As we enter into 2018, we always reflect on the previous year, talking about our highs and our lows, the major events around the world, and what this year will have in store for us. So for me, I decided to rifle through my make up drawers and talk about my make up highlights and hot messes that I found during 2017.
Highlight: e.l.f. Studio Eye Primer and Lid Sealer (£4.50)
This year marked the official launch of international make up brand e.l.f. Cosmetics in
the UK, making its home within Superdrug branches across the country. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on their products, since they are loved by beauty gurus around the world and are known for their unbelievably low prices and very high quality. I decided to put their eye primer to the test and it didn’t disappoint! It applies like a solid concealer and it easy to blend on the lid, and no amount of eyeshadow and intense blending will disrupt it once it’s set.
The lid sealer was a bit of a wild card for me, as it supposedly transforms any eyeshadow into an eyeliner with its formula. Unfortunately, it doesn’t do a thing. The liquid is quite runny and when it’s dipped into a shadow and then applied to the lid, the shadow loses all pigment. However, this lid sealer is perfect for applying glitter to your lid! For New Years Eve I used this lid sealer to apply silver glitter on top of my eyeliner to create a glittery wing and it applied perfectly and the glitter didn’t’ budge all night!
But for the price of this product, it is 100% worth the money considering you receive two products in one handy duo that work brilliantly.
PRO TIP: A little tip I learned this year was to apply your eye primer to your under-eye area when you are applying your other primers. This stops your foundation and concealer from creasing underneath your eyes (whether you bake your under-eyes or not) and also makes your concealer last a LOT longer.
Hot Mess: L’Oréal True Match Concealer (£7.99)
Because of my fair skin, I find it difficult to find concealers that match my skin tone (or that are slightly lighter so that I can highlight my under-eye area) especially drug store concealers. However, I stumbled upon this concealer which was very light and seemed perfect for my skin! However, when I applied it to my face on top of my foundation, it turned into a greasy mess, picked up the foundation from underneath and completely ruined my base that no amount of powder could fix.
Highlight: Urban Decay – Naked Heat Eye Palette (£39.50)
I received Urban Decay’s latest Naked eyeshadow palette for Christmas and I still can’t put it down! Urban Decay have built a reputation for their extremely pigmented shadows that supposedly last until you want to take them off, and it’s true! Their rich shadows glide onto the lid beautifully and are very easy to blend. You don’t even need concealer or a damp brush when you apply the shimmer shadows, their pigment does all the work for you! If you are wanting to experiment with eyeshadows and are looking for a warm-toned, coppery palette, I would recommend investing in one of these products.
Hot Mess: NYX Professional Makeup ‘Gotcha Covered’ Full Coverage Concealer (£6.00)
I’m a huge fan of NYX Cosmetics and really enjoy a wide range of their products, however this concealer was a huge hot mess on my face. This concealer does contain a full coverage formula, however, the texture is very tacky, almost like you’re applying tinted glue to your skin. Therefore, when I apply this sticky concealer on top of my foundation, it picks up the foundation and shifts the entire base, which means I’m left with small holes on my skin where my foundation used to be. And worst of all, it creases like crazy!
Highlight: Topshop Highlighter in Crescent Moon (£12.00)
This highlighter is an essential part of my make-up bag. This pearly, iridescent highlighter has beautiful, rose and peach-coloured undertones which means fair-skinned people like me can have a beautiful, icy glow without it looking too ashy on the skin. This is also a buildable highlighter, so you can choose between a soft, dewy glow during the day, and blind the haters on the dance floor at night!
PRO TIP: damped your brush before you dip it into your highlighter, this will help amplify the pigment in the product and make you glow even more!
Hot Mess: Urban Decay ‘De-Slick’ Complexion Primer (£23.00)
I had such high hopes for this primer, having watched countless beauty gurus on YouTube try out various Urban Decay primers, as well as this one. I loved how it blurred their skin, mattified their makeup and made their foundation glide onto their skin like a dream. Unfortunately, this primer didn’t work as well for me. It almost worked a little too well. As soon as I applied my foundation over the primer, it grabbed at the primer, which made it very difficult to blend. Although it did matify my skin and minimise my pores, it didn’t last for long, and by the time I took my makeup off, I was an oily, cakey mess. Not a good look.
Highlight: Rimmel Match Perfection Loose Powder (£6.99)
This product is without a doubt my ultimate highlight of 2017. With my fair skin, I find it very difficult to track down loose powders that match my skin tone, and that also don’t oxidise on my skin. I had tried and tested so many drugstore powders, that I was ready to dip into the high-end make up brands and finally find a powder to suit my skin, when I came across Rimmel London’s Perfection Loose Powder and it has changed my make up game! This powder suits my skin tone, doesn’t oxidise, and I can bake and set my entire face with this and it leaves my makeup looking flawless and shine-free. Plus, it’s a complete bargain! I also use this powder on a daily basis and I only had to purchase three tubs of this last year.
Hot Mess: Maybelinne ‘Fit Me!’ Matte and Poreless Foundation (£6.99)
When Maybelline released this foundation, the internet had a field day. Beauty gurus were talking about how much they loved this product and even Buzzfeed were raving about it. It even became the best-selling foundation on Amazon at one point! So it didn’t take me long to track it down at my local Superdrug and try it out for myself. It didn’t go well. The first thing that made me worry about this product was its scent. It was quite a strong, chemical smell, which made me contemplate whether I should be even putting this into my skin. The coverage wasn’t fantastic, and it was difficult to build upon without it becoming cakey on my skin. Although it did offer a matte finish with minimised pores, by the end of the day, I looked like an oil slick. No amount of primer and powder could stop my oils and pores coming through and breaking down this foundation. So my search for my perfect drugstore foundation continues…
And this completes my Highlights and Hot Messes for 2017! I definitely feel like I have upped my make-up game even more this year and I’m so excited to see what products wow me in 2018.
Louiseeanna 
Oh man I have never even seen those true match concealers, they don’t even look like they are real to me…. like the packaging seems weird… So odd.
I think they’re quite new actually! I think they launched late last year in the UK 🙂