Best of 2020 - Makeup Edition

Happy New Year guys!!!

5 days too late i know, but here's to me updating my blog already 5 days in 2021 :D! I honestly would've updated earlier if i already removed my nail extensions sooner, it has been such a pain to type with (but i still managed multiple blog posts even with those claws getting stuck in my keyboard every 5 seconds, it's something to be proud of okay!) it feels so darn good to finally have short nails again :p. 

Anyway, as the title suggested, i am going to give you my list of favorite makeup products of 2020, in collaboration with my fellow bloggers Bella, Chelshea, Sekar and Magdalena (i will link their blogs below).

As 2020 was a very strange and different year, my list of favorite products also has its own unique characteristics. Honestly i didn't try too many new makeup products in 2020, 95% of the new makeup (and 100% that made it into this list) i tried were sent to me for review purposes as i very rarely bought any (normal) makeup for myself (i did bought a few products for content purposes, none of them were good enough to make it to the list haha) and i was focused on finishing as many products as i possibly can (which i did quite a few! I wear thicker makeup at home making various thematic looks compared to my normal life where i wear mostly basic makeup to go out haha) and when i do go out then the products i used are the ones suitable for current condition (read : wearing mask to prevent Covid *LOL*).

So the products i featured, are they ALL mind blowing? I don't think so. But they are the ones that made the most impression in 2020 and the ones i reach for the most when i am getting ready. So here's my-much-humbler Best Makeups for 2020 :

Actually we agreed on 8 categories but i didn't realize that i added another category when i took the pic so... I have a bonus category >.<. 

1. Best Base Makeup : Nacific Secret Mood Velvet Cushion

I really didn't try a lot of new base makeup in 2020, and i am not the biggest fan of cushion (i like to bring them to travel though) but i am pretty impressed with this Nacific Secret Mood Velvet Cushion as it is the type that makes my skin looks flawless without being too heavy and it looks better as hours passed. Sadly it is so not transfer proof that it always stick quite a lot to my mask (remember i have very oily skin so makeup does tend to transfer more on my skin compared to drier skin types) and also the lighest shade 23N Vanilla is too dark for my skin tone, but i love the coverage, the finish and how it makes my skin looks as i continue wearing it. 

Runner Up : Emina Bare With Me Mineral Mild Foundation - super light and comfortable to wear, perfect for everyday wear and it makes my skin feels like its able to breathe even when i'm wearing mask. 

2. Best Powder : Emdee Lab Daily Acne Powder

I love this powder a lot as it's very finely milled, it's perfect for baking - yet it has enough coverage for me not having to use a compact powder to get the kind of finish (matte and set) that i want, all i need is this powder to set and finish my base makeup. Especially formulated for Oily skin, it really helps keep extra sebum at bay and it's non pore clogging to i don't have to worry about getting acne while using it. It gives me the flawless finish that i want while treating my skin as well. 

Runner Up : Looke Holy Smooth and Blur Loose Powder (you can read the full review here). I also absolutely love Looke's powder (actually i find quite a lot of nice powders this year! More compared to most of the other products haha) but i prefer the Emdee Lab one just because of its Acne treating benefit. They are pretty neck-to-neck but i did reach for Emdee Lab one more, that's why it is the winner.

3. Best Eyeshadow(s) : Etude X Hersey's Play Color Eye Mini Set 

The last product that i reviewed in 2020 hehe and it happened to be my fave eyeshadow(s - as they come as a set i decided to regard them as one product hahah) of the year. As most people in quarantine 2020, i went through several phases : the depressed phase, then the creative phase etc - i didn't crack open a lot of new eyeshadows as i concentrate on my old ones to play with when i reached the productive/creative phase, the new ones i did open didn't leave any impression on me as i barely remember any *LOL* - but i was impressed and happy with this two when i got them towards the end of 2020. They are just so wearable and my love for Korean shimmery eyeshadows are rekindled with them, nowadays i wear very Korean inspired eye makeup most of the time whenever i go out thanks to these two. No runner up because nothing else comes in mind and they already come in pair haha.

4. Best Mascara : Looke Cosmetics Holy Lash Elixir Hades.

Again, i didn't try a lot of mascaras in 2020, maybe just 3? I tend to just slap on falsies for my thematic looks and didn't bother with mascara, but as i began diligently using lash serum, my lashes has grown quite thick and lately i've started  to enjoy wearing mascaras when i go out again! For me my fave one in 2020 hands down gotta be Looke's, nothing else comes close. I love how it is able to hold my curl perfectly all day long (this is a must for me when it comes to mascara!) although it's more on the natural side (i love volumizing, extra va-va voom type of mascara the most) i still enjoy it very much. Please do note that it's a hit or miss because some of my fellow bloggers (including the lash queen, Redha haha) find it very so so and even disappointing, but it works really REALLY well for me! Again, no runner up because i barely tried many new mascaras this year and the ones i tried kinda... suck >.<.

5. Best Eyeliner : Upmost Beaute 2 in 1 Eyeliner & Serum

I'm usually very VERY picky when it comes to eyeliners and throughout the years, i didn't find eyeliners that i like all that much - until now. In 2019 i found a pretty lovely eyeliner in Thailand but it's not easily available in Indonesia - and in 2020 i found an even better one - FROM A LOCAL BRAND! Can't tell you how proud i am of how far local brands has come in the past 1-2 years, the growth is AMAZING. I fell in love from the first stroke with this Upmost Beaute eyeliner, it's opaque, jet black (they way i want my black liquid eyeliners to be), the felt tip makes it super easy for me to maneuver, it's long lasting (although it cannot hold it against my watery eyes on worst days, but it holds out best compared to most eyeliners i tried) and the packaging is so pretty. I would even go as far as saying that it's my favorite eyeliner EVER for now!

Runner Up : Forencos Tattoo Allproof Eyeliner, this one is super lovely as well and the shade i have (Burgundy) is unique but still close enough to brown to make it super wearable. It costs an arm and a leg for an eyeliner tho :)).

6. Best Blush On (and Contour) : Y.O.U On the Go Make Up Palette (03)

So technically it's a face palette, but i LOVE this Y.O.U palette so much i have to include it in this list somehow. It's my first Y.O.U product and it impressed me enough to want to try their other products... When they go on a huge sale hahaha. The blush ons (there are 2 shades) in this palette really are special, they are shimmery so they might not be for everybody but i personally think they are beautiful and i simply adore them! They give my skin a healthy and pretty flush and glow at the same time. I also love the contour shade in this palette, as i have very fair skin with pink undertone, a lot of contour shades make my skin looks "dirty" and ashy, but this one is just perfect, it's very easy to blend as well. Whenever anyone ask me for a face palette recommendation i would quickly suggest this palette, that's how much i love it!

Runner Up : Emina Cheeklit Pressed Blush On - yes i only tried them this year and i LOVE them as well, very affordable, pretty, pigmented and easy to blend, it's a strong second favorite for sure!

7. Best Highlighter : Mirabella Highlighter Perfect Glow (01 Rose Gold)

Highlighter is another product that i actually got the privilege to try quite a few from. Honestly i am pretty easy to impress when it comes to highlighters haha, as long as they glow and makes my skin looks mesmerising, i'm sold! I choose this Mirabella one because i do reach for it a lot as the shade suits most makeup looks (you know how gold highlighter only fits certain color palette and pearly white another? This one is the type of shade that looks good with whatever color you are using for the rest of your face/outfit), it's quite natural looking but it can also be built up. 

Runner Up : Any of City Colors highlighter palettes that i got from Kumura Beauty, they are all pretty, affordable and recommended!

8. Best Lippie : Emina Oh So Kissable Tinted Balm Stick (Pink BonBons)

In 2020, my lippie of choice is tinted lip balms. I am still a massive lover of any lippie ofc, be it regular bullet lipstick, lip cream, or my true love - lip glosses (how i long to be able to wear them out again soon. Absolutely not possible at the moment ofc haha), but for 2020 my absolute favorite is the one that cares for the lips while giving it a pretty shade at the same time. My favorite is Emina's because it's not overly glossy (can't wear anything too wet with face masks okay...), the tint is vivid and long lasting, it smells sooo yummy, it looks so cute and ofc it's Emina so it's very affordable. I am dying to get my hands on the other shade for sure!

And if you're thinking, i mentioned Emina a lot in this post, the fact is i did work with them a lot towards the end of 2020 - and they sent me a LOT of products to try so i did discover a lot of their products that i love! I've always loved Emina because their packaging is lit haha, but lately i have sure tried a lot more of their products and they really have a lot of gems!

Runner Up : Vyvyd Studio Lip Flash Vynil - it has a glossy finish at first so it is not ideal to wear in this pandemic era, but it does fade into a very, very pretty and very long lasting tint. Again, it costs an arm and leg for a lippie so it can only be a runner up for  me *LOL*. I'm sorry but affordability plays a major role for me to decided on a favorite okay!

BONUS CATEGORY :

Best Eyebrow Product : Fanbo Precious White Eyebrow Pencil

Apparently eyebrow products didn't make it into the list of 8 products we chose, i guess because some of my fellow bloggers who are also collaborating in this post don't really use eyebrow products as they have their eyebrows embroidered, but for me eyebrow products are a very important part of my makeup list nowadays and i know it's the same for a lot of you so when i unconsciously added them in the pile when i took the pic, they are totally meant to be featured haha. I tried quite a few of eyebrow products in 2020 and i've decided that my fave would be eyebrow pencils (eyebrow powders and pomade confuses me still) - ideally sealed with some browcara but honestly, i just couldn't be bothered with too many products, i already spent most of my makeup time on my eyebrows as it is!

My fave is Fanbo Precious White because i find the consistency to be the best to use, not too stiff but definitely not too creamy either (i can't decide if i hate the super stiff or the creamy ones worse!) and i find it fun how the Light Brown and Natural Gray are supposed to be worn together to create an ombre (though i mostly just use the Natural Gray on its own haha). I don't think i'm too fussy when it comes to eyebrow pencils. i can make most of them work fine - but the right one makes the job easier and faster so that's always a plus! I have no runner up because the others that i tried this year are comparable to each other and i honestly almost always reach for this one so it's only natural to declare it to be the best for me!

And that's it! I hope you find this list maybe useful, maybe you can get a recommendation or two. Do you also like any of the products that i featured? What's your favorite makeup product in 2020? Please share with me on the comment box below!

Here's a pic of me wearing all my favorite makeup products of 2020 :

Also don't forget to check out my fellow beauty bloggers who also collaborate with me in this post and share their own version of Best of 2020 in their blogs :

Amanda : https://amandatorquise.blogspot.com

Lena : http://www.magdalenabhe.com/

Sekar : http://www.crochetandlipstick.com/

Chelshea : http://www.chelsheaflo.com/

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