Favorites of 2012

Last year, I started my blog with three posts on my favorite products of 2011. I'm having a much harder time coming up with my favorites for this year for a couple of reasons. The first reason is that a lot of my favorites are still the same. The second reason is that I tried out so many new products this year that I don't feel like I've used many products very consistently.

To see my favorites for 2011: Best of Face, Best of Cheeks and Lips, and Best of Eyes.

Hair

I didn't even think to include hair last year. I'm not a huge hair person. I don't experiment with my hair very much, but I do have some standout products that are such staples that I'm not even going to include them in my finished product posts anymore.

Nature's Gate Tea Tree Shampoo, Pomegranate Sunflower Conditioner, and Biotin Conditioner (not pictured) - These are my staple haircare items (I didn't like the Henna one all that much, but I pulled an old picture). The Tea Tree Shampoo keeps my scalp from flaking, and the conditioners do a great job of helping detangling my hair. I buy them and finish them consistently. Oddly enough, I am listening to a YouTube video by NYCGeorgette, and she said she hated the Pomegranate Sunflower conditioner and said it made her hair really greasy. Maybe my hair is just really dry...*shrugs*

SalonGrafix Conditioning Cleanser - This is another product that I recently saw a terrible review on while watching YouTube. Jen from the channel From Head to Toe hated it. She said it wasn't anything like the Wen Cleansing Conditioner. I've never tried Wen, so I can't compare the two. I will say that I tried using this once when I had product in my hair (currently a rare occurrence), and it didn't work very well. However, for lazy days when I just don't want to have to mess with a separate shampoo and conditioner, this works great. I plan on keeping a bottle of this in my stash at all times.

Skincare

 Silk Naturals Kiss Cleanser - This has been my regular face wash for several years now, and I love it. It removes all but the most stubborn eyeliner (and possibly waterproof mascara - I haven't had a waterproof mascara in a while). It's a really basic cleanser. I had no qualms about having my 7-year-old niece us it over Christmas when we were playing with her makeup that she got as a Christmas present. I recently resolved to stop testing other cleansers because I always go back to this one. I don't need to search for anything else.

Essential Oils - I started adding essential oils into my skincare routine around November-ish after Christine from the PinksoFoxy YouTube channel and her Beauty Travel Channel blog did a couple videos and blog posts about them. I use a mixture of tea tree oil, lavender oil, sweet orange oil, and rosehip oil. For carrier oils, I have just been using Tarte's Maracuja Oil, Josie Maran's Argan Oil, and grapeseed oil that I purchased at WalMart. The place that I have noticed the biggest change is actually on my legs. I get ingrown hairs on my legs all the time, and I have a lot of scars. I feel like both have been reduced after starting to use these oils.  

Warning!!!! If you want to experiment with essential oils, please check out Christine's information and do some research. Essential oils should be used sparingly (I only have a few drops of each in the two dropper bottles in the picture). The underside of my arms broke out in bumps this week, and I think it was because I used a body scrub with essential oils and then used my regular oil mix after my shower, so I ended up using too much overall. Please be careful!

Makeup

Nars Sheer Matte in Siberia -  This is probably the best match I have ever found for my skintone. It hasn't quite reached Holy Grail status yet, but it is a really nice foundation. Sadly, I wasn't able to wear it for several months because I got too much of a tan over the summer (which is why there isn't a lot gone from the bottle).

Physicians Formula Healthy Wear SPF 50 Powder Foundation in Translucent Light - This was my go-to foundation for the summer months (it's too dark for me during the winter). It was quick and easy, and it gave me just enough coverage. I actually went through two of these during the course of the summer and fall. My main compliant is that I couldn't wear it on days when I knew I would be sweating a lot because it started to feel really gritty and gross on my face. It was fabulous though for days when I was just making a quick run to the store or something like that.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Shimmering Powders in Rose and Champagne - When I grabbed for a cheek highlighter this year, it was likely one of these two. They are both subtly beautiful. I even used Champagne a lot as an inner corner highlight for my eyes and on the browbone.

Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Trio in Walking on Eggshells - This was my go-to trio for when I didn't know what I wanted to use. It has become an cult classic for a lot of people because it is such a basic, easy palette.

Lorac Pro Palette - This is a relatively new purchase for me. I bought it in December. I'm going to repeat what a lot of other people say about it. I love the versatility and the mix of shimmers and mattes.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils - I'm showing the Ocho Loco set here, but I'm talking about the liners in general. I bought the Naked set of mini pencils last holiday season, and I enjoy them all. It took me a while to get used to how soft and creamy they are, but now I'm comfortable using them and grab for them most days.

Prestige Waterproof Eyeliner in Suede - This liner is on-par with the Urban Decay ones. I particularly love this color because it is a great soft brown for my pale skin. It works really well with Walking on Eggshells for a subtle look. I will eventually pick up more colors in this line.

Urban Decay Pocket Rocket Lip Glosses - I'm really sad that these have been discontinued! I love them. I love the creme brulee scent and the non-sticky formula. This is the gloss that I reach for the most. The one thing I would change is having the guys on the top. It is a cute, novelty thing, but I don't like having them there when I'm subbing at a school. Having a lip gloss with a guy in his underwear on the top isn't exactly school appropriate.

Real Techniques brushes are the first, third, fifth, and seventh brushes from the left.

Real Techniques Brushes - I have bought quite a few of these over the past year. The brand has a good variety of brushes. I use the Expert Face Brush, Stippling Brush, and Deluxe Crease Brush every day. I use the other brushes that I have consistently.

I'm sure I've forgotten some things from my list, and I'm going to kick myself the week after this gets posted when I grab for something that I love. *shrugs* That's how these sorts of things go I guess. I also want to mention again that nearly all of my favorites from last year are still favorites and/or Holy Grail items for me.

What were your favorites from 2012? Is there something I HAVE to try this year?

Best of 2011 - Eyes

This is the last of my posts on my favorite products from 2011. There are a lot of eye products that I love, but these were the ones that stood out to me just because I reach for them so often. 

Urban Decay’s Naked Palette – Okay. This isn’t really a shock. Nearly everyone loves this palette. It is just really easy to use while still giving a lot of look options. When I travel, I usually grab this. I doubt anyone actually needs to see a picture of it, but here it is anyway:

 Urban Decay’s Suspect eye shadow – I got this in the Book of Shadows volume III, and I got another one in the Rollergirl palette (which is what is pictured here). I’ll be getting a third in the Naked 2 palette. I like this color enough that I'm happy with having three of it. It is a great lid color for me. It is one of those shadows that I can just throw on to add some depth and color to my lids without worrying about it being too dark. When I want to go really subtle, I'll use this as a crease color with Verve on the lid. I could also use this as a lid color with Smog or Darkhorse in the crease for a smokier look (I have to try that now). If you're fair skinned, definitely give this color a swatch if you see it. Here's my quick swatch without primer:

Wet & Wild Brulee eye shadow – This is the perfect highlight shade for me. I love it because it helps me blend out my crease color, which always tends to go higher than I would like. It also evens out the color of my browbone without being obvious. Looking at it closely, I can see tiny flecks of shimmer, but when applied, it looks matte, so it is great for super shimmery looks. As you can see, I've hit pan, and I bought this sometime during the spring or summer. I rarely hit pan on things, so that says something about this product.

EcoTools Blend eye shadow brush (from their 6 piece eye shadow kit) – This works really well for applying Brulee. It is fluffy enough to sort of buff on the color and help blend my crease color, but it is dense enough to lay down enough product to even out my browbone area. I use this brush every day.

 I have two of these brushes, and they are a little different. I prefer the top one because it is less flat than the one on the bottom. I feel like it blends better, but I do still use them both.

ELF Studio Contouring brush – This is the perfect crease brush for me. I typically have issues with crease colors going too high and too far out. This keeps my crease color where I want it better than other crease brushes I’ve tried, but it is big enough to blend out the color too. I’ve got four of these brushes, and I’m always tempted to buy another one when I am in a Target. 

Silk Naturals Cream Eyeliner Palette – This was released as a limited edition item in the spring, and it was rereleased for Christmas. It has 9 mini pans of SN’s cream liners – Midnight (navy blue), Fort Knox (gold), Peacock (teal green), Mahogany (shimmery brown), Espresso (matte dark brown), Amethyst (purple), Tarnish (steel grey), Envy (khaki green), and Film Noir (black). I love the texture of these. They are stiffer than most cream/gel liners, so I have to swipe an angled liner brush across the top instead of dipping a brush in like you do with most cream/gel liners. I like that it is pretty much impossible to get too much product on my brush because it is so stiff. Most days, I don’t bother setting this with powder (which is recommended by SN), and aside from the outer corners of my eyes, which usually fades to nothing by the end of the day, it stays put. This palette retails for $19.99, which is a great value because these liners will last you a really long time. I've barely made a dent in the two colors (the browns) that I use most often. 

What eye products have you been loving over the past year? What should I try during 2012?

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?

Best of 2011 - Face

I figured doing a few posts of some of my favorite products from 2011 would be a good way to start things out. I have three posts planned: this one, cheeks and lips, and eyes. I maybe could have done another post for brushes, but I decided to include them with the specific category where they are used (face, cheeks, or eyes).

Liquid foundations/tinted moisturizers – I wore mineral foundation for about two years straight. Although I liked it, I was having issues with the powder pooling on different areas around my face. Not attractive. I usually have a hard time with foundations being too dark, but starting this summer, I have picked up several liquid face products that work for me. I have enjoyed using them, but I’m still looking for a HG foundation.

 These are the three liquid face products that I use the most (from left to right): Tarte's Amazonian clay full coverage balancing foundation in Fair (currently only sold on QVC or on ebay), Lumene Double Stay Long-lasting Makeup in Vanilla Meringue (found on ebay), and Holika Holia Essential Petit BB cream (found on ebay).

Meow Pampered Puss Foundation – Once I started using liquid face products, I started using this as a setting powder. It is sheer enough that it doesn’t look cakey, but it also adds the extra coverage that I need. I use Inquisitive Siamese.

Meow Concealer – I have been a big fan of mineral powder concealers for several years now. Since they don’t need as much blending as liquid or cream varieties, they seem to stick better to the specific spots I want covered. Meow’s concealers are great because they have a concealer that matches every foundation shade.

Both of these products can be found here.

 Silk Naturals’ Sleep in a Jar Light Peach – I have dark undereye circles, and I struggle to cover them. I’m still looking for the perfect combination. So far, this is the best product I’ve come across. Even if I do find a creamy concealer that works well, I think I will still continue to use this. I love using it after I have applied all of my eye makeup (barring an inner corner highlight and sometimes mascara). It helps clean up smudging and adds that finishing touch that makes me look more awake.

 Sleep in a Jar can be found here.

Everyday Minerals Eye Kabuki Jr. – I love this brush for applying my Sleep in a Jar. It is a small, dense brush that just works.

This brush can be found here.

ELF Professional Concealer Brush – Most concealer brushes seem too big to me. I love how small this one is because it allows me to get the precise application that I want, and you can't be the $1 price tag. 

This brush can be bought online here. I wouldn't recommend buying this brush online unless you want to make a big ELF order and have a good coupon code because their shipping is a flat rate of $6.95. For the few ELF products I get, I prefer getting mine at Target. Drugstore.com is another place that sells ELF. There is a bit of a markup in price, but you get free shipping with a $25 order. 

What were your favorite face products for 2011?