My Favorite Makeup Products for 2012!

I know we're already three days into 2013, but I wanted to share my favorite makeup products I used the most in 2012 (better late than never, right?!). These are items I use every day. Let's get started...

MY FAVORITES!
 

My favorite products of 2012!

 I got the Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette back in the summer and I have used it every single day since then! There are 12 shadows that come in that palette. These colors suit my skin tone better than the original Naked Palette because I have very fair skin and green eyes and these colors are more warm than the colors in the original Naked Palette. I will either do a complete look using this palette or use two colors from it while using other colors, so either way, I end up using it every day! If you would like a tutorial using it let me know! This palette, along with the Naked Palette, is available at Ulta or Sephora and they both cost $50. The Naked 2 Palette comes with a double-ended brush and a travel-sized Lip Junkie Lipgloss. The Naked Palette comes with a shadow brush and a travel-sized Primer Potion.

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

I have a slight addiction to mascara, so I couldn't pick just one! I usually use a combination of three to five mascaras at a time. I just picked two of my favorites that I use every day.
The first is Maybelline XXL Pro Volume Mascara. It is double-ended, one side (I believe, but don't quote me) is a lash primer and the other end is the mascara. I have it in the color "very black". I absolutely love this mascara! It lengthens and volumizes my lashes! I purchased mine at Target in the fall and it was on sale, but according to their website it is no longer available in store. So I'm not sure if that means they are no longer making it, but it looks like you can still order from Target's website! Here is the link!--> Maybelline XXL Pro Mascara  

 My second favorite is also from Maybelline, which happens to be my favorite mascara brand! This one is The Falsies Volum' Express Flared (I also have Black Drama). This is also in the color "very black". I can't remember where I purchased this one, but it is available at all drug stores. I love this because it really volumizes my lashes! I use it on the top and bottoms lashes. I can just use this one and the XXL Pro and it looks like I have false lashes on! I love these two together, they are really a great combo!

Left: Maybelline's XXL Pro; Right: The Falsies Mascaras

 My next favorite are eyeliners! The eyeliner I have been loving is Ulta brand Automatic Eye Liner in black. It is great on my waterline and to line my lid. I'm sure it is not the best eyeliner in the world, but I have been using it every day and have it in a few other colors. By the end of the day it does wear off, but that does not bother me. It goes on smooth and it allows you to have a fine line or a thick, bold line. I got this over the summer when Ulta was having a sale on items from their brand, so I can't remember how much I paid for it.
My favorite liquid eyeliner is Maybelline (go figure!) Line Stiletto in blackest black.I've had this for a while (probably purchased at beginning of 2012), but I didn't start using until a few months ago because, to be honest, I was afraid of liquid liner! I just was very intimidated by how bold it is! But a few months ago I decided to give it a try and, while I'm still learning exactly how to do a winged line, I love it! It is very easy to control and it allows for either a thin or thick line. I purchased mine at Target.

Left: Maybelline Line Stiletto; Right: Ulta Automatic Eye Line

Eye shadow primer is a must! It really helps keep my eyeshadow from creasing and wearing off throughout the day! I use Elf Eyelid Primer. It is $1!!! I get mine from Target, but I know some other stores carry Elf. I've found it at a random Dollar Tree. I've also found it at this store called The Christmas Tree Shop. They also have a website. I absolutely love this brand and you will eventually see all of the Elf products I use! They are so affordable and are great products! I have a friend Stacie who has a beauty YouTube channel and she did a video on Urban Decay Primer Potion vs. Elf Eyelid Primer...go check it out! The Elf primer works great so I'm not even sure I would ever try any other brand!

Elf Eyelid Primer; $1 at Target

To be honest, I never even thought about filling in my eyebrows until I seriously started watching beauty videos on YouTube and all of the girls were filling them in...even the girls my age! So, I decided why not try it out! I wasn't sure how I would feel about filling them in (wasn't sure how it would look on me) so I didn't want to pay a lot. At the time I bought the Ulta Eye Liner, I also bought the Ulta brand Brow Pencil in the color Golden Blonde. I naturally have dirty blonde hair, but I get it highlighted so this color matches my natural color. It is double-ended, one side is the brow pencil and the other end is a shaping wax. It also has a little brush on the lid. I really like this pencil! It matches perfect and is easy to use!

Ulta Brow Pencil; Golden Blonde

 I was searching for the perfect concealer and could never find one I liked, until I was watching a video on YouTube and this beauty guru used Rimmel Match Perfection Skin Tone Adapting Concealer. I LOVE THIS CONCEALER! It works so well! It covers blemishes, dark circles and redness! Sometimes I just wear that with a little powder to set it and that's all, no foundation at all! I originally bought it in the color 125 Fair and then by accident bought it in 245 Light. I still use both of them! I use the Fair color for under my eyes and I use the Light to cover blemishes and redness. They work great together! It has a brush applicator but I tap it on to my face and then blend it in with an Elf Foundation brush. I just love the coverage of this product! I purchased both of them at Ulta for $5.99.

Rimmel Match Perfection Concealer; 125 Fair; $5.99 @ Ulta

 I don't like to use full coverage foundation products because I don't like the feeling of having so much makeup on my face. It probably comes from the fact that I only started wearing any kind of foundation a few years ago. So if I use any thing related to foundation I use Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream! It's very light coverage but it evens out my skin as much as I need it to. I've tried a tinted moisturizer from another brand and it would just wipe off every time I touched my face, but I have not experienced that with this BB Cream! In the summer I use it in the color Light/Medium and in the winter I use it in the color Light. I purchased mine at Target for a little over $7.

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream; Light

 To set my concealer or BB cream, I use Maybelline Dream Matte Powder in the color Sand Medium 0-1. I love this powder so much! It works great and is the perfect color for my skin! It adds just a little color to even out my skin if I use it with just the concealer! And as in the name, it stays Matte all day! Love this!! I purchased mine at CVS (I had extra care bucks, so I don't remember how much it was!)
I use to be hesitant to use bronzer because since I am so pale I didn't want to look orange, but I experimented with a few different ones and my favorite one is NYC Smooth Skin Bronzing Face Powder in Sunny. It is perfect and does not make me look orange! I only use this to contour, unless in the summer I am tan (well, my version anyway!), then I put a little all over for that extra glow. I got mine at Walmart for maybe $2...very affordable!

Left: Dream Matte Powder; Right: NYC Bronzer in Sunny

I was recently at Sephora trying to find a foundation I liked, but was not very successful :( but when the makeup artist was testing a foundation on me, he said my cheeks were naturally rosey and that I didn't really need to wear blush, but I still like to, just to add some color! The blush that I loved wearing last year (well, mainly in the fall) was Rimmel Lasting Finish Powder Blush in the color Mauve Cool. I think this was a fall edition because I got it at Ulta on sale for $2.49 and every time I go to Ulta it is the only color on sale! So not sure what that is about! But I love it! It goes well with my skin tone and it is shimmery!

Rimmel Powder Blush; 002 Mauve Cool

  And last but not least....lips!! I was (and still am) obsessed with lip products! My all time favorite look is the nude lip, so of course my favorite lip products create that look! The first is Revlon Lipstick in Soft Nude. This is the perfect nude!!! I did hear though that they are discontinuing that color, not sure if that is true or not, so next time I go to the drugstore I will be purchasing another one just in case! That would be very sad if that was true! My other favorite lip product is Revlon Lip Butter in Creme Brulee.I LOVE THIS PRODUCT! It is so soft and adds the perfect hint of color on my lips! I did purchase another one in Candy Apple..I have been experimenting with the red lip! Revlon is by far my favorite brand when it comes to lip products. I also have a ColorBurst Lipgloss in the color Bellini that is a perfect nude gloss! I purchased all of my Revlon products at CVS when they had a "buy 2  revlon prodcuts, get $10 in extra care bucks"..one of those type of deals!

Left: Revlon Lipstick in Soft Nude; Right: Revlon Lip Butter in Creme Brulee

So that was my favorite makeup products for 2012! I love all of these products so much! If you have any questions please feel free to ask!

Follow me on twitter: @SarahMacBeauty
I don't really use facebook anymore, so I'm not sure if I will create a page on there or not.

Thanks!

<3 Sarah

*I purchased all of these products and these are all of my OWN opinions.