Vlog: My 10 Favourite Products of the Year!

Hello! Since we are approaching the end of the year, I thought it would be a good idea to list 10 of my favourite beauty/skincare/makeup products of 2012. I couldn't decide on an actual top 10 (i.e. number 1 being my favourite product) so I have just picked 10 favourite products in no particular order.

In 2012 I've only made a video once thus far, all the way back in January with my ASOS haul. Now it is December and I am back with a new video! Apologies for the crappy quality and rather choppy editing... I'm still a newb when it comes to filming videos (always getting tongue-tied!) and I'm not a vlogger :P Please bear with me ^^

If you'd rather skip the video, you can read below about what I said in the video and also some additional bits.

• Revlon Lip Butters

As I said in the video, these are really smooth and creamy :) I love packaging and the smell of these too - so sweet! I wouldn't say that these have incredible lasting power though, however I do see why they were such a big hype. The only downside for me was that they tended to be too shimmery for me, especially the Peach Parfait one. Perfect colour but wished it had little or no shimmer!

• Felt-tip black Japanese liquid eyeliners (Dolly Wink and K-Palette)

These aren't brand new; I just happened to have kept the packaging!

I knew that hoarding packages would come in handy, haha. Anyway, I love these pen-like liquid eyeliners!! So perfect for my small eyelids. Only a very thin line is needed to make all the difference, hence I struggle to use and enjoy using those liquid eyeliners that are in a 'pot' with a thick brush tip. I also find that it's really easy to wing out my eyeliner with these felt-tip pen liners. They're smudge-proof and waterproof too! Unlike this one that I reviewed recently~

• Brow products (Ardell, Dolly Wink Red Earth and Tony Moly)

Over the years I have collected eyeshadow palettes, blushes, lipsticks, nail polish and so I decided to collect products which I hadn't owned previously - brow products! It was only this year that I had realised the importance of filling in brows. I have quite dark/full brows naturally and because of this I thought that it wasn't necessary for me to do so. Also I guess HyunA's appearance in Gangnam Style MV made me want to do something about my brows lol... even though they're no where near as faint.

Tempted to draw over them

Red Earth Absolute Brow Perfecting Kit (Discontinued)

I picked this up for $2 at Priceline whilst rummaging through a discount/bargain box. It can be a little embarrassing but this product was a gem to find! And come on, for $2 this is amazing. Love the different shades of brown and textures to help fill in my brows, and of course the tools that come with it. I reckon this kit will last me for a while.

Ardell Brow Sculpting Gel (Clear and Brown)

These brow mascara gels are so quick and simple to use. They were roughly $6 each again at Priceline and I had to pick up both because they sort of have different purposes. The clear one is good for keeping your brows in place without needing added colour, days where you just want a more natural look. I also like to see it as a gel 'seal' for after pencil-ing in my brows or after using the powders from the kit.

The brown one is more for colour. I know the brow kit is brown and that gives me colour however this brown gel is lighter and suits my brown hair better. There are Asian brand ones like this and I have seen that they are around $15-$20 each and I can't justify paying that much when I could buy one that does the exact same thing for half the price.

Tony Moly Lovely Eyebrow Pencil and Dolly Wink Eyebrow Pencil in Dark Chocolate 

 Again, kept the packaging haha

I bought the Tony Moly one and it's one of those automatic twist eyebrow pencils that don't need sharpening (very convenient). Then I got the Dolly Wink eyebrow pencil from a giveaway (yay) and I really really like it! Not just saying that because it's Dolly Wink hehe... it definitely is good and I like it more than the Tony Moly one. It seems to glide better on my brows and I don't mind that it will require sharpening (I actually haven't sharpened it before despite using it for over 6 months). They both have the spoolie on the end as most eyebrow pencils do.

• Shiseido Eyelash Curler

I bought this from Sasa for around $12 I think. Not too expensive for a branded eyelash curler. It's definitely worth the investment because compared to curlers that are not branded or are much cheaper, this does a much better job in my opinion. Works incredibly well for my short, straight Asian lashes as it effortlessly curls my lashes and the curl holds even without the help of mascara and until the next day after removing eye makeup and washing the face. Unbelievable!

I'm still curious about its competitor brand, Shu Uemura and how that compares to this eyelash curler. Apparently it is just the curvature that differs according to Kitty but still want to try to see what all the hype is about. I would have gotten the Shu Uemura one instead if it were in stock but luckily I am happy with this Shiseido one and I have no complaints about it.

• Face moisturisers for sensitive skin (Sukin and Purist)

For someone who has sensitive skin, it is very difficult to find the perfect face moisturiser that won't irritate my skin. Thankfully the Adelaide Beauty Conference provided us with amazing skincare products that were proudly Australian owned and suitable for my sensitive skin! Not everyone got the Purist one on the right though - long story short, we were playing a game and our group and another went off to the 'waiting room' and this was where the presenters of Purist were packing up their gear after they did their presentation. They happened to have a few spare products and kindly offered them to us :) I was happy to be given a face moisturiser for my sensitive skin ^^ It's been such a joy to use!

The sukin one has shea butter and therefore smells sweet whereas the Purist one smells like some sort of tea. I'm not tea expert so unfortunately I can't name what type of tea it smells like xD It isn't an unpleasant scent but I do gravitate more towards the Sukin one because of its sweet scent and easy pump bottle. The Purist one is more purse and travel friendly.

• Real Techniques Core Collection Brushes

Now to something that I did review this year, and won from Priceline's Twitter competition. These brushes are simple love. They're so unique and I especially like the contouring brush (far left) which is perfect for blending powder or liquid. They are high quality and the case is smartly designed. At first I wasn't too fond of the small-headed foundation brush but I eventually got used to it and started liking it :)

• Dolly Wink Eyelash Glue 

Package hoarding once again~

Favourite Favouriteeee eyelash glue right now and probably forever unless something even more incredible takes over (which I doubt). I much prefer this over those typical squeeze-tube ones... those are just too messy to deal with. This has a thin applicator brush (like liquid eyeliner) where you use it to 'paint' the glue onto the lash band. The glue quality is A+ because it goes on white but dries clear and I believe that it is waterproof. But the thing that I like most about it is that it comes off all in one strip off the lash band. Which makes reusing falsies (if you choose to) so much better. Some glues are terrible and remain stuck to the lash band even after trying to remove with makeup remover etc. Those ones are typically the ones that come with a pair of lashes (unless the tube is branded). Chuck those out because they're useless!!

As for the scent... it is bearable. To me it smells like sweet diluted hair dye lol.

These are the squeeze-tube glues I was talking about. They're ok but as I said before, messy to deal with. The tube ones I have tried and liked are the LashGrip (pictured) and DUO adhesive but unfortunately that didn't smell pleasant. The Koji one one the left was only a few dollars on Sasa and well... I guess I got what I paid for. It could just be mine that was dodgy but seriously, the glue didn't become sticky... it stayed watery? To be honest, I hated it! That's why I purchased the Dolly Wink one right after and I am so glad I did :D Though I am confused as to why Koji Dolly Wink and this Koji eyelash glue aren't similar despite having the same brand... sort of?

• Loujene False Eyelash Case

Ahaha yes that's right, a box has made it to my 10 favourite beauty/skincare/makeup products of 2012 :D This was gifted to me by the lovely Jen and it was just what I needed. I've always wanted a box to store my falsies and glue, especially for my handbag. And the design is super cute and girly which I adore - pink, white polka dots and a butterfly ^_^

It's also perfect for fitting any other knick knacks I want to bring along with me such as a nail file (and I chucked in a powder/blush brush for the lolz). I love the separate compartments and the mirror. Thanks Jen!!

• Wotnot Facial Wipes

Again this was a product provided by the sponsors of ABC. Sadly I only have a couple of wipes left, nooooo! 20 wipes is not enough and I haven't been able to find a stockist to purchase more of these :( They are fragrance free, suitable for sensitive skin and even removes my waterproof mascara. This is the travel pack version with a hard case and mirror at the back. I love it and will definitely purchase these if I see them!

• La Glace Rose Chamomile Sensitive Care Toner

Last but not least is this face toner which I got from Sasa back in winter (summer for those of you in the northern hemisphere). It was my first time using a toner and I know that there are probably many of you out there who can't live without their toner (maybe I'm just exaggerating) but the only reason I hadn't purchased a toner previously was because most of the ones in stores don't specify that they're for all skin types or suitable for sensitive skin and so I decided to be on the safe side and not use any at all to avoid any irritations. Luckily I was able to find this one on Sasa and so far so good! Doesn't give me any irritations and removes all traces of excess makeup after cleansing. Pump bottle is efficient but not travel friendly.

And that's a wrap! 10 items that I particularly liked this year *_* Hope you found this post informative/interesting. Perhaps some of these items are your favourites too, or ones that you hadn't discovered before. Would love to hear your thoughts on any of these!

Also just wanted to include my current eyeshadow primer that a few of you were asking about in my previous post:

  Australian brand - Australis Eyeshadow Primer

It's great for around $12 and the metallic hot pink is gorgeous. I found it similar to my previous eyeshadow primer, the Urban Decay one:

 

The old packaging. It's all dried up now but I couldn't chuck this away!! Life of a hoarder...

They're both good and I wouldn't compare them because they aren't that similar apart from the stick-sponge applicator and the creamy beige texture. I would say that Urban Decay is 'better' only because of its price (I paid $30 for it). If you're not willing to pay that much then for you Aussie girls, I'd recommend the Australis one.

This is my last post for 2012! Hope you all have a fabulous new year. See you in 2013 :)

Bahaha Flower Power!

Leave you now with SNSD's Flower Power. Relax, it's not their comeback song but yesss the girls are coming back on January 1st (also when I come back from my short trip)!

♥ Jen xx