layer of the foundation applied with my fingers. It has light coverage, but I think it manages to be very "perfecting" while still looking relatively natural. (My mother told me it looked "heavy," but she changed her mind when she realized the off shade and the fact that I was wearing more eye makeup than usual biased her.)

On most people, this foundation will be quite dewy. On my extremely dry, dehydrated skin, it's more of a satin finish. As per usual, whatever finish a foundation would have on most people, take that back a step when it's on my face. I know it confuses people when I say that sometimes, so I've made a handy chart:

Helpful, right?

Anyway. Based on the ingredients list, how this feels on my skin, and the way it applies, I can definitely say that the Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder Foundation will be much dewier on most people who aren't mega-dry. If you're oily, this will be a product to avoid.

Despite being touted as THE foundation for dry skin, I found that Light Wonder wasn't as perfect on the dryer parts of my face as some other products I've tried. It certainly wasn't bad--you can see that it looks mostly smooth in the macro shot above--but up close, my chin, jawline, and the center of my forehead could look a bit flaky. This didn't soften up throughout the day, but to be fair, it also wasn't noticeable from a foot or more away.

Also, notice how barely-visible my smile lines are? This was really forgiving about my fine lines and barely settled in to them. Hence, this could be a nice foundation for more mature skin.

Light Wonder wore as I expected throughout the day. On the dry parts of my face, it stayed soft and satiny. It also didn't transfer, even when I had to pull on a hoodie and therefore rub the side of my face with thick fabric. My nose, the one truly oily part of my face, was quite shiny by the 6 hour mark and definitely in need of a blot. However, the foundation did not completely wear off there--the fading was minimal. If you're combo skinned, this should be manageable with some setting powder and/or a pack of blotting papers.

I did experience a small amount of itching and sensitivity on a few small parts of my face during one of my wear tests. It was minimal, and it only occurred one time, but it was on a day when my skin was especially reactive. I think the added fragrance was irritating me. If you have sensitive skin, it might be smarter to take a pass on this one.

Despite my minor issues with Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder, I really enjoy it and wish I had a shade match. I would love to use it as my go-to glammed-up, night-on-the-town foundation. As it stands, I'm pretty sure the oxidization and its potential to irritate my skin makes it a non-starter for me. A pity, because the beautiful finish and functional packaging could have made it holy grail material for me otherwise. As it stands, it's not a product I can use, but I have no qualms recommending it to dry-skinned folks with tougher skin and a higher tolerance for fragrance.

RATING: 4 out of 5

Charlotte Tilbury Light Wonder is available at Nordstrom.