Year review 2018 & favorite beauty makeup products

I’m having a good time with reflecting on how Casa Bouquet is growing. With the New Year, I want to share 2018 year in review. Here are some of the top posts for 2018. I am so grateful for my readers and the community of bloggers. And, it’s time to celebrate the New Year, so here are my favorite new beauty and makeup products!

Top post of the year is the glow stick experiment. This is an easy and low cost activity to teach about heat transfer and fluorescence.

I wrote several posts this summer about the eruption of Kīlauea in Hawai’i. The most visited post was Teaching volcanoes lesson plans and research resources.

Readers enjoyed the guest post Hexbug STEM challenge from Michelle Benigno. The little hexbugs are a fun way to introduce engineering design cycle.

This year my top Hawai’i post is 8 Oahu breakfast spots. I need to update this with my new favorites, Koko Head Café in Kaimuki and Mahina and Sun’s in Waikiki!

My review of The Bishop’s Wife was my top movie post, with annotated White Christmas as a close second. I enjoy putting together sets of films to make little film festivals.

Fun yarn lei made with a straw was the most visited craft post this year. There are so many possibilities with combining the different colors of eyelash yarn.

To end this roundup of the year, the top recipe is Muffuletta sliders. If you like Italian-style savory flavors, these sliders are irresistible! Be sure to check out my other Mardi Gras recipes.

I’m sharing my latest beauty makeup products with you. I enjoy researching products and sometimes even shopping to find the latest good beauty buys a couple times a year.

Affiliate links: if you make a purchase using these links, I’ll receive a small compensation towards maintaining this blog, at no extra cost to you.

To find information, I look at my favorite Allure’s Best of Beauty or other magazines’ editorial picks for beauty makeup products. I also rely on the book “Don’t go to the cosmetics counter without me” by Paula Begoun. She takes the chemist’s view and supplies information on the ingredients and which drugstore brands are essentially the same as the high-end brands.

Eyes

A new mascara to try is Worth the Hype from NYX. Top eyeliners for me are Rimmel’s Wonder Wing and Maybelline Master Precise Skinny.

There are so many new eyebrow products out! The Salon Perfect On Point is available at Walmart and is a great pen product. L’Oreal Brow Stylist Boost & Set and Maybelline Tattoo Studio are two brush-on products that are good for brows. I use Tattoo Studio one day, then touch up the next day with the On Point pen.

Kiss makes all kinds of low cost false lashes. The girls in the family are trying Blowout lash in Pixie. Almay has a beautiful shiny palette called The World is My Oyster. Rimmel’s new palette is Magnif’eyes Blush Edition.

Nails

Essie Good To Go is my favorite topcoat. It dries very quickly and really helps a manicure last longer. Two new colors to try are Sally Hansen Color Therapy in Glow with the Flow and essie Treat Love and Color in Minimally Modest.

Lips

Lip products are my low cost way to have a little treat to shop for and there is always something new. ChapStick Total Hydration Moisture and Tint in Pink Nude is nice for every day. Covergirl Melting Pout Matte in Coral Chronicles and Maybelline Colorsensational in Spicy Mauve are two pretty choices.

ELF Makeup Remover Pen is my favorite tool in my makeup box right now. For me, it’s a must if you want the best wing eyeliner. St. Ives Cleansing Stick in Cactus Water & Hibiscus is a new product to make sure your face is clean. Maybelline Master Holographic Prismatic Highlighter is the modern way to highlight your cheeks for that strobing look.