Best Buys of 2012

I thought I'd do my own little "best of" feature to highlight a few of the best things I've bought in 2012.  I invested in a few quality items this year, but have also discovered a few new inexpensive favorites this past year as well.   

Best Beauty Buy

This award goes to two items I bought separately, but use together.  The first is my Clarisonic Mia 2.  I've had it about a month now and really like it. My skin tends to freak out when the seasons change and when it's that time of the month and while I feel like this hasn't eliminated my skin issues, it's definitely helped speed up the recovery process after a breakout.  I also recently started using Philosophy Purity Made Simple cleaner with the Clarisonic.  (The cleanser was on special for $10 on Black Friday and I'd liked the samples I'd tried.)  I'd seen a lot of things saying that these two products are a great team and I definitely agree!  

Image via sephora.com

Best Pants Buy

AE's straight jeans have been a fave of mine for a few years and I recently added a lighter wash version to my jeans collection.  It's an online only style, but is definitely worth checking out if you're looking for a slimmer cut jean that's not a skinny. (They're also perfect to roll up and wear cropped during the warmer months!)

Best J.Crew Knockoff

My colorblock striped tee from JCP is probably my favorite J.Crew knockoff.  I tried on the "real" version last winter, but didn't like the fit or the $45 (or whatever) pricetag.  I don't go into JCP often, but I spotted this one recently and loved it!  The fit is better on me and the neon at the top is super fun!

Best Beauty Buy(s)

I feel like I've gone a little makeup crazy.  Just blame the blogs, You Tube videos, and Pinterest...  I'm going to break this down into a few categories where I discovered some real stand-out items.

Best Beauty Buys of 2012 by conolley featuring revlon makeup

Foundation - Revlon ColorStay for normal to oily skin.

Powder - Rimmel Stay Matte 

Blush - Ulta brand

Eye shadow - Urban Decay Naked 2 palette

Primer - Benefit POREfessional

Lip Product - Revlon Lip Butters

Best Nail Polish - Flip Flop Fantasy by China Glaze

(All are available at Ulta...  UD and Benefit can also be found at Sephora.)

Best App Purchase

Although my ESPN Fantasy Football gets a lot of use on the weekends, Instagram is by far my favorite ap download of the year.  I've had an iPod Touch (pre-camera) for a few years, but just got an Android smartphone at the end of last year, so I was a little late to jump on that bandwagon.  I love seeing and sharing photos with friends on there and having another way to connect with some of my favorite bloggers!

Best Home Purchase

I'm still in love with my Vanessa Floral bedding (no longer online) that I purchased at Pottery Barn before my move this summer.  It's more neutral than I typically go, but it's a welcome change!  Pottery Barn pretty much can do no wrong when it comes to bedding!

Source: potterybarn.com via Conolley on Pinterest

Best Accessory Purchase

I'm going to go with a very recent one...  This was actually a Christmas gift (to myself with my Christmas bonus) and I'm super happy with my Coach tote!  (It's online as the "Coach Poppy Metallic Signature Sateen Glam Tote.")  I wanted an all-black fabric purse and have liked this style of tote for quite a while.  I think it will be really good for traveling, but is also a nice everyday purse and a good investment for me.

Source: coach.com via Conolley on Pinterest

Well, there you go... My best purchases of 2012!  I really didn't have many items I regretted buying this year...  Just some things I liked more than others.  I've started using Pinterest, blogs, and You Tube as a source for getting recommendations before buying products.  I think this has really helped me find some great items and not waste as much money on things that aren't so great.  There really isn't much that I buy without looking for photos or reviews online first.

What were your favorite purchases of 2012?  

Do you have any recommendations for things I should pick up in 2013?

I Don't Do Resolutions.

I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm not a big new year's resolution kinda gal...  For some reason that whole concept has kinda bugged me.  I hate when people list off resolutions like "I'm going to lose 75 pounds by spring break" or "I'm giving up all shopping forever."

Source: fffriends.tumblr.com via Kortnie on Pinterest

Rather than come up with a list of resolutions, I try to set a few goals to help me get the new year started.  I usually set goals a few times throughout the year such as in January, at the beginning of summer vacation, and at the beginning of the school year.  For me, those are kind of my fresh start making points of the year and good times for me to set and revisit some goals.  Goals are something gradual that we work towards and that help to build better habits.

Here are 5 goals that I've set as I begin the new year...  They're a little random and all things I've worked on in the past, but just some goals that I want continue to work on and focus on.

• Cut back on pop drinking.  I'll do really well with this for a while and then fall victim to my love for Diet Mountain Dew and Pepsi.  I'm going to try to cut it back to once a day (if any) and focus on drinking more water again.
• Complete at least 100 miles for the mileage club this quarter.  Working part-time and doing after school tutoring has really taken away from my workouts.  I haven't worried too much about it because I've still maintained my teensy bit of weight loss.  I love working out, though, and have a lot more energy when I do it regularly, so I hope to use this as incentive to beat my 95 miles from last quarter.
• Blog on a regular basis.  I've shared my struggle with blogging and how I feel like my blog has kind of an identity crisis.  I want to come up with some sort of schedule for blogging that will give me a little more focus on what I write about.  Don't necessarily look for this anytime immediately...  Remember, this is a goal and a work in progress.
• Cut out fast food.  Again.  About 2 1/2 years ago I cut out fast food completely in a last minute desperate attempt to lose a few extra pounds before I was in a friend's wedding.  I realized how much better I felt and how even after the wedding it helped me keep off about 5 pounds.  I'd been really good about avoiding fast food until the past few months when life started getting pretty busy again.  I've actually been making halfway decent choices when I do eat it (I try to avoid burgers and really greasy things), but I'm going to try to cut it out altogether again.  My exceptions to this are sandwich places like Jimmy John's (my obsession) and Subway, so if I'm truly on the run and need food I still have a few options.
• Stick to a (possibly tighter) budget for clothes and makeup.  I feel like I've made some pretty good improvements in this area in the last year or so, but there's always room for more improvement.  I'm a lot less impulsive with purchases and definitely put a lot more thought into the majority of my purchases   My temporary shopping bans on certain items have been a good start for me because I'm totally not one of those people that can just cut off shopping altogether.  

These aren't necessarily all of my goals, but probably the most relevant and more measurable.  

What are your goals for the new year?