Top 10 Beauty Favorites of 2012

It's been a while since I did a beauty review, and after reading so many "favorites of 2012" I thought I would hop on the bandwagon with my top 10 favorite beauty products of the year. It was surprisingly hard to narrow the list down to 10, but I did it! Woohoo! I tried to include a mix of high end and drugstore products, but I may try and find some dupes for the high end products-- if that's something y'all think you'd want to read! So with out further adieu, Blue Dog Belle's top 10 beauty finds of 2012.

Urban Decay Naked Palette was definitely my #1 favorite of 2012. I can honestly say I used it every single day I put shadow on my lids last year. AND even better than that- I have yet to hit the pan on any of the colors! I got Naked 2 for Christmas this year- and so far I'm loving it... it's definitely on it's way to being a favorite of 2013. 

Benefit Hello Flawless Foundation  I picked this up in the "How to look the best at everything"  kit and I can tell you it's the best foundation I've ever used. While it's on the expensive side I am amazed at the coverage. I have don't have great skin. It's splotchy, oily, a few noticeable acne scars, etc so I need a medium coverage foundation at minimum. Then I struggle with cakiness so it's an on going battle. This foundation has such a light feel, but the coverage is insane! 

Stila One Step Bronze was introduced to me this summer in a Birchbox and it quickly became the favorite of the summer. It's a great primer and ads a subtle depth of color and a little shimmer. On good days I would just wear this with a little powder, but I've been pulling it out lately to bring a little glow to my super pale winter face. 

NYX Retractable Lip Liner- I just discovered the awesomeness that is lip liner this summer, and this one is a great one. I have a few colors and the stay power is great. Super creamy and great pigmentation. I'd highly recommend these. 

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain -- This is probably my biggest find of 2012. I think I own seven. It's getting a tad excessive, but I have yet to find a shade I don't love. These are all matte, buildable, super pigmented, hydrating and long wearing. I love that it offers a lot of color impact with out having to worry about color bleeding or constantly re-applying.

Maybelline Mega Plush Mascara- I absolutely love this mascara. It makes my nonexistent blonde lashes transform into these dark soft and thick beauties that I only dream about.

Stila Custom Color Blush I cashed in some Birchbox points to pick this baby up and I'm SO glad I did! While it's hot pink in the pan it goes on very sheer, but is super buildable so you can have a bright pink glow or just a subtle hint of warmth. Plus it's matte, which I love. Shimmer is great, don't get me wrong, but when you do a shimmer highlight, shimmer in your powder, shimmer on the eyes, the lips, bronzer, etc. it's nice to balance it out with a little matte here and there. 

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter Berry Smoothie-- I was introduced to the lip butters in 2011, but didn't pick up berry smoothie until this fall, and I am in love. It's the perfect berry color, and I love the pigmentation of this shade. There's no glitter but it doesn't seem to be totally matte either.  

Eyeko Skinny Liquid Liner another Birchbox find. I love eye liners in marker form and this one is great. Doesn't dry up, really easy to control, great staying power and awesome pigmentation. 

New Year New Skin-care Routine

Neutrogena Face Wash | Clarins Toner | Blistex | Fabulips | Juice Beauty Peel | Olay ProX | Clinique Moisture Surge | Philosophy Hope in a Jar | Juice Beauty Mask

Adding to the New Years Resolutions Floating around the blogosphere I wanted to talk to y'all briefly of my skin care plans for this year. I have always battled with my skin. Always. I used to have super oily skin. Then horrible acne. Then it got super dry. Somewhere in the last few years the acne has mostly dried up (thank goodness) but the oil is back--- and long days at a desk tend to make a gal forget to reapply her powder. I realized a few weeks ago that my skin routine was really non existent. Whatever face wash happened to be in the shower would suffice in the morning... at night I might use a washcloth and some warm water-- if I bothered to take my makeup off at all. Horrible I know. I know. I spend far too much time in front of the mirror applying makeup, and more than that... far too much money on my makeup, to waste on a poorly maintained canvas. 

So it's time to turn over a new leaf. Washing with my ProX. Toning to keep away oil. Moisturizing. Adding eye cream to fight bags and wrinkles. Gentile at home peels and regular exfoliation. That's my plan. Any suggestions? Or product ideas? These are a few I've tried samples of, or have used over the years. But I'm always looking for new ideas!

Happy Thursday!

Novemeber Birchbox

stila all over shimmer liquid luminizer 

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Review: LOVE LOVE LOVE. This is a gorgeous cream highlighter. And you can get all three for just $20! This would be a perfect stocking stuffer or just little just because gift. They're all gorgeous shades too!

Masqueology 7D Moisture Cream

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Review: really gentile scent. Super creamy. but other than that... ehh. A solid moisturizer but for me, it's not worth the $$.

MCMC Fragrance Phoenix Eau de Parfum

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Review: I think I'm one of the only people who LOVE getting perfume samples in their birchboxes. They are always big enough to last a few weeks and now I have so many I can switch up my daily scent all the time (which I love). This has to be one of my favorites. Ever. It's super floral, but it's very light at the same time. 

Masqueology Revitalizing Eye Mask

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Review: Okay--- I got this weird face mask from these people a few months ago--- and was less than impressed. Needless to say I was disappointed when I saw this in my box. but OH how I was wrong. These are this cool gel pad that you put below you eye and let it dry. First of all, I was obsessed with looking at these. They're like a mesh surrounded by gel and it's awesome. Second. They totally worked. I've been fighting fatigue like no other lately (mostly because my body hates me because I've put it through the most ridiculous sleep schedule the last 4 months), and bags are gone! Yay!

One Love Organics® Aromatic Body Serum

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Review: I'm kind of obsessed with this body serum. It's essentially just a scented oil but I've never really used an  oil to moisturize. I'm in love for real. AND, I apologize if this is TMI, but I've been dealing with some winter eczema on by legs and after only 3 days of using this... it's gone! That has NEVER happened to me before. 

Masqueology Masque Cleanse

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Review: More Masquology? I mean--- I know you're trying to sell this stuff in the store Birchbox--- but three products in one box is a little much. I want more of a variety. Needless to say this was a bit of a miss for me. Lightly scented. Cleaned my face. Not worth the price. But I appreciate the sample.

Beauty for a Cause

I know all of our lives have been touched by cancer. My grandmother and grandfather both passed away from lung cancer. One of my best friend's mother was diagnosed with a form of brain cancer and had been in and out of remission for the last two years. It's a brutal disease that can effect any of us, and while there is so much that we don't know about the causes, research makes major advances every year. One way we can help is support research foundations financially. I know we don't all have tons of disposable income to donate, but It's breast cancer awareness month and many of our favorite brands have come out with some great products supporting cancer research. 

"The causes of breast cancer are not fully understood. Although it is clear that age, gender and lifetime exposure to estrogen and other factors play an important role. Because no one knows exactly what cause breast cancer to develop in a certain person at a certain time, there are no sure ways to prevent it. However, there are steps that you can take that may reduce your risk. These include maintaing a healthy weight, adding exercise into your routine, limiting alcohol intake and postmenopausal hormones, and breast feeding if you can. Anyone can get breast cancer."  Susan G. Komen 

These are a few of my favorites... get to shopping ladies!

EOS balm and lotion

Clinique Chubby Stick

Nails Inc.

Sephora Brushes

It's a 10

Lip Stick

September Birchbox

It's time for another round of

This month's Birchbox was not my favorite ever, but once again I picked up a few good things.  First off they threw in a twistband. I seriously love these y'all. If you haven't picked one up, you need to! They are super flexible and don't crimp your hair!

Twistband

Then I got a pack of the La Fresh Instant Body Soothers. These are wipes for your hands, face body, etc. that are supposed to sooth skin. They smell great and are definitely refreshing, but I don't think I'd invest in them. 

La Fresh Instant Body Soother

This Custom Color Club Polish was my favorite find of the box. Birchbox and Color Club teamed up this month to put together a few of the hottest colors of the season. I got the rose gold metallic color called "put a pin in it" I'm OBSESSED. This is definitely worth the $8 investment

Custom Color Club Polish

They also threw in a few of these brush guards. Definitely a nice thing to have when traveling. These are supposed to protect your brushes and help them keep their shape. They're essentially like those chinese finger traps and they can expand around pretty much any brush.

Brush Guard

Boscia Purfiying Cleansing Gel is preservative free, which is great. I've only tested it out once, so I don't feel like I can give you a recommendation one way or another, but so far so good!

Boscia Purfiying Cleansing Gel

I think I'm just not a Beauty Balm person. I need/want more coverage. While this Dr. Jart Beauty Balm is by far the best I've ever tried, I still got oily and felt like my imperfections were obvious a few hours into wear. I do have super oily skin and am constantly battling all of my products to extend the wear, so take my opinion with a grain of salt. 

Dr. Jart Beauty Balm

So that's it. My September Birchbox. Want to see more? Here's my August, July, June, and April reviews.

AND. Don't forget about the Starbucks GIVEAWAY 

Fall Beauty Picks

For this round of Loving Lately, I am featuring some of my favorite beauty products for fall.

FIT Me foundation | Benefit boi- ing | Philosophy | Eos | Revlon Lip Stain | Essie | ELF's High Definition Powder | Essie | Mega Plush Volum' Express Mascara 

I recently switched over to my fall foundation since the summer humidity seems to have disappeared (thank goodness). I'm loving rediscovering some old products and some new ones.  I bought the FIT me foundation right at the end of spring this year, but the shade was too light for me during summer. Needless to say, I'm loving the coverage this light weight foundation provides. 

I also have been loving the ELF High Definition Powder. Amazing. 

I recently discovered boi-ing, and I'm wondering what rock I've been living under? This stuff is seriously awesome. It's the perfect texture and lasts all day! Loving it. 

Y'all know how much I love lip products and I picked up another lipstain in honey. I've been loving a bright bold lip for summer, but think I'm going to transition to something softer for fall, so Honey has been perfect.

Also, and it get's cooler chapped lips are inevitable. My favorite is this Eos in soft mint. Perfection in a lip balm if you ask me.

Mega Plush ads have been everywhere lately, and for good reason. Y'all need to pick this up. I promise you'll love it. 

August Birchbox Brag

It's time for another round of 

Are you excited? I know I am. 

Since a few of you have asked recently, Birchbox provides a monthly delivery of high end samples, tailored to your beauty profile. Most of the time you get a nice size sample, but every now and again they surprise you with a full size! It costs $10 a month, but the value of the products you receive is always well above that.   Plus have access to the website, where you can purchase full size products. For every dollar you spend you earn 1 BB point. For every product you review, you receive 10 points. Every 100 points = $10 off your purchases. I'm a bit of a point hoarder... so I generally splurge on crazy expensive products that I would never otherwise get. 

Y'all, I can't rave enough. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my birchbox, and would highly recommend it to you.

with all that said, August's box was not my favorite ever. 

Schick Hydro Silk Razor

I think everyone got this in their box this month. While it's not a beauty sample per say, it is a pretty awesome razor. I'd definitely recommend it to y'all. Big handle and like 5 blades (side note, when are they going to stop adding blades?). Love how much longer a shave lasts with this. Dare I say it, I can go three days between shaves. Love that.

TALIKA lipocils expert

I have very thin, short, sparse, light (really what's not wrong) lashes. I'm not going to lie, I've been tempted by those lash serums a time or two. I was really excited for this deluxe size sample. You apply this botanical serum to your lash line twice a day. A month later, you supposedly see longer, thicker and darker lashes. I've been using it for a week, and have yet to see a change. HOWEVER, I am giving it a full month and will definitely follow up.

Yu-Be Moisturizing Skin Cream

This was super random. I saw it, and kind of had a WTH moment. But, this is a fabulously moisturizing cream. This would be great for super chapped skin in the winter. However... this is summer. I do have a moisture problem... but mine is on the opposite end of the spectrum. I think that this is one of those products that if you like it, you'll love it, and probably never be with out it ever again. But it just didn't really do it for me. I don't see much of a difference from petroleum jelly, honestly, and I'd much rather spend like $2 for a big jar of Vaseline than 15 for a medium sized tube of this stuff.

Beauty Fixation Lipstick Touch-up

These are cool... I guess. It's one of those pre-filled q-tips where you snap the tip and let the product drain to one end before you apply. I don't know... I feel like I don't really have a problem with lipstick running... so I don't really need these. But if you do, these are awesome. I don't though, so... not going to be purchasing.

Viva La Juicy La Fleur

Okay. LOVE this scent. Love is actually an understatement. I am obsessed with Viva la Juicy, but I think this one is even better. It's super soft and very floral, but it's so light and delicate at the same time. This will DEFINITELY be making an appearance on my Christmas 2012 list.

SHU UEMURA Art of Hair Full Shimmer Illuminating Shampoo

I've sampled shampoo from this brand before. It's great, my hair is super soft, thick, and smooth after I use it. But for me it's just not worth the almost $50 price tag. It's shampoo... come on.

SHU UEMURA Art of Hair Full Shimmer Illuminating Treatment

This however is something I would definitely consider shelling out some money for. (Let's be honest though, $65 is still too much). This treatment did wonders for my hair. I don't know that I really saw the "shimmer" but the deep conditioning aspect definitely did a lot for my tired tresses. 

So that was my August Birchbox. What did you think? Did you love this month or were you just kind of... ehh like me? Want to hop on the Birchbox train? click here to sign up.

{Beauty Tuesday} What's in Alissa's Makeup Bag?

For this installation of {Beauty Tuesday} I have the fabulous Alissa of Feeling Good taking us on a tour of what's in her makeup bag. If you're not familiar with Alissa, she's a DC area fashion blogger, who is clearly destined for big things. She has great style. She's one of those fashion bloggers who takes risks, but never seems to look bad. After reading her posts I'm often left thinking I would have never thought of that, but it looks so good! Anyways, you need to go visit her. Please show her some love.

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Hi fashionable friends! First of all let me just start this post by saying thank you to Emily for asking me to guest post today. I’m glad to help while she gets her study on. (Big props for that, girl!)

When I told Em I’d write about anything, she suggested showing what’s in my makeup bag. I loved the idea because that’s not something my readers get to see on my blog. It’s fresh (as they say in the news biz) and I dig it. I know y’all are itching to see what’s in my bag, baby – so here it is!

Full disclosure: I definitely cleaned out my Vera Bradley makeup bag before taking any pictures. It had some makeup remnants and needed to be pretty for its debut. In the aerial view, you can see I don’t have that much makeup, and I don’t use much of it either. I’m usually an eye shadow, mascara and lip-gloss kind of girl all year (but with this heat, I haven’t been wearing any). So let’s break it all down!

I do own foundation and it comes in handy when I’m doing work in front of the camera. This CoverGirl Trublend Whipped Foundation is the best kind that works for my skin. It’s the perfect color for my pale complexion and I like the silky whipped texture. Set in place with light NYCpowder, which I’ve had for a long time, obviously... but it never lets me down! Another favorite: Maybelline DreamMousse Blush aka the best blush ever in my humble opinion. Also light and a peachy-pink color that gives my cheeks a glow.

One item I do have a ridiculous amount of: eye shadow. I love the purple Rimmel London to accent my brown eyes. Underneath that sits my three Arbonne eye shadow compacts – which holds about 12 eye shadow colors each. (In my defense, my Grandma, Mom and Aunt used to sell Arbonne so I have quite the array of products.)

Sticking with the eyes, one item that doesn’t usually stay the same for me is mascara. The crazy-coupon-clipping person in me buys whatever tube of mascara I have a coupon for. (There are always coupons in the Sunday newspaper for mascara). This month, it’s Covergirl Lash Blast Volume inblack, which I like. However, I have found my go-to eyeliners: Arbonne in “Hepburn” and the classic black in Almay.

Finally, to pull the whole look together: lipstick!! I have a whole bag of lipsticks and glosses, so I pulled my favorites: Sephora Sugar, NARS Schiap, RevlonCoralberry, Mac Dazzleglass inSugarrimmed and Revlon Just Bittenin Passion. I keep these five in heavy rotation, especially throughout the summer. From lip tint (Sephora) to gloss (Mac) and bold colors (NARS, Revlon) my lips are covered!

I hope you enjoyed discovering what’s in my makeup bag! If you’d like to see what’s in my closet, hop on over to my blog, where it’s all about Feeling Good! :) And thanks a bunch to Emily again for having me today on BDB!

{Beauty Tuesday} Revlon Just Bitten Lip Stain

Okay, at this point I have a well  documented love of lip gloss. Here, here and here are some of my favorites. Well after a major haul at Ulta a few weeks ago I have a new favorite lip product (okay I actually have a few, but I'm only sharing one with y'all today)

Thanks to Birchbox, a few months ago I fell in love with the Tarte Lip Stains (again here), but I found a dupe, and I'm OBSESSED. 

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain

It's a jumbo pencil, that glides on. Tons of shine, moisturizing and super pigmented. What else could you want. 

I picked it up in this bright pink color... and let me tell you it's bright (in a great way)

Revlon Just Bitten in Sweet Heart

I'm a huge fan of a statement lip. I really think it balances your face, and allows you to go a little lighter on the eyes (which is nice for the office). 

Honestly, this lasts through multiple cups of coffee, and even lunch. 

It really is a stain, and in this color especially, it darkens as you leave it on.

My one complaint about the product (well all jumbo lip pencils really) is there is no way to sharpen it. Once you use up the initial half an inch or so  it's much wider, and doesn't allow for quite as much precision. 

But over all, I adore this product, and plan on picking up quite a few more shades. 

Have y'all tried it? Or any other lip products? I'd love to know!!!

{Beauty Tuesday} Eye Brushes

Do you want flawless makeup? A perfectly blended smokey eye? I have a secret for you. It doesn't matter how expensive your eye shadows, primers and mascaras are. If you don't have the right brush, you can't achieve the look. But brushes can be daunting. There are hundreds of shapes and textures to choose from. What do you use were? Does it matter the kind of bristle? synthetic or natural? dense? thin? Are expensive brushes worth it, or do cheap ones work okay too? 

Makeup brushes are the one thing I never really "learned" about until recently, so I need to fill y'all in on the amazing brushes I'm loving right now. I'm going focus on eye brushes, and save face brushes for another post. Everything I'm talking about today are actual brushes I own, use often and LOVE. 

For great eye makeup I think you need 4 different brushes. I know. that's a lot right? Believe me, even more are helpful, but to get you started I recommend these 5 types of brushes.

1. Fluffy Brush-- Meaning a brush with good control that will help you pack shadow onto your lid. Here you can have a wide variety of what a fluffy brush is, but think your traditional eyeshadow brush. 

I use a MAC 239 and I LOVE IT. I am lucky enough to have parents who spoil me at Christmas, because I couldn't afford to shell out $22 for one brush, but if you do this is a great one.

I also have this Sonia Kashuk Brush that I LOVE just about as much (I normally use 4-5 colors on my lid a day, so I have several fluffy dense brushes for general lid application)

2. Pencil Brush-- this is my FAVORITE. It is so versatile, and packs a great punch. I would recommend a pencil brush for both your lower lash line and your crease. 

I use a MAC 219.

I honestly don't own any other pencil brushes, because this one is just so fantastic. But I have heard great things about the Sigma E30 pencil brush and at $9 dollars it's a little more budget friendly than the  MAC counterpart.  

3. Liner Brush

Okay, I'm breaking with MAC and I'm not gonna lie, I LOVE my ELF Angled Liner Brush

For another kind of liner brush altogether I use the Sigma E15 Flat Definer. This is more useful if you want to use shadow for your liner. I love how stiff this is brush is. You can either use this with just your liner shadow, or you can soften a cream liner and smooth it out with this brush.

4. Blending Brush

HERE IS THE KEY. Blend blend blend. Seriously. I can't even tell you how important blending is when it comes to a smokey eye, or any eye look for that matter. Sonia Kashuk Multipurpose Blending Brush is great. When looking for a good blending brush you want something somewhat flexible, but still dense.

For a different kind of blending brush check out the large eye shadow brush from Eco Tools. From what I can tell it only comes in the Bamboo 6 Piece Eye Brush Set (LOVE this set y'all!). It's completely differently shaped,  but a great option. 

This kit is a great beginner set too, the brushes are great quality, and really well priced. 

If you want even more eye brushes, beyond these basic four, try 

1. A highlighter brush-- look for something light and fluffy

2. Angled Crease Brush

3. Lash Brush (separate those babies)

4. Brow Brush

5. Smudge Brush

6. A Tiny Defining Brush to get in those small corners.

Okay. That's all I've got for you today. Again, I wasn't paid for any of these reviews, I own all of these brushes (and many more), and I am very fond of ALL of them. If you have any more specific questions please don't hesitate to email me or comment below. Have a great beauty Tuesday Ladies!

Summer Influenster Box

I recently got my Influenster Summer Beauty Box and OMG was I excited!

First it came with this really good Quaker Soft Baked Bar in Banana Nut Bread flavor. It was so good! I shared with my roommates and we all agreed. This is definitely filling, and great to throw in your purse if you are on the go. 

Sorry if this is an over share, if so please scroll down to the next picture, but you all want my real opinion so I'm going to give it. They sent a sample of the newest tampax products.  A couple of liners and tampons. I have to tell you I'm a loyal tampax pearl kind of a girl, have been for probably a decade. But ladies you may want to switch to radient. I think the packaging is much better (more durable) than pearls. I know this has happened to all of us, you have random tampons floating around in your purse, they get gross, maybe the packaging breaks open, whatever, it's not good when you're in a bind. Let me just tell you, these are great. And they give you a handy pouch!

Okay, welcome back, sorry for the crappy iphone pictures, a new camera is on it's way! Get excited y'all. 

Anyways, next up is the Hawaiian Tropic Silk Hydration Sunscreen. I have super pale skin, and I normally go 70+ on the face, 50+ on the body. So this is low for me. BUT I tested this out at the pool a few weeks ago, and I love the formula! If you have sensitive skin, or are trying to avoid fragrance this is not for you. BUT this smells like a tropical beach, and I love it! It's thick, rubs in super easily. I'm a HUGE fan. Bonus, it comes in 12, 30 and 50 SPF.

Then I got some pretty decent size samples of Clear Shampoo and Conditioner. This is the stuff that Heidi Klum keeps talking about on TV. They focus on a clean and healthy scalp, for healthier hair, which makes sense to me. I've been having issues lately of getting my hair clean enough when I wash it (mostly due to having super long hair for me, and I'm not used to how much shampoo I really need), but this stuff is really making a difference. I'm sticking with Pureology for now, but I really like this to get rid of build up.

This Sally Hansen Hand Creme is AWESOME! super moisturizing, but not heavy. I really love it! 

Now THIS is my favorite find of the box. I love nail polish, but I haven't really been on to hop on "trends" like crackle polish, neons and neutrals, etc. This is a Magnetic nail polish by Sally Hansen, and OMG it's so cool. It applies really easily. You do one coat. Let it dry, then do another and while its wet you hold the magnetic cap over the polish for 10 seconds. When you pull it away the effect looks very much like the top you see below. It's wavy and AWESOME. our first reaction was a synchronized audible WHOA! Love it 

*Note: I received each product complimentary for testing purposes from Influenster.