Hails and Fails of 2023

Hi lovelies,

It’s been a crazy old year here at RachNevs Beauty and it doesn’t look like it’ll ease up as we continue to move forward. We want to say a massive thank you to everyone for this year. Our little corner of the internet has grown a little bit more and that couldn’t happen without you. I hope you enjoy the celebrations and ring in 2024 in style.

Our tradition on the final week of the year is to post our Hails and Fails of the last 12 months. As always I want to reiterate there is no hate to the brands and products mentioned particularly in our fails section. Some products simply do not work for or suit everybody, that does not make them bad.

Hails

But let’s start with the positives. With their successes continuing to flourish, I’m sure it’s no surprise to you all that our first hails comes from Made by Mitchell. This time, it’s the Colour Case, particularly the essentials. This made the list due to it’s versatility as a makeup product. It can be used on the eyes, skin and lips and dries from a cream to a powder. It’s pretty awesome.

Next up is an item that I bought for my pro kit that has become a staple in life. I decided to try the Fenty Beauty Pro Filt’r Instant Retouch Setting Powder essentially because of it’s inclusive range of shades…that and they were actually in stock. The powder leaves you with a smooth, soft matte finish to the skin and sets your base for hours without it looking heavy or cakey. It also smells of candyfloss which is always a winner.

There’s usually a Makeup Revolution product somewhere on the yearly roundup and this year is no exception…in fact there’s two. I’ll start with the IRL Filter Longwear Foundation which really is like having a filter in a bottle. It smooths, blurs and covers pretty much everything you need it too without it looking or feeling thick and heavy on the skin. It also lasts hours before it begins to break down and start to crease.

The other Makeup Revolution products to make the hails list are the foundation mixing pigments in 4 shades. As a makeup artist, these have become essentials in my kit for customizing foundations for my clients. They work with other brands and you don’t need to use much to change the shade of the foundation. They’ve lightened my kit and saved me money in the process but they’re amazing if you struggle to find your foundation shade.

Another powder makes the list can you believe it. I don’t think a pressed powder has made the list before but the Maybelline Fit Me Matte and Poreless Pressed powder leaves you with a smooth and matte finish to the skin. It’s a truly beautiful affordable powder. The shade range is pretty inclusive I just wish you could purchase the darker shades everywhere.

You thought we’d get through this list without an eyeshadow palette…yeah not happening. The Beauty Bay Fiery 2.0 42 colour palette is the stand out one of this year for me. The shade range caught my eye online and it doesn’t disappoint in person. The shades are pigmented, vivid and easy to blend. The shimmers are full of sparkles and they last for hours. You won’t find much better in an affordable brand.

The penultimate product on the hails list is the P.Louise Skin Make it Melt Makeup Remover. Honestly this removes pretty much everything to do with makeup including certain special effects. You don’t need to use much to remove a full face of heavy makeup and even helps to reduce staining. It leaves your skin feeling soft with

Our final products of the hails list falls within the special effects category but we thought they were worth adding to the list. The Ripper FX Alcohol Paint palettes are a great, affordable way to get started in effects makeup which isn’t always the cheapest. I particularly love the bruise and bloody palettes that are perfect for creating manner of basic effects.

Fails

We’ve not come across many products that we did not get along with this year. For that, I am so grateful but it does make this section a bit harder to write. The first one on this list is a much loved favourite in the beauty community so I’ll make my apologies now. The Laura Mercier Translucent setting powder isn’t bad per se…it’s just not the best on the market in my opinion.

The other powder on this list is the same. There’s nothing exactly wrong with the RCMA The Original No Colour Setting powder on my skin but it does not look good on darker skin. It describes itself as a powder for all skin tones that doesn’t leave an ashy cast and it most certainly does. That alone is the reason for it making this list.

The final product to make the fails list this year is the Makeup Revolution Maxi Reloaded Monster Mattes. Again, it’s one that’s not necessarily bad but Makeup Revolution have produced better palettes. The shadows are a little lackluster and they’re not the most pigmented however they can be built up. But yeah, there’s definitely better out there.

Overall, I’d say it’s been a pretty successful year in terms of products. We found some stunning products, some great products and then some good products. I don’t think we’ve tried anything truly bad this year which is always a good thing.

Once again, thank you so much for another fabulous year here at RachNevsBeauty. Stay safe tonight and bring in 2024 in style. Let us know in the comments whether you agree with our list…or if you have any ones to add. Don’t forget to hit that like and follow button for more. Maybe even join our email list if you loved it.

Rach xx

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