Best Beauty Products 2021

I first sat down to make this list as a rough draft, worried that I wouldn’t be able to think of enough stuff. Then I realised I actually had a tonne of products to talk about. In general, through the pandemic, I feel like I spoke about beauty less and less on my blog, which made me think I’d had less to talk about in general. Incorrect, my dressing table has seen some amazing new additions this year, so here are my best beauty products 2021.  

As always, this list is purely new discoveries to me in the last 12 months; not necessarily new launches. And there are no long-term forever favourites included here either.  

For the first time in YEARS, I actually have enough to talk about to split between makeup and skincare this year, which is amazing.  

Last year I decided I was going to go cruelty free with my beauty products, so this year was about a) finishing products and b) trying to find replacements for those products, so a lot of these product purchases were inspired by another product I already loved.  

Best Beauty Products 2021  

Skincare  

Lavera SOS lip balm  

Only a brief mention here. I included this lip balm last year but I’d only been using it for a couple of weeks. A full year later, can confirm this is still my favourite CF lip balm.  

Q&A Rosehip Cleansing Oil 

I mentioned this one back in the summer when I did my budget-friendly cleansers for dry skin post. And after gathering my cleansers for that post, I seemed to use this one non-stop. My all time favourite cleanser is still the Omorovicza balm, but I think this is my favourite budget-friendly cleanser.

The Inkey List Oat Cleansing Balm 

I know I just said the other one is my favourite cheaper option, but this one still gets a shout. This is an oat cleanser designed for sensitive skin. It’s nothing fancy, it’s not going to be transformative, but that’s why I love it. This is a really nice gentle cleanse for when my skin is extra sensitive. The only massive complaint I have about this one is the packaging. I tried this for the first time in the warmer months, and it was great. In winter, the balm becomes almost solid in the tube if it’s left in a cooler room, making it impossible to squeeze out. Easily fixed, but irritating.

SOS Serum SPF 50 (gifted) 

My skin is extremely pale so I take sun care extremely seriously. Annoyingly, one of the things my skin is really sensitive to is SPF, so it was something I was dreading finding replacements for. But this serum SPF has worked so well with my skin. It’s nicely hydrating, but absorbs really quickly with no residue. It’s more of a gel, so there’s no weird white cast or grey tint you can get from sun creams. And it’s only £15, so this has been a great find this year.  

Skin & Me 

I’ve seen skin & me being advertised for quite a while and I was always curious to try it. Well, I finally did. I’ve only been using this for a couple of months and I’ll have a full review coming in the new year when I’ve had a bit longer to form a proper verdict, but I’m really enjoying this so far. You fill out a questionnaire about your skin and concerns, send in some photos of your makeup free face. They have a base formula, then a pharmacist reviews your answers and photos and decides which actives to add to make the formula perfect for you, which you can then ask to be adapted as you go on. 

Best 2021 Makeup

Elf 

Can I just say the brand as a whole? Okay, maybe not. I tried several elf products for the first time this year and was so impressed by the majority of them. But if I had to pick a top product, it’s definitely their bite-sized face duos. I have a couple of shades of these blush and highlighter duos and I’m so impressed by the formula. And for just £3, they’re incredible.  

Elf Hydrating Camo Concealer 

This is a tricky one because I don’t use this as much as I’d like. The formula is my idea of perfection, genuinely good enough that if I only had this one concealer, I’d be happy – if they’d expand the shade range. The lightest shade is too dark for me, so I get limited use out of this one. But if a lighter shade becomes available, she’s the one. 

Colourpop Foundation Stick (as bronzer) 

I’ve had this for a little while, but I bought this in my true skin shade at the same time and when I didn’t like the formula as a foundation, this one was shelved. Last year I started using a mini Hoola Stick and wanted a replacement cream bronzer. Then I remembered I had this one. And it turns out I love it as an easy to blend and build cream bronzer.  

Still hate the foundation though, which is a shame.  

By Beauty Bay Contour Queen Brush 

And I couldn’t mention my favourite cream bronzer without mentioning the brush I use to apply it. When I first opened this brush, I didn’t love it. And if you use powder contour/ bronzer products, I don’t recommend this brush at all. But for creams? I’m a huge fan. I run this brush over the top of my foundation stick then lightly stipple it onto my skin before I blend it and it creates the smoothest blend and great, even product distribution.  

Zoeva 102 Silk Finish Foundation Brush 

I’ve had a soft spot for Zoeva brushes for a very long time now, but I usually opt for a smaller foundation brush than this. I’m not even sure why I decided I needed this in my life, but I bought it in the sales around Christmas time last year and it became my favourite foundation brush in the space of a few weeks and remained one of the ones I use the most throughout the year. Blending got so much quicker, especially for more fluid formulas.  

Have I mentioned any favourites of yours here? What were your best beauty products 2021? 

Until next time, 

Sophie 

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