2013 Faves

I can't believe that I have not reviewed most of my 2013 faves! 

Caudalie Divine Oil:  I keep one of the  9 oz. spray bottles in my handbag to smooth over my hair, my hands or other dry spots during the day. It's too expensive to use on a daily basis, so luckily, I rediscovered

Neutrogena Body Oil, an old favorite.  It works so much better for me in the winter than the richest body lotion.  It doesn't dry down quickly like a dry oil, so I smooth onto damp skin and wait a few minutes before putting on my clothes.  They even make a scentless version these days.

Chanel Mystere Quad and Chanel Illusion d'Ombre Apparence.  I wore Mystere practically every day all summer, using Apparence as a base. Apparence's antique gold color compliments the gold shimmer in Mystere.  I beat Mystere's fall out problem by using the sponge applicators or those inexpensive disposable ones you can get at Target or Ulta.  Karen reviewed them here.  I like them better than other brands because the paddle-shaped end is not indented as most disposables are, but are curved out and textured so that they pick up the product better.

Chanel Charming:  now that I've discovered that the the meh looking matte that I didn't know what to do with is an excellent contour and brow filler,  I'm totally sold on this deceptive quad.  On me, and suspect others of similar skin tone, it looks lux.

Chanel Le Volume: Chanel came out of the mascara backwater with Le Volume.  The first coat is unremarkable, but the second one - wow!  It's Voluminous on steroids without the crumbling.  It's also fab in blue, and I even love Prune, a purpely brown color, especially with the Kaska Beige quad.

Dolce and Gabanna Ultra Shine Lip Gloss in Gold:  a simple gold tinted translucent lip gloss with golden shimmer.  It adds oomph to warm skin tones when worn alone, and to creme lip glosses. You'd think it would be loud but it's not.  Gold shimmer looks wonderful on skin with warm undertones. I hadn't given it much thought until testing a series of highlighters, all with varying amounts of silver shimmer or even sparkle as in the case of Chanel's Mouche.  Would some of those ashy products looked better on me if they had contained gold shimmer instead of silver?  My current faves - Mysteré, Charming, Guerlain's Terracotta Sun in the City, Rock and Republic's Call Me - all have it.

Hourglass Eyebrow Pencil:  runs with Tom Ford's pencil.  I think Hourglass's formula is slightly better.  The TF pencil bloomed like chocolate over time and dried out slightly, making it harder to apply.  I wish Hourglass came with that plane sharpener.

Tata Harper Hydrating Floral Essence:  I just love this stuff.  It smells fabulous. I love the feel of the spray in my face and the way it makes moisturizers glide on.  I thought toners or facial water sprays would have the same effect, but they don't.  But the price.  Oh.  Floral Essence was included in a packet of press samples from Space NK, and I fell in love immediately. I bought a deeply discounted bottle on Gilt or Haute Look.  Keep your eyes open for it.

L'Oreal Total Repair 5 Multi-Restorative Dry Oil For All Hair Types: goes on hair the way dry oil does on skin: leaves a moisturizing affect without oily residue. It has a scary ingredient list, but it works on my hair.

Paul Mitchell Awapuhi Keratin Intensive Treatment:  designed for color-treated and chemically processed hair.  This stopped my ends from breaking like no other conditioner I've ever used.

T3 Blow Dryer: I was forced to learn how to blow out my hair when, in an infuriating 30 seconds, my stylist cut the top far shorter than the curlers I owned for wet setting. Rolling my hair on half- inch rollers just wasn't going to cut it, so blowing it out was the only solution.  I taught myself by watching this Dry Bar video, and watching another stylist who blew out out my hair in the interim. Not knowing which blow dryer to buy, I settled on the T3 because Nordstrom was selling one that included a free travel-size T3 flat iron, also an excellent product.  So blow dryers have come a long way since I last used one. I can't believe how quickly it dried my hair.  

What were your 2013 faves?

My Best of 2011

Favorite Makeup for 2011 by avaruth on polyvore.com

It was hard to decide on my "Best" list.  I've used many products that I like a lot, so I decided to hone down the list to those things I reach for automatically and most frequently.  

 Le Metier de Beaute Flawless Face Palette:  I've hit pan on three out of the four products contained in this palette:  the powder, highlighter and blush. It's so convenient and fast to swing each of these products out of the barrel, I reach for it most mornings when I'm in a hurry, and use one brush.  It’s also brilliant for travel.  I only used the bronzer in the summer, but lately I've begun to use it for contour more often than not. The convenience of this palette is under rated.  I hope LMdB will consider routinely selling this palette as a customizable one;  magnetized trays would make it easier to insert the colors that suite various skin tones.

LMdB Peau Vierge Anti-Aging Complexe Tinted Treatment:  I immediately loved the glow this product gave my face and have used it almost every day since I won it in a Neiman Marcus drawing.  At the time of my review, it had not lived up to its claims to lessen dark circles, smooth fine lines, blur blemishes and tighten pores within a week of once-daily use.  It took longer than a week, but my skin looks much better now, most noticeably my skin tone has evened out, and fine lines smoothed out.  It's expensive at $125 for 1 oz., but a little goes a long way:  1oz. lasted six months.

YSL Noir Radical Mascara:  Can I say it's L'Oreal Voluminous on steroids?  It volumizes as promises, and it's subtly blacker than its cousin YSL Faux Cils.  It doesn't crumble at the end of the day like Voluminous, and though it isn't advertised as waterproof, it doesn't run as easily as some (Eyes to Kill, I'm thinking of you!)  You do have to be careful to close the tube tightly, as it does have a tendency to dry out quickly.  Since it's expensive, I like to buy it during Nordstrom's one-day Mascara Madness event in which you buy two tubes and get one free.  I go in with a friend if I can, or I buy when Nordies offers double points.


Chanel Rouge Allure Velvet Luminous Matte Lip Color:  I love this lipstick more than any other!  First of all, it's not completely matte.  It's just not so shiny that your lips proceed you into a room!  The brighter colors looked odd (to me) on my medium skin tone, but I fell in love with the darkest red, Le Sensuelle.  It has incredible staying power, so I don't have to worry about looking totally washed out after a business lunch if I can't get away to re-apply.  It's perfect with the Topkapi quad and Rouge blush from the Byzance collection, better than the lipstick in that collection, in my opinion.

Chanel Kaska Beige Quad:  The colors are the perfect neutrals for me.  I even use a little of the second darkest color to fill in my eyebrows if I'm in a real hurry.   Since I learned this little trick from a Chanel national artist, I've been surprised at the range of colors I can use to fill them in.  I'm not talking about primary or secondary colors of course, but muted browns, taupes, including those with a hint of purple could be considered.  The Chanel artist used the darkest purple-toned shadow in the Prelude quad on me.

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre Longwear Luminous Eye Shadows:  I especially love the black Mirifique.  I haven't worn it as an eye shadow, but as a most glamorous eye liner.  The small, curved, brush that comes with each shadow is the best I've ever used.  Chanel should add an standard-sized version to its permanent collection.  Emerveille, the pale pink/peach shadow is beautiful, a great everyday color for many skin tones;  it is notably good for medium-to-dark skin tones in that the color really shows - it's not just ashy.  The color pay off for the green-colored Epatant was not as good unless used over a primer.

Chanel Nail Color in Mimosa and Khaki Vert:  I'd have never thought that yellow and green nail polish would become my regular "go to" colors!  I love Graphite too. 

Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint:  The last impossibly humid weeks of September 2011 gave me a new appreciation for what a workhorse this tinted moisturizer is! It’s oil-free, fragrance-free, buildable, and water-resistant. It never budged, lasting at least 15 hours with no fading.  For women of a certain age, all foundations should be water-resistant. 

Vera Wang and Dolce and Gabbana Rose the One scents:  Rose the One obviously smells like roses - warm roses, if that's possible.  I don't know how to describe the Vera Wang; is it "cool"  since it appeals to me primarily in spring and summer?  I'll learn how to write about scent as the year progresses.  For now I'll just say that these provoke a visceral response in me.   
 

Favorite Things

Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint, SPF 20 in Deep Bronze.  The last impossibly humid weeks of September gave me a new appreciation for what workhorse this tinted moisturizer is!  It’s oil-free, fragrance-free, buildable, and water resistant.  It never budged, lasting at least 15 hours with no fading.

Rock and Republic Kabuki Brush.  Not only do I love the airbrushed look of foundation applied with a kabuki brush, I love the speed with which I can apply it, a real boon most mornings.  This brush came with a R&R bronzer and unfortunately is no longer available, but there are many good kabuki brushes out there. 

Chanel Kaska Beige is the shadow quad I automatically reach for when I have a rushed morning. The quad pictured here is my second. The shades in this warm colored quad are perfect neutrals for me.  Most days I apply them over powdered lids, and they last all day with little fading.

The reformulated version of Chanel’s eyebrow pencil applies much more smoothly than the old one.  And it’s waterproof, so didn’t dribble down my temples before I got to the office!  I use "Brun Naturel."

Lip products go on last and by that time I need to run at the door!  I throw on Chanel Chocolate lip pencil, and this month Le Metier de Beaute Colour Core Lipstick “Sydney” and “Peche Crème” spent the entire month in my handbag, ready for application on the bus.  They produce three beautiful looks, depending upon my wardrobe.  Sometimes I used Sydney alone for an up-to-date burnt orange look; Peche Crème layers beautifully over Sydney, lightening the color a bit, or sometimes I used Peche Crème alone.  If applied first, Sydney lasts through lunch with some color left after eating.    

Finally, I wore Chanel “Graphite” on my nails all month.  It’s a perfect neutral for me!

What are your favorite things?