Keeping the list to a minimum was out of the question for me. Honestly I tried but I love so many different things and have just as hard a time reducing this list as I do curtailing my makeup and skin care expenditures. These are my favorite, most used products of 2007. Most are still available but some are limited editions and worth the time to hunt down on ebay. What I learned in making this list is I am a neutral girl through and through. I never met an earth tone I didn't like and if the lipstick has a brown, gold or bronze tone to it I will buy it. I love the brand Fresh and I use their skin care products on my face almost exclusively. I do think they are very expensive but I love the results and improvements they have made to my dry, sensitive skin. Something new for 2007 was discovering perfume again. I had abandoned it all together but in receiving samples from purchases and a huge thanks to Cavewoman and Annietown for exposing me to fragrance I've come back and have learnt so much about them.
So here it is, my best of 2007 list. If you get to the end of it you truly deserve a prize (=
If anyone wants pictures of the items just leave in it the comments and I will post them
Happy New Year to you all and I look forward to looking at your favorites list over the next few days!
Storybookheroine's list of favorite things from 2007
1. Fresh Appleseed peel- Gentle 3 step AHA peel for the face. My skin has never looked better and you can use it and still go out for the night with makeup on. It shrinks pores, improves radiance, improves fine lines, helps with breakouts and evens out skin tone. Miracle product for my sensitive, dry skin. I can't wait for the new Appleseed line to hit stores!
2. Best of Becca Palette- All my favorites in one palette, how could I not love it! Turkish Rose creme blush and Blossom lip and cheek creme have me covered for pink and peach based nudes, Bird of Paradise Gloss (a multi-use gloss for eyes, lips and cheeks) takes care of my highlighting, and the two shadows in gold and bronze shimmer make for a very pretty eye. Perfect! (from the Spring 2008 collection but available on the Becca website).
3. Chanel Duo Platinum Holographic Nail Polish- I'm a sucker for anything that glows in the dark, lights up, sparkles or changes colors so how could pass this up. I believe it was sold only in Europe and Asia and I was lucky enough to find someone to locate and send it to me. It's a true holographic color in the most classic sense. I love to wear it on my toes and men always comment on how much they like it.
4. Guerlain Poudre d' Orient Bronzer- Limited edition from Summer 2007, this bronzer is so beautiful not only in the pan but on the skin. A warm shimmering bronze, I feel like I'm on holiday every time I apply it. For face and body. The compact is almost as big as my head.
5. Shu Uemura Rouge 4 731- My favorite lipstick. Moisturizing and the perfect shade of warm brown with gold shimmer. Shu makes really top notch lipsticks and everyone should give them a try. Rouge 4 731 is the right most color in this picture.
6. Fresh Sugar lip gloss- A must have for glossy junkies. These new glosses smell wonderful, wear well and are now sticky. Best part? Hours of the most moisturizing gloss I've tried and that great Fresh Sugar smell. Favorites are Sugar Goddess, Sugar Angel and Sugar Baby. These are so moisturizing you can use them like you would lip balm.
7. Becca Highlighters- How could you not love these. Available in 2 powdered formulas (loose and pressed) as well as 9 or so shades it's easy to find the perfect highlighter no matter what skin tone you have, all the shades are great. For liquids Becca has Shimmering Skin Perfecters in 5 shades with SPF, favorites are Pearl and Opal.
8. Chantecaille Luminous liners- These liquid liners give me a reason to attempt the perfect cat eye. They have the best shine and catch the light so well. A sure way to draw attention to your eyes. The brush is thin enough to create a thin line too. All four colors are worth picking up.
9. Nars Albatross- If you were to own one highlighter this should be it. It's perfect on almost any skin tone.
10. Bond #9 Chinatown- I cannot thank Cavewoman enough for turning me on to Bond number 9 perfumes and especially the scent Chinatown. I'm never experienced anything like it. Somehow it truly captures the feeling of visiting Chinatown. Absolutely amazing!
11. Fresh Sugar Face Polish- I adore this duel purpose mask. The sugar exfoliates as I apply and after letting it sit for 10 minutes it rinses off leaving a hydrating layer on my skin. Helps with dry skin and blemishes and smells wonderful too.
12. Guerlain Forever Gold Sublime Radiant Powder- So pretty from packaging to application. Old Hollywood style atomizer gently mists this violet scented pearl infused powder to the face, body and hair. I love to put this in my hair, highlight cheeks with it and spray on my chest/arms/legs for holiday parties. My favorite item from Guerlain holiday!
13. NARS Luster and Gina blushes- Really pretty corally, tangerine colors. Luster is a great shimmering blush and Gina is a close matte version. Luster is like summer in a pan.
Luster swatch
Gina swatch
14. Fresh Mangosteen bath and shower gel/lotion- I love the smell, very different than anything else I've tried. It's fruity but sexy and exotic at the same time. Great as a bath or in the shower. The scent of the gel and lotion together lasts all day. (shown with Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish).
15. Fresh Anise day Serum and Fresh Mamaku Night Serum- after hitting the 35 year mark I thought I should add an anti-aging aspect to my daily skin care. Anise Day Serum lightly moisturizes and relaxes fine lines and expression lines starting in 3 weeks. Mamaku Night Serum helps to turnover cells to give more youthful, radiant skin (smells AMAZING). Shown with Fresh Anise Wrinkle Eraser.
16. Bliss Glamour Gloves- My hands are very dry and I wash them a lot. These gloves have a built in treatment in the lining that really hydrates and protects. I liked these so much I purchased the other hand products from bliss to do a full "spa" hand treatment.
17. Becca Glossy lip tints- Moisturizing and glossy but not sticky, Becca glossy lip tints rock. Great color range. My favorite is Afterglow, a gorgeous shimmering tan that works for night or day and seems to match almost anything else I wear for shadow or blush.
18. Nars Promiscuous and Nars Corinthe lipstick- Great lipsticks. I love tans, beiges, golds, bronzes and browns but these are not as popular as red or pinks so a good lipstick in these shades are hard to find. NARS has never disappointed me and a great nude metallic gold and sheer neutral brown shade made my year a happier one.
Promiscuous swatch
Corinthe swatch
19. Fresh Creme Ancienne & Elixir Ancien- I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these products! My skin does not crack and stays hydrated even during this dry winter. The creme melts with the heat of my hands and creates a protective layer between my skin and the elements. The oil deeply hydrates with just a few drops and plumps up any fine lines from dryness.
20. Becca Foundation system- Becca made me use a liquid foundation for the first time in almost 20 years. The foundation system of prepping the skin with primer and a great tinted moisturizer called Luminous Skin Color (great stuff), correcting any flaws with the foundation stick or concealer (the best concealer with a dual pan of medium coverage and one of extra coverage), and setting everything with the loose powder can perfect any complexion. After the 30 minutes for the powder to meld and melt with the LSC it looks like natural skin. I love this stuff and it is available in 31 shades so anyone can find a good match.
21. Ojon Restorative Hair Treatment- It doesn't smell like roses but on my thick wavy hair this stuff is hard to beat. My hair is instantly smoother, healthier and deeply conditioned. Huge hair saver.
22. Givenchy Eye Fly Mascara- A new favorite. Diorshow is normally what I reach for but Givenchy Eye Fly gives a more natural look but still gives me great length. Non clumping.
23. Fresh Brown Sugar Body Polish- Love it. Smells wonderful, scrubs me smooth and the oils in it leave my skin so hydrated I do not need to apply moisturizer after.
24. Becca Duo eye liners- My most reached for product. These make a quick liner and shadow job a snap. One end is a liner, the other an illuminator. Both sides work as creme shadows and make and excellent base for loose, creme and powdered shadows and look perfect on their own as well. A real life saver. Favorites are Ibiza, Mustique and Madagascar but all 5 pencils work very well.
25. Becca creme blush- The holy grail of creme blush for me. I collected all the colors and find that they all look great on my skin, even the darker ones. I love to use them as is or play them up with other Becca products like shimmer powders, Shimming Skin perfecters, bronzers and soft touch blushes.
26. Fresh In Flight Kit- True skin saver for those times when life leaves you no time to take proper care of your skin. I has cleansing cloths, a hydrating mask you leave on overnight and a special serum to fight the look of fatigue.
27. Oscar Blandi Pronto Dry Shampoo- I hate when my hair goes greasy at night. I do not use a blow dryer on my hair so I certainly don't want to go to bed with wet hair. This powder absorbs the oil, brushes out completely so I don't get powder hair and smells like jasmine. Perfect for my needs or a quick touch up when I'm in a hurry.
28. Becca Go Nude (spring 2007) collection- The perfect no makeup look. I use Blossom lip and cheek and the Eye Tint almost daily. The entire collection is one of my two basic faces I did this year. Wisp Soft Touch Blush is a perfect nude shimmer that I like to sweep on my cheeks and eyes, Nougat is a great lip liner and neutralizes pigmented lips (it's a duo reverse liner) and I adore Bellini glossy lip tint, it's so pretty and does not look like I'm suffering from consumption like this picture.
29. Bliss Vanilla Bergamot bath & shower gel and the matching Body Butter- I had abandoned vanilla all together after the Vanilla Fields epidemic of the late 80's early nineties but this smells so wonderful it made me reconsider the scent again. The bubble bath/shower gel lathers well, makes big bubbles in the bath and is not drying on my skin. It leave a nice scent on the skin and if you use the Bliss Vanilla Bergamot Body Butter the smell lasts all day. The body butter is one of the best moisturizers I have tried. It skins in and keeps my skin hydrated without needed to reapply at any point in the day.
30. Fresh Orange Chocolate Shea butter- Heavy moisturizer that saves my super dry hands. I use it on my hands, lips and sometimes face. It makes a great super moisturizing body treatment if you can wait the 20 minutes for it to sink in before getting dressed.
31. Fresh Sugar Acai body lotion- Smells very similar to Fresh Sugar EDP, has AHA to keep my skin fresh and stimulate cell turnover and the hydropatches keep the moisture going strong even after 24 hours, really amazing for dry skin.
32. Becca Summer collection 2007- My second basic face. Turkish Rose creme blush, Flamenco bronzer, Afterglow glossy lip tint, Madagascar Line and Illuminate pencil and Rose Gold creme shadow. I love this look so much and am wearing it for New Years!
33. NARS Ita brush (the one with the long flat handle)- Amazing for flawless application of highlighters, blush and bronzers. Excellent for blending to perfection.
34. Becca Mineral primer- Normally primer bores me. Yes I know it is important and can help your skin look better on it's own or when worn under makeup. This one I can get excited about. Not only does it make my skin very smooth, silky and reduce pore size but it has mineral SPF so I can dump the extra step of facial SPF and it is effective right away, no need to wait 20 minutes for it to sink in.
35. Fresh Rice Sake Bath- Smells so good! I love the bubbles and the oil properties of this soak. Leaves the shin soft and smelling of the Sake scent. Too bad it costs a small fortune.
36. Fresh Sake Hair Creme- Adds the extra shine and manageability I need, reduces fizz and smells like heaven. Honestly using this for the scent alone is justified.
37. Fresh Cannabis Santal EDP- Great for men and women. I love the smell, it's damn sexy.
38. Fresh Sugar EDP- My day to day scent. Nice and light citrus scent.
39. Becca brushes for creme shadow and creme blush- I used to apply creme products with my fingers but these make application so even and perfect plus they blend so much better with other products when I use these 2 brushes.
Eye Creme brush
Creme Blush/Bronzer Brush
40. Guerlain Fairy Gold lipstick- It's a shame this was limited edition. Cream and gold are swirled together with glimmering gold shimmer. It's very pretty. I love the Fairy Gold Gloss duo as well.
41. Epicuren Rosemary Herbal Lave and spray moisturizer- The smell is wonderful, products are top notch and I love that I can spray that one spot on my back I can never reach with the moisturizer.
42. Guerlain Meteorites- Love them. I use Mythic on a regular basis to correct redness and give my skin that something extra. Winter Radiance is my other favorite, especially for winter and at night. The effect is subtle but wonderful. I feel so much more confident going out with a dusting of these on my skin.
43. NARS Powder Foundation- It's fast, it's easy and it always looks good. Looks natural and has SPF. Love the finely milled texture and the big fluffy sponge applicator.
44. NARS Warm Artist Palette- This is the best palette NARS made. Great neutral shadows, perfect blushes and I love the lipsticks and lacquers. Some of the best NARS has to offer is all in this palette and I reach for in often.
45. Epicuren Professional Microdermabration Scrub- Hard to get them to give this stuff up but it works so well for really removing dry skin. A true microdermabration scrub.
46. Fresh Stage Door Shadow palette and Fresh Roman Holiday Shadow Palette- These are so beautiful. Most of the colored (non neutral) shadows I wear come from these. I love the glow and the blendability of the colors and they match up so well.
47. Fresh Candles- Fresh makes great perfumes and many can be found as candles too. Favorites are Sugar (I burn this all the time), Cannabis Santal, Demitasse and Sake but they have many more.
48. Fresh Here Comes The Sun palette- The best summer palette for bronzer and blush. It will make you look like you spent a day at the beach and the blush is the perfect shade of I just got a tad too much sun today coral.
49. Fresh Soy Face Cleanser- Gentle, effective and removes face and eye makeup. I'm lazy and love it!
50. Bliss Lid and Lash Wash- Best eye makeup remover ever. It's a gel that does not sting and yet removes even thick creamy glitter pencils.
51. Frederic Fekkai Wash and Wear Summer Hair- I'm lazy and I like to use this in the morning to make my shampooing last as long as I possibly can.
52. Diorshow Mascara- Who doesn't like big crazy full lashes without having to apply false lashes?
53. Healthy Sexy Hair Soy Tri-Wheat Leave In Conditioner- Great detangler.
54. NARS Aqua Gel Hydrator- Overnight hydrating mask and a life saver. This is one product super dry skin can not be without.
55. Chantecaille Ethereal Eyes Palette- Such a beautiful palette and the colors are so pretty. I like having the gold or silver option with the coordinating second shadow and liner.
56. Chantecaille Ethereal Lips Palette- Best colors in a lip palette EVER. Love the texture of the lipsticks and the glosses. Absolute magic.
57. Elemis Muscle Super Soak- It really does make a difference for tight muscles, great therapeutic bath.
58. Elemis MUSCLEASE Active Body Concentrate- Maritime Pine and Rosemary essential Oils smell great and really help to loosen muscle knots. This is an oil that smooths over the body easily.
59. Kneipp Herbal Bath- These bath oils actually foam! They smell wonderful and have therapeutic values. I love the lavender one.
60. And most of all----- Blogdorfgoodman- How could I not have Annie's blog on my best of list. I found Blogdorf this year and I love the insight Annie and other writer's bring to it. My favorites from this year was Annie's Chanel trip to Paris and the 40 days and nights of beauty brands reviews.
Please visit these other bloggers to see their best of 2007 lists!
