In February 2012, when Bewitchery was born, I decided to broaden my beauty horizons and try as many new products as possible throughout the year, without breaking the bank.  In my mission to discover new favourites I came across many products which were less than impressive, but luckily I also found a great deal of fantastic ones, a fair few of which I have used time and time again, and will continue to do so.  In this post I will give you a round-up of just a few of the best products I tried for the first time in 2012, linking to my review of each with a little extract of my post, just to give you an idea of why I love it!

1. e.l.f. Studio Cream Eyeliner

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“In terms of lasting power, this liner definitely has it.  I have been wearing it now since this morning and it still looks as bright as it did when it first went on, and the line is just as clean.  I’ve been rubbing my eyes a bit today too and it hasn’t smudged a bit – amazing!”

2. Models Own ‘Disco Mix’

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“The absolute best thing about this nail polish is the colour.  My favourite colours are purple, turquoise and pink, and ‘Disco Mix’ combines turquoise and pink glitter to create a polish which looks purple at a distance.  The glitter colours are SO bright and bold.”

3. MUA Professional Matte Foundation

O

“One of the things that drew me to this foundation was the fact that it is matte and claims to offer a long-lasting velvet finish.  I suffer from an oily T-zone (especially during the summer months) and I don’t like the shine that the oil creates, so I am always looking for ways to minimise the shine.  MUA’s Matte Foundation, as you would hope, does give a matte complexion, and it keeps most of the shine at bay.”

4. Hawaiian Tropic After Sun Body Butter

O

“The body butter itself is fantastically light and creamy and feels so luxurious on the skin.  It is absorbed very quickly too, leaving no messy residue.  The product contains coconut oil, shea butter and avocado oil to aid with moisturisation, but despite the oil content it isn’t at all greasy.  The oils make the butter ‘Intensively hydrating’, and combine to give ’12 hour moisturisation’, and believe me, the softness really does last that long.”

5. TanOrganic Sunless Tan

O

“Though the tan didn’t give my legs an intense colour, it did make them look nicely, naturally tanned and lightly brown, and I am very pleased with the results.  There are no orange blotches or dirty looking streaks in sight, and my skin tone looks very even and smooth.  The difference is only minor, but it is noticeable, and that is what I wanted so it has done its job well in my opinion.”

6. Montagne Jeunesse Moisturising Lip Balm

O

“Not one of Montagne Jeunesse’s lip balms contain petroleum jelly, so they aren’t greasy at all.  Rather, they are made from 100% natural beeswax and olive oil and are lightly creamy but intensely moisturising.  The beeswax forms a protective layer on the lips making them long-lasting, and the olive oil gives them a subtle shine.”

7. Models Own ‘Northern Lights’

O

“Northern Lights consists of a very fine dusky pink glitter, and is studded with delicate flakes of holographic glitter which shine purple, blue, orange, yellow and green in most lights.  Even in the bottle, the varnish is breathtaking, and I have never seen anything quite like it before.”

8. Nivea Express Hydration Primer

O

“The primer leaves a smooth, non-greasy base on the skin, and since I’ve been using this I have found that my foundation smooths onto my skin far more easily and evenly than usual, without going patchy on any dry bits.  The primer keeps my powder and blusher in place too, so on the whole my make up lasts a lot longer, which I think is down to the lack of greasiness.”

9. Bubbles & Butters Crazy for Chocolate Shower Bubbles

O

“The gel is very creamy and lathers into masses of moisturising bubbles quicker than any other shower gel I have ever used!  Because of its impressive lathering abilities, a little goes a long way with these bubbles, so a £2 coin size is enough for your whole body.”

10. Omni Massage Roller & Sports Oil

O

“The first time I used the roller I asked my mum to help me reach the tense areas on my back, and even though she used it over my clothing I was amazed that the roller was sensitive enough to pick out all the knots in my muscles.  We could both feel them ‘crunching’, which sounds horrible but it meant she knew which areas to focus on.  The shape and movement of the ball means that any focused pressure is distributed outwards slightly, so the knots can be worked out without any pain or discomfort.”

…and one that I LOVE and am going to review again because I didn’t write much last time…

Sally Hansen Moisturising Polish Remover

“Unlike most nail varnish removers, this Sally Hansen offering smells lovely, almost like a body lotion, and doesn’t sting your eyes or nose with harsh vapours.  It removes nail varnish quickly, with minimum effort, so you don’t need to sit for ages rubbing away to no avail!”

What were your favourite products of 2012?

Naomi x