Best of 2017: Makeup, Perfume and Style
My makeup and perfume purchases slowed down considerably in 2017 and I’m not entirely sure how to tackle the style category, so I’ve combined all this into one post. Not everything here is new, but it’s all great and hopefully helpful.
1. Stila Magnificent Metals Glitter & Glow Liquid Eye Shadow. I’m not what I would describe a glitter person, but this is my favourite new find of 2017. While these shadows are very glittery and very beautiful, they manage not to look vulgar in any way. They are also incredibly easy to use. I mostly just draw a line on my upper lids and it’ll make me look like I’m about to cry diamonds, in a really classy way. I’ve even worn these eye shadows (I own two, Kitten Karma and Diamond Dust) to work and I don’t think it looked too out of place. Highly recommended for some easy glamour.
2. Maybelline concealer. Despite owning some very fancy concealers of excellent quality, Instant Anti-Age Eraser Eye Concealer is what I ended up wearing most last year. It’s just so convenient and easy to use, so even a concealer-phobe like me can work with it.
3. Tom Ford and Koh Gen Do foundations. I didn’t buy many foundations – by my standards – in 2017, but I found out which ones from my extensive collection I love best. So the winners are Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation for a very natural look and Tom Ford Traceless Perfecting Foundation for more coverage and polish. It looks like I’m actually going to finish both of them off soon, something almost unheard of in my recent foundation history (unless we’re talking cushions that tend to have about 2 ml of product inside).
4. NARS + Charlotte Gainsbourg Lip Tint in Double Decker. Although I respect the brand and admire their collabs, NARS isn’t usually my thing. That said, their Charlotte Gainsbourg collection was fantastic, the lip tints in particular. This formula is amazing and makes your lips juicy and somehow blurred and simply beautiful (the colour is much less intense on the lips). Of course, all these products are sold out now, I’m including this only because if you see NARS doing lip tints again, do give them a try.
5. Vilhelm Parfumerie Morning Chess. I wore this non-stop in the summer and still love it. Everybody needs a cologne in their collection and this is a great one, with a nice story and lovely bottle to match. Also, I’ve got two words for you: TRAVEL SIZE.
6. Serge Lutens Sarrasins. My favourite evening scent of the year, although me being me, I of course wore it to the office as well. It just smells beautiful and I’m not getting tired of it at all. It almost fills the Tom Ford Velvet Gardenia-shaped hole in my heart (it doesn’t smell the same, but it’s also a dark, sensual floral).
7. Tom Ford Vert de Fleur. The best new scent for office, although it wouldn’t be out of place at a sophisticated, 70s-inspired disco. I have many issues with Ford (Estee Lauder), but the private blend scents just work for me and I wear them constantly.
8. Lilli Jahilo Art Collection. I loved the entire collection to pieces, but this pink dress turned out to be my ultimate favourite. I intend to wear it for years to come.
9. Erdem X H&M collaboration. This collaboration was created specially for me, or at least this is how I feel. If I could, I would have bought half of it and I’m still sad I missed out on the leopard coat and the ball gown. But never mind, I adore the pieces I own and the sequin dress actually looks better in real life than it does on pictures.
10. Prada shoes. I could have included Gucci loafers again, as I am still obsessed (I now own the classic black ones and a red backless pair), but will instead give a shout-out to these tan Prada pumps. More interesting than classic nude, these still work with lots of looks and the heel height is humane.
11. Soyka scarves. A lovely Instagram discovery, this small Latvian company does wonderful scarves (and tableware) and I’m going to order more this year. Made of silk, wool and cashmere, the fabrics are high quality and I love the prints.
Did you make any amazing discoveries in 2017? Or bonded further with some old favourites?
On the picture, Grete Madisson is doing my makeup and Liina Jasmin probably took the shot. A significant portion of Lilli Jahilo also shown. Oh, and that Zara kimono I’m wearing here was/is also a huge favourite!
6 Comments
Add yours+ Leave a Comment
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
My discovery are the Lip Tars from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics – especially the ones in old packaging (tube). You need only the tiniest bit (and the tiniest drop is usually too much), but they stay like crazy and the colours are very intensive. I have them in red, berry and pink. My secret trick is to layer them under a lipstick and that is the only combination for me that actually stays throughout a meal. Unless you have something very greasy, but that comes as no suprise to all proper skincare geeks, right? 🙂
They might not be the easiest product to work with, but definitely worth the effort! Good liner and Laneige Sleeping Mask (high five there!) should do the trick as far as prepping goes. I also own a couple in new packaging (lip-gloss like) and they are nice too, although less long-wearing. ‘Black Dahlia’ is my favourite – it definitely has very dark, vintage and glamorous feel to it.
I’ve always been a little bit scared of these Lip Tars, because they are matte and super pigmented. But your method sounds ingenious, I could certainly wear them like that. And I feel an immediate attraction to everything called Black Dahlia.
It is awesome to know that it is not only me who reacts to the product names! I am a total sucker for anything named in an interesting way – not going to lie here :). ”A rose by any other name…” definitely does not work for me!
I think it is all about how the product makes you feel in the end, isn’t it?
Oh, absolutely. If I really like something, I will of course still buy it if the name is boring (although in case I find it offencive, I will not), but I definitely pay more attention to things that have beautiful, witty or clever names.
The NARS red multiple from the same CG collection was just gorgeous, a sheer but intense colour on the cheeks (formula way better than my much older multiple, so not sure if it was just that CG one or if the whole range has improved). And those Tom Fords….none of them made much of an impression on me when I tried them first, but I sprayed madly at a counter before Christmas, and one of them – Vert de Vent? de Boheme? your 70s disco above?- seemed like a fabulous halfway point between Cristalle and Gucci Envy. The perfume soaked into my armful of parcels, and I ended up eating perfume-infused bread for a few days. Kitchen glamour! Your beautiful pink dress reminds me of how much I also liked the shimmering blue one with fluted sleeves. One of my most enjoyable style discoveries this year: volume, and sleeves, combined where possible.
I have that red multiple as well and it is very nice. I think it is different from the permanent ones that are much more opaque. Regarding the Fords, I suspect the one you liked was Boheme – did you smell any magnolia/lily of the vally by any chance? If yes, then definitely Boheme. It’s not listed in the notes, but I got a lot of LOTV from this.