In the last week, I’ve spent an embarrassing amount of time watching best of 2016 beauty videos on YouTube. I have mostly learned two things: 1) these videos are addictive and 2) my list of favourites is quite different from most vloggers’. The latter is not because my taste is somehow better, but because I am not a professional social media person and my makeup needs are different.

For example, I hardly use under eye concealer, while most vloggers use a ton. There seems to be a universal consensus that Tarte Shapetape was the best of the year, unfortunately that one is almost impossible for me to get anyway. I don’t use a primer and highlighter every day, while a proper makeup guru applies different primers to different areas of the face and highlights everything from the brow bone to the tip of the nose. In case I want to use one or the other, I’m content with Becca Backlight Priming Filter and Shimmering Skin Perfector. I don’t “bake” or have oily skin, so no powder. While I’d love to do more elaborate eye looks, my lids are visible only when I close my eyes, so it’s bit pointless. Therefore, I’m not really affected by the eye palette craze that is sweeping the globe – I’m only exaggerating a little (BTW, Anastasia Modern Renaissance palette is the clear winner of this crowded category). And as I don’t like super matte lips, most liquid lipsticks aren’t my thing either.

In addition to that, professional beauty v/bloggers tend to focus on 2016 launches, as this is expected of them. While I tried a fair amount of makeup this year, I didn’t of course cover all of it (especially when it comes to drugstore products) and if anything, my goal was to acquire some classics that I’ve been coveting for a while. Therefore, I have a number of old – beauty seasons are like dog years – products plus items that reflect my travels, mostly the trip to Japan.

After all this ado, here are my picks:

1. By Terry Ombre Blackstar in Misty Rock. This is my Makeup Product of the Year. It’s somewhat puzzling that despite all my love for eyeshadow sticks, I had not tried the legendary Ombre Blackstars: I was well-stocked and pretty happy with my Laura Mercier, Chanel and KIKO sticks. And it’s not necessarily the case that By Terry ones are better quality than Laura Mercier (the staying power of the latter is in fact superior), but they are just so easy and effortless and beautiful on the eyes. Misty Rock is a wonderful taupe colour that would suit most people and many makeup looks, I prefer it to the even more famous Bronze Moon.

2. Sulwhasoo Perfecting Cushion. This was a difficult choice, as I like foundations and bought several very good ones this year. I picked Sulwhasoo simply because I wear it the most, as I often do my makeup in the office. If you want a more accessible option, YSL Fusion Ink Fusion Cushion is very good as well, but Holy Mary Greenwell is it expensive! And I’m saying this as a person who has just spent 150 euros on a face oil. On days when I actually manage to do my face at home, I’ve loved a combination of Tom Ford Traceless Perfecting Foundation and Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation (both are beautiful on their own, too). I need to finish the Ford so that I have the excuse to get his new Waterproof Foundation.

3. L’Oreal Brow Artist Genius Kit. Another winner based on frequency of use – I still love my Suqqu brow pen, but if I want a quick substantial brow, this is what I use. I liked the Anastasia Brow Wiz as well, but broke it (!) and only managed to use it for a very short time. I have to say though that the L’Oreal works much better when my brows are freshly groomed. I plan to do more brow product research this year – Benefit has come out with many that look good.

4. Canmake Cream Cheeks. Well, I have entire categories missing and then I select three blushes… What can you do, these are my favourites and I cry if I want to. I have raved about these already and if you come across them somewhere, just buy a couple. They are not quite as cheap outside Japan, but still very affordable and I don’t think I’ve seen such wearable red shades anywhere else.

5. Lancôme Cushion Blush Subtil in Splash Corail. Another blush I’ve already talked about and while I like the colour and the finish, the packaging plays a big role, too. Blush is one of the easiest ways to refresh your makeup during the day and this cushion actually makes it likely that you’ll have a blush at hand. I’d never carry around a blush that would demand a brush and a cushion is much neater than applying something with fingers.

6. Rituel de Fille Inner Glow Cream Blush in Desire. Another thing I plan to explore next year is indie beauty. As I’ve said before, I’m pretty knowledgeable when it comes to smaller/alternative skincare brands, but I haven’t used much makeup outside the mainstream. Rituel de Fille was one of my first forays into this territory and if you like your beauty slightly goth or darkly romantic, do take a look at their stuff. I wasn’t convinced by the Enchanted Lip Sheer in Blackthorn (to be fair, dark lip products tend to be patchy regardless of the brand), but this blush is fantastic. It’s the perfect mauve shade for a nineties-inspired look or if you simply like a cool-toned blush that’s a bit different. I love the creamy texture, too, and the staying power is decent.

7. Charlotte Tilbury Matte Revolution Lipstick in Amazing Grace. When I first talked about this, I complained that the formula is not entirely perfect for my lips, but as I like the colour so much, I’ve been wearing this on repeat regardless. If you like classic (matte) lipsticks, Charlotte Tilbury is definitely worth checking out – good quality, great colours and cheaper than Tom Ford. Talking about Tom Ford: I reiterate my recommendation for his Lips & Boys collection (it comes out before Christmas and from the 2016 edition, there are still quite a few available). Because these are smaller in size, they cost less than the regular versions and the colour range is bigger. And especially if you go for a deeper shade, it takes ages to finish a Tom Ford lipstick, so a mini makes perfect sense.

8. YSL Vinyl Creams. As I said, I’m not drawn to fully matte liquid lipsticks, but satin and glossy ones are a completely different story. While I did like the Chanel Rouge Allure Inks and Armani Lip Magnets, for me YSL is still where it’s at. I don’t think the new Vinyl Creams differ much from the original Glossy Stains and that’s fine with me, as I adore Glossy Stains. I bought 401 and 407 of the new(ish) formula and I love them.

9. Three Shimmering Lip Jam in Dreamers Awaken. Another Japanese product, this was my most-worn lipgloss of the year and I’m obsessed. I’ve already told you I am. This is hard to get and expensive, but I would buy a back-up if I had the chance. The previous year, Dior Brilliant Lipshine in Swan fulfilled a similar role for me. It’s still great, a little pinker and less juicy than the Three, though.

10. Dior Skyline nail polish. This was a slow polish year for me, but I loved Dior’s autumn collection, including this rich chocolate brown shade. The most exciting nail brand of the year was in fact Smith & Cult, but I wasn’t entirely happy with the quality of the shade I got, so I need to try more before recommending them. Their colour selection is the best I’ve seen and I love the packaging and the names.

11. Hakuhudo brushes. I don’t use makeup brushes that often (for reasons related to the rant in the beginning of this post), but I want them to be nice when I do. I bought two Hakuhodo premium brushes when in Japan and these beautiful to both use and look at.

There were also some inexplicable moments: I bought the Tom Ford Eye Defining Pen for my sister, but not for myself. As it’s almost universally acknowledged to be the best liner in the world, I don’t know why and how this happened. Also, the only new mascara I seriously liked this year – Marc Jacobs Velvet Noir Major Volume – I tried, but didn’t buy. I have no explanation for this either.

This post turned out twice (or possibly thrice) the length I planned, but I’ve just been told by a reader that I do going overboard really well, so I’m going to roll with it.