Favorites of 2012

This is my first blog post of my yearly favorites. Last December, I didn't really know what my yearly favorites was because I had no record to go by. This year I feel like I do, based on all my blog posts of the year. I looked at all the favorite looks I wrote about, who was the makeup artist and what makeup I used to do the look. The most frequently I mentioned someone or something is how I found my yearly favorites.

My Favorite Youtuber of the Year is Cosmetic Couturier! http://www.youtube.com/user/cosmeticcouturier I mentioned her looks the most out of everyone with a total of 22 looks! She does a lot of great looks. She's also a good teacher. I think I've learned a lot about how to do makeup from watching her tutorials.

Face Primer: Hard Candy Sheer Envy Skin Illuminating Primer. This is a new primer for me. I will include it in my December favorites. It is inexpensive. I got it at Walmart. It gives the foundation a nice, slick base for putting on makeup. It also gives a natural glow, so I don't look too matte. I don't want to look too oily, but not like I'm wearing a mask.

Foundation: Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay-In-Place Makeup SPF 10 in Shell. I first heard about this foundation from Samantha Schuerman's Youtube videos. Her face always looked so good after she put on this foundation, so I was curious to try it. I love the coverage this makeup gives.

Concealer: My favorite concealer for under my eyes is Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Ivory. I don't have bad under eye circles. I get good sleep, so I don't have bad bags. This concealer is perfect for me. In the picture it is the concealer on the right.

Concealer: My favorite concealer for blemishes is Hard Candy Glamoflauge Heavy Duty Concealer. It is good at covering red spots.

Powder: Bare Minerals Mineral Veil. I love this powder for being invisible on my skin and helping my oily skin, not look so oily.

Bronzer/Contour: Mac Studio Careblend Pressed Powder in Medium Deep. I wanted to use something that wouldn't look bad on my fair skin. I first tried being matched at Sephora, but I wasn't sure I liked anything the girl there tried on me. I felt like everything made my face look dirty. Then I went to a Mac counter, and the lady there recommended this for me. I decided I liked it the best of everything I tried. It was also the first time I went to a Mac counter!

Highlighter: Physicians Formula Powder Palette Mineral Glow Pearls in Translucent Pearl. This is a highlighter you can find in the drugstore. It is a translucent powder that gives a natural glow to the skin.

Blush: I have two favorite blushes for the year. The first one I have said many times is my all-time favorite blush. It is Milani Baked Blush in Luminoso. It is peach.

Blush: My second favorite blush is Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Natural. It is petal pink.

Eyeshadow Primer: Too Faced Shadow Insurance. I have oily eyelids. This seems to be the best eye primer I have tried to help make my eyeshadow last the longest.

Eyeshadow: I have 9 favorite eyeshadow palettes. They are all from the drugstore! My all-time favorite eyeshadow palette is Wet 'n Wild Vanity Palette. I mentioned this 155 times this year! The left side is matte, and the right side has shimmers. It has been discontinued, which I find pretty ridiculous. I love to use this palette to dupe other eyeshadows.

Eyeshadow: My second favorite is Wet 'n Wild's Greed Palette. I mentioned this 50 times. It has also been discontinued. The left side is matte, the right side has shimmers.

Eyeshadow: My third favorite is Wet 'n Wild Lust Palette. I mentioned it 47 times. I'm not counting the times I mentioned these in monthly favorites. Only when I recommended a look. This has also been discontinued. :(

Eyeshadow: My fourth favorite is Wet 'n Wild Comfort Zone Palette. Thankfully, this has not been discontinued!

Eyeshadow: My fifth favorite is L'Oreal HIP Duo in Dynamic. The left side is a gold that I use to dupe Mac's Woodwinked and Urban Decay's Half Baked. The right side is a dupe for Urban Decay's Darkhorse from the Naked Palette.

Eyeshadow: My sixth favorite is Wet 'n Wild's Walking on Eggshells. I initially got this because I heard the eyelid color was a dupe for Urban Decay's Sin and the crease color was a dupe for Urban Decay's Smog. I have found a lot of things to dupe with this palette. This has not been discontinued.

Eyeshadow: My seventh favorite is Elf Brightening Eye Color in Day 2 Night. Somewhere I heard that the second shade is a dupe for Urban Decay's Hustle and the last shade is a dupe for Urban Decay Sidecar. Last year I was obsessed with duping the Naked Palette. I use this quad a lot though. It was only $1!

Eyeshadow: My eighth favorite is Maybelline Sunbaked Neutrals palette. I'm surprised I haven't mentioned it in a monthly favorite yet. It has a lot of beautiful colors.

Eyeshadow: My ninth favorite is Maybelline Enchanted Forest. It has unique colors in it. I also love the name.

Cream Eyeshadow: Revlon Illuminance Creme Shadows in Not Just Nudes. These are good bases. Not everyone likes these quads, but I do. They work fine for me, as long as I have a good primer underneath.

Jumbo Eye Pencil: NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Cottage Cheese. Originally, I wanted to get the pencil in Milk, but it was all sold out at the NYX website, so I got Cottage Cheese since it looked similar. I use this whenever a look calls for the Milk pencil. The only difference between the two is Cottage Cheese has shimmer in it, but it isn't too noticeable especially when you are wearing eyeshadow over it.

Eye Liner: Pixi Eye Bright Liner in Nude. I mention this whenever a look called for nude in the waterline. I remember I first heard about this from Lisa Eldridge's video where she did an Audrey Hepburn look.

Gel Eye Liner: Maybelline Eye Studio Gel Liner in Brown. Whenever a look called for gel eye liner I used this. Now I am just getting into using the black one on my eyes, and I like it. Maybe next year the black one will be my favorite. It has a good texture, compared to the other ones I have.

Liquid Eye Liner: My favorite seems to be Jordana Incolor Fabuliner Liquid Eye Liner in Black. Whenever a look calls for liquid liner on the top lash line, I reached for this. It is inexpensive. I got it at Walgreens. It is just like using a black pen. I also have this in brown and like it as well.

Mascara: For my top lashes I like The Balm What's Your Type? "The Body Builder." I got a little sample size from one of the beauty boxes I'm subscribed to. It does a good job thickening the lashes. When I am done using this, I don't think I will repurchase it because I don't like spending too much money on mascara because it's only supposed to be hygienic for three months. I think the mascaras at the drugstore work nicely enough for me. I have to admit I love this mascara, even though it is expensive. I like The Balm cosmetics.

Mascara: For my lower lashes I like Maybelline Lash Discovery Mini-Brush Waterproof in Very Black. I learned about this from Emilynoel83 youtube video on her favorite mascaras. It has a little brush that is perfect to get the lower lashes. I have since found out that my mom loves this mascara!

Lip Liner: Boots No.7 Nude Lip Liner. I think I first heard about this in the Audrey Hepburn video by Lisa Eldridge. That was one of my favorite Youtube videos this year I think. It is one of the only videos where I watched it and rushed out to buy the makeup that was used. I thought maybe I would be able to find it at Target, and it was there! It has since become a favorite.

Lipstick: I have four favorite lipsticks. I haven't mentioned these in any monthly favorite. I think because I'm always using different lipsticks and lip glosses, that I rarely have a favorite for the month. My first favorite lipstick is Revlon Soft Nude 070. It has a slight peachiness to it.

Lipstick: My second favorite is Revlon Lip Butter in Creme Brûlée 095. I really love the lip butters. They go on smoothly on the lips. I have almost every lip butter! This is sheer and a light, warm, peachy nude.

Lipstick: My third favorite is Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Plum Baby 467. This has a pearl finish.

Lipstick: My fourth favorite is another Revlon product. I'm noticing a pattern! It is Revlon Lip Butter in Peach Parfait 025. This is just the perfect peach lipstick.

Lip Gloss: I have four favorite lip glosses. The first one is Revlon Colorburst Lip Gloss in Peony 008. It is a sheer golden pink with gold/multi glitter. It is said to be a dupe for Nars Orgasm Lip Gloss. That is described as being a pinky peach with gold sparkles.

Lip Gloss: My second favorite is Milani Crystal Gloss in Summer Baby. It is a nudey-pink with a golden touch.

Lip Gloss: My third favorite is Elf Lip Gloss in Blossom. I remember going through a phase this year where I pretty much wore this every single day! It is a light pink with a hint of peach in it with very fine shimmers.

Lip Gloss: My fourth favorite is Urban Decay Lip Junkie Lip Gloss in Midnight Cowboy. I love the way this feels on my lips. It has a nice, minty smell. It is sheer, nude, and sparkly.

I hope you enjoyed reading about my favorites for this year. Leave me a comment about your favorites or what you think about my list.