Finish 13 by Halloween - A Project Pan Challenge

Disclaimer: All products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own. 

I know I just did a post about products I'm trying to use up not very long ago, so it probably seems pretty silly that I'm doing one again, but this one is going to be slightly different. 

I had mentioned in my previous post about the Pan that Palette Challenge that I'm working on with my Lorac Pro Palette. That challenge introduced me to the panning community on YouTube and other social media sites. They do a variety of panning challenges throughout the year, with different time frames and different amounts of products. I love the idea! It is such great motivation seeing other people who are focused on using up products. 

I first saw this challenge on Amber F's YouTube channel. You can see her introduction with her products here. 

Although Amber is taking part, the two YouTubers who came up with this challenge are Megan and Tatum. You can see their introduction videos here and here. 

As you can probably guess, the rules of this project are pretty simple. You pick 13 products that you want to use and and see how far you can get with them by Halloween. There are no restrictions on the products themselves. I've seen some people use deluxe samples or groups of mini samples. I've seen some people choose products that were nearly new but say that their goal was to just hit pan on the product instead of using it up completely. I love the flexibility of it. 

Most of the products that I chose for this project were already mentioned in my previous post, so it is going to be a little redundant, but I'm going to go ahead and show them again with updated pictures. Several products already have visible progress, which is really exciting. Just as a note for the sake of timeline, all of these product pictures were taken on July 25, a week before this post will actually go live. As another note, some of these products are not cruelty-free, and they are in this project specifically so I can finish them up and move them out of my collection.

Product #1 - Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation in 0.5: I haven't been using this foundation since my last post since I've been using the NYX one. In order to better track my progress when I do start using it again, I have drawn a line to show where I currently am with it.  

Product #2 - NYX Invincible Fullest Coverage Foundation in Ivory: I've been liking this foundation quite a bit. As you can see, I have used a binder clip to keep some of the air squeezed out of the tube. 

It's a little ambitious of me to have two foundations in here, but as you can see, I really don't have a whole lot left of the Urban Decay one, and it feels like the NYX one has a lot gone in it too. I can almost roll the tube over one more time. If I don't finish both of them by Halloween, I expect that I can at least have them both done by the end of the year. 

Product #3 - Tarte Colored Clay CC Primer in Fair: This wasn't in my post before about finishing products up, but it was in my face product inventory post. I've got two of these, and the color is a little bit dark for me. I figured I would try and use it up now while the weather is still warm, and I can pretend I have a tan. I've got it rolled all the way up here, so you can see how much product there is. Like the foundations, I don't know that I'll be able to finish this by the end of the project, but I'm hoping. 

Product #4 - Silk Naturals Blush Samples in Guava and Lychee: Because of the size of the samples, I am counting these two samples together as one product. Guava is a great shade for this time of the year, and I think Lychee will be a nice color to start transitioning into fall.

Product #5 - Darling Girl Torrid Eye Shadow Sample: This looks a little silly by comparison to have two blush samples and this tiny sample by itself, but this color is one that I only use as a liner, so I only use a tiny bit for each application, and it isn't something I will use every day.

Product #6 - Nars Laguna Bronzer Mini: This is one of the products that is already showing quite a bit more pan than what it did a couple of weeks ago. I use it with a big fluffy brush to do a light dusting around the perimeter of my face. As long as I keep using it consistently, I don't think I'll have any trouble finishing it.

Product #7 - Tarte BB Tinted Undereye Corrector in Fair to Light: This is another one that is already showing a good amount of progress. You can see that I've hit the edge of the pan.

Product #8 - Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten: I can see a lot of progress on this product too, but this is definitely a long-shot product to finish it by Halloween. I might end up using it until then and just getting rid of it. This is one of those products that I want to move out of my collection because Stila is not cruelty-free.

Product #9 & #10 - Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils in Zero and Ransom: These were mini eyeliners, which is one of the reasons I chose them. The other is because Zero works well as a base for the Darling Girl eye shadow sample I'm trying to use up, and Ransom works really well as a base for Deep Purple from the Lorac Pro Palette, the palette I'm working on using up.

Product #11 - Lorac Baked Matte Satin Eye Shadow in Posh: This is the shadow that I'm using as my regular browbone highlight shade, so I'm hoping to move it out pretty quickly. 

Product #12 - Urban Decay Primer Potion Mini: You can see my binder clip trick again here. I used to love this primer. It was my favorite, but it doesn't seem to work as well as it did. I've been using it with another base (currently the Stila Smudge Pot), and it has been working okay that way. 

Product #13 - Nude Eye Shadow from the Lorac Pro Palette: In my other post, I mentioned that I'm working on the Pan that Palette Challenge started by Amber F, and I'm trying to pan the Lorac Pro Palette. I'm working on using up Nude right now by using it as a layering shade. Currently I'm layering it over Gold from the same palette because I find Gold to be too intense on its own. 

Those are my 13 products for this project. Have you taken part in any kind of panning challenge? How did it go for you? 

Disclaimer: All products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own. 

I'm Back (I Think) - Still Working on Finishing Products

Disclaimer: All of the products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Well...I'm going to try and start blogging again. I doubt I will be very consistent because life still feels really crazy sometimes. We'll see how things go. I'm not going to give a personal update yet explaining where I've been the past year, but maybe I will eventually. The short of it is that life keeps moving forward, and I keep moving with it.

Even though things have been silent here over the past year, I've still been working on my project to use up some of the products in my collection. That's where I've decided to pick things up again.

Just as a reminder, part of the reason for trying to use up some of these products is that they are by brands that aren't cruelty-free, and I'm trying to get those products out of my collection without just throwing them away. If the brand is cruelty-free, odds are pretty good I chose the product because it was a smaller size or already had a decent dent in it. I don't want to overwhelm myself with what I'm trying to finish.

Here's a current look at what I'm trying to finish up and move out of my collection.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation in 0.5 (or NYX Invincible Fullest Coverage Foundation in Ivory) - I've been working steadily on the Urban Decay foundation, but lately, I haven't been liking the look of it very much, so I will probably do some alternating between the two. As you can see, I've got a good dip in both of them, so I hope to see one of them gone within the next couple of months.

Tarte BB Tinted Undereye Corrector in Fair to Light - I've got a pretty good stock of correctors (including two more of these), so this was just the next one in the lineup to work on finishing.

Urban Decay Primer Potion Mini - This primer hasn't been working all that well for me lately. It's really frustrating. Thankfully, with the next product, my shadow still lasts all day.

Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten - Stila isn't a cruelty-free brand, which is why I'm specifically trying to use up this product. Like I mentioned above, this really does help my eye shadow last longer. Because of the heavy shimmer, I stick up just apply it to the lid and keep it off my crease and browbone. That weird dent in the middle was made with a cotton swab because I wanted to see how close I was to the bottom of the jar. Sadly, I'm not nearly as close as I thought.

Lorac Pro Palette - Okay...you are probably looking at this page thinking I'm nuts right now have a whole palette listed. I'll admit, it is quite the undertaking. This year, I stumbled across Amber F on YouTube, who does a Pan that Palette Challenge. Last year, she panned the Naked Palette (yes, the entire Naked Palette). This year, she is panning the Lorac Pro Palette. I personally chose the Lorac Pro Palette because Lorac isn't cruelty-free. Do I expect to finish this entire palette by the end of the year? Absolutely not. My goal is to finish off as many of the colors as I can. Once I've finished off quite a few of them, I'll depot the rest and stick them in a Z Palette. It's a little hard to see in this picture, but I've finished off Cream. I also finished off Light Bronze (there was only one use left when I took the picture). I've got a lot of pan showing on White, and I've got good dips going in Nude and Champagne. I just finished the crease shade that I was working on (that was an individual pan), so I'll be starting to work on Taupe now too.

Lorac Baked Matte Satin Eye Shadow in Posh - This is another Lorac product that I'm trying to use up since the brand isn't cruelty free. The dome is basically gone, and you can see that I've got some pan showing. Since this is the shade I use on my browbone every day, I'm hoping to see it gone soon.

Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencils in Zero and Ransom (Minis) - I chose a couple of mini pencils since they will be easier to work through the full-sizes. They also work well with eye shadows I'm trying to use up. I've been topping Ransom with Deep Purple from the Lorac Pro Palette. The two together balance each other out and make a bright purple that isn't too bright for daily wear. Zero is working well with a shadow I have below. 

Silk Naturals Shantung Eye Shadow - This was a gift with purchase shadow from Silk Naturals a long time ago. I think I even have a second one. I don't necessarily want this out of my collection, but it doesn't exactly do any good just sitting in a palette. It's a subtle highlight shade that I use in my inner corner occasionally. I need to try and remember to use it more often.

Nars Laguna Bronzer Mini - This was one of those products I chose to work on finishing off because it was a mini size, making it more manageable to try and finish. 

Silk Naturals Guava Blush Sample - I've finished off several Silk Naturals blush samples this year, and this is just another one to finish off. The color is nice for the summer, which is why I chose it over some of the other samples I have left.

Darling Girl Torrid Eye Shadow - I have had this sample since Darling Girl was just a fledgling indie brand. It's just another sample I chose to work on, particularly because the teal color is nice for the summer. I've been layering it on top of UD's Zero to make it a little deeper. 

DKNY Be Delicious Perfume Duo - I have a lot of perfumes (mostly rollerballs) that aren't cruelty free. The Be Delicious scent is a nice one for this time of year, so I chose to work on it. Obviously, I've been working on the original scent side, but I'll move on to the other one next. 

Well....those are my products that I'm currently working on finishing up. Obviously, some seem pretty manageable while others are much more ambitious. 

Are you working on using up any products? 

Disclaimer: All of the products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own.

Products I Want to Use Up - 2014 - Update

Disclaimer: All products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own. 

I've been meaning to do an update on the list of products I've been trying to use up, and I finally got around to taking the pictures for it. If you want to see my original post, you can find it here.

Here's what I've finished:

• Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer
• Hard Candy Concealer Pencil
• Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil in CIA
• ELF shadow from the Day to Night Palette (white with gold shimmer)
• Stila Lip Glaze in Splendor
• Chapstick Lip Balm in Cake Batter
• Silk Naturals blush sample in Candie 
• Silk Naturals blush sample in Tart Light
• Stila Smudge Stick in Anglefish

I did a lot better than I thought. I had forgotten how many items I actually finished since I tend to add a new product when something gets finished. 

Now for the things that I'm still working on and the new things that I've added to my list.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Balancing Foundation in Fair - It's hard to tell because of the opaque tube, but I've made a lot of progress on this foundation. It's the one I've been using every day. I'm guessing I have less than a month left in the tube.

Nars Sheer Matte Foundation in Siberia - Since I've been using the Tarte foundation, I haven't really made progress on this one.

bareMinerals Prime Time Foundation Primer - This is my last foundation primer sample, so I want to use it up before starting in on my full size primers.

Benefit Erase Paste in Fair - I'm really excited to say that I've hit the bottom of the jar on this one. It'll probably still last for quite a while, but I'm still happy to see some progress.

Tarte Park Avenue Princess Bronzer - This is so close to gone. After I took this picture, I broke up what was left and put it in an empty loose minerals jar. It's making it easier to get to the last of the product.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Concealer in Fair - I'd like to get this concealer out of my collection because it separates in the tube. I was honestly quite disappointed with this concealer. I end up squeezing some into a clean jar so I can use a brush to mix it together.

Too Faced Wrinkle Injection Extreme Wrinkle Filler - I haven't made as much progress with this as I should. I still forget to use it more often than not.

Milani eye shadow in French Vanilla (largest pan) - The amount of pan showing on this has gotten a lot bigger. It's still going to take a long time to finish, but I don't mind using it, so that doesn't bother me.

Everyday Minerals eye shadow in Funnel Cake (darker brown) - There's a little more pan showing, but I tend to forget to use this one when I grab a palette with a crease color in it.

Silk Naturals eye shadow in Shantung (smallest pan) - This is an old gift with purchase shade. I picked it because it is such a small pan. I'm hoping it won't take too long to finish.

Everyday Minerals eye shadow in Driftwood (lighter brown) - I haven't really made any visible progress with this shadow.

Everyday Minerals eye shadow mix of Good China and Queen Anne's Lace - I pulled this shadow out because it is an easy lid shade. There's a speck of pan showing.

Tarte fRxtion Lip Scrub and Balm - This is getting to the point where it is a little annoying. I already had a bit of the exfoliator break off, which is something I expected. I don't think this will stay usable for much longer before the bulk of it breaks off.

Sassy blush sample in Cosmopolitan and Silk Naturals Mineral Glow in Crinoline - In hindsight, these weren't the best choices for the spring and summer season. I'm gravitating towards brighter blushes at the moment.  These would take me a while to finish anyway, so we'll see how it goes.

Tarte double-ended lip liner - I keep forgetting to use this before I run out the door in the morning, so my progress has been minimal.

Stila eye liners in Stargazer, Oscar Fish, Tetra, and Moray - Oscar Fish (the brown one) is actually gone. I finished it between the time that I took these pictures and the time I got around to writing this post. These drive me crazy because I can't check to see how much is left in them. They don't roll back down once they are scrolled up.

Urban Decay 24/7 eye liners in Whiskey and Rockstar - I've been focusing on the Stila liners, so I haven't really made any progress with these.

Stila Smudge Crayon mini in Smoke - I added this to my list, tried it once, and I might end up abandoning it. The shade is a bit too dark for me to regularly use as a shadow base, but I think it is too light to use as a liner. We'll see.

Stila Smudge Pot in Kitten - This is ambitious. I haven't even made a dent in this yet. The color is much easier than Smoke to use as a shadow base.

bareMinerals Prime Time Eye Shadow Primer sample - I'm liking this eye shadow primer. I've maybe got a week or two left of it before I go back to my standard Urban Decay Primer Potion.

Sassy eye shadow in Embellish - This is a small eye shadow sample that I've already made a bit of a dent in, so I'd like to finish it off. Like the Stila Smudge Crayon, it's a bit darker than what I normally wear during that day, so I'll be mixing it with other colors to make it more wearable for me.

Jordana LipShine in Banana Cream and Sugar Cookie - I love the scent of these, and I like the feel of them too. Sadly, the colors just aren't flattering on my lips. I'm going to try and use them up on the weekends and when I'm just hanging out around the house.

ELF Studio Translucent Mattifying Powder - I bought this a long time ago thinking I would use it for touch-ups during the day. I haven't been using it, so I pulled it out of my purse to use in the morning when I'm getting ready. I scraped this powder out of the pan after this picture so I could mix it with the other powders that I have and like more. 

I'm pretty proud of what I've finished and the progress I've made on the items that I haven't finished yet. I hope to keep the momentum going throughout the rest of this year. 

Are you trying to finish any products? 

Disclaimer: All products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own. 

Products I Want to Use Up - 2014

Disclaimer: All of the products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own. 

Last year I did a couple of posts about products I wanted to use up. It went okay. Looking back, I thought I had done more updates than I actually did.

I'm going to try it again this year.

When I went through and picked out the products that I plan on working on, there were a couple of things I looked at. Some of the products were chosen because they are products in which I've already made a big dent. I also chose products that were getting old.

Another motivation for doing this is to get rid of some of the products I own that aren't cruelty-free.

Tarte Amazonian Clay Full Coverage Balancing Foundation in Fair - I've had this for a really long time, and you can see in the picture that I've used a lot of it, so I'd like to go ahead a finish this off.

Nars Sheer Matte in Siberia - This foundation is in the same boat. I've had it for a while, and it is about half gone, so I want to try and finish this one too. I know using up both will take a while.

Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer - I have several full-sized primers in my collection, so I decided to use up all of my mini sizes. This is the last mini size that I have. It's hard to see in the picture, but it is about half gone already.
 

Benefit Erase Paste in Fair - Benefit isn't a cruelty-free company, so I'd like to get this gone. I would guess I have about a third of this left.

Tarte Park Ave Princess Bronzer - I have a lot of bronzers, so I'm taking the same approach that I took with my primers. I'm using up my mini ones first. I'm just about to hit pan on this one.

Hard Candy Concealer Pencil - This little pencil came with the Glamoflage Concealer, which I threw out a long time ago. I've been using this to clean up the edges of my lips. I can't sharpen it anymore, so it should be finished in the next week or so.

Urban Decay 24/7 Concealer Pencil in CIA - I've had this for a long time, and it seems like it is drying out a little bit. It's crumbled a couple of times when I've tried to sharpen it. I've really like it though, and I might repurchase it once I work through some other concealers first.

Too Faced Wrinkle Injection Extreme Wrinkle Filler - I got this in a swap a long time ago, and I tend to forget to use it.

Milani Eye Shadow in French Vanilla (largest pan) - I need to work my way through my extra matte browbone shades. Wet n Wild's Brulee is my absolute favorite, so I'd like to clear the clutter and stick with that one in the future.

ELF Shadow from the Day to Night Palette (triangular pan) - I pulled this out as a shadow to use up a while ago because the pan is relatively small. It's a cream with gold shimmer that I can use on the inner corners of my eyes nearly every day.

Everyday Minerals Eye Shadow in Funnel Cake (darker brown) - I have a ton of mineral eye shadows that I've pressed, and I don't use them often enough. I pulled this out because it is an easy crease shade. It does have some shimmer, but it doesn't show when applied.

Everyday Minerals Eye Shadow in Driftwood (lighter brown) - Another pressed mineral eye shadow. Again, I chose it because it is an easy color to use.

Stila Lip Glaze in Splendor - I was really sad when it came out that Stila is no longer cruelty-free. This is an easy gloss to throw on, so I hope I can finish it relatively quickly.

Chapstick Lip Balm in Cake Batter - Chapstick isn't cruelty-free either, so this will be living in my pants pockets until it is gone. I have another Chapstick balm to go through after this one.

Tarte fRxtion Lip Scrub and Balm - Another old product. The darker side is the sugar scrub, and the white side is the balm. I have a feeling this will break off before I can finish it.

Silk Naturals Blush Samples in Candie and Tart Light - I have a lot of mineral blush samples sitting around, so I pulled out a couple to work on. 

Tarte Double-Ended Lip Liner - I got this at the same time that I got the lip scrub. The colors are okay, but I'm much more likely to swipe on a balm or gloss.

Stila Smudgestick Eye Liners - Again, with Stila's change in cruelty-free status, I'd like to clear out what I can. Eye liners are easier to go through than powder products, and these colors are pretty easy to wear, so I'm going to try and wear them as much as possible to finish them off.

Urban Decay 24/7 Liner Pencils in Whiskey and Rockstar - It should be pretty obvious why these made the list. They are nearly gone to begin with, so I might as well use them up.

Those are all the things that I specifically pulled to use up. I've already mentioned that I'm working on my stash of lotions too. I didn't add in any pictures of them because I'm going through them relatively quickly using them twice a day on my arms and legs.

Are you trying to use anything up in the new year?

Disclaimer: All of the products mentioned in this post were purchased by me. All opinions are my own. 

Holiday Collections! What to Buy?

Disclaimer: There is nothing to disclose. 

It's the time of year again when makeup brands come out with amazing value sets and palettes for the holidays. It's also a great time of year for beauty sales.

I'm itching to place orders since I was able to get my hot little hands on a Sephora Friends & Family 20% off code, and I just got a 20% off (nearly everything) code for Ulta. My only problem is deciding what the heck to buy!

Here's what I'm considering getting from Sephora:

Too Faced A Few of My Favorite Things - Picture from Sephora.com

Too Faced A Few of My Favorite Things Palette - I have to confess, I haven't been overly impressed with the Too Faced eye shadows I've tried. However, the soft neutrals that make up most of this palette keep calling me, and I've read some good reviews on it.

Urban Decay Ocho Loco 2 Set - Picture from Sephora.com

Urban Decay Ocho Loco Set - I'm addicted to these eye liners, and I really like the colors in this set. I think I'll get a lot of use out of the neutrals in the set, and the brights (barring Deep End) are deep enough that I think I could pull off wearing them on a regular day.

Those two are the things I'm just about positive I'm going to pick up. There's other things that I'm eye-balling, but I'm trying to resist.

Nars Guy Bourdin One Night Stand Cheek Palette - Picture from Sephora.com

Nars Guy Bourdin One Night Stand Cheek Palette - This is really tempting. There is such a hype over Nars blushes, and the colors do look really pretty. I have a hard time justifying it though since I already have the Nars Danmari palette, which has 2 of the 6 colors in this palette, and I don't reach for that one as often as I should.

Tarte Off the Cuff Blush Palette

Tarte Off the Cuff Blush Palette - When I first saw this palette, I thought I HAD to have it, and I would buy it in a heartbeat if I didn't already have 2 of the 4 blush shades and a mini of the bronzer shade in this palette. Instead, I'm waiting for a set of 4 mini blushes that is supposed to be released on QVC to get my Tarte blush fix.

Sephora Favorites Glitz & Glam Set - Picture from Sephora.com

Sephora Favorites Glitz & Glam Set - I'm a sucker for these kinds of sets. Surprisingly, this is the only set this year that has really caught my eye. It isn't in my cart right now because I'm only really interested in the Urban Decay shadow, the Josie Maran Cheek Gelee, and the Too Faced 3-Way Liner. Beyond the Cheek Gelee, I can see using most of these products once or twice before letting them collect dust.

My plotting for my Ulta purchase is a bit more troublesome, but in a good way. Thanks to some strategic purchasing and Ulta's rewards program, I have $131 in Ulta rewards to use on top of the 20% off coupon. I want to go ahead and use all of that. I've got a couple of things that are definite purchases, and there's a couple of items that I'm debating.

bareMinerals Mix Master READY 12 Shadow Palette - Picture from Ulta.com

bareMinerals Mix Master READY 12 Shadow Palette - I love the concept of this palette! That combined with the fact that the READY eye shadows are really good has me buying this palette without seeing any reviews on it. It will be mine!

Urban Decay Shattered Face Case - Picture from Ulta.com

Urban Decay Shattered Face Case - An entire look all in one little palette? Yes, please! I love that they didn't put the lip product in pan-form. The colors are neutral enough to make them easily wearable for me. I'm tempted by the Anarchy Face Case too, but the colors aren't as tempting to me, so I'm showing restraint. (Side note: I already have the Vice 2 Palette, which is why it isn't on my list.)

Here's where my order gets tricky. I want to buy value kits or palettes because they give me the most bang for my buck. There's several that I'm interested in, but they aren't saying, "Buy me now!" I'm also not having luck finding reviews for most of them yet.

bareMinerals Perfect Ten Palette - Picture from Ulta.com

bareMinerals Perfect Ten Palette - I'm drawn to this because of the READY products, but I'm unsure about it because I haven't been able to find any swatches of it yet. That makes me hesitant, and I can't get to an Ulta store easily to check it out there.

Urban Decay Black Market Set - Picture from Ulta.com

Urban Decay Black Market Set - I love these pencils, but the colors aren't jumping out at me as much as the Ocho Loco 2 set.

Anastasia Catwalk Palette - Picture from Ulta.com

Anastasia Catwalk Palette - I've read good reviews about this palette, and I haven't tried anything from Anastasia yet except for a mini of her brow gel.

I've considered a couple of items from Stila's holiday collection too, but their holiday collections seem to be of lesser quality than their regular line.

If you had the $131 and a 20% off coupon at Ulta, what would you pick up? What holiday collection items have caught your eye? Is there anything I should give a second (or third, or fourth) look?

Disclaimer: There is nothing to disclose. 

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?