Favourites from the Year that Was (2012) + A Small Giveaway

Hey all!!  Sorry, it's been a while.  I sort of got caught up with the festive season, but now I'm back!  I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and start to 2013.  I wanted to give you a glimpse of some of my Christmas gifts because they are sure to be the content of some upcoming posts!  I also wanted to share my 12 favourite beauty products from this past year. 

This Christmas I received a lot of really great gifts from family and friends.  I now have some more Benefit, Stila, and Mirenesse products which I can't wait to share with you in the coming weeks.

Benefit Goodies

Heaps of other Goodies

Now, onto my favourite products of 2012.  It was quite hard to narrow down all the wonderful products I have encountered and loved this year.  To be honest, this has been the first year I have every really been interested in beauty products, so I've learnt a lot about what works best for me.


Makeup Favourites of 2012

L to R: Benefit They're Real, MUA Pro-Brow, Benefit Sugarbomb, Mirenesse Magic Touch Foundation, L'Oreal Color Riche, Revlon Lipbutter in Tutti Frutti

I cannot express how much I adore Benefit's They're Real mascara.  It is by the far the best mascara I've tried.  I love how it lengthens and curls my lashes instantly!  See my review here.

The MUA Pro-Brow kit is a relatively new purchase from Black Friday.  I haven't been too concerned with my eyebrows before aside from the occasional pluck.  However, this (super affordable) product has made me realise how good my eyebrows can look haha.  I'll definitely be using this in the years to come. 

You all should know by now how much I love my Sugarbomb blush from Benefit.  It looks great on my skin and I cannot wait to experiment more with my new box o' powders!  See my review of Sugarbomb here. 

2012 has been a year of experimentation with foundation.  I find it so hard to find ones that match perfectly with my skin.  Often times I feel as though foundation make my skin look 'dirty.'  However, I have found some foundations that fit okay.  My favourite (that is affordable; I really like Lancome, but alas) has been Mirenesse's Magic Touch Foundation in Vanilla.  I ordered a travel size and then was lucky enough to get a full size in my December Beauty Box!  Score!  I only need a bit of this and often mix it with Benefit's That Gal primer to make it a bit lighter. 

I have loved a lot of nail polishes this year, so this was a really tough choice.  I thought of OPI's THe Living Daylights and Femme Fatale's A Tisket, A Tasket, but ultimately I used L'Oreal's Color Riche formulas the best.  You honestly don't really need a top coat with these babies!  See my review here.

My favourite lip product was also a tough choice.  I have been exposed to many lipsticks and glosses and balms that I used a lot.  In the end, I settled with Revlon's Lipbutters.  My most used shade is Tutti Frutti.  So good for summer.  


Hair and Skincare Favourites of 2012

L to R: Cedel Blow Dry Faster, ONE Skin System Renewal Cleanse, Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish, The Body Shop Seaweed Clarifying Toner, Clinique DDMG, Kosmea Radiance 24/7 Youth Boost

My favourite hair product this year was definitely Cedel Blow Dry Faster.  It is remarkable how quickly your hair dries once you use this.  See review here.  A close runner-up was Tresemme's Split End Remedy Shampoo.

I know I said ages ago that I would be posting about my skincare regime and I have not forgotten!  The following products will be a preview.  I was never really concerned with skincare until the second half of this year.  Since then, I have tried a lot of brands and products.  My favourite cleanser is ONE Skin System Renewal Cleanser.  It's a cream cleanser, it smells divine and it leaves your skin feeling clean and smooth.

I love exfoliating products.  I find that they feel like they're actually doing something whereas cleansers are so, you know, gentle.  My current favourite is Benefit's Refined Finish Facial Polish.  It has the perfect consistency in my opinion and leaves you skin looking bright.

 Toners have become a staple in my regime.  I've tried a few, but my favourite by far is The Body
 Shop's Seaweed Clarifying Toner.  It's amazing.  Plus, it has no alcohol in it!  And it leaves your skin feeling tingling fresh.

I'm quite picky when it comes to moisturisers and it seems often I'm too eager to dislike one rather than like it.  However, I feel in love with Clinique's Dramatically Different Moisturising Gel the moment I used it.  It's geared towards Oily/Combination skin and it leaves your skin feeling soft.  My favourite part is that it also doesn't make my face red.  Most products turn my face red upon application, until they sink in, but this one doesn't at all.

Lust Have It Eco introduced me to rose-hip oil in the form of Kosmea's Radiance 24/7 Youth Boost.  It has definitely enhanced my skin since I've started using it. 


Now for a little Giveaway!  

I wanted to share some of my favourite products with you!  Included will be a Revlon Lipbutter in Strawberry Shortcake, a sample of Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish and two bottles of your choice of L'oreal's Color Riche nail polish.  As a result of the nail polish, this giveaway will be restricted to Australian Residents only.  You must also be at least 18 years of age to participate.

L to R: Revlon Lipbutter in Strawberry Shortcake, L'oreal Color Riche Nail Polishes, Sample of Benefit Refined Finish Facial Polish

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good Luck!

October Favourites

Here are my favourite items from this past month.

1.  Witch Blemish Stick: I'm loving this stick.  I don't have too too much trouble with blemishes, but this has made my skin better.  At the first signs of a spot, I put this on and it really does reduce redness and helps it heal faster.  It's not immediate, so I'm still open to other products.

2.  CEDEL blow dry faster heat protector:  One of the things I hate is blow drying my hair; however, if I want to wear it down, I do have to dry it.  This product radically reduces the time it takes to dry while leaving it smoother and shinier.  I will definitely buy this again!

3.  Kosmea Radiance 24/7 Youth Boost: I received this in my Lust Have It! Eco Box.  My first experience wasn't too pleasant--I put too much oil on my skin.  Learning from that, I have grown fond to this product.  It makes my skin feel really smooth and has made it more vibrant and radiant.  I use it at night because I do find it to be a bit heavy.  I'm hoping it lasts a long time!

4.  OPI The Living Daylights:  I adore this nail polish.  It really is fantastic.  See a quick review of it here.  Be sure to get this while you can!

5.  Swisspers Blot-Off Oil Tissues:  This are a fantastic way to touch up your skin during the day.  Having combination/oily skin, I can use these to absorb the oil my face creates during the day.  They're easy to use and come in a cool carrying case.
 
6.  Benefit POREfessional:  I got this travel size tube in my She's So Jetset kit and to say the least, I love this primer.  I find it really does reduce the size of your pores.  It's not a perfect reduction, but far less visible.  If you're looking for a miracle product, this may not be for you.  I will have some before and after pictures as soon as I can.

7.  Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 16:  I really like these lipsticks.  I now own 4.  This colour is a bright pink.  I am looking forward to wearing it a lot this summer.   

Eye without any makeup

The amazing They're Real Mascara Brush

Eye with One Coat of They're Real and Benefit and Bourjois Eye Shadow Pot in 10

8.  Benefit They're Real Mascara:  This also came in my She's So Jetset kit (I highly recommend the entire kit).  I am completely in love with this mascara!  It is excellent!!  I love how it lengthens and curls.  I don't have anything close to it and I have quite a few mascaras.

9.  Bourjois Eye Shadow Pot in 10:  This is a beautiful eye shadow in a glittery champagne colour.  This is my go to colour of eye shadow and I love the shimmer this one possesses.  Totally worth a purchase if you don't mind glitter.

What were your favourites this month?

Recent Hauls Part 1: Priceline and Target (and Myer)

Recently, I have been spending far too much on beauty products.  School holidays and online shopping the main culprits to blame.  I am thinking about a spending ban, but I don't think it can be cold turkey; there have to be clauses and loop-holes, so stay tuned for the outcome of that.

A week or so ago I went to Priceline and Target just to browse and pick up some red hair dye.  However, I ended up with this:

Here's the break down:

Priceline:

- Bourjois Blushes in 34 Rose d'Or and 16 Rose coup de Foudre (30% off--can't resist that!)
- L'Oreal Prefernce Hair Dye (necessary for my Amy Pond outfit for the Ramble)
- Rimmel Kate Moss Lipstick in 12 and 16 (Buy one get one free)
- Face of Australia Nail Polish in Mystic Iris
- Australis Nail Polish in Fairy Bread (I have done a NOTD with this and Iris here)
- Cedel Blow Dry Faster (This was on-sale and it is AMAZING! Stay tuned for a review)
- Cedel Dry Shampoo (On-sale and I've been dying to try a dry shampoo)

Target:

- Rimmel Nail Polish in Disco Ball and Wine (I really wanted Disco Ball and it was buy one get one 50% off)

Myer:

-Lancome Foundation Teint Idole in 010 (This was a free sample and so far, I really like this!  I'm not sure if I can justify spending so much money on it.  Maybe the next time I'm in America)