The best of beauty in 2020

2020 was a wild year, full of ups and downs. One of the rare highlights for me was having the time and cash (because we couldn’t go anywhere or do anything!) to discover new beauty brands and products.

I fell in love with some new releases, tried some different brands and re-discovered some classics, as I transformed my skincare, beauty and hair routines this year.

So here are some of the products, old and new, I fell in love with this year:

SKINCARE

• The Body Shop Vitamin E Skin Cooling gel mist: Thicker than a normal mist, but incredibly cooling and hydrating. Lovely way to start my nighttime routine.
• Go-To Skin Care Fancy Face: This was the cleanser that got me into oil cleansers and also made double cleansing a regular part of my routine.
• Summer Fridays CC Me Serum: Vitamin C, Squalane and Niacinamide work together to help brighten skin and improve pigmentation.
• Sunday Riley CEO Glow Vitamin C + Tumeric Oil: I use with my vitamin C serums in the morning for an instant glow and extra hydration.
• Summer Fridays Jet Lag Mask: I love to use this mask as a night cream, because my skin looks plump and nourished the next morning.
• Lanolips 101 Ointment Multi-balm Coconutter: Another lovely Lanolips balm, but with Vitamin E and coconut oil.
• Bondi Sands Hydra UV Protect SPF50+: Super lightweight SPF without the stickiness. A real winner for this price point.

BODY

• Go-To Skin Care Skin Party: A beautiful body lotion with shea butter, vitamin e, sweet almond oil and squalane. A little goes a long way.
• Isle of Paradise Self-Tanning Water: Have this in medium and it gives a gorgeous golden tan. Sprays on clear.
• Frank Body Perky Sculpting Body Hydrator: Designed to help stretch marks and cellulite, I just love this as a body moisturiser. Smells incredible and comes in a reusable coffee cup.

MAKE-UP

• Ere Perez Oat Milk Foundation in Malt (gifted): I fell in love with this foundation and have been using it every day since I got it. It’s the perfect sheer-to-medium coverage and has a lovely natural finish.
• Hourglass Unlocked Instant Extensions Mascara: This is now my all time favourite mascara. No exceptions. It’s tubular but still gives volume. I love it.
• Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit – Sculpture: I finally got myself an Hourglass palette and adore it. Beautiful powder blushes, a bronzer, highlighter and two finishing powders.
• Nudies Matte All Over Face Color Blush & Bronze in Bondi Bae: I tried a lot of new cream products this year and this bronzer from Nudestix was one of my favourites. Not too dark and easy to blend for a natural finish.

HAIR

• Daily Naturals Leave-in Detangler Spray: I use this after every wash and it keeps my hair manageable and easy to brush.
• Tangle Teezer Wet Detangler brush: I finally replaced my old hairbrush and love this lightweight brush. It works so well in wet hair and doesn’t pull or snag.
• Klorane Dry Shampoo with Oat Milk for Brown to Dark Hair: The holy grail of dry shampoo. Extra points for the dark tint.

2020 MVP – MECCA MAX

The brand that most impressed me this year was Mecca Max. They had quite a few exciting releases, their price point is always really fair and the quality continued to impress. In particular, I really enjoyed:

• Mecca Max Off Duty Contour Stick in medium: This cream bronzer is a little cooler than the Nudestix in Bondi Bar but it’s so easy to use and has such a nice finish that doesn’t budge.
• Mecca Max Zoom liner in Baby Blue: I’ve never been a big fan of liner, but this blue is so fun and easy to use.
• Mecca Max Off Duty Glow Stick: This is my first highlighter with a real wet-look finish and I am a fan. It’s such a nice alternative to a sparkly highlighter and super easy to blend.
• Mecca Max BroW Guru Micro-matic Pencil: A foolproof brow pencil and brush with a fine tip for natural looking brows.
• Mecca Max Brow Guru Clear Control Gel: I use this to set my brows and also to tame wild flyaways on my hair line.

What were your standout beauty and skincare products this year?