Meg O.’s Best in Beauty 2012 – Eyes & Lips

 

I have tried many an eye primer, and there are some amazing ones out there. I also really love Too Faced Shadow Insurance and Urban Decay Primer Potion. But, the MAC Paint Pot in Painterly does something that the others do not – really neutralizes the color of the eyelid area (I don’t know about you, but my eyelids can be a little darker than the rest of my eye area) and brightens it up. Not only does it do that, but it is a fantastic eyeshadow primer. Some days when I don’t wear eyeshadow, I’ll just dab this on my eyelids to neutralize and brighten. MAC Paint Pots are made for multiple uses, but I love it the best for my eye primer.

 

To say I am a mascara junkie would be putting it lightly. I am always buying and trying new ones in search of my “holy grail.” I’ve tried high end and low end — and, in my experience, I have found the best luck at the drugstore, so I have stopped looking at high end brands. I have absolutely fallen in love with this mascara this year, and I have since repurchased it multiple times! That is monumental for me since I tend to move on to something else rather quickly. I prefer waterproof (I use extra virgin olive oil as makeup remover and it gets it off easily), but they also have a non-waterproof formula. This mascara is seriously the bomb. I really can get false looking eyelashes that are so feathery and full.

 

I thought about doing a favorite liner for each type of eyeliner (gel, pencil, liquid, liquid pen, etc.), but that is just too much work. This is my favorite of them all. It is identical to my beloved MAC Fluidline but for only $3. I use my own liner brush with it (the one that comes with it sucks, quite frankly) and it stays put all day. So smooth and easy to apply, and I don’t have to worry about it smudging ever.

 

This was a tough one — to pick one eyeshadow palette is a hard decision for me! I use multiple palettes, even daily, because I am a huge lover of eyeshadow. When it came down to it, I thought about which one I have consistently used and loved this year, and it has definitely been my Naked 2 Palette. I think why I like this one so much is that it has the gold tones in there (Half Baked), but I have loved using the gunmetal colors and I really appreciate the matte black shadow. The Naked 1 is definitely worth getting, too. I have hit pan on a few shadows in this one (Suspect & Pistol), and I consistently use almost every single shade. That’s why this wins.

 

Okay, can I cheat here? This is going to go into the category of “eyeshadow in general as a whole”! I have gotten a bunch of these Wet ‘n Wild palettes and they are absolutely fantastic. The quality and pigmentation of the shadows are amazing! $4.99 for the 8 color palette and $2.99 for the three color palette makes it an even sweeter deal. I seriously have been so so so impressed with these this year. My only complaint about these are the packaging – it isn’t very travel-friendly and the shadows can crumble if they bounce around too much in your makeup bag. But I’m willing to forgive that for the price, quality and absolutely amazing color selection. Go get you some NOW!!!

 

I’m not a big lipstick user, although I do have quite a few. These L’Oreal lipsticks are so buttery, glide on smoothly, and have amazing colors. My favorite shade is Rose Taffeta. I like that it almost feels like a lip butter, but it has more pigmentation. Overall, a superb lipstick and my favorite of this year.

 

I have this in so many different colors — it just is awesome! My favorite color is Kitten, however. I think the gloss goes on smooth, and I love the color selection. They are pretty expensive if you buy them individually, but you can always find the sets of them on sale. Grab them that way.

 

I just love love love these! Every color is beautiful, and I like the one with SPF for days I know I’ll be out in the sun. They are extremely moisturizing and make my lips super soft! Not to mention, they’re super cheap. Holla!

 

I keep this baby in my night stand and apply it every night before bed. It is very basic with no fragrances or extra ingredients. It really provides the nourishment my lips need (my lips are always chapped it seems). It’s not sticky. It feels great. My lips look great in the morning. Bam.

So there you have it! All of my beauty favorites of 2012! If you need to go back and check out my favorite face products, you can do so by clicking here.