Seventh Sparkle

It is officially the end of 2023, which means that it is time for my favorite post of the year! This is it, the best beauty products including makeup, haircare, and skincare that I have used and loved all year long.

Let’s do makeup first. I know it’s what you came for!

MAC Studio Fix Powder Foundation is where it’s at for all of my other fellow powder foundation girlies. This powder gives a smooth, even finish to my skin, and doesn’t break up throughout the day. I wear the shade NW20, and it’s just perf.

Tarte Shape Tape, need I say more? The best full coverage concealer, takes away my under eye circles in a snap with the teeeeniest amount. I wear the shade Light.

The Charlotte Tilbury Contour Wand is so popular, and in 2023, I found out why. It is so easy to dot on the places you want to contour, and it blends like a freakin dream and gives the look of a cheekbone in seconds. I am fair skinned, and I look so naturally bronzed with this.

If you are influenced to buy one thing from this post, PLEASE let it be these Rare Beauty Blushes. I have not used a different blush since I bought the shade Hope back in August. I recently added the shade Bliss to my collection, and let me tell you, I think I like that one more! It comes with a doe foot applicator, you just dot on your cheeks, blend it out with a brush, and it stays all day! I know on camera these kind of look the same, but in person, Hope is much darker than Bliss.

The eyeshadow that I have used the most is the color Sin by Urban Decay. Don’t get me wrong, I love a Space Cowboy moment, but not for every day. This one is similar, it is a champagne-y color and is shimmery, but without the glitter of SC. I use this all over my lid and it’s a one-and-done!

This brown shadow is the color Charcoal Brown by MAC. This is a cool toned, medium brown shade that I can use for my eyebrows, and also I love to smudge this into my lower lash line. I have been doing that lately and I like the smoky and effortless look it gives.

To line my top lashes, I love a brown eyeliner, and I discovered the Makeup By Mario ones this year, and they quickly became my favorite. They apply so effortlessly and are so soft and pigmented. Once they are on, they do not budge. I like to tight line with this, and it is just so easy. They also come with a sharpener and a smudge brush on the other end of the pencil. They thought of everything!

It would not be a favorites post without my favorite mascara, L’Oréal Lash Paradise. This is super black, lengthens, curls, and does not flake! It is the best.

The Dior Lip Oils remain superior as the best oil/gloss. They stay on, they hydrate, and they look so juicy! I loveee them.

The NYX Lip Liner in Peekaboo Neutral was probably my most used lip liner, it is just a perfect neutrally pink, and it really lasts.

I finally gave in and bought some Summer Fridays Lip Butter Balms. Actually, I bought a gift set of 4 and gave some to my girls and my sister. I kept the Vanilla Beige and I really hate to say it, but I love it. It feels oh so smooth and soft, it gives a hint of color, and I just love using it. It looks really good with this liner too.

Ok, now for some skincare.

This Bubble Deep Dive Mask is supposed to be a dupe for some Drunk Elephant product, but idk. I saw it at Walmart and it looked cool. It is a chemical exfoliating treatment with AHA and PHA, and I use it once a week. It makes my skin so soft and smooth and seems to really exfoliate well.

For my daily moisturizer, I use this Paula’s Choice one that is actually a sunscreen but does hydrate my dry skin. It doesn’t feel heavy, and I haven’t gotten sunburned while wearing it. We were in the pool pretty much every day this summer, and it really helped.

The Laneige Water Bank does not have SPF, but I love it to use at night or when I am not going outside. It also doesn’t feel heavy, and it doesn’t really have a scent to it. It hydrates well, and the packaging is just so cute.

The two perfumes I wore most this year were the Kay Ali Yum Pistachio Gelato, which smells so sweet, but like a sophisticated and spicy sweet, and then Burberry Her, which is a nice fresh floral scent. I’m not too big on perfume, which is why I only buy the travel sizes. I can never use up a whole big bottle, and I like to try out new scents.

Lastly, some haircare favorites. The JVN Air Dry Cream became a favorite this year, the scent of it is literally the best scent of any hair product I have ever smelled (my 12-year-old Allie agrees) and we use this on her hair. She has very long, very thick wavy hair and is totally against heat styling. I put this on her hair after she washes it at night, and she wakes up frizz free, I kid you not. It doesn’t look greasy or sticky, and the smell, you guys.

For my hair, I use this Redken One United every time I wash my hair and heat style. This has 25 benefits, it detangles, conditions, protects from heat, etc. It smells nice too.

My hair is always pretty dry, especially on the ends, so after I style, I always run a little bit of hair oil through it (just from the ears down!) This Moroccan Oil is the one I have been reaching for, it smells so good, and it really seems to hydrate and smooth my hair out.

That is all I have for you! I hope you enjoyed this post with all of my faves, and I hope you will try some out!

What have you loved this year?

Thanks for reading! See you next year 🙂

xx amy