Best Beauty Buys of 2012!

A very Happy New Year to all of you ... here is to a beauty-full 2013!

Starting a brand new beauty year, I wanted to pay special attention to some beauty discoveries from 2012 including some old favourites and a mix of luxury and budget buys. It shall be interesting to see what new competition they shall have in 2013! All the following mentioned products are my personal beauty winners for 2012!

FOUNDATION
CHANEL Vitalumiere Aqua
This has been my favorite foundation for about three years now and still remains at the top spot for me. Its does everything I want a foundation to do. The waterbased foundation is very lightweight but gives a medium/full coverage without looking caked onto the skin. It simply glides onto the skin giving you a natural, healthy, second skin look without being shiny but still radiant. It lasts all day & night, blends into the skin seamlessly and is worth every penny. 

(Priced around €39/£32/$45)
CONCEALERCOLLECTION 2000 Lasting Perfection Concealer 
Lasting perfection concealer does just that, lasts and conceals perfectly. A real budget buy that is honestly one of the best concealers I have ever discovered. It conceals just about anything you don't want anyone to see. This is perfect for covering blemishes, scaring, redness etc and can be used under the eyes sparingly as it is very concentrated so only a little needed. I tend to stick to the face area only with this and use my ByTerry Touche Veloutee under the eyes (as this has been a firm favorite for many many years and is the best for under eyes). This concealer combo gives me my flawless skin finish! 
EYESHADOWURBAN DECAY Naked Palette Urban Decay just can not be beaten when it comes to eyeshadow palettes. I have blogged about them recently here.I have used the Naked Palette near enough everyday this year as it has been all I have needed to create any look be it day or night. Out of all my Urban Decay palettes, this is my 'go to' one and considering how often I use it I have only hit pan on one shade so unbelievable value for money. It is an iconic beauty product worldwide. 

MASCARA
BENEFIT They're Real, Beyond Mascara
A worthy winner and I recently mentioned this new mascara discovery in a blog post here as it made my top mascaras list if you want to read more about it. It has been the most sold mascara since Benefit launched this a few months ago which is amazing! All I can say is that if you haven't tried this yet, why not?! You shall soon see what all the hype is about, hence winning my best mascara find this year. 

LIPSTICK
RIMMEL Kate Moss Collection 

Finding good lipsticks is actually the hardest challenge when it comes to make-up and when we do find that magic one that suits us, we tend to stay loyal to it and never change. My favorite lipsticks are MAC lipsticks but this year I discovered the Kate Moss collection for Rimmel and I was very impressed. I like matte lipsticks as you then have the choice to 'gloss it up' or 'keep it matte' and they have a longer staying power generally too. I wanted a berry shade for the winter and heard rave reviews about No.107 so I decided to try it and I now own four more. They are so velvety, long wearing, highly pigmented and cheap! So trying out new season shades and of a good quality can be done without spending a fortune.
LIPCARE
BY TERRY Baume de Rose spf15
Yes - this is a very pricey lip balm but since discovering it when I worked for Space NK years ago, I have been totally hooked and not managed to find anything less pricy that has come close to this. It sits by my bed and I use this every night. It makes my lips feel super soft, look plumper and keeps them hydrated as they never seem to dry out. It is the most luxurious lip product and I love everything about it! You can use this as a cuticle cream and a lipgloss too so it is very multi-purpose. The rose scent that all By Terry products have is just heavenly and not chemical smelling like other brands. 
BLUSH/HIGHLIGHTER
COLLECTION 2000 Shimmer Shades

I bought this a few months back from Boots as I really liked the shades in this quad and so it is another budget buy that has really impressed me. You can use this quad on the cheeks and also on the eyes as a color and a highlighter. The powder itself is super soft and it is really pigmented so only a little needed. It comes in two shades so I shall definitely be picking up another one soon. It is actually quite similar to a MAC mineralise blush that I own, so if you want a cheaper version to MAC then you should go try this out. 

MAKE UP ACCESSORYREAL TECHNIQUES by Samantha Chapman, Expert Face Brush

I have selected this specific brush out of the collection but I have to say I am a huge fan of all Real Techniques make up brushes and own most of the collection now. I wrote a blog post all about them here. The expert face brush is one brush that is like no other in my collection and the only brush I now use to apply my foundation and contour the face. It gives the ultimate airbrushed finish to your make-up and I have used this on clients too who have all commented how good their skin looks afterwards. They whole range is really affordable so you can build up a brush collection very easily. 

HAIRCARE PRODUCTKERASTASE Ultimate Elixir

The beauty world has been over run with hair oils over the past few years and we now all own or use one type in our daily haircare routine. Kerastase is my all time favorite hair brand and I do use all Kerastase (the Bain de Force range) as its works so well for my hair and has helped it a great deal over the years. I started to use the Elixir a few months ago when my other one (Moroccan oil light) ran out and its the best one I have ever tried and I have tried a lot. Its suitable for all hair types and not too heavy for fine hair either and can be used in so many ways, for example as a finishing smoothing serum,  a pre-shampoo treatment, before blow drying, to repair dry ends ..... the list is endless for what this does. It really does treat and care for your hair like no other. 
SKINCARE - CLEANSER 
BIODERMA H20 
My all time favorite make-up remover that removes any kind of make-up and shall take some beating. This famous cleansing water is french royalty. I wrote a review telling you all about this in a blog post here. It really is the most perfect, quick, easy, effective make-up cleanser ever and suitable for just everyone. If you like quick, easy make-up removal (and not wipes please) this is your winner (available in an oil free version too for oily skins).

SKINCARECAUDALIE Beauty Elixir

My secret to a glowing complexion this year, for me has been this product. This treatment elixir smoothes fine lines, tightens pores and makes your skin look naturally radiant. This is my secret (shhhh) in make-up application to stopping some foundations looking 'cakey' or 'powdery' on the skin. Just a few sprays of this takes away that ageing, matte finish to the skin. The scent contains grape, orange blossom, rose, balm mint & rosemary and is very calming so I also inhale as I spray as it really calms the senses in an instant. A skincare secret that is adored in the celebrity world too! 
NAILS
SECHE VITE Topcoat

I love this nail product so much. It dries in seconds hence why I love it as I hate waiting for my nails to dry. Its the only product to give you a gel-like finish to your nails without the salon price. It makes painting your own nails super fast, easy, professional & so glossy looking! Check out my full review of Seche Vite here. 
NAILS
OPI Nail Envy, Nail Strengthener 
You may have guessed by now how much I love OPI from previous blog posts, as it is indeed my favourite nail range and I wont rest until I own all shades. Now I have short nails that grow at a snails pace and have tried so many nail strengtheners in the past that made no major difference that I just gave up, until now. This is the ONLY one that has made some noticeable difference to my nails this year. I use it as my base coat each time I paint my nails and within days of applying I can see my nails are much longer and stronger, thats within days! If you haven't yet tried this and suffer from short, weak, flaky nails then here is your answer. Worth the investment as it is pricy but it lasts a long time and doesn't go all thick and gloomy when your half way through like most others. 

LASHESARDELL Demi-Wispies Strip Lashes

The list would not be complete without some lashes! Apart from KelliLash Semi-permanent eyelash extensions, of course, the next best thing to that is my all time favorite strip lashes that look natural, full and are so easy to apply are Ardell Demi-Wispies! I dread to think how many pairs I have gone through during 2012 but lets just say its quite a few. They are the perfect lashes for any occasion be it day or night and still my favorite strip lashes. Check out my lash guide here for tips on applying them. 
BODYCARETHE BODY SHOP Almond Body Butter
Now I am a huge bodycare fan and I have used Body Shop body butters for many years and still I go back to them time and time again after cheating on them with other brands and I fall in love with them all over again. The almond scent is the one I always use as it smells so good I could just eat it! The texture of them is just perfect and they are really well priced but my advice is to wait for the special promotions that Body Shop offer, as you can get them even cheaper and with the choice of so many flavours, there is one to suit us all. 

BODYCARESOAP & GLORY Exfoliating Gloves

I am someone that likes to take care of the skin on their whole body not just the face, so anything to help do that wins in my book. I purchased my first pair of exfoliating gloves this year as they are hard to get in France and they work wonders at smoothing the skin, especially on the upper arms where I like to focus on. I specifically like these ones by Soap and Glory mainly yes because they are pink, but the material of these is slightly tougher than previous ones I own as my hands split the material at the fingertips so my fingers poked through but not with these ones! Just load up your shower gel, scrub, wash etc on the gloves and scrub away. So very simple but very effective.

So what has been your Beauty Winner of 2012? I would love to know what your beauty favourites are!

XX