My beauty favourites of 2012 :)

Now I don't usually do beauty posts, but I've found some lovely new beauty products during the year of 2012 and thought I may as well blog about them, like everyone else is!

A couple of these I have used for years and have just never blogged about them, but most of them are products I have discovered this year, and will continue to use them for years, unless something better comes along! I am going to try and do 'favourite products of the month' posts throughout 2013 when I find new products too so keep a lookout :)

L'Oreal Paris Triple Active Day Multi-Protection Moisturiser.

Soap and Glory Hand Food.

Soap and Glory Peaches and Clean 4-in-1 Wash-Off Deep Cleansing Milk.

2012 is the year that I first ever tried out Soap and Glory products (I know, where on earth have I been living without them?!) but I cannot believe how good they are, and how I lived without them before! My favourites are Hand Food hand moisturiser and Peaches and Clean 4-in-1 deep cleansing milk. I have tried many hand moisturisers as my mum has really dry hands so I always try out her new products, but this one really seems to work! It smells lovely, and after leaving a generous dose on my hands overnight, the next morning they feel so soft! I bought my mum the big one for Christmas, so I'll let you know if this is the cure for her too! The Peaches and Clean cleanser smells strongly of peaches and it's gorgeous! It's a nice pink colour and smells so good as you put it onto your face. I usually use a facewipe before using this, and wash it off with hot water, but when I've tried it before with a full face of make up, it does literally melt your make up away! Lastly is the L'Oreal Paris Triple Active Day Multi-Protection Moisturiser. I was using a cheap Simple moisturiser before but I wanted to try a higher end product so randomly picked this one up when it was on offer in Boots, but it feels nice and hydrating on my skin and I would definitely re-buy it again for the full price.

Real Techniques Foundation Brush.

Johnson's Baby Shampoo.

2012 was also the year that I first started using a foundation brush, and I'm never ever going back to using my fingers again! I also discovered using baby shampoo to clean my make up brushes, and it really does work a treat! This is only the small bottle as I wasn't sure if I'd like it, but when I run out I'm definitely gonna buy the big bottle of it! As for the foundation brush, I literally just love it so much! I love the angle of it, which means it gets into every nook and cranny of your face, and it still spreads all the foundation evenly too so no fingers needed! I'm definitely considering investing in the full Real Techniques Core Collection of brushes when I finish my 100 days no spending! :)

Britney Spears Fantasy Perfume.

L'Oreal Paris Sublime Bronze Self-Tanning Gel.

Dove Invisible Dry Anti-Perspirant Deodorant.

All three of these products are ones I have used for years, but I can't get enough of. As much as I hate to admit it, this Britney Spears perfume is my most used one, and my most complimented one too! It's relatively cheap, and if you hunt around you can always find it on offer. I have it in every size bottle as my mum knows I love it and ends up buying me one every birthday and Christmas, but I've asked her to stop until I end up using all of the bottles I've already got! This fake tan is my absolute favourite too and I have been a fan of it for at least 3 years (I remember using it on my 18th birthday). It's the kind where you put it on the night before, by the morning after you look like an oompa loompa, but then you have a shower and you're the perfect colour, and it lasts for days! This one is 'medium skin' because I totally forgot to look at the tone but I think even the dark one works well on my pale skin without looking totally unnatural. The price has gone up quite alot in the last year, but if you check out Savers and Wilkinsons, it is often on offer. Lastly is the Dove deodorant, which might seem like an odd thing to have on this list, but I also swear by this. It's a roll on, but it's not wet, the only way I can describe it is like a bar of soap. It goes straight on, drys quickly, leaves your skin moisturised and I have never, ever had sweat patches when using this deodorant. This year is the first time I have used the 'invisible dry' instead of the original, as this one claims to leave no white patches, and it's true so I think I shall be sticking to this deodorant forever! :)

Benefit CORALista Face Powder.

Benefit High Beam Complexion Enhancer.

MUA 'Going for Gold' Eyeshadow Palette.

This is the first year I have looked into trying some new Benefit products other than Hoola blusher, which Santa bought me about 4 years and I have continued to buy it ever since! I had a makeover by a Benefit make up artist and she made me fall in love with CORALista and High Beam. I had been given High Beam as a present and had never really known how to use it, so she showed me properly. You can do whatever you like with it really, mix it in with your foundation etc, but I dot it on my upper cheeks once my foundation has dried, and pat it in lightly. I love the light shimmer effect it has, and it looks lovely in photos so will definitely keep using this in 2013, and consider looking into getting a powder highligher too. I only got CORALista this Christmas, but I love it already and will be using it alot! It's the perfect shade for my pale skin and looks nice ontop of a tanned blusher too :). So 2012 was the year that the brand MUA (Make Up Academy) launched in Superdrug, and it has been so popular, especially with it's £1 products! I originally went into Superdrug hoping to find the 12 shade 'Heaven and Earth' palette, but ended up coming away with this gold one as it was the only one left. I think it was fate really, as I love the colours in this one, and use it as part of my daily make up routine now. The back has a few different instructions on ways to wear the eyeshadows and I think they would look nice on any skin colour!

17 Lasting Fix Lipstick in 'New Black'.

Kate Moss Rimmel Lasting Finish Lipstick in 'Shade 01'.

Kate Moss Rimmel Lasting Finish Matte Lipstick in 'Shade 101'.

Lipcote Lipstick Sealer.

The first lipstick on the left is a dark plum/ burgundy colour, and I absolutely love it. I find it looks best when I have one other burgundy item on, whether it be a chunky knit jumper, or just a little rose hairband, but it looks lovely whether I'm tanned or pale and with my gingery hair or when it was jet black! The Kate Moss lipsticks are the best lipsticks I have found this year and I'm so happy I did! My original favourites were 01 and 08 in the black packets, but towards the end of the year I found 101 in the new red packet and I love this one! It's more of a bubblegummy pink, where as 08 was more nude (a bit like Mac Honeylove) but I will continue to use them all! Lastly is Lipcote, which to me was one of those products that you remember your mum wearing when you were a young child. I never really understood what it was, but a few years ago when I started wearing lipstick every single day, and especially red which can end up on your nose on a night out, I decided to give it a try. It's a bit like a nail varnish which you put on your lips to seal the colour and stop it from bleeding or rubbing off. It does sting a bit when it first goes on, and doesn't taste too nice, but on a night out especially it works miracles, and I always find myself drunkenly telling people about this product!

17 Fast Finish Nail Polish in 'Navy Glint'.

Natural Collection Nail Varnish in 'Black Cherry'.

I picked up these two nail polishes right at the end of 2012, yet they're easily my favourite of the year, and I look forward to using them this year! The 17 one in Navy Glint is a very thick, navy, glittery nail varnish and it looks lovely on it's own or as an accent nail with the Natural Collection one. The Black Cherry one is so cheap (less than £2) yet it's a lovely shade and works well! It's a shimmery burgundy which lasts, and I will definitely be looking to see if Natural Collection has anymore shades I like the look of after seeing how well this one works. I couldn't seem to find a link online, but you'll be able to find it in the Natural Collection section in Boots :)

Thanks for reading :)

Are any of my favourites on your favourite beauty products list too?

Will you be trying any of these products now?

Love Dani :)

x