2012 Beauty Products All Stars

My son and his family went out for a bit and asked me if I wanted to go with them. I told them that I had so many things to do at home and if they didn't need me there to help care for the baby, that I'd rather stay home. Finally some peace and quiet and "me" time! I decided to take some time to rush and get this post done as I've been wanting to do it for a while now.

This is my 2012 All Stars, mostly new products that I tried out last year and really like. As most of you know, I was basically on "use my stash" mode and didn't do a whole lot of purchasing. I was fortunate to have received most of these as gifts from blogger friends, who are so generous and sweet.

Facial Cleansers

I have really liked the Naive line of facial cleansers, having mainly used the Aloe one but have fallen in love with these Naive Rich & Moist Facial Cleansing Foams.

They are not foams per se as they come out of the tube as a cream but foam up really nicely. I have only used the orange tube one but the pink tube is supposed to be the same except it came out for the fall/winter season. (I think.) My review is here.

Skin Care

I received a mini set of DHC Medicated Q skin care set.

I loved it so much that I asked a friend to pick up the regular-sized set for me. I had to ask K to CP the gel for me because my son couldn't locate it in any of the DHC shops that he went to in Fukushima. I also bought the eye cream here but unfortunately it's not the medicated line. The medicated line has a higher percentage of Q10 in it. My review on this line is here.

Base Makeup

I have been reaching for these two foundations almost exclusively since I've received them as gifts. 

Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation and Kate BB Gel Cream. Both of these start off slightly lighter than my skin tone but do oxidize enough that it gets pretty close to matching. What I especially like about Kate BB Gel Cream is that it doesn't turn into an ashy, grayish color on me like most BB creams do. Both are hydrating for me and don't seem to settle in and bring out the fine lines. Here are my reviews for Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation and Kate BB Gel Cream.

I've also included under Base Makeup a concealer that I'm enjoying using. While my HG concealer is Sue Devitt Bermuda Triangle, I've been reaching for Art Collection Pencil Concealer from Daiso.

While I found that it didn't conceal my dark spots very well, I've been using it to conceal those hidden shadows. I often will look at various makeup companies and will watch some of their informational tutorial videos on their site. I can't remember where I saw this tip but it was said to use some concealer at the outer corners of your eyes to lighten and lift that area. Another area was the outer corner of your lips for the same reason. The other area is around your nose where your nostrils are. I have found that using this pencil concealer is really convenient for using in those areas. The smaller tip is used for outer eyes and lips and the larger tip for around the nostrils. It works perfectly in lightening those areas. My review is here but admittedly it's not a very indepth review.

Eye Shadow and Eyeliner

There are actually several lines of eyeshadows that I have developed a love for.

First off is Urban Decay's Vice Palette. I really debated whether or not to buy this palette as I have several other palettes from Urban Decay. I'm so glad that I caved and bought it because it is the most reached for Urban Decay palette. I find most of the the colors are ones that I would use and love. I have not done a review on this palette.

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill eyeshadows were all the rage a year or so ago amongst the beauty bloggers. I was curious but not curious enough at that time. When I was in Las Vegas at the outlet mall, I found it available in 3 different shades, which were colors that I would use so I decided to pick them up. I am so glad that I did because I love them. My review is here. I also picked up a 4th color from a blog sale.

L'Oreal Infallibles is like Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill eyeshadows. They are nicely pigments and easy to apply. I've been fortunate that non US bloggers have sent me some of their exclusive colors and I'm finding that I reach for those colors more.  This is my original review although I have done several other Infallibles posts.

K-Palette Real Lasting Eyeliner has been my HG eyeliner for quite a few years now since I discovered it. It's always been available in only black but recently a Deep Brown came out and I asked my son to bring it home for me when he came for the holidays. I am not a "brown" person in that I don't tend to wear brown clothing or makeup as I find that it tends to wash me out but I was really curious and wanting to create a more subtle eye look. My review is here. Having said that I'm not a "brown" person, I have to admit that during the course of 2012, I discovered some brown eyeshadows that I can wear without it making me look washed out or tired. I think that if I stick with pink browns it'll work on me. I'll put it to the test in 2013 by trying to find a pink brown palette that appeals to me, buy it and test it out.

Cheek Products

Three cheek products have made my All Star list.

Tarte Amazonian Clay blush. I like the formulation and I like that it's almost matte. I'm finding that recently I've been into more matte products. I think that matte is actually good to use during the summer months while those with a bit of shimmer is better to use during the gloomy winter months.  Giorgio Armani Sheer Blush is so pretty and...well, sheer! You can't over apply it and get clown cheeks. I think that it's also nice to use over a darker blush to tone the darker blush down. I also just received Chanel Notorious in my Secret Santa gift. It's an interesting gray color to be used for contouring, unlike the usual brown or bronze tones. I haven't reviewed any of these products.


Lip Products

Another three products have made this list. Interesting, 2 are lip crayons and one is a lip gloss. I have not reviewed any of these lip products.

Urban Decay Super-Saturated High Gloss Lip Color in Love Child. I love this color more than anything else. I haven't been able to find anything that's a dupe for it. If any of you know of a dupe, please let me know--it can be in lip crayon or lip stick formats.

Tarte LipSurgence Natural Lip Luster. I love the formulation of these and want to get more in different colors. I find them to be nicely pigmented but on a slightly sheerer side and moisturizing.

I am not a lip gloss person. I can't stand that most of the lip glosses that I have tried and used are sticky. When the wind blows, my hair gets stuck to my lips, thus I stopped wearing lip gloss. With that said, I have to retract it a bit and say that I love Laura Mercier Lip Glace. It was in a lip set that was given to me (thanks Macnunu)and one of the lipsticks that I had applied from the set was a tad dark for my liking so I decided to tone it down with the Lip Glace. I was so surprised by how unsticky it is. It just has a nice slick feel to it and seems to nicely moisturize my lips. I'm going to have to find more colors that I like.

Eyelashes

Two items here and both from L'Oreal!

Voluminous False Fiber Lashes Mascara has been great for me for if and when I use mascara. My review is here.

Lash Serum. I am geniunely surprised by this drugstore product! It has worked very well for me. My initial review is here. There are some follow up posts after that and I will probably do one last post in the new couple of weeks.

That's it for 2012. I'm sure that as some time goes on, I will discover that I missed some items but as I mentioned, I had to do this quickly, although it has taken me way longer than anticipated.

I hope that 2012 was a good one for you and that 2013 will be an even better year for us all.

*Kat*