Favourite Products of 2010

A reader asked for my favourite products in 2010, as well as my least favourites so here goes!

1. Jill Stuart Blush Blossom #4 Seductive Rose: Of the four Blush Blossoms that I own, this is my favourite as it always gives me a lovely rosy hint of colour that never looks over the top. I've reviewed it here.

2. Shu Uemura Miracle Cherry Blush Tint: Love the cute illustration by Aya Takano. This is virtually idiot-proof to apply and has an excellent non-greasy texture. You can see swatches here.

3. By Terry Rose de Rose Sheer Liquid Blush No. 1 Fresh Rose: Near impossible to find, this liquid blush has a lovely rose scent and always looks natural, no matter how many layers are applied. I've review it here.

4. Sleek The Original i-Divine Palette: After trying out the Sleek palettes earlier this month, I finally understood what all the raves in the beauty blogs were about. The Original is a very versatile palette that lets you create a multitude of looks. The shades are well-pigmented with great blendability. I've done two looks with it here and here.

5. Cosme Decorte AQ Face Powder N 001: This pale pink powder is incredibly light and gossamer fine and provides a dreamy finish.

6. Anna Sui Loose Compact Powder UV #200: The pale lavender loose powder has tiny micro-sparkles that help to give an added glow, without being too obvious or over-the-top.

7. Maquillage Stick Foundation UV: Simply a breeze to apply and blend, this stick foundation provides good coverage and helps to reduce the appearance of my pores, especially in my T-zone area. My shade is Pink Ochre 10.

8. Addiction Tinted Moisturiser: This actually feels more like a lightweight foundation than a tinted moisturiser. This is incredible easy and fast to apply as it never streaks or cakes. It looks very natural and helps to even out my skintone. My shade is Tint No. 1, which you can see here.

9. Shiseido Refining Makeup Primer: This truly makes my skin look more refined as my pores appear smaller and the skintone is subtly brightened. It also enables the smoother application of foundation on top.

10. Lancome Color Fever Gloss #264 Urban Beige: Love the glossy finish with the hint of warm brown.

11. Cosme Decorte AQ Rouge Supreme BE355: My go-to lipstick for elegant classic beige lips, which you can see in this earlier review. This has just the right amount of brown such that it does not wash me out.

12. Dior Addict Ultra Gloss Reflect #677 Silk Fuschia: This gives a cheerful pop of translucent shiny pink and has zero grittiness. You can see it in this FOTD post.

13. Shiseido Nourishing Mascara Base: This is excellent for helping to keep lashes curled throughout the day without making them feel dry and brittle. I've written a more detailed review here.

14. K-Palette Real Lasting Eyebrow 24h: Super easy to use and always gives me elegant defined brows that last the whole day. 01 Natural Brown is the perfect shade for me. I've just used up my first one!

15. Visee Wide Impact (Curl Long) mascara BK002 Blue Black: This is the best mascara that I've found in terms of keeping my lashes curled all day long even without the use of any mascara base. It provides good lengthening effect and the fibres don't drop in my eyes. The only drawback is that it is super tenacious and hard to remove unless one uses a cleansing oil. The mascara is not limited edition although the shade BK002 with the pink packaging was limited edition for Spring 2010.

16. Paul & Joe Protective Foundation Primer UV: Like the Shiseido primer, this helps to make my skin appear more refined and even. It has a light creamy texture that absorbs readily without feeling greasy. It also has SPF40 PA++, whereas the Shiseido primer has only SPF20 PA+.

17. RMK Face Protector SPF31: I love the elegant light texture of this sunblock which has a slight cooling sensation when applied.

18. Kenzoki Relaxing Eye Whipped Cream: This year, I've found that the skin around my eyes get really dry so I've tried to be more conscientious in applying eye cream. The Kenzoki cream absorbs very well and hydrates effectively without feeling oily.

19. MAC She Who Dares Mineralize Eye Shadow: Simply dazzling and incredibly rich and pigmented. I've reviewed it here.

20. Anna Sui Protective Lip Treatment: A limited edition lip balm from the Beach Collection earlier this year. I love the rose scent and how it immediately softens and hydrates my lips. I've reviewed it here.

21. The Body Shop The Sparkler: Had a minor accident with this when I forgot to take off the cap when squeezing the pump only to be showered in a jet stream of pink fairy dust when I removed the cap. I was pleasantly surprised when I applied the excess on my arms and chest area and found the sparkly effect to be subtle as the powder is incredibly fine. Read the full review here.

22. Beauté de Kosé Eye Fantasist: These make excellent eyeshadow bases and provide a very fine shimmer. It's a pity that the brand is being discontinued.

My favourite fragrances in 2010 are Acca Kappa Calycanthus, Jo Malone Orange Blossom Cologne and L'Occitane Wild Cherry Tree Solid Perfume. For keeping my perpetually dry hands moisturised, I relied on L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Hand Cream.

I was happy with most of the products that I purchased this year but inevitably, there were some duds as well. The following products were a sad fail for me:

1. Chantecaille Les Passementeries: This was just incredibly sheer and took great effort to get it to show up. You can see the look that I did with it here. For the hefty price, this should not be the case.

2. Fasio Mascaliner: This is supposed to work as a liquid eyeliner and mascara in one, thanks to the pointy tapered tip at the end of the mascara wand. However, it was just impossible to use as an eyeliner. As a mascara, it was barely average.

3. Dior Serum de Rouge #560: I purchased this only because it was bundled with the super limited edition Tailleur Bar. Not only did my Serum de Rouge have a failed retraction mechanism, the lip colour also applied patchy and the scent was very similar to a much cheaper Japanese drugstore brand, Kiss.

4. Benefit Ooh La Lift: This is supposed to be a "dream cream for the under-eye area" that provides an instant eye lift. When applied on my skin, it is hardly detectable and simply makes little difference.

5. Esprique Precious Pencil Eyeliner BK001 (from the Twinkle Story holiday coffret): This was hard and tugged at my eyelid. I found it near impossible to get any colour out of it. Finally, it just broke.

6. Urban Decay Surreal Skin Cream to Powder Foundation: I was seduced by the gorgeous purple compact but I just could not get this to apply evenly. It always ended up looking splotchy.

7. Bobbi Brown Denim Sparkle Eye Shadow: The colour payoff was extremely poor and it took many layers to get the sparkle to show up. There was no tester available when I purchased this, otherwise I would definitely have avoided it.

Do let me know which beauty products you loved or hated in 2010 in the comments!