2010 Favorites

Friday, December 31, 2010

I'm sure that by now you've read a bunch of lists by other bloggers about the beauty products that they've loved this past year and now it's my turn to clutter up part of the internet with my two cents. These may not be new products or brands, but they were remarkable in some way to me this last year.

Best High End Cosmetics Company

Rock & Republic gets my stamp of approval this year. I was introduced to this brand by Cheri from Blushes on Display late this year. Before MakeupAlley, I had never heard of this brand. I knew they made jeans that looked great on Kim Kardashian but had no idea that they made such lovely makeup. Their packaging is sleek and modern, yet their fancy R&R logo is definitely ornate and really makes for a beautiful product. This year, I tried their lipgloss, pressed powder, shadow and blush and was thrilled with it all. Best of all, they had fantastic sales this year and I was able to buy many products at a fraction the retail value. I spent about $225 but got about 28 products from them- isn't that a steal?

Best Indie Cosmetics Company

Shiro Cosmetics was a great find late this year. I loved the vivid pigmentation, the themed collections and the price of the shadows. The themes are not only endearing but are accurate to their namesakes. I mean, 'Link' is that perfect green, the exact shade his tunic should be. I especially like getting sample sized and mini jars from Shiro, since I like dabbling in different colors but not having to commit to a full priced jar. I can't wait to continue to be a customer and hopefully will see more and more complex colors from Caitlin in 2011!

Best Drugstore Brand

Oh Wet'n'Wild, you did so many great things this year. Your Color Icon shadows were superb, your Craze nail polishes were gorgeous. Those limited edition Pixie Palettes were so sought after... now how will you top it in 2011? G. from Nouveau Cheap is a blogger ambassador for WnW and has dropped some juicy hints! I really can't wait to see what affordable products will the shelves this year. Really though, the quality of the products Wet'n'Wild carries really stepped up this year. Who says pigmentation has to be expensive?

Best Nail Polish Brand

This year I really enjoyed the variety of polishes that Color Club has. Perhaps not as widely available or as popular as China Glaze and OPI, however Color Club is near and dear to my heart for creating shades that I truly enjoy wearing. Color Club has everything from electrifying neons to those wonderful holos that have a grip on my heart, to glitters and creams and everything in between. I especially love the formula of these polishes, I've never had an issue with streaking or any application problems. Also, on a side note- their bottles fit really nicely and efficiently in my polish drawers.

Best Limited Edition Makeup Item

When I think about all the LE collections that came out this year, NARS immediately comes to mind. I really liked the duos that they brought out this year- the only problem is deciding which one is my favorite. Rajasthan is the winner, but Melusine gets honorable mention. I loved the complex colors that NARS put forth this year- as far as boring as you can get, yet not tacky or unusable.

Best Limited Edition Polish

Forget the stampede to get MAC Bad Fairy or the murky Chanel Paradoxel, this year what stood out to me was a drugstore polish. Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure was by far my most prized polish of the year. I tip my hat off to Sally Hansen for creating such a great quality flakie. I only wish that the quantity and distribution was better. I never actually saw it ever in person at a store, it was only thanks to the wonderful LPJ that I even got my hands on a bottle. For 2011, I would love to see more drugstore gems like Hidden Treasure... but more readily available please!

I'd like to thank all you readers! Without your interest in reading MakeupWithdrawal, I sure as heck wouldn't have made it through the year blogging. I hope you have a wonderful New Year's Eve (and Day!) as well as a fantastic 2011!

Love,
Mimi