I try a lot of beauty products in a year. It's sort of a hobby. Some of them I mention here on the blog, others I don't. Lately I've been sharing my best finds with the Secret Post subscribers only. But it's the end of the year and I thought I would do a round-up, since lately I've found some real game-changers that simply must be shared.
First up: the Clarisonic Sonic Radiance Brightening kit. This is my new favorite thing and is the perfect complement to one of my favorite beauty tools of all time, the Clarisonic Mia 2. If you already have a Clarisonic, you'll just want this. But if you've been on the fence about buying a Clarisonic, I'd put this whole kit on my wish list.
Full disclosure: Clarisonic sent this to me in the mail to try and I started using it before I a) fully understood what it was and b) knew the price. This was sort of genius on their part because I got hooked without having any preconceived notions about the system before I started. But I started using the cleansers in the shower and the serum/moisturizer when I got out, and in just a few days my skin looked really amazing. At first I didn't wholly attribute it to the Sonic Radiance kit, I thought maybe I was just having a good hormone week or something. But within another few days I stopped wearing makeup altogether. My skin looked that much better. Yes, really. Then I traveled for a week and didn't take any of it with me (not even the Clarisonic). And sure enough my skin went back to it's dull self. I am sold on this stuff.
Speaking of bad skin, I had a point earlier this year when stress and bad habits had my chest and back and neck covered in these little red spots. Almost like a rash, but it wasn't. Someone suggested these Neutrogena acne pads and they totally worked right away. I lived with those little red bumps for months. These are the solution. When it's really bad, I also use the scrub in the shower.
On to something more pleasant: makeup! As my skin ages (or maybe this is true at any age), it's a battle to find a makeup that doesn't look like too much going on, but has a pretty finish and does it's job. I found the two that rocked my world this year.
Urban Decay's Naked Skin is a really lightweight foundation that makes me look like I'm not wearing any makeup. I wrote a bit about it on my 5 minute makeup post. I really like it and it's easy to apply.
I took one of the team and tried the new Bare Minerals Bare Skin liquid makeup. It's kind of a committment because you have to use their special brush for it. I gave up on Bare Minerals long ago because even though I loved the idea of it, the powder application was messy and never settled that well into my dry skin. This is the solution to that. Bare Skin looks so pretty on. I feel polished and younger looking when I wear it. There's a tiny learning curve to the application (like any of the Bare Minerals products), but it's worth it.
Hold on to your checkbooks because two of the things I fell in love with this year were pricey. A friend got me to try the Revive line, even though that was more than I had spent in ages on moisturizer. (I have tried some of the expensive lines in the past, but it had been years since I felt like anything was worth that price point.) I didn't end up sticking with the cream my friend had suggested, but I was given a free sample of the moisturizing renewal cream. THAT is the product I loved. I went back and bought it. My skin absolutely glows in the morning when I've applied it at night. I use it sparingly and I like the smell and the feel and how it makes my skin look. It's nighttime use only - I use something lighter for daytime - and it has lasted awhile.
I've never found a miracle to make the fine lines around the eyes disappear (or even fade), but the amore pacific moisture bound eye-treatment gel is the closest I've found to making all the thin skin around my eyes look better. It is the perfect consistency - not too thick or too thin - and it keeps that area moisturized all day long. Sometimes I apply just a little bit midday for a pick me up.
Some of the finishing touches I use to look just a bit more polished are the Laura Mercier matte radiance baked highlighter and the Make Up For Ever aqua cream eyeshadow in shade 13. (Remember the eye shadow experiment?) They're both very easy to brush on, they both stay awhile, and they're both just the right amount of shimmer to look pretty, but not like you're headed to a holiday party.
Lastly, I've said this several times, but the Nars Audacious lipstick line is simply the best I've ever used. Life-changer. Get it.
Those are my picks for the year. I'd love to hear yours!
