Hello all, I’ve decided to put together a post showcasing all of my favourite beauty products from 2020 along with links to at least 3 places you can purchase them from! I do believe that the products mentioned in this post have become staples for my makeup routine and I couldn’t pull off a lot of my looks without them. I am also pleased that I have finally been put on some awesome black-owned cosmetic brands which I see myself using indefinitely for the foreseeable future.
Fenty Beauty Pro Fil’tr Instant Retouch Primer
I mentioned this primer in my previous post about Fenty Beauty however I hadn’t really used it at the time of the post. Now that I finally used this primer, I can tell you this right now this primer in combination with the Fenty Beauty foundation is the absolute dream team for me. I like how it has a slight mattifying effect however it is not extremely drying like some mattifying primers. In the past, the mattifying primers I used to leave a white cast AND sucked out all of the moisture from my face. Therefore, I appreciate the fact that this primer helps contribute to the overall skin-like coverage that I prefer. You can purchase this primer at Boots, Harvey Nichols and on Fenty Beauty.
Fenty Beauty Pro Fil’tr Soft Matte Longwear Foundation (420)
So, my Fenty foundation is slowly running out because this is my go-to foundation! I use the shade 420 and it works well with my skin across all seasons. It works great for my oily-combination skin as it gives a soft matte finish all over which isn’t too drying for me whilst giving me a gorgeous skin-like finish (similar to the primer). I can get away with 2-3 generous pumps of this foundation alone to give me my preferred foundation coverage. However, I only use 2 pumps when I intend to mix it with my Revlon Colorstay Foundation in the shade Caramel 400. For some reason, I personally like mixing these two foundations together as it contributes to my skin looking great when I take photos. You can purchase this foundation at Boots, Harvey Nichols and on Fenty Beauty.
Elf 16hr Camo Concealer (Deep Olive)
Now me personally, I am a concealer junkie! I own so many different concealers for highlighting, contouring and colour correction but especially for highlighting. However, this ELF concealer has particularly become my go-to highlighting concealer. I was pretty excited when it came out because it was super affordable and I feel like this is the perfect undertone for my skin when it comes to highlighting. When I highlight, I lean more towards concealers with a golden yellowish undertone just because that is the undertone around the areas of my face where I usually highlight. This is the concealer I use in my regular makeup up routine however is I do switch up and give my other concealers a shot (the NARS Creamy Radiant Concealer in Caramel and LA Girls Cosmetics Pro Conceal in Fawn). You can purchase this concealer at Boots, Superdrug and on Elf Cosmetics
Good Mela Mini Setting Powder (Plantain)
So, I stumbled upon Good Mela during the lockdown in June whilst I was trying to locate black owned businesses. The mini setting powder is a bargain for £4 and also the fact that it is so so handy when it comes to you travelling because it will take up less space as opposed to the standard size of setting powders. I originally purchased the shade Festival however the shade of the powder was too similar to my complexion. I did however like the formulation of the powder so I ended up buying another one in the shade Plantain which is absolutely perfect for me! It has just the right amount of yellow pigment for my liking however the finish of the powder after baking/setting reminds me of the Laura Mercier Translucent Loose Setting Powder. Overall, I’m so happy that I came across Good Mela because it’s a black-owned business brand based in the UK and the story behind the brand owner’s motivation touches me. Please know that if you do purchase any products that a portion of the profits are donated towards the research of reproduction dysfunction in women which I strongly believe is very very relevant! You can purchase this powder exclusively at Good Mela
Makeup Revolution Glow Splendour Bronzer (Dark)
I was super excited when these bronzers came out just because I wanted to use this as an opportunity to finally start contouring again. In the past when I have contoured, I just never seem to find the right contour shade for my skin tone. It’s either the powder is too dark/ashy or the concealer wasn’t dark enough against my complexion. However, this bronzer is legit the perfect contour shade for me and I actually use this on its own or in combination with my Collection Precision Contouring Stick intensify it a bit more. The shade Dark sold out quickly on Superdrug when they launched but luckily I was able to secure it directly from Revolution Beauty. Lastly, I also love I love using it because I love the pineapple scent of it and I do genuinely believe that you are getting a good bargain because of the size of the product combined with its price point. You can purchase this bronzer at Beauty Bay, Superdrug and on Revolution Beauty
BH Cosmetics Floral Blush Duo Cheek Color (Fiji Fun)
For a while, I was on the hunt for the perfect pink blush just because I regularly use pink blush in my makeup routines and my previous mono blush from MUA was both finished and discontinued. I was browsing around different places so I stumbled across BH Cosmetics on Beauty Bay and I what I liked about this floral blush was the fact that it’s on the shimmer side as opposed to it being matte. I also like the fact that the blush has two different shades of pink so that you can mix and match to get the perfect colour that you prefer. Lastly, I also love this product and it’s versatility as an eyeshadow transition colour shade. I recently started using the dark pink side of this blush as a transition colour for my eyeshadow and it honestly just has been working for me and it works extremely well for me especially when I am going for a pink eye makeup look. You can purchase this blush at Beauty Bay and on BH Cosmetics
Tai Beauty Tailighter (Amaretto)
Whilst I was researching black-owned makeup brands, I also stumbled across Tai Beauty on Instagram and I honestly just I’m in love with the various shades of the highlighter. I specifically purchased the shade Amaretto just because I do like highlighters with golden undertones. The shade Amaretto is more of a golden copper which is right up my alley and I must say the pigment of this highlight is so gorgeous! I have wanted to try using a loose powder highlight again just because I feel like a little goes an extremely as opposed to using a pressed highlight where you have to use more product to get the same payoff. All in all, I definitely have my eye on some of the other Tailighter shades and I am looking forward to any new shades Tai Beauty may choose to release. You can purchase this highlighter exclusively at Tai Beauty
Kiko Creamy Colour Comfort Lip Liner (321)
Now this is literally the only lipliner that I use simply because most of the time I do make up, I always use a brown lip liner. Unfortunately, my MAC Chestnut lip liner mysteriously vanished and I was never able to find it so I was in desperate need of a dark brown lipliner. One day I was in Kiko and I am aware of Kiko‘s products being affordable yet great quality so I decided to take the plunge and get the shade 321. I must say that the shade 321 is my dream dark brown lip liner shade and it goes extremely well when I want to do a brown, pink, nude or red lip. I also love the creamy formulation of the pencil and how it just glides on my lips when it is time for lining. All in all, this lip liner has become a staple ride or die makeup item for me. You can purchase this lip liner exclusively at Kiko Milano
Fenty Beauty Gloss Bomb Universal Lip Luminzier (Fenty Glow)
I am currently on my 2nd Gloss Bomb and it has honestly, I will continue to purchase this product until it is no longer available. I used to have a funny relationship with lipgloss but ever since the Gloss Bomb launched, I have fallen in love with lipgloss again. I love the rose gold shade on my lips and it’s just versatile; you can wear it on its own with a brown lip liner or use it as a topper for your lipstick combos. I tend to wear this with the Kiko lip liner from above and I can honestly say that you can’t go wrong with this specific combination of a brown lip liner and pink gloss. I must add that it smells absolutely amazing if you don’t mind your cosmetics having a scent. I would definitely recommend adding this to your makeup collection! You can purchase this lipgloss at Boots, Harvey Nichols and on Fenty Beauty.
Makeup Revolution Reloaded Palette (Iconic Fever)
So it’s only in the last two years or so that I have really been getting into orange and reddish eyeshadows on my complexion. To be on he safe side, I opted for this Makeup Revolution Palette because it’s affordable in the event I didn’t like the red/orange eyeshadow experiment. One thing I like about Makeup Revolution is that they truly do come through when it comes to pigment and the price point and this palette is no exception. I am extremely impressed with the varieties of reds, oranges and browns not to mention the fact that you can potentially create a whole look with just this palette. I’m so happy that I own this palette and I prefer the convenience of this palette to the Amplified 35 Palette because it takes up less space when it comes to be travelling and it has shimmer shades within the same palette (which I love). You can purchase this eyeshadow palette at Beauty Bay and on Revolution Beauty
Overall, I can truly say that I have been able to found my staple makeup products for my go to looks as well as branch out and discover awesome black-owned makeup brands. Stay tuned for my next post where I will showcase a lookbook compiling my favorite makeup looks of 2020 featuring these products as well as some other products to change up the look.
Until next time
Chi xo
*Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links meaning I can earn a small percentage of commission on product sales. The links or products come at no extra cost to the buyer as the commission is taken from the retailer via the commission platform. All images in this post were obtained from retailer websites, Beauty Bay and Amazon*
