Bucket lists. What better end to 2016 than looking forward to the beauties 2017 will bring, and to ponder what to buy from the upcoming spring releases? Because I don’t know about you, but chances aren’t really big that this girl will ever do a triathlon (nor would I want to) and trekking the Inca trail is about my worst nightmare. But a beauty bucket list is straight up my alley!
Skincare brands to try
The Ordinary
Not really surprising, The Ordinary is really high on my list, and thankfully, my package of goodies is waiting for me already. Deciem’s brainchild exploded into the lives of beauty addicts after a lot of positive press and the allure of its combination of incredibly low prices for incredibly potent ingredients. They’ve recently announced that they’ll venture into colour cosmetics (actually, the pic shown looked an awfully lot like a liqud highlighter – cue makeup addicts loosing their shit) and I depict waiting lists in their (and my) future.
Korean – cosrx
I’m a firm believer in the power of a sheet mask, and have dipped my toes into the realm of Korean makeup when I tried mascara and lashes this year. But otherwise, I’ve staid away from Korean beauty products so far. I believe in science, medical studies and research. But when someone wants to sell me their yeast-enriched stuff because somebody saw the young-looking hands of the brewers or bakers or whatever – nope, that’s not a selling point for me. But cosrx is different (the Korean Ordinary?)and I’ve read a lot of positive reviews from bloggers I trust. Let’s see what will happen when I actually visit Korea in 2017 (I see a biiiig haul coming!).
Anti-pollution skincare products
Of all the changes my move to China has brought, the one I resent the most is the toll it apparently takes on my skin. My skin is the worst it has been in a long, long time, and I’m desperate to find out why. My skincare regimen has staid mostly the same. Is it the water? Is it air pollution? That’s the reason I recently ordered a bunch of anti-pollution skincare and will start to trial that next year. I already started to do a bit research on that and I’m quite curious how everything will turn out.
Makeup products to try
Foundation
I’ve finally made a dent into my foundation stash, and am already (of course!) looking for the next bright and shiny toy. Both Tarte’s Rainforest of the Sea Water foundation and Guerlain’s reformulated Lingerie de Peau made big splashes in the beauty world this year, and both are high on my list. Guerlain finally started to see that six foundation shades is really not the way to go, and I’m happy about that. Tarte’s release is in the wake of the rise of the silicone-y ‘water’ foundation.I’d like to see if they added something magical to their mix what MAC and co. didn’t have.
Primer
I went to some big events this year, and that required bringing out the big guns. Primer, setting spray, highlighting, contouring, you name it. I’m usually pretty lazy and don’t go all out like that regularly, but when I did, I really had to admit that added an extra bit to my look. It made it look BETTER. There, I said it. And I’m finally convinced to spring for a new primer that’s different from that silicone spackle I hate. Urban Decay, it cosmetics and Nars have just come out with new ones, and I’ll swatch and sample and ultimately, buy (and use).
Metallic lips
Yup, the new big thing after the liquid matte lipsticks are liquid metallic lipsticks. We’ll see how that goes. Indie brands (and ColourPop, of course), are again the forerunners of the trend. Until I get some, I’ll slowly accustom myself to wearing metallic shades on my lips again and unearth old MAC shades from my stash.
Eyeshadow
Eye shadows bore the hell out of me this year. I was desperately waiting for something new and exciting (a new formula! Exciting palettes! Anything!) and none was forthcoming. (Really, you don’t call the plethora of new warm reddish palettes exciting, do you?) But indeed I overlooked something, and that was conventional eye shadow palettes done very, very well. Both Viseart and Natasha Denona come to mind, and I’m set to try both next year. Those raves can’t be about nothing, right?!
Brands to branch out to
On the top of my list is everybody’s darling Charlotte Tilbury (Astrid loves her products), newly launched Estée Edit (sorry, Kendall does nothing for me, EL team, but well-made palettes like the Gritty & Glow do!), and Jo Malone’s own brand (after she sold the JL brand to Lauder) Jo Loves. I don’t need to name any reasons to try CT I guess, but if you need any – if it works for bloody fantastic MUA Charlotte Tilbury, I won’t turn my nose at it! In the case of both The Estée Edit and Jo Loves it’s both curiosity about the reinvention of a brand. I’m a geek, what can I say. That kind of stuff is fascinating to me.
Gadgets
If it promises to make my beauty routine better, I’ll look at it. I’ve followed very closely the development and user experiences of the following gadgets: First one is My Beautylight, a portable light that’ll make your hotel lighting woes during makeup application vanish. It’s actually on my Christmas wishlist, so let’s see if Santa’s nice! ‘Toothbrush’ oval makeup brushes are a thing since MAC and Artis came out with them. I remember that I wrinkled my nose at them first, but they’ve undergone some improvements and now everybody and their kitchen sink has them. And I want them too. Silk pillowcases are a beauty gadget, won’t you believe it? But silk is said to do all kinds of wondrous things for both your skin and your hair when you sleep upon it, and both my skin and my hair needs some serious TLC right now.
Launches
Seasoned MAC fangirl that I am, I’m quite excited about their Spring collection called Makeup Art, featuring products that four renowned makeup artists chose/developed. I’m mostly excited about the resurfacing of MAC’s paints, a base product that we last have seen quite some years ago. Then there’s the too faced & Kat von D collaboration that speaks to me somehow. Maybe it’s that mix of edgy and cutesy that seems so far apart, but coming together nevertheless. Also, I like the idea of independent brands collaborating with each other – awwww!
Brands to skip
I know that there’s no way I can keep that up, but I’m kind of determined to pass designer high-end brands that also do makeup. That would include Dior, Chanel, Tom Ford etc. I’ve just been so bored and so disappointed. They rehash the same old, same old all the time, and selling that for high-end prices while the quality or innovation isn’t there at all. Look at it: Chanel nail polishes? Notoriously bad. Dior hasn’t come out with a decent eyeshadow quad in years. Tom Ford has a decent lipstick formula that they’ve the nerve to charge the double amount of money for what it’s worth. The only thing they’re still good for is a pretty packaging in a pretty embossing, which is the reason I fall for them still. And don’t get me started on the shade range of their foundations!
Did you made it to the end? Congrats, here’s a cookie for you! And tell me about your beauty bucket list!
