Confessions Of The Pretty Kind 2011!!!

I have many confessions to share with you and it is all about my most loved and reached for products of 2011! The majority of these products did not make their debut in 2011, but still, oldies can be goodies and you can always tell a goodie when it has been repurchased more than once. Remember, that my opinion is only one opinion of countless thousands, but these are my standouts. So, without further delay, lets  get down to "Confessions Of The Pretty Kind 2011"!!!


Lets start with the best foundation of 2011 and for me it was a definite toss up between Revlon's Colorstay foundation and Almay's TLC foundation. Now, I love the staying power of Revlon a lot, but I have found that if I wear it exclusively it will break me out so I use it for only special occasions when I need firm staying power. But, I have found that Almay Truly Lasting Color 16 Hour Skin Nourishing Longwear foundation is a great alternative to Revlon. I reach for my Almay foundation on a day to day basis and it does not break me out, so it is very skin friendly. The staying power of this foundation is awesome, definitely long enough for an eight hour day!


 This is comparatively the same price as Revlon foundation and just as excellent quality and has a full coverage finish, which is what I want when I wear foundation.

Not everybody likes to powder their face, but an oily skinned girl like myself needs some extra oil absorption and I have found that after applying foundation if I sweep some powder over my face it will help prevent my foundation from sliding off for awhile. So, what is my best setting powder of 2011?


For years upon years I was using Physican's Formula pressed powder for this and while I do still love it, my powder of choice now is Almay Line Smoothing Pressed Powder. This powder has a silky and lightweight texture, it feels great on the skin and compliments my Almay foundation beautifully. This is the kind of powder that pairs excellent with foundations since it is not a heavy foundation powder and offers light coverage all on it's own. This is my second purchase of the powder, as you can tell from the picture below!


This is the claim that Almay makes regarding this specific powder:

"Hides minor imperfections and reduces shine with a natural finish.
It never appears dry or flaky and won't settle into fine lines.
Great for touch-ups through out the day."

Basically, I bought this so that my makeup would not settle into my fine lines, but lets not believe all the hype, people. Regardless, I still am in love with this powder and recommend this to everybody! The packaging is not the prettiest, it comes off as cheap and unimpressive, but the quality of the product is outstanding.

Who loves the perfect eyebrow? Who plucks and re-plucks, not always with satisfactory results and than needs a little help filling in the sparse spaces...Yeah, that would be me! So, what is the best eyebrow product of the year? Why, that would be NYX Eyebrow Cake Powder!


What I love about this product is the fact that this is perfect for traveling because it is slim and compact. It has everything that you need to create your perfect brow and fill in areas that are lacking. The wax in this palette helps to smooth down unruly stray brows and also helps the powder to stick to the areas you want it to stay and not budge.


It comes with a cruddy applicator brush that was useless so it got thrown away and replaced by an angled brush that I love using instead.


The fact that this palette has two different shades of brown, a dark and medium, this will suit everybody that has dark brunette hair because you can mix the shades (or not) depending on what color is right for you. My palette is Dark Brown/Brown, but it also comes in a lighter palette.


I bought this from cherry culture.com  a year ago and it still has plenty of product left, I almost wonder if I will ever run out. This is definite must have!

Onto the best eyeshadow primer and hands down, everybody, it is (no surprise here) Urban Decay Primer Potion!


I have oily eyelids and having a "no-fail" primer is a must have if I want my eyeshadow to stay and not slide off. I have tested a few different ones this year and know that all Mac paint pots crease like crazy on me, as does the Loreal De-Crease eye primer.


Urban Decay Primer Potion is the one and only primer that makes my shadows stick and stay until I want to take off my eye makeup. Down side is, if I use this primer everyday I find that my eyelids can get dried out, flaky. So, I use this primer when I am going somewhere that I want my shadows to pop and stay on my lids, like a night out.


This is my holy grail eyeshadow primer, guys! I purchased mine at Sephora for $19.99 and was worth every cent!

What is an eye primer with out some eyeshadow, right? So, what was my favorite eyeshadow palette of 2011 and, not to mention, my surprise favorite eyeshadow brand of 2011? Well, ladies and gentleman, let us begin with my favorite eyeshadow palette...


It is none other than NYX Nude On Nude palette!!! I have not given into the Urban Decay Naked palette hype quite yet, although I have been on the brink. As an alternative, I tried out the NYX palette instead because for one, I love NYX and also, I wanted an affordable dupe for the Naked palette and I think that I found one, but also one that is better. Why, do I say that it is better? Well, for one, there are a ton more eyeshadows and they are all highly pigmented. Even though the eyeshadows are smaller in size to the Naked Palette, remember that a little goes a long way, so you are getting great quality for an excellent price.


A bonus with this NYX palette is that it has a tray on the bottom that slides out that has an array of ten different lip shades that you can choose from. Colors ranging from pinks, to peaches to reds even! Loving this! I am traveling in two months and this is one of the must have palettes that I am taking with me!


On to the surprise eyeshadow brand of the year for me, and that would be Wet 'n' Wild! Just a year ago, I bought my first eyeshadow palette from them in years! Their quality surprised me greatly and I not only have the Comfort Zone palette, but also three other palettes, and I am sure I won't be stopping there. My ultimate favorite from them is the Comfort Zone palette and have already hit pan on that one, but for my favorite pop of color palette that would have to go Petal Pusher! I love purples, especially with my brown eyes; it is one color that really makes them pop! With eight different shades to choose from, pinks to purples of all shades, you can create a dramatic gorgeous look anytime!


Only draw back with Wet 'n' Wild eyeshadows is the crazy fallout that you will get with application. My advice is to do your foundation lastly and just use a makeup wipe to wipe away the fallout before applying your face makeup.

Best palette and best surprise brand of the year!

NYX Nude On Nude palette

Wet 'n' Wild "Petal Pusher" palette

I have to give an honorable mention to Loreal Hip eyeshadow duos because they are also amazing! I promise, drugstore makeup is stepping it up and I am loving the high quality you and I can buy for an affordable price. I did an in depth review on Loreal Hip eyeshadows already so check it out, but I am sad to have recently heard that they are discontinuing a bunch of their eyeshadow duos! So I need to book it to the nearest drugstore and buy out a bunch so I can stock up before it is too late!!!

Loreal Hip Eyeshadow Duo in "Sassy"

An eyeliner has to be smudge proof and pigmented in order to be any good to us at all. Who wants their liner to smear half way down their eyes mid day? So, what are my favorite eyeliners of the year that I have reached for over and over again? 


As far as a pencil liner goes, the award is presented to Maybelline Unstoppable waterproof eyeliner in Onyx! This eyeliner is so good that I have repurchased this over and over countless times for the past three and a half years. This is what I have used when going to hang out in the pool, the water parks, on hot summer days, and it will not budge! Another holy grail, guys!


The best gel eyeliner is hands down, Maybelline Eyestudio Gel liner in Blackest Black! This has not dried out yet and I purchased this roughly six months ago and it is still creamy, smooth and pigmented. I have had gel liners that dried out in two months and became useless to me and money wasted, but Maybelline shocked and pleased me! Here's to a great year for you, Maybelline!

I love to experiment with makeup and try new things, so some may wonder, what is my best discovered product of 2011? Well, after debating weather or not to try out the NYX Jumbo Pencils and than deciding it would not be worth my money since I heard that they crease like crazy, I hunted for a better alternative.


So, along came Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide On Shadow Pencils! OMG, was I thrilled beyond the moon about these suckers! I read great reviews about these on line before purchasing and I knew I had to try one out for myself! They are much more expensive than NYX Jumbo Pencil but, the staying power of the Urban Decay Shadow Pencil is 100% better and worth the $20.00 you will pay for just one of these pencils.


I purchased this color in Delinquent, a beautiful shimmery purple. The shimmers in this come off as a light pink to me, which is just about the best combination ever! The application is super soft and will not budge! You can use these as a base for eyeshadows to make the shadow more vibrant or you can use these as a waterproof eyeliner. I highly recommend these to you if you like fun colors that will not fail you! 

Mascara's are always a personal matter, you know what I mean? Everybody's eyelashes are different and stubborn in different ways. So, for me, what is the best mascara of 2011 that I can never live with out? 


Well, the best mascara for me has to be Loreal Voluminous Original, because no matter what mascara I may be loving at the moment, I always go back to this one. The formula is thick but not goopy, so it does not dry funky on the lashes and flake off later. I tried the Maybelline Falsies mascara and loved it for a long while until I got frustrated with how clumpy and flaky my lashes would get as the day wore on.


Loreal dos not do that for me. It is tried and true for years on and off and gives my lashes the perfect lift and leaves me smiling with the satisfaction of knowing that I will not have to worry that it is flaking all over my face by mid day.

Oh, nail polishes...who can spend tons of time just gazing at the rainbow of colors in the nail polish section of a store, just hunting for the perfect shade? But, we all have learned that the prettiness of the color is not what matters. What matters is the brand of nail polish, right? Because I have learned that certain brands are notorious for chipping and flaking the same day of application. So, what is my favorite nail polish brand of 2011?


Many times over it would have to be Sally Hansen's Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Color! Sally Hansen has such great fun and trendy colors that anybody can be pleased with the selection. This polish does not bubble, does not chip easily and dries in a fair amount of time. I have had many polishes from this brand and am always looking for an excuse to purchase more!

I am a lipstick lover and prefer this over lipgloss the majority of the time. Lipstick is so much more pigmented and lasts long on the lips. Lip gloss is definitely a must have, though, but it has to be pigmented and feel smooth, not sticky on my lips. I have several brands of lipstick and lipgloss that I love, but what is my ultimate favorite lipstick and lipgloss brand of 2011?


Hands down, it would have to be Revlon lipsticks and lip glosses! They have a variety of different colors to chose from and many different finishes of lipstick, even matte, which not every brand at the drugstore carries. These lipsticks and glosses last a long time on the lips and the texture is lightweight and smooth. These are products that can be worn with out frustration or irritation! 

Favorite red lipstick "Certainly Red"

"Certainly Red"

Favorite Lipgloss "Coral Reef"

"Coral Reef"

I will confess right now, that a few years ago, I was not a blush kind of a girl. I would not even use bronzer, so you can imagine how pale I must have appeared to the outside world when I would parade around town with nothing but my foundation and powder on! I have no idea as to what got me to wearing blush and bronzer, maybe it was YouTube, but I love the stuff and have to wear it always whenever I wear foundation. So, what has been my favorite blush of 2011?


Actually, there are two that I am in love with and wore a lot this past summer, and I even wore it last night, actually! They are both by Lorac and came in a beautiful purple makeup clutch that I purchased on Haute Look almost a year ago. Unfortunately, I have no names for these blushes since I long ago got rid of the information paper that came with the palette.


But, regardless of that, there is a pretty bright pink that I love to wear on my cheeks for a flush of color. It looks almost unwearable in the pan, and it almost could be if you used a heavy hand with this because it is so pigmented! So, just tap it in the pan and you will have a pretty pink wash to your cheeks!


The other color that accompanies the pink blush is a orange-coppered colored blush. Some might mistake this for a contour shade, but it is beautiful worn lightly in the on your cheeks to bring a glow to your face. Imagine wearing this shade with your summer glow?


There is shimmer to both of there blushes, but it is not glittery, which is a relief. The shimmer makes your face appear to be lit from within when you wear these colors well. The formula is very silky and smooth which makes for great blending! This is a highly pigmented product, so be wary! 

Lorac palette the bushes come in

Fvorite Blushes By Lorac!

Lorac blush swatches

Lorac blush swatches blended out

Makeup is one of those things that a person can have fun with and be creative when using it. There are a lot of fun products out there that can add to the enjoyment of letting lose with your makeup and adding some jazz to a look. What is my fun product of 2011 that I love to play around with?


That would be Glitteratzi Eye Glitter Gel by Hard Candy! If you are a glitter lover and have not discovered this item, I think you need to try this out because it gives you as much or as little glitter as you want on your eyes. The opacity of the product is up to you since I have found it to be buildable. The only bummer about this product is that there is not a variety of colors to chose from. I have this in the color "Maniac".

There is always that one product that you cannot live without, because it has saved you and continues to rescue you over and over again with out fail. You know that if they ever discontinued it, you would roll over and shrivel into a prune in agony. (Dramatic, yes!) What is the product that I can never live without? 


I have said this before and I will say it again, but it is the Clean And Clear Oil Blotting Sheets! I have tried two different brands that I was disappointed in because they did not absorb as much oil as I would have hoped for, while the Clean And Clear sheets absorb so much oil, they leave my face feeling smooth, no longer slippery! I hope that these never get discontinued because they are so affordable and I would die if I had to pay fore money for something that I use to blot my face and than throw away!

Smelling good should be everyone's priority, and if it is not, well, read this section because I am going to share with you what the best perfume of 2011 is that will make you smell divine! It is none other than Viva La Juicy by Juicy Couture!

I have my favorite perfumes for different reasons, (Burberry For Women is a fav, because it reminds me  of Michael Buble since I was wearing this perfume the first time I saw him in concert-and it smells heavenly!) but Viva La Juicy is this years favorite perfume!


I am not good at describing scents, but it smells, sweet without smelling like a young teenager wearing cotton candy body spray. I can almost smell a subtle hint of caramel along with floral notes. This is a light perfume but it lasts a long time on my skin. When I wear it, people always, without fail I promise, tell me I smell great and ask what it is that I am wearing! 

So, since, I am a disaster at describing perfumes, this is what the website says the main accords of the perfume are:

Sweet
White Floral
Caramela
Citrus
Vanilla

"The perfume Viva La Juicy was presented as a gourmet floral fragrance, which opens with notes of wild berries and juicy mandarin. The heart encompasses a floral blend of honeysuckle, gardenia and jasmine, while the base notes await us with a gourmet rhapsody of amber, caramel, vanilla, sandalwood and pralines."

Yummy! This is a perfume I am going to have to repurchase over and over, just as I do my burberry! 

So, we saw 2011 come and go and with it some amazing beauty products enter our lives. Thankfully there are suckers like me who want to buy and try out every new invention that comes onto the market. Because of that I am looking forward to 2012 and all that it is going to bring for us in the realm of beauty. I am sure I will have a ton more pretty confessions to share with you all very soon!