Love and Toast Handcream is a Little Tube of Heaven

I usually try to post a review of everything new I try out on this blog. Reading product review, of both old and new things, is probably my favorite type of post, so I try and return the favor by posting my own. Sometimes though, I’ll realize that I have been happily working through a product without having posted a word about it on my blog. Case in point? My Love & Toast Handcream ($9).

Love & Toast are a relatively small lotions and perfume company that aims to do good as well as make you smell good. A portion of proceeds from each purchase goes to the Regional Affiliates of Girls Inc. They make perfume, hand cream, and lip balm. They are sold from a variety of retailers including Amazon and Urban Outfitters. I picked up my hand cream at a spa. (Haven in SoHo, for you NYCers).

I picked up the Sugar Grapefruit version. The other scents available are Pomme Poivre (Apple Pear), Honey Coconut, Gin Blossom, Mandarin Tea, and Paper Flower. Sugar Grapefruit comes in a gorgeous bright pink tube with pretty illustrations, so it will look cute wherever you keep it. It’s a lovely, reasonably rich cream that sinks in very quickly. It’s not a super rich cream, so those of you who have very, very dry hands may wish to keep that in mind. Love and Toast’s real selling point comes from its use of fragrance. I wish my blog had some sort of scent-o-vision, because I just cannot get over how good this cream smells. It has a beautiful, sweet but not cloying, crisp, fresh citrus smell that instantly wakes you up. Plus, the scent hangs around for about an hour after you’ve put it on.

For the sheer gorgeousness of the scent I more than highly recommend Love and Toast’s handcreams. I urge you to track them down immediately and start getting that amazing burst of energy that comes from smelling something really good. Plus, you can feel good about yourself as well as some of the proceeds go to charity. Fantastic.

Kiehls Milk, Honey and Almond Scrub Smooths Your Rough Edges

As you may be aware, I've been making some changes to my skin routine. The first major change was my purchase of the Clarisonic Mia. (For my review, click here.). For the last month or so, I haven't used any other masks or scrubs. The other day I decided to give my skin a more in depth scrub just to rid it of any buildup I've had. I’ve usually loved most thing from Kiehls, and I had picked up their Milk, Honey, and Almond Scrub back in December during their Friends & Family sale, so I knew it was about time I tried it out.

 

The scrub comes in a tub, which is not the most conducive to shower scrubbing. I don’t know about you, but I do all my face scrubbing in the shower, so this is important to me, and something I wish all manufacturers would take a note of. It smells really yummy – like delicious sweet almond honey goodness. There are grains of almonds all the through the medium thickness paste. I massaged this all over my face using gentle, upward circular movements, and then rinsed off after a couple of minutes. I was very pleased with the smoothness of my skin afterwards, and it was a little drier than if I had just cleansed it, but nothing serious. The extra smoothness lasted about a day or so before returning to my normal texture. 

I found this to be an gentle, effective scrub. It's not a micro-dermal exfoliator, and uses no AHA acids, so in that sense, it is simple, and gentle on your skin. I like it for giving my skin an extra polish and smoothness when I feel it is getting clogged up, without being too rough or intense. The tub is a generous 6oz for $20.50, and I honestly think that that's going to last me a while.

Drugstore Dupe Alert! Aveeno Skin Brightening Daily Scrub

Back in November, I blogged about the amazingness that is the Philosophy Miracle Worker Kit. That kit really kicked my skin's ass, and put it in really smooth good shape. However, with the ever experimenting nature of a beauty blogger, I naturally had to go and see if there were alternatives to the awesome products I had been introduced to.

One of the products that came with the kit was the Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash. Standalone, it costs $25/8oz, so I consider it to be a bit of a pricey daily scrub. It promises to provide immediate resurfacing benefits, and acts as a cleansing mini-peel but it still gentle enough for daily use. It has a grainy texture, as you would expect. I used it on a daily basis until it was all used up (about 3 months), and I really loved the smoothness that it gave me, along with absolutely no irritation. My skin would feel drier than after having used a regular cleanser when I came out of the shower, but nothing that some moisturizer didn't fix. In all, I really, really liked it.

As I said, liking a product for me does not guarantee loyalty. Sorry, Philosophy.

I love both high-end and drugstore products, but had never tried Aveeno. I had heard great things about their Skin Brightening Daily Scrub ($7.49/5oz), so thought it would be worth trying out for a comparison. The Aveeno scrub has micro-exfoliating beads which do feel larger than the Philosophy scrub, and therefore less gentle from a scrub perspective, but not to the point that I would be concerned using it on a daily basis. Where Aveeno's main strength I feel comes from the scrubbing particles, the Philosophy scrub also seems to have some resurfacing coming from the actual cleanser (I checked - citric acid is waay down there as an ingredient).

The end result from these two daily scrubs was the same - smooth, clean, clear skin. The Philosophy one did feel like it was working just a touch harder, but $18 harder? No way. If you are looking to introduce a daily scrub into your skincare regime, I would highly recommend Aveeno's Skin Brightening Daily Scrub as a gentle, skin smoothing product with a price tag that doesn't hurt either.

Clinique City Block Saves My Face

The last couple of hot days here in New York have given me the opportunity to test out Clinique’s Super City Sheer SPF 40 Sunblock ($17.50 / 1.4oz). It is an oil-free tinted sunblock that blocks both UVA and B rays, which means it both stops sunburn and reduces sun damage. The tint is sheer and light, so this product would be suitable for any light to mid-toned girls, but may show up as ashy or ghostly on darker girls. The tint faded, and the tell-tale white tone of SPF came through, although this too blended fairly easily into my skin. The tint was also so sheer that it didn’t really provide me with any discernable coverage, and I definitely  require a touch more base to even out my skin tone. This made my skin feel quite greasy, but I have not yet come across an SPF product that does not have this issue. Instead, I have been applying City Sheer at least 10-15 minutes before your regular base to give your skin time to soak it in. When I wore nothing else, it did sink in nicely and didn’t leave me looking shiny, and the same when I left some time between applying products.  It was also fairly hardwearing – I put it on, went for a bike ride, lay in the sun, and biked home again in 90 on Saturday afternoon, so naturally there was a bit of sweat, but it didn’t wear off or leave me burnt at all. I was certainly pleased with the level of protection I felt. I’ve worn it for about 4 days straight, and haven’t had any issues with breakout out or any other skin issues, so that is a major plus as well. 

 Blob on the left, blended out on the right

I cannot say that I’m super thrilled about this product, or think that it’s amazing. I love the high level of protection and the hard wearing nature, but it doesn’t solve the greasy feeling or poor photos that is associated with SPF protection. I’ll definitely keep using it throughout the summer, but doubt I’ll actually purchase again. Have you come across a really good facial suncream? Or regular suncream? I’d really like to know.

New Skin Time: My Experiences With the Clarisonic

This is the longest I've gone without posting in long time! I've been really missing my little blog as well, but work and social life has been taking over. I had to work until midnight on Tuesday, and then my mum has been staying with me since then. This afternoon is the first chance I've had to catch up, and I've been taking the time to play around with some things, take some photos, and write out a couple of posts.

There are two major things for me to really talk about today. The first is that about 3 weeks ago I purchased a Clarisonic Mia. It was a big investment, but I did manage to find a couple of discount coupons online which brought the price down to $110. Not cheap, but not full price either. As you can imagine, I was really excited about this purchase. Clarisonics receive a lot of coverage in the blogosphere, and at that price tag, you really want to know if something is worth purchasing.

To give you some background, my skin is going through some weird, growing up stages. I'm 28 (there! I said it!), and my skin varies from being dry and rough, to a little bit oily. I rarely get full breakouts, but I'll get the odd white spot about once a month or so. Not PMT related - more likely to be when I'm tired or stressed (okay, if I've been partying a little hard then it shows!). I have enlarged pores on my nose and cheeks, and wrinkles on my forehead (since I was about 15 - it's because of my hooded eyelids more than anything else!). Oh, and some white bumps around my eyes. So that is basically all of my skin complaints in a paragraph. How does the Clarisonic live up to these challenges?

The Clarisonic brush works on the basis on using an extremely fast vibrating brush on the skin. The brush moves so fast it works on the same basis as sonic tooth brushes, literally vibrating the dirt out of the skin, resulting in smoother, more even skin and fewer breakouts. I use the brush about 3 times a week. There is some debate as to how often one is to use the brush - Clarisonic claims that their brush is gentle enough to use twice a day, whereas there are some dermatologists who believe that people should use the brush just 3 times  a week.

On my skin, the brush felt a little rough during the allotted minute, and it felt uncomfortable when using on my nose. The Mia cuts out after 1 minute, but the full sized model actually beeps when you are supposed to move onto a different part of your face. Once I had finished using it, my skin was noticeably smoother and looked better. After consistent use over the last 3 weeks, I have been able to switch from using foundation to tinted moisturizer, and my skin looks more even, smooth, and less prone to breakouts. More interesting for me is the study that skin that has been cleaned with a Clarisonc brush is absorbs 60% more active products. That is, all the good stuff in your moisturizer is more likely to make it into your skin if you apply it after you've used the Clarisonic. I have been using it at night followed by Origins Mimosa Cream, and my skin is smooth and moisturized.

I really love this product, but is it worth the high price tag? For me, it is, mainly because it was actually $110, and it has actually worked consistently with my skin. It is simple to use, and takes very little time (shower safe!), and for those reasons, I think it's a great investment. Because I'm using this, I'm no longer using any other scrubs (though I have a review in the pipeline of one I was using that I just need to type up!) or even any other masks right now, so that's a saving right there.

Sephora and Clarisonic have very generous return policies so I would highly recommend trying out this brush and seeing if it is for you. I am not going to say it changed my life, but it has definitely changed my approach to skincare and my reliance on foundation!

Origins Starting Over Has Not Even Started Once

 

A couple of weeks ago, I decided I would randomly expand my brand horizons, and I dropped into the Origins store (this is right next to the MAC store, 4 blocks from Sephora, and an Aveda is across the street – did I ever say that I live in retail heaven!?!). I’d been thinking for the last couple of weeks that I would change up what I use at nights, after reading so much about how important sleep is for skin and the body in general, as this is the time that the body goes into recover and restore mode. I had been using the same moisturizer for both day and night (Philosophy Hope in a Jar – no complaints at all), but thought that given I’m the grand old age of 28. I really need to kick the aging prevention into action.

Origins have just launched a new age correcting moisturizer called Starting Over ($45 / 1.7oz). According to the blurb and the sales assistant, it actually promises to boost collagen production and thus get to work on my evil forehead lines. It uses Mimosa, Argan leaf and Green algae  to rebuild collagen, repair visible lines and improve skin texture and tone. My first impression of the cream was that it smelled divine – like a sweet ginger cocktail. This definitely influenced my purchasing decision. My puppy loves the smell too – every time I put it on he goes crazy trying to lick it of my face like I’m a giant human ice cream cone. Rest assured, people, that in the interests of controlled testing, I turn those Moose kisses down. It is a very rich and thick cream. The box says that the tub is a 3mth supply in a tub, but there is no way I’m making my way through that in the next 3 months – maybe 6. A very small amount goes a long way for me.

As a bit of background, my skin type is the typical troublesome late 20s type – a little bit oily, but starting to show aging signs. Definite pores, the odd red bump, rarely full on blemishes. It can get a little dry at times, and I definitely wish it was smoother. Origins promises that my skin will be softer, smoother, and literally roll back time.

I’m out of the holding back time claim to be honest. I’ve only been using it for 4 weeks, and I haven’t seen any evidence of getting younger yet. It take a while to sink into my skin (10 minutes maybe?), so I do think it works better as a night cream. As I mentioned before, it smells absolutely divine, so there is an immediate feel good pleasure to putting this on. I have to admit I have not seen any real benefits from using this cream for the last few weeks. I do think that maybe it is too rich for my skin, and someone with drier skin would really see some benefits from it. However, for me it feels very rich, but I’m not feeling any smoother, and I’ve had a couple more blemishes since I started using. I did just check on the Origins website, and they do have an oil-free version of this moisturizer which I would be interested in trying, because the idea of the collagen production and age prevention qualities sounds amazing. However, if you have slightly oily skin like I do, I do not think you’re going to get as much out of this moisturizer as it promises.

Korres Cleansing Wipes Are A Sweet Sweet End To The Day

I scored the Limited Edition Korres Prep, Prime, Perfect kit ($39.50) from Sephora the other day. If you see one in your local store, I would highly recommend snagging one, as it is showing as out of stock online. I've been intrigued by Korres for a couple of years, but for some reason, never actually got around to trying their products. I know that they are Greek, and are homeopathic based products. Although they are not organic, they are natural enough that Whole Foods  sells them in their body shops. There are no parabens, mineral oils, or propylene glycol. So, the bottom line is that they are on the more "natural" side of the scale. I need to think of a better word than that, and I would also like to point out that natural does not necessarily mean good, but that's a debate for another time.

The kit has Wild Rose Cream, which Korres are famous fore, Wild Rose Serum, Pomegranate Wipes, a Primer, Foundation, Mascara, and Lip Butter.

So far, I have only tried out the wipes. I have never actually used facial wipes before, because I thought that the whole wipe concept was firstly expensive, and secondly wasteful. My parents have always been big into the concept of waste, and therefore I've never really been allowed "disposal" products. We didn't drink bottled water, but had refillable bottles everywhere; we always bought our fruit and veg from the loose produce section, that kind of thing. Therefore something that I used and threw away every day was always an alien concept to me. But that's not to say that I'm not a lazy so-and-so, and there have definitely been times when I have been too tired and lazy to take off my make up last thing at night. Oh no, I can hear the sharp intake of breathes across the nation as person writing about beauty commits cardinal sin. No one's perfect, okay?!

When I opened these, I was greeted with the most delicious, fresh, sweet scent of pomegranate. It was really amazing and fabulous. Pomegranate is rich in anti-oxidants, tightens pores, and tones and refreshes skin, or says the back of the packet. I definitely felt all of the above. They did feel gorgeous and fresh and my skin felt clean afterwards. I could see plenty of make up residue that they had lifted off (definitely a benefit of wipes which I like!) I used them at night though, and the next morning some more mascara had smudged under my eyes, so I don't think that they are the best at removing all make-up, and would definitely struggle with waterproof mascara.

25 wipes retails for $12, which I think is rather pricey, even with that gorgeous yummy scent and the gorgeous clean feeling afterwards. I don't know if I'd buy these again, unless I felt like a yummy treat last thing at night. Is there really such a thing as special occasion cleanser?

Get the Base Right and the Rest Will Follow: Skin Primer Round Up

Can I look like this please?

I've mentioned before, and I'm going to say it again: I swear that what women want more than anything else in the world is their skin to look amazing. Young, fresh, smooth, radiant. We have tools to do that: cleansers, masks, and moisturizers before the makeup, and foundation, concealer and powder to improve on what Mother Nature gave us. One step that often gets skipped is primer. Primer goes on before foundation, and really provides a layer between your skin and the makeup. Why do you want that? Well, good primers make your foundation last longer, and more importantly to me, make you look better. I want a primer that smoothes the surface of your skin, evens out skin tone, and reduces the look of pores. Basically, I want magic.

Declaration: to help you guys understand my skin challenges, I have normal cheeks, a slightly oily nose, dry patches on my forehead every so often, rosy cheeks, and larger than I'd like pores. Yeah, I know, I really want magic to deal with all that!

My first stop was my own makeup cupboard. Everytime Sephora offers a sample or a 100 point perk, I ALWAYS pick the primer option. So I've amassed quite a few to try out during this little experiment. I don't know if these count as true samples in the FTC world when they are just consumer samples, but I guess I should state that not everything in this review was paid for. In the cupboard I found:

• NARS Skin Primer SPF 15
  
• Make Up For Ever HD Primer
• MAC Prep & Prime Skin
• Smashbox Photofinish SPF 15
• Smashbox Photofinish Original

I am trying all of these with the same foundation in the interests of being fair. I'm currently using Bobbi Brown Moisture Rich. I think that I've already said that I'm ambivalent about this product at the moment, but it's the best I've got right now.

Almost every primer "blurb" that I've read have all said that primers can be worn alone or under foundation, so I checked each of these for their immediate improvement as well as how they worked with foundation.

First up is the NARS Skin Primer SPF 15 ($33 / 1.7oz). When I put this on, it did nothing. I noticed no immediate improvement at all. When I put foundation on, still nothing really. Luckily I did not buy this product because I really could not see a single damn thing happening here at all. NARS = FAIL.

My next contender in the primer face off was Make Up For Ever HD Primer ($32 / 1oz). When I put this on, I did feel that my skin looked a little more even in tone, although not really smoother or any impact on my pores. It did make my foundation last longer though. Not bad, but nothing to really write home about.

Third up was MAC Prep & Prime Skin ($25/ 1oz). I bought this about a year ago and use it off and on. I thought it performed in exactly the same way that MUFE did - a little smoother, makes my make up last a little longer, but little in the way of va-va-vooming my skin.









Smashbox Photofinish SPF 15 ($42 / 1oz) was a product that I was excited about. I had tried this in store on the back of my hand and loved the instant smooth-glidey feeling that I felt when I put it on. And yes, this did make a difference. My skin was smoother, my pores were less noticeable when bare. This was even more apparent when I added foundation. Oh, and it has SPF 15 which is a score in my book, and something called Dermaxyl which apparently has anti-aging properties to stop me getting more wrinkles that I will have to disguise. Actual progress here people!

I next used Smashbox Photofinish Original ($36 / 1oz). Now we're talking. For some reason, unbeknowst to me, this felt slightly better and worked slightly better than the SPF 15 one. It went on super smooth, once I had foundation on it had a very nice finish as well. Foundation lasted a full day as well, and my skin felt nice and clean rather than cakey. I like having SPF in my face products though, as every little bit helps in terms of protection, so I'm not sure that the mild difference between these two products would warrant not getting SPF 15.

So, from all of my testers, Smashbox was an absolute clear winner, and I'll be using up my testers before scoring a full size one in the coming week or two.

Do you have a favorite primer? Think I should test a different one out before going for the big spend later in the week? Drop me a line in the comments! :)

This post contains affiliate links. Affiliate links in no way influence my opinion on a product. Clicking through on an affiliate link and purchasing a product earns Jolie Laide Girl commision, which helps keep the site going. My responsibility is to my readers, and I will never endorse a product or provide a positive review on the basis of PR samples or affiliate links. Please contact me if you have any questions.

The Philosophy Miracle Worker Can Turn Leather Into Silk

More than anything in the world, girls want the best skin they can possibly have. I’ve said before, and I’ll say it again, but I am pretty sure that almost any girl would happily exchange the entire MAC eye shadow collection for the promise of glowing, healthy, young skin.

I have been lucky enough to have had reasonable skin, though not perfect, for most of my adult life. I would definitely categorize it as combination - oily forehead and nose, drier patches, and a touch rosy, although no breakouts since I was a teenage. However, last year, at the grand old age of 28, it started to give me problems. There were lots of good reasons for this: getting older, moving from Edinburgh to NYC which was big changes in terms of climate and also dirt levels (sorry NY!), less sleep and more work. It started to show, and I started to get the odd breakout and my skin started to look less even and smooth. Urgh, it was so frustrating!!!

So, what’s my skincare story? First, I have to make a confession. When my skin was good, I did not wash it. Not once. I would sometimes remember to take makeup off, but rarely. I know. I think I will be sent to Beauty School Hell for that. It as only when I started to get problems that I started using cleanser. I’ve been moisturizing since I was about 21. Yes, don’t lecture me, I know I’m going to pay for this all later! I played around with a few combinations here and there, but never found anything that blew me away.

Until, one impulsive day during the Sephora Friends & Family sale. I randomly decided to drop $85 on the Philosophy Miracle Worker Kit. Y’see, it had a couple of things I liked. 1. Miracle Worker. Doesn’t that just sound awesome? 2. I already had tried and loved Hope in a Jar. 3. $85 for $156 value - AWESOME!! 4. There was a scrub. If there is one thing I love to do, it’s scrub. I am absolutely crazy for exfoliators. 

Anyways, the kit arrived, and sat in my bathroom for a few days. Then, I decided to take the plunge. There are 6 items in the kit: Purity Made Simple Cleanser, Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash,  Hope in a Jar Moisturizer, Hope in a Tube Eye and Lip Firming Cream, the microdelivery peel vitamin c/peptide crystals and activating gel. I used the Purity Made Simple cleanser first, dried myself off entirely, and started on the Miracle Mask. That thing is amazing. For a start, it smells like oranges and has this great sugary consistently that makes you feel like your scrub is really working. THEN you use the next stage in the treatment which is an activating agent. It makes the Vitamin C scrub foam and lightly tingle. Rinse off after a few minutes AND IT WAS LIKE MY SKIN WAS JUST 9 YEARS OLD. Woah, and totally unexpected in terms of immediate results. I literally made people touch my face all day. The mask is pretty tough on the ol’ skin, I followed with Hope in a Jar which is my favorite moisturizer ever. It just makes my skin feel happy and even.

Microdelivery Peel after 6 weeks of use

In order to keep the good work going, I also used the Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash every morning in the shower, followed by Hope in a Jar every day. So far, my skin is looking better than it was, much more even and smooth, and I can skin foundation on some (not all!) days. Actually, I'm thinking I need to look for a good tinted moisteriser now my skin is looking so healthy and radiant. And, I actually look forward to Saturday Scrub Day when I scrub myself all over with Kiehls Creme De Corps scrub (another post), and then my face with Philosophy. It really sets up my weekend with smooth, amazing skin. So, if you need a miracle for your skin, I would definitely recommend checking the Miracle Worker kit out.

No make-up, no retouching, and I don't look like a scary monster!

Favorite Products of the Year

So, for my first post instead of looking forward to the all the great places I'm going to go with this blog, I take a look at the past year and the great and the good products that made 2009 a little better for me.


1. Benefit's Posietint ($28)
Everyone raved about Benefit's Benetint, the sweet little liquid blush that started out as nipple tint (what, you didn't know that? Yes, of course you did!). But who knew that Posietint would take the basic concept and make it prettier, more natural, more "wow, you look really healthy, happy, and glowing" than the original? This blush is the perfect natural color, with no shimmer, and super easy application (three daps from the brush, a quick rub and you're done), that it literally goes with every look you can do. It's you, but a little better.

2. The Miracle Worker ($85)
Yeah, I know what you're thinking. $85? Really? Do you think I'm made of money, that I can go dropping that kind of cash on skincare? But I swear, I can convince you. Firstly, it's good value - the whole kit is valued at $156, and you get a bunch of full sized products in the kit. Secondly, it is the best skin I've had in my life. No joke, The Miracle Worker truly lives up to it's name. The first time I used the microdelivery peel, I had the most amazingly baby soft skin I actually asked random people to feel my face because it was so smooth. And I'm a shy British person - we don't do that! The Microdelivery Exfoliating Wash helps keep that skin silky smooth all week, and Hope in a Jar is a great balanced moisteriser - easily absorbed but rich enough to look after my skin even in the cold weather. I'm already considering getting a back up of this kit in case it truly is limited edition as Sephora says.

3. Kiehls Soy Milk and Honey Body Scrub ($27.50)
This product has been around for decades, I'm sure, but I only discovered this last year, hence it making my hits of the year list. It has a thick, gritty paste consistency, and smells absolutely heavenly - milk and honey. I use this once a week with Kiehls's Creme de Corps and it makes my skin feel so amazingly silky smooth. I actually look forward to "scrub day" (Saturday mornings, since you asked), when I get to rub myself all over with this yummy paste.




4. MAC's Style Black Collection
I have to admit that this MAC collection had me counting down the days until it launched, and I actually went to two different MAC stores during NY's Fashion Night Out so I could preview the products. I'm a sucker for black smokey make up anyway, with messy black eyeliner being my default night time look, and this collection took that to the next level. The Greasepaint product made a rocking black base product, but actually I like it best for a thick, messy, smokey eyeliner. For an amazing look that requires frequent checking, add some gloss (MAC have a gloss product, but I also like Elizabeth Arden's 8 Hour Cream) for a slick, rock chick eye. I picked up three out of the four shadows - Young Punk, Blue Flame, and Cinderfella which were black with purple glitter, blue glitter, and gold respectively. Yes, the mineral factor meant that they had major fallout issues, but mixed with water, oooooh, the black, the glitter, the intensity. Swoon. Angry teenager all the time. And, maybe even most surprisingly, the black lipgloss proved to be surprisingly wearable, adding a neutral darkness to your natural lipcolor. Two products let me down though - though the rest of the beauty world adored the two Volcanic Ash skin products (a thermal mask and scrub), they kind of left me cold (boom boom!)

5. Essie Chinchilly ($8)
Wow. It's not often a nail varnish really captures my attention. Until I came across Chinchilly, I had worn navy or dark red almost consistently for the last year. Chinchilly is concrete gray, and makes for a perfect edgy neutral. I know, neutrals aren't really edgy by default, but this is awesome - it demands a second glance without dominating or detracting. I can wear this confidently to the office or or a glam night out, certain that my nails are both appropriate and memorable at each.



6. Anastasia Tinted Brow Gel ($21)
Since we're new here, I guess I shouldn't give away too much about myself just yet, but let's just say that my eyebrows and my attention to brows is not my strong suite. In fact, this year was also my first visit to a brow salon. But this product has taken my terrible, patchy, weird bush brows, and made them look sleek and strong. For that, I am ever thankful.




7. Sephora Double-Ended Winged Brush ($18)
I am not talented at that gorgeous sleek cat eyes winged liner. But somehow, this brush takes over my hand and makes it happen for me. And the thick end is great for smoking out your liner, or, as I frequently use it for, drawing thick shadow liner on my upper and lower lashline.





8. MAC Limited Edition Eye Shadows in Smoke and Diamonds, Silverthorn, and Style Snob ($14 each)
I bought a lot of eye shadows this year, but I'm picking these three out as my favorite limited edition picks (Style Black aside). Smoke and Diamonds is this amazing grey taupey color which is super rich and pigmented. It can used to darken the crease on a neutral work safe eye, or to make a super glam dark eye. Such a sophisticated color. Silverthorn, from what I remember, didn't get a lot of attention when it was released as part of the Rose Romance collection, but I just adore the greeny sheen to this mid tone grey - it just makes it look a little different to your standard grey shadow. I picked it up on a random impulse the day before my wedding when I had no idea what make up to do (I know, don't ask!), and though I didn't use it on my wedding, I use it a lot with Satin Taupe (everyone needs this shadow) as a gorgeous simple but stunning eye. My last limited edition pick shadow is Style Snob, which is a light taupe from the Starflash collection. Like Smoke and Diamonds (same collection), it is super rich, super dense, and a lot of fun to play with. It is a lighter taupe than Satin Taupe, and makes a great memorable neutral eye. It has a slight pink tone to it, and so I haven't done this yet, but I'm sure it could work well with a pink eye to make something rosey and fun.

So there you have it, my top 8 of this year. I'm sure you have some favorites too, some things you've discovered which you absolutely cannot live without, and I'd love to hear about them. Add them in the comments, and I'll be sure to check them out.