My 10 Beauty Discoveries of 2012

As this year is drawing to a close, I thought I would write a reflective post. This year has been a year of huge beauty discovery and change for me, here are my biggest changes..

1. Discovering eye primers
A few months ago, I discovered the importance of eyeshadow primer. I always passed it off as unnecessary but after purchasing Too Faced Shadow Insurance, my views changed completely!

2. Epilating
Back in February, I purchased an epilator to use on my legs. Now I'm also using it on my underarms. For my legs, it's alright, but I am considering going back to shaving as I get too many ingrowns and it is time consuming. For my underarms, I am really glad I have made the switch as they are super smooth and the hairs grow back thinner and sparser. 

3. Switch to natural deodorants
After aluminium based deodorants started to irritate my skin, I switched to a natural deodorant by Fresca. I like that it's much better for your skin, but I find myself still reaching for aluminium based roll-ons before I go to work, as the Fresca one doesn't seem to last all day.

4. Using organic products
I've been using coconut oil (cold pressed, virgin, unrefined) on my hair for a few months now and the results are incredible. I feel like I should throw out my other hair products as I barely use them now. 
I've also started looking at some organic skincare products too.

5. Nail Art
I have jumped on the nail art bandwagon this year. Thanks to Tumblr, YouTube and Pinterest, I have found tons of inspiration for different nail art designs.

6. Illuminators/luminizers 
Again, I thought this product was unnecessary and I wasn't that interested. But after I saw some Face of Australia illuminators at Big W, I couldn't resist! When I first started using it, I wasn't that impressed, but now I am really happy with the extra glow it gives to my skin.

7. Contouring my face
Another one of those things where I didn't see the point - how wrong I was! As I've said before, I look very young and I find contouring makes me look mature. I'm yet to perfect the technique and still need to purchase more tools to get the look right, but I'm getting there :)

8. Lip plumping gloss
I never looked into plumping glosses, I thought they contained sparkles/shimmer to reflect light and make your lips look fuller...then I bought the MUA Out There Plumping Gloss...bit of a shock that was when I used it! These glosses contain ingredients which give a mild stinging effect to dilate your blood vessels and swell your lips up. I was a little alarmed when my lips started stinging! But it seems like a good product to use every now and again. 

9. Using a base coat and top coat for nails
I was such a nail art noob before this year. I never used a base or top coat, until I read an article on beautyheaven about how to make your nail polish last longer. I can safely say that these products have changed my life! I'm now a huge nail polish junkie and can't go without my Seche Vite.

10. Blending eyeshadow
Again, before this year, I would only ever use one colour of eyeshadow on my eyelids, but thanks to YouTube and some great tutorials, I've learnt how to create a vast array of stunning looks! 

Now tell me, what beauty discoveries have you made this year? You can probably see that I've learnt a LOT of things this year and I hope my beauty education continues into the new year :)