Best of Clean Beauty 2020

It’s that time of year again! Probably one of my favorite posts of the year where I get to dig through my beauty cupboard and pick out the best of clean beauty for that year! I’ll be honest, picking is hard. With little else to do this year, my beauty obsession has taken on a whole other level so it kind of felt like picking a favorite child. Luckily, there were some serious stand-outs so while some things had to get cut, the ones that made it are truly the best of the best.

As a reminder, these posts are simply what I deem to be the best of that year. They weren’t necessarily released this year, but I either a) discovered them this year or b) were obsessed with them this year. Most were new to me, but some solidified themselves in my lifetime best of by virtue of being used every single day. I have a feeling a lot of these will make their way onto the 2021 list, but then again who knows what will come out next year!

I’m also including a list of my daily makeup routine products in case you’re curious down below. Alright, let’s jump into it…

The Best of Clean Beauty 2020

ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint

Holy cow. This product has officially become my holy grail daily moisturizer, SPF, skin tint, and just everyday superhero. ILIA nailed it with this product, especially if you fit into the dry skin category like I do. In a year where heavy makeup is a thing of the past, this light-weight tinted moisturizer boasts 40 SPF while also providing a very light coverage – that doesn’t just end up all over your mask! Obsessed doesn’t even begin to describe my love for this product. P.S. I wear shade ST5.

Range Beauty Foundation

For the rare occasion I’m going out or just want a bit more coverage, I’ve become obsessed with this Range Beauty foundation. It’s a light to medium coverage and dries down completely matte. I find it very similar to the Vapour foundation but without the subtle shimmer that product contains. So if a fully matte look is your jam, you will love this clean foundation. They also recently started selling at Target! I wear the shade Villa.

Mented Brow Pencil

I discovered this brow pencil in my full face of black-owned makeup products posts. I fell in love with the quick precision of the applicator and it made filling in my brows exceptionally easy. Because half my face is usually covered by a mask, brows became even more important, so this brow pencil paired with the brow gel below are my everyday products.

Ere Perez Clear Brow Gel

Not new to me in 2020 but now an official member of the brow products hall of fame. This clear brow gel helps to set my brows without gluing them to my face. Some days I’ll skip the brow pencil (mainly if I’m not leaving the house) but even for those days in I have yet to skip a day without using this product.

Kosas Sport Hyaluronic Lip Balm

OMG why did it take me so long to try this lip balm? I’ve tried many lip balms in my day and all have been decent but this one blew my socks off. So much so I have told everyone about it. It’s not sticky AT ALL but super moisturizing at the same time. Perfect for cold, dry weather and mask wearing! I wear clear but they do have two tinted shades.

ILIA Limitless Lash Mascara

I mean who isn’t obsessed with this product? Obviously not new and definitely a 2019 favorite too but I put this product on almost every single day this year so I figured this mascara should probably make the cut. If you’re looking for a clean mascara that doesn’t flake and actually gives you lift and volume you may as well skip everything else and reach for this one.

Briogeo Deep Conditioning Hair Mask

I think everyone’s hair has been put through the wringer this year. I feel lucky to have gotten one haircut this year but seriously, my dry locks need some TLC! Enter the Briogeo Deep Conditioning Hair Mask. I’ll often do this in the bath to really help it soak in and my hair always feel softer and healthier – even after a single use! Highly recommend to anyone with dry and/or damaged hair! I will say that this isn’t the *cleanest* product on the market but it is free of silicones, parabens, sulfates, DEA, phthalates, and artificial dyes. It does contain fragrance though so you should be aware of that if you’re sensitive to fragrance.

Lovinah Power Cleansing Balm

This cleansing balm (+ the retinol serum below) were definitely my 2020 splurge products but they were so SO worth it. There are tons of oil cleansers and cleansing balms on the market but this one feels so luxurious and has so many incredible benefits. Plus it’s half the price of Beautycounter’s which is probably one of the few products I actually like from them. You can tell that everything Lovinah creates is with care and thoughtfulness. Love supporting this incredible company.

Marie Veronique Gentle Retinol Serum

I love this product so much that I basically dedicated two posts to it this year (read here and here). I never thought I’d be including retinol in a clean beauty round-up but things have changed for me and I really have seen so many benefits. I can truly say that 2020 was the year I finally got a solid handle on my breakouts and don’t fear that I’ll wake up with a huge one tomorrow!

My Go-To Makeup Look for 2020

I’ve mentioned quite a few of the daily makeup products I used this year in the list above but figured I’d share my go-to full face of products as well!

Foundation: ILIA Super Serum Skin Tint (Range Beauty foundation on more coverage days)

Bronzer: Lily Lolo Pressed Bronzer in Miami Beach (ran out of my HAN bronzer and decided to use this one up which it turns out I really love!)

Blush: ILIA Color Haze in Dusty Mauve

Highlighter: RMS Living Luminizer

Mascara: ILIA Limitless Lash Mascara

Brows: Mented Brow Pencil + Ere Perez Clear Brow Gel (Lord help my brows in 2020. Just letting them grow wild!)

Lips: Kosas Sport Lip Balm

*FYI: Took this on my iPhone (unedited) as I find it gives a less airbrushed and more accurate look of the makeup!*

That’s it! No concealer, eyeliner or eyeshadow or really anything fancy. Just a super simple, natural-looking routine that takes under 5 minutes. I have a feeling not much will change with this as we move into 2021.

For a full recap of previous year’s posts check these out:

Best of Clean Beauty 2019
Best of Clean Beauty 2018
Best of Clean Beauty 2017