Finished It!!! Volume 7

It's that time again. I get to throw away the stash of empties that have piled up.

Bath & Body Works Night-Blooming Jasmine Shower Gel - This is a scent that I fell in love with during college, and I still really enjoy it. It isn't part of the permanent line anymore, but it is usually available during the semi-annual sale.

Gud Vanilla Flame Body Wash - The bottle says this scent is a combination of vanilla and rice milk. This is a really good scent for people who don't like their scents to be too sweet. This was a decent body wash, but it was a bit expensive (I think I paid close to $7 for it).

Salon Grafix Conditioning Cleanser - I am declaring this product to be such a staple that I won't be including it in my posts of finished products anymore, just like I'll no longer be including my regular shampoo and conditioner). I love this for those lazy nights when I don't want to mess with two products. I recently saw a person on YouTube say that this product is awful compared to Wen, which I've never tried, so your results may vary.

Giovanni D:tox Purifying Facial Scrub - I've had this for too long. I like it when I first got it, but then I just stopped using it. It's not overly scrubby, so I was able to use it every day when I was using it. One pet peeve of mine though is the packaging. I hate when bottles like this have their labels painted on in such a way that they start flaking off.

Philosophy Amazing Grace Shower Gel - This was a freebie that I got in an Ulta order. I'm not a big fan of the Philosophy perfume scents. For me, Philosophy shower gels are over-priced for what they are, and I'd probably never purchase them unless there was a good sale or value set, and I would stick with their sweet, foody scents.

John Frieda Precision Foam Color Conditioner - I'm going to stop throwing these in too. I like the John Frieda hair color enough that I'm going to stick with it for the time being. The conditioner that comes with it is okay.

 Mary Kay Satin Hands Vanilla Sugar Hand Cream - I got this free through a drawing a long time ago. I enjoyed the scent, but the hand cream itself wasn't anything special. I don't plan on repurchasing.

Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula with Vitamin E - Another product that I've had around for way too long. I finished it up by using it on my feet and cuticles, but of which are super dry this time of year. I currently have a stick version that I'm using on my cuticles. I don't plan on repurchasing the tub for the time being.

Neutrogena Visibly Even Daily Moisturizer SPF 30 - This was a decent face moisturizer and met my requirement of having an SPF of at least 30. I don't think it helped my skin tone at all though. I'm currently testing out the CeraVe daily moisturizer, so I'm not repurchasing this one.

The Body Shop Peppermint Smoothing Pumice Foot Scrub - The Body Shop had an AMAZING Cyber Monday sale, and I couldn't resist. This little sample was part of a goodie bag that was $30 with any $30 order. It only lasted me about 3-4 uses. It felt nice, but it didn't have a lot of scrub to it, and my feet have pretty hefty calluses, so this didn't really do anything for them. I won't be purchasing a full size.

Sally Hansen Cuticle Oil with Vitamin E - Honestly, I'm guessing on the name of this. I've had this for way too long, so the name has worn off the bottle, and I'm too lazy to check. This was too oily for me, and yes, I do realize that it was an oil. It didn't absorb very quickly, and I've decided that I generally enjoy cuticle creams.

Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil and Josie Maran Argan Oil - I started experimenting with essential oils in my skincare routine a couple of months ago. Since essential oils need a carrier oil, I figured I might as well use the ones already in my stash. I'm really liking the essential oils, but I didn't notice anything special about using these particular oils as the carrier oils. Once my stash runs out (I have a 1 oz bottle of the argan oil and 2 full-sizes of the maracuja oil to work through), I'll be looking for a cheaper alternative.

This is my attempt at clearing out all of my little sample packets. I have a ways to go, but it's definitely a start!

Strivectin-SD Intensive Concentrate for Stretch Marks & Wrinkles - Not nearly enough of a sample to tell if it is effective.

DDF Erase Eye Gel - I felt like this eye gel was masking the problem more than it was attempting to fix the problem. It has dimethicone and mica in it, so it feels like a primer and has a slightly shimmery, yellow tint to it. I wasn't a fan.

Josie Maran Argan Oil Hair Serum - This felt nice and didn't leave my hair feeling greasy.

Philosophy Purity Made Simple - I had been wanting to try this because so many people love it, so I was excited to finally have a sample to try. I think it was causing my skin to break out. I'm not positive on that, but it did push me over the edge to commit to my current face washes and stop trying out new ones. I'm happy with what I have (Silk Naturals Kiss Cleanser and Mario Badescu's Acne Facial Cleanser). It works, so I'm not going to mess with it anymore.

DHC Deep Cleansing Oil - This didn't do a very good job of removing my eye makeup, which surprised me.

Silk Naturals Cucumber & Rhassoul Clay Mask - This came as an extra in a Mystery Adventure Club package a long time ago (MAC was a program where you got a package with all of the gift with purchase shades for that given month along with some sort of fun extra). Silk Naturals masks come in powder form, and you mix in the liquid, typically water. I was feeling adventurous, and I used witch hazel with this. I liked it, but it has never been released for sale, so I couldn't get it. I also have several other face masks to use up.

Jergens Daily Moisture Dry Skin Moisturizer - It's a lotion. It felt okay. I have a ton of lotion in my stash.

Asian Cream Cleanser - I have no idea what the brand is. This was part of my Secret Santa package. It burned my eyes a bit.

Hanfang Anti-oxidizing Mask - This was a sheet mask, and I couldn't deal with leaving the sheet on my face. The eye holes weren't quite large enough, and it would have driven me nuts. Instead, I just got as much of the liquid on my face as I could (which was actually quite a bit) and used it that way. I don't think I will be picking up more sheet masks.

I took these shampoo and conditioner packets with me while traveling over the holidays. None of them were anything special.

Kiss My Face Vanilla Honey SPF 15 Lip Balm - I think this is the last Kiss My Face balm in my stash. I like them. This felt kind of goopy by the end, and I've had it so long, I don't remember if it always felt that way. It wasn't totally off-putting though. I just dabbed it onto my lips instead of swiping it on. I might eventually buy more of these.

C.O. Bigelow Lemon & Black Cherry Lip Balm - I bought this back when they were on clearance at Bath & Body Works. It wasn't until after I bought it that I realized it contains shea butter, which causes my lips to crack. I used it some on my lips, but not much. Instead, I used it on my cuticles to get rid of it.

Badger Pink Grapefruit Lip Balm - I like the Badger lip balms. I just wish they had an SPF.

Buxom Lipstick in Amsterdam - I got this in the Sephora Give Me Some Lip set from a couple of years ago. The color was a bit too brown for my taste. I'm also not a big fan of lipstick. I won't be purchasing any of these.

Boyfriend Perfume Sample - I like this perfume, and almost more importantly, my fiance likes it. I might eventually buy this perfume, probably in roller ball form.

Subversive Apothecary Serum - This was a freebie sample that I got a long time ago. This is supposed to be an amazing anti-aging serum, and a full size of the serum is really expensive. I've been using essential oils (with a carrier oil, obviously), and I just decided to pour this into the mix to get rid of the sample vial.

Tarte Gifted Mascara - I've mentioned on here several times that I'm not a fan of Tarte's Lights, Cameras, Lashes mascara. It flakes on me. I didn't have high hopes for this one either, but I got it with a QVC kit, so I figured I would give it a try. I really liked it. It worked much better than the LCL mascara. I used it for 3 months, so it's time for this one to go away.

Tarte Smooth Operator Finishing Powder - This is such a fine powder that a cloud of dust kicked up every single time I used it. It didn't help that the sifter came off and dumped all of it into my swirling bowl. I ended up mixing in my Meow mineral foundation hoping to minimize the dust cloud. It didn't help much. I'll be getting a full size in a QVC kit in February, and I may try it again to see if I can get it to work. At this point, I wouldn't be purchasing more of this if it wasn't part of a kit.

Tarte Clean Slate Primer - I don't know if you can see, but there is a lot of product still left in this tube. This is the old packaging, and I have not verified if the current Clean Slate Primer is the exact same formula or not. Either way, this packaging was horrible. It made it really hard to get product out, and I've just given up. I know I could cut the tube open, but I don't really like that idea. I read a blog post (I think) a long time ago where a woman explained that she doesn't cut open her Urban Decay Primer Potion tubes (obviously the old style packaging of that) because tiny fragments of the plastic would end up in the product. I'd rather not be rubbing jagged plastic fragments all over my face.

Silk Naturals Sleep in a Jar Light Peach - I think this is the third time this product has shown up in a finished products post. I use it every day. I love it. It's HG for me. Enough said.

That's it for now. I'm really happy with the fact that I was able to use up a bunch of samples and things that I've had for way too long. Hooray for reducing beauty product clutter!

Finished It!!! Volume 3

Wow...it's been a long time since I posted one of these...March 11 to be exact, so I've had quite a few products built up.

Here's what I've finished up over the last couple of months:

Nature's Gate Tea Tree Calming Shampoo - This is a staple product for me. My scalp gets flakes if I don't use the right shampoo. I used Neutrogena's T-Gel shampoo for years before finding this one. The bad thing is that I can no longer get it locally. Thankfully, drugstore.com sells it and has free shipping with any $25 order.

Nature's Gate Pomegranate Sunflower Conditioner - Obviously, with two bottles, this is another staple. This formula is specifically for color-treated hair. I picked up some new formulas to test out when I recently restocked on conditioner. I'm currently trying a jojoba oil formula.

Salon Grafix Cleansing Conditioner Citrus Creme - I picked this up on a whim. I've never tried any cleansing conditioners before this. I think the first time I tried it, I used it as a leave-in conditioner because the bottle says it can be used that way. I didn't like it. My hair looked okay, but the feel of my hair wasn't nice. As an actual cleansing conditioner, I really liked it though. I used it on those nights when I was feeling lazy and didn't want to deal with using two products. I would put it on my hair as soon as I got in the shower, let it sit while I did everything else, and then I rinsed it out. My hair was easy to comb through after my shower, which is my top criteria for a conditioner. I might repurchase this, but right now, I'm focusing on using what I have.

Silk Naturals Making Waves Curling Gel - This was the original gumball of this product (SN gumball products are trial ones sold at a reduced price before mass release). I bought it when my hair was quite short, so I wasn't able to use it, and then I forgot about it. This didn't seem to do anything special for my hair, which has a natural wave to it that only really shows itself when I wet it and scrunch it. I don't plan on getting this again because regular products from the drugstore work better.

Pantene Color Preserve Shine Conditioner - This came in the spring Target Beauty Bag. This actually worked really well. Most drugstore conditioners don't detangle my hair well enough, particularly at the crown, but this did a nice job. I'm well stocked on conditioner right now, but in a pinch, I would feel comfortable grabbing this one.

Tone Alpha-Hydroxy Fruit Acids Body Wash - I bought this specifically because of the AHA in it. I constantly get ingrown hairs on my legs. It isn't pretty and gets really frustrating. I was hoping this would help. It didn't make a major difference, but I liked the citrus scent. I might pick this up again at some point, but I'm not running out to grab more right now.

Bath & Body Works Berry Vanilla Body Wash - I stocked up on this scent when it was on clearance. I love practically everything vanilla, so I stocked up on the Signature Vanillas line when it was on clearance. I still have several bottles if this and other vanilla scents to get through.

Philosophy Creme Brulee Body Wash - I got this in a set with a lip gloss and a lotion. I love the scent. However, Philosophy is so pricey that their body washes will never be regular purchases for me.

Silk Naturals Kiss Cleanser - I love this stuff. I've gone through several bottles. It is just a really basic cleanser that does a decent job of removing makeup. I use the foamer bottle that SN sells for it, so this size of bottle lasts a really long time. I've already repurchased another bottle of this.

Silk Naturals BHA Toner - This is my second bottle of this. I bought the first one to use as part of my skincare routine. I kept forgetting about it though. After I finally finished it off, I vowed not to buy it again. Then I bought another bottle to use on ingrown hairs. After using most of it, it collected dust again. I finally pulled it out enough to use it up. I don't plan on repurchasing it again.

Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair Moisturizer Night - I haven't noticed a huge difference in my skin from using this, but I have repurchased this already. It is a decent moisturizer, and I like that it has retinol in it. I have read that retinonl is good for acne, and I know it is a good age-fighting ingredient, and I need both.

Sibu Sea Buckthorn Eye Cream - This was an okay eye cream, but I didn't love it. I purchased the Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle Repair eye cream to replace it.

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Cleansing Oil - Part of my issue with this was the packaging. This was a really thin cleansing oil, and it was in a bottle with a twist off cap. It made it really hard to control how much product came out. It's been a while since I've used it, but I think I prefer Silk Naturals Apricot Cleansing Oil better.

Murad Essential-C Day Moisturizer SPF 30 - This came in the sunscreen set that Sephora had out last summer. I didn't particularly care for this moisturizer. My skin got oily a lot earlier in the day than it does with other moisturizers. I used this on days when I was just running quick errands.

Ginvera Green Tea Aqua Whitening Cream - I got this as part of a blog contest prize. I suspected, but never quite determined for sure, that this broke me out slightly. Because of that, I would only use it for a day or two at a time. While I like the idea of something helping to even out my skintone, I won't be looking to purchase a full size of this.

Burt's Bees Baby Bee Buttermilk Lotion - This was yet another Burt's Bees product that I got in a clearance value set. The texture was off, and it separated slightly. I had to shake it before using it. I don't feel the need to pick this up again (even if it is a newer tube).

Dermasel Spa Totes Meer Maske Feuchtigkeit - I believe I got this in a swap. As you can see, the packaging isn't in English. I think this was a moisturizing mask, but I'm not really sure. I wouldn't even know where to purchase this if I did want to replace it, but that isn't an issue.

Philosophy Microdelivery Peel - This was part of a 500-point perk from Sephora. It reminded me a lot of the Olay microdermabrasion set (do they still make that?). I liked it, but I think I like ExfoliKate more, and I can't see buying both.

Pur-lisse SPF 30 Moisturizer
Murad Essential-C Eye Cream
Super Bright Eyed Eye Cream 
Juice Beauty Stem Cellular Repair Moisturizer

Nothing stood out about any of these samples. I won't be purchasing full sizes.

Yes, I truly am a lip balm addict. In my defense, a couple of these were mostly used up a long time ago, and I just got around to finishing them.

New York & Company Honeysuckle Vanilla lip balm - This had an SPF of 15, which I liked. It had a waxy texture. I don't think they are sold anymore.

Badger Balm - Vanilla Madagascar lip balm - I like the Badger Balm lip balms. I wish they had SPF in them. It is possible I will purchase more in the future.

Kiss My Face Strawberry lip balm - I got this on clearance at WalMart a while ago. Sometimes I like it, and sometimes I don't. This has a really soft texture. I have to dab it onto my lips instead of swiping it. I don't know if I will purchase this lip balm again.

Silk Naturals Tahitian Vanilla lip balm - This was the original gumball version of their newer lip balms. They don't make this formula anymore.

Darling Girl Buttercream Cupcake lip balm - I love the formula of this lip balm. It is really smooth and feels like it melts onto my lips. The scent/flavor was really nice too. The only downsides are that it doesn't seem to last very long on my lips, so I am constantly reapplying, and it doesn't have an SPF. I'll still be repurchasing Darling Girl lip balms to use when I'm not going to be outside a lot.

Silk Naturals Malibu Miss Bronzer (sample) - I finished this a while ago, but I remember it being slightly too orange for my liking.

Silk Naturals Sleep in a Jar Light Peach - I love this product. I went ahead and ordered two jars of it because I seemed to go through this one really quickly. I use it every day under my eyes after I have finished the rest of my eye makeup.

Silk Naturals Caliber Eye Shadow - This is a dupe for Urban Decay's Half Baked eye shadow. I now have two full-sizes of Half-Baked, so I don't feel the need to purchase a full size of this. It is a really pretty color though.

Lovely Android Foundation in Very Fair (sample) - Lovely Android was an online mineral makeup company that didn't last very long. I've had this sitting around for quite a while. I finally threw it into a loose powder mix that I have just to get rid of it.

Urban Decay Primer Potion - This is a staple. After testing out a couple of eye shadow primers that creased on me, I have a much greater respect for good old UDPP (and Too Faced Shadow Insurance). Thankfully, I have full sizes of each just waiting to be opened (and a mini tube of UDPP). I won't need to purchase eye shadow primer any time soon.

Urban Decay Complexion Primer Potions - I didn't particularly care for these. I like my other primers better. I was glad that I got to test out a sample because at one time I really wanted a full size of the pore perfecting variety. Now I can save myself some cash.

DKNY Be Delicious Perfume - It's there hiding on top of the sample cards. I really like this perfume. I've been tempted to get a larger size before, but I've never actually caved and gotten one. I still have a couple of sample vials waiting in the wings though.

Whew!!! This ended up being a good mix of staple products that I have and will repurchase and products that I didn't particularly care for. Hopefully it won't be so long before my next Finished It! post.

What have you finished up lately? Have you been finishing up staples or things that you just want to get rid of?

Finished Products!!!

I initially planned on waiting until the end February to do this post when I started collecting finished products around the middle of January. Well...The empty stuff has piled up to a point that it is irritating me, so I'm going to go ahead and do this early. In the future, I'll probably continue to post when the empties start piling up instead of posting on a regular schedule.

Here's a shot of everything in a basket:

Breakdown of the items that I've finished:

Burt's Bees Radiance Exfoliating Body Bar - I'm pretty sure I got this as part of a value kit of minis that was on clearance a while back. It lathered nicely, and I like how my skin felt after my shower. Since I tend to prefer body washes, I don't think I will be repurchasing this item.

Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash with Shea Butter - I got this in a clearance value set from Wal-Mart after Christmas (can you tell I'm big on sale items?). This was a decent body wash, but it didn't really feel any more moisturizing than others that I have, and there wasn't much scent to it. Since would prefer something with more scent, I don't plan on repurchasing.

Bath & Body Works Triple Moisture Shower Cream in Midnight Pomegranate - Another sale item, I believe from B&BW's summer clearance sale. I liked this. I like the scent. The thing that I DIDN'T like was the packaging. As you can see from the picture above, the metallic paint on it started to flake off as I tried to get the last of the product out. Improved packaging and another good sale might induce me to buy more of these.

 Cosmedicine Healthy Cleanse Foaming Cleanser & Toner in One - Yet another clearance item. This one came from Walgreens back in September. This did a decent job of cleansing, but I don't think it did any better than my Silk Nautrals Kiss Foaming Cleanser, and I believe it is much more expensive at full price. I don't plan on repurchasing.

Silk Naturals Firming Moisturizer - A sweet woman on the Silk Naturals forum offered this up as a freebie to someone because it didn't work for her. I didn't notice any amazing results, and I'm liking the Neutrogena night moisturizer that I currently have with retinol in it, so I don't plan in purchasing this.

Burt's Bees Milk & Honey body lotion - This came from the same or a similar clearance value kit as the bar soap. I liked the smell, but the texture had gone off slightly. I had to shake it up before using it and once had to push clumps down from the neck of the bottle. I might repurchase in the future, but not before I make a major dent in my current stash of lotions.

Pink Bow Bath Boutique Silky Skin Souffle in Pink Sugared Buttercream Puff - I won this in a giveaway done by LipGlossFiend back in the fall. I don't remember if it still had a whipped texture when I got it, but by the time I got around to really using it, it was liquidy instead of whipped. I also, sadly, spilled most of this when I was trying to clean off the threads around the jar because the lid wasn't going on right.

Burt's Bees Almond Milk Beeswax Hand Creme - Another item from the clearance value kits. I think the texture on this had gone off slightly as well. It was better after I gave the jar a good stir with a toothpick. This was super thick, and if I used too much, it left my hands feeling tacky for way too long. I probably won't repurchase any time soon, but I might eventually try it again to see if a fresher jar works better.

Yes, I'm including these mini samples. These sorts of things clutter up my makeup area, so I still consider it a positive thing when I finally use them.

L'Oreal Magic Lumi Primer - I have oily skin, so I don't really need a luminizing primer. It felt nice though.

Silk Naturals Damsel sample - This was a pretty pink. I have too many lip products that I barely use though, so I don't plan on purchasing this one. It's better for me to work on the ones I have.

Holika Holika Peach Girl BB Cream - I got this sample when I ordered their Essential Petit BB Cream on Ebay. The color on this one wasn't bad. I don't know how this formula is different from the Essential one. It might be worth looking into though.

Infusium23 Moisture Replenisher - This was a sample that wasn't very effective because of the sample packaging. This was like water, so trying to put some on my hands and get it to my hair was challenging. I would assume a full size of this comes in a spray bottle. I don't really feel the need to look into it though.

Pore Clearing Fruit Smoothie mask - I got two uses out of this packet. It smelled good, and I liked how it felt on my skin. These sorts of packets are probably good options for me when I get caught up on my skincare stash because it takes me so long to get through a full size of a face mask product.

Korres Antiaging Primer - I had high hopes for this, but it broke me out. There's technically a little bit left in the sample pod (on the other side of the card), but I'm not putting it on my face again.

Essence of Beauty Buttercream Cupcake lip gloss - Okay...as you can see, the label is gone, so I'm guessing the on flavor a bit. It is some sort of cake scent. This was just a clear gloss that wasn't anything overly special.

Badger Balm Tangerine Breeze lip balm - This is a really nice balm. It would be even better if it had an SPF. I have a couple of other flavors of this in my stash that I will enjoy using, and I will likely purchase more of these in the future.

Kiss My Face Vanilla Honey lip balm - This balm has an SPF 15, which is great. This balm has a thicker consistency than others in my collection, which feels really good sometimes, and other times it feels goopy. I have a couple more of these in my stash (I am a lip balm addict). Especially because of the SPF, I can see myself replacing these when they are gone.

Avon Glazewear Shine lip gloss in Iced Pink - This was an easy-to-wear shade. I could apply it without a mirror. The gloss felt smooth and wasn't sticky. I would be interested in trying more of this formula in the future.

Tarte Park Avenue Princess Bronzer mini - I'm doing a minor cheat here. I actually have about 2-3 days left of this product, but I scraped what was left of it into a jar a few weeks ago. I use this every day I wear makeup, so it should be gone within the week, and I'd like to get rid of this container now instead of hanging on to it for my next post on finished products. This is a decent bronzer for lighter skin tones. I would prefer something matte, but the shimmer in this isn't overwhelmingly obvious. I have another mini of this that I'll probably use, but I don't plan on purchasing this myself (both of my minis came in value sets that I purchased).

I have never actually finished a mascara. However, these are ones that I'm tossing, so I figured I would include them in this post.

Tarte Lights, Cameras, Lashes mascara - I've mentioned on here more than once that I don't care for this mascara. This tube was my last shot at liking it. Sadly, I have multiple tubes of this in my stash because they keep coming in Tarte sets that I buy. If you like this mascara, keep an eye out for future giveaways here because you'll probably see those tubes there.

Flirt! Big Flirt Thickening mascara - This mascara was a little bit clumpy, but recently it has started to get worse. Since I have quite a few backup mascaras in my stash, I figured it was time for this one to go.

Wet & Wild Mega Protein mascara - This mascara has a really wet formula. I probably ended up with mascara on my browbone every time I applied it. I don't think it did much in terms of lengthening or volume, and I didn't use it enough to know if it would have helped my lashes grow.

Are you working on finishing up any products? If you do these sorts of posts, feel free to link to them in the comments. I love reading these types of posts because they motivate me to try and work through my stash.

Best of 2011 - Cheeks and Lips

On to part 2 of my series on my favorite products from 2011, which could be labeled "Tarte products and a couple of others." I became a big fan of Tarte over the past year.

On to my favorite cheek and lip products:

Tarte’s Amazonian clay blushes – I got my first one in the spring, and I’m now up to eight of them. They have a pretty good range of colors and good staying power. I haven’t paid enough attention yet to notice if they actually last 12 hours like they claim to, but I do know that they make it through a work day. My favorite of the bunch is Dollface, which is a nice, neutral pink. As you can see in the picture, the embossing of the Amazon River is nearly gone from that one.

This one is called Natural Beauty, which is one of the newer ones in my collection. It looks scary in the pan, especially if you are pale like me, but using a stippling brush makes it wearable. I also use a kabuki brush after I apply blush to blend things out even more.

These blushes retail for $25, and can be bought through Tarte, Sephora, Ulta, and QVC.  QVC doesn't have a very good selection of the blushes in the permanent collection of these, but they often have amazing value kits that are definitely worth a look.

Tarte’s cheek stains – One of the fabulous ladies on Mineral MakeupForums (aka: Chanty’s forum) generously sent me two Tarte cheek stains over the summer, and I fell in love. I’ve picked up several more since then. Aside from the fact that they are great cheek colors, I enjoy the fact that they smell like lemonade. Tip: I don’t like applying them with my fingers. They feel really hard to blend. However, using a duofiber brush works really well for me. I get a light application and the brush helps them blend a lot more smoothly. 

 Pictured on the left is The Perfect Berry and on the right is The Perfect Rose. The Perfect Berry was part of a value set on QVC that no longer appears to be available. I got mine off of ebay. The Perfect Rose is available here on QVC. The regular line of colors can be found at the same places you can buy the blushes.

Real Techniques Stippling Brush – Being really fair, most blushes are pigmented enough that I have to be careful with them. Enter the stippling/duofiber brush. I particularly love the Real Techniques one because the bristles are shorter than most stippling brushes and the brush head is just the right size for blush. It works equally well for cream and powder blushes.Other nice details are the pink handle the the flat rubberized bottom. The flat bottom isn't so large that it takes up a ton of room when stored with other bruhes, but it also allows you to stand it up on its own. These brushes are currently only sold at Ulta.

Tarte’s Lipsurgence lip products – I’m not a lipstick girl. I’m just now getting into wearing colored lip glosses. For years I’ve pretty much only used a lip balm. For someone like that, these are great. They give a decent amount of color while still being a bit on the sheer side. They feel a lot like a balm instead of a heavy lipstick. The color lasts pretty well (I’m awful about reapplying) and wears off evenly. I also like that they have a few different finishes: luster, lip tint, and matte lip tint. I haven't tried any of the matte ones yet, but I enjoy both the lusters and the lip tints.
Perky was part of a Christmas set that is still available here on QVC. It is a great deal! You get 5 of these Lipsurgence lip products for $29, when the ones is the regular line retail for $25. Talk about value. 

Enchanted and Pouty are both part of the regular line and can be purchased at the same places as their cheek products.

Lip balms – I am a lip balm junkie. I have been for years, and years, and years. Leaving the house without a lip balm in my pocket is a tragedy. I don’t have a HG lip balm brand because I go through phases with different brands and formulations. One week, I will be loving a particular balm, and the next week, I’m not liking it at all. Sometimes I enjoy a thicker formula. Other times I want something a bit thinner. During the summer months in particular, I want to grab something with an SPF.Here's a picture of a few of my favorites:

From left to right: Darling Girl lip balm, Silk Naturals lip lube, Softlips lip balm, Kiss My Face lip balm, Yankee Candle lip balm (I think I got mine at a Burlington Coat Factory. There aren't any on Yankee Candle's website currently. I was able to find several on Amazon.com though.), and Badger Balm lip balm (I bought mine through drugstore.com).

What were your favorite cheek and lips products for the year? Do you have a standout brand that dominates your favorites like Tarte dominates mine?