Best Makeup Products of 2022

I hope you enjoyed the holidays. It has been busy and a little crazy moving so close to Christmas, but I’ve survived so far 😅. We stopped on the way to our new home to enjoy the holiday with family and that has been a welcome break.

So anyway, I wanted to share some of the best products that I tested this year. These items aren’t favorites of mine but I can still appreciate them for how well they perform. For more stand-out products, check out my recent post on the Most Surprising Products of 2022. Let’s get into it.

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Charlotte Tilbury Pillow Talk Dreams Quad, $53**

The Pillow Talk Dreams Luxury Palette is a great option for anyone that likes to keep things simple especially if you have a medium to dark skin tone. Those with lighter skin tones can still use this quad, however, all of the shades being mid-tones and darker keep it from offering as much versatility. That is just my opinion, of course, so don’t let me discourage you if you feel that I’m off base with that assessment.

All of the shades are nicely pigmented and although the shimmers offer a nice amount of shine, they are forgiving to eyelid texture. One thing that may be important for some of you is that the mattes in this quad do darken when they are applied over anything that may still be wet. If you want to see how dark they get, check out my full review post by clicking here. So if you use a cream base or concealer, the matte shades will look darker. You can also check out that same review if you want more details on this quad.

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Smashbox Halo Tinted Moisturizer, $41**

When I wear the Smashbox Halo Tinted Moisturizer I feel like I’m having a good skin day. Even on my driest days, it makes my skin feel moisturized and it wears comfortably all day. One caveat is that it isn’t as forgiving to eczema texture as something like the MAC Face and Body is, but honestly, that is a lot to ask of a product. It’s a dewy finish that can benefit from a little powder if you don’t like a tacky feeling on your skin.

While this is light coverage, it gets a little closer to medium coverage than other tinted products that I’ve tried (MAC Face and Body, Estee Lauder Double Wear Sheer, bareMinerals Complexion Rescue). For more details, you can check out my skin tint/tinted moisturizer comparison post by clicking here.

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Pat McGrath Sublime Perfection Concealer, $34**

The Pat McGrath Sublime Perfection Concealer is matte, full coverage, and has a great shade range. This concealer has been great for me as a spot concealer. It sets by itself and does not need powder to stay in place. It doesn’t sink into my pores or my smile lines. Unfortunately, I can’t keep this concealer from creasing under my eyes, but I think I just have finicky under-eyes because I don’t see a lot of people having that issue. Despite my troubles using it under my eyes, I still think this is an excellent concealer for both coverage and performance as a spot concealer. For more details, you can check out my concealer round-up post by clicking here.

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MAC Face and Body Sheer Radiance Foundation, $39**

Since I have done a full review of this foundation (you can check that out here), and also talked about it in my skin tint/tinted moisturizer comparison (you can see that here), I’m going to graze over this one. This has a sheer to light coverage, feels lightweight, and wears surprisingly well for how sheer it is. This does have enough pigment to make my skin appear more even in tone and disguise minor spots. So if you are someone with a little redness and just want a little coverage, this could be perfect for you.

Mac Face and Body looks more natural and skin-like than any other base product that I’ve tested in the 9 years that I’ve been a beauty blogger. I truly think it is a unique product.

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Honorable Mention: Pat McGrath Baked Blush Formula

Pat McGrath’s Limited Edition Baked Face palette was released with her Bridgerton Part 2 collection and the blush formula is beautiful. Because this palette is sold out, I’m categorizing this as an honorable mention. The packaging is on brand for the novelty of the Bridgerton Collection, but unfortunately, that packaging overshadows the blush. If the brand releases this formula as a single, I will be the first in line. Despite not liking face palettes, if they released this in a sleeker palette, I’d probably buy it.

They are very pigmented but incredibly smooth and easy to blend. For my skin tone (medium deep) I do not find myself needing to be very careful. I never overload my brush with product as a rule, so that could be why. I just lightly tap my brush in the product and it gives me enough pigment to work with. I do apply product to my brush for each cheek. I have seen fair and light skin tones say they have to be very careful with this palette so keep that in mind. The blushes do have a healthy sheen to them, but they aren’t shimmery. They look very smooth on my skin and don’t accentuate any texture. The highlight on the other hand does have some larger shimmer particles that you can see, but I don’t find that it accentuates my texture very much, which is nice.

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Honorable Mention: Covergirl So Flushed High Pigment Bronzer, $10.99**

The problem here is the color range. There are only 3 shades being offered and I’ve only seen all 3 available at Walmart ($7.94)**. Until this year, they only had 1 shade (390 Sunset Glitz) so despite expanding the range (which I appreciate), it still needs more work. I can only vouch for the formula of shades 400 Ebony and 420 Warmth. 420 Warmth works better for me in the winter but I really need a shade between 400 and 420 for my NARS Tahoe/Estee Lauder 4W4 skin tone.

For my personal preferences, the Covergirl Trublend So Flushed Bronzer (click here for original review) is just a little powdery, but since that doesn’t impact the performance, I don’t think it’s a deal breaker. This bronzer is still fairly firmly pressed and it isn’t messy necessarily, the kick-up only happens when you dip your brush in the pan. Although there are easier to blend powders, this isn’t difficult to work with by any means. The creamy texture of the formula translates as a healthy satin sheen that is reminiscent of the Becca Bronzers. It is not as good as the Becca Sunlit Bronzer or as blurring, it is just kind of a nod in that direction.

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So that’s it, these are products that impressed me the most this year and that I would easily recommend to someone. Just because a product doesn’t become a personal favorite or meet our personal preferences doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate it for how well it may perform for someone else. What were your best products this year? Let me know in the comments section below.

This will be my last post of 2022. Thank you all so much for being here and supporting my blog. I hope to see you all in the new year, be safe and have fun!

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If you enjoyed this post, please give it a like down below.  If you’d like to check out more of my content, here are some places to start. 

• Brands A-Z: Check out this index if you want to know what products I have posted about in the past.
• MAC Cosmetics:  I likely have some swatches you’ve been searching for if you love Mac as much as I do. 
• The Wanderlust List:  Join me as I search for alternatives to new releases.

Disclaimer:  I purchased all products featured with my own money.  This site receives a minimal commission from participating in the WordAds program and using affiliate links.  For my full disclosure policy, click here.