My Top Beauty Buys of 2018

Have you actually written or typed out 2019 yet? Well, I’ve typed it obviously, but I don’t think I’ve written it down. And obviously I’m still lingering in the past a little here on Dressed for My Day. Hang with me for just one final blog post as I look back at the best of 2018 and then we’ll be moving forward. I promise! But I just couldn’t say goodbye to the past year before we looked back at my best beauty buys in 2018.

By the way, I don’t own the beautiful 3 in 1 cosmetic bag from Vera Bradley in the photo above. But I wish I did! And it’s 50% off right now, but I’m not sure for how much longer. There are several other great patterns from which to choose, also.

These are the beauty products I bought and loved this year. Let me go ahead and warn you that too many of them are a little pricey. I hate that. Honestly, I do. And that’s why I normally only put on makeup about 3-4 times per week. It’s just too expensive for me to wear it every day, especially on days I never leave the house.

But I do tend to look for cosmetics and other beauty products when they are on sale. Not only do I receive notifications when my favorite stores like Ulta, Dillard’s, Macy’s and Nordstrom are giving a gift with purchase or are marking the prices down on these items, but I also receive notifications from the manufacturers, like It Cosmetics and Lancome. (In fact, Macy’s has select items from major cosmetic brands marked down significantly right now.)

So if you like the pricier products, too, I suggest you sign up on for the mailing lists where you can receive those notifications. Those emails and mailers may be pesky, but they can save you a bundle if you time your purchases right.

Essentials Feet Treatmint Foot Lotion

Essentials Feet Treatmint Foot Lotion was gifted to me by the manufacturer just a few weeks ago actually. And I fell in love. So I haven’t actually purchased a replacement yet, but I will. This soothing lotion truly does rub out the aches and refresh your feet at the end of the day.

I just wash my feet off or take a shower at the end of the day, then I rub in this soothing cream. It’s a keeper!

Lancome Visionnaire Face Cream

I didn’t buy this soothing and rich cream for the first time in 2018, but I returned to it after a long journey in search of something better. This stuff is pricey, and that peaves me. But I’ve decided that at my age (and as a desert dweller) I can’t fudge on a good moisturizer. So I always wait for a desirable gift-with-purchase before I buy this Lancome Visionnaire Advanced Multi-Correcting Cream. I get the one without the sunscreen, by the way. I think it goes on smoother. So I just do the sunscreen separately.

Maybelline Master Prime

Sadly, this Maybelline foundation primer may be the one budget friendly item in my list. But works beautifully. I received it as a free gift with purchase back in the fall, and I fell in love. It goes on silky, creates a smooth surface for your foundation, and doesn’t irritate your skin.

There are actually several formulas to choose from, but this one blurs and minimizes your pores.

It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+

I just discovered It Cosmetics this year. I don’t know how I missed it before, but I did. Anyhow I started wearing this foundation back in the spring, but it has taken me all year to settle on the shade I love. I’m wearing the Fair/Light now, and it seems to work well for my skin tone. They now have 12 to choose from.

This foundation goes on smooth and stays set all day long. And I feel like it doesn’t dry my face out.

It Foundation Brush

If you’ve been following me long here at Dressed for My Day, you may be thinking, Hey, wait a minute! I didn’t think she applied her foundation with a brush! Well, I didn’t. Until I purchased this one on a sale directly from It Cosmetics. In fact, they don’t carry this brush at Ulta.

Now I put a little dab of foundation on both cheeks, my forehead, my nose and my chin, then blend it over my face with this brush. I like that it creates a soft, polished look and it doesn’t absorb much of the foundation itself. I love this brush!

By the way, I still use the Beautyblender to bounce all over my face after applying my foundation with the brush. I love my original Beautyblender. And I highly recommend that you clean it with the Blendercleanser Solid Bar.

It Bye Bye Under Eye Eye Cream

Okay, truthfully I haven’t bought any of this Bye Bye Under Eye Eye Cream yet. But I’m absolutely going to. I’ve been using a small sample of it for a while now, and I love it. It’s rich and creamy, and goes on so smooth and lush. It feels like an eye treatment every time you put it on. And my eye makeup goes on and stays on beautifully over this.

I apply this eye cream right after I get out of the shower so it can set just a bit before applying my eye shadow base.

It Cosmetics Naturally Pretty Essential eye shadow palette

When this transforming matte eye shadow palette was 25% off just recently, I went ahead and bought two of them. This is the eye shadow for me. And I’m not budging. I love that all the shades are matte and I wear them all except for the allure pretty evenly. Then you can use the Transforming Hello Light shadow to add a just a subtle hint of shimmer to any of the shades.

It Bye Bye Under Eye Concealer

I like that this concealer goes on pretty heavy and thick, but it’s not drying. I dab a little teeny bit on under each eye. Then I use this brush to smooth it all around my bottom eyelid and down onto my cheek. I use the light natural tone, which is for light colored skin that has neither an especially cool or warm undertone. They have 48 true to skin color shades to choose from.

Lancome Definicils Mascara

This Lancome Definicils Mascara was not a new purchase for 2018. Instead it was another “welcome back” purchase. Y’all, I have tried and tried and tried to find a mascara that I can wear instead of this one. But I’m back!

Here’s the thing. I have very tiny, thin, blonde eyelashes. They’re small and delicate. So I have to put a good bit of mascara on my lashes to even make them visible. And when I do that with other mascaras, my lashes end up looking clumpy and crumby. Seriously. They also feel dried out and brittle.

But Lancome Definicils lengthens and colors my lashes without that heavy feel. And my lashes feels soft all day long, and never start crumbling. I’m sticking with this mascara. I wear the regular black.

It Cosmetics Your Most Beautiful You Anti-Aging Face Palette

I purchased this It Cosmetics contouring palette for much the same reason I bought the eye shadow palette above. The bronzer is matte! Really gals, as we get older it’s best just to keep the glittery stuff to a minimum. Anything that you add shine to is going to come forward, pop, so to speak. And while I do want to draw attention to my “lovely face” – and you should, too – I don’t necessarily want to draw attention to every little nick and cranny. Know what I mean?

Also, this bronzer goes on very, very subtly. That’s a good thing. It cracked me up when I read the reviews and people were complaining that they had to “dig and dig” in the bronzer to get it to show up on their faces. No! Really, a little bronzer goes much further than we think. We’re just trying to create a little shadow under the cheek bones, under the neck, along the hair line and on the sides of the nose. We don’t necessarily want to appear chiseled!

These are the only shades available for this palette, and that surprised me. But somehow they all look perfect on my skin. I think they’re formulated that way???

Essentials Hand Moisturizer

The Fuller Brush Company, who gifted me the Essential Feet Treatmint Foot Cream, also sent me this hand moisturizer. I love, love, love it. As we get older, we have to work so hard to keep the skin on our hands soft and supple. But that task is compounded here in the high desert where the air is thin and dry. But this lotion keeps my hands softer longer. And I love that I can get it on Amazon.

OPI Infinite Shine Nail System

Weary of going to the nail salon for lasting manicures and needing to pinch pennies a little more, I desperately hunted for a solution last spring. That’s when I discovered the OPI Infinite Shine Nail System and wrote this post about how to use it. This primer and gloss duo is under $20, and it’s lasted me all year. In fact, I still haven’t replaced the first bottles.

This system is easy to use, fast drying and long-staying. Be sure to check out my post about home manicures if you haven’t already.

OPI Infinite Shine Barefoot in Barcelona

I’ve worn several shades of OPI polish this year, but my favorite has definitely been the iconic shade Barefoot in Barcelona. It’s just a nice, pinkish nude shade, perfect for any season, outfit or occasion.

And that’s a wrap. These, of course, are not all the beauty products I use. But these are either ones that are new to me this year or old favorites I’ve returned to. And I can highly recommend all of them.

Do you have any questions about any of these products? Or do you have favorites you’ve come across this year? I’d love for you to leave me a comment and let me know.

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Dressed for My Day

Wisdom doesn’t begin with an education or experience. It doesn’t grow with grey hair or increase with years. Wisdom begins with humility. The beginning of wisdom is realizing that there is a God…and I’m not Him. We grow in wisdom as we lean into His instruction, listen for His voice, look for His light on the path and allow Him to lead. And even when a woman is truly wise and sees things more clearly than the rest of us, we spot that wisdom in her quiet, gentle spirit, her willingness to listen more than she speaks and her humility.

This year, let’s determine to grow in wisdom.

So teach us to number our days, That we may present to You a heart of wisdom. ~ Psalm 90:12