My Top 12 of 2012(Beauty)

Hey lovelies,
I know that this post is a week overdue, but better late than never right? These are my favorite goto makeup, hair care, and skin care products. I'm going to get right to it so that I don't go off into a tangent.

12. Yes To Carrots Nourishing Cleanser:
I love this stuff! It is really gentle, but cleanses my skin deep down. I also noticed that my skin wasn't as dry after and didn't have raccoon eyes the next morning. It smells like baby powder which some youtubers didn't like, but I happen to like it.

11. Rimmel Stay Matte Powder: I will never change powders again(ok, ok! I might experiment with others, but this is my holy grail powder) I have heard many other beauties use this powder and thought "nah, nothing's better than my Maybelline Dream Matte Powder", but since Maybelline changed the formula, the Rimmel powder had a chance of moving into take Dream Matte's spot. Now, I don't like anything else but Rimmel's powder to set my makeup and mattify my skin.

10. Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips for Smoky Hazel Eyes: This is my favorite palette for travel because it is small, but very versatile. The dark colors could be used as eyeliner or crease color. There are so many variations of look that could be created with this palette that there was only one other palette that I used this entire year.These eyeshadows can create smokey night to chic everyday student looks.

9. Lorac Haute Couture, St. Tropez Quad(Limited Edition): Yup, this is that other palette that I used when I didn't use the PF Shimmer Strips palette. It is the perfect natural look, but a little goes a long way. To see what the palette looks like and my go-to look, head over to that post

8. NYX Slide on Pencil: This came out this year and absolutely will not try any other pencil eyeliner because these pencils live up to their name. They do come of pretty fast and smudge easily, but I don't wear eyeliner long, so I don't really notice that as much as others. I definitely want to add more colors to my collection, since the only one I have is black.

7. NYX  RLG Pinky Natural: My go-to "my lips, but better color. It lasts pretty long and has a great scent(watch for review/swatches on this soon).

6. Milani Bronzer(Med. 2): This bronzer isn't too orange-y or shimmer-y. It is a matte lovers dream. I think its perf for every day conture and even just a tan overall appearance(maybe review)

5. Jordana automatic Lip liners: These go on so well. They stay on for a really long time and hold ontol lip stick/gloss really well. Great variety of colors too.

4.  Maybelline Dark Circle Eraser: I love what Maybelline has been coming out with lately! This is one of those products, I mean it doesn't make my dark circles disappear, but it does lessen them and brightens up my eye area. I use it just around my eyes because it looks odd elsewhere.  I love these concealer also because it doesn;t fall into my crease lines.

3. Maybelline Fit Me Concealer: This is the concealer I use on my scar, pimples, or redness. My cheeks are always red and this concealer hides that amazingly! It doesn't leave a ring or get too dry, looks just opaque enough that it still looks natural.

2. CoverGirl Lashblast Waterproof Volume: This is the first mascara ever that has actually made my lashes look full and voluminous. I began wearing it in the summer because I love to swim and after I would go to dinner or an event and my mascara looked fresh.

1. Tresseme Leave - In Conditioner: If you have tangles in your hair, you need this right now! Just a couple sprays allows the comb or brush to glide through your hair with a little effort. It also smells good too.

I hope you liked my favorites of 2012! What are 12 things you reached for most in 2012?

Beauty Balm Breakdown!

Before I get into the actual post, I wanted to give a shout out to Small Budget Beauty for nominating my blog for the Liebster blog award! This award is for the up and coming bloggers who have under 300 subscribers, and if you win you will then return the favor by nominating 5 other bloggers.

Without further ado...

Today I'm talking about the hyped up Drugstore BB Creams. Now, I know you've heard of them, unless you live in a pineapple under the sea, so I'm just going to talk about my experience with using them.

To start off I just wanted to tell you that all of the pictures on the top are before product application and the bottom are the ones after product was applied.

The first of the three BB creams that I tried was the L'Oreal Magic Skin Beautifier(white tube). When I first saw the product, I thought that it looked like white out you would use to fix pen mistakes with. It reads on the label "adusts to skin color". As I applied the cream, it made my skin smooth because of the exfoliant. I was actually liking the way it made my skin smooth and airbrushed. It was great...until half way through the day. when I looked in the mirror during a powder break at school. I was embarrased to find an ompaloompa orange color and an oil slick were covering my entire face. Luckily, I just happened to have a makeup remover wipe in my backpack( I'm prepared for anything) . Let's just say I never wore that out in public again!

 



With the worse BB cream of the three out of the way, next is the Garnier Skin Renew Miracle Skin Perfector with SPF 15. I actually tested this one out at home first :D I loved this one so much more than the L'Oreal bb because it didn't make my skin as oily,oxidize, along with many good things it did do!  As I was applying it, I noticed that the color was a little dark for the shade light/medium, but read that it will change to your skin tone just as the others (try to) do. I used to elf stippling brush to apply it and the finished look was glowy and flawless. The perfect amount of coverage for someone with monthly break-outs( which I was currently having :P). I was pleasantly surprised that it didn't oxidize, but it left my face a little too dewy for my combination skin.  I loved that it covered the rosacea on my cheeks as well as the pimples and it even made my pimples go away faster than if I would have used foundation. This made my day! I would go further to say that its just as good as my CoverGirl Natureluxe Foundation, but not quite.

 

    

Last, but definitely not least is the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB. Cream with SPF 30. First of all I want to say that this or any amout of SPF in any foundation, cream, etc.. just will not be enough so if you are in the sun alot, don't forget to use an spf under this.  On to the review...For this bb cream, my initial reaction was that it is my perfect shade(medium). I loved how creamy this was but it also felt light. This bb cream did dry my skin, but if using moisturizer it is perfect! It too seemed to allow my pimples to clear up faster than when wearing foundation and wasn't too dewy. After application my skin was smooth and looked like it was my second skin, but doesn't conceal as much as the Garnier bb cream.

 

 All-in-all, my favorite was a toss up between the Maybelline and Garnier bb creams. They both had different cons, but neither one was bad enough to not wear everyday.  

 

So tell me....

 

What one is your favorite? Do you think that the Asian BB creams are better? Are you ready for CC Creams?

 

Don't forget to subscribe and check out my youtube channel for a more descriptive review!