THE BEST MAKEUP OF 2026 SO FAR | My Mid-Year Favourites!
Sonia G$323- “I think the face brushes just really filled gaps and just took Sonia's previous offering in brushes, it just somehow because they're all so excellent, it just snuck to the top of my list of all time favorite brushes and these are now my four most used almost solely used brushes day-to-day for doing my cheek products”▶ 1:35
- “The quality, the shapes, the bristles, the density, the softness, everything is just absolutely perfect and they apply makeup so effortlessly and easily”▶ 2:10
- “All four of these just apply in such a beautifully diffused effortless blended way. They really do make my life a lot easier”▶ 2:34
- “So for me, no question brush offering of the year so far”▶ 2:43
Hourglass$75- “Just being able to build your dream product and for me what is one of my all-time favorite formulas for cheek products is like a dream come true. I'm just absolutely obsessed with it”▶ 3:14
- “I love that we had different shades to pick from this year. I love that we brought back a highlighter that is a little softer because last year we really only had uber metallic options and for me that's just a little too intense”▶ 3:27
- “This actually ended up in my top drawer which last year's didn't and I just love it so much”▶ 3:46
Westman Atelier$75.00- “I did have my reservations about this. It did look stiffer when I was seeing the initial reviews, but it's so beautiful”▶ 4:45
- “You get the right brush, which would be a Sonia G buffer. This is just so pretty and effortless”▶ 4:51
- “Beautiful packaging, beautiful quality, exceptional cream bronzer”▶ 5:34
Marc Jacobs Beauty$42.00Legally Bronze Talc-Free Blurring Powder Bronzershade · Light Medium- “I initially got light medium plus and a lot of you were telling me that the light medium shade was much closer to the OG bronzer that we all knew and loved. And I think it is closer. It's not the exact same. The tone the undertone is slightly different. I don't think this is quite as neutral”▶ 5:44
- “But it is unquestionably a gorgeous matte bronzer formula. Effortless, buildable, silky”▶ 6:05
- “That's what's so special about this bronzer and what was so special about the OG Marc Jacobs bronzer is the texture of it. So silky and soft and so natural as well on the skin”▶ 6:11
- “I would say I don't think I can say equally to the OG. I think the OG just pips it for me. But that did have some issues. I the packaging was a mess. The product did collapse when you got to the end of it. It was very thin in the pan. So I do think that this is better”
- “It's a gorgeous bronzer”
Sisley$140- “The most insanely gorgeous presentation, but not just that, a spectacularly beautiful natural, effortless, perfect everyday highlighter formula for me and what I look for”▶ 7:22
- “It does run quite yellow. So if you are fairer than me, it may look a little too golden for you”▶ 7:36
- “Very annoying that it's only available in one shade. I do wish we had several for different skin tones, but this one is perfect for my skin tone and it's so pretty”▶ 7:41
- “It has become a top drawer staple and one that I do use quite a lot because it just is perfect for every day. It's not too much. It melts into the skin. It's soft and luminous and effortless lit from within, which is exactly what I like on a day-to-day basis”▶ 7:53
Dior$52.00- “Did not expect to love this as much as I do. I really purchased this because I wanted to see this packaging in person and review it. Really did not think this would become a staple for me”▶ 8:25
- “It looks very sparkly on my hand, and that was one of the reasons I thought I wouldn't like it, but there's something about this when you apply it on the cheek that it just doesn't register as sparkly, as glittery as it does when you look at it in the pan and you do a swatch. It's just beautiful”▶ 8:41
- “The packaging is my all-time favorite, probably, of any product I've ever seen in my life. It's just delicious”▶ 9:02
Hourglass$48Unreal Liquid Highlightershade · Divine- “I think these are an excellent product, perfect for travel, really tailorable to whatever you would like”▶ 9:22
- “This shade is a little light for me, so it's looking a little gray. This is the divine shade, better for me in winter than it is right now”▶ 9:34
- “What I really love about them is the ability to mix them with the liquid blushes from Hourglass, which just gives you the glossiest, juiciest cheek known to man”▶ 9:46
- “Very easy to use for me being a liquid phobe. You use one tiny dot. They're going to last you an entire lifetime, and I love that they have that glowing, wet look luminosity without looking shimmery or sparkly”▶ 9:54
- “You can mix these with foundation. You can mix these with any other liquid product to tailor them and just have fun and play with them, which I really enjoy”▶ 10:13
Dior$44.00- “I love that we're getting more clear, colorless highlighters. I just think they are It's such a gap. There's so few of them that are truly colorless. Some of them claim to be universal shades and often aren't. This is truly clear and colorless altogether, and it has such a gorgeous glassy finish to it”▶ 10:42
- “It does run slightly sticky, just like the blush sticks do. But if you can get past that, I think this is a perfect holiday product”▶ 11:04
- “Really pretty. You can use it on the body and get that gorgeous colorless glow as well, which I really appreciate”▶ 11:11
- “This is another not totally colorless, but pretty close. It's maybe got like a hair more base to it than the Dior, just a slight tinge”▶ 11:26
- “This just is even wetter looking than the Dior, just so uber smooth as well”
- “It just is so glass-like. The finish is absolutely smooth like water. It's gorgeous, absolutely beautiful and I think probably my favorite cream highlighter stick formula that I have tried”▶ 12:12
- “This more traditional cream highlighter in pan form and this one is a lot more intense than the others I've mentioned so far. Real gleaming shade, so pretty”▶ 12:37
- “This can be used on cheeks, eyes, lips, body, very versatile. Does exactly what it says on the tin when it's mimicking that butterfly lighting effect”▶ 12:49
- “So beautiful, so easy to use, not as sticky as the Dior. It sort of slightly doesn't dry down, but it almost like sets a little, so it's just not as sticky and tacky as the Dior, so other products will, especially powders, will go on top of it more effortlessly and without you having to take a lot of care”▶ 13:04
Duo de Baumes Multi-Use Duo Stickshade · Gentle Glow- “It's just stunning. I've got it on today both the blush and the highlighter”▶ 13:33
- “On the cheeks, it's just the glossiest, prettiest, easiest shade”▶ 14:05
- “I do still think that given the blush is so glowy, we could have done without the highlighter, but more is more a lot of the time when it comes to glow, isn't it?”▶ 14:13
- “I love the packaging of this. It's not maybe as bougie as Chanel can be with its powder products, but it is elegant. It's easy. It's functional. It works well. It has a nice weight to it”▶ 14:22
- “For a cream product other than Westman Atelier, this is definitely pretty much as good as it gets. Perfect for travel, perfect for popping in a handbag, perfect for taking with you on holiday. And it will 100% be coming with me on mine”▶ 14:35
VIOLETTE_FR$34.00Bisou Blushshade · Latte Praline- “I picked this up after seeing my friend Sophia's Beauty wearing this and it looks so stunning on her and just like the perfect everyday nude neutral blush of which there just aren't enough and it is exactly that”▶ 14:55
- “Slightly peachy leaning blush. It's so silky. This has such an interesting texture this product. It's like a cream, I guess. But it's so silky and it feels very um velvety, I think is the right word, velvety”▶ 15:10
- “It sort of almost sets down a little bit like a cream to powder, so it feels very soft and it gives you that really soft focus blurring effect on the cheek. Very, very flattering, very long-wearing again for a cream in a similar way to the Westman Atelier”▶ 15:29
- “Gorgeous packaging. Will, I'm sure, become one of my all-time most used blushes because the shade is just perfect”▶ 15:42
Dior$42.00Backstage Rosy Glow Blushshade · Pomelo- “Didn't expect to like this. Really bought this as part of my review, just making sure I had something to try in each category, and then ended up absolutely loving it”▶ 15:55
- “These are a very uber buildable formula, actually, these Dior Backstage blushes. You can kind of build them as much or as little as you like”▶ 16:31
- “It's just a perfect like everyday corally blush. Really pretty shine and sheen to the finish. Just really easygoing. I really, really like these Backstage blushes”▶ 16:37
- “I don't want to because they just aren't as bougie as the regular line. It feels a little lighter and less exciting to look at, but they're just are so functional and practical and they are like I have three of them now in my top drawer, so they really are becoming, like it or not, a solid favorite”▶ 16:46
Gucci$50- “Without question, with no close competitors, the blush of the year for me so far are these Gucci glow blushes. They are just absolutely outrageously beautiful”▶ 17:11
- “If I had designed a blush myself, this is would be it. A powder that is so luminous without being sparkly or glittery or adding texture, but in powder form, absolutely stunning”▶ 17:28
- “My only complaint about these is there are not enough shades available for a blush line and it's so beautiful. I want 10 more shades”▶ 17:43
- “This is like my favorite ever powder blush formula, I think. It's probably neck and neck with the Chanel glowy finish blushes, but if we had more shades, it would be a standout top favorite ever. Just absolutely stunning”▶ 17:23
Victoria Beckham Beauty$40.00Contour Stylus Contouring Stickshade · Fresco- “The most ridiculous idea ever, but exceptionally executed”▶ 18:32
- “I have also had a few of you tell me that yours snapped off. So, please only wind this up a tiny amount and use a brush on it rather than scribbling on it. I feel it's going to snap and that is outrageous”▶ 19:08
- “The finish and the formula itself is stunning. The effect is absolutely gorgeous and I love it so much”▶ 19:25
Natasha Denona$69.00- “This is my all-time favorite Natasha Denona palette and that is saying some. I've barely used another product eyeshadow palette since this arrived. It's just perfect”▶ 20:26
- “My perfect right down the middle neutral undertones, not leaning warm, not too cool, just perfectly neutral. The perfect transitional shades, perfect depths, perfect finishes, plenty of impact from the shimmers and choice of shimmers”▶ 20:38
- “It has absolutely everything I've ever wanted and more in an everyday eyeshadow palette. I'm head over heels in love with it”▶ 20:56
Bobbi Brown$34.00Long-Wear Cream Eyeshadow Stickshade · Brilliant Moonstone- “Oh, I mean, they have been sold out on and off ever since they launched. Just look at that, the way that catches the light”▶ 21:21
- “These are so easy to use. I actually like that it's small because it's not a stingy amount for the price point. It's just packaged small and compactly, which I appreciate because this is something that would be good to travel with because it's not going to smash into smithereens”▶ 21:25
- “They're so pretty. They're so easy to use. Zero fallout, zero crumbling and flaking. Zero creasing. Just the most impactful stunning twinkly eye shadows since Denessa Myricks sticks. I didn't see anybody managing to get on Denessa's level, but these have and I like them just as much”▶ 22:00
Armani Beauty$52.00Prisma Flash Glossy Color Lip Balmshade · 12- “Such a beautiful pigmented buttery high shine finish wearable formula. I don't really see anyone else talking about these”▶ 22:31
- “This is the shade 12. Perfect everyday caramelly nude. Do you see the shine? I love these”▶ 22:46
- “Really nice handbag lipsticks, everyday lipsticks. Really never see many people talking about them and I think they are beautiful, especially for summer cuz they really feel lovely and comfortable on the lips”▶ 23:00
Hourglass$38.00Phantom Blur Balmshade · Spell- “Annoying that they twist up but don't twist back down. That's my one complaint”▶ 23:19
- “These again have like the Violette blushes, that velvety finish to them. This is shade spell. I'm usually not like if there's going to be a balm, it should be shiny and glossy and these are matte, which usually I wouldn't be on board with”▶ 23:25
- “But so flattering, smoothing, blurring, perfect on lip lines and texture. They're not drying at all, although they are matte. They aren't drying, they don't suck the life out of your lips and they are very very long wearing, but very lightweight”▶ 23:50
- “Really quite a unique little lip product. Stunning packaging. Really gorgeous. Did not think I would love them, but I really do”▶ 24:09
Dior$48.00- “I didn't think we could improve on the Dior Addicts, my holy grail lipsticks for many years. Now I have 3,000 of them. And then Dior beat it themselves by just amping up the pigmentation and the shine, which I didn't think really was possible”▶ 24:26
- “These are in fact a hair shinier and more glass-like gloss sticks. Like the YSL, they do these very very well, but these are a bit more long wearing. They have a bit more of a sort of substantial feel to them. Very smooth, very lightweight. Can't smell a thing”▶ 24:45
- “These are longer-wearing than the OG Dior Addicts because they just have more substance to them. They're thicker, they have more pigment, and so they wear better”▶ 25:11
- “Like the glossiest I mean, this is a glossy lipstick, but you see how much glossier the Glass Addicts are. And they twist back down. Hallelujah”
- no still
Similar videos
Makeup brushes I would buy if I lost all mineSofia Sees Beauty
Everyday drugstore makeup routineAbbey Yung
Best of beauty 2025 into 2026: makeup favorites, new essentials, longtime holy grailsBekah Sun
Best bronzers, ever. (No more orange!)Amanda Z
Best makeup of 2025sophdoeslife
Reviewing 25 neutral pink blushes to find the only true neutralsHaley Kim
Top drugstore makeup favorites in every categoryStephanie Marie
Ultimate guide to choosing the perfect makeup brushMichele Wang
Sephora Sale 2026: What to Skip, Hidden Gems & Top PicksSophie 🎀
Top 3 faves in every makeup category 2026MakeupByCherylQuotes are transcribed from the video; timestamps link to the moment. Browse everything Charlotte Holdcroft has reviewed.