2011 in review, and looking forward to 2012

In this post I'm going to review what my favourite products have been - my top three mainstays that have seen the most use - in 2011, and look at what I'm most excited about for 2012.

Well, of course, since I didn't really get into make-up until August, the review only really covers the last part of the year.

I think that my overall favourite product this year would be the Boots 17 All About Nude palette, which was their free gift when you bought two products for a while in the summer - I liked it so much that when it appeared on boots.com for 1.50 in the autumn I bought three more!
It has eyeshadow in shades Funfair and Walnut Pearl, a cream blush, and Mirror Shine lipstick in shade Belle. Since getting this palette, I've bought individual ones of the Walnut Pearl eyeshadow, which forms part of my everyday eye, and the lipstick, which is great just to add a little colour and shine if I've emphasised the eye. This palette also meant I searched the entire Boots store at Westfield for a cream blush, since I found it so so much easier to use than powder blush - though I think that's partly down to poor brush technique. I never was good at art.

Another of my favourites would have to be the Boots 17 Photo Flawless Eye Pencil which I reviewed a couple of days ago. I won't repeat myself here - suffice to say that it's great.

The last product to make my top three for 2011 is another eye pencil - the Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Pencil. I have it in every colour except brown, and I think the standouts would be grey, which looks lovely as a base for a daytime smoky eye, and green, which I have worn by itself and been complimented on my eye makeup before. (That sentence doesn't quite make sense, but my brain can't figure out how to make it do so - forgive me, it's Sunday). Overall this pencil is lovely and soft, smudges like a dream when putting it on, but is then nice and long-lasting.

One other product I'm going to briefly mention (oh, split infinitive, my Latin teacher would be disappointed) is my moisturiser the Neutrogena Multi-Defence Daily Moisturiser. I started using this in the summer and I love it. That it has built in SPF 25 is a huge bonus.

In 2012 I'm looking forward to using the Naked2 palette by Urban Decay. I've seen swatches and reviews and it looks amazing, even if it is more than a week's pay...

I'm also making myself a resolution to actually use the Funfair shade of eyeshadow in my All About Nude palette. While not such a big thing as the Naked2 palette, it's all about being adventurous and using colours etc that I'm not used to.

The third key thing to do with makeup that I want to do in 2012 is to find a great foundation. The Natural Collection one I've been using is okay, but I'm sure there are better ones out there.

Now for the photos - I took one with the palette closed and one with it open - mine's a bit scabby and dirty due to months of continuous use, but apart from that it's held up well - I'm always surprised that I've not hit pan on Walnut Pearl.
Clockwise from top left it's eyeshadow in Funfair, eyeshadow in Walnut Pearl, the lipstick in Belle, and the blush.

The eye pencil by itself is the Photo Flawless one, and then the group is the Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal ones.