Best Beauty Finds 2012

2012 was an interesting year for me; I re-trained and embarked on a new career, then changed my mind and went back to the old career but in a fantastic new job, I worked on a national campaign with a major beauty/fashion magazine (cough Cosmo) and attended fabulous beauty events, my little girl started big school, my dog died :( and I also took the plunge and started my own blog.

Since starting this blog not only have I been introduced to some fantastic brands and products but my confidence has grown massively. It has helped me rediscover myself, pull me out of my rut and I actually feel quite good about myself these days. So as I leave 2012 behind and look forward to what 2013 has to offer I thought I would give a little shout out to the products and brands that made 2012 that little bit prettier...

 

Skincare/ Haircare
So as I think back to my first proper blog post (there are a few random others that I carried forward from an old blog), the one that started it all it was all about skincare and the fact I had no routine what so ever! Well thanks to that post I went on to discover some really great skin care brands such as Skinetica and Bioderma. I now use Bioderma every night without fail to cleanse and remove my make up, gone are the days when I wake up with panda eyes. I have really noticed a difference in my skin since using it, I still get break outs but they last nowhere near as long. Which brings me nicely onto Skinetica, this is what I have been searching for all my life, a spot treatment that actually works! Last night I had one of those horrid, hard under the skin spots threatening to take over my chin, but after wiping a little Skinetica over it last night and this morning it has now pretty much disappeared, like magic!

When it comes to haircare I have never really done anything specific or used any special shampoos as my hair isn't in that bad condition, however I was sent some products from the lovely DGJ Organics and I am now thinking speciality hair products are the way forward in 2013. I wont say too much as I will do a full review of the products very soon, so keep a look out...

Nails
Nail polish has always been a passion of mine, I would paint my nails at least once a week and I would treat myself to a new polish if I was going out. Now nail polish had become an obsession rather than a passion and I change the colour of my nails at least four times a week, and sometimes it's every day. I have drastically increased the amount of polishes I own and I bought the Ciate Mini Mani Month advent calendar as an early Christmas present to myself. I had never bought a Ciate polish before but I had cooed over them plenty of times, it's the bow that does it, I will say though I have bought cheaper polishes that have more pigmentation and staying power so although the colours are amazing I was a tad disappointed.

I also ventured into the world of nail art, I have always wanted to try it out but my unsteady hand has put me off, however the Models Own nail art pens make it soooo easy I was really impressed with my first attempt (full review).

Make-Up
I have tried a lot of make up since starting my blog that I perhaps would not have thought of trying previously, this is all thanks to the lovely bloggers I have started to follow and speak to during the #bbloggers chats.

My absolute favourites have to be the Bobbi Brown foundation stick and the Sleek lipsticks. I was using the Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation which I thought was amazing until I tried the Bobbi Brown stick and although I may try others like the Stila foundation I got for Christmas I think I will always have the Bobbi Brown in my make up bag.

I discovered Sleek lipsticks after I got one in my December Glossy Box, I've never really been a lipstick girl I prefer gloss and when I saw the colour I wanted to run a mile. But I took a deep breath and gave it a try and boy am I glad I did. I absolutely love the colour and because I love it I didn't feel in the slightest self conscious when I wore it out, in fact I felt FAB! Thank you Sleek Make Up for bringing me out of my comfort zone and getting me to try lipstick, I may never look back!

Brands
Finally I just thought I would mention a few brands that have made me take notice and really impressed me during 2012..

MUA Cosmetics - What can I say, I have nothing but love for this brand, it may not cost the earth but it certainly isn't cheap. I think I have almost everything there is on their website but at the rate they are releasing new products I don't think I'll be stopping anytime soon.

Real Techniques - I never used make up brushes before I discovered these, I always used my hands to apply make up or the awful eyeshadow brushes you get in sets. But when I started using the Bobbi Brown stick it sort of became necessary to invest in some brushes and all the bloggers were raving about Real Techniques. I bought the set that included the foundation, powder and eyeshadow brush to start me off but I have a feeling this is another brand I wont be stopping there with. I love how soft they are and I haven't experienced any shedding from them and my make up blends really well, I have never been left with those awful brush marks.

Bobbi Brown - As I mentioned earlier Bobbi Brown will now and forever have a place in my make up bag, not only do I have the foundation stick but I also have the Sheer Pressed Powder and the Hydrating Moisturising Gel which also works as a primer. I have been nothing but thrilled with all three!

Stila - this is a brand I am rediscovering, I used to always use their lip gloss when I was at Uni and had a student loan to burn but then they disappeared from the UK shelves. They have recently returned and I thought I'd give their foundation and eyeshadow pallets a try and again I have been impressed.

I can't wait to see what 2013 has in store, what were your 2012 beauty highlights?