Some of my favorite videos are the ones where the beauty gurus share their favorite products of the month and seeing as how it's the end of the year, I thought I'd start off by doing my favorite products of 2010. Next year I'll start doing my favorite products of the month. I'm going to do the categories of hair, skin, makeup, nails and miscellaneous.
HAIR:
I've tried a lot of different shampoos this year and wasn't really impressed with any of them so there will be no favorite shampoo product of 2010. For conditioner my favorite was the Macadamia Natural Oil Deep Repair Masque. I mix this with the Healing Oil Treatment once a week and it makes my hair so soft. It smells better and is less expensive than the Moroccan Oil but works the same way. After my shower, I wring out my hair and put about a half a pump of the oil treatment on the ends. It protects my hair from heat styling and makes it really shiny and smooth.
FACE:
My favorite Cleanser of the year is Cetaphil daily facial cleanser. This gentle cleanser was recommended to me by a dermatologist when I was a teenager suffering from terrible acne. I hadn't used it in a while because I get bored easily and like to experiment with other products but I always seem to go back to this cleanser. I recently bought it when I ran out of eye makeup remover and needed something gentle to remove my eye makeup. This is the best cleanser for removing everything. It cleanses without stripping your face of moisture and it leaves your skin so soft and smooth. It's also really easy to find because it's sold at all drug stores and grocery stores.
My favorite Toner of all time is the MAC Lightful Active Softening Lotion. I love the whole Lightful line but this is one product I repurchased again and again. It removes any traces of makeup while leaving your skin balanced and moisturized. After a few days of using this I'd noticed most of my acne had disappeared and after a few weeks I'd noticed that the scars were fading fast. I'm a believer that MAC actually does have great skincare that most people don't give a chance.
My favorite Serum of 2010 is a product from the MAC Lightful Collection again. It is the Charged Essence Serum. Used after the softening lotion and before your moisturizer it really helps other products sink into your skin. I noticed similar effects with this that I did with the Lightful Active Softening Lotion but I noticed that my skin felt smoother and looked brighter when I used this as part of my routine.
I tried a lot of moisturizers this year and have found that the La Roche-Posay Effaclar M Daily Mattifying Moisturizer was the best one for me. When you put it on, you immediately feel an almost cooling sensation. It then goes to work gently exfoliating your skin to improve the texture over time. After about 3 minutes I noticed less shine and smaller pores. It has a nice clean scent and an almost gel like consistency. It also makes a great base for powder foundation.
The Last product I'm going to mention for Skin is the Clarisonic. There's a lot of hype around this product and people wonder is it worth the money. I'm here to cast my vote with a screaming HELL YES. It does all the work for you. I have never had cleaner skin than when I use my Clarisonic. It really does a great job of getting that dirt way down in your pores and also exfoliates daily. I'm not sure if any one of these products has made a difference in my skin but it hasn't looked this good since I was 14. If you don't want to shell out almost $200 for the classic Clarisonic, get the Mia. It does the same job and it's $50 less. They usually come in cute limited edition colors like lavender and yellow as well as pink which Clarisonic says that they donate money to people with cancer.
MAKEUP:
My favorite primer of the year would have to be the MAC Prep + Prime Skin Brightening Serum. This product came out early in 2010 and was a staple in my makeup routine for a long time. It was similar to the lightful serum but I felt that it helped my makeup last longer. I believe it was also infused with the MAC charged water.
Favorite Foundation of the year goes to
Shiseido Sun Protection Liquid Foundation SPF 42. I've done a
blog post on this foundation already and I continue to be impressed by this product. I apply it with a Sigma F80 brush and then press it into my face around my nose and any places I get oily with a cosmetic sponge. This has helped with the pooling up around my mouth and when I use it with the MURAD Mattifier, I don't see any of the negative things I had to say about it in my previous post. It covers well, stays on my face for a long time, has a perfect color match and it doesn't oxidize.
The women on my mother's side of the family have a very similar facial structure. We all have high cheek bones. I seem to have this more than any of my sisters which means that I look great when I smile and there's lots of room for blush but I also have greater bags to cover under my eyes. Paired with dark circles, I often look like I'm exhausted. I find that a lot of under eye concealers crease on me due to my eye shape and so it's hard for me to work with this. Enter
Benefit Eye Bright. This light pink under eye brightener is creamy enough to be blended with a brush but light enough to resist creasing. I apply my foundation and then apply this to the areas that need a little more brightness under my eyes. It's a great product that can be used on the waterline that looks a little more natural than a white. I also use it as a brow bone highlight sometimes.
My other favorite concealer is
MAC's Select cover up. This was the very first concealer I ever purchased from MAC and it is still wonderful. Like I said, I have an issue with concealers creasing on me but not with this. I don't remember what it is but something makes this concealer set so it doesn't budge. You also get a lot more product with this concealer than any other concealer MAC sells.
For powder it is hands down the
MAC MSF Natural. So many people love this powder and it's no secret why. It comes in a variety of colors ranging from very light to very dark. When applied with a fluffy brush it does a great job of setting your makeup or you can use a more densely packed brush to get a more fuller coverage. I like to use this in the summer with MAC's select cover up under my eyes. I buff it into my skin with a kabuki brush and it just gives the most natural flawless coverage. I get compliments on my skin every time I wear this. People will say "oh you have beautiful skin" and I always reply with "no, I have great makeup".
My favorite bronzer is
Bare Minerals Warmth. It works on any skin tone and has actually lasted me years because of how pigmented it is. You use just a little bit and it's great for giving you a sun kissed glow. It's a matte blush so it's also good for contour.
Sadly my favorite highlight came out in a limited edition collection from MAC early this year. Thankfully, MAC seems to re promote their recent mineralize skin finishes a lot so chances are I'll be able to pick this up again if I run out soon. My pick for best highlight color of 2010 is
MAC MSF in By Candle Light. It is a light fleshy peach with frosty gold veining and looks beautiful as a highlight especially when applied with a light hand. I've heard that
Dior's Amber Diamond Shimmer powder is a good dupe for this but I've never tried it so I'm not sure.
For favorite blushes it's not so much a specific shade so much as it is a general color. My pick for favorite blush of 2010 is
MAC's Bite of an Apple Blush from their Disney Venomous Villains Collection. I went a little insane with this collection and bought almost everything but the must have on my list was this blush. I noticed in at least 5 collections this year there was a peachy or coral blush color and I missed out in every other collection this year. I think we all remember how quickly Ripe Peach Blush Ombre sold out with the Spring Color Forecast collection this year. So when I saw that there was going to be a beautiful coral blush with the Disney collection I jumped at the chance. The fact that it comes in adorable packaging just sealed the deal. I'm almost glad that I missed out on the other blushes because I may not have gotten to enjoy this one which is now as coveted as the RP Blush Ombre. I think this is such a great color because of how universal it is. It works on the palest of people to the darkest of people. It give a lit from within glow to the most mature of skin and compliments any makeup that is worn. My other pick for favorite blush goes hand in hand with Bite of an Apple and that is the
NYC Blushable Crème Stick in Plaza Pink. Again, a beautiful coral color but this time it's in a cream form. I like to warm this up on the back of my hand and then apply with a MAC 188 brush. This looks great under NARS Orgasm or any warm pinkie blush.
Again sticking with the Peachy theme, my favorite eyeshadow base is MAC Rubenesque paint pot. It's a great shimmery peach base that looks good on all skin tones under a lot of neutral eye shadows.
Now for favorite eye shadows. There's a lot to mention and they're mostly MAC.
- MAC Tan pigment - This shade looks beautiful with my green eyes. I like to pair it with MAC Tempting in the crease and MAC Gilt By Association Mineralize Eyeshadow on the outer V
- MAC Naked pigment - There is no better highlight. If I were allowed one eyeshadow for the rest of my life it would be this one. It's a fleshy beige color with subtle gold shimmer (although I find new colors in there every time). It makes a wonderful cheek highlight, gorgeous inner corner highlight, lovely all over the lid color. All around LOVE
- MAC Wood Winked - Great on its own or in the crease. I love Veluxe Pearl finishes because they're so beautifully shimmery and easy to blend.
- MAC Tempting - I usually dislike Luster eye shadows but this one has decent color pay off. I like it in the crease and on the lower lash line. Compliments light eyes well but also good on brown eyes.
- MAC Grand Entrance - Beautiful inner corner highlight. Love it all over the lid or used sparingly as a highlight.
- MAC Sketch - A favorite amongst most MUAs. This dark reddish burgundy looks great in the outer V or as an eyeliner.
- MAC Naked Lunch - Beautiful neutral pale pink with shimmer. This is a must for bridal makeup.
- MAC Blue Flame Mineralized Eyeshadow - Black with blue glitter. This eyeshadow is best applied wet with a small brush. Use all over for a smoky eye or over black eyeliner for a subtle splash of color.
- MAC Gilt by Association Mineralized Eyeshadow - A must for smoky brown eyes. I find that this works best when scraped off into a loose eyeshadow and applied with the MAC 226. It is more natural transition than black in the crease.
- MUFE #307 - Beautiful smoky black eyeshadow with silver glitter. Easily blendable and a new staple in my makeup collection
MAC pearl glide eyeliners - These are by far the best eyeliners that were released in any MAC collection this year. Many vibrant colors that are great for lining your eyes or can be smudged out and make a great base. These are the best eye liners for your waterline because once they set, they are waterproof and are not going to budge. Subtle shimmer and a wide variety of colors make these my favorite eye liners of the year.
Loreal carbon black liquid liner - another hyped up product and I have to say I agree. It's very black which is hard to find with liquid eyeliners. I also really like the easy to use spongy applicator which allows for the thinnest lines as well as the control to do a great winged eye liner.
MAC Teddy Eye Kohl - This is a beautiful bronze eye Kohl that looks great with green eyes. Dark enough to make your lashes appear thicker but still more natural than black.
MAC Smolder Eye Kohl - My love. My first MAC eyeliner ever purchased. This smudgy black eyeliner is just gorgeous. It can be applied with an angled brush or on its own. I like to set this with an eyeshadow to prevent smudging.
Lips:
BRUSHES:
These are my favorite brushes of the year. I used them almost every time I did makeup.
Face:
The Sigma F80 is the best brush for liquid foundation. I used the MAC 109 for a very long time but it kept shedding. Enter the F80. The synthetic hairs are the softest hair on a brush ever. It's densely packed and does a great job of buffing the foundation into your skin giving you a flawless airbrushed finish. It disperses the color just as well.
The MAC 165 is my favorite brush for highlighting. Its tapered ends are perfect for placing color down the bridge of your nose, Cupid's bow, cheek bones, and around my eyes.
The MAC 187 stippling brush is perfect for placing a heavily pigmented blush without making it look clown like. It can also be used for powder and cream products.
MAC 130 - I like to use this brush to apply powder under my eyes. I find that it's small enough to fit right under there and applies the right amount without looking cakey.
MAC 182 - This brush is great for applying powder foundation. I use this to buff my MSF Natural into my skin and also to blend out too harsh blushes.
Eyes:
- The MAC 217 brush is my all time favorite brush. It's great for placing color as well as blending. I use this for paint pots, crease colors, all over lid colors, applying brow bone highlights...everything. If I could have only one brush for the rest of my life it would be this one.
- I like the MAC 252 for packing on all over color. I have a large eye space and this saves a lot of time when I'm trying to place one color in a large area. I use this almost every day.
- Sometimes after placing a crease color I find that my lid color has faded to the background a little bit. I use the MAC 239 to reapply the lid color because it's small enough to fit right on my lid without disturbing the crease too much. It is also dense enough to pack on a lot of color.
- The MAC 224 is great for blending the line between my crease and my brow highlight. I like to use a color like Soft Brown with this because it's a nice transition and the 224 diffuses the color nicely.
- The MAC 226 is my favorite brush for doing outer V and more defined crease work. It's more tapered than the 224 and 217 so it's good for fitting in small areas.
- The MAC 219 pencil brush is my favorite for placing color on my lower lash line. I like to use this brush to smudge out eyeliner on the upper lash line as well.
- Last but certainly not least, I love MAC's 227 brush for the highlight area. This densely packed brush does a great job of applying color to my brow bone as well as bringing down my crease color if it's been blended up too high. This is also great for doing a wash of color all over the lid.
My favorite Mascara of the year has to be
Cover girl Lash blast. It really lifts my lashes and gives them amazing volume while separating them. I often get asked if my lashes are real when I'm wearing this mascara.
Category MISC:
Other honorable mention items that may not fit into the categories listed above are below.
- Nail Polish - Orly Galaxy Girl. This nail polish is a perfect dupe for MAC's Formidable that came out with the Disney collection. I love all the colors. When you turn it one way it's sort of blue/green and then look at it another way and it's a gorgeous purple.
- Bath and Body Works Winter - I love this smell. It smells like snow and fireplaces and pine...or...Winter. I went a little crazy with this scent. I bought the Wall Flowers, 6 of the 3 wick candles, and the room spray. YUMMMM.
- My Uggs. They're new to my life, an early Christmas present from the BF, but I have worn them every single day since he gave them to me. They're so comfortable, I put them on before I leave my bedroom and don't take them off until it's bed time. They've been a real life saver because I live in a drafty old row house with crappy heat.
- Crystal Light Green Tea Peach Mango. I've been trying to drink a lot more water but it's difficult when I have gross city water. I've tried other crystal lights but I can not get enough of this one. It's so yummy and refreshing.
- My sweet little pupper. Like my Uggs, he is fluffy, White and Tan, and oh so warm. The only difference is that he comes to bed with me and stays there all night. Currently, he's curled up right next to me, keeping me warm.
Well I think that'll do it for now. I spent all day working on this (in between actual work, of course) but I think it's time for me to get up to bed. Keep a look out for my favorites of the month.
