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Top Thirteen of 2013

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I’ve only been blogging since the end of May this year but I can remember my product loves before then so I thought I’d share an edited selection of my absolute essential products of 2013. It’s been agonizing to do so but these products were staples this year that I’d recommend to all!

Boots Beautiful Skin Cleansing Balm for Dry/Very Dry Skin ($10 CDN)

I’ve used this every night since I purchased it in the summer but I’m still on my first bottle of this divine creamy cleanser. It’s beyond gentle, actually hydrating the skin rather than stripping it, soothing and with the aid of a washcloth, removes face makeup. It contains fragrance but does smell luxurious, especially considering the price – an absolute bargain in my book!

Caudalie Vinosource Quenching Sorbet-Creme ($39 CDN)

The 40 mL tube of goodness lasted for five months with daily use and I used it throughout the entire summer and into the fall. I haven’t repurchased yet, but I plan on repurchasing in the near future. It contains Caudalie’s signature antioxidants and is free of drying alcohols (but does contain fragrance) and is a fast-absorbing, weightless but very hydrating product that feels cooling and soothing on the skin. This has made me intrigued to try more Caudalie – to be continued…

Bioderma Sensibio H20 ($22 CDN)

There are only two beauty products that I go through quickly: conditioner and Bioderma. I wear a good amount of eye makeup on a daily basis and use this micellar water every night to remove it. I have uber-sensitive eyes and this is the only product that neither irritates my eyes or clouds my vision and removes my makeup. It feels as gentle as water on the skin but removes makeup well with minimal effort and makes it easier to wear heavier eye makeup on a daily basis.

L’Oreal Professionnel Intense Repair Masque ($30 CDN)

This is easily the best conditioner/masque that I’ve ever tried and I’ve tried many, including others in the line and nothing else compares. In terms of silicones, amodimethicone is high on the ingredient list and I suppose could prevent the ingredients for working their best but at the very least it does not build up and weigh down my hair. The scent is an interesting fake banana scent and the product is coloured to match. The product itself is a thick texture and is intensely hydrating and really helps to detangle hair without weighing it down. I have fine wavy-curly hair but lots of it that tends to split easily and after using this from the start of the year until late fall when it ran out, I can say that it prevented the dry ends from forming that contribute to such breakage. The product is super-concentrated and easily worth the money as many cheaper options tend to run out more quickly and work less effectively.

Pureology SuperSmooth Sulfate-Free Shampoo ($29 CDN)

Sulfates are a nightmare for my hair, both drying it out and causing eczema on my scalp and this is easily my favourite sulfate-free shampoo I’ve tried, however it is very expensive. Luckily I managed to pick up the litre size of this on sale for about $50 CDN very early in the year and I’m still on the same bottle. This is easily the gentlest effective shampoo that I’ve ever tried and is definitely the most concentrated. I always find I go through hair product quickly but this one truly is the most concentrated. The ingredients are really great, the only silicones are water-soluble and do not build up on the hair and it contains high concentrations of nourishing oils like sesame oil and shea butter. This shampoo is one of the rare shampoos that manages to cleanse the hair without stripping it. The smell is to-die for, a luxurious slightly spicy and woodsy scent – easily the best smelling hair product I’ve ever tried.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in Ivory ($10 CDN)

I started using this foundation shortly before starting my blog and it was one of the products that got me into drugstore makeup – before the blog, I was a diehard MAC girl with a hint of Sephora thrown in there. This foundation I wore pretty much all summer long and never stopped using it afterwards. For me, this foundation is one that I can always wear and feel confident about putting on my skin without thinking about it. I can’t see the shimmer in it and find it slightly glowy with great longevity. It has that medium coverage that can be worn when your skin isn’t looking too great but doesn’t look heavy on the skin. The colour is one of the best matches for me as it’s fair with yellow undertones and sits nicely on my dehydrated skin. It’s weightless on the skin without including harsh irritating alcohol.

MAC Powder Blush in Harmony ($25 CDN)

Although it’s called a blush, this is definitely a contour powder. It’s somewhat cool-toned without being grey and somehow manages to add warmth to the face while providing some shape. I picked this up very early in the year and haven’t looked back as it’s remained a staple throughout the entire year. It’s a matte  medium toned mauve-y brown that is difficult to describe and works for me year round regardless of the season.

Maybelline The Falsies Mascara ($10)

If you’re a regular reader of my blog, it will be no secret to you that this is my all-time favourite mascara and I discovered at the beginning of this year and repurchased it recently. It’s nice and volumizing, can be built up and doesn’t clump and the wand deposits the perfect amount of product. I should mention that naturally I have long, curled and wimply lashes and I enjoy volumizing drier mascaras as wetter formulas tend to look less natural and more spider-y on me.

Urban Decay Naked Palette ($62 CDN)

I agonized over whether to include this palette, as for the first few months of my blog I talked about how I didn’t love this palette as an all-inclusive palette for a variety of looks but then I slowly fell in love with it but prior to starting my blog, I wore these shadows on a daily basis – I wore Sin on my lids, Naked in the crease and Hustle in the outer-v- which is still a combination I adore. It has those flattering warm tones and contains a variety of shades of different depths and is easily my most used eyeshadow item of the year. If you enjoy shimmery warm-toned eyeshadows, this is the palette for you.

MAC Charcoal Brown Eyeshadow ($12/18 CDN)

This might seem like a really boring shade to include but it’s proven its value as a staple to me year round. It’s a medium toned slightly-cool toned brown with a matte finish. This was the product that got me into filling in my brows and it’s a fabulous shade for brunettes but it also adds great definition to the crease that cannot be duplicated with a shimmery shade and is the perfect balance of warm and cool for me.

MAC Lipstick in Patisserie ($18 CDN)

I swore I was only going to include products that I wore the entire year but although I’ve only been using this since October, it became my go-to shade and easily my favourite lip product discovery of the year. It’s a lustre so it doesn’t highlight dry patches and is somewhat moisturizing. It’s a darker nude that isn’t all that different in colour than my pale lips — a warm nude with some pink in it that doesn’t wash me out in the least but rather adds some life to my face and looks good with any makeup.

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge in Rose ($30 CDN)

2013 was the year that I fell in love with the bold lip. Sure I wore red lips to prom but prior to this year that was the extent of my exposure to the red lip or even the bold lip in general. However the particular lipstick was a difficult to decide on as bold lipsticks aren’t something you typically reach for on a daily basis. After lamenting for a couple of days, I decided that I couldn’t put a particular one in but bold lips was perhaps my makeup discovery of the year overall. Easily my most used lip product of the year was this multi-tasking product. I like it as a creme blush as well but the iconic Bobbi Brown product is something I’ve reached for constantly all year for a warm rosy hue on my lips that doesn’t pull brown whatsoever. It’s sort of hydrating but not remarkably so and has the easiest on-the-go application and is that slightly darker but sought-after my lips but better shade on me that wears nicely for a few hours.

MAC Stereo Rose Mineralize Skinfinish ($34 CDN) – limited edition 😦

insert picture of me wearing it on December 13th w/o bold lip

Being the blush hoarder and obsessor – is that even a word? If it’s not I’m making it one…. – that I am, I knew I had to put one in my yearly favourites, however it was incredibly difficult to choose my favourite one that I wore the most throughout the year as I tend to go through blush phases. I know it’s rather evil of me to include a limited edition product but I discovered the hyped but worth the hype product this year and loved it throughout the year even though I didn’t necessarily mention it as much as it deserved. I bought it at the very start of the year when the Apres Chic collection came out. I was not intending on buying it but when I tried it on, the finely-milled glowy rosy coral wowed me. It’s a blush that is the most gorgeous when not too much else is going on with your makeup.

Seeing as I included a product that is rather difficult to get your hands on and I know how annoying it can be when someone rambles on about an amazing product that you can’t get, I’ll include my runner up – Nars Orgasm Powder Blush, a less-corally pinky-coral with gold shimmer running throughout that brightens the face while working with whatever makeup you’re wearing.

What were your favourite products of the year?

My Drugstore Beauty Essentials

ignore the toilet and my lack of lining up skills :)
ignore the toilet and my lack of lining up skills 🙂

I will admit that in the past I’ve been a victim of the whole mentality that if a product is more expensive, it must necessarily be better, or “you get what you pay for”, however recently I have found some products that I adore at the drugstore that are at least as good (if not better than) their much pricier counterparts. So, here goes:

1. Neutrogena Extra Gentle cleanser: True to its name, this is a fragrance-free and irritation-free cleanser. Due to the fact that it does not contain any detergents, it is not the best makeup remover, nor does it provide an ultra-deep cleanse. This cleanser might perhaps be the best one that I’ve ever tried, easily better than ones with 3x the price-tag. I highly recommend this cleanser for sensitive and acne-prone skin, but it is also great for all skin types. In Canada, it costs around ten dollars.

2. Rimmel Wake Me Up foundation: This is a pretty new foundation for me, but I have been using it long enough to know that it does not clog my pores (and I have extremely sensitive, acne-prone skin). As I was in the market for a new less-expensive glowier foundation and I had heard great things about this foundation, I picked this one up in 100 ivory and was impressed. The only setback with this foundation is the colour range – there are only a few colours and are particularly limited in pale and dark shades. The finish is gorgeous and glowy and I find it has good medium coverage. It is also worth noting that this is one of the best foundations I’ve ever tried and outperforms foundations that cost 5x the price. In Canada it costs about 10-12 dollars.

3. EOS lip balm: These lip balms are great, super-hydrating and they aren’t sticky, shiny or anything. The ball-packaging is rather nice and they function as a skin-care product, not a balm for a glossy appearance (like Maybelline Baby Lips or the like). I highly recommend these for dry lips. I would imagine that they cost a bit under 10 dollars CDN – I’m not sure how much they cost individually because I bought them in a value pack at Costco.

4. Maybelline Master Precise eyeliner pen: In all honesty here, I am not the most even-handed and precise person while applying liquid eyeliner (or anything else for that matter) and this liner makes the job far easier. This liner (I have it in black) appears nicely matte and inky-dark. For some odd reason, I have the oiliest eyelids known to man and this lasts all day on me without smudging and removes easily with Bioderma (or any regular makeup remover). However, I must mention that you must hold the liner on its side so it is parallel to the lashline or the product will not have much colour payoff. I find myself reaching for this quite frequently to do a nicely winged eye look. I paid about 10 dollars CDN for this.

5. Maybelline the Falsies Flared mascara: Long story short – I really like this mascara. I have very sensitive and dry eyes and eye products frequently irritate my eyes so I was pleasantly surprised when this oddly rose-scented mascara did not. Naturally I have fairly long pretty curly eyelashes so I look for dramatically thickening mascaras and this one does the job. One of this mascara’s plenty appeals is that it removes quite easily with gentle makeup remover, while not flaking or coming off in any shape or form during the day. In my experience, this mascara does not imitate the results of false lashes but what one does? The Falsies Flared provides nice thick lashes along with some length and makes my lashes look rather nice at a fraction of the cost of other mascaras that I’ve tried that it works at least equally well to. I purchased mine at a local drugstore for 10 dollars CDN.

Note: I personally have not tried the original mascara. I’ve heard that the formula for the Falsies Flared and the Falsies original are the same, just the brushes are different. I am not a fan of the brush and find it to be a gimmick therefore if you have the original, I would not reccomend rushing out to purchase the flared edition.

6. Maybelline Colour Tattoo eyeshadow in Bad to the Bronze: I’m sure this needs no explanation, so I’ll keep it short and sweet; by no means do I think this is an amazing but I think it is slightly better than MAC Paint Pots, making it the best eye shadow base I’ve ever tried. For me, this product is not crease-proof and not that I’ve tested it out myself, I doubt that these last 24 hours. Keeping that in mind, this cream shadow is great. The taupey-bronze hue is great for those of us who are cooler-in tone, as it allows us to wear that bronzy hue without looking orange. I find myself reaching for this shadow when I have to get ready in seconds – I apply this, shove some mascara onto my lashes and haphazardly fill in my brows. I find that this shadow is long-wearing and also helps other eyeshadows to really pop – even more than they would with a traditional primer such as Urban Decay Primer Potion. I know these are much cheaper in the states, but I picked mine up for ten dollars CDN.

Note failure to keep it short and sweet.

7. Bioderma Sensibio micellar water: I feel like I’m cheating by including this because although this product is sold at the drugstore, it is not particularly inexpensive but it is fantastic nevertheless. Above I mentioned that I have super-sensitive skin and this is multiplied tenfold for my eyes and they are also incredibly dry. I am one of those people who eyes always sting when they are removing makeup and miraculously this one does not sting, while still being quite effective. It’s also fragrance-free and soothing, therefore excellent for sensitive skin. I use it nightly to remove my face and eye makeup before cleansing my face and I adore it, however I find myself going through this product rather fast. I picked mine up at Shopper’s for 22 dollars CDN.

8. John Freida Frizz-Ease Curl Reviving styling mousse: As a wavy-curly girl, I have a slight obsession with trying to find the perfect product, I go through a ton of them and I am rather picky about them. It’s difficult to find good products, even more-so without spending a ton of money. This mousse is good, however. It has a good amount of hold without weighing the hair down, drying it out, leaving residue or making it hard or crispy. It’s also a alcohol and silicone-free product, which are rather difficult to find at any price point. I find that it gives me nice curl formation and I picked it up for around 10 dollars CDN.

If anyone in the world is reading this, I apologize profusely for being my usual, excessively wordy self and providing very minimal useful information. It appears that the products that I am preaching about are already hyped-up products and I most likely am presenting little to no helpful information. Anyways, salutations (because I find the word hilarious)!