2020 Beauty Favourites

I’m sure a lot of us can relate to 2020 being a weird one in terms of beauty. I feel like this year was the year of not really bothering at all, or becoming a semi professional makeup artist and doing full glam every day just to kill time for the majority. I had more no makeup days this year, still making the effort a couple of times a week, either for the fun of it or simply because I was worried I’d forget if I didn’t. But I’ve done a full face less. And my beauty spending has definitely been less than usual, so picking my 2020 beauty favourites was interesting.

Lockdown one had me shopping my own stash a lot and rediscovering some old favourites. That’s all well and good, but I do my yearly favourites based on products that I’ve tried for the first time/ fallen in love with that year so every year isn’t an all time favourites with my telling you how much I love the Omorovicza Thermal Cleansing Balm for the 5^th consecutive year. 

And as I’ve mentioned a few times now, 2020 was the year I decided to start transitioning to only CF beauty, so this year is a milestone. It should be the last year that anything in this list is labelled as not CF (there are only a couple this year anyway).  

2020 Beauty Favourites

Skincare 

Clinique Moisture Surge Overnight Mask (Not CF) 

I’m cheating here, so this is going first. This isn’t something I tried for the first time this year, but when was shopping in my own stash during the first lockdown, I started using this again for the first time in a while and fell back in love with it. I didn’t make many skincare purchases for new products this year, so an old favourite is getting an honourable mention.  

Simple Gentle Eye Makeup Remover (CF) 

A bit of a boring choice, but I’d been loyal to my Nivea one for YEARS and finally tried something new this year. I don’t think this one is quite as good as the Nivea one at removing makeup, but this is gentler on my sensitive eyes/ lashes and as a result, I have the flexibility to wear more eye makeup more frequently, so I’d definitely recommend this one. 

Lavera SOS Lip Balm (Vegan) *

Okay, yes, I got this in my Latest In Beauty box in December. I know that’s not really a yearly favourite. But I don’t think it takes long to decide if you like lip balm, and my lips get very dry in winter months and I noticed a difference almost immediately when I started using this.  

Makeup  

Colourpop Blush Stix (Vegan) 

So, I did a big Colourpop haul last December and was really excited to try lots of new products from the brand. While I liked everything, the true standout products for me were the two blush stix I picked up. I have dry skin and opt for creams the vast majority of the time, but I’m not the biggest fan of pot cream blushes. I love these sticks, so easy to use, they blend beautifully and give the impression of fresh, really healthy looking skin. 

Bali Body Highlighting Stick  

I received this in PR earlier this year and my first response was to panic because it looked far too dark for my skin. Well, despite being very golden toned, it actually taps down to be a beautifully soft sheen on the cheekbones. No stark lines or weird shadows. And I know that despite my love of cream products, highlighters in particular have a habit of disturbing/ moving the products underneath. This one doesn’t. Becca Pearl is still my automatic go-to, but I reach for this a lot more than I thought I would when I first saw the tube.

By Beauty Bay Fiery Palette (Vegan) 

Some of you may remember me picking this up in my birthday beauty haul. At the time I got it because I didn’t really have a warm toned palette and wanted a go-to option for when I felt like using warmer shades (my day-to-day is cooler toned neutrals). Well, I loved this formula so much that I ended up using this palette a lot more than expected. I picked up one of their more neutral toned palettes in their Black Friday sale too. Unfortunately, they don’t have a palette that includes my favourite tones, but if they did, I think I’d use it every day.  

XX Revolution Concealer (Vegan) 

Late 2019 and 2020 has really been all about trying to find the replacement for my favourite discontinued concealer. While I don’t love this one as much as my old favourite, I think this one is by far my favourite I’ve tried so far. I love that the XX Revolution range launched with new paler shades as their new lightest shade is an almost perfect match for me. This one is hydrating enough for my dry skin, it’s a tiny bit thicker than I’d like, but it’s perfect other than that.  

Benefit Goof Proof & Precisely My Brow (Not CF) 

I got a Benefit brow set early in 2020, I’ve tried Goof Proof before and really liked it, but I usually opt for thinner brow pencils so I was very keen to try a set that included both Goof Proof and Precisely My Brow. Much to my surprise, if I had to choose one, I think I like Goof Proof a tiny bit more. But I do love both. My natural hair colour is a dark blonde, a shade that I find almost impossible to get a good brow match for. Brown shades are too dark, the majority of blonde shades are basically yellow (especially with cheaper brands), and a lot of brands only offer one blonde shade. Benefit have three, so it’s a lot easier than usual to find a match.  

For reference, I’m a 2.  

Beauty Blender Solid Cleanser  

Another birthday purchase. I picked up a Beauty Blender set with a solid cleanser and mini silicone mat as it was on sale for less than a standalone Beauty Blender. I’ve mentioned before that I’m more of a brush than a sponge person. But I hate cleaning Beauty Blenders, it always feels impossible to get them fully clean. This stuff makes that task a lot easier.  

Which items have made your 2020 beauty favourites list? Were you one of those people who didn’t bother with makeup much this year or have you been taking the extra time to play around and improve your skills? 

Until next time, 
Sophie 

12