Today’s post is on the products I loved in the last half of 2016. Although most of these were not new releases in 2016, they were all products that came into my collection during the last half of the year. In case you’re interested, I did a 2016 mid-year favourites post here.
Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette
I received this palette in a giveaway from dear Robyn of Lipstick on the Lake in August, and I have been absolutely loving it since. It’s a very versatile palette, and is in constant rotation in my makeup routine. My review of the palette can be found here.
Essie Gel Couture Nail Polish in Sew Me
This is a really pretty pinky-nude that works perfectly for my skin tone. It’s difficult to find nudey-pink polishes that work well with my skin tone, so I was very happy with this find. See my review of the polish here.
Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Mauve Over
I have also been wearing this shade frequently since I bought it back in October. It’s versatile because it’s still neutral enough for work, but is not the typical taupey-nude shades I tend to go for. I wore this shade for three weeks straight in November, which is unheard of!
Shiseido Perfect Rouge Lipstick in RD732
Although I’ve owned deluxe samples of the Perfect Rouge lipsticks, the shades of the samples were never quite right for me. Since I enjoy the formula, I bought a full size of this lipstick in a shade that would be flattering on my skintone. This has been a go-to lipstick for me in the last half of the year – I even wore it for my engagement photos.
MAC Lipstick in Craving
Although this is a new addition to my collection, I’ve been wearing it nonstop since I bought it. This year, I even wore this shade for most of the holidays, instead of the typical red shades I usually go for during Christmas! Review to come of this lipstick.
Jo Malone Wild Bluebell Cologne
I bought this perfume to layer with another Jo Malone perfume for my wedding, but I have to be honest, I’ve already gone ahead and started wearing it on its own already, and it saw me through many special events last month (of which there were many, since it was the holidays)! It’s such a fresh and clean scent, which is exactly what I look for in perfumes.
Laura Mercier Powder Fan Brush and Sephora Multi-Use Contour Brush
I feel a bit silly adding these two tools in my list because I only bought them at the beginning of December, and I usually like to use products for a few months before deciding whether or not they’re a favourite. I think I have just been deprived of a good fan and contour brush for so long that these have quickly become an integral part of my makeup application routine. I’m really so impressed with these brushes; they are even better than I expected.
I am still catching up on my posts to round out the year before I get to my usual posts, so my 2016 favourites will be following next week. What were your favourite products in the last half of the year?
Polished and Inspired 
I want more of the Essie Gel Couture polishes in my life. Just waiting for a sale…
Ooh Shiseido lippies are just SO PERFECT. I can’t get enough of them! I think I had MAC Craving on my list of Back to MAC shades… I think it might be too similar to MAC Finally Free so I decided not to get it. It’s such a pretty shade that perks up the skin.
Now you got me thinking about Jo Malone again. I was off that obsession for a bit but now I need to go back and test more scents! Have you decided what your wedding perfume will be?
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Yes, more Essie Gel Couture polishes in our lives!
Oh yes, the Shiseido lippies are perfection. I need more of those in my life, too. Did you ever find out if they’re replacing the Perfect Rouge with the Rouge Rouge?
Hah, your Nordstrom post was the post that spurred me on to finally bite the bullet and buy this one, so it’s only fitting that my post should make you want to test more of them! Yes, I know what I’m wearing for the wedding – I’m layering this one with Jo Malone’s Nectarine Blossom and Honey, which has been my special occasion perfume for the last few years. I wanted something familiar, but slightly different than what I usually wear, so I thought layering would be the best way to go.
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I did check and thank goodness they’re not getting rid of Perfect Rouge (for now?). The Rouge Rouge is a separate collection that primarily focuses on RED colours. Phew, I’m glad.
Hmm that layering of the 2 Jo Malones sounds amazing! Yes, mixing your own scent is a great way of customizing. Now I’m going to try that mixture too! #copycatsorrynotsorry
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Hmm, Rouge Rouge and red shades…that makes a lot of sense! haha. Interesting that they released a collection ONLY for reds, though.
I’ve heard that the Jo Malone scents were designed to be layered! It makes sense to me – the scents on their own seem to be pretty “basic” or simplistic, and while that doesn’t bug me, adding the scents on top of each other definitely give them more depth. HOWEVER, at the price point they are at, it is rather costly to layer 😛
Anyways, it’s “inspiration”, not copying! I hope you like the mix 😉 I think Nectarine Blossom and Honey might be too fruity for a lot of people.
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I love that Shiseido lippie!!
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So pretty, right? The formula is incredible, too!
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YES!
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Great list of favourites! I really like that SH nail polish, I’m all about mauves! Still need to try that Essie Gel Couture line too, I almost bought it at Superstore last week but it wasn’t on sale so I’m waiting for one. Have you tried any other shades in the line?
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Yes, wait for them to go on sale! I think at regular price, the cheapest I’ve seen them is at Walmart. And the cheapest I’ve seen them is $10.99, although I can’t remember if that was a sale price, or Walmart’s regular price! I do have one other shade called Spool Me Over, which is a milky pink. It’s a little too light for my skin tone during the summer, but I’ve worn it a couple of times in the winter now that I’m less tan. It would probably look nice on you if you don’t already own a million light pinks! The formula lasts a long time without chipping!
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