2012 Favourites: Make up!

This is my round up of the makeup products that I have been loving this year! This post is a little bit late as I have been busy with Christmas, boxing day, new year and meeting up with family and friends – hopefully this post will be useful…it may not be if I’m writing it!

 Firstly, primers!

There are two stand out primers for me this year – one for the face, the other for eyes. The first primer is….The Body Shop Moisturise it Primer! I bought this primer early last year and I have been using it on and off all year. I had trouble with my foundation looking fresh throughout the day, especially as my skin really dry so foundation can sometimes make me look a bit tired if they have worn off throughout the day. However this primer really helps to keep my foundation looking fresher and it helps improve the longevity of my foundations. My favourite eye primer for 2012 is…Nars Smudge proof Eyeshadows Primer. I find that 99% of eyeshadows crease on me but this primer really helps to keep them as crease free as possible throughout the day.

On to foundation

The foundation that I have loved throughout the summer months and into the beginning of autumn is…Illamasqua Light Liquid Foundation (shade LF120). I love this foundation for the warmer months, it applies well, it has natural coverage, it looks good on the skin and it has the most gorgeous radiant (not greasy) finish! Although while this foundation was great during July, August, September I do not like this foundation for the colder months as it can make my skin look a bit dry and it can cling to dry/flaky patches which I get in the colder months. I don’t really have a favourite foundation for the winter months as I have been trying various foundations but my recent favourite foundation has to be the Anti-age foundation from Kiko.

Is there a perfect foundation brush?

Yes! I discovered the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush this year and I love it! The brush is really reasonably priced, it has incredibly smooth/soft bristles, it applies and blends foundation really well and because of the paddle like shape of the bristles it allows me to apply foundation really quickly and easily. This foundation brush works for a lot of my foundation, but not all, and it washes well too. (The Dr Bronner Magic Liquid Soap is great for washing brushes).

Let’s talk concealer…

I am a woman on a mission which unfortunately is not over! I have not found my perfect concealer this year, although I have tried many, so the hunt goes on. But one concealer has been my favourite this year, but it is by no means perfect, is the…MAC Select Moisture cover Concealer (shade NW15). I have been using this concealer for about five months or so and I have been using it on blemishes, redness, pores and under my eyes. This is one of the very few concealers that it moisturising/smoothing enough for me to use under my eyes. The concealer has good coverage (although it definitely doesn’t completely cover my dark circles), it applies/blends well and it matches my skin tone too. But this concealer can cake under my eyes and on blemishes if I use too much for if I use too much powder on top – this concealer can also cake under my eyes sometimes as well. Overall, my favourite concealer this year but it is definitely not perfect and my hunt for perfect concealer match carries on.

To bronze or not to bronze, that is the question

I’m not really a bronzer kind of girl as I am really pale but I tried Benefits Hoola Bronzer this year and I also tried the ELF Cool Bronzer this year and I love both – but I love the…ELF bronzer more! I bought the ELF bronzer on a whim and it has become a staple in my makeup routine. The bronzer is split into quarters – a white section, a reddish brown section, an ashy brown and a dusty rose blush section. I use the white and ashy brown sections the most – I use them for contouring as they are smooth, matte and blend easily. I do like benefit’s Hoola bronzer (I have a mini version and a full size version) but I prefer the much cheaper ELF Cool Bronzer.

Brows, Brows, Brows

My favourite brow product for this year, and for the past two or three years, is the….Tweezerman Browmousse which unfortunately kicked the bucket a couple of months ago which was a very sad moment as I had been using the same tube for nearly three years – it seemed like it was never ending…until it ended…I adore the Tweezerman brow mousse, it is the only brow gel that can tame my brows all day! I also adore the Tweezerman Teezers, I have a mini pair in a cute ladybird print (in the garden). Another favourite brow product is the…MAC Eyebrow pencil in the shade Lingering. I love and hate this brow pencil - I love that it is so quick/easy to use, the shade is great for my brows and it looks really natural although the pencil is in a black tube so you can’t see how much you have left until you run out and the pencil is quite expensive, in my opinion.

It’s all about the eyes

My favourite eyeshadow quad of 2012 is the…Soap & Glory Lid Stuff Eyeshadow Quad in the shade ‘What’s nude’. I adore this quad, the colours are great for every day, three of the shades are matte and they apply like a dream. I use the top two shades (vanilla and pink T) as all over the lid shades, I use the shade Mudhoney for my eyebrows and I use the shade Aubersheen less often but it is great for using at the outer corner or lower lashes for definition.

Another eye shadow favourite I have been loving in 2012 is the…Nars Eyeshadow Duo in the shade ‘Bellissima’. Bellissima contains a shimmery white shade and a dark matte grey. I use the white shade to highlight my brow bone and inner corner and the dark grey shade to define my upper and lower lash lines – I can also use the dark grey shade as a brow powder.

The last two eye product favourites of 2012 include the new Rimmel Scandaleyes waterproof kohl kajal eyeliner in the shade ‘004 taupe’. The shade is gorgeous; I use it to line my upper and lower lash line for very quick and easy definition. The eyeliner applies really smoothly and it is very creamy. The last eye product favourite is a brush from Illamasqua and it is the Illamasqua eye blending (2) brush. The brush is incredibly soft, smooth and is blends eyeshadow like a dream – the brush is really big so I also use it to apply powder to small areas.

Onto the lips!

I have a couple of lip balm favourites for 2012; the first is the Rodial Glam Balm which I only use at night as I kind of night treatment as it is very hydrating. It also smells really nice (like roses) and it leaves my lips really smooth, soft and moisturised (but it is quite expensive). The next lip balm favourite is the Nuxe Reve de miel lip balm stick which I really like but I do prefer the Caudalie Lip balm but I used it up a couple of months ago.

I have two lip stick favourites for 2012; the first is my Avon Extra lasting Lipsticks. I have the shades ‘totally twig’, ‘Cappuccino’ and ‘rose crème’ and I love all of the shades. The lipstick applies so smoothly and they are really soft/creamy. The longevity of these lipsticks is just as good as my MAC lipsticks! My last makeup favourite for 2012 is my Nars Velvet Matte Lip pencil in the shade ‘Dolce Vita’ which is a gorgeous natural English rosy red shade. The pencil applies so smoothly, it looks gorgeous on the lips and the longevity is good too – the Nars velvet matte lip pencil in the shade ‘Bahamas’ is on my wish list for 2013!

What were your 2012 makeup favourites?