Top 10 Beauty Products of 2011!!

It’s been swell, 2011, but as you fade from my memory I would like to take some time to remember how you kept me feeling beautiful and looking my best…

As many of you may know, this was a year of many changes for me. I uprooted myself from everything I knew and held dear and came west to find it’s a whole different world out here! No seriously …it is…it’s sunny ALL THE TIME and so dry, I actually smile when it rains. The air out here - well all jokes aside, its horrific for anyone whose job it is to look your best 24/7. All this took a LOT of getting used to. I have tried more beauty products this year than I think my entire college years combined (which any of my old college roommates can attest is a CRAZY amount.) I have cried and fought with my skin, begged and pleaded with my hair and all but gave up on my nails – bartending had them pleading for “enhancements” – DON’T GIVE IN!!! It’s been a challenge but what I really got out of this year is an incredible wealth of beauty knowledge that I’d like to share with you here.

The following is a list of my top ten beauty products!! These are game changers. They, in some cases, saved my life. All of these products I discovered in 2011 so while some might have existed before then, I only became interested in them this year. I’m getting really excited so here we go!

10. EOS Everyday Hand Lotion in “Nourish” and Organic Lip Balm Smooth Sphere

Ok, so grouping these together technically makes 11 but that works even better, right? I was introduced to the lip balm last year – who can resist that cute little bauble? At first I didn’t find it to be that extraordinary but I appreciated the fact that it was organic. Now this might seem strange but this little blissful balm is one of those products you have to break in. In other words, it get’s better over time. It glides and conditions well at first but within a few weeks of daily use, it became a must in my routine. There’s a word for that…addiction, maybe? Anywho, I’m in my third and my lips are pleased to pout. 

So please was I that when I spotted a familiar shaped hand lotion I didn’t hesitate even though I was already happy with my L’occtaine Shea Butter Hand Cream. Little did that latter, poor hand cream know it was about to get it’s little French butt kicked by something less expensive and less experienced. As a new addition to the EOS line, the  Everyday Hand Lotion is 97% natural, dye free, hypoallergenic, and doesn’t have any of those chemicals I can’t pronounce. I was surprised by how light yet moisturizing it was. No greasy fingerprint here AND it lasts just as long as the L’occtaine one. Like the lip balm, I think the real sell here is the unique, ingenious packaging – talk about reinventing the wheel.

9. O.P.I Nail Lacquer in Rainbow Connection or ANY Glitter Nail Polish

Suddenly it was ok to go back to 5^th grade this year and rock shiny, sparkly, dazzling nail polishes that we treasured, begged our mothers for, and then tossed once we got to high school. Well, like everything else, the Glitter Fairy is back with a vengeance and she’s oh so grown up. No longer considered childish, glitter is actually quite chic. Never have I seen so many different color combos  - it’s like Lisa Frank and Jackson Pollock had a secret love child and she had to make a name for herself.  Everyone rocked her this year and while I dread the day she leaves, I’m glad the bitch is back.

 8. Colgate Optic White Daily Toothpaste

With all the other things going on with my skin and hair, I was able to breathe easy with this new toothpaste. I’m usually strictly a Crest girl but I noticed that this has a higher concentration of hydrogen peroxide, which I know whitens, brightens, and is the main ingredient in most over the counter whitening strips. The proof is in my pearly whites – no strips necessary making that one less thing I have to worry about. Phew!

7. Organix Renewing Moroccan Argan Oil Conditioner

You can’t go anywhere beauty related without catching a glimpse or hearing a whisper about Argan Oil – it’s the latest, greatest, and apparently its been around forever. That being said, it comes with a hefty price tag. Earlier this year, I couldn’t really bring myself to cough up the bucks for Morrocanoil products and I didn’t feel comfortable buying something like that without a guarantee. Then, the Organix gods answered my prayers by coming out with their own aptly titled line of argan oil infused hair care and while I have tried almost the entire line, I really love the conditioner. Nothing has ever made my hair this soft and shiny. It’s not that often that I can say my hair is healthy but even after one use, I finally experienced what that’s like. AND you can practically try their entire line for the price of one bottle of Morrocanoil…I don’t know why you are still sitting at you computer…RUN, don’t walk to your nearest drugstore!!

6. Nexxus Pro-Mend Leave-in Treatment Crème

The best part about this product it that you don’t have to use is all the time. I love that. It’s not converting you – no need to drink the Kool-Aid. I am trying to grow my hair long and in order to do that I can’t be chopping off an inch of split ends every 3 months. At the rate I was going, I’d have been 30 before my hair reached the mid-back point. This does what it says and I love when products tell me the truth…it there something like this to fix Washington? I’ll look into it and get back to you.

5. Butter London Horse Power Nail Fertilizer

As I eluded to in the intro, I made the gastly mistake of trying one of those Soak-off Gel Manicures because my particular line of work had reduced my nails to nubs. I don’t know why I did it as I had the UV Gels in High School for 6 months and it took another 6 months after I took them off for me to get my nails back to a pretty place. (You’d think I learn…) Anyway I was petrified that I had done a repeat performance when I saw how thin and sad my nails looked after the Soak-offs so I did a little research and bought this. I wasn’t thrilled by the price but I figured it was the cost of a manicure and gave in. It’s amazing. I put it on every other day for several days and then take it off. I’ll then let my nails breathe and voilà, their tough as…well, nails.

4. Coconut Oil – preferably organic and virgin

In a more serious moment this year, I discovered that I had eczema on my scalp. At first,  I thought it was just your run of the mill dry scalp but when my usual remedy of olive oil treatments didn’t work,  I had my cousin check it out and describe what she saw, there was no doubt. I had patches where I was beginning to lose hair and I had no idea what to do. I kept hearing about coconut oil and I thought it couldn’t be any different than olive – right? Wrong! For me, coconut oil was so much more nourishing, softening my hair whilst not leaving a thick residue. I put it on my scalp the night before I know I’m going to wash my hair and come it though, separating my hair into four braided sections. A plastic cap ensures no stains on my pillow and keeps the heat close to my head. In the morning it’s a tangle free rinse and wash like normal. The results were beyond relieving; this saved my hair and I will forever give thanks to those furry little nuts for their extraordinary properties…still can’t bring myself to like the taste of that water, though.

3. Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque

My roommate is from Georgia and when I came back from Rite-Aid with two of these because there was a BOGO, she squealed in delight. Apparently, there’s a whole other world of beauty products in the South that I have never been privy to until now and with this one, I struck oil. Or rather, it struck oil and removed it from my face in a cool, calming way that I could not believe. It’s delightful on my (newly) acne-prone skin, extracting oil and whipping those clogged pores into shape – politely, of course.

2. Lush Mint Julips Lip Scrub

I never really saw the need for lip scrubs - always just gave my kissers a quick rubdown with a washcloth after washing my face and kept on truckin’. However, this lovely dry climate had caused a lovely dark ring to form around my lips – natural 90s lip liner, perhaps? During a Lush haul I saw this at the checkout  -that’s how they get ya - and thought it can’t hurt. Glad I was feeling spontaneous at that particular moment cause this simple & sweet mix dissolved the throwback liner plus you can literally rub it in then lick it off...yummmmm.

1.       Clarisonic Mia Sonic Skin Cleansing System

I already know that I will not be able to express my admiration for this tool in an articulate fashion but I’ll just get this out of the way: I F*ING LOVE IT!!!!!! Let’s move on, shall we?

First things first, this is an investment. I thought long and hard about this one and finally decided that it was worth it. My skin had gone through HELL this year and L.A. air quality is only partially to blame. For the first time I had flaky  dry patches on my cheeks, an oil slicked T-zone using  5 blotting sheets a day, 2 allergic reactions – 1 of which left me with scars,  and consistent hormonal acne that I didn’t even experience when I was a teenager. My face was a mess and in my line of work, your face is your main draw. Having had good skin my whole life, it was a blow to my confidence to be trapped by my skin. I knew I had to do something and I have to say that it was this supersonic tool that made the most difference. It cleanses deeply, giving me a clean slate every day.  My products do absorb better and my skin is actually glowy. I’m amazed by the texture difference and though I’m sooooo tempted to touch my silky soft cheeks, I refrain – doctor’s orders! Is my skin still recovering? Yes, but the difference is truly astounding. This is my number one pick for 2011 – the tool that changed the game.

I hope you found this countdown of sorts to be helpful and that you all have a beautiful new year!!