Beauty favourites in 2010

Fellow beauty aficionados Beautifully Glossy and Miss Prissy Pants recently posted about their top beauty products in 2010 – new finds and old favourites. So of course I had to blindly follow and do the same . Thanks for the inspiration ladies! I will start with my favourite beauty discoveries from 2010. Stay tuned for a post on my old, and much-loved, faithfuls.

Makeup:

Laura Mercier Brow Pencil. I was never a brow person; for all of my life I have ignored their existence (with the exception of some sloppy plucking) which has not been hard as my brows are so fair. But then one day out of the blue I decided to purchase a brow product – I started with the Smashbox Brow Tech in Taupe, which was nice but a little too warm for my  hair colour and complexion. Then someone recommended Laura Mercier Brow Pencil in Blonde and I have worn it every day since. The urban myth that dictates the brow maketh the face? So true! Take my feature photo of the gorgeous Kaya Scoledario as a case in point.

Shu Uemura Painting Gel Eyeliner. I’ve dabbled with eyeliners since I was a teen, with mixed success. The inky pen ones are too haphazard, the pencils tended to fade on my oily eyelids or were hard to apply. Then three things happened: I found this little soft but thick gem, I found a proper eye liner brush, and most recently, I found the Laura Mercier Tight Eyeliner Technique. Now my eyes, like my brows, are lined and shaded every day.

Chanel Teint Innocence Compact. I’ve written about this one to death already, discovered at San Francisco International Airport while waiting for a connecting flight to JFK New York. Foolproof to use, luxurious texture and pretty, fresh finish.

Nars Albatross Highlighting Blush Powder. 2010 seemed to be my year for discovering for the first time the gems of the beauty world that many other women discovered long ago. This was one of them. My favourite highlighter as it is subtle yet immediately makes skin look luminous.

Nars Lip Gloss  in Easy Lover. I found this pretty pink beauty late in the year – what a flattering shade of pink! Instantly brightens the complexion.

Clarins Beauty Flash Balm. Another long-cherished cult favourite which I only recently tried. To be honest, when I first began using it I did not understand what all the fuss was about. I did not think it made my skin look any different. But over Christmas and the New Year, then back in the office after my break, I suddenly, happily understood. Sure, when my skin is healthy and pampered I may not notice a difference using CBF because my skin already looks pretty good. But when I have been staying up late, drinking lots of wine, eating too much naughty food and generally having lots of indulgent fun, this product comes into its own. It is not a highlighter so do not expect overt luminosity. But it makes foundation apply like a silky dream and the skin gains a polished, very subtly dewy fresh appearance.

Chantecaille Lip Chic. I must try more from this brand. The Lip Chics are  a small range of mostly roses,  reds and rich pinks which apply subtly and smoothly. The texture is creamy and luxurious.

Sweet Pure Honey Mica Lip Tint. I loved this so much I dedicated an entire post to it. The original shade is a slightly pearlescent beige peach and it is so flattering on my fair skin. It is super moisturising and makes my lips look full and ripe.

Face Care:

Jurlique Purely Age Defying Eye Cream (formerly the Biodynamic eye cream). Next to cleansers, which I am also obsessed with, eye creams are my favourite skincare product. This may have something to do with turning 30 in 2010 and thus becoming hyper-aware of that delicate skin around my peepers. I discovered this in 2010 and it is so beautiful – really minimises dehydration lines and makes the eye area look smooth and clear.

Ultraceuticals Ultra Moisturiser Cream. 2010 was the year I started ignoring the obvious symptoms of my oily skin, instead opting for richer but non-comedogenic hydrating products. My skin is a little bit multiple personality you see – oily but often dehydrated; clogged pores but not acne-prone. I had tried a sample of this while on Christmas holidays in 2009 and liked it. But last year, a full tube in hand, I truly fell in love. It reminded me of precisely how important water-based hydration is for the skin; mine never looked so healthy.

Aesop Parsley Seed Facial Cleansing Oil. You would know I love cleansing oils but rarely defer from my best friend the Shu Uemura High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil – Fresh. The Shu is still a firm favourite but now so is the Aesop. It smells like REAL, fresh lavender and thus is the perfect evening product as it makes me almost instantaneously relax.

Ole Henriksen Blue/Black-Berry Enzyme Mask. Part hydrating mask, part gentle exfoliating mask, this always leaves my skin looking calm, smooth and plump. .I also use around my eyes as an eye mask and it greatly diminishes dehydration lines

Dermalogica Daily Microfoliant. I was late to the bandwagon with this universal favourite too. It is the ideal product for keeping skin smooth when it is prone (as is mine) to perennially clogged pores and a rough-feeling nose. If you are prone to sensitivity with exfoliants but need them all the same, then please do look into this one.

Body Care:

Burt’s Bees Baby Bee Buttermilk Lotion and Baby Bee Apricot Oil. I wrote about the Buttermilk Lotion just a few days ago. This, and the Apricot Oil, make my skin feel really hydrated. I use the oil on wet skin after showering and shave with it. I adore the slightly tart Apricot scent and only wish it came in a larger bottle.

Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Body Mist Sunscreen Spray SPF 30+. I took this to the US in August and it was such a staple product on my holiday. Sometimes the only thing stopping me from applying sunscreen regularly is a disdain for coagulated, thick white lotions which stain my clothes and are messy to apply. I just spray this on (lots of it) and go.

Hair Care:

Moroccanoil Original Oil Treatment. I am actually obsessed with this – ask my hairdresser who hooked me up with it. It smells so sexy, like sophisticated yet earthy men’s cologne. It also makes my hair baby-soft. A note to fellow blondies though – it does yellow my locks slightly so next time I will try out the light version which apparently does not yellow fair hair.

Unico Leave in Spray and Unico Hair Serum. These two, from Melbourne salon Unico, work wonderfully together. The serum is pure silicone but unlike some silicone hair products it does not seem to build up over time and washes out easily. My hair always looks smooth and shiny when using these; the Leave in Spray also happens to smell like apricots and it a great detangler. Both are also very reasonably priced.

What products did you fall in love with over 2010?

*Top image courtesy of ASOS, via Simply Seductive.