Naturalla Beauty

It’s that time again!  Keep reading for mini reviews and a look at all the products I’ve used up over the last 3+ months...

I hate that I'm in a position to apologize, yet again, for how inconsistent my blogging has been this year, but there you have it. Fact is, I'm just not in a position to reasonably commit to a certain number of posts per week or month right now, but happy to be posting when I can. (I've been sharing more on Instagram, in case you don't follow me there already.)

Today, I want to share some products I've been loving recently. These might be better described as joint summer/fall favourites, but, regardless, they're items that have stood out to me over the last several months, while I've been away from the blog.  

Makeup is always the tiniest of empties categories, but since I've been collecting these for so long, I've actually accumulated a fair number of products to share!  

Green beauty is booming these days, which means a TON of exciting new product releases.  For spring, I've put together a list of some of the best launches that have grabbed my attention recently -- most are available now, with a couple scheduled to release over the next few weeks.    



Maya Chia Highlight of the Day // Birchrose + Co Glow Serums
Technically Maya Chia's Highlight of the Day launched a few months ago, but since healthy, glowy skin is always on trend for spring and summer and I, for one, am still eyeing it, I'm adding it here anyways!  Both Highlight of the Day and Birchrose + Co's Glow Serums are nourishing oil-based serums enhanced with mineral pigments for a beautiful glow or iridescence.  Both are available in more than one shade to suit a variety of looks and skin tones.  

Stark Petrichor Toner
Stark's products, which are formulated with weather and environmental stresses in mind rather than traditional skin types, have been on my radar for quite a while, but I haven't actually tried anything yet.  I love that Jess, Stark's founder, has taken a less traditional approach to the beauty industry and is passionate about creating luxury products without insane luxury price tags.  It's, of course, right up my ally.  Along with the already available City Recalibrating Oil, I've got my eye on the new Petrichor Toner, available for presale this week.  Petrichor is described as a protective and purifying mist that's supposed to feed your skin, calm inflammation, fight free radicals, and act as an antioxidant shield from the environment.  Sounds pretty dreamy, right? 

Mabrook & Co. Clean Sprays // Clean Candles // Clean Dry Shampoo // Clean Lip Balm
[Full Disclosure: I work part-time for Mabrook & Co., but that doesn't make their new releases any less great.  I was not asked or paid to include them here.]
Mabrook & Co. started out making just deodorant, but they've recently expanded the line quite a bit with dry shampoo, multipurpose aromatherapy sprays, soy wax candles, and lip balm.  My favorite of the new products is the Glow Spray, an uplifting mist that perfectly blends together crisp mint and zesty citrus.  It makes a great cooling and tingly face mist and also works well as a room spray or body mist.  The Clean Dry Shampoo is another big standout.   

RMS Beauty Signature Sets
RMS products are pretty pricey and the pots last a long time, so I was so stoked to see the new Signature Sets, which offer a way to try out multiple products from the brand at a significantly lower cost than purchasing everything individually.  There are two sets available, each containing five of RMS's most popular products: two lip2cheeks, two highlighters/bronzer, and one lip & skin balm.  It's a lot of bang for your buck -- I've got my eye on the Mod Collection for sure! 

Alima Pure Eye Primer // Ilia Beauty On & On Eye Primer // Batty's Bath Eye Stick It To Em Eyeshadow Primer
For as long as I've been into green beauty, eye shadow primers have been hard to come by, but not any more!  I've spotted three new ones in the last couple months alone -- from Ilia Beauty, Alima Pure, and Batty's Bath.  All three promise a better surface for eye shadow application, longer wear, and no creasing.  Ilia's does contain dimethicone, if that's a concern, but the other two are silicone-free.

Inika at The Choosy Chick
I've played around with Inika, an Australian certified organic, vegan, and cruelty free makeup line, a little, but they've always been a challenging brand to get a hold of here in North America.  No longer!  The Choosy Chick, one of my favorite green beauty shops, has become the first US online retailer to carry Inika's products and I couldn't be happier to have easy access to this wonderful line.  I highly recommend the Cream Eye Shadows -- they double as beautiful subtle face highlights -- and I'm definitely eyeing up a few other things too!    

Pacifica Spring Makeup Collection
Pacifica makes great inexpensive clean makeup and their upcoming spring releases look pretty amazing!  The new makeup collection consists of four completely new products: liquid lipsticks, liquid strobe highlighters, a mattifying powder, and an opalescent highlighting powder -- and three new eye shadow palettes.  If you're in the US, the new products launch at Ulta in April, and hopefully elsewhere shortly thereafter.

Rocky Mountain Soap Wellness Bombs
Rocky Mountain Soap is one of my favorite bath and body companies and the newly launched Wellness Bombs sound fantastic!  Basically, they're the company's bath bombs taken to the next level -- enhanced with essential oils that specifically target different wellness concerns.  Whether you're looking to unwind and destress or re-energize, the Wellness Bombs have you covered!

What new products have caught your eye?

The one good thing about waiting so long to write up my empties is that I actually had time to accumulate a decent pile of finished makeup!  Using up makeup takes forever, but it's always so satisfying, isn't it?  Here's everything that I finished off in the last few months:

  

Face
Juice Beauty's Stem Cellular Repair CC Cream makes a nice lightweight base.  It offers minimal coverage, but has a pretty, glowy finish.  Natural Glow, the lightest shade, was a great color match for me too.  The scent is the one negative of this product, although by midway through the tube, I was mostly used to it.  The CC Cream smells strongly like petitgrain, which if you aren't familiar with it, has quite a grassy/herbal scent.

I didn't notice any skincare benefits or reduced dark circles from Alba Botanica's Fast Fix for Undereye Circles, but it works pretty well as a yellow-toned color corrector.  It's a little sheer, so most often I used it layered under another concealer.  Alima Pure's Luminous Shimmer Blushes are a fantastic formula and Guava, since discontinued, was a beautiful shimmery peach.  I wish it was still available -- it was a great natural, easy-to-wear color!

Eyes
Zuzu Luxe Onyx Mascara is a longtime favorite of mine -- I've probably used 15 or 20 tubes of it over the years!  It doesn't give the most dramatic lashes, but it's great for a natural look and doesn't smudge or flake at all.  I've even made it through a few snowstorms with intact lashes with this guy!  The Ashley Morgan Cosmetics Black Mascara (now Purely Lulu) was a new discovery for me and a great one!  It's very black and creates beautiful, fluttery lashes.  Both mascaras are also good for sensitive eyes.

Zuzu Luxe's Russet Eyebrow Pencil was, I believe, my very first brow purchase.  I found the color slightly too warm-toned with my natural hair color, but since henna-ing my hair the last couple months, that warmth became a positive.  Color aside, Zuzu's brow pencils have a good, solid formula that goes on nicely and lasts the entire day without budging.    

I still have a ridiculous number of eye shadow samples, but at least I finished off a few more!  Silk Naturals Nekkid Eye Shadow, a supposed dupe for MAC Naked Lunch, is a shimmery pink/pale rose gold.  It's a great all-over the lid shade.  Cheeky Cosmetics Espresso Eye Shadow, a rich and pigmented matte dark brown, was another hit and fantastic as a powder eyeliner.  Lucy Minerals' Creamy White Eye Shadow is a powder, but one with a super creamy feel, similar to the company's foundation, and I liked it a lot as a brow bone highlight.  I used up samples of Silk Naturals' Beach Bunny and Malibu Miss, both technically bronzers, as eye shadows too.  Both are mid-toned warm/yellow browns -- one shimmery, one matte -- which are exactly the kinds of colors I wear in the crease most days, and the sheerer bronzer formula made blending super easy.  Since I'm not much of a bronzer wearer, I was happy to move the samples out this way instead.

Lips
I hear so many people say that they never get through lip balm, but that's clearly not an issue for me!  Rachel's Plan Bee's Lip Balm completely saved my lips last winter when nothing else was working and I'll always have a soft spot for it for that alone!  I prefer the Peppermint to this one, the Natural Flavor, but both are fantastically nourishing and buttery.  I also really enjoyed the Duckish Grapefruit Lip Balm.  It has a slightly heavier formula -- although not uncomfortably so -- and makes the perfect protective lip cover for braving the cold.  This is what I've been wearing for late night winter dog walks where the temperature is regularly around -10°C.  The Savannah Bee Co. Wild Blackberry Beeswax & Propolis Lip Balm was also great.  Less of a heavy hitter than the first two, but it still worked well and the blackberry scent is fantastic -- sweet and fruity without smelling fake or cloying.  Compared to the other three, the Sierra Bees Organic Unflavored Lip Balm was a little unimpressive.  Sierra Bees is one of iHerb's own brands and the lip balms are both certified organic and super inexpensive.  I have nothing bad to say about them -- they're good balms and the price alone (currently $2.95 for an 8-pack!) always has me tempted to throw a pack into my cart, but I realize there are other balms -- like the other three here -- that I like more. 

Nails
Priti NYC's Soy Nail Polish Remover is my gold standard for nail polish remover.  It removes polish well, doesn't dry out nails or cuticles, and it has absolutely no nasty polish remover smell.  I have mixed feelings about the Suncoat Nail Polish Remover Gel, a gel that you're supposed to spread onto the nails and let sit for 2 minutes before wiping off.  By itself, you need to reapply many times to fully remove polish -- really not worth the time or effort -- however as the first step in removing tricky glitter polishes, I did like it.  I'd leave the gel on for closer to 5 minutes and then remove it and go back in with a regular liquid remover like the Priti NYC.  I'd never recommend the Gel Remover on its own, but it definitely helpful in breaking down difficult glitter polishes.  I loved the Pacifica Gloss Top & Base Coat at first, but it was ultimately disappointing.  You can't really tell in the photo, but the bottle is only about halfway done and it doesn't work at all anymore.  The polish is gloopy and has started to dry on the nails with bubbles and divets.  I'm kind of bummed to chuck it, but it's basically unusable at this point and just ruins otherwise good manicures/pedicures.  

And that's a wrap!  I'm so happy to finally get rid of all this beauty trash!

My last 5 New Things post was way back in the fall and I've certainly tried more than a couple new products since then!  If you're new to this series, this is where I share mini reviews - both positive and negative - of new products I've been trying out.  Today's is topic specific and all about makeup.



Ere Perez Oat Milk Foundation*
I really like this foundation!  It's described on the box as sheer, lightweight, and buildable, which I think is all very true.  A lot depends on your application method: you can get a very sheer coverage with a damp beauty blender, or work your way up to a good, medium coverage with a denser brush.  Finger application will give you somewhere in the middle.  Regardless of how you apply it, the foundation sets really nicely on the skin, making powder optional.  In fact, I think the Oat Milk Foundation looks best on its own, as powdering on top can sometimes make it look a little heavy.  The finish is very natural -- not overly glowy, but not 100% matte either.  The ingredients are also really simple and gentle, and the product, which has no added fragrance or essential oils, legitimately has virtually no scent: a surprisingly rare find with liquid and cream foundations.

The one major downside of this product is its limited shade range, which, with only four color choices, is far from all-encompassing.  I took a chance on Light, the palest shade, and while I like how neutral and peachy the color is, it is a little dark for my skin.  Because the undertones are right, it's not completely unwearable, and I've still been enjoying using it, but it definitely makes me look more tanned that I am.  

Kari Gran Mineral Setting Powder
Setting powder is a staple whenever I wear makeup, whether it's to set cream or liquid products, or as an extra step to blur a couple fine lines that have cropped up on my forehead.  Kari Gran's Mineral Setting Powder is a matte finishing powder with only two ingredients: mica and aloe vera powder.  It's very lightweight and silky, and works well for both my purposes.  It sets creamy products without looking cakey or overly powdery, and it also lends a soft focus effect that slightly minimizes the appearance of pores, fine lines, and other imperfections.  The powder is a stark white in the jar, but it's translucent and doesn't impart any color, at least not on my fair skin.  

The Setting Powder sells for $20 from Kari Gran, but -- *deal alert* -- I picked mine up for $10 from Safe & Chic.  

Kari Gran Marsala Lip Whip*
The Lip Whips are very hyped in the green beauty community and judging by my experience with Marsala, I'd say it's well deserved.  With a soft, moussy texture that's smooth and comfortable on the lips, gorgeous glass jar packaging, and a delicate scent, the Lip Whips really are a great find.  Marsala is also surprisingly long-wearing for such a creamy product.  Barring eating or copious drinking, both the color and the supple, moisturized feel are still noticeable on my lips several hours after application. 

There are more typical spring and summer shades in the line - and I've got my eye on one or two! - but, despite the season, I'm loving Marsala, a soft marsala/wine shade.  There's noticeable red shimmer in the jar, but on the lips, the color is just shiny, without any obvious sparkle or frost.  Super pretty!

Pacifica Stunning Brows Golden Brown Eye Brow Gloss and Set
Pacifica has some great makeup products, but I really wonder what they were thinking with this one.  I couldn't find many pictures of the Golden Brown shade and ordering online from iHerb, it was something of a blind purchase.  The color itself is fine, but what confuses me is how shimmery it is.  I swatched the product on my hand when it first arrived, and on skin, on a sunny day, it has so many gold micro-glitters running through it that it looks like an almost metallic golden copper shade.  I don't notice the shimmer when it's in my brows, but I'm slightly paranoid that wearing it and setting foot in the sun one day will result in Twilight-esque sparkly brows.  

The actual gel itself is nice though.  It sets well and holds brows in place all day long.  I'd just suggest picking up the untinted, clear version over the funky sparkle of the Golden Brown.

Lily Lolo Brown Natural Eye Pencil
When Honeybee Gardens changed their eye liner ingredients last year, I wasn't expecting it to be difficult to replace the brown one, but as it turns out, I'm pretty picky about my brown pencils!  After trying several that were either too light, too warm-toned, or a dastardly combination of the two, I stumbled onto Lily Lolo's fantastic Natural Eye Pencil.  The color is a rich dark chocolate brown and I love the formula too.  This liner is pretty perfect actually -- pigmented and creamy, but not so creamy or slippery that it moves around or smears throughout the day.  I'm crossing my fingers Lily Lolo will come out with a few fun, non-neutral liner colors soon too!



Have you tried any new makeup recently?

For my actual birthday today, I've teamed up with one of my favorite online stores, iHerb, for my final giveaway of the month.  iHerb is an online retailer selling all kinds of healthy products: supplements, food, cosmetics, household supplies, and more!   Basically they sell the same kinds of things you'd find in a health food store, but at a substantially lower cost.

I've been ordering from iHerb since 2011 (I even documented very first order here) and I've always had a great experience.  From a Canadian viewpoint, I get access to brands that we don't have here, as well as lower prices on the ones we do.  Even with the exchange and the Canadian dollar doing so poorly, most things still work out to lower, or at least comparable, prices to what I'd pay locally.  iHerb lets you check out in Canadian dollars (or other currencies) and they've also recently added a new DHL shipping option that collects tax on Canadian orders, so you don't have to worry about being charged tax or fees at the door.  I also received this most recent order in 1 day with the new DHL shipping, which is crazy impressive!

Customer service is also great.  I haven't had any major issues in the more than 30 orders (!!) I've placed, but any problems have always been taken care of easily and appropriately. iHerb also has a simple rewards program if you want to refer friends, as well as new loyalty credits that reward everyone with 10% of all purchases back in store credit.

Clearly I've done my share of shopping with iHerb on my own dime , so when they offered to sponsor this post, I was excited to work with a company I already think highly of AND to have the chance to give two of you a chance to try iHerb for yourselves (more on that later!)  All opinions are, as always, fully my own.

Keep reading for a peek at my latest iHerb order and first impressions on the things I picked up.  

Stick around until the end to enter the giveaway, or if you don't want to wait, use my referral code ITI429 for $5 off your first order now!


Andalou Naturals Chia + Omega Radiant Skin Polish + Blemish Vanishing Gel
The Chia + Omega Skin Polish was featured as one of my Top 15 of 2015 and is a firm favorite of mine.  This will be my third tube of the scrub, which offers a perfect balance between gentleness and thorough exfoliation.

The Blemish Vanishing Gel is a salicylic acid spot treatment.  I didn't actually pick this up for pimples, but instead for use on a single millia-like blemish that I've had on my cheek for a few months now.  Nothing else has worked on it, and after seeing multiple recommendations for salicylic acid, I thought I'd give it a try.  Usually a higher content than the 2% in this spot treatment is recommended, but I haven't seen any higher ones with clean ingredients, so I thought, since salicylic acid hasn't touched my skin in more than 10 years, the lower percentage MIGHT still do the trick.  And it has, sort of.  The bump got noticeably smaller within the first couple days using the Vanishing Gel, but it hasn't gone away completely yet.  The Blemish Gel also works great on regular breakouts/pimples.  

Both products also came with free minis of other Andalou products.  I received the Purple Carrot + C Luminous Night Cream, which I've actually been using for the past few months, and the new to me Kombucha Enzyme Exfoliating Peel, which I'm excited to try.  I love when Andalou includes freebies like this!

DeVita Revitalizing Eye Lift Creme
I was debating between DeVita's Eye Creme and Eye Serum, but this review on kimberlyloc.com pushed me over the edge on the creme.  In addition to the affordable price point, what intrigued me about both eye products was the inclusion of Vitamin K, a circulation booster that can be very effective on dark circles.  The Eye Creme is a rich cream that also includes hyaluronic acid, shea butter, oat beta glucan, and Tetrapeptide-3.  I've been using it for almost two weeks now and I can't say I've noticed much difference beyond moisturization, but I'm hopeful for more visible results with longer use.

Pacifica Camellia Blushious Coconut & Rose Infused Cheek Color
I've had my eye on these Pacifica blushes ever since they launched a few months ago, and I finally picked up Camellia, a light pink/peach with slight gold sparkle.  I really like it!  The Blushious blushes are described as sheer mineral cheek colors, and as the description suggests, Camellia isn't highly pigmented.  It's a pretty color, but I do find I need to layer quite a bit on even my fair skin, so I doubt this color would show up very well on deeper skin tones.

Mineral Fusion Ruby Lipstick
After falling in love with Mineral Fusion's Sheer Moisture Lip Tints last year, I thought I'd try one of their regular lipsticks.  Happily, it's been an all around hit as well!  The copper tube is beautiful, the formula is great, and I love the color I chose as well.  Ruby is basically my perfect red: a bit deeper than a classic red, with very slight berry tones.  It's a gorgeous shade that reminds me a lot of the much spendier Aux Rouge Lip Boost from Gressa, only a hair darker and housed in a traditional lipstick bullet.

Emani Plush Hydrating Lip Color
My love for sheer lip colors is no secret, so when I spotted Emani's Hydrating Lip Colors, I thought they'd be right up my alley.  After looking at swatches, I chose Plush, a medium/bright pink.  The formula is sheer but buildable and although it's not extremely hydrating, it feels comfortable on the lips.  My only issue is that the lipstick has a sweet, almost vanilla-like scent and there's nothing in the ingredients list to account for that smell.  I've contacted Emani for more information, but I haven't heard back so far.

Everyday Minerals Sugared Mauve Tinted Lip Butter
The Tinted Lip Butter in Nearly Nude is one of my favorite everyday lip products, so I decided to pick up another color.  The formula on these is wonderful and Sugared Mauve is a pretty, sheer mauvey-nude - very wearable and also great for everyday!



Hurraw! Sun Balm
Sun Balm is my favorite SPF lip balm and it's a product I'm happy to have it back in my life.  SPF 15 from non-nano uncoated zinc oxide and no real whitecast make this a fantastic product to keep in your sun protection arsenal.  It also smells yummy - like a vanilla-orange creamsicle.  The Sun Balm has a thicker/creamier formula than the regular Hurraw! balms and I prefer both the feel and how it lasts considerably longer on the lips.

Blum Naturals Oil Absorbing Facial Tissues
I feel like you should be able to just pick up blotting tissues at the drugstore, but it's amazing how many additional ingredients sneak into those things!  The Blum Oil Absorbing Tissues are basic powderless blotting papers and they work well at removing oil/shine without disturbing makeup.  They're a staple in my purse.

Mineral Fusion Northern Lights Mini Nail Polish Kit
Mineral Fusion nail polishes are 5-free and one of my favorite formulas.  If I could buy all my nail polishes as minis, I totally would, which is also why I love these kits so much.  The Northern Lights Kit, specifically, was a 2015 holiday release and includes Coal Mine (black with silver shimmer), Cascade (shimmery silver), and Blue Nile (metallic dark teal).  I can't wait to use these!

I'm excited to give away two $50 shopping sprees to iHerb!  Follow the Rafflecopter widget, below, to enter.  

The giveaway is open to anywhere iHerb ships.  Winner must have an iHerb account (or register with iHerb) to claim the prize.  Shipping will be taken care of by iHerb, but the winners, if outside the US, are responsible for any additional taxes/duties/brokerage fees levied to them by their Customs Agency and/or Postal Service.
a Rafflecopter giveaway

As 2015 draws to a close, I've been thinking back on the evolution of Naturalla Beauty.  What first started as the occasional and pretty random product musings of a bored uni student has grown into much more and I'm so grateful to everyone that's been along for the ride!  Thank YOU for reading, commenting and supporting my blog over the years.  I love sharing this crazy thing called green beauty and I can't wait to see what 2016 brings.

I was fortunate to try MANY wonderful products throughout the past year, so narrowing it down to just these 15 took some serious pondering!  These are the things that really stood out to me - products I used for a significant portion of the year and things I see myself continuing to use for the foreseeable future.  In cases where I've previously talked about a product in more detail or done a full review, I'll link that as well, in case you're looking for more info.
SKINCARE
Ursa Major Fantastic Face Wash   [Review]
I didn't realize how much I missed foaming cleansers until I tried Ursa Major's Fantastic Face Wash early this year.  It offers the lather and clean feeling of a traditional gel/foaming cleanser, but it won't leave your face feeling dry or tight.  A great option for both men and women, and it smells awesome too!

Andalou Naturals Chia + Omega Radiant Skin Polish
I've felt a little like Golidlocks trying scrub after scrub over the years, but this one checks all my boxes.  With a creamy base and just the right amount of grit, it does a great job exfoliating without irritating my sometimes fussy skin.  My second tube is on its last legs and I already know I'll be picking up a third very soon.

Balanced Guru Calming Masque   [Review]
Not an unknown product to longtime readers, the Calming Masque remains a firm favorite on my skincare shelf.  Contrary to what the name suggests, it isn't actually a product I'd recommend for ultra-sensitive skin, but I think it's fantastic for just about everyone else.  This mask offers a wonderful intermediate between a detoxifying clay mask and a nourishing treatment and is packed with soothing and anti-inflammatory ingredients like calendula, marshmallow root, and aloe vera.

Crazy Rumors Lip Balms
I have mixed feelings about some of the individual Crazy Rumors flavors - which I've talked about many times before - but what I am fully decided on is that I love their actual lip balm formula.  Vegan and ultra-buttery, it does a wonderful job keeping lips healthy, plump, and protected all year round.  My two favorite flavors (so far!) are the Plum & Peppermint and the Leaping Bunny Plum Apricot.

Young Living Frankincense Essential Oil
Frankincense is my go-to essential oil for any skin woes.  It has strong regenerative properties, which explains why it's included in so many anti-aging skincare formulas, but it's also astringent, making it great for acne or clogged pores.  Most often, I mix a drop or two into a face mask or use it as a spot treatment on blemishes and breakouts, but I've also used it in homemade toners and body oils.  It's also, of course, wonderful for a whole host of non-skin related things too!  As always, I'd stress the importance of using high quality, unadulterated oils.  

BODY/HAIR
The Honest Co. Conditioning Detangler   [Review]
With a good conditioner, my hair isn't overly tangly, but with a subpar one, it's knot city!  I tried a number of new hair products this past year and the Conditioning Detangler became a hero product when other stuff just didn't cut it.  A few spritzes lets hair be combed through easily, plus it tames flyaways and doesn't leave hair greasy or weighed down.

Blissoma Scentless Stick Deodorant   [Review]
I've been using another deodorant the last few weeks that's quickly added itself to my top deodorant shelf alongside this one (more on that in the new year!) but Blissoma's deodorant stick was my favorite for much of 2015.  This unassuming stick has no scent of its own but still does a phenomenal job disguising odor.  It does contain baking soda, but less than most formulas, and tempered with lots of skin soothing ingredients to minimize the likelihood of irritation.  I haven't had any problems with it and I've heard the same from several other people who also struggle with other baking soda deodorants.

Intelligent Nutrients Harmonic Shampoo + Conditioner   [Review]
I used this duo briefly a few years ago, but I fell back in love with it this year. The shampoo has a creamy consistency and lathers up into plenty of bubbles and the conditioner does a great job hydrating hair without weighing it down.  Both smell minty and lovely and are also packed with tons of good-for-your-hair botanicals. 

Nourish Organic Body Washes
With several great scents and a luxurious creamy formula, Nourish's body washes have been one of my favorites for years.  They produce a light lather - more if you use a loofah - and won't dry out or irritate your skin.

MAKEUP
Studio 78 Off We Go Concealer   [Review]
I've said time and time again that under eye concealer has been the product I've struggled most with in the green beauty realm, so finding Off We Go, a concealer specifically designed for covering up dark circles, was a joy.  This highly pigmented product has a unique cream-to-powder finish that stays put and wears really well throughout the day.  The color range is somewhat lacking, but if you have light to medium skin, I recommend giving it a try.

Mineral Fusion Sheer Moisture Lip Tints   [Review]
The Sheer Moisture Lip Tints are pretty much my perfect everyday lip product.  Under $10, sheer but buildable color + a great formula that keeps lips comfortable and hydrated.  The only downside is that the lids have a tendency to pop off, so be careful when toting them around with you!

Bare Minerals Frame & Define Brow Styler   [Review]
I like full brows, but I want them to look natural and not overly filled in.  The lighter shade of the Frame & Define Styler is a perfect color match for my brows, so it does just that.  I also like that it wears all day without budging and that it's a twist up pencil that doesn't need sharpening.

Silk Naturals Lovelace Sheer Blush
Lovelace, which is sold as a dupe for Nars Deep Throat, was probably my most worn blush of 2015.  It looks a little orange in the pot, but on the cheeks, it just gives a beautiful peachy flush that goes with everything.  Silk Naturals' sheer blush formula is hard to overdo and great for blush-shy beauties, but it's also very buildable if you like a little more punch to your cheek color.

Pacifica Natural Eye Pencils   [Review]
These pencils are seriously awesome.  They're pigmented and glide on easily, and while they can be smudged initially, they don't move around once set.  My two favorites are Jet, a super dark and rich black, and Bare, a nude that's great for lining the waterline.  There are only four shades currently, but I'm hoping for more colors in the new year.

What products did you love this year?  Wishing you all the best for a happy and healthy 2016.