Best Beauty Cosmetic Finds for 2008 – Jen’s List

Jan 23, 2009 Author: Jen Hill | Filed under: Blushes & Cheek Stains, Cosmetics, Eyeliners, Foundations, Lip Color, Lip Glosses, Make Up For Ever, Mineral Makeup, Prescriptives, Urban Decay

So much makeup, so little time.Â

Here is aÂ list of my favorite cosmetic products for 2008, no small endeavor!Â This past yearÂ I have Â sampled more makeup than I have triedÂ cumulatively in my entire life.Â All of these beauty products passed my A+++ big cosmetic loveÂ status!

HD Invisible Cover Foundation ($40) - leaves my skin feeling natural, flawless and works well with my sensitive

, break-out prone skin

Face Forward Primer Acne ResponseÂ ($44)Â -Â a new mantra I haveÂ adopted this year is “to not prime is a crime.” Â Although this soundsÂ a bit dramatic, primers can offer great skin benefits.Â Â Alison Raffaele’s PrimerÂ is an excellentÂ product to make your foundation glide on and helps keep the oilies and acne at bay too!

Urban Decay’sÂ 24/7 concealerÂ ($16) – perfect consistency to cover, great variety of shades, wonderful staying power (ask Mo, she can verify this fact)!

Prescriptives Sight Unseen Brightening ConcealerÂ ($22) – smooth, creamy, blends in so well under my eyes and lends some luminosity to soften undereye darkness and shadows.

Make Up Forever Microfinish Powder ($30)Â Â -Â idealÂ finishing powder, gives my skin soft focus and leaves it feeling like velvet.

LancÃ´meâ€™s Color Fever Shine Lipstick in ProvocativeÂ ($25) – I love its moistÂ feel, a sheer rich plum with bits of pearly sparkle to give it dimension.Â If you are a fan of Cliniqueâ€™s Almost Lipstick; you will love LancÃ´meâ€™s Fever Shine Lipstick.

LooseLipsNY Lumi-Shine Lip Gloss in FATE ($15)Â - non-sticky, moisturizing lip gloss that can be worn alone or layered with a variety of lip colors, subtle pink and coral sparkles!

NARS lip gloss in Rose BirmanÂ ($24) -Â a sheer cranberryÂ -Â if you cannot go too dark, this shade and consistency is gorgeous!Â One of the best lip glosses on the planet.

Urban Decayâ€™s Lipstick in HotpantsÂ ($22) -Â luxuriously creamy and a beautiful medium pink shade.Â Some don’t like the scent or container, but the formula is smooth and the color divine!

Urban Decayâ€™s 24/7 Glide-on Lip Pencil in WickedÂ ($16) – creamy and lasts, truly lives up to its glide on nameÂ -Â smooth, beautiful color that I use with everything -Â a slightly pinky-nude shade.

Natureâ€™s Mineral cheek colors ($18)Â Â - soft and natural, IÂ adore brushing this blush onto the apples of my cheeks

Aromaleighâ€™s Illuminator Finishing PowderÂ ($14.50)Â - a translucent, sheer loose mineral cosmetic powder, that contains reflective minerals to give your skin a radiant appearance.Â Apply on brow bones, above cheeks and lightlyÂ around forehead, chin, and decollete.

Urban Decay 24/7 Travel Size Set of Eyeliners ($29Â ) -Â Available in two sets:

VIP
- Zero (zealous black)
- Lucky (brilliant deep copper)
- Covet (peacock green)
- Electric (bright aquamarine)
- Lust (plush purple)

Velvet Rope
- Yeyo (metallic white)
- 1999 (plum with micro gold glitter)
- Zero (zealous black) the #1 best-selling black Eye Pencil
- Bourbon (brown with micro gold glitter)
- Stash (dark green/gold)Â - Fun, fabulous colors that can be used in an endless variety of ways.Â

To add to the fun, be sure to check out Bionic Beauty’s list of beauty favoritesÂ as well:Â Bionicâ€™s Best of Beauty 2008!

Thanks for letting me share my love for the good stuff!Â Here’s to many new beauty cosmetic finds for 2009!!

Share and Enjoy:

15 Responses for "Best Beauty Cosmetic Finds for 2008 – Jen’s List"

Mo January 23rd, 2009 at 1:16 am 1

I have two issues with the MUFE foundation. One is the price, ouch. The other is that I can’t get good application with my fingertips, which means you MUST take a sponge or brush with you if traveling. However, when applied properly, it’s unbelievably gorgeous. I applied it before a photo shoot and it turned out gorgeous! Especially with the HD finishing powder, which will be on my essentials list from now on. I gave some to my stylist and her husband asked what she was doing differently. Her husband!
I’ve heard so many great things about that Alison Raffaele primer. It’s getting added to my must try list…
I have yet to find an Urban Decay 24/7 product that doesn’t blow me away. Lots of thought and perfecting went into those.
Overall that’s a pretty good list. Here’s hoping 2009 brings more great finds our way!
Jen Hill January 23rd, 2009 at 7:50 am 2

Excellent points to consider Mo. You are right about the foundation, without the beautyblender application sponge I would probably have a different opinion of it, and the price is very high – although I use a much smaller amount of product in comparison to other foundations. I also love that it doesn’t have a strong foundation fragrance, doesn’t irritate my skin, and the color matches mine very well.

I will be sure to publish Mo and DecoDiva’s Best Lists very soon!
Jami January 23rd, 2009 at 8:44 am 3

Thanks for sharing your list, Jen! I haven’t tried a single thing on here, lol. Guess I’d better get to work.

For primers, have you tried the Monistat Powder-Gel? I laughed at first, but so far, it’s doing okay in testing and it’s only $7.99. Weee!

My goal for 2009: Try some of these Urban Decay cosmetics. They are so gorgeous! And with you, Mo, and another good friend recommending them, I’ve got to try them!

Here’s to a grand and super-beauty filled 2009!
Jami
Decorative Diva January 23rd, 2009 at 12:23 pm 4

I love love LOVE the UD 24/7 concealer pencils as well as the eyeliner pencils! They’re amazing. Glad to see them here
Tracy M (dandelion mama) January 23rd, 2009 at 1:25 pm 5

The Alison Raffaelle primer is one of the best things I’ve ever used. It makes the others pale in comparisson, and is totally worth the extra $$.

Ditto UD 24/7 products. I adore them.

One of my new favs is the Aromaleigh mineral eyeshaddows. They are fantastic! The colors, the intensity, the sparkle, the lasting, the cost, everything about them is awesome, and I won’t buy minerals from anywhere else now.

I would have to add the Bare Essentials Buxom glosses to my list. I have five now, and I don’t go a day without them- I love the feel, the colors, the package, the colors are great, and the price is fair. (I know Mo disagrees with me, but I love them anyway!)
t.t. January 23rd, 2009 at 7:36 pm 6

Thanks for the great list Jen – I do love a good list! I must agree with you that the UD 24/7 eye pencils are awesome – they glide on so smoothly and can be smudged a bit and than it locks onto your lid. Oh and while I haven’t tried the Nars in Rose Birman, I love their glosses. I want to try this color since I too can’t wear too red of a red. Sounds right up my alley!
shirlz January 24th, 2009 at 8:43 pm 7

I really want to try out the UD’s concealer. I’m currently using M.A.C, which is working pretty nicely. But I want to try something else that could give me even better coverage.

I also love the UD 24/7 Glide on Pencil. But I find it a little bit too creamy for me since I have oily lids. So I put the M.A.C Black Track and then run it over with UD 24/7 after putting a shadow primer base!

Thanks for writing this review!
kate2004rock January 24th, 2009 at 10:13 pm 8

I just was not impressed with the HD foundation. I tried it one day over the holidays and it was cakey, and greasy, like margarine in a tub. It did not make my skin feel fresh and light. It felt like dry-wall mud. I’ve been wearing Dior HydaAction tinted moisturizer pretty much every day. I LOVE it!

And I loved the coverage and consistancy of the 24/7 concealer from Urban Decay but I couldnt keep the pencil from falling apart. It broke deep inside the tube every time I sharpened it so I lost so much product!
kate2004rock January 24th, 2009 at 10:15 pm 9

However, I do LOVE all things NARS lip gloss. I have been rocking some Boogie Nights lately. So pretty and bold but not as crazy as red lips (I’m subdued…)
Jen Hill January 25th, 2009 at 8:16 am 10

Thanks Kate your feelings are very appreciated! As with the MUF Foundation, what works for me doesn’t always jive with everyone else. I think the main reason I am loving this foundation so much is because I live in an extremely dry climate and my skin is pretty dry at the moment. I might not like it as much during the summer months, we will see!

And you did it to me again Kate, now I must try Dior’s HydaAction tinted moisturizer!
kate2004rock January 25th, 2009 at 10:31 am 11

Did you have trouble keeping the UD pencil together?
Mo January 25th, 2009 at 1:06 pm 12

I never had that problem with the UD pencil, and I’ve gone through two of them now. Maybe you just have bad luck? *crosses fingers*
And there’s no way I would even THINK of trying the MUFE foundation in the summer, it would be a disaster on me!!!
Tracy M (dandelion mama) January 26th, 2009 at 12:23 pm 13

Oh I forgot!

My bestest, mostest favorite mascara now: L’Oreal Lash Tubes or whatever it’s called (red and white containter, with primer)- it’s AWESOME!! If you cry, if your eyes water- nothing. Nada. It doesn’t come off- but at night, with a little soap and water or remover, it literally comes off in tiny little tubes. It’s FANTASTIC and FUN! And, it makes my lashes LONG and they still stay soft and supple, not hard or brittle. Plus, it’s only about 8 bucks. CHA CHING!
Tyna January 26th, 2009 at 2:20 pm 14

Thanks Tracy! That sounds like a low cost version of the Blinc mascara – can’t wait to try it! i love those little tubes.
Mo January 27th, 2009 at 10:59 pm 15

Tyna,
BETTER than Blinc, no contest. And a whole lot cheaper!