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.

MORE new products!

Yes, it’s another post about lots of new products from fantastic Australian and New Zealand brands!

After ink 50ml $19.30 – This is a salve made in New Zealand, designed to soothe tattooed skin. I am pretty keen to get a tattoo at some point. I won’t rush into it, but if/when I do get one, I’ll try this stuff to soothe my skin afterwards.

Also made in New Zealand are: Pot of Gold Skin Balm and Pot of Gold Baby Balm, each $12.10 for 15g, $22.60 for 50g, and $40.10 for 100g. Both have multiple uses – the Skin Balm is good for Psoriasis, Eczema, burns, Dermatitis, cold sores, bruises, cuts, wounds, and dry cracked skin. The Baby Balm is good for nappy rash, dry cracked nipples, prevention and reduction of stretch marks, and chapping or chafing. I have these listed as new products, but actually the Skin Balm has been used in the company’s family for five generations! Bonus: the palm oil used in the products (and also in After Ink, which I believe is made by the same people) is guilt free (comes from a sustainable source).

Australian brand Sukin has a new product – Antioxidant Eye Serum, $23.99 for 35ml. This looks good. It contains some great ingredients including aloe vera, vitamin E, rosehip oil, and cucumber extract. I am a big fan of Sukin products, so I may try this.

Adding to their mineral makeup range, Australian brand Bloom has a new range of Lip Butters, $31. Minerals Plus Lip Butter contains natural mineral pigments, moisturising ingredients including beeswax, shea butter, and rosehip, and also contain pomegranate oil to act as anti-oxidant. They come with a built-in mirror, and are available in eight shades. They look nice; I’m keen to try them!

New from New Zealand brand Evolu is the Rehydrating Facial Masque 50ml $44.50 - I think this replaces the Quenching Hydramask which doesn’t seem to be available on the Evolu website anymore. It’s a moisturising treatment for any skin type.

Lots and lots and LOTS of new products!

There are a whole lot of cool new products out at the moment, mostly from New Zealand and Australian brands! They are coming out faster than I can write about them, so I’m doing a bulk post about heaps of them. So what have we got?

- Antipodes Grapeseed Butter Cleanser $45.90 for 75ml – contains cocoa butter, harakeke, and hibiscus flower. Another great product from this NZ brand.

- Bloom Pure Mineral Eye Shadow & Brush Set, $35 each – These mineral eye shadows each come with an eye shadow brush. They are part of the Australian brand’s mineral makeup range. I mentioned them in a post last year, and now they have arrived in NZ! There are six shades available, although the website lists eight. There are some pretty colours; I like the look of Crystal, a shimmering white, which would be great for highlighting the browbones.

- The Body Collection Plane Sense range – A set of eight products from an Australian brand, all 100ml, so they can be taken on the plane with you. Free from phthalates, propylene glycol, mineral oil, silicone, synthetic dyes, sodium lauryl sulphate, parabens, PEGs, and synthetic fragrances. The products are:

Body Wash
Body Lotion
Shampoo
Conditioner
Face Cleanser
Face Mist
Hand Lotion
Foot Lotion

There are also two gift packs. One contains Body Wash, Body Lotion, Shampoo, and Conditioner, and the other contains Face Cleanser, Face Mist, Hand Lotion, and Foot Lotion. The individual products are $8.50 each, and the gift packs are $28.99 each. They are pretty cute, and I’m keen to try the foot lotion.

- Various new products from Comvita Huni – This NZ brand recently expanded its skincare and body care range. The new products are:

All Day Hand and Nail Cream 75g $25.00
Every Day Body Wash 250ml $29.00
Intensive Hydrating Mask 75g $45
Every Day Eye Cream 15g $39.00
Anytime Lip Treatment 10g $15
Night and Day Serum 25ml $69

I think the serum has actually been around for a while, but it wasn’t part of the original range. I’d like to try the lip balm, it looks yummy!

- Tebe, a New Zealand range, whose products contains olive oil and olive leaf extract, have two new products:

Eye Cream 20ml $27.70
Face Polish 50ml $24

- Another new mineral makeup range is here! BYS (Be Yourself), an affordable Australian makeup brand now has a range called Minerals Naturalé. The products are:

Foundation 3.5g $12.90, available in nine shades
Concealer 3.5g $12.90, available in six shades
Blush 3.5g $12.90, available in three shades
Bronzer 10g $19.90, available in two shades

I have seen the foundations and bronzers at Glassons, and the full range of products at Cosmetics Plus. The website lists several other products, which don’t seem to be available here.

- Another new product from a great NZ brand! Ecostore Fabric Softener, 500ml for $7.95, 5L for $61.75 – Not a skincare product, but it does affect your skin – sensitive skin can be irritated by fabric softeners, but not this one! There are no dyes or perfumes in it, and it’s nice and gentle.

- New lip balms from Natio – Another Australian brand has some nice new lip balms:

Paw Paw Lip Balm 20ml $12
Men’s Lip Balm 20ml $12

- Weleda Body Washes – A change from all the NZ and Australian brands, Swiss brand Weleda has put out some new body washes. They are all $19.50 for 200ml, and there are three:

Wild Rose Body Wash
Sea Buckthorn Body Wash
Creamy Citrus Body Wash

Very nice, I’m keen on citrus scents, so I may try the citrus one at some point.

Sooo many new products! Awesome!

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)

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

Bronzers

To give yourself a bronzed glow, in addition to fake tan, try using a bronzer. I like Dr Hauschka Bronzing Powder, $49 for 9g. Dr Haushcka also makes Translucent Bronze Concentrate, $58 for 30ml.

Some other options:

$25 and under: Natio Mineral Pressed Powder Bronzer in Sunswept 18.1g $23

$40 and under: Bloom Pure Minerals Radiant Touch in Sunkissed 2.5g $39

$50 and under: Living Nature Summer Bronze Pressed Powder $49

$60 and under: Couleur Caramel Terre Caramel Bronzer $55.99, available in four shades

$80 and under: Bare Escentuals Faux Tan Bronzing Powder 2.8g $78, Bare Escentuals Warmth Face Colour 2.8g $78

So Hot Right Now: Mineral Makeup

A lot of not-particularly-natural beauty brands are bringing out mineral makeup. Some of these I wouldn't try, (because of some of them have parabens in them, which is something I try to avoid, and one brand that I won't name tests on animals which I ALWAYS avoid), but I am quite keen to try Bloom's mineral makeup.

Bloom has Pure Mineral Powder Foundation in Light, Medium, and Dark, Pure Mineral Radiant Touch Bronzer in Sunkissed, and Pure Mineral Radiant Touch Blush in Rosie. They can be bought at Kirkaldie & Stains. The foundation is $45, and the blush and bronzer are $40 each. So not that cheap, but a lot cheaper than Bare Escentuals - their foundation costs $70 at Hardy's, and $75 at Nature Unplugged. I have tried Bare Escentuals before, but I bought a small size for $25, and even though I liked it, I don't think I'd buy it at full price, because it's pretty expensive.

Miessense also has mineral makeup - $39.95 for Mineral Foundation Powder, which comes in Fair, Medium, Tanned, and Dark. They also have Mineral Blush Powder in Desert Rose Silk, Desert Rose Satin, Apricot Dew Silk, Apricot Dew Satin, Ginger Blossom Silk, and Ginger Blossom Satin. The 'Silk' shades are matte, and the 'Satin' shades are shimmery. Unfortunately I haven't seen any Miessense makeup in any stores for quite a while, but you can order it from http://www.mionegroup.com/en/home.

Jane Iredale also has quite a few mineral makeup products. Unfortunately I can't seem to find the prices for them in New Zealand Dollars, but for stockists in New Zealand, go to http://home.xtra.co.nz/hosts/psbhost/ji_stockists.htm.

I mentioned Natio Mineral Radiance in a previous post, but I haven't yet tried it. I'd really like to try the blusher, but it seems that a lot of other people would too, because it's sold out at the three different Farmers stores that I've looked for it in! The eyeshadows are still in stock though, maybe I should try one (or more) of those before they sell out. Hopefully the blusher will be available again soon.

If you aren't too concerned about parabens, you could try Physicians Formula Mineral Wear. I saw the Pressed Powder (34.95), Loose Powder (29.95), and Foundation (can't remember the price, sorry, and I can't find it online). The range does have a lot of other products in it as well, but I'm not sure if they're all available in New Zealand. There is also an Organic Wear line, but I don't think that's available over here. If it ever is, I'd be keen to try it. Check out the Physicians Formula website: http://www.physiciansformula.com/en-us/default.html for more information. By the way, I think the girl who's pictured on the page about Mineral Wear looks like a younger version of Bree from Desperate Housewives. Just putting that out there.