Last year truth be told I fell out of love a bit with beauty blogging. For many reasons. Rather than take things to a sour level, I want to share with you my favourite beauty products of 2016. This is by no means a comprehensive list but these are all ones that sprang to mind when I was thinking about this post. In fact I am sure I will have left some off unintentionally. These products though are the best of the best and the ones I found myself in many cases repurchasing and using time and time again.

The Primer: Hangover Primer x Too Faced is still my all-time favourite face primer. Given how moisturising it feels, you'd think my combination skin would hate it but it surprisingly doesn't. It keeps my base makeup in place for so much longer and adds just the slightest hint of glow. It feels incredibly nourishing too rather than silicone-esque or greasy. Wins all 'round. I repurchased a tube of this at Mecca Maxima in Melbourne but I am so stoked it's stocked on Mecca NZ's site now too.

The Lip Duo: Koko K x Kylie Cosmetics and MAC Viva Glam Ariana Grande Lipgloss, limited edition, Kylie's lip kits certainly hit the big time this year and out of the liquid lipsticks I tried in 2016, they remain firm favourites. Koko K, inspired by Khloe Kardashian is my favourite. Paired with this beautiful, iridescent pink lipglass from MAC you have the perfect duo. The gloss adds shine and slightly tones down the matte feel of the liquid lipstick. Admittedly this duo is not windy weather friendly but for the rest of the time, it's a winner.

The Palette of Dreams: Tartelette in Bloom's palette was used on high rotation all year. In fact, out of all my powder eyeshadows, these ones are my favourite. Pigmented, vibrant and so versatile. I love the three shimmer shades inside but the mattes are all fantastic too.

The Bold Lip: Miranda May x Charlotte Tilbury mightn't be as bold to more daring makeup fans but for me, it's the shade I feel most comfortable wearing on a day to day basis. Yes it is vibrant but it is not as in your face as some of the more electric hues out there and when I want to go a touch more incognito, it's this I reach for.

The Neutral Necessity: Doe x MAC Cosmetics is part of MAC's new Liptensity lineup. It is certainly not an essential colour but I find myself using it a lot. It's one of those effortless colours and formulas that you know will last a reasonable amount of time before needing to reapply.

The Lash Enhancer: Grandiose Mascara* x Lancome has been my favourite mascara. I think I prefer the original to the newer incarnations but if there is one thing Lancome does well, it's their mascaras. Best paired with a lash curler but it's equally as curling on its own. This mascara doesn't flake or smudge like crazy which is a huge bonus in Summer+in general really. I really want to try some more of Lancome's mascaras this year so if you have any recommendations because I know they have a few, let me know.

The Base Essentials: Smashbox Primer Water* and Honey Trap Lip Balm x Lush are godsends. In fact, Lush's lip balms and scrubs are both fantastic. Anyway, Smashbox Primer Water might be luxe but my bottle is still going strong. Compared to other mists this feels a lot finer and less like it's settling on to the surface of your skin. It may be a placebo effect but I feel like it really does make makeup last a lot longer. Honey Trap lip balm is by no means an essential but I always like to prep my lips whenever I am doing makeup. It helps that it smells of vanilla and honey but as far as a lip balm goes it is pretty darn fab.

The Complexion Staple: Ambient Lighting Bronzer x Hourglass, in the shade Luminous Bronze Light has been my favourite face powder this year. It's warm but not intensely so, meaning it can be used year-round. It warms my paler skin up without looking orange and adding the slightest hint of glow, without veering into disco-ball territory. It's a bit on the pricey side of things but it's worth the money. For a cheaper alternative, I also liked the Physicians Formula Butter Bronzer for something a bit friendlier on the wallet. It's just a bit on the sheerer side of things for my liking.

The Concealer: Age Rewind x Maybelline is my absolute favourite for the under-eye area. My only qualm is that it isn't sold in NZ. It's a godsend for concealing dark circles on the eyes without creasing or looking too thick. I went through a couple of these in 2016 and made sure to repurchase another as backup when I was in Australia.

The Extras: Coco Mademoiselle x Chanel, Rejuvenate Intensive Body Balm x Aesop and Beautyblender Last but not least we have these three gems. They don't quite fit into their own categories but are all equally worth mentioning. In short, Mademoiselle was easily my most-used fragrance in 2016. If I wasn't such a fan of various fragrances, it'd be quite possibly the only one I ever use. The intensive body balm from Aesop has been such a saviour for my dry, cracked hands and elbows. It helps that it smells divine, citrusy and vanilla blended in perfect harmony. The Beautyblender might just masquerade as an overpriced sponge, thus fooling us all who are susceptible to it. As far as beauty sponges go though, this really is the best. Light, bouncy and a godsend for quick makeup application. I'd be lost without it, and have been frequently. Given my inability to not lose my sponges at least once or twice a month.

-What beauty products did you love in 2016?

*PR Sample

'Tis the season for strong brow games. Season might be a bit modest, it's been more of a year for brows. I've been trying some new brow products lately and I love them. It seemed about time that they received a bit of attention around these parts so here we have it...

L'Oreal Brow Artist Plumper in Dark Brunette-I've tried a few brow mascaras now and this one has to be my favourite. This colour's dark but it doesn't add too much colour to your brows. It's really easy to dispense the colour through your brows and works well on its own or combined with a brow pencil to help set things in place. The one thing that lets this product down is there are only a blonde or brunette option available. What about the redheads and people who aren't blonde/have dark eyebrows? There is a transparent one too but still, there should be more options.

Smashbox Brow Tech Gloss Stick in Brunette*-Ignore the gloss part of this product's name for a second because you're not going to be left with shiny brows. I guess the gloss comes into it because the pencil is quite creamy as opposed to something more waxy. Anyway, this is a wind up brow pencil with a spoolie on the other end to comb through your eyebrows. It's super quick and easy to use and this colour leans more on the natural side of things. If you have dark brows like me, this is what you want. It's long-wearing as well and combined with the brow artist plumper you have a match made in eyebrow heaven.

-Have you tried either of these brow products before? If not, what are your go-to brow products? 

*PR Sample