Best In Beauty – My Favourite Beauty Products of 2012…

Given it’s the 1st day of 2013 I thought it appropriate to post an article on my favourite beauty picks of 2012.  This is in no way a definitive list of all of the products I use (I do love trying as many new products as possible, so as you can imagine, I could be here forever writing about everything), these are simply my top picks for 2012.  No doubt 2013 will bring many new products and many new lines from my favourite brands so I will have many more to blog about throughout the year, with my yearly ‘Best Beauty Products’ posted again on the 1 of January 2014.

I’ll kick things off with eye makeup as this is admittedly kind of large.  Being a qualified make-up artist this was bound to happen, so forgive the large amount I have in this category…

BEST IN BEAUTY – EYE MAKEUP

1. Urban Decay – NAKED Palette
2. Bobbi Brown – Shimmer Brick (this can be used on the whole face but I used mine mainly on my eyes)
3. MAC – Brow Pencil in Stud (if they ever discontinue this I may actually cry)
4. MAC – Eye Kohl Liner in Powersurge
5. Maybelline – Colour Tattoo 24 hour eyeshadow (I would have loved to buy all the colours in this line as it is a truly superb long lasting eyeshadow, alas I only bought 2 and my favourite is Taupe)
6. MAC – Paint Pots in Morning Frost and Groundwork (great worn alone or as an eyeshadow primer
7. MAC – Fluidline in Blacktrack.  Thus far, the best black gel liner I’ve ever used
8. MAC – Eyeshadows (don’t worry, I didn’t choose all the eyeshadows pictured here, just the ones shown most prominently).  Mineralize Pink Split, All That Glitters, Contrast, Jaunty (Hey Sailor collection), Bows & Curtseys, Coppering, A Natural Flirt (Glamour Daze collection).
9. Urban Decay – 24/7 Waterproof Liquid Liner in Demolition and Perversion
10. Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Eye Pencil in Bourbon
11. Stila – Light Up The World Eyeshadow Palette
12. Mascara.  I’m a mascara junkie so I really do try as many as possible throughout the year.  My top 4 for 2012 are: Benefit – They’re Real! (LOVING this so much – I know it’s huge overseas and I can see why), Maybelline – Falsies, L’Oreal – Millions, Revlon – Grow Luscious

BEST IN BEAUTY – LIPS

I’m sure you will see from the above picture, I’m not big on lipsticks.  Yes I do like them, in fact I love the beautiful nearly nude colours however I am a HUGE fan of lip glosses, so obviously these are my favourite picks for 2012…

1. MAC – Lipliner in Boldly Bare
2. MAC – Cremesheen Lipstick in Shy Girl
3. MAC – Lipsticks in Beauty and Fresh Brew
4. Clarins – Instant Light Lip Perfector (this is a fabulous lipgloss!  When first applied it’s a slightly scary barbie pink, but within 1 minute it magically turns into the most natural light reflecting gloss I’ve every used)
5. Witchery – Nude Gloss
6. Lucas’ PaPaw – Lip balm (this deserved a mention as it is probably the most used of them all even though it really doesn’t count as a ‘lipstick/gloss’ as such
7. Kiehls – Tinted Lip Balm
8. MAC – Hey Sailor Lip Balm (I think this is my favourite combination of gloss & balm – LOVE!!)
9. MAC – Cremesheen Gloss in Boy Bait (why oh why did you discontinue this MAC!!)
10. MAC – Dazzleglass in Phiff! (Marilyn Collection) and Glitter and Ice
11. MAC – Lipglass in Impossibly Sweet

BEST IN BEAUTY – FACE (foundations/Primers/highlighters etc)

1. Garnier BB Cream – My summer ‘go to’ as I tend not to wear foundation during summer unless it’s an evening event/special occasion.
2. Bobbi Brown BB Cream – I only recently discovered this BB Cream but already I love it!!  I would have liked to have tried the MAC BB Cream but alas they don’t seem to stock a BB Cream for those of us with olive skin *sad face*
3. Foundations: MAC – Face & Body, MAC – Matchmaster, Maybelline – FIT Me!, Laura Mercier – Silk Creme Foundation (BTW, Laura Mercier Foundation – AMAZING!!)
4. MAC – Blot Powder
5. L’Oreal – Lumi Magique Base Primer
6. Benefit – The POREfessional (this baby is amazing!!!!  The best product for minimising fine lines and pores that I’ve ever come across, EVER!!  Seriously, if you can get your hands on this – BUY IT)
7. Smashbox – Photofinish Foundation Primer
8. Urban Decay – Eyeshadow Primer Potion (don’t even bother applying eyeshadow unless you’ve applied this first.  No creasing whatsoever.  It will have your eyeshadow staying in place all day and night, no matter the temperature!!)
9. Smashbox – Halo Highlighting Wand
10. L’Oreal Lumi Magique Highlighting Pen
11. MAC – Cover-up Concealer
12. MAC – Pro Longwear Bronzing Powder
13. MAC – Mineralize Skin Finish in Soft & Gentle
14. MAC – Extra Dimension Skin Finish in Superb (This from the Glamour Daze range is by far the standout for cheek illumination/highlighting.  In fact the entire line from the Glamour Daze collection is simply to die!)
15. MAC – Blush in Pressed Amber (this is my ‘go to’ blush as its so natural in looking)
16. MAC – Cream Colour Base in Hush

BEST IN BEAUTY – MAKEUP BRUSHES

1. Sigma – Makeup Me Classy Set (in leather case).  For me, Sigma Makeup Brushes are my NUMBER 1 when it comes to brushes.  They are absolutely amazing and quite honestly are as good as any other well know brand at half the cost.  You can purchase Sigma brushes in smaller sets or even just buy a single brush.  The Make Me Classy Set has all the main brushes and comes in this fab case that breaks apart to become brush holders (perfect for travel).  If you do want to purchase Sigma makeup brushes you can do so online by clicking on the “Sigma JANUARY Discount Code” image (located on my home page) which will allow you to use my 10% discount on anything on their website.
2. Bobbi Brown – Ultra Fine Liner, Face Blender and the Bronzer Brush
3. Smashbox – Kabuki Brush
4. MAC – of course I had to feature the MAC 217 brush (I’m fairly certain this is the biggest ‘must have’ of all MAC’s brushes and the stippling brush which can be used for applying foundation AND I also use this to apply my cheek highlighters!

BEST IN BEAUTY – FACE SKINCARE

1. Dermalogica – Daily Microfoliant (the oracle of all microfoliants!!)
2. Trilogy – Certified Organic Rosehip Oil.  I was going to do a ‘Tried and Tested’ on this one very soon as I vowed to try this every day for a month before writing my review on it, however after just 2 1/2  weeks it had already secured its spot in my Best Beauty Products of 2012!.  My skin is visibly softer, smoother and more youthful in appearance and I just adore it!  I got my Trilogy Rosehip Oil from Health2000 online as this appears to be the place to shop to ensure ‘best bang for your buck’ as well as being the most informative in terms of product knowledge.  Click here to shop it.
3. Nivea – Expert Lift Day Cream (I love good ol’ trusty Nivea.  For me this is  a fantastic affordable range of skin care.  I’ve used it for years and I will continue to do so.  With each new range they bring out they seem to only get better (although you discontinued one of my favourite day creams a few years ago Nivea and I still think about it now and wish you would bring it back!! It was in a medium-sized blue glass jar and it smelled like fresh clean linen and I miss it!!)
4. Clinical Formulations – Skin Renewing Cream.  GLOWING SKIN in the morning after applying before bed!!
5. BEE Nigma – Youthful Skin in a jar (unless you’re allergic to bees then it’s probably not going to be for you!)
6. Nivea – Anti-wrinkle Day Cream
7. Garnier – Intensive Night Treatment
8. Garnier – Clean Sensitive Makeup Remover.  I have stuck to this tried and tested makeup remover for a couple of years now and I swear by it!  Gentle on your skin yet still removes waterproof makeup – LOVE!
9. MAC – Strobe Cream – I doubt this needs any intro, but I will say – fabulous worn alone or as a primer under your foundation
10. MAC – Mineralize Charged Water Eye Cream – Yes this is expensive but a little goes a loooooong way and its cooling properties feel SO good!!
11. Bobbi Brown – Hydrating Eye Cream.  Hello divine hydrating eye cream.  This will probably make it into the 2013 Best Beauty Products!!

BEST IN BEAUTY – BODY

1. L’Occitane Creme Mains – Hand Cream (I’ve only been through 3 of these this year – hand cream junkie!!)
2. Body Shop – Vanilla Bath & Shower Gel and Vanilla Body Lotion (used it for 10 years, would use it for 10 more)
3. MAC – To The Beach Body Oil (summer in a jar!)

BEST IN BEAUTY – HAIR

1. MY HAIRDRESSER – Kurt of mod’s Ponsonby, is of course my number one on the list of BEST BEAUTY PRODUCTs of 2012 for hair.  Yes I’m well aware he’s not a product, but without him I would be lost and thus, he is at the top of my list!!  I cannot rave about my hairdressers enough (as all my friends will vouch for).  When you find a good hairdresser NEVER let them go and I trust my hair in the hands of ANY of the hairdressers at mod’s of Ponsonby!  They have seen me through countless dramas, like when I stupidly strayed and ruined my hair by going elsewhere whilst out-of-town, ugh – the salon that shall not be named seriously turned my hair a colour I actually stipulated I DID NOT WANT my hair to be…… Yup – without even so much as a disappointed look, mod’s completely corrected my hair back to its lovely colour they worked so hard over time creating.  And when I was sent a free DIY Hair Colour Package, again I ruined all Kurt’s hard work and actually cried that time, yup – they calmly went about undoing my stupidity and corrected it once again!!  My New Years resolution, much to mod’s relief, is that I will NEVER again DIY, go anywhere other than mod’s (even if I’m out-of-town for 3 months) nor will I ever try another free ‘anything’ from anywhere ever again.   If you are based in Auckland and don’t feel like you currently have THE BEST hairdresser, click mod’s hair PARIS and get yourself booked in to see any of their amazing hair experts based in their Ponsonby salon – you will never look back!! And I happily put my name to that statement!!  You could even mention I referred you and you never know, they might just offer you a referral discount 🙂
   Sorry, I digress, now where was I, ahhhh yes Best Beauty Products for Hair……….
2. O&M – Hair Care (fab travel size pack of shampoo, conditioner, masques and leaves hair super clean plus amazing shine)
3. Matrix – Conditioner (nevermind 2012 – this is my all time favourite brand of shampoo & conditioner and will continue to be for years to come)
4. mod’s Hair PARIS (Ponsonby) – Volume & Energie Hair Lotion (heat activated conditioner spray that reconstructs and revives dull hair and adds elasticity) and their Masque Coloeur (this little beauty is a lifesaver when you are in-between salon visits).  This ‘Colour Fresh Up’ acts like a toner in-between colour treatments and adds brilliant shine to your hair.  mod’s hair experts will direct you to the best toner to suit your hair colour
5. Redken Hairspray – this is the best hairspray because it’s flexible!!  Spray on hair prior to curling and there’s no stiffness whatsoever and you can re-work your hair as many times as you like!!

BEST IN BEAUTY – NAILS

I won’t bore you with all the hundreds of colours I love when it comes to nail polish.  These are simply my top picks for Nail Polish brands…..

1. Butter London
2. OPI – goes without saying, I am addicted!!
3. Orly – this is fast becoming a ‘first love’ equal to OPI and I just adore their mini’s and beautiful colour sets, such as the  Cool Romance set shown above
4. RUBY Nail Varnish – like their clothing, their nail polish is simply divine.  The colours are to die!! and the staying power is fantastic.  I have yet to wear a RUBY Nail polish without at least one person asking where I got my fabulous nail colour from
5. L’Oreal Gel Polish – I can do gel nails at home and remove it myself too?!  Yes please!  I am in love with this new range – brilliant shine and I love the colour range!!  Alas I only have 2 but I vow to get MANY more I love this range so so much!
6. Orly – Top2Bottom: The BEST Top/Base coat EVER!!

BEST IN BEAUTY – FRAGRANCE

Simply put, these are my 2012 favourite perfumes…

1. Marc Jacobs – Daisy
2. Gucci – Guilty
3. Taylor Swift – Wonderstruck (don’t judge me !! It’s delicious!!)
4. Cafe Cafe – Puro

Ange x
A Girl Interrupted By Fashion, Beauty & Anything Pretty That Catches My Eye

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