Best Products of 2012

This was a pretty poor choice of first post for me, as I'm definitely not a beauty blogger.  That being said, I do tend to buy a lot of makeup and these have been my favourite products of the year, whether I tried them for the first time or they were repurchases that I've remained loyal to.  I'll just jump into it, because I really don't think these type of posts need some rambling introduction.  All I will say is that I'm sure I'll learn how to properly resize images soon and the fact that the gingham sheets aren't even or whatever is driving me insane so let's ignore that and I promise I'll get better, okay?  Okay.

Benefit Hello Flawless Oxygen Wow Foundation (£24.50)

I was never really a big foundation person up until 2011, which is a pretty terrifying thought because thanks to this baby I don't know how I ever lived without it.  I tried a couple of other products before realising this was the one for me, it just feels really light on your skin but still gives an amazing coverage... hence the name, I guess.  Thumbs up, five stars, A+ etc etc.

Benefit Get Even Pressed Powder (£22.50)

Ugh, the lighting in that second picture... *cry*.  But more importantly than me not knowing how to use my new camera: the product.  This is like my Holy Grail product and I would suggest it to anyone. It seems to go with every foundation I've tried and even works fine on it's own.  It gives a really pure matte effect on your skin and I just can't sing its praises enough.

Revlon Colorstay Liquid Eye Pen (£6.99), BADgal Waterproof Line in Espresso (£14), Barry M Intense Black Eyeliner Pen in RKP (£3.99)

Okay, so I actually used to use the Benefit eyeliner in black on my waterline but I realised it was pretty terrible and I was only using it out of habit, so I switched to the Barry M eyeliner and it seems to have a pretty good staying power.  I've also tried it on my eyelid a couple of times and it gives a pretty decent attempt at the smokey eye look too.  The Benefit eyeliner pictured here was (technically it still is, but shhh) my mother's for her eyes, but after my usual eyebrow product disappeared earlier this year I started using this for my brows and have been fully converted.  I guess it's not actually supposed to be used for that, but it does an amazing job at it so I'm not complaining.  Liquid eyeliner is another product that I only got into within the past two years.  I was a loyal user of kohl pencils to wing my eyes and swore off all liquids... but then I realised how much better they looked and realised I was only avoiding them because I didn't want to learn how to wing my eyes allover again.  I'm never going back though, and this is the best out of all the eyeliners I've tried in that time in terms of accuracy and staying power.  Also Revlon don't test on animals, so yaaaaay!

Benefit They're Real Mascara (£18.50)

I think everyone in the blogosphere has raved about this guy at some point in the last year but I'm including it because I love him.  I started using it in 2011 and I've never looked back.  It can be a little tricky to get off but what it does to your eyes is totally worth it.  There's definitely a reason it's the UK's best selling mascara or whatever.

Benefit Peek-A-Bright (£24.50)

I actually only got this for Christmas, so you might think I'm being a little presumptive by including in this list BUT IT IS AMAZING.  I was kinda wary about getting it because I wasn't sure if I could live without eyeliner but I was pleasantly surprised.  I've worn it every day since I got it and can tell that it's definitely gonna be a new makeup bag staple, especially because it's easier to take to my boyfriend's house than dragging the Naked Palette everywhere.  It even looks good if you mix it up a bit and use eyeliner wings for a more dramatic effect.  Definitely a keeper.

Revlon Lip Butter in 035 Candy Apple and 090 Sweet Tart (£7.99)

I pretty much tried these because I have the driest lips in the world and if I don't smother them in Burt's Bees every ten minutes they crack and bleed and pretty much go disgusting.  These wonderful things definitely fix that problem whilst still allowing me to feel a bit less casual, because lipstick pretty much fixes everything.  Also, because they colour is really build-able they're perfect for day to night transitions and to wear at places like uni... even though the English students who dress like they're going hiking still stare at me in lectures when I wear them.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush (£7.99)

This is my new love.  I got it in like November and have been reaching for it every time I leave the house.  It is the most amazing purple colour that you can build upon depending on how dramatic you want to make it.  It's definitely the day time answer to the vampire lip trend that's going on... which I support wholeheartedly.  Bela Lugosi would be proud.

And there we have it, my favourite products of 2012 and what I reach for most days when I get dressed.  Again, there's not really much to say so this post is probably gonna have a really abrupt ending.  I will say that I do intend to actually show my outfit posts on here now, instead of just Instragramming them with the #OOTD hashtag and hoping that I get a few Tumblr likes.  I hate the idea of new years resolutions so I'm not gonna say that mine is to stick with this blog but I am using the new year as a bit of a push to get my act together and do something more productive than sitting in my cat onesie and watching Netflix for days on end.  Whether blogging is considered more productive than that, I do not know, but we shall see.  See you in 2013, guys, now I just have to decide whether I'm going out tonight or not and if so... WHAT TO WEAR AAAaaAAaAAaahhh.