All year, I’ve been on a mission to declutter my overflowing beauty product collection. Some was given to me in gratis from my time working at Sephora, others I purchased even though I knew I didn’t need more stuff. I’ve been tracking my progress through my Project Pan and Empties monthly updates, and today I’m sharing the best and worst products I tried in 2020!

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Best of 2020

💰Loreal Bambi Eye mascara: this mascara SHOCKED me! I saw a few good reviews online and wanted to try it for myself, but I didn’t think it would be as good as higher-end mascaras I had used. It separates my lashes exactly the way I like, and still gives me decent volume without getting clumpy.

💰Bobbi Brown crushed lip oil: I first tried this as a 100pt perk from Sephora, and I’m so glad I did. This gloss is hydrating on my lips without feeling heavy or sticky. I liked the sample size so much, I purchased a full size at the Sephora VIB sale! (Looking for a cheaper option? I also really liked the 💰Sephora Ultra Shine lip gloss in Browny Touch – not a dupe for Bobbi, but still a hydrating and not sticky gloss.)

💰Black Girl Sunscreen: This has a lightweight creamy texture and can be used as moisturizer & sunscreen. It doesn’t leave a white cast and doesn’t feel greasy on my combination skin. I do get a bit of shine but I’m fine adding primer or powder on top to mattify it. (Looking for more sunscreens that work well on dark skin? Check out this post where I shared 3 others)

💰Fresh Vitamin Nectar Glow Water: I bought this mist from Stephanie Nicole’s recommendation, and omg was she right- this is an incredible face mist! I like using this both as skincare and as a makeup refresher, like when I’ve used too much powder and my skin looks dry. It’s got a citrus scent and a nice sprayer, and a little goes a long way.

💰Fresh Sugar Lemon lip balm: Speaking of Fresh Beauty, I had to add my lip balm to the list. I’ve used the caramel one for a couple years now, but the lemon was new for me in 2020 and I became obsessed. I love lemon meringue pie and that’s exactly what this smells like! I also reallllly like the blood orange flavor, that one reminds me of juice and smells delicious. They’re a little on the pricier side, but a nice splurge to ~treat yo self~ (Read this post for some of my other Sephora favorites)

EVERYTHING from Melanin Haircare: I knew Whitney would do it right with her haircare line, and she definitely did! I’ve been using the styling cream and multi-use oil since 2019, but this year she added the leave in conditioner and black soap shampoo. Shop on 💰melaninhaircare.com (save $5 off your first order if you use this referral link!)

💰Biossance Squalane & Peptide eye gel: This is my holy grail eye product! Some creams are too heavy, and some eye products feel like they aren’t doing anything. With this gel, I feel like my undereyes are actually hydrated which helps minimize the darkness I get when I’m tired. I’ve got genetic dark circles so I know no product will take that away, which is why I also love how well this absorbs into my skin and is a great base for concealer.

Jordan Samuel Aftershow cleanser: I got this in the Caroline Hirons Spring Kit, and it’s SUCH a good cleanser! Gentle enough to go around my eyes without irritating them, but still removes my makeup in one go (I normally don’t wear more than concealer + mascara most days). It starts as a gel cleanser, emulsifies really nicely with just a little bit of water, and rinses off without leaving any residue on my skin.

💰Inkey List Retinol serum: As an almost-30 year old, I figured I should start adding a retinol into my skincare routine but I didn’t want anything too strong. Enter: the Inkey List. Their retinol serum is gentle enough to be used multiple times a week (I use mine Monday, Weds, and Friday) and doesn’t irritate my skin at all. Right now I think it’s more of a preventative step vs actually “fixing” any issues (except maybe uneven tone and texture), but it’s definitely one that I’ll continue to use.

💰Inkey List Tranexamic Acid: Had to add another Inkey product to the list. It helps even my skin tone, and I feel like it actually works! I’ve seen an improvement in my dark spots after using it for a couple months. It’s only $15 and will 100% be in rotation for my night routines going forward. (I’ve actually tried a bunch of Inkey List products this year: read my thoughts on all of them in this post.)

💰Smashbox Primerizer: Another product that shocked me this year. This had been sitting in my collection for a while, but 2020 was the year I actually used it up. I knew Smashbox products were supposed to be good, but I always side-eye products that claim to be two in one. This one is a primer + moisturizer and I wasn’t sure that it would be good at either task, but I was WRONG! it’s a lightweight moisturizer perfect for my combination skin in the summer, and still helps my makeup to last longer throughout the day. there’s also some skincare ingredients mixed in like niacinamide, so i’m treating my skin at the same time. Not sure if there’s a cheaper alternative out there that’s this good, so I’ll wait for a sale and probably pick up another one next summer.

Cover FX Power Play concealer/foundation: I love the way that Cover FX does their shades, G90 is the closest to my perfect shade that I’ve found. When the products went on sale at Sephora and I still had my employee discount, you better believe I bought an extra foundation AND an extra concealer, just to make sure I’d be good for a while. The products don’t cake up, and my skin still looks like skin when I wear them.

Worst of 2020

Anything from Good Molecules: I was extremely disappointed by Good Molecules this year. The three products I purchased were fine, and I was really rooting for a brand that prided itself on being based on science and not just buzzwords… HOWEVER. When the brand’s founder Nils Johnson did a YouTube panel with three Black beauty creators in June and was asked why his company Beautylish (GM’s parent company) continues to support known racist brand owners, his response was something along the lines of “because the products make us good money, and not all Black people dislike him”. No. Sir. I’m not here for that. No matter how much I may have been impressed by the skincare I tried from GM, they will not be getting any more of my money any time soon.

Jamberry nail products: Another one where the products are fine, but the company upset me. I used to be a rep for this direct sales company and really enjoyed it at first, but this year proved to me that I wasn’t as important to them as they were to me, and it was time for me to move on. Read more about my experience and why I had to quit in this post.

Glossier Milky Jelly face wash: The scent was too strong and overpowering for me, and I didn’t like the feeling on my skin. I don’t like wasting products so I used it as a body wash, but didn’t like it that way either. I shared a blog post talking about Glossier products I purchased after their seemingly good Black Lives Matter response back in June, but since then I’ve learned that they weren’t taking care of their employees as much as they should have been. (Follow @outtathegloss on Instagram to learn more about the situation.) Once again, a company with okay products that messed up behind the scenes.

Lancome Aquagel Defense SPF 50: I received this in gratis from Sephora right after the pandemic started, and thought it would be a nice summertime sunscreen since the SPF was higher than some of my other sunscreens. If I thought the Glossier face wash was too scented, this was on a-whole-nother level. It felt like I had mixed perfume into my moisturizer and was rubbing that all over my face. The scent was WAY too strong, and it lingered all day (maybe it got into my mask and that’s why, but either way I didn’t like it) I thought I could get away with using it on my body instead of face, but having the scent linger on my hands and emanate up from my legs was still too much. I only used this product 2-3 times before throwing it away.

Briogeo Gel-to-Oil treatment: This treatment didn’t do anything for my 4C naturally coily hair- it left a weird feeling in my hair and didn’t make it softer at all. The 💰Don’t Despair Repair Deep Conditioner is MUCH better for me. This treatment is discontinued now so maybe I’m not the only one who didn’t like it.

There it is! A recap of the best and worst beauty products I used in 2020. I love trying new products, but I’m also looking for my holy grail items that are perfect for me. What was the best or worst beauty product you used in 2020?