Top ten products of 2009

I meant to post between Christmas and New Year’s, but didn’t get around to it. Hope you all had a great Christmas and Happy New Year! Anyway, these are my favourite products of 2009, in no particular order. I tried a lot of really great products, and it was difficult to narrow them down!

e.l.f Mineral Eyeshadow $12.99 – these eyeshadows are really affordable, and comes in 12 colours. I have four of these (Celebrity – shimmery pale gold, Sassy – shimmery bronze, Confident – shimmery dark brown, and Temptress – matte warm pink). These were available at Bling stores, but I’m not sure if they are stocking them anymore.


Trilogy Energising Face Lotion 100ml $46.90 – technically I bought this right at the end of last year, but never mind that. This is a light but nourishing moisturiser, and a little goes a long way. Doesn’t seem to clog pores, which is great.

Saya Body Butter 200g AUD$26.95 – Thick, rich, moisturising, smells great, and handmade in Noosa. Order from http://www.sayaskin.com/.

Aveda Lip Shine $44 – Yummy taste, moisturising, and comes in five shades.

Pai Echium Eye Cream 15ml £24 – rich, nourishing eye
cream. Order at http://www.paiskincare.com/.






Sustainable Youth® Technologies Immune Performance™ Revitalizing Serum 30ml USD$80 – Nice and light, with a yummy ginger beer scent. Order at http://www.sustainableyouthproducts.com/.

Bloom Minerals Plus Lip Butter $31 – Cute little pots of moisturising lip colour, available in eight shades. I have Natural Woman (brownish nude), and had Shiver (nudey pink), which I have now used up.




ecostore Shampoo and Conditioner for Dry and Damaged Hair 220ml $9.99 – technically two products, but let’s just forget that for the moment. They work well, are very affordable, and smell great.

Pangea Organics Egyptian Geranium with Adzuki Bean & Cranberry Facial Scrub 110ml AUD$39.95 – Yummy-smelling fine-grain scrub with plantable packaging. Order from http://www.ikigai.com/.


Trilogy Botanical Moisture Masque for dry hair 95ml 29.95 – Good for a weekly treatment.

For every budget: Moisturising shampoos

For dry hair, a moisturising shampoo is essential.

Low-cost: Ecostore Shampoo for dry/damaged hair 220ml $10.95, 1L $35.95 , and 5L $175








Mid-range: Living Nature Nourishing Shampoo 200ml $27.50





High-end: Aveda Dry Remedy Moisturizing Shampoo 200ml $63, and 473ml $113

Five hair gels

Style your hair with a natural hair gel.

Aesop Wild Lime Hair Polish 200ml $19.90 – Not technically a gel, but it’s described as ‘gel-like’, so close enough.

Giovanni L.A. Style Hair Gel 200ml $27.99 – A strong hold gel.

John Masters Organics Sweet Orange & Silk Protein Styling Gel 236ml AUD$32.50 – This can be ordered from http://www.ikigai.com.au/.

MOP Foam Forming Gel with Light Hold 200ml $37 – A gel in foam form.

Aveda Brilliant™ Retexturing Gel 25ml $19 and 150ml $56 - with certified organic aloe, calendula and camomile.

For every budget – Lip colours

Colour your lips, whatever amount you choose to spend.

Low-cost: Alba Botanica Terra Tints Tinted Lip Balm with SPF $8.99 – available in six shades




Mid-range: Living Nature Lipstick $38 – available in ten shades










High-end: Aveda Uruku Lip Pigment $44 – available in six shades

For every budget: Body scrubs

Body scrubs are great for smoothing out your skin, especially before applying fake tan.

Low-cost: Organic Surge Body Scrub 200ml $20, available in Tropical Bergamot and Fresh Ocean

Mid-range: Evolu Exfoliating Body Polish 200ml $40

High-end: Aveda Smoothing Body Polish 250g $73

Favourite product of summer

It’s been a pretty good summer, and now it’s come to an end. I tried a lot of new products this summer – well, some of them weren’t technically new, but they were ones I hadn’t tried before. My personal favourite is Aveda Lip Shine, which I got for half price ($20.50 – they are currently $44 at full price, but evidently were once $41) in the now discontinued shade Night Iris. It looks sort of red in the tube, but it’s more like a dark pink with some shimmer. Very moisturising and long-lasting, and it tastes good too!

Note: the lip shine pictured is not in the colour Night Iris. Also, I had said in another post that Aveda Lip Shine contains artificial colours. I was wrong about this; there are only natural colours in this product.

After Shave Products

For all the guys out there, here are some suggestions for aftershave products:

$30 and under: Weleda After Shave Balm 100ml $27.50

$35 and under: Living Nature Soothing Aftershave Gel 100ml $35

$45 and under: Aveda Men After-Shave Balm 100ml $44

Shaving products

I shave my legs, cos I can’t handle the pain of waxing, or the bother of growing the hair for six weeks. I like Primal Earth Shaving Gel, $8.99 for 175ml, which I have in Extra Sensitive. It’s intended for men, but there’s no reason why women can’t use it. It is also available in Aloe Hydrate and Menthol Cool, but they both contain artificial colours and fragrances, whereas Extra Sensitive doesn’t. Primal Earth Shave Gels are available at New World, Countdown, Foodtown and Woolworths supermarkets, and the price varies depending on which supermarket you buy it at.

I also like Avalon Organics Cream Shave, $12.90 for 225ml, available in Aloe Unscented, Lavender, and Peppermint. I have tried in Aloe Unscented. I assume it’s a unisex product, because it doesn’t state whether it is for men or women. Skinfood Shave Gel, $9.99 for 100ml, is unisex, and it is quite good, but I find the tube runs out quite quickly.

Some other options:

$15 and under: Weleda Shaving Cream 75ml $11.50

$35 and under: Living Nature Soothing Shaving Cream 100ml $35

$45 and under: Aveda Men Shave Cream 250g $44

Lip gloss

I really like lip gloss. I have tried Dr Hauschka Novum Lip Gloss, $37, available in two shades, and Living Nature Lip Gloss, $36, available in six shades. I had the Dr Hauschka one in Rose Quartz, and the Living Nature one in Pink Whisper. They are both cool pink colours.

I found the Dr Hauschka one had a slightly weird smell, and wore off quite quickly. The tube also didn’t last very long. The Living Nature one smelled better, and the tube lasted longer, but it still wore off quickly. They also both have quite a thin texture.

The best natural lip gloss I have tried is Alba Botanica Terragloss, which I bought in Australia. I haven’t seen it over here, and I’m not sure where you can order it. I have it in Blaze, a bright pinkish red.

Some other options:

$15 and under: SHE Australia Tube Lip Gloss $12.99, available in ten shades

$40 and under: Couleur Caramel Lip Gloss $38.99, available in six shades

$45 and under: Aveda Lip Glaze $44, available in ten shades, Aveda Lip Shine $44, available in six shades, Bare Escentuals Wearable Lip Gloss $45, available in five shades

The Aveda and SHE Australia glosses are not as natural as the other ones – they contain artificial flavourings, and some artificial colours, but still, they are much better options than a lot of other lip glosses.

Lipstick

I prefer lip gloss and tinted lip balm to lipstick, but I still like lipstick. I like Living Nature Lipstick, $38, available in ten shades, which I have in Summer Rain (bright-ish dark pink), and Aveda Uruku Lip Pigment $44, available in twelve shades (six sheer, and six full colour), which I have in Sheer Ochre (browny/pinky nude). They are both fairly intense colours (and the Aveda one is supposed to be sheer – what are the full colour shades like, I wonder?), and pretty matte, so I put lip balm on before applying them, or put clear lip gloss over the top.

I tend to prefer more sheer lipsticks, and I like Aveda Lip Color Sheer, , which I had in Sheer Clover (warm, natural-looking pink), but it’s now run out. Lip Color Sheer has now been replaced by Nourish-Mint Sheer Mineral Lip Colour $44, available in seven shades, and there is a Sheer Clover shade. I assume it's a similar product.

Some other options:

$40 and under: Dr Hauschka Lipstick Novum $37, available in four shades, Couleur Caramel Lipstick $38.99, available in twenty-four shades (eight matte, fifteen pearly, and one glittery)

$50 and under: Aveda Nourish-Mint Smoothing Lip Colour $44, available in twenty-one shades, Bare Escentuals Lipstick $45, available in twenty-six shades, Dr Hauschka Lipstick $47, available in eight shades

Mascara

Mascaras are great for defining your lashes, and, depending on the formula and brush shape, for volumising, thickening, and/or lengthening. I really like Dr Hauschka Volume Mascara, $45, available in three shades. I have it in black, and it’s really good for defining my lashes, and giving them some volume.

I have also used Living Nature Thickening Mascara, $38, available in two shades. I had it in Jet Black, and it’s a decent mascara, but not as volumising as the Dr Hauschka one, and it tends to dry out more quickly, and therefore not last as long before it needs to be replaced (yes, I know you’re supposed to replace your mascara every three months, but for me it tends to be more like four to six months, because I’m cheap). Anyway...

Some other options:

$40 and under: Living Nature Conditioning Mascara $38, available in two shades

$45 and under: Couleur Caramel Eyelashes Mascara Long $41.99, available in four shades, Couleur Caramel Eyelashes Mascara Short $41.99, available in four shades, Dr Hauschka Mascara $43, available in three shades, Bare Escentuals Magic Wand Brushless Mascara $43, available in two shades

$55 and under: Aveda Mosscara $51, available in two shades, Aveda Mascara Plus Rose $51, available in two shades

Eyeliner

Eyeliners are great for creating a dramatic makeup look. I am a big fan of Living Nature Eye Pencil $30, available in four shades. I have it Smoulder, which is black with gold specks which look nice and subtle. I’ve never tried liquid eyeliner, I’d probably get it all over the place! If you like liquid liner, you could try Dr Hauschka Liquid Eyeliner $39, available in two shades.

Some other options:

Pencil eyeliner: Couleur Caramel Eye and Lip Pencil $27.99, available in nine shades (three only for eyes, six for eyes and lips), Dr Hauschka Eyeliner $29, available in five shades, Aveda Petal Essence Eye Definer, $44, available in six shades, Uruku Eye - Lip Color Liner, $44, available in three shades

Liquid eyeliner: Colour Caramel Eye Liner $38.99, available in four shades

Eye Shadows

Eyeshadows are great for...um...giving a bit of colour to your eyelids and browbones...not sure how else to put that really...Anyway, I like Living Nature Eye Shadow Duo $44, available in five pallets. I have it in Siennas, which is a light pink and a dark pink, and Clouds, a light grey and a dark grey. I also like the The Body Shop Nature’s Minerals Eye Colour $25, available in six shades. I have it in Golden Emerald, and while it doesn’t give as much colour as I would like, it’s good for layering over other colours for a sheer wash of green and a bit of sparkle.

Bloom Eye Colour Cream $26, available in six shades, is also pretty good. The Eye Colour Creams don’t contain any objectionable ingredients, and they are great for giving a bit of shimmer to the eyelid or brow bone. I have the Taupe shade (bronze-ish), and used to have Eskimo (white), which has now run out. Bloom has recently released Pure Mineral Eye Shadow, available in eight shades. I haven’t seen this sold anywhere yet, but hopefully it should be available soon.

Some other options:

Single colours: SHE Australia Dusting Powders $12.99, available in eight shades, Couleur Caramel Eye Shadow $26.99, available in thirty shades, Dr Hauschka Eye Shadow Solo $27, available in nine shades, Aveda Petal Essence Eye Color Single $37, available in twenty shades, Aveda Uruku Eye Accent $44, available in four shades

Pallets: Natio Mineral Sparkle Dust Eyeshadow Compact $18, available in one pallet (four colours), Aveda Petal Essense Eye Color Duo $51, available in nine pallets, Dr Hauschka Eye Shadow Pallet Stone Colours $69, available in one pallet (four colours)

Blushers

Blushers are good for giving your cheeks a bit of colour. I have Natio Mineral Radiance Blush N' Brush, but I can't find it in shops anymore, and it's not listed on their website, so it must have been discontinued. It's nearly run out anyway, so I have bought The Body Shop Nature's Minerals Cheek Colour, $30, available in four shades. I have it in Pink Quartz, the lightest shade.

Some other options:

$20 and under: Natio Mineral Blusher $16, available in one shade

$40 and under: Bloom Mineral Touch $39, available in one shade

$45 and under: Aveda Petal Essense Cheek Colour $44, available in seven shades, Aveda Uruku Cheek-Lip Creme, $44, available in four shades, Couleur Caramel Blush Powder $44.99, available in two shades

$50 and under: Living Nature Blush $47, available in two shades, Dr Haushcka Rouge Powder $47, available in three shades

$55 and under: Aveda Petal Essense Face Accent $51, available in eight shades

$80 and under: Bare Escentuals $78, available in thirty shades (Yes, thirty! Not sure if all shades are available in New Zealand)

Face powders

I hope you all have had a good new year. I've got lots of great things to blog about this year...starting with face powders!

Face powders are good for mattifying the skin, and for 'setting' your makeup. Some powders are pressed, like Dr Hauschka Translucent Face Powder Compact, $49, and Living Nature Luminous Pressed Powder, $49, available in three shades. Other powders are loose, like Dr Hauschka Translucent Face Powder Loose, $49, and Aveda Inner Light™ Loose Powder, $66, available in two shades.

Some other options:

Pressed Powder: Couleur Caramel Compact Powder $44.99, available in five shades, Aveda Inner Light™ Pressed Powder $66, available in three shades

Loose Powder: Couleur Caramel Free Powder $44.99, available in three shades

Foundations

Some women wear foundation every day, but I only wear it on special occasions. I like The Body Shop Nature's Minerals Foundation SPF25, $45 for 5g, which I have in 01, the lightest shade. It is available in five shades. I have also tried Bare Escentuals Foundation in Fairly Light. It's $78 for 9g, and is available in fifteen shades. I prefer The Body Shop one, because it is more mattifying, and it is a lot more affordable.

These are both mineral powder foundations, but there are a lot of natural liquid foundations available, like Living Nature Foundation, $49 for 30ml, and available in six shades.


Some other options:

Mineral foundation: Natio Mineral Loose Foundation 10g $23, available in three shades, Bloom Pure Mineral Powder Foundation 2.5g $39, available in three shades


Liquid foundation: Dr Hauschka Translucent Make-up 30ml $49, available in five shades, Living Nature Illuminating Tint 30ml $52, available in three shades, Aveda Inner Light™ Liquid Foundation SPF 12 30ml $73, available in twelve shades, Couleur Caramel Foundation Liquid 30ml $76.99, available in three shades

Cream foundation: Aveda Inner Light™ Dual Foundation SPF 12 7g $73, available in nine shades, Couleur Caramel Foundation Cream g $76.99, available in five shades

Fake tans

You know the drill - protect yourself from the sun, and if you want to get a tan, do it safely by using a fake tanner. I like Alba Botanica Sun Golden Tan Sunless Tanning Lotion, $24 for 118ml. I'm also keen to try Nature's Gate Organics Advanced Care Upper Tanagement Self-Tanning Creme, $25 for 177ml.

If you prefer a gradual tanning lotion, try Pure Innosense Summer Skin Body Lotion, $11 for 375ml. It smells amazing, and gives a nice golden glow. However, it has been difficult to find recently. SHE Australia Gradual Tanner is pretty good, although it does smell a little odd. It's $13.99 for 100ml.

If you want a temporary tan, one which washes off in the shower, try a body bronzer like Nature's Gate Advanced Organics Care Happy Glow Lucky Bronzing Creme, available in Fresh Floral Scent, and Clean Citrus Scent, $25 for 177ml.

Some other options:

Fake tan - Aveda Sun Source 150ml $59, Vani-T Liquid Sun® Organic Tanning Mist 200ml $39.60

Gradual tanning lotion - Vani-T Bronzing Custard 200ml $39.90

Face masks

Using a face mask once a week is good for your skin. I like Trilogy Purifying Masque, $33.90 for 35ml. Evolu Purifying Mask $35 for 75ml, is also good. Although both these masks are for all skin types, they are clay-based masks, which are good for oily skin, as are mud masks. Another clay mask is Dr Hauschka Cleansing Clay Mask, $62 for 90g, which is in the form of a powder which you mix up with water. I didn't realise that it was a powder when testing it out at Farmers once, and spilt quite a large amount of it on the ground. Anyway, moving on from that...


People with drier skin will benefit from a moisturising mask in a gel or cream form, like Living Nature Ultra Nourishing Mask, $59 for 50ml. As for those with sensitive skin, try Weleda Almond Facial Masque, m$22.50 for 30ml.


Some other options:


$10 and under: Clear as Mud Face Mud $4 per 18g sachet, Skinfood Mud Masque 100ml $9.99


$25 and under: Clear as Mud, $24.99 for a box of seven 18g sachets


$30 and under: Weleda Iris Intensive Treatment Masque 30ml $25.50, Alba Botanica Hawaiian Papaya Enzyme Facial Mask 85g


$45 and under: Living Nature Deep Cleansing Mask - 10 5ml sachets for $42, Living Nature Hydrating Gel Mask 50ml $42, Antipodes Manuka Honey Treatment Mask 75ml


$80 and under: Ren Multi Mineral Detox Facial Mask 50ml $69, Ren F10 Enzymatic Skin Smoothing Facial Mask 50ml $74, Ren Jiaogulan Cell Energising Facial Mask 50ml $76

$90 and under: Dr Hauschka Firming Mask 30ml $89

$120 and under: Aveda Deep Cleansing Herbal Clay Masque 125ml $102, Aveda Intensive Hydrating Masque 150ml $117

Moisturisers with SPF

I don't use a moisturiser with SPF myself, (I just use regular moisturiser, then sunblock over that) but there are a lot of them out there.

The most affordable ones I have found are Avalon Organics Lavender Moisture Plus Lotion with SPF 18, $31.30 for 200ml, and Vitamin C Moisture Plus Lotion SPF 15, $27.25 for 100ml.

Then there's Living Nature Daily Defence with SPF 15. It's $55 for 100ml, and is suitable for all skin types. Or Evolu Moisturising Day Cream with Sunscreen SPF 15, $47 for 75ml, also suitable for all skin types.

Or, for something more high end, Aveda Tourmaline Charged Protecting Lotion SF15/Oil Free, $132 for 75ml. Another Aveda moisturiser with SPF is Inner Light™ Tinted Moisture SPF 15, $88 for 50ml, which I have mentioned in a post about tinted moisturisers.

Sunblock

Wearing sunscreen is majorly important. I am pretty militant about it. I live under a gigantic ozone hole (or near it anyway; I think it's directly above Antarctica), so I slather it on all year round.

It's now officially spring, so I'm wearing SPF 30. I was using Natural Instinct Natural Mineral Sunblock Cream SPF 30+, but it is quite drying. Although my skin is oily/combo, it can also dry out quite easily, and this sunscreen was also causing a dry patch/rash thing on my neck, and causing my hands to get dry, with cracks on my knuckles. However, I slathered it all over myself when I was in Australia, and it's great on everything apart from hands, face, and neck.

It costs $14.99 for 125g, $24.99 for 250g, and $35.99 for 500ml. It's the most affordable natural sunblock I've found, although it isn't really all that natural compared to a lot of other sunblocks.

So, for my face, neck and hands, I use UV Natural Sunscreen SPF 30+, $36 for 200g. Yes, it is quite expensive, but a little goes a long way. It's not drying at all. It feels very thick, greasy, and heavy, but it hasn't given me any pimples. It makes my face look all shiny when I first put it on, but that goes away after a while.
In the colder months (May, June, July, and August), I go for a lower SPF. For my face and neck, I like Weleda Edelweiss Sun Cream SPF 20, $18.90 for 50ml. Yes, Edelweiss, like the song in The Sound of Music! I get that song stuck in my head whenever I buy this sunblock. It doesn't clog my pores or make my face white; instead it gives me nice glow (but not in a tanned sort of way, obviously). It also smells great.

For the rest of me, I use the gorgeous-smelling NOM (No Ordinary Moments) SPF 15 Sunscreen, $22.90 for 177ml. This also comes in SPF 25, also 177ml, for $23.50.

I also like Alba Hawaiian Green Tea SPF 30+ Sunscreen, $20.25 for 118ml, and Alba Organic Lavender Sunscreen SPF 30, $21 for 118ml. These use chemical sun filters rather than mineral ones, but a lot of the ingredients are quite natural.

If you want a face-specific sunblock, you could try Nature's Gate Organics Advanced Care Be Solective Sunscreen For Face SPF 30, $25 for 88ml. It is a chemical rather than a physical sunblock. For a lower SPF, try Alba Facial Sunscreen SPF 20, 118ml for $21, Aveda Dual Nature Face Protection SPF 15, $59 for 50ml, or Dr Hauschka Protective Face Cream SPF 8, $54 for 30ml.

Some other options (not just for face-specific sunblocks, for sunblocks in general).

$25 and under: Alba Fragrance Free Sunscreen SPF 15 118ml $21, Alba Sports Sunscreen SPF 30+ 118ml $21

$30 and under: Soleo Organics All-Natural Sunscreen SPF 30 75g $29.95

$35 and under: Dr Hauschka Sunscreen Lotion SPF 15 Sensitive 100ml $34, Weleda Edelweiss Sun Lotion SPF 15 $34.90

$45 and under: Aveda Daily-Light Guard™ SPF 15 150ml $44

$50 and under: Dr Hauschka Sun Spray SPF 15 150ml $45.90