2021 favourites: my most beloved beauty bits of the year

Let's wrap this baby up!

And so 2021 draws to a close. I don’t really want to go into what kind of a year it’s been — we all know what kind of year it’s been. But I did want to REVIEW and REFLECT upon my own personal year in beauty, because I absolutely love reading others’ yearly favourites. I’ve split them into three categories — if you read this newsletter even semi-regularly, you already know a ton of them. I love repeating myself. Here we go! 

(As usual, please excuse my ‘product photography.’ I cannot take a good photo to save my life! Also some products are missing due to being empty etc. OK, NOW here we go.)

Skincare

CeraVe SA Smoothing Cleanser

I went through two of these this year — it’s an ideal shower wash. No scent, nothing fancy, just good ingredients that can deal with mild-to-medium body zits. I will be buying this again. And probably again, and then again after that.

Pestle & Mortar Vitamin C 2 Phase Serum

My skin really enjoys Vitamin C. I know this because I spent about a month without a Vit C serum and it was like, WTF? In my defence, I thought The Inkey List Q10 would do the same job (Q10 and Vit C often exist in the same products) but it did not. At all. I applied the Pestle & Mortar serum and instantly knew I was on to something good. The bi-phase formula feels so hydrating and the glow?! Insane. I feel it has brightened and evened out my skin. 

I bought this in August and am only coming to the end of it now, so I’m pretty happy with how long it’s lasted with daily use. I have a Skinceuticals Phloretin CF to use next (thank you to my boyfriend who reads this newsletter for gift ideas) but would definitely repurchase. It’s still pricey, but there are often dealz to be had on P&M from various pharmacies and occasionally their own site. A tip from me to you!

Skingredients Skin Shield SPF50+

My favourite hydrating SPF. This + the P&M serum in the mornings = dewy, gorgeous skin. I see myself in the bathroom mirror sometimes and I’m like… who is she. I’m coming to the end of this as well (of course, everything must run out at the same time) and I need to re-up quick before I start looking like Gollum again. I was wondering if I should try another then thought, shut up! No need! This is it! I also LOVE that the brand introduced refillable and recyclable packaging this year.

Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask

Every damn night! In the morning too after I finish my skincare! During the day as well, maybe, if I want a little balm action! Admittedly, my lips don’t get overly dry, so if you have very chapped lips, I’m not sure if this will work for you. For me, it’s just right. I’d like to try the more easily transportable squeezy version — right now, my handbag balm is the Jouer Essential Lip Enhancer (I got it in a class little Cult Beauty set), which is very nice indeed. I also have a Bobbi Brown one on the go. Balms, balms, everywhere. 

Citrine Healthcare Benoxor Acne Cream

I have tried pretty much every spot cream. Mario Badescu Drying Lotion (works, but so annoying to transport), Glossier Zit Stick (no), Vichy Normaderm (no), La Roche-Posay Effaclar (works, but not for what I wanted it to do), Ren Clearcalm (no), Sudocrem (no!), toothpaste (noooo). Now I know that none of these ever stood a chance against cystic acne. I needed benzoyl peroxide, which is not something you can get easily here in Ireland. 

Then I was sent this stuff (I don’t get sent products anymore, but this was in January and I think people didn’t know I had moved jobs). It has 4% benzoyl peroxide, which is about as much as they can give you over the counter here, and while it’s not zapping cystic spots overnight, it is making more of an effort at it than any of the above potions ever did. It was a bit of a lifesaver in the first three-quarters of this year. 

Anti-babby pills

However, a few months ago, I realised that there are only so many spots one woman can fight by herself. I’ve been on the pill before for acne, so I knew what I had to do. Now my skin is spot-free and I feel so. Much. Better. I was subconsciously covering my chin all the time, my face was so sore, and that wears you down, you know? Clear skin is a blessing and I do not take it for granted.

Makeup

I originally had broken this down by product category, but I was not really faithful to one mascara or powder this year. The following products are the ones that I consciously reached for over and over — like, digging-around-in-handbags-and-drawers-searching-for-them-because-nothing-else-will-do kind of thing.

Sculpted by Aimee Brighten Up and Complete Cover Up concealers

These are always my first choice for brightening my undereyes and pinpoint concealing any redness or blemishes. Such a great little duo! They both look pretty flawless blended in and there’s no weird cakey-ness. It’s nice to have a concealer that’s reliable, you know? I am running out of Brighten Up and need to buy another tube because I won’t be without it.

Armani Luminous Silk Foundation

‘Reliable’ seems to be a theme with my favourite base products of the year, what with my skin being totally unreliable. This never fails me. It provides just enough coverage and looks absolutely seamless on the skin. When I need a little more coverage, I go for the Uoma Beauty Say What?! foundation, but more often than not I reach for the Armani.

Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Flawless Filter

What can I say about Flawless Filter that I have not already said over the last year? I simply could not be without it at this stage. I mix it in with pretty much every foundation I own. I use it as a highlighter. I’d bathe in it if I could. I love the gleamy sheen of it and the way it makes even mediocre products look incredible. That’s talent!

Becca Sunrise Waves Gradient Bronzer

This Becca bronzer, man. It’s VERY well-loved, as you can see. I have one or two others but for a powder bronzer, this is the one I always come back to. It’s impossible to do too much, and the gentle sheen provided by the little ripples of highlighter is (was, they are mostly gone) very flattering. Unfortunately, Becca is no more, and the bronzers are not among the Becca products being picked up by Smashbox. Will I try something new on the sad day that this finally kicks the bucket, or try to track down a replacement? I am eyeing up the Patrick Ta cream/powder bronzer duos, but I will not commit just yet.

Lisa Eldridge Enlivening Blush in Dante’s Dream

I have to confess, I was disappointed by the Eldridge blush offering. The formula itself is gorgeous, but my god is the packaging a nightmare. You have to squeeze like mad and clear dried product off the tip and then squeeze some more to get any out — I’ve seen some reports of tubes bursting open with the amount of squeezing necessary to extract some product. 

That said, Dante’s Dream is just… everything I want in a blush, and seems to have a better consistency than the lighter shades (I also got Pink Poetry and fear that is an accident waiting to happen). If she rejigged the packaging, which I think she will, she would be on to a winner. The fact that it’s here in my faves despite the tube issues says a lot.

Honourable mentions: Charlotte Tilbury Cheek To Chic Blush in Walk of No Shame and Hollywood Superstar Glow Highlighter

I’m giving these honourable mention status because they’ve only really come into play over the last month or so — there’s just something very festive about this combination. Walk of No Shame is a deep red that gives you that ‘just in from a brisk winter walk’ look (which I happen to enjoy), while Superstar Glow is a peachy-gold sheen that’s a step or two up from my usual Flawless Filter. These days, I apply powder highlighter with a brush, then bounce my foundation sponge over it to blend it in. This gives you the glitz of the powder with the skinlike appearance of a cream or liquid highlight. No tiger stripes of product, just glow.

Liquid/cream eyeshadows, in general

I could not tell you the last time I reached for a palette. I want to dab my eyeshadow on with my fingers and leave ASAP. My lads of choice include (and yes, we are doing a bulleted list):

• Smashbox Always On Cream Shadows in Amber and Greige, a warm camel and a cool-toned grey-brown

• Haus Laboratories Glam Attack in Retro, a gorgeous, glossy champagne

• Charlotte Tilbury Eyes to Mesmerise in Star Gold, a burnished coppery-orange 

• Natasha Denona Chromium Liquid Eyeshadow in Scarab, an amazing green-gold reflective dream (seriously, it needs to be seen IRL to be fully appreciated)

• Violette_FR Yeux Paints in Tendre Corail and Bleu de Minuit, a soft coral and a shimmering navy that looks so cool as cat eyeliner

Most of these were new to me this year. I used to do like, three shades minimum if I was doing eyeshadow! What for, prithee, when a quick slick of any of these looks just as good?

Lisa Eldridge True Velvet Lipsticks (all shades, honestly) and the Gloss Embrace in Muse

Masks have made wearing lipstick virtually impossible, but why do I throw caution to the wind and do it anyway? This bitch. (Jk Lisa i luv u.) Lisa Eldridge lipsticks kind of encapsulate why I love makeup so much. I’m stupidly excited to wear them, every single time. The shades are so beautiful and unique and each one has so much thought and love put into it. It’s art! My boyfriend now knows that I won’t be speaking to him on the bus or in a taxi because talking causes my mask to move. Silence is essential for the lipstick to remain pristine.

You don’t hear about the Eldridge glosses as much, but rest assured they are as gorgeous as the lipsticks. I have Muse (I got the set with the lipstick and liner) and it’s my favourite type of gloss — super shiny, non-sticky, basically a really glamorous tinted lip balm. I throw it on over any kind of nude liner (shh, don’t tell Lisa but more often than not, it’s one from Penneys) and head on my merry way. 

Spectrum x Katie Jane Hughes brushes

Yeah, I did it. After saying I wouldn’t buy the Katie Jane Hughes brushes, I did (with a discount code, mind you). And I bloody love them. The quality is beautiful. I love the tiny little blending brushes, the flat detail brushes, the duo-fibre brushes… the whole set was created with such creativity and attention to detail. I haven’t reached for any other brushes since, especially when it comes to eye makeup. So if you were wondering whether you should pull the trigger on it, well, allow me to enable you.

Hair/Body

Bumble and bumble Surf Spray

I’m really bad at hair. I just can’t find the effort to drag out my tools and style it every day. I salute those who do, because they always look amazing, but it isn’t me. I’m always looking for that elusive ‘just wash it and go’ haircut, and this year I actually found it — the genius Kathy McLean gave me shaggy layers and now I literally wash it, spritz some salt spray in it, and go. Sometimes I’ll use a straightener to shape my ‘curtain bangs’ (lol) but that’s kind of the height of it. I curled it with my Airwrap the other weekend and while it looked class, it took. So. Long. I can’t be at this all day! I have TikToks to watch!

It’s not essential to use bumble and bumble to achieve this look, I’m sure, but I had this spray sitting in a drawer for two years and it did not make sense to me until I got this haircut. I really love the texture it gives to my natural waves and noticed my hair was not as nice when I didn’t use it, so… guess I’ll be spending €30 on the full-size bottle. It must be done.

iGlow Lash Serum

My friends, this stuff works. I started using it in the summer and now I fear I can never stop. My lashes are long, curly, and stunning, even without mascara. I completely understand why people get addicted to lash extensions and LVLs because it just lifts your entire face. As someone who is not exactly filled with regard for her appearance, having nice lashes is a big boost. If the price is €51 a tube (€40-ish if you buy two), then that is the price I shall pay. 

Byredo 1996 Eau de Parfum

This was a 30th birthday present from my boyfriend and I love that it now reminds me of that time. Every so often I get obsessed with a fragrance, and 1996 is one of them. It’s — and please bear with me because it’s very hard to describe scent — so warm and spicy-sweet. Like the inside of a very glamorous woman’s very glamorous handbag. I’d like to live in it.

Jo Malone London Fig and Lotus Flower Cologne

Fig is a GOOD smell, isn’t it? I would never have thought so, and then I got a mini Diptique Figuier candle and became instantly enamored by that rich, fruity scent. Jo Malone Fig and Lotus Flower is a daytime favourite of mine (Poppy and Barley is a close second… I am basic and love Jo Malone). It feels unique — even though it probably isn’t, hardcore fragrance heads do not come for me — and kind of witchy. 

And finally: YOU

Yeah, you! Reading this! I started Vanity Project in January of 2021 as a little creative side-project — I did not expect it to gain over 600 subscribers. This newsletter was a very positive distraction for me during our second plague year and it means a lot to see people reading and engaging with my stuff. Thank you! Really. 

Happy Christmas! Thank you SO MUCH for reading Vanity Project. The final post of the year will dive into yet more of my empties so get ready, I guess. See you soon!