LLPT's Best of 2012

Hello!!  As the new year approaches, lots of us blogger types are doing Best Of posts or polls.  Here's my offering.  I present to you Liesl Loves Pretty Things' favorites of the past year, in chronological (I think, lol) order.  Enjoy! ;)

Julep's Resort Collection and January Maven box

Julep's collection of shimmering pearls and foils amidst bright, saturated cremes was exciting, surprising, and sheer genius for the coldest and dreariest of months.  When the Maven boxes were announced it was hard to choose among the five.  I kept with my American Beauty box, and these are the two I received-- Anne, the ultraviolet creme, and Maria, the rose gold foil.  I'd later receive Maya as a gift from the lovely Candice at Mommy Does Her Nails... but more on that later.  

Rescue Beauty Lounge Fan Collection 

Cuprum

You don't have to be a scientist to appreciate the coolness behind this creation-- a blue inspired by the reaction that occurs when ammonia meets copper.  This polish is a true work of polish art.  The energy surrounding it is fantastic and though it is notoriously difficult to capture on camera, it is an absolute pleasure and beauty to wear and officially made me a ReBeL.

OPI NYC Ballet Collection

Yes, this one made my short list.  Shocker!  I've not felt it necessary to own a whole collection before or since this one.  The collection contains five absolutely gorgeous pale jellies, each with a distinctly different feel-- from the pristine milky white Don't Touch My Tutu (thumb, top left photo) to the macabre My Pointe Exactly (ring, top and bottom left)-- and one beautiful, subtle, and versatile glitter.  My favorites of my favorite are the ones that exude health-- the natural nude of Barre My Soul (top right) and the tantalizing peachy pink of You Callin' Me A Lyre? (bottom right).  They are completely forgiven their terrible names. 

Butter London Lippies

 Long-lasting, gorgeously pigmented lipglosses that match my favorite polish colors?  Um, yes, please!  I fell in love with the lips and tips idea when these first arrived on the scene this spring, and since then they've helped me become bolder in my makeup choices.  All I need's that clear lipliner to keep them from getting all over my face and I'll be in lippy heaven.


BB Creams

I told you all about L'Oreal's bb cream here sometime this summer and I thought it was the be-all, end all of skincare.  The Garnier is so far superior that I doubt I'll use the L'Oreal again.  Experiment and find what works best for you.  Both are light and moisturizing, provide adequate coverage, even skin tone, and don't look or feel anything like traditional foundation, or mineral makeup, of which I'd been a devotee for years.  These bb creams kind of stormed the scene here in the US and though the word is they're nothing like their Asian counterparts, I hope they're here to stay.


NARS Storm Bird

I've had a small obsession with grey in fashion for the past couple years, and as soon as the first swatches of NARS Storm Bird came out, I knew it must be mine.  The glossy, sophisticated shade of blue tinged dark grey didn't disappoint, and kickstarted my love affair with all things NARS.  More on that later.


The Many Iterations of Chanel Peridot

I mean, come on.
I know some of you are sick and tired of it, but every major polish company who didn't put out a Peridot dupe this year could have and I would have still salivated over each and every swatch.  I picked up China Glaze's dupe, Rare and Radiant; bonus points for being named for a line in The Raven.  Extra bonus points for being part of a collection containing excellent dupes of Deborah Lippmann's Mirrored Chromes.  Thanks, ChG, for keeping my wallet happy and my nails pretty! <3


Zoya FeiFei

Zoya's fall collections were outstanding in my book, all three of them, Diva, Designer, and Gloss.  FeiFei was the standout of the whole lot, though.  All the big gals fawned over this color when it came out, but the fact is, no photo compares to the gorgeousness in real life.  FeiFei became a fast favorite of mine because of its surprising versatility.  With its steely, cadet blue base and shimmers of every color under the sun, it's a neutral while being anything but. 


NARS Andy Warhol Collection

My general knowledge of Andy Warhol doesn't extend too far beyond the soup can painting, the 15 minutes of fame thing, and Jim Morrison and Nico's affair.  Maybe that's part of the reason why I found NARS' holiday Andy Warhol collection so fascinating, because I know virtually nothing about the artist.  The more I saw and the more I read, though, the more I realize the brilliance of the inspiration.  I went conservative with my makeup choices and stuck with the Sephora exclusive Walk On the Wild Side gift set, which includes the inky violet-black polish called It.  In addition, I picked up the most gorgeously saturated, true to NARS form glossy dark teal, Superstar.


...and finally,
You Kids <3

I tried to figure out a way to cut and paste the GFC widget here so that could be my final picture, but either I'm not tech savvy enough or it violates some sort of law, lolol.  Either is very possible. ;)  But the point is, you ALL make this so darn much fun, you truly are the best of the best :)  I love that you take the time to read what I have to say and I absolutely love your comments and our interactions, the relationships I've made, how supportive and honest and real you guys are.  

So, there you have it!  You probably know that I'm one of those who strictly prohibits links in comments, but if you've got a blog and are doing a Best Of post, gimme the link and I'll go check it out.  And, as always, comments on how much you agree with my choices, or how completely and utterly off base you think I am, are most welcome.

Either way... thanks for reading. <3

Editing to add honorable mentions to a couple products.  First is NARS Lhasa eyeshadow, which has easily become my go-to shadow for casual and dressup.  I forgot it was a 2012 release, and besides, if I added it in now, this post might start to look like a NARS shill.
Second is Duri Rejuvacote, the best basecoat in the world which IS amazing and has restored my confidence in my natural nails again.  Not a 2012 release, but it is the year I discovered it. ;)