The Year In Beauty: These Are My Favorite Things, Part 4

Welcome back!

You, like me, are probably sitting around in your sweatpants, so what better time to check out the fourth installment of my and Beauty Blogging Junkie Amber's favorite beauty products of 2010. I've been writing about beauty every week for Naag.com, so there are plenty of lipsticks, perfumes, eyeshadows, mascaras and wine to cover.

Let's get right to it.

Here are the beauty products we covered in this video:

Me: Davines Number 1 Finest Oil Non Oil For Wizards (a miraculous anti-frizz serum), Revlon Retro Fire and Ice nail polish in Siren, Miss Pucci Perfume and Tom Ford Black Orchid Nail & Lip Set.

Amber: Keratin Complex Serum, Immunocologie Skin Care, and CND Effects Line polish.

 

Watch Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.

At Arm's Length: What's On My Wrist And In My Bag?

I usually don't take and post my own photos. I'm a HORRENDOUS photographer, and I'm not the world's most photogenic girl. The camera doesn't hate me, and it doesn't love me. It's more like "eh?" Indifferent. I'm an adult. I know and accept this about myself. But I was kinda into my bangle selection and nail polish the other day, so I snapped a quick pic, which of course, my dumb cat Rory jumped into. The camera loves him. Anyway, here's what was going on:

+ Green polish: Avon Nailwear Pro in Jade -- This was my first-ever foray into Avon nail polishes, and WOAH, Johnny. This is one of the best polishes I've used in forevs + 1 day. The formula is smooth, and streak- and clump-free AND it dries quickly. Perhaps most satisfying of all, unlike most polishes which chip off after one shower, this one was going strong for days. And the muted, vintagey green apple shade is, um, so a-ppealing if you'll pardon the horrible pun. Look for Avon Nailwear Pro's Jade shade coming soon.
+ Beige polish: Revlon's new Grey Suede from their Daydreamer Collection. I love the grey-brown beige shade (as well as Daydreamer's Peach Petal color), and I'm currently wearing it on my toes and nails, but the formula was really gloopy and clumpy. Boo.


+ Top bangle: Jessica Kagan Cushman's wonderful engraved resin scrimshaw bracelet. This one says "Pay No Attention To That Man Behind The Curtain." Perfect metaphor for so many moments of my waking hours that I can't control. Appropriately, her "Never Never Never Never Give Up" bracelet seems like the perfect complement. And it goes without saying that the "Nobody Puts Baby In A Corner" bracelet is probably the greatest statement ever engraved onto anything, in the entire history of engraving. (I'd even venture to leverage that statement against the stone cold tablets of the 10 Commandments, but I'm all about the golden rule, so I won't push it.)
+ Middle gold bracelets: They're not at all real gold, but the first one is from a Brooklyn flea market. I think I paid $10 for it. Worth every cent. The other is a fake-gold ID bracelet engraved with name, with a heart punched out. I got this when I turned 13 and lived in Florida. I never take it off.

($60, Steven Shein, Shopstevenshein.com)

+ Silver bangle: Steven Shein flecked bracelet in silver! This was a recent acquisition and I love it more and more every day. It's made of resin and wood, and it's laser cut to absolute perfection. I keep taking it off and marveling at the handiwork.
+ Animal print bangle: Ted Rossi. It's snakeskin, the perfect size for stacking, and it's gotten better as it's been lived in, typed in, clattered and clanged upon. (Check out Ted's black denim tye-die bracelets. Increds!)

Now, onto what's in my bag!

The fabulous and inimitable Dina Fierro, who founded and masterfully executes Eye4Style, does her usual exhaustingly thorough and straight-up smart job of style blogging on the regulars. We also have shockingly similar taste in jewelry. (Just yesterday we shared a moment, dreaming of forearms stacked with Jessica Kagan Cushman bangles, discretion be damned!) I allowed her to rifle and rummage through my handbag for her "What's In HER Bag" blog series. Enjoy a look into my life. Or at least my bag.

+ Disclosure: The Avon and Revlon polishes and the Ted Rossi and Jessica Kagan Cushman bangles were all gifts.

Beauty Buys That Blow!

Styledash has the 12 beauty products that basically suck, according to TotalBeauty.com.

The funny thing is, I actually use about four of them. Here's their take versus mine, which is obviously far superior, because it is.


Smashbox Lip-Enhancing Gloss
Their beef: "Color only lasts through a half-hour commute, and it's hard to ignore the plastic aroma and grainy texture while you're wearing it."
My take: I agree that it doesn't last long, but I have their True Color gloss in Protege, and it's a perfect non-megawatt simple neutral gloss for daywear. And I disagree about any funky texture or smell of yuk.


Revlon Tourmaline Ionic 1875 Watt Hairdryer
Their beef: "... don't let buzz words like 'ionic' and 'ceramic' seduce you into buying it. Bad design and bogus claims had me ready to go back to the louder, heavier Elchim 1800. Despite having multiple settings, this dryer's heat was too intense and its frizz-fighting 'Ion Select Dial' futile."
My take: I agree that there's not much super ionic or tourmalinic (???) about this dryer, but it absolutely fights frizzos (and I should know), and it gets lotsa points for its lack of jet-engine-blast volume. And hello -- it's $35. Perf.


Redken All Soft Gold Glimmer Perfecting Shine Treatment
Their beef: "'Shine treatment' brings a serum texture to mind, but this was a thicker, gel-like goo infused with golden flecks. When sparingly applied from hair ends to mid-shaft, you can expect to get some separation and added texture -- which is odd because it's meant to soften and add shine to hair. (It didn't.)
My take: WTF? I absolutely adore this product. It's a frizz-fighting WEAPON OF FUCKING MASS DESTRUCTION! And it adds an overwhelming amount of shine with a minimal amount of gooey goopiness. The only thing I agree with here is yes, it does smell like a tropical isle. Which rules.


Maybelline New York Define-A-Lash Washable Lengthening Mascara
Their beef: "A mascara that promises "zero clumps" with "stunning length" and "clean definition" at this price sounds too good to be true -- and it is. The reason it doesn't clump? The formula is so thin, you'll need at least two coats to get decent lash definition. Then it starts clumping."
My take: Um, did we use the same product? Yes, this is a VERY thin mascara -- I'll give them that. And you need to use about four coats, not two. BUT, it's an indispensable tool for lengthening, lifting and separating. It's the Wonderbra of mascaras, if you will. I use it as a base and then add a thicker mascara on top of it for maximum effectage. Next to Maybelline's sub par, super-overhyped Great Lash mascara, this thing Speaking of thickening mascara -- I used to use Benefit's Bad Gal mascara, which nearly gives you Tammy Faye Baker eyes, in an awesome way, until my sister and I both concluded -- it ends up migrating from your eyelashes to your undereyes by COB, no matter what. Boo. So now I'm kind of back on the market as far as thickening mascaras go.


Anyway, tell us which beauty products you love/hate/feel indifference/ blind rage toward.