With 2012 quickly approaching, I wanted to take a look back at 2011 and share some of my favourite beauty products from the past year. As a complete makeup addict, this task was not easy. After all, it’s hard for a mother to pick her favourite child. In the end, I managed to come up with a good list of products, and couldn’t wait to share them with you.

1. Foundation: Laura Mercier – Oil Free Tinted Moisturizer
Lighter than most foundations out on the market, this oil-free tinted moisturizer has great coverage and feels amazing on the skin. Even for someone like me, who is very prone to acne, this tinted moisturizer has no problems covering my blemishes without making them dry and flaky.

2. Concealer: Bobbi Brown – Creamy Concealer
Bobbi Brown’s Creamy Concealer has been my concealer of choice for the past two years. This super creamy concealer blends nicely into the skin and, because it is yellow based, covers any red toned blemishes or spots.

3. Powder: MAC - Mineralized Skinfinish Natural
Unlike a lot of the translucent powders out on the market, MAC’s Mineralized Skinfinish Natural is a full coverage, yellow based powder. Similar to a powder foundation, this powder sets my liquid foundation and concealer, while giving my skin a more flawless appearance.

4. Blush: MAC – Mineralized Blush in ‘Gentle’
I am a blush fiend, so when it came to picking my favourite cheek colour for 2011, there were A LOT of great choices. In the end, I chose MAC’s Gentle, a gorgeous rosy toned pink that gives the cheeks a very natural looking flush. Unlike a lot of my other favourite blushes, which tend to only work for certain seasons, MAC’s ‘Gentle’ is the perfect ‘all year’ blush.

5. Bronzer: Bourjois – Delice de Poudre
Known as the ‘chocolate concealer’, this drugstore bronzer not only smells amazing, it gives the face a nice dose of bronze
colour without the ‘fake orange’ glow. This bronzer is completely matte, so those with larger pores or blemishes don’t have to worry about ‘shimmer or glitter’ drawing attention to their problem areas.

6. Highlighter: MAC – Shaping Powder in ‘Emphasize’
I bought this matte cream-toned powder with super fine white shimmer back in November, and have been using it every day since. This powder gives my skin a very natural glow, and because it is mainly matte, it doesn’t draw attention to any problem areas (as super glittery highlighters tend to do).

7. Eyeshadow: Urban Decay – Naked Palette
If I could only use one makeup product for the rest of my life, I would definitely choose Urban Decay’s Naked Palette. With twelve gorgeous, neutral shadows, this palette can be used to create a variety of day and night looks. All of the shadows in this palette are well pigmented and, because they are super creamy, blend nicely onto the lids. I love this palette!!

8. Mascara: Buxom – Buxom Lash Mascara
While I have tried several different mascaras over the past couple of years, I always find myself coming back to Buxom’s Buxom Lash Mascara. With a unique, thick and long plastic wand, this mascara gives light and sparse lashes tons of volume and a lot of length.

9. Lipstick: MAC – Lipstick in ‘Lustering’
Due to extremely dry and sensitive lips the past few months, lipstick has been out of the question. However, when I look back to the warmer days of summer, my absolute favourite lipstick was MAC’s ‘Lustering’, a super hot pink, glossy lipstick that adds a bold pop of colour to any makeup look. My favourite thing about this lipstick is that it works with a variety of skin tones meaning that almost anyone can pull it off.

10. Lipgloss: Clinique - Chubby Stick in ’Whole Lotta Honey’
While at first appearance, Clinique’s Chubby Sticks look more like a lip pencil than a lipgloss, when applied to the lips, these chunky, wind-up pencils give the lips a gorgeous sheen and a ton of moisture. Whole Lotta Honey is a light, nude brown that gives my lips a natural, fuller appearance.

xo Alicia

Not sure what to get that special ‘makeup loving’ someone on your Christmas list this year? Don’t worry! I am here to help. As a responsible beauty blogger (read makeup addict), I have tested A LOT of the products, and have taken the time to narrow down my top beauty picks for the holidays.

A girl can never have too many lipsticks, lip glosses, lip anythings, really. What you choose to wear on your lips can change the way you feel. Pink lips can give you that sexy & spicy feel; nude lips, a more demure and angelic look; bright red lips, a boost of confidence. Below are five of my favourite lip sets for the holidays, perfect for any of the special ladies on your list:

Lise Watier Collection 5 Mini Plumpissmo Le Gloss ($33 CND at Shoppers Drug Mart)
Containing five of Lise Watier’s famous, non-sticky glosses, this holiday set is the perfect gift for any gloss lover on your list. The five glosses (bronze, rose, opalescence, coral and nude) all contain a plumping agent which gives the lips a fuller and more lustrous look.

Stila Lip Glaze Set ($33 CND at Shoppers Drug Mart)
Containing eight of Stila’s high-shine, deliciously flavoured lip glazes, this set is a steal. This set, which contains four of Stila’s most popular shades and four brand new, limited edition colours, will wow even the most difficult to buy for individual on your list.

Smashbox Snap You’re Fab Lipgloss Set ($33 CND at Shoppers Drug Mart):
With six limited-edition shimmering lip glosses, this set is perfect for the most ‘fabulous’ diva on your list. This set contains two full sized glosses and four mini glosses (perfect for slipping in your purse). The glosses, ranging in colour from a bright red to a shimmering gold toned nude, are packed with finely milled glitter and give the lips a stunning and dazzling effect.

Buxom Mix and Mingle Lip Set ($49 CND at Sephora):
With four of Buxom’s Big & Healthy lip glosses and four of their Big & Healthy lipstick pencils, this is the most versatile set. Each gloss is matched with a co-ordinatingly coloured pencil, making it the perfect gift for the makeup novice on your list. All of Buxom’s lip products contain a plumping agent, which gives the lips a cool, minty tingle.

Tarte Lip Service Limited-Edition LipSurgence Collection ($38 CND at Sephora):
While I love all of the sets listed above, I have to admit that this limited-edition set, containing five of Tarte’s super glossy, extremely moisturizing lipstick pencils, is my favourite. This set, which contains five full sized pencils, is valued at $156 CND. With five gorgeous and unique colours (red, hot pink, nude, gold and coral) this set will be sure please the biggest makeup addict on your list.