2012 - Me, The Trends & I. A Reflection.

Happy 2013 lovers!

Hope you all are dying of wicked hangovers and partied like rock stars. I was tucked up in bed not long after the chimes rang a new year in. Hardcore!

2012 was a huge year for me lots of changes to hair, skin, a baby, new city, some mini-marathons, heaps of travel and work training and a new job role.

Of course there was all the fashion and beauty trends that shaped some buying choices, looks and outfits and looking back I sure did follow suit like a slave to some of 2012's big trends.

1. The Colour of the Year
Move over Tangerine Tango there is a new Emerald kid in town. Nah not really  I'm still obsessed with all things orange from peach to mango, coral to tango. It was all over me like a bad rash last year.

• Blushing like an overripe tangello in the form of Benefit Cha Cha Tint , Arbonne Blush in Apricot and Bobbi Brown Calypso Coral . 
• Tango talons like the beautiful deep but bright OPI On Collins Ave or citrusy & punchy like Essie's Meet Me At Sunset. 
• Liquid tangerine lips that were super affordable Maybelline's Mango Diamonds or Australis's Hula & Revlon's Super Lustre in Coral Reef. 

While I don't think Emerald will get the same look in on my face in 13 (apart from some of that lower liner I love or a moody, earthy green on nails) Tango Tangerine will be here to stay a wee while longer on me fo shizzle. It may be so 2012 but I don't give a rat's kahunas.

2 Bold ass brows 

Move over Brooke Shields there is a newly crowned brow queen in town. Raise a dense but perfectly arched brow for us please Ms Cara Delvingne!! Sister has seriously bold but beautiful brows. I followed suit in late 2011 and got to work on growing out my abused sperm brows and ate some humble-brow pie. 

Moving to Hobart in Feb 12 was the best thing to happen to my brows. No Benefit Brow Bar in sight nor a relationship with a beautician I trusted. I went all mammoth-brow and just let them grow and grow and grow.It really helped to fill out my arches (some work still needed but not a flagelling sperm insight!). 

I have since found my trusted  bikini waxer who had great Brooke Shields type brows so naturally I entrusted my own to her. She really just does the bare minimum trim and a brown with a smidge of black tint (staining the skin also under the sparse area on my arch for added oomph). Brow tinting is essential in my opinion for getting fullness and clarity of shape. Love her work. Special mention to Rimmel's Professional Eyebrow Pencil in Hazel - a slightly auburn tinted pencil, great for matching to the warm tones in my hair.

This ain't a trend for me no more this is a life-choice! Big brows are here to stay. Step away from the tweezers Wakely.

3.Dip-dyed ends

Ombre was the buzz word of 2012. While I think it still works in subtlety on nails and in tonal balayage on brunette/blondes, dip dyed coloured ends was definitely a room divider, a love or loathe trend. I was on the fence. Not something I would like to have everyday. Kevin Murphy's Colour Bug provided the fix (also scratched a Tangerine itch while he was at it) and I sported dip-dyed ends for Paddy's Day. This one has faded faster than that dye down the drain and belongs in 2012 me thinks. 

4.Nail Art & Gel Nails

Yup nails really imploded over everything this year. Nail art was suddenly not so Ricki Lake anymore and a whole lot more catwalk. Celebs embraced it, nail bloggers shone and heck I even created a Pinterest board dedicated to it. While I'm fairly useless at the whole game due to severe lack of patience a bit of spandangling was easy to master and some spotty or effervescent nail decals were fun. It's getting a little jaded as we enter 2013 but while I think some of the more understated, geometric style nail art will still work, the caricature, kitsch stuff may be out (stormtroopers excluded). Don't hate or sue me.

As for coloured gel nails. Well they just skyrocketed in 2012. I totally get it- its what we waited for all those chipped, flaky, peeling years. I'm just a fairweather dabbler though- all too chemical and tricky to remove for my liking. But boy did I get good wear out of OPI's gel offering. This one won't go anywhere fast. I shall dabble once more for holidays perhaps.

The lack of nail presence on ze bloggy woggy is on my nail detox in a bid to keep chemicals away from more poor weeshie baba's teeny lungs. I do look forward to getting my nail groove back on in 2013 though. What will I wear for my grand comeback...?

5. BB Creams

Well they sort of went viral in 2012 hey?BB Gangnam style. Every brand has their own version now and all this popularity seems to have bastardized the whole BB concept in my humble opinion. Don't get me wrong I still slap on my Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector when looking for something light, fresh and fast to get me out the door but I won't dig it every day. 

My irk with these BBs is their abuse of silicone and syntho-crap. For a product marketed as make-up that is healthy for skin and promotes skin health I don't get it. Whats the difference between a siliconed to the max BB and a foundation? I'm not sure anymore.

2013 will see the CC cream have its turn - more skin benefits and colour matching properties promised but I'm not convinced yet.

I'll be back on the bandwagon, C or B or otherwise when I can find this; a mineral based tint, with mineral SPF, lashings of beneficial natural skin goodie ingredients and no slippy, slimy silicone which will break me out if worn everyday. If this is out there please let me know and I will happily sing BB forever, BB is King, BB for President, this year's Nobel Peace prize goes to the BB for all who will listen. 

NM cream (ie Natural Mineral Cream) please step up, soon. Rant over.

6. La Lob

The perfect hair do- the long bob. Tousled like Alexa, blunt and straight like Lara, asymmetric like Gwynnie or curled like Miley (why Miley, why the pixie- you were looking so well...) I am all over the lob. Its perfect for my fine wavy hair. This cut helps to promote good wave with a little help from Toni & Guy and thanks to a few dense layers and blunt ends, thicken the appearance of my peuny strands. I'm still trying to achieve the perfect cut. I've got it right in parts but not perfected it yet. the balance of too many vs too little layers is delicate.

The lob is here to stay a while longer but I feel is veering towards the bob more... watch me follow, snip, snip.(As long as I can still work the sock bun - I'm down with it)

What will 2013 have in store? Looking forward to reflecting again this time next year when I'm a Mama but heaven forbid Mumsy!!

So in summary it has truly been bitchin' 2012. and I suddenly miss you as 2013 the wagon socked me with a cold this morning. Great start 13! You  really know how to treat a gal on your first date. Bastard.

Not my usual New Year's Day cure .....

My blog goals for 2013? Well I'll not set anything in stone as I'm flakier than a sausage roll with these things but ...

• I feel a facelift coming on...
• I can hopefully blog more frequently when at home with bubsy, be nice to get back to great photos again too when at home (blind optimisim?)
• I'd love to see more of my work being published - Primped shall continue hopefully and there may be some other guest posts up my sleeve...
• A slightly green focus where possible
• Hopefully some more wicked beauty finds
• ??? your suggestions are always welcome 

So what trends did you slave to in 2012?

What do you reckon will be big in 2013?

Are you hungover like hell today- go on, make me jeal...

Whats your biggest 2012 achievement?

What would you like to see, here, in 13? More potty mouth, everyone wants more potty mouth right?

Thanks for listening in 2012 - it's been emotional xx

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