My Favourite Products of 2012

Hi Everyone! So I realise I'm a little bit late jumping on this bandwagon as it's now the 6th of January but I've been so busy that I haven't had time to take photos of my 2012 favourites.   Like most beauty bloggers out there, I've been excited to sit down and share my top products of the past year. To be honest, it was a hard choice as I've tried SO many great products but a few were obvious and easy choices. I've reviewed the majority of these products individually in previous blog posts so if you want to have a read of them I will link them in the title of each product underneath. Just click and it will take you there, yey!

So without further ado, here are my star products of twenty twelve!

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation

This has to be the most hyped drugstore foundation of 2012 and I can 100% see why. It gives great coverage, brightens and 'wakes' my skin up in the morning and it also smells delicious. I have gone through a few of these bottles since I discovered it at the start of last year and its still a firm favourite to this day. At only £6.99 too, I have no complaints.

Topshop Lipsticks

Oh Topshop, thank you for creating such beautifully pigmented and moisturising lipsticks. In 2012 I went a bit Topshop crazy, buying everything from their lipsticks, nail polishes and highlighters. Although I love all the products they have to offer, the lipsticks are a stand out favourite. I currently own seven of them (yes I know, extreme!) but I think they are worth every penny. At £8.00 a pop they are more affordable then MAC and in my opinion, are just as good. If you haven't tried these, get to your local Topshop NOW!

Real Techniques Brushes

Okay, need I say much about these? I'm sure every blogger out there owns these brushes as they are so god damn amazing. Not only are the ridiculously soft and apply makeup like a dream but they are also some of the most affordable brushes I own. I began my collection at the start of 2012 with the 'Core Collection' which retails for only £20.99. That's just over £5.00 per brush and they are that lovely I'd probably be willing to pay double that. I've since added the powder and blush brush to my collection and hope to expand it even further in 2013.

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder

As far as powders go, this is one of the best I've tried. After hearing so many reviews about it, I decided to give it a go and at only £3.99, what did I have to lose? Since buying it a few months ago, I havne't used another powder. Its perfect for dusting over my face after I've applied foundation to control any shine and the staying powder is pretty decent too. The only thing I don't like is the packaging but for less that four pounds, I can't expect too much.

Joico Moisture Recovery Leave-In Moisturizer

I bought this product on a whim while out in Australia last summer and it has since become one of my favourite hair products, EVER. It smells amazing and leaves my hair super soft. As it's in a spray bottle its so convenient to spritz on whenever my hair is feeling a bit dry and I also love that I can apply it to both wet or dry hair so I can make the most of it even on those days I don't wash my hair. The bottle is huge too so it has lasted ages, a great investment.

St.Moriz Tan

I just had to include this as every single year, this is the tan I turn to most often. I've dabbled in other tans and enjoyed them but for the £2.99 price tag, St.Moriz is a clear winner. I love the mousse formula as its so quick and easy to apply and it instantly gives me a deep tan. I've also found it fades lovely too leaving no hideous 'snakeskin' type patches as it wares off.

Caudalie Cleansing Water

This product is an absolute dream. I use this every morning and night to remove my makeup and I'm in love with it. Its refreshing, gentle on my sensitive skin, smells amazing and does its job - removes every last bit of my makeup (including eye makeup). I've tried Bioderma to see how it compares and although I liked it to begin with, I found it burnt my skin and left it feeling sore, not good. Caudalie however does the complete opposite and leaves my skin feeling soothed, clean and soft. If you haven't tried it, you must. I've even got my boyfriend hooked on it.

Benefit Brow Zings

Since discovering this handy little kit of powder and wax, I haven't used another product on my brows. I love that this product comes with everything I need to keep my brows looking their best and it looks much more natural than eyebrow pencils. When I look back at photos of myself when I used a pencil I think 'what was I thinking?'. It is also so quick and easy to use and although I use it every single day, I have barely made a dint in it. Its definitely worth its high price tag.

Revlon Grow Luscious Mascara

While I was in Australia I had a bit of what I like to call, 'eyelash drama'. Basically, I got some eyelash extensions, hated them, attempted to pull them off and ended up pulling out and snapping the majority of my real eyelashes. I know it was my own fault but the extensions looked ridiculous and were irritating my eyes. I was completely mortified at how ridiculous my eyelashes looked so I attempted to find a quick fix. Most websites told me it would take weeks, even months for my lashes to grow back but as soon as I started using this mascara, I noticed a difference in the length and thickness of my lashes. Not only does it make them appear longer and thicker but it actually does help them to grow. My little stumpy lashes were back to being long and full within two weeks which was pretty incredible considering they were so damaged. I've been using this mascara ever since I bought it and it's one of the best I have ever tried.

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Top Coat

I discovered this while over in Australia too and I have to say, it's a miracle-worker. Before I bought it I never thought it would actually dry my nails instantly as often companies make 'claims' that a product works wonders and it rarely does. However, this does exactly what it says on the bottle; it dries my nails almost instantly after applying it. Okay it might not be 'instant' but within a couple of minutes, I'm good to go. One thing I used to hate about painting my nails was waiting for what seemed like a decade for them to dry and STILL managing to smudge them. This little gem of a product has solved all those problems for me and it also makes my nails super shiny too, bonus!

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub

This is the best exfoliator I have tried to date. Firstly, I love the cute pink packaging and secondly, this stuff smells of brown sugar and lime, ah-maz-ing. This has to be the best scented product I own and I could sit and sniff it all day. It also removes dry skin, leaves my skin soft and prepares my skin for applying false tan.

Revlon Lip Butters

Another product that was massively hyped in 2012 is the Revlon Lip Butters. I currently own four of them and they are one of my favourite go-to lip products. They are soft, creamy, moisturising and exceptionally pigmented. They are great for day or night time wear and I love the cute quilted packaging. My favourite shade is 'Lollipop' and I wear it all the time, day or night. I'm hoping to add a few more shades to my collection in 2013.

Babyliss Pro Argan Oil

I bought this product from the duty free service on the plane on my way to Australia. I bought it after hair oils became popular in 2012 and since using it, the condition of my hair has drastically improved. When I was in Oz I embarked on a bit of a 'no heat' mission where I barely used heat for the whole five months I was there. That combined with this hair oil made the perfect combination for getting my hair into tip top condition. It doesn't leave any greasy residue on my hair and it smells amazing too. Big thumbs up!

NARS Laguna Bronzer

Okay, this is my ultimate Holy Grail product. This is my favourite product of 2012 by a country mile and I would be very surprised if I ever find a bronzer I prefer to this one. Its the perfect natural tan colour, not too shimmery but not matte and amazing for contouring. I use this every day and have gone through about five or six of them. Yes its an expensive product at £25.00 a pop but my goodness, its so worth it.

So there we have it, my most loved and used products of the past year. I hope you enjoyed reading and potentially discovered some new products to try out.

What are your 2012 favourites?

Lots of Love,

Feel Unique Treats

Hey Ladies! I thought I would share with you a few beauty products I recently ordered from UK beauty website Feel Unique. If you haven't heard of this website before, it is amazing and I recommend you to go and check it out as soon as you have finished reading this post (muhaha!). This is my first order from this company and I already feel like I have been missing out for ages. I'd heard of the website on various blogs but never got around to having a browse on their website. Well, as I was casually browsing the web I decided I must check it out and I'm so glad I did. I was amazed at the huge range of products they had to offer including hair care, skin care, tanning, makeup and nails. Seriously, the range of products is endless and I could of spent a small fortune. As well as stocking amazing products, I also spotted that they offer free international delivery. As I'm in Australia at the minute, this is perfect for me and I was over the moon when my parcel arrived yesterday, just over a week after placing my order. You may think the selection of products I've ordered is fairly random but I assure you there is a reason behind each. 
From left to right I ordered Sally Hansen Insta-Dri Anti-Chip top coat, Bio Oil, Xen-Tan Med/Dark mousse intense weekly self tan, Joico Moisture Recovery leave-in moisturiser and Katy Perry for Eylure lashes in the style 'Oh Honey'. I also ordered a tanning mitt but it was too awkward to photograph so I didn't include it in the snaps above.

The reason I ordered the nail polish is because I have a nightmare when painting my nails. I am the most impatient person ever so waiting around for a nails to dry is just a no-no for me. When I saw this polish and its claims of drying nail polish in 30 seconds, I was sold. I will definitely review this after using it, I'm excited to see if it lives up to its claims. This cost £5.05 which isn't bad for a well-known brand.

Now you may acossiate the next item 'Bio Oil' with pregnant women or people who want t get rid of their stretch marks but after doing a bit of research I heard rave reviews about this product and the many wonderful things it can do for the skin. I have got a few scars I'd like to test this on as it supposedly fades them and it is also meant to even out skin tone which sounded perfect to me as I often get red patches. I bought the small size of this to test out and it cost me £7.65 which is pretty pricey for such a small bottle. Fingers crossed it works and is worth the money.

Next up is the Xen tanning mousse which I have wanted to try for ages now. I have seen so many brilliant reviews about this tan that I needed to give it a whirl and see what all the fuss is about. I also purchased this along with a mitt because there is just nowhere near my dads house in Australia that sell decent tan and I'm sure tanning mitts don't exist over here. I realise I should be sunbathing getting a real tan but in the name of blogging, I wanted to give this a go and fake it instead. This was my most pricey purchase and set me back £18.00. This is the most I've ever spent on a tan but if it can make me look olive skinned like it claims, it will be worth every penny.

I also purchased this Joico leave-in moisturiser for dry hair as I have been really getting into hair care at the minute and have heard that Joico is a fab brand. I have actually used this already and I won't say too much as I will review it separately but so far so good. This cost me £12.95 but the bottle is a whopping 300ml so this will last me ages.

The last thing I ordered was these Katy Perry lashes by Eylure. You have probably heard me mention before that Eylure is my all time favourite brand for lashes and they aren't available here in Oz. I decided I would try some from Katy Perry's range and I think these ones are lovely and natural looking. As with most of the Eylure range these cost £5.95. I swear their prices keep creeping up? I shall do a FOTD when I get round to wearing them.

So there we have it, everything I bought that I probably didn't need but convinced myself I needed regardless. Do you talk yourself into buying things you don't really need or is that just me? I am just a full blown shopaholic that can't control my spending habits. However, at least I now have some lovely new products to review for you all. I look forward to testing them out and I shall get back to you with my verdict. If you fancy treating yourself, you can find the Feel Unique website here.

I hope your all having a great day! Have you ever ordered anything from the Feel Unique website? I can't wait to place my next order!

Lots of Love,