I came up with this catchy name for this short little series I am doing on my favorite products from 2012. There may not be something from every category, but each one of these things I have used and loved all last year. A lot of times, I get swept up in brand new products and love them to death for the first couple weeks {honeymoon phase} then they seem to fall by the wayside. Everything in the Besties Awards have been long lasting romances throughout the whole year. These are things I go back to time and time again.
Best Setting Spray
Urban Decay De-Slick:
I have tried the All Nighter Setting Spray
from Urban Decay and ELF's Setting Spray and this one was my favorite.
Surprisingly, I have dry and oily skin. I found that De-Slick made my
makeup last longer than any of them and gave my face a nice matte
finish. I used this during the summer too and it was a life saver! Here's the full review.
Best Concealer
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Treatment:
Maybelline's
concealers are a long time favorite. This concealer is perfect for
underneath the eyes. It is really thin but gives full coverage and
seriously brightens underneath my eyes. The only down side is that the
packaging on mine is broken so I have to work at it to twist up more
product. If your looking for a good concealer for both under the eyes
and on dark spots/pimples, try Maybelline's 24/7 Concealer.
Best Foundation
Revlon Color Stay:
I
have tried so many foundations in the past couple of years and I always
end up going back to this. Nothing is as full coverage as Color Stay.
When they say color stay, they mean it! It dries rather quickly so
blending it right away is a must. Once it is actually set, it makes my
skin look flawless and gorgeous and covers everything and will stay put
all day long.
Best Highlight
ELF Radiance Enhancer in Spotlight:
Another thing from the Holy Grail
page. This is one of those highlighters that have a duo-chrome finish. I
wouldn't say this is glittery, instead shimmery. When it hits the
light, it really does radiate. For $3, it really doesn't get any better.
The packaging is sleek, it has a brush tip applicator, and is really
creamy and extremely easy to blend. Any beginner wanting to dive into
the whole contour/highlight process, this would be a perfect place to
start. I want to do an updated review and demo using both colors ELF has
to offer on the Radiance Enhancer range. Coming Soon (: For now, grab
yourself a Radiance Enhancer. You won't regret it!
Best Bronzer/Contour Powder
Laura Gellar Baked Blush n Brighten in Honey Dipped:
I got this in my Birch Box in June of 2011
and it was the sole best thing I have ever received in any box. Even
though it has shimmer in it, I find it to be the perfect contour powder
for me. Any matte contour powder or bronzer I have tried just looks
really tacky and muddy next to my fair skin. In the summer time, this is
the perfect all over bronzer because I am a little bit darker. The
powder is really nice and is easy to blend. After the 2 years I have had
it, it is still my absolute favorite bronzer and I use it more than any
other one I have. I have yet to even think about hitting the pan. Talk
to me in 2015. Maybe I will hit pan then. Probably not. I have swatched this before here
Best Blush
YBF Golden Gleam Bronzer & Baby Pink Blush Duo:
The
bronzer side is nice, yes, but I want to pay tribute to the blush side.
This is the blush I kept on going back to all year last year and will
most likely continue to do so in 2013. When ever I can't make my mind
up, this is my go to blush. It is such a pretty shimmery baby pink color
that creates this beautiful flush on my cheeks. The phrase "lit from
within" was made for this blush. I don't hear much about YBF Beauty but
the company is a diamond in the rough! Check out HSN. They sell YBF
(which is where I purchased it) value kits for a really good prices. Here's everything I got in my value kit when I ordered along with swatches of this duo. It's a really good blog post.
Best Eyeshadow
Stila Eyeshadows
Yes,
I own the Naked Palette and it's great and all, but not as great as the
Stila eye shadows I own. The lighter shades in the Naked Palette aren't
as pigmented as Kitten from Stila . Same thing goes for the matte
shades. Stila's Kitten is my absolute favorite eye shadow in the world
and thats because it doesn't take much to get pigment on my eyes. All of
the Stila eye shadows I own are always so velvety, creamy and pigmented
and I almost always use at least 1 of them on a daily basis. Here's a
swatch I did of Kitten, Terracotta + Jezebel. I
would gladly do a blog post on my full Stila eye shadow collection.
Those swatches are old. I can do a better job! Let me know if your
interested.
Best Eye Liners
Any of the Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips
Any of the Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips
I
picked these because they are the only drug store eye liner I used in
2012 that stayed in my water line the whole day and kept the pigment and
didn't run down my face. I actually had a lot to say about these, so
check out the review I did for them a couple days ago. You can also find swatches there too.
Best Mascara
Physician's Formula Organic Wear
Physician's Formula Organic Wear
I did a full review complete with pictures of the brush and it on my lashes. Check it out.
Top 10 Nail Polishes and Favorite Lip Products deserve their own separate blog post. Otherwise this blog post would be way too long! It might be labeled "Bestie's Award's" and it might not be. It depends on how long it takes me to get them up (: Don't worry! It will only take a couple weeks, tops.
What was your favorite product from last year?
Would you be interested in a Stila eyeshadow collection blog post?
till next time,
Erica
What was your favorite product from last year?
Would you be interested in a Stila eyeshadow collection blog post?
till next time,
Erica
