You would think that being stuck at home all day, every day, would mean that makeup would be rendered irrelevant, but actually, this was the year that I got back into makeup in a BIG way. The fact that I wasn't going anywhere or seeing anyone was actually a plus--what better time to experiment with products than the safety of isolation? :) I don't know about you, but being able to test and practice makeup feels a whole lot less stressful when you know no one's going to see it.
I wasn't in full beat every day or anything (in fact, I'm not wearing any makeup right now as I type this, because *shrug*), but there were a few products that rose to the surface in terms of being great everyday products. In general, I found myself being drawn to the Clean Beauty aesthetic (and I think the whole of the beauty industry kind of shifted that way too): a light foundation layer, cream blush, one-and-done eyeshadow looks. Don't get me wrong, not everyone has given up on full-coverage foundation and contouring, but as an indication of the general trend of makeup styles in 2020, may I present to you, Becca's no-pigment foundation? (I did get a free sample of this, by the way. I did actually like it, but not enough to like, pay for it or anything.)
So here is a short list of the stuff I liked this year. In general, I found myself really into Thrive Causemetics, Aether Beauty, Ilia, Ere Perez, and other clean/conscious brands, but of course, I have not been able to let go of Fenty.
Base:
I tried a few different foundations this year, and the one that I'm liking the most currently is Ere Perez's Oat Milk foundation. (I wear the shade Chai.) It is light-to-medium coverage, and for me, it's that nice in-betweener, where it doesn't look out of place whether I'm just being casual (but want a little smoothing over), or trying to look a bit nicer. Like, I also have enjoyed Ilia's Super Serum Skin Tint (I'm shade ST9), and Fenty's Pro Filt'r Hydrating Foundation (I'm shade 230), but I would feel the need to have both of them in my arsenal (which I do, anyway), whereas I could do fine with JUST the Ere Perez foundation in my stash, if that makes sense. My concealer of choice has been Ilia's True Skin Serum Concealer-- Shade SC2 has been a good brightening shade for me, and SC2.5 is a nice color corrector shade for me (because it's a bit peachy). For a powder foundation, I really, really loved Alima Pure's Satin Matte foundation. (I wear Neutral 4.)
Color complexion:
I was ALL ABOUT the cream products this year, with my absolute holy grail products being Ilia's Multi-Stick in Dreamer as a blush and Fenty's Cheeks Out Cream Bronzer. (I wear Macchiato.) Like, if I had to forsake all other color complexion products, I would be fine with just these two, the bronzer especially. Other cream blush products that I loved were Ere Perez's Carrot Color Pots and HAN Skincare Cosmetics' Multi-sticks (which are half the price of Ilia's!) My favorite highlighter is still Fenty's Killawatt in Mean Money/Hu$tla. Special, SPECIAL mention goes to Aether Beauty's Crystal Charged Cheek Palette in Amber, which is also a favorite.
Eyes:
As I said above, this year was the year of one-and-done eyeshadow for me, which is a huge departure from the fact that I used to be a major eyeshadow palette person. Now? I just don't feel motivated to sit there and create eye looks anymore. (When I do, though? I am ALL about Aether Beauty's eyeshadow palettes.) My two favorite one-and-dones are Ilia Beauty's Cream Eyeshadows (favorite: Fresco), which are super easy to apply and blend, and even EASIER are Thrive Causemetics' Brilliant Eye Brightener (favorite: Muna), which are eyeshadow sticks, but unlike any other formula I've tried, they actually are dry in a good way, and creaseless. I also kind of love using highlighter and blush/bronzer on my eyes as well, for a more monochromatic look.
Other eye stuff--I do really love Thrive's Liquid Lash Extensions Mascara, which can't be beat for ease of use (and removal!), as well as Ilia's Limitless Lash Mascara--I have repurchased each of those, and I can't decide which one I like better! For eyeliners, I still haven't found a liquid one that I've loved as much as a certain brand formerly owned by a controversial tattoo artist, but I have been getting back into pencil liners a bit more, because it goes really well with the one-and-done eyeshadow look to also just have some smudgy liner along the lashline, instead of something sharply outlined. I REALLY love Ere Perez's Jojoba Eye Pencils for their softness and their interesting color line-up: in particular, I love the Copper pencil (which is more reddish than copper-ish) and Stone, which is a medium gray with pinky undertones. I honestly can't think of any other eye pencils that are those colors (and I'm someone who has owned almost ALL of Urban Decay's eye pencils at one point or another!)
Lips:
I THOUGHT I had found my perfect lip gloss in Roen's Kiss My Liquid Lip Balm (favorite: Charlie), but lo and behold, in the last month of 2020, I finally decided to give Fitglow's Lip Serums a try (I got sample sizes first!), and I fell in INSTALOVE with them. They ARE pricey, yes, but they're also huge, and if you buy them in sets and use a discount code, it does bring the price down significantly. Is it weird that my favorite one is the Night Lip Serum, which is just clear? (I also love: Halo and Ever.) Wearing these makes my lips feel SO good, and you KNOW it's a good product when you can try on a few different colors in succession, and your lips DON'T feel beat-up from all the applying and wiping.
That is about it! Have you tried any of these? What were your 2020 faves?