Best of Beauty 2009

January 2, 2010 | 8 Responses

Here are my absolute favourites of 2009. I hope you find this list useful, and let me know what your favourites are, too!

Skincare

Best Body Scrub: Crabtree & Evelyn Naturals Cocoa Butter, Nutmeg & Cardamom Body Scrub

I honestly believe that no other scrub will ever come close to Crabtree & Evelyn’s ($30). It sloughs off dry skin and moisturizes at the same time. Plus it smells incredible!

Best Face Cleanser: Philosophy Purity Made Simple

I tried to find a drugstore substitute for Purity Made Simple ($26 for 8 oz), but I failed. I went through a few bottles of this cleanser this year, and my skin loves me for it. It takes off all the gunk without drying out my skin.

Best Face Exfoliator: MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator

I only need three words to describe this exfoliator ($22): Blackheads. Be. Gone!

Best Skincare Tool: Clean & Clear Blackhead Eraser

This is my great drugstore find of the year ($23). Because the exfoliating pads are soaked in salicylic acid, this battery-operated tool is fantastic for treating acne and blackheads.

Makeup

Best Foundation: FACE atelier Ultra Foundation

No surprise here. I loved FACE atelier Ultra Foundation ($45) on first try. It is weightless and takes away minor imperfections. And psst, if you need a heavier coverage, try using a duo fibre brush (like Quo Bronzing Powder Brush).

Best Brush for Face: Coastal Scents Synthetic Wide Buffer Brush

This is an inexpensive brush ($15) that is great for buffing in my setting powder, speaking of which…

Best Powder: MAC Mineralized Skin Finish Natural

This super lightweight powder ($32) has low coverage, which makes it great for setting your makeup or for buffing in on a no makeup day.

Best Brush for Eyes: MAC #217 Blending Brush

A true multi-tasking brush ($27): great for cream products like concealer, as well as blending out eyeshadows like a pro. This is one of those things that I would take with me if I was to live in an island.

Best Eyeshadow Palette: MAC Passions of Red Fascinating Ruby: 6 Smokey Eyes

Technically this was from 2008, but I just got my hands on it this summer. This is the most versatile palette! Great for neutral everyday looks, to a smoldering smoky eye. It’s hard to get a hold of this now, but if you are itching to try an eyeshadow from this palette, MAC Satin Taupe is amazing!

Best Eyeliner: Lancome Gel Artliner in Indigo Charm

This shimmery blue ($24) makes brown eyes pop. And who doesn’t love a gel liner? I’m addicted.

Best Lipgloss: Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss in Candid

This sheer gloss ($24) is great on its own because of the pink and gold shimmer swimming through it, but is also a great boost over your favourite lipstick.

Best Lipstick: MAC Lipstick in Patisserie

My no-fail, everyday creamy pink lipstick ($16.50).

Best Makeup Remover(s): Alcone Makeup Remover Cloths and L’Oreal Gentle Waterproof Makeup Remover

Whatever the makeup remover cloths ($35 for 80 cloths) leave behind, i.e., waterproof stuff but not any residue, the L’Oreal Makeup Remover ($10) takes off easily. This is my one-two punch combination for taking all my makeup off.

Hair

This is where the great drugstore buys come out!

Best Shampoo: Pantene Brunette/Red Expressions

I just love Pantene’s colour expressions line. It smells so good that I become a crazy hair sniffing girl.

Best Conditioner: Aussie 3 Minute Miracle Deeeeeep

This is still my best conditioner for really dry, damaged hair.

Best Hair Treatment: Alberto VO5 Hot Oil

A very moisturizing pre-shampoo treatment. I wish this comes in a box of 100 tubes.

Best Styling Product: None

Nothing stood out this year in hair styling products. Help? I have straight hair that tends to fall flat. I need volume and hydration.

Perfume

Favourite Eau de Parfum: Dolce & Gabbana The One

Surprise surprise!

Favourite Eau de Toilette: Dior Addict Shine

While it means absolutely nothing to me, here are its notes: cedrat, gardenia, raspberry, cedar woods. It smells good, ‘kay?

You Can’t Stop Me…

August 18, 2009 | 2 Responses

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…from touching my hair! This is one of those product reviews that I just have to share with my readers, because it works so. freaking. well.

I confess: I’m either too lazy or too late for work to blow dry my hair everyday. Lucky for me, I can get away with a wash and go half the time. The rest of the time I am left with… well, lazy girl hair. Flyaways, frizzies, and ultra brassy. Classy, right? Nope.

For a long time I’ve been trying to find hair products that works with my hair type. At long last, I found products that don’t weigh my fine hair down. At the same time, my hair has never felt this soft and smooth before.

My Lazy Weekday Hair Routine

I shampoo my hair everyday. My favourite shampoo is still Pantene Expressions because it smells so good, and I don’t get any build up from it.
Optional conditioner, any kind. If I want to deep condition my hair, I use Aussie 3-Minute Miracle Deeeep.
With a quarter sized amount of Sunsilk Hydra TLC 24/7 Creme, I run my fingers through dripping wet hair. I avoid my roots so as not to weigh my hair down.
Next, I take two pumps of Pantene Smooth Anti-Freeze Serum and run that through my hair the same way as the creme.
Comb through with a wide tooth comb.

After this I am literally running out the door with wet hair. I know people will cringe at this, but as soon as my train arrives downtown, my hair has already dried.

And these days it dries beautifully.

I’m Addicted to the Pantene Smell

On a totally different note, is anyone else with me on this? I find that I keep buying Pantene products mainly because they smell so fresh and heavenly.

Red Hair is High Maintenance.

April 5, 2009 | Leave a response

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Remember my day one red hair? A week after, my hair turned from reddish copper to a wimpy-ass orangey brownish yuck. After a couple more weeks of the ugly madness, I decided to buy a drugstore colouring kit. This time I tried Garnier Nutrisse Creme in Pomegranate.

The results were fairly close to the swatches on the box, which was a delightful surprise. It coloured my hair a true red. I honestly think it would have looked better if the bleaching job was more intense. Well anyway, it’s a good drugstore buy.

Another thing that I tried is Pantene Red Expressions Shampoo.

Now here’s the deal: I wash my hair everyday. I don’t really understand how some girls can wash their hair 2-3x a week. My hair feels really gross on day two. Unfortunately for my case, this washes down my colour with every shower. I quite like this shampoo actually. It is a non colour-depositing formula, so I won’t say that it makes my red redder. What I like most about it is the smell. Mmmmm smells so good and girly.

I hope you’re still with me. If you are, you’d be glad that you did.

Last but not least I bought off eBay the L’Oreal Artec Shampoo and Conditioner in Red Clover.

Okay ladies, hear this. This is the BEST system to keep your hair colour looking fresh. Both shampoo and conditioner deposit a fair amount of colour back into your hair with every wash. It is amazing! I use it every other wash and I can definitely see a difference. Both come out of the bottles as a sparkly blood red, and the conditioner definitely stains my hands as soon as I finish applying. Don’t worry though, it washes out. It is a little bit drying, and so I like to mix a heavy conditioner when using the Artec conditioner.

It is a very good alternative to keeping up your colour in a salon. I mean, I’m a student! I can’t afford going to the salon all the time! Each bottle came out to be about C$22. It sounds expensive, but actually delivering the results it promises makes it a holy grail of colour-depositing shampoos.

What colour to do next?

As soon as I’m out of the Artec Shampoo and Conditioner, I think I will stay away from high maintenance but oh-so-hot red for a while. I’m thinking either chocolate or golden brown.