Best of Beauty: 2013

Its already 2014.. Craziness! I've always been into beauty and makeup, but not to the level of obsession I hit this year. I read beauty blogs, watched tons of tutorials on YouTube, read reviews on all sorts of products, bought way too much, and more importantly, I tried new things! And with that.. I discovered some of my absolute favorite things for the whole year. Enjoy! 

Skincare

Clarisonic Mia 2

I just got the Clarisonic for Christmas and I'm already in love. I'll probably do a full review on it after I've been using it a little longer. It is a handheld device with a vibrating brush for exfoliating, removing makeup, and cleansing the face. It can completely change your skin, and I noticed a difference after just a couple uses. Definitely a must-have if you're a makeup wearer. 

Arbonne RE9 Advanced Skincare Set

I wont say too much, because I already did a full (long) review - you can find it here. Just know that I still use it, still love it, and I think its definitely worth the price. Go check out the review to hear more about its benefits, what it has done for me, and how it can be purchased. 

Face

Covergirl Outlast 3-in-1 Foundation

Have you ever had a foundation that you liked, but forgot you liked? I used this for a while and told everyone about it because it had such great coverage and looked great on my skin... then I tried some new things, and forgot all about it! I recently switched back and fell back in love with it. Like I said, it has great coverage, doesn't make me shiny or oily (of course, I always use a mattifying setting powder no matter what), and it really does last all day! 

Rimmel Stay Matte Powder 

I've probably mentioned this plenty of times here and there. Its cheap and basic, but it works. I use a large, fluffy powder brush to apply it all over my face after my foundation, and then set my undereye concealer. To be honest, I also use it a lot to blend my eyeshadow and make for a really neutral natural look. 

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Bronzer

This is the perfect bronzer for contouring because its matte, but its such a great shade that can be used all over to warm up the skin. I already talked about it here so you can read some more details. I pretty much use it every day, and have been for a long time now, and I'm nowhere near hitting pan, so it has a lot of product as well!

Eyes

Lorac Pro Palette

I can't wait to review this for you guys. I need to get my lazy butt in gear. It is such a great palette and I regret waiting so long to get it. I got it for Christmas and I've used it pretty much every day since. I don't want to say too much since, like I said, I'll be doing a full review soon.. but I love that the top row is matte colors, the bottom row is all shimmer, and its a mix of color and neutrals. Its been a couple weeks now and I still haven't used some of the colors! Its going to be a lot of fun to play around with.

Naked 3 Palette

Like other products above, I've already done a full review, so you can check that out for a detailed description. But I had to mention it because its a close second to the Lorac Pro Palette (yeah.. I said it.. I like the pro palette more than any of the Naked palettes!!). This is a really great palette though, and contrary to popular opinion, it isn't just for pink looks. There are many neutral/natural looks you can achieve with this palette, because each shade works so well on its own or combined with the other shades. 

Wet n Wild 'Walking on Egg Shells'

An awful big shift in price points, right? :-) I went from $50 palettes to a $3 palette. Wet n Wild shadows are amazing and the quality is just as good as any high-end shadow, in my opinion. Plus, they're super affordable. I prefer Walking on Eggshells because the colors are neutral, work well together, and can create 1 look with the 3 shadows alone. 

Anastasia Brow Wiz

This product is pretty new to me because I never used to do a thing to my brows. I have relatively dark, thick brows that don't need a ton of work (besides getting them waxed- they can be very bushy). When my hair was light, my brows were dark (I'm naturally that way, always have been) I never wanted to fill them in and make them even darker. But now that I have dark hair, I've been playing around a bit! I heard so many good things about the brow wiz that I decided to try it, and so far I love it! It has such a fine tip that its a really subtle difference and you can go as drastic or as natural as you want. It also has a neat little spooly thing on the end to comb through your eyebrows and blend everything out.

L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara

This has been mentioned a couple times already, so I wont bore you. I love the long, skinny brush and that it does my bottom lashes so well. I can also focus on each individual top lash making them super long and dramatic. I'm currently trying a new mascara though, so I'll have to update you on that soon... :)

Real Techniques Shading Brush

This brush stood out to me this year because of the great quality at a cheap price point ($6). It has lasted a while and still in great shape, plus it has multiple purposes. Its just flat enough to go right into my crease to define it before blending, but I mainly use it to apply a dark shade to my outer corner. It makes everything effortless and natural, and that's why I love it so much. 

Lips

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush
Like I mentioned in this post, I just recently started experimenting with lip color this year. The Kissable Balm Stain is the perfect lip product to help you transition into the world of dark lips. It glides on smoothly and easily in one thin layer, with just enough color, or can be built upon for a darker look. It has a minty feel and lasts a long time. I have only tried this color but plan to pick up more! 

Nails

Revlon ColorStay Polish in Stormy Skies

I actually just got this color for Christmas (my husband picked it out for me!) but it became a favorite really quickly. I got so many compliments on it. I love Revlon CS polishes anyway because they last forever and the brush makes it really easy to paint mess-free. This color is really great though because its so many different colors in one. Its pretty much a gray, but looks purple, green, blue, and tan all depending on the lighting. You wouldn't expect that from the bottle though! 

Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat

I've seen this at nail salons, and a lot of YouTube girls raved about it but it took me a while to try. Its a tad bit pricey (around $10-$11) and I thought that was silly for a top coat.. but the key is that it dries SO fast. Its the perfect top coat for running out the door. I'd say once it is applied, your nails are dry in 2 minutes, tops. I did learn the hard way, though, that it shouldn't be used as a base coat. I tend to use a clear polish for a base/top coat all the time, but if this one is applied under the polish it causes it to peel right off (actually peeled off in one whole piece, not just chip) the next day. But hey, try it under glitter polish. Maybe I just came up with a great idea! 

This year, I tried new products, at all price points. There were some I liked, and some I didn't. And there were those that I kept going back to over and over. This list was the "best of" all the beauty products I tried throughout the year and wanted to share with you. I'd love to hear what your 2013 favorites were :)