little white truths

Hello and welcome to my final Best in Beauty post for 2017!

You may remember that I divided these posts last year so I had one for complexion (see here) and one for cheeks, lips and eyes (see here), and I've decided to do that again because otherwise this post would be too long.

If you're interested in seeing this year's complexion post: it's here. That one's more about base products while this one's more about 'decoration'.

Also note that I decided to keep my list fresh this year and not just bring you a post full of Hourglass (because Hourglass could have won in the bronzer, blush and highlighter categories), so if I've tried anything this year that rivals my Hourglass products, then I've included it. Also, a lot of these products are 2017 releases so hopefully you'll enjoy having some newer stuff to consider.

Let's have a look.

Best bronzer: Becca Sunlit Bronzer (Ipanema Sun)

While my Hourglass bronzer in Radiant Bronze Light is still my number one, this Becca bronzer in Ipanema Sun comes very close and I personally think it's the best bronzer release of 2017 (keeping in mind that I haven't yet tried any of the Marc Jacobs bronzers).

It applies and blends beautifully, and it offers a natural bronze glow that just looks good. This is also one of those powders that blends well even if my base is still a little tacky, and you can't say that of all powders so that's a huge plus for me because I'm always wearing a dewy base.

I'm sure all the shades are as good as each other, but I picked Ipanema Sun because it's darker and has a red undertone, which is my personal favourite for bronzers. Love.

Best blush: Marc Jacobs Beauty Air Blush (Lines and Last Night)

Again, my Hourglass blushes still just beat these because they airbrush the skin a little better than these do, but gosh these are still amazing. So amazing that this year I bought three of them (!).

This one in Lines and Last Night is my favourite - you know me, I'm obsessed with all things orange - but I do love the other two I own as well, those being the nude Flesh and Fantasy and the peachy pink Kinks and Kisses.

What I love about these is that they apply and blend well and they also smooth texture on the cheeks so they make me look younger. I also love the highlighter section of the three I own because it's subtle and it doesn't emphasise texture. Sensational.

Best highlighter: Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Prismatic Amethyst

There's a story behind this highlighter because I almost, almost didn't buy it. Reason being, I'd sworn off Becca highlighters because even though I love the colours and the feel of the soft, creamy formula, the two I own (Opal and Champagne Pop) emphasise texture so they're not the ones I reach for when I want to look my best.

However. I'd heard that the formula of Prismatic Amethyst was different from the original Becca highlighters and that it was more subtle and did better with texture, and I loved the colour of this so I finally bit the bullet and grabbed it.

I'm so glad I did. I'm completely in love with it and it now rivals my HG Hourglass highlighter in Brilliant Strobe Light: when I'm going out, it's always one of those two that I'm wearing.

Amethyst is an interesting, cool-toned pink/lavender colour and it's a lot more flattering than I expected, plus it doesn't emphasise texture and it also looks beautiful on the eyes. Can't get enough.

It's everything I want in a mascara: it delivers good length and thickness (probably a bit more length than thickness, which is my preference); it's not too clumpy so I rarely need an eyelash comb; and it stays put throughout the day so I don't wind up with flakes and smudges everywhere by lunchtime.

And best of all, the wand isn't too fat so I don't end up with mascara goo all over my hooded eyes whenever I use it! Love.

NYX Butter Glosses (Apple Strudel)

Full review here. This year I tried three raved-about glosses for the first time: Fenty's original gloss release; two of the fabled Marc Jacobs glosses and these Butter Glosses from NYX. And you know what? I still prefer the NYX versions for the simple reason that they're the most hydrating of the three. They're amazing.

I've tried two shades so far but I have another two that are waiting to be opened as soon as I've finished a few more lip products, and I already know that I'll always have one of these in my handbag because I can rely on them for moisture so they're great to pair with other lip products or just wear alone.

Plus they plump up the lips and smooth out texture, so they make my lips look younger. On top of that, they come in a range of shades so there's sure to be something for everyone. Yay.

In sum

I'm super pleased that I've managed to finish all my Best in Beauty posts before the end of the year - I wasn't sure I would manage to do that with all the festive madness going on, but I've done it so huzzah. Now I can focus on winding up Project Pan for the year!

I hope you found something interesting to try in the above post, and do let me know what your makeup favourites are for the year: I'd love to hear.

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