Best of 2013! Beauty, skincare, and more :)

 2013 was a year of new things and new friends :)

Some products stood out amongst the others, and here they are! Best of 2013 :)

FACE

Concealer: Rimmel London MATCH Perfection in Fair

Bronzers: Too Faced Chocolate Soleil & The Body Shop's Honey Bronzing Powder in 01 Light Matte

Blush: Jouer Peony

This concealer is awesome. You can tell by how little is left! I like to use this for the inner under eye; by placing this lighter color closer to the inner under eye area, it more effectively diminishes dark circles and highlights the area (Goss makeup artist mentioned this trick in one of his videos. It works a lot better than applying concealer to the whole under eye area). This concealer blends easily and dries completely, making it ideal for the undereye area :)

This blush by Jouer is a lovely blue-based pink hue. I found that this was the blush I reached for 90% of the time this year. It gives you a nice pop of color without being too strong :)

This bronzer by the Body Shop is light enough for my fair skintone. This was mentioned by essiebutton on youtube. It's easy to blend and gives you a warm look.

Another favorite this year was this bronzer by Too Faced. It's made with cocoa powder as pigment, meaning that this smells like hot chocolate! Mmm love it. It's very easy to blend and is a shade darker than the bronzer from the Body Shop for more color. This is the mini size that I got in a kit.

LIPS.

So many lip products. I really branched out this year to try out some more cruelty free brands.

From left to right:

Too Faced La Creme in Stiletto Red, Spice Spice Baby, Urban Decay's Turn On, and Zuzu Luxe's Vino de Amor

Bottom:

Rimmel London Show Off (Aka apocolips) in Anova

All of these lipcolors are awesome! I really like the smooth but pigmented la cremes by Too Faced. Urban Decay's Turn On was a nice pink to add to my collection, and Zuzu Luxe's Vino De Amor is an all-time favorite deep red shade :)

Rimmel's Show off/Apocalips formula is amazing. I have almost every cream color (I'm not so big on shimmers). They're pigmented and give the lips a full look.

EYES

I stuck to a general eyelook for a majority of the year (hey, when I get something I like, I stick with it! :P)

Bobbi Brown's Long-wear Gel Eyeliner in Caviar Ink

I like using this eyeliner with a very thin liner brush to create a winged look on the days that I don't need super-staying power. It's very easy to control and doesn't smear throughout the day :) It's a brown/black, very pigmented color!

This "Better than Sex" Mascara by Too Faced has quickly become a favorite! The packaging, the formula, and the brush are all stellar! It gives a full shape to the lashes while being a rich black color and lasting all day.

This liquid eyeliner by Lorac (Front of the Line PRO) is another all-time favorite. I've bought 5, maybe 7 of these? They last quite a while and are the best liquid eyeliner I've found. It lasts all day, doesn't flake, doesn't smudge, doesn't hurt your eyes, and removes easily with oil cleansers. It's also a very pigmented black color, so you don't have to retrace your line! :) The brush tip makes it very easy to create a cateye look.

As for eyeshadows... just pick any of the NAKEDs by Urban Decay. I love all of them.

A go-to everyday favorite was the Urban Decay NAKED Basics palette. This comes with five mattes and one shimmer shade. I used this pretty much 90% of the time I did my makeup this year, it's just so foolproof! The colors work very well with my skin tone and blend very nicely :)

NAKED, NAKED 2, and NAKED 3 were also favorites. I found myself reaching for the NAKED 2 more, as I find it has lighter colors that work better with my skin. The NAKED 3 was a new introduction that I'm still playing with, but the shades are pigmented and the mattes are good for blending.

My fragrance favorite was Bath and Body Work's Forever Red. This is pretty much one of the only perfumes I can wear (I feel ill around most perfume scents, very sensitive nose). It lasts all day and smells almost fruity.

Elta MD's UV Clear SPF 46 was a must have this year. I love this moisturizer so much that I can't use anything else. It gives a nice hydration to the face without being too much or too little. I also love that it has above SPF 30, as I like to take care of my skin :) This SPF also goes on completely clear and doesn't leave a white cast like others I've tried.

Urban Decay's b6 spray has been kind of a luxury this year. I spray this on before I put on my moisturizer as a kind of prep for my skin. It just feels so refreshing!

LUSH cosmetics was a HUGE favorite this year. I've started to use more of their products on a regular basis. This cute little scarf/knot wrap was featured in a lot of posts on this blog too! :)

Michael Todd's Honey and Oat cleanser was very helpful in keeping my skin breakout free and happy. It also removes light makeup or makeup residue. It doesn't leave my skin tight or greasy.

Mint Julips by LUSH was a game changer this year. I put this on when I wake up in the morning to remove any dead skin. It also has a yummy mint flavor that's quite refreshing! :)

And for my final favorite of 2013, my rescue, (Einstein) Bagel!

This little guy has crawled his way into my heart. I might have spoiled him with lots of treats and kitty toys, but he deserves it, even if he hoards my products under the bed :)

What were your favorites of 2013?

Glossybox December 2013 unboxing

 The night before I left for New York this little package arrived :) It's my third Glossybox, the last of my subscription.

Check out what came in this month's box! :)

Anatomicals "You need a blooming shower!" body cleanser (Full size $5.50)

This shower gel had a floral rose scent to it, so I handed it off to my mom. (I can't stand florals!) This brand is cruelty free and does not test on animals.

Pumpkin Mask from Michael Todd True Organics (Full size: $34)

This is the third or so sample I have of this mask. I use Michael Todd's products in my daily skincare routine, so they just seem to add up over the times that I've ordered from them :) It's a nice mask; it feels like you're spreading canned pumpkin on your face, but with a better scent to it. It's a nice moisturizing mask. You can find a lot of coupon codes for Michael Todd True Organics on websites like retailmenot :) The brand is cruelty free and even has some vegan products!

Naobay Oxygenating Cream Moisturizing

The name of this throws me off, but besides that,  it claims to be a cream to keep skin balanced and hydrated. It has almond oil, rosehip oil, and aloe vera juice.  Full size is $44 and the brand is cruelty free.

Nails Inc polish in Victoria (Full size, $9.50)

This is a deep, deep oxblood color. The brand is cruelty free.

Ardency Inn PUNKER eyeliner (Full size $19)

This brand is cruelty free; the eyeliner has a pretty fat tip, so I'm not sure how well this will work out as I prefer thin lines for eyeliner.

This box was a good mix of products from cruelty free brands :) 

For now, however, my subscription will not be renewed (need to buy textbooks!)

What do you think? Have you tried any of these products?

Flower Cosmetics Haul

Before I headed out to New York, I checked out some of the new/recent products from Flower Cosmetics (a vegan and cruelty free beauty line that can be found at Walmart)

Sheer Up Lip Tint in Dewy Rose

This lip crayon is moisturizing and leaves a nice shine to the lips. It's a blue based red color that leaves a subtle red hint to your lips after it wears off :)

Line & Shine Lip Liner in Cherry Red

This lipliner is a nice blue-based red that I like to use to line and then fill in my lips for a lasting lipcolor. It really lasted throughout the night and was exactly the color I was looking for :) The little red part of the liner is actually a removable sharpener

Raise Some Brows Defining Brow Pencil in Light Brown

This is an eyebrow pencil for light brown brows. I have dark blonde hair but darker brows, so this shade works nicely for filling them in. It is quite wax like, not really smooth like the lip liner consistency was. This helps it stay better throughout the day. The little brown part is a removable sharpener, just like on the lip pencil :)

Eyes on the Prize Eyeshadow Chubby in Daffodil With It

This is a bronze/gold eyeshadow stick. I hoped that it would come off a bit lighter on my skin, but as you can see in the swatch below it comes off as a tan gold. 

Swatched from left to right:

Daffodil with it, Light Brown, Cherry Red, and Dewy Rose

The final product I picked up was the Shine On Lip Gloss in Stop the Violets!

Besides loving the name, I also love the color and pigmentation of the gloss. It's a deep berry color that isn't sticky at all :)

Have you tried any of the new products from Flower Cosmetics? They're available at Walmart and at Walmart.com, so check them out! :)