Top 12 of 2012: Beauty

Happy New Year everyone! I don't know about you, but I certainly can't believe this year is over! 2012 just went so fast for me, with work and uni, as well as my upcoming trip to the US. It was also a year that I used many products and started to discover holy grail products that I will certainly be using for a long time!

Review: Bioderma Sebium H20

This micellar water is a breakthrough single-step cleansing water that allows you to easily remove makeup and skin impurities without sacrificing your skin's natural hydration. There's actually no need to rinse Sebium H2O from your skin after use. One swipe and you've refreshed, cleansed and purified your skin and excess sebum is also reduced and fluidified. Once professional make-up artists caught wind of this wonderful product, they took advantage of its ability to remove makeup without reddening the face of their models or damaging their other products. Try it today and transform your cleansing routine into one simple and effective step.

-BellaBox

Review: Maybelline DreamMatte Powder

For ultra fine, natural, matte perfection

So I caved - I bought the Maybelline Dream Matte Powder. This is a cult favorite on youtube, with many of my favorite bloggers claiming to love this as a setting powder. Unfortunately, in Australia, we only have two shades available, but I picked one up which seemed to be a close match, and dove in from there.

Review: Maybelline Limited Edition Baby Lips in Protecting Berry

I've never used a BabyLips before, but these little Maybelline lip balms have quite a bit of support within the beauty community. I've been tossing up whether or not to get one, and when I noticed this eye-catching packaging, I thought it was time to finally take the plunge.

Review and Swatches: Essence Haul Items

So a couple of days ago, I did a haul of some recent purchases of mine, and amongst them were a few Essence products I picked up in target. These products are really good quality as well as reasonably priced, so I will definitely be buying more!

Anyway, onto the reviews of these products.

Review: Australis Concealer

First of all, I apologize for the lack of posts lately. I've been really caught up with work and summer, and I haven't had as much time to post lately.

Now, on to the review. If you've been keeping up with my blog, you'll know how much I love the new/redone range of Australis products, so it was an obvious thought that when I began to run of of my beloved HG concealer (Maybelline Superstay) that I should try one of their concealers.

Review and Swatches: Australis Paparazzi Perfect High Definition Eye Shadow in 'Totally Busted'

A while ago, I filled out a survey for Australis regarding ideas for new cosmetics, and as 'compensation' I recieved a Paparazzi Perfect High Definition Eyeshadow in Totally Busted. The new, or should I say, more recent Australis collection, the Paparazzi Perfect range in total, is actually pretty impressive, with a great variety of high quality products.

Review: Models Prefer Brush Cleaner

An anti-bacterial cleaner designed to keep brushes hygienically clean. Use between makeup applications to remove traces of makeup. Suitable for synthetic & natural bristle powder, foundation, blush, eye and lip brushes.

Review and Swatches: NYX Round Lipsticks - First ever NYX products!

Any beauty blogger, reader, watcher or enthusiast who has seen American beauty videos will know of the brand NYX. NYX is a drugstore brand with great quality products at amazing prices, and sadly predominately available in America. I grew greatly jealous over time of the products people had, so finally, I set out to buy some. I found a seller on eBay who offered a bulk deal of 6 at an extremely reasonable price and set off. When they finally came in the mail, I was ecstatic! 

Let me tell you, from what I have seen, these lipstick do not disappoint. The light fruity smell, smooth consistency and amazing variety of colours can do nothing but invite people in to want the whole collection!

5 Lip Products to get you through the Holiday Season

No matter how you choose to spend your holidays, one thing for certain is that it is a truly hectic time for everyone. Parties, events, shopping, holiday's and catchups - you name it, you'll most likely do it. In this time, you'll probably try to rush through your routine, and with these five lip products you'll have enough variety for a multitude of looks.

If I were going away for the holiday season, whether I lived in a country going through summer or winter, these would be the 5 lip products I would pack!

All Time Favorite Red Lipstick

Revlon Colorburst Lipstick in 090 True Red

Last year, I had a multitude of parties I had to attend, and it was during these, that I learnt the allure of the red lip. Being someone who wore a lot of black and no colour, I was intrigued when I first found my mother's Dior lipstick, and after the first wear, I fell in love. It was a new way to add a bit of spark and sultry-ness to an outfit without being too 'slutty'. The red lip soon became my 'thing' within our group.

At my birthday last year, I received a gift box from some girlfriends, and this little baby was hidden inside it, and since then I have never looked back.

Review: Bourjois Volumizer Mascara

'Two looks in one mascara. Natural or Killer volume! You decide.'

This Bourjois Volumizer Mascara claims to build up to 11x more volume in just two mascara steps, whilst also having the option to go for a natural or dramatic look.

Let me tell you, this mascara is amazing! Do not pass it by if you have the chance to buy it! It even comes in black and brown to suit everyone's general needs. This is a must-have mascara!

Review: Maybelline Master Liner

New Maybelline waterproof Master Liner Cream Pencil.

Bolder, Smoother, Unlike any other.

The new Maybelline Master Liner is a waterproof, wind up cream liner that claims to have a creamy soft glide and intense colour, whilst being smudge-proof and waterproof.

Review and Swatches: BYS Blush in Coral

This blush was another prize I won from Hannah's 100 follower giveaway. This was another prize I was particularly excited to win, because Coral is a blush that is somewhat raved about in the Aussie beauty blogging community, and I now know why.

Review: Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector (BB Cream)

When I won Hannah's 100 follower giveaway, one of the things I was most excited to try was the Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector, or Australia's first drugstore version of a BB Cream. BB creams have been all the rage in the beauty community lately, and the reviews I heard about this product were mixed, so I was excited to finally try it for myself.

Holiday Nail Polish Haul Part 1: China Glaze

From left to right: Holly-day, Glittering Garland, Twinkle Lights, Snow Globe

I've never used a China Glaze polish before, but after hearing so many great things about the brand in general, I've been wanting to give them a shot for a while. When I saw the China Glaze Let It Snow 2011 Holiday Collection, I knew I had to make these the beginning of my collection! There are so many beautiful shades that just scream 'Christmas' (or holiday season in general) to me, so I had to limit myself to four, but there are two more I'm debating about getting.

Review: 10.0.6 No Time To Shine Oil-Absorbing Mud Mask

Take control of excess oil with No Time To Shine. The Sea Minerals and Kaolin Clay are the star ingredients that draw out and eliminate excess oil. Couple these with Calendula and Sea Kelp and your complexion will be beautifully balanced and toned.

This is not the first 10.0.6 product I've used - I love the pore strips, hated the tinted moisturizer and was wary of the Deep Down Detox Mud Mask (much for the same reasons of this). The bright and modern packaging was what first attracted me to the products and they do seem to be quality products, but I think they would work best for certain types of skin.

Review: Rimmel Soft Kohl Kajal Eye Liner Pencil in 'Royal Blue'

As you all know, I am slightly scared of colourful eyeshadow. I am a strictly neutral eye girl. However, Priceline are having another 20% off sale on Rimmel cosmetics, and when I saw this range of eyeliners for $6.80AU, I couldn't resist picking this up. I already have the Jet Black eyeliner that I love (it's much more soft and creamy then a regular pencil, although the staying power isn't fantastic) so I thought that this would be a good way to slowly venture into colours.