My Favourite Beauty Products Of 2016

2016 was a huge year for me when it came to beauty products. I've been incredibly lucky to be introduced to new brands by other bloggers, from social media and sometimes by the brand approaching me.

2016 was really a year for discovering new brands and products as well as falling back in love with some brands that I've used for years. I also worked on trying to have a consistent skincare routine and improved my skin by using masks often. I also branched out into using Korean skincare which I've fallen in love with as well as using more and more natural products. 
Here are my most loved (and Instagrammed) products...

I had heard a lot about Jade Rollers in 2016 but I finally bit the bullet and bought one. It took a while to find one as I was scared of being duped and given a fake jade roller. The Dusk By Adele Jade Roller was one that I found online, that was affordable and based in Australia. I adore using it and even my almost 2 year old loves to roll it over her face when she sees me using it (I need a child friendly one for her!). It feels cooling on the skin, so it's perfect to combat redness I get in my skin especially after I use a clay mask. This is a must have for 2017 if you're serious about your skin! I now want to get a rose quartz roller. 

I received the COSRX Ultimate Moisturizing Honey Overnight Mask* from the online store Seoul2U and it quickly became a favourite. Even though it looks like honey it's not sticky!! I use it once or twice a week to reveal soft and clear skin. I now want to try out more of their products. I've got more information on this in my Korean 10 Step Skincare post. 

A few months ago, David Jones did free 15 minute mini facials by Jurlique to introduce people to the new Jurlique Purity Specialist Treatment Mask. It was such a wonderful way of being able to try out the product before buying it. I instantly fell in love with their new mask. It not only helps to clear your skin and give your skin a gorgeous glow but it also exfoliates your skin softly! I've been using it once a week and I still adore it. 

I've also been lucky enough to be treated to 2 Jurlique Classic Signature Facials* this year. They're a great way of being able to have someone look at your skin and help you to create a skincare routine that works for your skin, your budget and your effort levels! For one hour you're treated with amazing skincare, have your arms and hands exfoliated as well as a neck and shoulder massage. Before your treatment, they talk with you about your skin and your skin concerns and they choose the products that they use to suit your skin. It's a great way of being able to try and test out the products before you purchase them. In 2017 I'm really wanting to try out their Nutri Define Touch Of Luxe Defining Facial Contouring Treatment as they use precious stones in the facial. 

I was also lucky enough to have my husband organise a hot stone massage for my birthday that was heavenly. It was so relaxing and while the stones were warm, they feel more like a hot water bottle on you rather than scolding water. I found that the added warmth of the rocks made my muscles feel more relax than a classic massage. While it's not a treatment that I would have often, it would make a wonderful treatment to get once or twice a year. 

Another new product for me was The Harvest Garden Herbal Facial Tea* which you add to warm water. I used to use steam before a facial when I was in my teens, but I used to only use plain water. The herbal facial tea not only smells amazing, but is great to use before a facial to help open pores and get an even better result from my face mask. 

Essences are becoming much more popular in the Western world and more brands are releasing them. I was so excited when the Jurlique Activating Water Essence was released. It has a water consistency and fits so easily into my skincare routine. It's not as expensive as the SKII essence but I still get great results when I use this. 

I've also been loving the Jurlique Herbal Recovery Antioxidant Face Oil. I received this as a GWP when I bought the Jurlique Essence and it's amazing! I use it when I'm using my jade roller, I also put 2 drops of it on my skin before using a clay mask as well as using it as a serum. Even though it's an oil, it sinks into my skin and works well under my make up.

I also received the NEOGEN Bio Peel Gauze Peeling Wine Pads* from Seoul2U and they're the ONLY exfoliating pads that I've ever liked. What I really like about these is the gauze side actually makes me feel like I'm being exfoliated. Most pads are soft and you just get a chemical exfoliation, but because these have 2 sides you can choose to have a gentle or a mix of chemical and manual exfoliation. They also have a lemon version which I want to try.

I've mentioned various times on my social media about my love for the Stevie K Cosmetics Lipsticks. They're creamy, easy to use, sleek and they have amazing colours. They also have incredible outer packaging that looks like street art. I have 7 colours and need 5 more to complete the collection. "The New Black" is my favourite out of the range. It's an orange colour that looks amazing!

I went highlighter crazy in 2016. One of the more inexpensive ones that I fell in love with is the Nude By Nature Touch Of Glow Highlight Stick. I only own one, "Champagne," which light enough for my skintone. I wish they would release some more lighter shades. The stick formula is easy to use and very travel friendly. 

Recently the Marc Jacobs Beauty Glow Stick Glistening Illuminator had a price drop (from $60ish to $38) so I immediately picked it up. It's a cream formula that's easy to use and is very sleek. Some people have said that it looks like a deodorant stick, but I really like the packaging. I find this is more of a glow than a full on highlight. It's absolutely gorgeous and is a must have if you want an affordable higher end highlighter. 

On the higher end, I bought the Estee Lauder x Victoria Beckham Modern Mercury Highlighter the day it was released. It's a GORGEOUS highlighter that's very glowy and grown up. The packaging is incredible too!! It's very luxe (which is what you expect at that price tag) and it was worth every cent! 

I also ended up buying the Models Prefer x Samantha Jade Strobe To Glow Palette when it was first released and it quickly became the must have product from the collaboration. It's highly pigmented and isn't for the faint-hearted. I love to reach for this when I want a "bam!" highlighter. There are 6 colours in the palette but I normally only reach for 4 of them as the other 2 are too dark for my skintone. I've previously reviewed it here. If you can still find it instore or if they re-release it make sure you pick it up!!

The Anastasia Beverly Hills Modern Renaissance Palette was THE most talked about product of 2016. It was also the most sought after palette and it was out of stock for most of the year. I finally got my hands on it a few weeks ago and was slightly worried that I would be disappointed with it because it's so hyped up, but I really love it. The formula does have a lot of fall out, so I prefer to do my eyes first so I can easily remove any fallen eyeshadow. 

I only received the TheBalm Appetit Eyeshadow Palette* in December, but it instantly became a much loved palette. There are 9 shades, but the middle row is INSANE!! They look so stunning, especially the rusty orange colour. It's a limited edition palette, so make sure that you order it asap before it goes. I would love to see them release a palette full of the middle row formula as it's so shiny and pigmented. Like theBalm's other palettes, there's some fallout so I make sure that I do my eyes first before finishing my base. 

I feel bad about mentioning this, but I also really loved the LORAC Mega Pro 3. It's impossible to get in Australia unless you want to spend over $100 to get it shipped over but I was lucky to have my husband pick it up in the US when he went for work. The colours are so great and I'm so glad that I was able to get this. I can't wait to see what type of colours they'll release next Christmas. 

I spoke about the Rimmel Fresher Skin Foundation in my review recently and it was a product that took a while for me to love. It's a very lightweight foundation (both in consistency and coverage) but I love to reach for this whenever I want minimal make up. Read the review to find out more about it as I talk about the way that I made it work for my normal to dry skin.

I reached for The Body Shop Shade Adjusting Lightening Drops A LOT this year. It's a must have for anyone that can't find a shade light enough or who fake tan and need a few shades depending on if they're tanned or not. I've previously reviewed it here, but considering I'm on my second bottle you know it's a much loved product. 

I've also been OBSESSED with the Artiste Professional Airbrush Collection brushes. They are even better than my Real Techniques Bold Metal brushes. They're completely underrated and deserve way more hype. There are 6 brushes in the range and I'd love to see them release more. My 2 favourite brushes are the Bronzer brush and the Flawless Shadow brush. I love these so much that I've bought a second set of them and would even purchase 2 or 3 more so I'm never without them!

What are your most used and most loved products of 2016? What should i put on my 2017 wishlist?

Amy, XO

*I was kindly sent this for consideration. All thoughts and views are completely my own, and are always 100% honest. See my disclosure policy here.

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