little white truths

If you would like to see last year's post, it's here.

Alpha-H

Yes, my old faithful. I'll be surprised if these guys ever get knocked off this list. The thing is, not only are the products fantastic, but I also think they're reasonably priced (particularly if you can find them on special, which you usually can). On top of that, I've had a great experience with Alpha-H's customer service. They're responsive, helpful and seem to care about their customers. I really don't think you can beat them.

Maslow & Co

Maslow & Co isn't a brand that produces products of course, but it deserves a mention because this is the first time that I've been truly excited about a beauty subscription service for as long as I can remember. Blood, sweat and tears go into curating each box (and this shows), plus it's a skincare-heavy box and while you do get the occasional makeup item, most of it is for the face and body (sometimes the hair too).

On top of that, their customer service is brilliant. Yes the box is more expensive than what I'm used to, but you get better quality stuff and more of it. I've dropped my other subscriptions in favour of keeping just this one.

Anastasia Beverly Hills

These guys deserve a mention for their eyeshadow palettes, if nothing else. I don't buy a lot of eyeshadow because with my hooded eyes, eyeshadow isn't my favourite thing (I'm a blush, bronzer and highlighter kind of girl), but I own two of them and they're the best I own. 

If I had to pick between those two, these being the ABH Modern Renaissance and Master Palette by Mario, I would probably pick the Mario one - but only because it contains colours that I would reach for every day, while I don't reach for warm pinks, reds and oranges on a daily basis. I love them both though. I already know that I'll be buying the next palette they release - whatever the colours - because the formula is so damn amazing.

Hourglass

I know these guys aren't cheap and they're not for everyone, but for me, they can do no wrong. Sometimes you drop good money on a powder and get the feeling that you're mostly paying for packaging and/or the experience of using the product, but with Hourglass, I feel like I'm paying for something that's going to make my face look better than anything else on the market can. Setting powders, blushes, strobe powders, bronzers... I love these. Bloody unicorn tears. They take years off my face. They're worth every penny.

Becca

I don't know what it is about this brand, but after promising myself that I wouldn't buy any more Becca powders until I'd got through some of the ones I own, I've somehow since bought one of the split-pans (half blush, half highlighter), another highlighter (Prismatic Amethyst) and also one of the new Sunlit Bronzers. 

It's as though Becca reaches into my mind and knows exactly what I will buy. I just think these guys know exactly what their market wants, and they get me every time.

Marc Jacobs

I haven't used a hell of a lot from Marc Jacobs - in part because it's an expensive brand and in part because I've already hit saturation point with my makeup collection - but I had to mention them because what I've tried so far I've really loved.

I used a great foundation from these guys and I'm soon to put one of their primers to the test, but they're mostly making the list because I'm obsessed with the Marc Jacobs Airblushes. Indeed, so obsessed that in the last six months, I bought three of them. It's so rare that I buy more than one blush from anyone, so if I've gone ahead and collected three, that's saying something.

Maybelline

I have to mention these guys again too. I swear by Maybelline's lipsticks and mascaras in particular: some of them are my favourites on the market (whether budget or high-end). While not everything I've tried from the brand is a complete hit, if I'm down a product and need to replace something, Maybellline is the first display at Priceline that I'll search because overall their products work better for me than anything else available.

NYX

These guys came to Priceline over the past year and I haven't looked back. I already have four of their Butter Glosses and a handful of other things from them, and I'm yet to be disappointed. I'd always hoped that these guys would become more readily available in Australia because so many people in the beauty community rave about them, and now that they're finally here, I couldn't be happier.

Antipodes

I wasn't sure whether or not to include these guys because not everything I've tried from them is a staple for me, but then I realised that three of the six products I've used from them so far have almost hit HG status and I already know that I'll repurchase them. Since I so rarely repurchase skincare (because I like to try new things), they definitely deserve a mention. It's a reasonably priced brand that you can find in Priceline, and it's even more reasonably priced if you wait for one of the 40 per cent off sales. I do have more from Antipodes in my stores so I'm looking forward to discovering more gems over the next year.

In sum

I hope you enjoyed this little post. While I didn't have as many brands to mention this time around, that's because last year's list looked at the brands I'd loved since I became a beauty junkie. This year I was only focused on the brands that have been front of mind since last year's blogversary.

Do let me know in the comments which brands have impressed you over the last year: I'd love to hear.

Hope all's well with you, and speak soon x