Top Products of 2011

Happy New Year!  I am officially graduated from college and hope to resume a more regular blogging schedule with the new year (resolution 1).  The above photo was taken with the Instagram app in San Francisco on New Years Eve.  You can follow me on Instagram if you would like under the name Luvsong4mygloss.

Because I love best of lists, I present to you my top products of 2011.  My list will not have only products acquired in 2011 or released in 2011.  I will just let you know what I have been using the most this year.  I'm posing off of Dempeaux and doing 11 for 2011 (hope you don't mind). 

1. Chantecaille Future Skin
 I love this foundation.  I have loved it ever since I tried it.  I think I have gone through 4 pots of it.  It creates a really natural finish and really blurs imperfections.  It isn't the longest lasting but it doesn't break me out or irritate my sensitive skin. 

2. Chantecaille Lip Chic
These are ultramoisturizing, sheer, balm like lipsticks.  I aspire to own every color.  My favorite at the moment is still tea rose.  Its the best my lips but better shade.  This year I upped my drama ante with violetta.  

3. Giorgio Armani Eyes to Kill Shadows
These were a fairly recent discovery.  The powder/ cream hybrid shadows are easy to apply and high impact.  I added two from the holiday collection to my collection and haven't looked back.  If you don't have one yet, get thy self to Neimans, Saks, or select Nordstroms and pick one up now.  

4. CND Sticky Basecoat
I used this a while ago and then strayed.  I don't know why I did.  This stuff is amazing.  It really holds my polish on.  I apply it over my treatment product, currently Essie.

5. The Body Shop Shea Butter Body Butter
This is a recent discovery.  As you may or may not know, I have sensitive skin and psoriasis.  I have a tendency to break out in hives at certain products (oh hi korres).  I tried this and haven't looked back.  It is scented but not offensively so.

6. Chantecaille skincare 
I have finally (mostly) cleared my skin.  I use the rice and geranium cleanser, vital essence, flower harmonizing cream, detox mask and fruit and flower acids mask.  Its really gentle and smells great.

7. Kim's Beauty Detox
I tried this out thanks to Christa of Perilously Pale.  The glowing green smoothie has been integral in clearing my skin.  If you haven't heard of Kimberly Snyder, you should definitely check out her site.  

8. Giorgio Armani Blushing Fabric
This was a new acquisition for 2011.  Its a silicone texture, super easy to blend out and beautiful colors.  Give me more!! 

9. L'Occitane Hand Cream 
I have tried the original and lavender and loved both.  These are super moisturizing and don't leave my hands greasy.  I also love that it comes in a purse friendly size.

10. Wen Cleansing Conditioner 
I have to thank Jeanie from Makeup Merriment for this one (owe you one!).  Its a one step shampoo, conditioner AND leave in conditioner.  I found it helps my hair dry faster, lessens frizz and leaves it volumized and shiny.  

11. Le Metier de Beaute Lip Creme
Its like a liquid lipstick.  The colors are gorgeous.  It lasts longer than a regular gloss.  I need more!

And now, to change it up, here are the products I would like to try in 2012.

1. Guerlain Rouge Automatique- I've heard many good things about these, and I do love me some lipstick.

2. Something from Cle de Peau- Panties of The Black Panties has me dying to try an extra silky lipstick.

3. Kiehls Creme de Corps- Since I have moved back to a drier climate, I need to moisturize more often.  This sounds nice.

4. Fragrance- Near the end of 2011, I started to really get into fragrance.  I would love to explore more.  I have already added Diptyque Eau Duelle to my collection and hope to add more.

What were your favorites of 2011?  What do you hope to try in 2012? 

Estee Lauder 'Double Wear' Stay-in-Place ShadowCreme

Ah yes, another cream shadow.  This one is Estee Lauder's 'Double Wear' Stay-in-Place Shadowcream.  Its a shadow that comes in a clear pot with a gold screw on lid.  The texture is nice and smooth.  I can get good pigmentation with just one swipe. 

The color is a warm golden brown, almost bronzey.  It's highly shimmery but not too much for every day.  Cool toned girls beware, it is a very warm color.  I wouldn't recommend it for anyone who isn't warm toned. 

I find the wear time to be great.  I can get all day wear with no creasing, which is great since I usually get creasing right away with many of my cream shadows. 

Verdict:  At $17.50, I would definitely recommend picking at least one color up, maybe not this one unless you are quite warm.  I have my sights on mochachino.

Chantecaille Detox Clay Mask, Because I Like to Scare My Roommates

Earlier today I was sitting around, studying for finals, looking like this...

Sorry, I'm not sure I gave proper warning before that one.  That is my Chantecaille Detox Clay mask, and I love it.  I love it so much I am sharing how much I love it by posting a picture of myself looking utterly ridiculous for all the web to see.

The texture is whipped and mousse like.  Its a dream to apply and blend into an even layer.  The color is a bluish dark gray.  My boyfriend compared the color to a definitely blue piece of clothing, but he isn't the best at identifying color.

This mask is a detoxifying and purifying mask.  I find it helps to lessen the amount of breakouts I experience while also calming the redness I experience due to extremely sensitive skin.  It doesn't dry hard like most detoxifying masks, which is nice since that is the feature that usually irritates my skin.  It claims firming properties, but I am not really qualified to assess that.

Overall, I never want to be without this mask.  However, some might not agree as it retails for $78.  If you don't have sensitive skin, you might not need it.  If you do, you should definitely try it.

Disclaimer: Skincare is very personal.  What works for me might now work for you.  I just want to let you know my experiences. 

Giorgio Armani Blushing Fabric in 2 Creates the Perfect Flush

Hello all!  I'm back with a little review for you.  Today I bring you Giorgio Armani's blushing fabric in shade 2 (note to Mr. Armani, please give your makeup shade names...numbers are so hard to remember!).  It comes in a squeeze tube with a small opening which helps easily control the amount you dispense.

The texture is very silicony.  It is very easy to blend because of that and you only need a small amount to get the right amount of color.  For those with darker complexions, you can easily build this up.  The lasting power isn't the best, probably 4 hours.  However, you need such a small amount to get the right amount of color, you could apply this more than once per day and I bet the tube would still last quite a few months. 

The color, oh my goodness, is a gorgeous bright pink with no visible shimmer. 

Applied to my skin, it imparts the most gorgeous flush.  I get that really nice just in from the color color.  Not that I remember what cold is like, living in San Diego and all (HA). 

Just one more swatch so you can see it in cool light.  Amazing, right? 

These retails for $38 and all colors can be found at Nordstrom.com.  I purchased mine off of ebay.

Anastasia Beverly Hills Beauty Express for Brows and Eyes

Image from sephora.com

I love my brows.  They are decently full and usually don't require too much filling in.  Usually I just run some wax or brow gel through them to set them in place.  However, sometimes I want some more polish or drama.  That's when I reach for some brow powder.

A few months ago, I was offered the opportunity to review the Anastasia Beauty Express for Brows and Eyes kit.  As I am a lighter brunette, I chose the blonde kit.  It comes with 5 brow stencils, an eyebrow powder brush, a brow wax, 2 colors of brow powder and 2 eyeshadow colors.  The eyebrow colors are taupe and light brown.  They can be mixed or used separately depending on how much drama you want.  The eyeshadow colors are a shimmery cream used for highlighting the browbone and inner tear duct, and a matte pink color which can really brighten up and even out the lid. 

To be honest, I really didn't need 5 brow stencils.  A spoolie brush would have been more helpful, or maybe some tweezers.  Otherwise, I loved this kit.  The colors last really well in my brows, almost all day.  The eyeshadows are nice, but not the best in my collection.  Plus, I prefer cream eyeshadows.  I love the brow wax.  It holds my brows in place while keeping them looking natural.  They also don't feel stiff at all. 

This retails for $39.50 and can be found at Sephora.  I really like the kit and would highly recommend this for anyone who regularly fills in their brows.  Anastasia is known as the brow genius, and she did not disappoint here. 


*disclaimer: this product was provided without charge by a PR company. 

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Hopi

A little over a year ago, NARS released the Velvet Gloss lip pencils, which, in opposition to the Velvet Matte lip pencils, are more sheer and glossy.  I only recently purchased mine, in the shade Hopi.

These are very comfortable on the lips, cushy and moisturizing.  They are glossy but not to much.  They are not sticky at all, just more slippy, if you know what I mean.  I wouldn't consider them to be highly pigmented but they are not super sheer.  This is one of the lightest colors and it definitely shows up on my medium pigmented lips.

Hopi is a carmelly nude.  It has shimmer but is in no way glittery.  I love to wear it when I am sporting a darker eye, but this is definitely not a concealer lip.  It adds color, and a beautiful one at that.

Look at that gorgeous shine!  Wear time is average for a gloss.  I do find it leaves a bit of a stain behind, which is nice.  I honestly don't mind reapplying throughout the day, though, because it is so comfortable and easy to use.

Overall, I would highly recommend you try at least one of these out.  I wouldn't suggest Hopi for those cool toned ladies, who might prefer Frivolous or Club Mix.  At $24 they are a bit on the expensive side, but they aren't breaking the bank.   Baroque and New Lover are on my list of others to try.  You can find them from Sephora and other NARS retailers. 





*Disclaimer: This post contains an affiliate link.  I did purchase this product myself. 

Becca Beach Tint in Guava and Grapefruit

Hello all!  Sorry for my prolonged absence.  T-minus 1 month until I graduate!!  I hope to resume normal posting by January (cross your fingers).  To tide you over, I have a short post of swatches of the Guava and Grapefruit Beach Tints by Becca.

As you may or may not know, I have been enamored with the Beach Tints for quite some time with my favorite color being peach.  Guava and Grapefruit are two newer colors in the range and are a bit brighter but also more sheer.   I have to build both up a bit to get them to show up with a tan.  I would imagine these would be a dream for pale girls as they wouldn't require too much blending to just get a nice flush.

Both pictures feature Guava on the left and Grapefruit on the right.  As you can see, Guava is a very light pink color with a hint of peach.  Grapefruit is an orangey color with just enough pink to make it wearable for most skins.  Both are subtly fruity scented as are all Becca Beach Tints.

For a more in depth review, reference my review of Peach Beach Tint.  

These retail for $25 and can be found at Skincarerx and Becca's own website.



* This post contains an affiliate link.