Tweet My Favourite Products of 2010

Hi everyone :)

Before i start reviewing and swatching all my new goodies :), i thought i should do a little post to wrap up my 2010! I know this is a bit late, but better late than never! :D so, here are my all time favourite products of 2010 :) I use most of these products on a daily basis, some i have even repurchased once or several times!


note: Since there are a TON of products i want to mention, i will try not to go into full details about each product unless it is one i have never reviewed on this blog. Otherwise, i will put links under the products i have previously reviewed that will direct you to the review post :)

Favourite Face/Skincare Products of 2010

1. Revlon Photoready Foundation in Nude
Im almost done my first bottle and i do plan on repurchasing once im done :) i know it does has some shimmer which some people might not like, but i dont think its too noticeable once applied. What i love about it is that is gives pretty good coverage, helps evens out my skintone and is very nice for photos :) i also LOVE the pump! its probably the best pump i've ever used as it allows you to pump out as much or little as you need <3

2. Maybelline Mineral Power Concealer
-review here-

3. Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder - translucent
Im already finishing my second compact, so you can really tell how much i love this lol i apply this daily with my ELF kabuki brush to set my foundation. What i love about it is that its easy to use (in pressed form so its not messy), does a great job of setting my makeup so i dont look shiny, keeps my oily tzone matte for the whole day, annnd its cheap to buy! I also use this with a small fluffy brush to set my concealer and it helps alot! :)

4. Clarisonic Classic in Pink
-review here-

5. Neutrogena Oil-Free Fresh Moisture
This is my all time favourite moisturizer!! I know im weird, but i dont like using creams or lotions on my face because it feels too heavy and oily for my already oily skin. so i tend to stick to only using gel moisturizers and this one is my HG. although its got a gel like consistency, it feels as moisturizing as any other cream lotions but absorbs much faster and leaves behind nice silky soft skin :)

i have repurchased this moisturizer so many times i have lost count and im almost done the tube i have now! so its about time i go repurchase another :) unfortunately, the last few times i went searching for this, i couldnt find it! i am SOO worried that its getting discontinued so next time i find one, im stocking up like no tomorrow!!

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Favourite Eye Products of 2010

1. Urban Decay Naked Palette
- review here -

 2. Wet n' Wild Coloricon Palettes
- review here -

3. Stila Smudgepot in Bronze
I dont normally venture outside drugstore products too often, but i am SO glad i did for this one! I love love love this product and have used up quite a big chunk of it lol (pretty much used it everyday since i got it!) i chose the shade bronze because black seems too heavy for day-to-day wear, but aside from color, the formula itself is amazing! super soft and creamy, but once its on, it stays on! i love it and will most definitely repurchase once im done!

4. Covergirl Lashblast Volume - waterproof
This has been my favourite mascara ever since i first started using it. Although it doesnt volumize as much as id like, it definitely lengths and darkens my lashes nicely. The best part about this, is that it holds my straight asian lashes in a curl for the whole freaking day! *yay* my lashes are so stubbornly straight that not alot of mascara can hold them up, but this one does and since its cheap & readily available, im not switching mascaras for awhile!

mascara runner-up : Loreal Voluminous in Black Brown
Sometimes when i want more volume in my lashes, i use this mascara first and then a layer of covergirl after. I really like this mascara as well because it really helps add volume and thickness to my lashes. I chose the shade in black brown so i could wear this on its own for lazymakeup days :) but overall, if covergirl never came out with their lashblast, this would be my mascara!

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Favourite Lip Products of 2010

1. Nivea Essential or A Kiss of Moisture
- review here -


2. Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine
Along with my nivea tubes, i also LOVE this stufff! It smells heavenly (like butterscotch *yumm*) and gives my lips just the perfect amount of moisture. I tend to use this in the morning after i wash and moisturize my face. then after im done applying makeup, my lips will be all ready and prepped up for any lipstick/gloss i plan on putting on for that day :) the only thing i dont like about this is the application method as it comes in a small jar.. so its not as sanitary as others. still, i love both the packaging and the product inside!

3. Maybelline Moisture Extreme in Nude Blush
- review here -


4. Revlon Super Lustrous Lipglosses - all shades
These lipglosses are the best lipglosses ever! Although i do have to say the pigmentation could be slightly better, and the color choices could be slightly wider, i absolutely love the formula! it is soo smooth and 100% not sticky! I know alot of people dont mind the stickness, but i for one cant stand it! So these lipglosses are perfect for me and currently, my favourite shade is Life's a Peach :)

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Favourite Blushes of 2010

1. Annabelle - Rapture
2. ELF - Candid Coral (swatch)
3. MAC MSF in Stereo Rose & Petticoat (swatch)

4. Hard Candy - Living Doll & Honeymoon (swatch living doll, swatch honeymoon, both applied)

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Favourite Nail Polishes of 2010

sparkling diamonds - LA colors

1. Sally Hansen - Silver Slightblade
2. Nailene french manicure - Petal Pusher
3. LA Colors - Mega Watt
4. Rimmel - Steel Grey (Swatch)
5. Revlon - Minted (swatch)
6. Nicole by OPI - Black to the future (swatch)
7. Sally Hansen - Gray by Gray (swatch)
8. LA Colors - Sparkling Diamonds (Swatch)

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Favourite Brushes of 2010

1. ELF Studio Powder Brush (review)
2. ELF Studio Kabuki Face Brush
3. ELF Studio Small Angled Brush
4. Ecotools Bronzer Brush (review)
5. Ecotools Crease Brush
6. Sigma F80 Flat Top Kabuki Brush (review)
7. Sigma E30 Pencil Brush (review)
8. Sigma E40 Tapered Blending Brush (review)

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Favourite Skin Boosters & Serums of 2010

1. The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost
Great as a primer and a skin boost! This not only smells sooo good! (think oranges!) but also has a silky texture that is great for prepping your skin for makeup :) Plus, its supposed to make your skin less dull and i think its done a great job!


2. Loreal Lash Serum

i lovee this stuff! you apply it day and night on your lashes and its supposed to make them thicker, longer and healthier! although i dont have crazy results, i do notice that my lashes are alot healthier now in that less fall off during makeup removal. Plus, i do notice slight thickening and lengthing and i am soo excited :D <3

3. My Beauty Diary Masks - Natto & Aloe Vera
- review here - 

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and i think that about sums it up :) theres probably  a ton of other products i wish i could mention and it took me a long while to narrow it down to the list i have above lol. but overall, im happy with the ones i chose :) Starting with next post, there will be a TON of new swatches and reviews :) i hope you're all as excited as i am! take care!

Tweet My Collection Series Pt 2 - Coral Blushes!

Part two of "My Collection" series focuses on my coral blushes.. if you've been a follower since i first started this little blog, you might know that i have a HUGE addiction for blushes! i just think they are the prettiest things ever and they all have such a gorgeous color that i cant seem to get enough of them! :D

middle - ELF Coral

Clockwise starting with the white pan -

 Hard Candy Honeymoon, NYX Dare, MAC Stereo Rose, ELF Candid Coral, ELF Blush/Bronzer duo

Here are the swatches for all of the blushes pictured above:

Honeymoon, Coral, Candid Coral, Blush duo, Dare, Stereo Rose

Honeymoon, Coral, Candid Coral, Blush duo, Dare, Stereo Rose

Honeymoon, Coral, Candid Coral, Blush duo, Dare, Stereo Rose

a slightly better picture of Coral

time for each blushes's 5 seconds of fame! first up is ELF's Candid Coral

click here for my review and a better swatch :p

I mustve rambled on and on about this before, but did i tell you how much i love ELF's studio blushes? They are super soft and pigmented and only go for $3 each! Candid coral is lovely warm coral which isnt too over the top. its got a tad slight pink undertone which makes it less orangey and more wearable :) You can also see the slight shimmers in the pan, but when applied, it just shows as a gorgeous glow! so dont worry, no crazy glitter invovled here!

next up, another ELF product! this one's their mineral blush in Coral

(2nd shade up)

Coral is a gorgeous matte light peach. Although when swatched it can lean towards the lighter side, this blush can definitely be built up through layers to give you that nice peachy shade. I would recommend that those with darker skintones pass on this as a blush though.. because it is lighter than you'd expect and it might turn up a tad ashy on darker skins.

Last ELF one for this post, their blush and bronzer duo!

 

 

This product has been an ongoing dupe for NARS orgasm and laguna duo.. and im sure you all know that! But for me, i do think the blush here is more peachy than orgasm. At first, i had stuck NARS orgasm in with this post because i thought it leaned slightly toward corals rather than pinks. However, after swatching and comparing the two side by side, i realized that orgasm has more pink undertones than peach!

quick comparison, NARS orgasm on left, ELF blush duo on right 

Anyways, back to the ELF blush! this peachy shade is a gorgeous warm peach filled with shimmers. I found that this blush was more pigmented than NARS as well so if you cant afford the cult classic, i'd highly highly recommend this one! Just make sure you know that this leans more on peach then pink :)

Next blush in line... is Hard Candy's Honeymoon!

Im not sure if you've seen my previous review (read here) or the previous snapshots of it applied on my cheeks along with its partner in crime: living doll (see here), but this blush has now become my staple highlighter shade! i loveee the peachy sheen of this blush and although it can be built up to be a gorgeous light peach shade for a blush, i'd much rather use it as a highlight due to its high shimmer factor! Those with pale skintones can definitely pull this off as a blush, something i am highly jealous of!! The only slight downside is that this blush is less pigmented so you do need a couple swipes before you see that gorgeous shine!

and of course, the highly expected cult classic, MAC Stereo Rose!

see initial review and swatches here

This blush is as gorgeous as it looks in pan! Depending on how much veining you get in yours, this blush can vary slightly with some appearing darker than others. I think mine has just the right amount as the product shows up as a nice orangey coral shade that is just right for my skintone :) Like hard candy's honeymoon, this products got a gorgeous sheen/shimmer to it! :) Now, in contrast to honeymoon, you'll have to watch out for a heavy hand! Like all MAC products, the pigmentation on this is insane, so i'd recommend a light hand and just build up to your desiered shade.

how orange is it you may ask? take a look :)

Finally, NYX's dare, a shade i fell in love with for the fall season

You mightve seen my inital review or even the snapshots of this applied on my cheeks (see here), but i am in love with this mix of colors! First off, i love the versatality of thhis blush, i know its hard to really adjust how much of each shade you pick up, but hey, you get an option! I like to mix this all together for a gorgeous light coppery coral-ly shade that is a lighter version of stereo rose! :)

Anyways, thats it for coral blushes! Sorry the lighting isnt the greatest for these pictures.. i've been busy with/at school and usually when i get around to swatching, all that good sunlight's gone :( i still hope you get the idea of what these blushes look like because they are all absolutely gorgeous for the fall/winter season! 

worst case, i think i have done previous reviews and swatches for most, if not all, above blushes so go take a look :) have a great day and for those in the snowy areas, drive safe!!

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Tweet Living Doll + Honeymoon = ♥

So i recently reviewed two of Hard Candy's blushes in the shades Living Doll and Honeymoon. Living doll is a gorgeous baby pink while honeymoon is a light peachy shade that shows up more as a glow/highlight shade for me. So here's a quick post showing what these two look like when combined together :)

i applied living doll lightly on the apples of my cheeks and then applied it heavier along the back end of my cheeks to contour a bit. i then applied honeymoon to the upper apples to really give it a nice glow.

if you look closely.. you can kind of see the peachy color!

note - i did apply these a bit heavier so that they would show up better on camera. the effect and colors are still true to reality, but i would buff it out a bit more so that it doesnt show up as harsh :)

kind of more like this

and a full fotd

i also tried applying just honeymoon and building it up more so that the peachy color slightly shows. I think if you have lighter skin tones, honeymoon would be a gorgeous shade to own. However, for medium to darker skintones, honeymoon's best effect would definately be its light peachy glow :)

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Tweet Hard Candy Honeymoon Blush Results

So you know how much i wanted to get Hard Candy's blush in Honeymoon after i tried out Living Doll! I know i heard some reviews saying that this blush was super un-pigmented.. but i really liked the color of this blush so i decided to get it anyways. Swatching it at the store seemed to prove pretty decent results... or so i thought..

read on to find out if this blush turned out good or bad!

with flash

without flash

slight purple/pink veining

doesnt it just look amazing in pan? a gorgeous baby peach color with purple/pink veining.. soo pretty! if only what we see is what we get...

swatched heavily - no flash

swatched heavily - with flash

when swatched heavily (or even just a few finger swipes), you get this gorgeous light peach color that has a really pretty glow and a slight pink glow too. however, it seems almost too light and shimmery to be a blush.. most likely, this will be a highlighter for many people. Also.. when you blend away or start to apply this to your face...

blended out

blended out

the color disappears! :( :( oh how i wished the color was what it looked like in the pan! The light peach wouldve been amazing. But to save you from throwing this out or completely neglecting to use it.. i have to say that this adds a really pretty glow to your face! I have now decided to combine this blush (honeymoon) with my other one (living doll). Together, they make a GORGEOUS combo. I first use Living Doll to add a light baby pink on the apples of my cheeks, then, i build it up heavier near the back to sculpt my cheekbones and then finally, i add honeymoon to give a pretty glow and highlight the top of my cheeksl I'll try to take some pictures tomorrow of this overall effect and post to show you how it turns out :)

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