2013 Best In Beauty

Where do I even begin with this post? 2013 has been an utter whirlwind of ups and downs, love and laughter, discovery and disappoint, but most of all a year full of thanks. I don't think I'll ever begin to describe how much the beauty community (both here on blogger as well as on YouTube) has meant to me since I discovered it. It's a place where people can come together to share their love, excitement, and general giddiness over the silly things we smear across our faces on the daily… and I love it!
Thank you all for reading my ramblings, for showering me with encouragement and kindness, and most importantly for just being the wonderful people that you are.

So, without further ado, let's jump into my last post for 2013… let's jump into the best of beauty!

real Techniques expert face brush
°˖✧  Original Review/ Best & Worst of Beauty ✧˖°

I think one of my favorite things about testing new beauty products is being surprised by something I had initially written off. The real Techniques expert face brush has become my rule for happy accidents in the sense that I only purchased it because it was on sale and I needed something cheap to throw in my shopping basket to get free shipping. Thankfully it turned out to be one of my best purchases of the year; I can't imagine applying foundation anymore without it (well, I mean, I can but why would I do that when I can say look ma, no hands!) and can't wait to buy more brushes from this line ("Sam's Picks" set, I'm looking at you)!

boscia Luminizing Black Mask

°˖✧ Best & Worst of Beauty ✧˖°
I've had this mask for a couple (few?) years now and it's truly the tube that keeps on giving. Seriously, I have a backup bottle ready to go because I thought this was going to run out months ago but NOPE this thing doesn't die… and I'm not complaining! I use this mask 2-3x a month when my skin is feeling especially oily and in need of a fresh start; the best & worst video I linked above shows a little demonstration (around the 3:22 mark) of this mask in action and I must say it's about as painful to rip it off as it sounds. You're essentially getting a face wax as well as a pore detox with the boscia Luminizing Black Mask but I think that's what I like about it. Wincing your way through the pain isn't so bad when you think about the baby fresh skin it leaves behind!

ORIGINS Clear Improvement Active charcoal mask to clear pores
°˖✧ Best & Worst of Beauty / different Best & Worst of Beauty ✧˖°

I can't believe I had forgotten that I included this in my Best In Beauty post from last year but I guess that just goes to show how much I love it! Origins truly does make some of the best masks (I've tried quite a few) in terms of clearing up skin that's feeling congested and dotted with those painful under the skin lurkers. For me they aren't masks that show an immediate improvement upon rinsing them off but your skin definitely feels cleaned out and will look 10x better when you wake up in the morning. Many pimple filled pores have been relieved thanks to this mask and I can't recommend it enough!

theBalm "PUT A LID ON IT…" Eyelid Primer

°˖✧  Original Review / Best & Worst of Beauty ✧˖°

Never have I ever thought of myself as a girl with oily eyelids. Well, that all changed when I moved to Boston and started to notice cream shadows and the like creasing on me worse than bed sheets straight out of the laundry. I tried multiple primers (one from e.l.f., Almay, and NYX to name a few) but none of them have performed the way theBalm's "PUT A LID ON IT…" Eyelid Primer does. I am so happy I won this in a contest because I otherwise might have never tried it out and thus would have been stuck with creasy-greasy-shadows the rest of my life; a true win-win situation right here!

Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder With Real Cocoa

°˖✧ Original Review / Best & Worst of Beauty ✧˖°

I can't. I just can't. Chocolate is enough to send me into a tizzy much less makeup made of the stuff. The Too Faced Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder has become my most favorite part of my makeup routine not only for the delicious hot cocoa smell that wafts into your nostrils but also because it's absolute perfection in terms of a contour powder. It warms my skin coloring to a healthy glow, sculpts my cheek bones to hollowed perfection, and to top it all off it stays put all day. The fact that this is going to last me the rest of my life is also a plus; I've been using this nearly every day for the past four months and you can hardly see a dent in the middle!

H&M Blusher "Spring Flower"

°˖✧ Original Review / Favorite Summer Products / Best & Worst of Beauty ✧˖°
There's not much to say about this blush other than it's freaking beautiful. From the embossed roses to the bright blend of pinks, oranges and corals that make up each blossom, this blush from H&M is stunning. The quality is amazing (silky smooth, pigmented, and long lasting) considering it came from a clothing store rather than a makeup company and something I wish I could wear year round. Alas, for Spring and Summer this is something that you have to pry out of my hands and off of my cheeks because it gives the most perfect perky glow to your complexion (even though tis the season for school stress and makeup meltdowns)!

benefit fake up ("01 Light")

°˖✧ Original Review / Best & Worst of Beauty ✧˖°

benefit's fake up seems to be a product that polarizes; either you love it or you hate it and I'm happy to be able to say I'm in the former boat. I've tried many products to conceal under eye circles in my day but because I have fine lines under my waterline (I'm SO envious of people who have smooth under eyes) it's nearly impossible to find anything that doesn't crease on me in the least cute of fashions. My love for fake up stems not only from its miraculous mostly-non-crease formula (it creases once after initial application but one swipe with your finger and you'll be crease free for the rest of the day) but also because of its ability to give a glow beneath your eyes and keep sensitive under eye skin hydrated and smooth. Perfection in stick form!

NARS Light Reflecting Setting Powder ("Translucent Crystal")

°˖✧ Original Review / Best & Worst of Beauty ✧˖°

I think the compact tells the story more than words ever will but, to keep things consistent, I must say that I adore this stuff. It makes skin look like luminous diamond perfection by keeping oils at bay and setting foundation/concealer to last all day long. The NARS Light Reflecting Setting Powder truly is translucent as well so you don't have to worry about any sort of a white cast in photos or anything of that nature. It's one of those products that doesn't necessarily seem like it does anything when you first apply it but, upon closer inspection, you'll notice the airbrushed quality it adds to your skin and you'll be addicted. Like, drug addiction addicted. It's just that good. Word to the wise though: I would recommend getting it in the loose powder form (rather than the pressed like I have) because in its pressed form it's a bit stiff and hard to pick up with a brush.

Maybelline Limited Edition Matte Color Tattoo "Nude Pink"

°˖✧ Original Review / Best & Worst of Beauty ✧˖°
My newest acquisition in this bunch of products but certainly just as loved is this beautiful Color Tattoo from Maybelline. Why Maybelline decided to make this matte line limited edition I have no idea (seriously, they'd make bank if they made it more available to the masses!) but I suppose I'm just glad that I found them while they were available (though trust me when I say I had to hunt them down with warrior princess passion). I love the je ne sais quoi factor that it lends to the eyes, not to mention the fact that it's pretty enough to act on its own and doesn't call need for additional eye products (though hey, if the feeling strikes, go nuts and wear fifteen shadows on top; YOLO).

M.A.C. Lustre Lipstick "Plumful"

°˖✧ Original Review / Best & Worst of Beauty / other Best & Worst of Beauty / and another Best & Worst of Beauty / and one more Best & Worst of Beauty ✧˖°

I think you can tell by the stupid amount of months that I included this lipstick in best & worst videos this year that I'm balls-to-the-walls-hands-in-cuffs obsessed. Plumful is perfect for any occasion, any season, any reason and that's what I love most about it. Don't know what color to wear on your lips with a particular outfit? Wear Plumful. Want to look put together without actually wearing a ton of makeup? Wear Plumful. This sheer plum lipstick doesn't disappoint and is a staple in my kill-you-softly-with-my-beauty arsenal.

Revlon Lip Butter "Juicy Papaya"

°˖✧ Original Review / Favorite Summer Products / Best & Worst of Beauty ✧˖°

Oh Juicy Papaya… je t'aime. I'm a sucker for a Revlon Lip Butter but this one in particular is an absolute standby favorite. It's a moisturizing pop of punch on your lips that lasts through laughter and tears (don't ask) and I can't imagine my lipstick collection/life without it. Next to my most beloved lip butter (Revlon's "Berry Smoothie") this is probably the closest lip product to hit pan! Or would it be hit bullet in the case of a lipstick…? In any case, it's nearly gone and for those of you who own a disturbing amount of lip products then you know that this is a pretty big freaking deal.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain "Romantic"

°˖✧ Best & Worst of Beauty / other Best & Worst of Beauty / and another Best & Worst of Beauty ✧˖°
This is yet another product that surprised me… don't get me wrong, Revlon had my soul upon first release of these balm stains but for whatever reason I never thought that I would love this particular color as much as I do. It's basically just a sheer orange based red but the color is on par with unicorns in terms of magical ability. Similar to Plumful, it's one of those colors where if you're stuck in a lipstick rut or undecided on lip color for the day (just the worst, amiright?) then it'll pull everything together and look lovely no questions asked.

Clean & Clear advantage 3-in-1 exfoliating cleanser

°˖✧ Best & Worst of Beauty ✧˖°

All of my love and opinions on this exfoliating cleanser were gushed in the above video so I'll just reiterate quickly here: this stuff is my life. I live to scrub my face with this in the morning because it leaves me feeling fresh (even in my groggy sleepy stupor) and my skin in check for the day. Never has my skin ever been as consistently clear as it is now that I have this scrub in my daily routine and can honestly say I'll be a customer for life.

Clean & Clear continuous control acne cleanser

°˖✧ Best & Worst of Beauty ✧˖°

This daily formula (read: gentle) cleanser is the perfect compliment to the exfoliating cleanser above; using this at night with my Olay ProX is such a soothing delight and something I truly look forward to doing at the end of the day. There was a period where, after finishing a bottle of this stuff, I was trying different cleansers I had lying around in my sample stash and it was pretty remarkable the difference it made. Other cleansers just didn't keep my acne at bay or get my pores as clean as this cleanser does!

DDF Acne Control Treatment Salicylic Acid Acne Medication

°˖✧ Original Review / Best & Worst of Beauty ✧˖°
Ahhh, yet another thing that I've discovered this year that is truly magic. I don't think words will ever begin to express how wonderful this acne treatment is so I'm just going to direct your attention the links above. A picture is worth a thousand words, right? Well, that original review is where to find them and where you can see the fantastic results that this DDF medication provides. It's the perfect thing to apply when skin is really acting up and something I plan on having in my acne-treatment-arsenal for a long time to come.

*･゜ﾟ･*☆*･゜ﾟ･*

Phewfta!! That's it people!
I forgot how dreadfully long it takes to write out these posts but it was a great way to look back on the year and get me excited for many new discoveries in the next. Only a few more hours until the countdown begins to bring in the new year so get your sparkling beverage of choice ready and welcome it with cheers!

What were your favorite products this year?
Do share in the comments below!

xoxo - Cassie