My Top 10 Favourite Products: The Top 10 Award

I have mixed feelings about blogging awards. I feel like a bit of a dork proclaiming that I have 'won' an award but then they are always a lot of fun to participate in. When Moxie from Moxie Reviews told me she had nominated me for the Top 10 award, at first I wasn't sure what to do. Do I just ignore it? Do I do it? The rules of the Top 10 award are that you link back to the person who nominated you, then you list your Top 10 favourite products and nominate 10 other bloggers who will then list their top 10 favourite products. As I love talking about products, and I also love sharing link love I decided that the Top 10 award would be fun...so here I go!

Firstly, thanks to Moxie from Moxie Reviews for nominating me. Moxie reviews organic and natural makeup, cosmetics and hair products from companies that do not test on animals. Her reviews are refreshingly honest and well worth checking out.

My Top 10 Favourite Products (at this point in time...ask me in a month and the list may be very different!). If I have previously reviewed these products then I have included the link to the article if you would like more details.


1. BIOeffect EGF Serum

I have read the about the science behind this serum and it really blows me away. On paper the serum should work. EGF is a growth factor that stimulates skin cells to divide and multiply, thereby filling out fine lines. Independent clinical trials have shown that it does in fact work - after 30 days there was a clear reduction in wrinkles. I have been trialling this myself for about 4 weeks and have definitely noticed a reduction in lines on my forehead. So far the lines around my eyes have not budged but they might actually be sleep deprivation lines (I have a toddler!). My skin is definitely looking more hydrated as well.

2. Jurlique Herbal Recovery Gel

I have been using this product on and off fr the last 10 years. I love it, although I might be hitting the age where I need to move on to the Purely Age Defying Serum. This is a really light gel serum that smells amazing - kind of herbal, kind of floral. I tend to use it of an evening and find that my skin looks so hydrated in the morning. It really seems to make my skin happy! 

 

3. Estee Lauder Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator

This creates magic for my complexion. It really gives the illusion that my complexion is flawless. It also works at reducing pigmentation - I have seen a slight reduction in my pigmented patches. There is no longer such a stark line between the pigmented and non pigmented skin. But for me, it is the evening effect the light diffusing particles have on my skin tone that I love the most.

4. MAC Paint Pot

Somehow, the MAC Paint Pot craze had completely passed me by. It wasn't until I was reading a forum and saw a makeup artist recommending that the MAC Bare Study Paint Pot be used as a primer, that the Paint Pots entered my radar. So, when I got the opportunity to go to the Estee Lauder staff store, this was on the top of my purchase list. I didn't manage to get Bare Study, instead I got Vintage Selection. This one looks a bit darker than Bare Study but is still quite light on the eye. It is very shimmery, which I LOVE. It goes on so creamy and soft then dries to become the perfect canvas to apply eyeshadow over.

5. Penhaligon's Ellenisia Perfume

I love florals and this is one of the most gorgeous perfumes I have ever smelt. It is rose with white flowers (gardenia and jasmine) and then a bit of a musky dry down. It makes me feel so feminine and happy when I wear it and I have never found another perfume that is even remotely similar - it is very unique.

6. Rodial Glamoxy Snake Mask

I used to think that peel off masks were kind of crap. This mask completely changed my opinion. It brightened my skin and left it glowing. It also yanked out the blackheads on my nose. This is now my go to mask to use before I go out.

7. Jurlique Rosewater Balancng Mist

I don't do toners - don't really see the point of them. I make the exception for this mist. It is heavenly. Smells exactly like a field of red roses. It is very calming and hydrating for my skin plus it is incredibly calming for my phsyche as well. As I inhale this mist I feel a sense of serenity descend over me. Amazing stuff!


8. Estee Lauder Re-Nutriv Ultimate Youth Creme

This is another product in which the science really blew me away. This creme contains the Youth Molecule which slows down cell turnover. The theory is if you can slow down cell divisions and turnover you can prolong how long your skin looks young for. The creme felt luxurious to use, it sunk straight into my skin and really left it looking amazing.

9. Nivea Light Feel Daily Face Veil

This is a cheapie (its only $10.99) but a beauty. It is a really light sunscreen. It absorbs straight in, is non greasy and is a real pleasure to wear. This makes wearing sunscreen easy. I keep a bottle in my handbag, one in the bathroom, I had one on my desk at work so I was always protected.


10. Estée Lauder DayWear Sheer Tint Moisturiser

I wear this moisturiser in combination with the Idealist Even Skintoneskintone so the effect is extremely complimentary. I don't really like to wear foundation and so have found that this is an excellent compomise. You really can't tell that I am wearing it - it just looks like I have perfect skin!

Bloggers The following bloggers are incredibly passionate about what they write about, whether that be skincare, makeup, haircare or eyeshadow. I have nominated them because I am busting to know what their top 10 favourite products are. If you haven't discovered these blogs yet, I really urge you to go and have a look! Bloggers, if you have already done one of these awards before, please post the link to your Top 10 post in the comments below.

1. Yeah, yeah, ragger, ragger...
2. Makeup and Macaroons
3. The Beauty of Red Roses
4. Keeping up with me
5. Ritualeyes
6. 1000fragrances
7. The Best Beauty Blog
8. Things I Love
9. Me, my best and I
10. All the pretty faces

If I haven't tagged you but you would love to participate, then please tag yourself and mention in the comments that you are doing the Top 10 award for the rest of us to come and check out!

Have you entered my latest BIOeffect giveaway? Here's the link if you haven't checked it out yet.

Losing my MAC virginity

RuPaul - the first face of Mac

I love bright eyeshadow. For me it is either bright or nothing - if I want to look natural then I don't wear makeup. I first noticed MAC back in the 1990's when RuPaul became, not only the first face of MAC, but also the first Drag Queen supermodel. I remember at the time thinking that never has there been a more appropriate brand ambassador - RuPaul was as bright and flamboyant as the MAC brand is. MAC has continued to push the boundaries with their brand ambassadors, steering away from the tradition supermodel to select people who make a statement - think Dame Edna or more recently Lady Gaga.

Following the trend of unexpected
 brand ambassadors Dame Edna also
 becomes a face of Mac

Even though MAC's eye shadows clearly fit the bill in regards to bright colours, I never got around to trying any. I don't know whether it was because my local Myer didn't stock MAC so I was protected from impulse purchases or whether it was because I assumed that they were much the same as Napoleon Perdis shadows and chose to support the Aussie brand instead. Whatever the reason, 15 years later I still hadn't lost my MAC virginity.

 I spend a lot of time reading reading beauty blogs and forums and MAC is a brand that seems to really polarise people. To some it is the ultimate brand, the pinnacle of perfection; whilst others don't rate it saying that it is not worth the price. This contrast alone had me intrigued. I had a pass to go to the Estee Lauder Corporate Store so thought that this would be the perfect opportunity to finally experience MAC.
 
One product that I was really interested in trying was the Paint Pots, in particular Bare Study. According to MAC Paint Pots are 'a highly pigmented eye colour that goes on creamy but dries to an intense, vibrant finish. Long-wearing, colourfast. Creates seamless coverage without weight or caking. Blends smoothly over the lids'. There are hundreds of blogs and review sites recommending that Bare Study can be used as an eyeshadow primer, or alone as an eyeshadow. Apparently it creates the perfect canvass for applying eyeshadow and really helps it last all day.

When you go to the Estee Lauder Corporate Store you can't guarantee what products will be available. When I went, there were 5 different Pain Pots available but none of them were Bare Study. There was one, Vintage Selection, that looked like it might be similar so I had a quick check on the iPhone and came across the images below on the MAC site. They looked quite similar to me so I decided to give Vintage Selection a try.

Bare study - champagne with gold and white pearl

Image courtesy of MAC

Vintage Selection - frosted dirty pearl

Image courtesy of MAC

MAC Paint Pot in Vintage Selection

I love Vintage Selection. In the pic above you can see that it looks quite different when it is applied thickly (left) or lightly (right). I think the image to the right is closest to what you would get on the eyelids. Vintage Selection didn't get very good reviews online but most people were complaining about the glitter in it. I personally LOVE the glitter. I have now used it as a shadow on its own and find that it is very flattering, although quite subtle. When used as a primer, my eyeshadow didn't crease and was as bright when I got home (about 5 hours later) as when I had first applied it. I am very happy with this purchase.

I also picked up a couple of small MAC palettes: the 6 Mystic Cool Eye shadows palette and the Fashion Patch Mineralize Eyeshadow Palette.

6 Mystic Cool Eye shadows



6 Mystic Cool Eye Shadows Swatches L to R: Cool Incantation,
Blue Enchantment, Deep Secret, Shhh Don’t Tell, Rose Potion, Violet Vow

I found this to be a very versatile palette. The only colour I don't see me wearing is Violet Vow as I don't tend to wear browns. The colours are super pigmented, which I love; are very soft and easy to apply but did not have too much fall out; and they are super shimmery which I love love love in an eye shadow (Shhh Don't Tell and Violet Vow are matte). I can see me using the first 3 colours (Cool Incantation, Blue Enchantment & Deep Secret) to death. I won't get as much use out of Shhh Don’t Tell & Rose Potion but can see me turning to these colours to match an outfit.



MAC Fashion Patch Mineralized Eyeshadow

MAC Fashion Patch Mineralized Eyeshadow swatches

The MAC Fashion Patch Mineralized Eyeshadow quad has four really usable colours - a white gold, pale pink and sky blue that are all super shimmery plus a black that is more matte with sparkly glitter particles in it. The shadows are really soft so it was easy to pick up a lot of colour but then there was a fair amount of fall out onto the other colours and onto my face (though maybe this was due to my limited make up skills rather than the actual shadow). This colours are again highly pigmented which I loved, though they do turn out a fair bit paler than the appear in the palette.

Now, I know that I am well behind the eight ball in reviewing these MAC shadows as they were all released a couple of years ago, but the purpose of this blog post was more to document me losing my MAC virginity! So, how did I find the experience? Well, I have walked away more than unlike anything I have tried before. I can see myself purchasing more Paint Pots in the future.

Are you are MAC fan or are they overrated to you? If you are a MAC fan then what is your favourite product? And if you aren't a fan then what bright eye shadows do you use instead?