Top Ten Products of 2007

I saw that many of my favorite beauty bloggers were posting a listing of their favorite things for the past year, and I thought I would weigh in with my favorites as well.

My top ten beauty products from 2007 include the following items:

1. Alima Summer Intensities eyeshadow gift set - I actually really liked the Spring Flower Box eyeshadow set as well, and I had a hard time choosing which one to list. The Alima gift sets are nicely priced ($24 for the four full-sized shadows), and they are a great way to try Alima's well-mixed natural mineral eyeshadows. This set is wearable, but fun.

2. Bobbi Brown Pink Quartz Shimmer Brick - I am a shimmer brick fan. I was very excited to get this one, and it makes a wonderful highlighter.

3. Chanel Rouge Allure in Evanescent - This is simply a great peachy-nude in the nice Rouge Allure formula.

4. Cover Girl Lash Blast mascara - I think Cover Girl delivered a great, layerable mascara in the Orange Beast. I just can't decide if I like Lash Exact more. . .hmm. . .

5. MAC Thrills lipstick - This rosy-copper frost is unique and fun, but suits warm tones best.

6. Mally Beauty City Chick Smokey Eye Kit in Canal Street Khaki - I love Mally's smokey eye kits (though the eyeshadow base is not my favorite), and I was pleasantly surprised to get this palette when I had ordered an Auto-Delivery option on a QVC Today's Special Value (TSV). It includes the aforementioned not-so-fab base and three coordinated definitely-fab eyeshadows in khaki-green shades.

7. Stila Mandarin Mist Warm trio - This baked eyeshadow trio is a great go-to reliable shimmery set for me.

8. Stila Moss Agate palette - Stila made another winner with this green eyeshadow set that comes with a coordinating blush. The little velvet case is cute, too.

9. Tarte Blissful cheek stain - I *live* for new Tarte cheek stains colors. This one was not a disappointment. It's a warm peachy-pink that anyone who likes Tipsy or Tickled will also enjoy.


10. Tarte We Wish You Wealth palette - I just had to put this on the list, because it is one heck of a bargain. The only downside is that the palette is a little unwieldy, but Tarte has managed to fit a lot of stuff into the space. For $52, you get the following 16 eyeshadows, 16 lipglosses, 4 gel eyeliners, 4 cheek stains, 3 lip sheers, eyelid primer, luminizer, and two mini makeup brushes.

Matte Lips - A Rich Winter Indulgence

There is something about winter weather that begs for a matte lip. Perhaps it is the wind whipping our hair across our faces or the scarves bundled up around our mouths. Maybe we just need to balance the shimmer we don for holiday parties on our eyes, lips, face. . .whatever the reason, I find a matte lip in the winter to be very satisfying. It is bold. It is pigmented. It is classic.

Don’t get me wrong – I love a good gloss as well, but there is something mysterious . . .sexy. . .even powerful about a strong matte lip. Some of my favorite products for achieving the look include the following:

MAC Matte Lipstick – While MAC matte lipsticks are not for everyone because they are fairly dry in consistency, as usual, MAC does a fine job with color choices in its matte lipstick formula. Additionally, MAC has taken on the critics with the release of their “mattene” formula of lipsticks. Designed to be a creamier, less drying, take on matte, these are definitely worth a look if you find the regular matte formula too dry.

Bobbi Brown Mattestain – Bobbi Brown, Queen of the Neutral, does a fine job in her stab at matte with the mattestain. These little pots of highly pigmented, creamy lip color are fairly limited in color range, but the colors offered are rich and bold. The color goes on creamy and is not as terribly drying as many matte lip products. These are absolutely one of my favorite matte lip products, and I own almost all of the colors.

Bobbi Brown Pot Rouge – Bobbi delivers even more matte lip options with her multi-tasking pot rouge product. Pot rouges can be used on cheeks or lips, and the colors are a more muted take on the classic matte lip. These more natural-looking colors render themselves foolproof, going on easily and smoothly. They are the matte that doesn’t take itself too seriously.

Laura Mercier Lip Stain – Laura Mercier, another neutral expert, released her new pot lip stains in 2007. As with many matte lip products, this one is somewhat drying. I find that my satisfaction varies with the color of this product, so I definitely must “try before I buy”. They are worth a look for any matte lover, but I must admit that I think Bobbi Brown has produced superior products for achieving a matte lip.

NARS Lip Stain Gloss – The fact that this is called a “gloss” will forever puzzle me. This product goes on very creamy. If you mess up the application, it’s no problem. Once this dries though, the reason it is called a “stain” becomes very apparent – it is a long-lasting matte lip product.

If you are going to go matte, I challenge you to go bold and uncompromising in your color selection – full-bodied reds, lush berries, or candied pinks are great choices. They look especially rich when paired with a light shimmery eye. A good matte nude or a YLBB-shade (Your Lips But Better) should be a staple in every makeup addict’s stash, reliably balancing a smoky eye. Some of my favorite mattes are:

MAC Russian Red

MAC Kinda Sexy

Bobbi Brown Candy mattestain

Bobbi Brown Powder Pink pot rouge

NARS Rage lip stain gloss

What are your favorite matte lip products? Post a comment, and let me know!