Sunday 1 January 2012

2011 Loves and Thoughts

To end off the year, I thought I'd do a quick round up of ten beauty products that I loved in 2011.

Although Lunasol's perennial bestseller in Japan is their Skin Modelling Eyes #1 Beige Beige, it has always looked too bland to me. However, this year, their Ocean Scene Eyes EX01 Shelly Ocean from their summer 2011 collection turned out to be my most frequently used palette. This is quite unusual for me as I'm usually more drawn to teals and purples, but Shelly Ocean has become my fail-safe palette for every day wear. The complex dirty bronze shade always works like a dream for adding definition to the eyes or creating subtle smoky eyes.

For base makeup, my current three staples are Lunasol Under Eyes Base 01 Natural Beige, RMK Smoothing Polished Base and Maquillage Essence Rich White Liquid UV in OC00. The Lunasol Under Eyes Base covers up my dark circles very well, although like every other concealer I've tried, it does settle slightly into the fine lines after some time. The RMK base provides good oil control and coverage of pores.

Nothing perks up one's complexion faster than a slick of lipgloss. For that, I rely on Anna Sui Lip Gloss C #306 and Addiction Azalea Lipgloss.


Paul & Joe's lipsticks have always been a staple in my makeup pouch, thanks to their comfortable non-drying texture and flattering shades. This year, I loved Lipstick C #74 Lower East Side from the Manhattan collection. For staving off chapped lips, I've been using Crabtree & Evelyn Pomegranate & Grapeseed Lip Butter which has a lovely sweet pomegranate scent and no discernible taste.

Guerlain Meteorites in Perles de Nuit makes the skin look more polished with a slight glow. On days when I don't feel like wearing makeup, I just apply moisturiser or sunscreen and finish off with a light dusting of Perles de Nuit.

Dolly Wink Volume Mascara builds volume and length well and holds the curl of my lashes through the day. It does start to clump slightly when layered a few times, but this is usually easily rectified. The limited edition set with the eyeliner in the purple and green packaging is still available on Adambeauty.com.

2011 was a year that I'll always cherish for the many wonderful memories and experiences. Looking back, I think I spent more than four months of the year living out of suitcases as I got to travel to Kerala, Maldives, the UK, plus an extended sojourn in the south of France.

I spent a month in the charming seaside town of Villefranche (situated between Nice and Monaco on the Cote D'Azur) taking French lessons at this great school with stunning views of the bay.



The glorious view of the sunrise from my tiny studio apartment - moments like these were pure bliss.

To everyone who stops by Rouge Deluxe regularly, my heartfelt thanks for taking the time to do so. As my buddy Mag says, writing a blog can sometimes feel like one is just talking to oneself, but every once in awhile, a thoughtful comment by a reader makes us smile, and makes it worth the effort. Having done this for close to five years now, there have been several moments of wondering whether to continue. Some of my favorite blogs are now gone or inactive, like Jojoba's My Makeup Reviews, which is dearly missed. I figure I'll just keep writing as long as I enjoy doing so.

I'll leave you with my favorite song for 2011: Kelly Clarkson's Stronger. Whatever challenges 2012 may bring, stand a little taller and be stronger. Wishing you lots of love, laughter and happiness in the new year!

33 comments:

Jacqueline said...

Happy New Year! I hope you will have a great year ahead. I look forward to all your posts.

kuri said...

Happy New Year! Thank you for the lovely post. Your blog is always one of my top references for makeup, and I love the other posts on travel, etc. I too really miss Jojoba's blog, and I love "Stronger"! Best wishes for the new year!

ilovemeepok said...

happy new year !!

shopaholic said...

hi dear, I've enjoyed reading every single post, keep going :)

thank you for bringing us joy, near or far.

I wish you another successful & rewarding year, yet.

cheers

Anonymous said...

Happy New Year! I always enjoy reading your blog, it's one of the first I click on from my feed. You always manage to enable my lemmings for goodies from Singapore :)

Jen said...

I've been reading your blog silently for more than a year but I don't think I've read about you learning French in France. Would love to do something like you! Go to a foreign land, stay there for a few months and learn a new language. Hope that you will blog about it someday =) Happy New Year!

Felice said...

Happy New Year Iris! I've always enjoyed reading your blog - please keep up the good work! :)

JC said...

Hi there! Happy New Year!
Thanks for constantly updating us on the products in the market.It has already become part of my daily routine to read your blog. In the past, other than using my daily staple of products, I have never really get to exploring new ones... That is until I start reading your blog, I realize that are really lots of great products and brands that I never knew of out there waiting for me to be explored...
Thank you

ashlyne said...

happy new year! i'm a regular reader and have really enjoyed your blog so please continue to write! hope 2012 will be fabulous for all of us :):)

Anonymous said...

Always enjoyed reading your blog! Hope you will continue keeping it. Happy new year Iris! ^_^

Cheers,
Petitez

tabby said...

Happy new year Haru! I've enjoyed reading your blog since my foray into makeup addiction this year and I hope that you find blogging fun and enjoyable this year as well

Maya said...

Happy New Year, Iris!

I enjoy reading your blog so much that I've bookmarked it in my laptop, mobilephone AND sshhh, my laptop at work, LOL.

Hope the new year brings more great things for you!

min said...

Hi Haru,
happy new year.
Thanks for your consistent updates re. Beauty stuff.
I always enjoy reading your blog, and its one of the blog i follow religiously.

I missed jojoba's blog too :(
I love to read her rambling.

Good luck in everything you do.
Take care.

Rgds,
Min

nurul said...

Ohh!! Do keep writing!! I love your blog!! =D happy new year!!!

Mei said...

Hi Iris
Happy new year! Cannot believe we have "known" each other for 5 years (shd b longer coz it was in cozycot that started it all!) i have been silent most of the time but usu i will be very tempted whenever u said something is good. I will love to try Addiction if have chance! *wink* and now i m tempted to get the guerlain powder since you raved it. I actually stopped buying makeup awhile when i have my first boy. This year i went back to normal & buy alot just like old times, hehe. So your blog gave me inspiration! :) take care and enjoy your stay in Switzerland!!
Love
Mei

Haru said...

hey mei,
wow, congrats on your baby boy! So happy for you :-) May 2012 bring you and your family many more blessings and joy.

hi nurul,
thank you, happy new year to you too!

hi min,
thanks for reading regularly, it's much appreciated!

hi Maya,
wow, thanks, that's so sweet to hear! Hope 2012 brings you much happiness too :-)

hi tabby,
thanks, I still get excited reading about new makeup collections and sharing about them with other beauty lovers.

hi petitez,
happy new year to you too! Nice to see another familiar name from CC :-)

hi ashlyne,
yes, here's to hoping that 2012 being better than 2011 for everyone!

hi JC,
I'm very touched to hear that, glad that you find the blog useful. Have a great year ahead!

hi Felice,
Thank you, I'll definitely try my best!

hi Jen,
It was a wonderful experience, do give it a try if you have the chance to in the future. Learning a new language is a very enriching experience, especially when trying to one's way around in a new environment.

hi sam,
thank you for the sweet comment! Now that I'm living in Switzerland, I'm missing all the shops in Singapore, most of all my beloved Kinokuniya bookstore.

hi shopaholic,
thanks, hope 2012 turns out to be a fulfilling and wonderful year for you too!

hi ilovemeepok,
happy new year to you too :-)

hi kuri,
Haha, glad to hear that we share so many common likes!

hi Jacqueline,
thanks, all the best to you in 2012 too!

hi kenji,
thank you, best wishes to you for 2012 too, and keep up the great work with your blog!

Lisa said...

Hi Iris,
Happy New Year!
I wish you and all the readers at this blog a great year ahead with much love, happiness and great health for ourselves, our loved ones and everyone around us. I've been reading your blog for the past five years on a daily basis! Cheers to another five years to come???!!!

Lille Solstrale said...

I have been a daily reader for about a year now and have been inspired by your postings and have now become a makeup junkie of sorts. As I start to travel once a month now, I get to visit some of the stores you've been to!! Makeup (like handbags) give me goosebumps of thrill. hahah..So wishing you a great 2012 and keep inspiring me every time. XXX

Anonymous said...

Hi Iris! Happy new year! I have been a dormant reader for a number of years now! I have always loved your blog and still do (I check your blog whenever I'm online and always look forward to reading your blog posts! Please keep your blog!! - Tess

Anonymous said...

Hi Iris, I have been a silent reader of your blog n I try to read it every day so that I dun miss your updates. Enjoy reading your posts n tks fir e tips on beauty buys in japan. Keep writing! KC

macaroon said...

Happy New Year to you and your family. I've been reading your blog for the past year and it truly has open doors to exploring more in make up. Please keep it up, you are not rambling alone, all of us appreciate the effort which you take to write a post here.. as u can see by the number of comments :)

Please share more photos of you overseas, it's interesting that you are in France learning French. Have an blessed and exciting year ahead!

p.s Paul & Joe spring 2012 is already out in ASOS

Haru said...

hi macaroon,
Thanks, I already placed my order for the new P&J lipsticks! The eyeshadows didn't look that exciting to me so I'm skipping them for now.

hi KC,
You're welcome! I'm hoping to be able to re-visit Tokyo this year :-)

hi Tess,
Thank you, that's so sweet! Have a great year ahead!

Hi Lille,
Always happy to share with my fellow beauty lovers :-) Hope you have many more exciting travels in the new year!

hi Lisa,
Thanks for supporting the blog for so many years! Hope you have a wonderful year ahead!

Liz G. said...

Please don't stop blogging. I read you every day, all the way in the USA. Sorry, didn't mean to make a lame rhyme but I want you to know that it is a real delight for me to see how similar we all are. If all of us are so alike in our makeup preferences maybe there is hope for world peace! Happy New Year to you and all your family!

pinkdolphi1 said...

Happy New Year Iris! Your blog has been my favourite & will always be. Thank you so much for sharing with us. Love your travel post! Looking forward to more! Take good care & best wishes!

Nancy L J said...

I must have been one of the silent stalkers, lol ~ Love reading your blog :) Happy New Year and have a great year ahead with all the products!!!

*dean* said...

Hi,

Happy New Year to you! I've been following your blog for a few months and really love all the wonderful makeup information that you share, especially from overseas. Please keep writing!

Best regards.

Jaslyn said...

Thank you for your entries! Thou I've been silent, but your blog is one of my must read. =)

Happy 2012!

Kas said...

HELLO!!!!! (Yes, I'm shouting!!! LOL!) Totally enjoyed all the pics in this post and looking at some of the products reminds me of times we spent yakking about them or buying them! I still have yet to touch my Shelley Ocean (yes, I'm terrible)! Take care and lots of mwah mwahs! *pipipi*

Svit said...

Happy New Year!

Thanks for writing your blog. I find your reviews of Asian brands very informative.

However, I am a bit disappointed that I can't read at least partial post text via Google Reader. If I could do so, I would visit your blog more often.

Haru said...

hi Svit,
It's not that I don't want to allow a partial post text. I've actually set the site feed to "short" in Blogger but for some reason, Google Reader does not show the short/partial blog post and just does not display any text at all. Some other sites were stealing my blog content when I was allowing the "full" site feed, which is why I no longer can use that option. Sorry for the inconvenience!

Hui Ping said...

Hihi

Thank you so much for all the wonderful posts!!!

Your blog has become the first site I launch each morning when I switch on my computer.

Fi said...

Dear Iris
I wish you and your family all the best for 2012. I really love your posts, they are always so beautiful and informative. The recent pics in France were stunningly beautiful, and you are looking more and more lovely. Thanks for a wonderful place to read about pretty things.
Fi

Wombat said...

Hi Haru, I don't leave comments all that often but I surely visit almost every single new post you put up. I totally get the bit about blogging and continuing- I finally brought myself back to blogging more often (with shorter and less-stressful feeling need for lots of photos and comparisons compared to my previous posts) and it has proved to be a lot more manageable (and enjoyable).

Your travelling sounds awesome- which I also aspire to do these few years- would be wonderful to learn some French! hope you have a happy new year too =)