Monday, December 31, 2007

Storybookheroine's "Best of 2007 List"



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!

  • 15 Minute Beauty Fanatic

  • Afrobella

  • All About The Pretty

  • All Lacquered Up

  • Beauty 411

  • Beauty Blogging Junkie

  • Beauty Talk

  • Beautiful Makeup Search

  • Beauty Hatchery

  • Beauty Jones

  • Blogdorf Goodman

  • Canadian Beauty

  • C'est Chic

  • Coquette

  • eBeautyDaily

  • For The Love of Beauty

  • Give Me Your Eyes I Need Sunshine

  • Getting Amped

  • Grayburn

  • HauteMommaStuff

  • Koneko's Beauty Diary

  • Makeup Bag

  • The Makeup Girl

  • Miss Whoever You Are

  • My Life,My Words,My Mind

  • Legerdenez

  • Perfumista

  • Periodic Style

  • Platinum Blonde Life

  • Product Girl

  • Shop Diary

  • Slap of the Day

  • Steeping Beauty

  • The Beauty Alchemist

  • The Daily Obsession

  • The Life Of A Ladybug

  • The Non-Blonde

  • Urbane Girl

  • Victoria's Own

  • We Love Beauty
  • 19 comments:

    Grayburn said...

    What an extensive list! I must try some more Fresh products now, I've seen it on quite a few lists now. Thanks for great recommendations and a smashing 2008 to you!

    Carla said...

    Yes, an extensive list indeed. I'm bookmarking this and putting items on my shopping list. :) I love Chinatown as well. I tried the candle (on my list) and the perfume but I actually prefer the candle.

    Happy New Year!

    Henna said...

    I am so jealous of all the Becca products that you have tried - I can't get Becca here and I am dying to at least try their cream blushes!

    Happy new year!

    Victoria said...

    Ack! Now where am I gonna find that Chanel Polish? I'm with you on many of the Fresh products. I really miss the powdered cleansing face wash! Love the Soy Soak, I'll have to look for the body scrub. I love the face scrub and how it melts completely, no gritty mess to deal with.
    Happy New Year!
    Victoria

    Roxy said...

    Wow!!! Thanks for taking the time to write about all of those great looking items, and even to post photos -- they're great! Yep, need that Chanel Holographic Polish in a bad way ... goodness, what should be next, so many to choose from ... hmmm! Happy 2008!

    Trina said...

    I am insanely jealous that you got the Chanel holo polish!!! You have a ton of awesome products on this list, which just makes me want to try the others even more!

    Gaia said...

    I have a soft spot for everything Fresh. Always smells good and feels luxurious.

    Happy New Year!

    Annieytown said...

    "I'm a sucker for anything that glows in the dark, lights up, sparkles or changes colors so how could pass this up."

    We were destined to be friends K!Sparkle junkies!

    Your list was exquisite. Love the photos! It was the Chantecaille palette picture that made me gasp.

    I hope your 2008 is beyond fabulous! Thanks for all the reviews, lemmings and music recs.
    )))K(((

    Storybookheroine said...

    Thank you everyone for taking the time to visit and leave a comment and I wish you all a Happy New Year! I can't wait to dive into everyones else's Best of Lists to find new lemmings!

    Grayburn- Fresh makes some really wonderful things, I'd try the Sugar Face Polish, the Sugar Lip Treatment, an EDP or grab one of their great bath and body gels. Everything they make smells so good and is gentle on the skin!

    Carla- Chinatown is wonderful! I was so amazed that a perfume could transport me to another place the way Chinatown does! I burn candles everyday and will look into the candle!

    Henna- I did a little online research and it looks like you can purchase Becca here
    http://www.dermstore.com/profile_Becca+Cosmetics_500477.htm
    Thank you for visiting and I hope you can now order Becca until your heart is content! I suggest Turkish Rose highly!

    Victoria- I would look on ebay for Chanel Holographic. It was rather difficult to get but mine was purchased at a counter in SG a few months after the release. Really worth the time and effort, it's quite special and unique in my limited polish experience.
    I completely understand missing discontinued products. My Holy Grail dry hand moisturizer, Fresh Orange Chocolate Shea Butter has been discontinued and I think the In Flight Kit might be too. It's a shame. I never had a chance to try the cleansing powder but I did purchase the special edition one they made for the Memoirs of a Geisha movie tie in and really liked it. The Brown Sugar Body Polish is HEAVEN and is in a set called Sugar Stars for the holiday season. It has the Sugar Lip Treatment and a purse friendly size of the Sugar Blossom Hand Creme for $85 which is a great deal.

    Roxy- Thank you very much! I'm glad I participated even if I did go way overboard (=
    The Chanel is worth hunting down. They have made some very nice things lately in the polish department but a few are not sold in the US which makes me sad. Shipping polish is so costly and I worry it will break in transit.

    Trina- Thank you so much! It seems Chanel Holographic Polish is the popular item of my list based on the comments! I hope everyone that looks for it is able to located the duo. Two different colors were sold, the Holographic and a liquid silver color but I cannot recall the name.

    Gaia- I'm so happy I'm not the only one who loves Fresh! I have to say I'm happy with almost everything I've ever tried from them! That's a hard thing for a brand to pull off!

    Storybookheroine said...

    Annie- I saw you had the Guerlain Forever Gold powder on your list too! Is it not just the best thing ever? I loved your description of it, spot on.

    I am a sparkle junkie for sure lol! You should see some of my lip glosses!

    The Chantecaille Eye Palette is still sold on blissworld.com I think it's a great palette and prefer it to the Rose palette from earlier this year.

    Thank you so much for including me in this blogger event, it was such fun!

    Have a wonderful 2008!

    Christine said...

    I love that you've tried out so many of the Becca products! I've been wanting to try them (and I have a GC to dermstore), so I'm going to read your list and reviews more extensively before I make my purchase!

    If you were still interested in that BB Stonewashed palette, don't go to eBay. There's a Vanilla Chocolate set from Laura Mercier (exclusive to Saks) that is a great replacement, I'm going to feature it sometime this week, but I did get it for Christmas and love it!

    Chocolate Vanilla Eye Palette

    Anna Maria Pellizzari said...

    Sounds like you're a Fresh/Becca woman!

    I just started using the Oscar Blandi dry shampoo as well. Do you find it works better when you apply it at night before bed, or the next morning?

    risa said...

    yay another Fresh fiend! i adore their Brown Sugar scrub as well, and am on my 3rd bottle of Fresh Sugar.

    The thing on your list that most caught my eye was the Chantecaille liners... such pretty colors! they look like they'd go well with my current Urban Decay HGs. :) i love that you put so much on your list; there's something for everyone here!

    Beauty411 said...

    What a fabulous list! I'm also partial to Fresh, and my beloved Guerlain. Must try the Becca line; have seen it on several lists.

    Storybookheroine said...

    Christine- I've had such wonderful luck with Becca products, I think the only thing I have not liked was the mascara because it smudged like nothing else and was impossible to remove (they have a new one out now that looks promising). I think the creme blushes and the shimmer powders are the gateway drug to the brand. My first Becca was the Nordstrom Anniversary Set from 2006 (a creme blush, lip tint, shadow duo and a jewel dust in neutral colors) and I couldn't stop finding new things to try in the brand after that.
    The LM palettes look very tempting! I've been fighting that off as well as the NM Chatecaille exclusive gold set and I've told myself I have the BB Chocolate palette and should be happy with that... time will tell (=

    Amplifier- I usually use it at night but sometimes I get dragged out of the house before I've washed my hair and it has performed well in the morning too. I think applying it to you hands and running them through the problem areas is the best way to go, start small and build so you don't over apply. I have used it directly from the applicator to my hair and as long as you run you fingers through you hair and look for any spots that it might have over applied in and dust your fingers over that you are fine. I run a brush through everything no matter what application method I use. Like makeup blending is a good thing ^^ If pressed I prefer it at night before bed.
    I am tragically hooked on Fresh and Becca. The brands fit me perfectly! I hope you have a counter near you so you can see how pretty the colors are! The shimmer powders are mesmerizing!

    Risa- The Chantecaille liners are amazing! The colors are so pretty. I get the names mixed up but one is the most beautiful steel blue-gray color and they shine so remarkably. I don't use liquid liners by nature but these I do. Even the applicator wand is great. That picture is very accurate for the colors too.
    I love Fresh Sugar EDP! I gave a bottle to my mom for Christmas just to "share the love". The new Sugar Acai Moisturizer smells so much like the perfume and did you know they released a limited edition Sugar oval soap? The think I snapped up 6 of those lol! I'm so excited to try their new Appleseed Scrub and the Brightening Essence! The Appleseed Peel works so well these really interest me. Now if they will just make a Creme Annciene Eye Creme (are you listening Fresh?).

    beauty411- It's so nice to hear from others who love the same brands I do! Becca is a wonderful brand with many purchase worthy products, I look forward to hearing what you find in the brand (=

    Happy New Year to everyone and thank you for taking the time to post comments!

    Anonymous said...

    sounds like a fabulous list! I want that mist spray

    http://socialitedreams.wordpress.com

    Eye Repair said...

    This is great. I really enjoyed reading your blog. Look forward to more!

    Anonymous said...

    Hi,
    enjoyed reading your blog.
    could you tell me how much you paid for the silver duo platinum nail polish and where can i find it.

    thanks

    Sheena said...

    Love these products! So many are so nice to bad I can't usually buy them XD.

    But I was wondering if you would be able to tell me which shade one of the Becca Glossy Lip Tints? I understand if you can't though lol ^^' But it's the second one from the left, its a kind of light pinky beige on my monitor lol.