FAVOURITE | New forever beauty products in 2010

PLENTY OF people in the beauty world don't have forever beauty products. Why would we when a huge chunk of the job is trying everything out that comes to market?

Rarely have I bought something over and over again. If ever. Honestly, whether they'll tell you or not, the beauty folk often call in what they use or if they're so backlogged with reviewing stuff (ahem, my default state), then they beg off new products, already so mired in countless products they have to use.

Usually, I use whatever's on hand, whatever I am trialing that day/week/month. Maybe it's not like that in real life. I guess there's some sense of brand loyalty but it's hard to develop a taste for one thing when you've got 20 on the docket to try.

Here are a few from 2010 for which I'll be happy to plunk down cash when they run low or wear out.

Alpha-H

I'm all over this brand like white on rice. In 2010, Glyolic Acid has changed my 30-something skin for the better. The range is described as Glycolic based Anti-Ageing. They should add acne-fighting and Rosacea-styming to that description too. Gorgeous stuff. The Essential Hydrating Cream, Liquid Gold Intensive Night Repair Serum and the Daily Essential Moisturiser all get my humble blogger stamp of approval. Particularly the first two... packed with Vitamin A, Vitamin E,  Glycolic 14%, Niacinamide, Licorice Extract, Sodium Hyaluronate, Palmitoyl Tripeptide-5...  

Hourglass Femme Rouge

I rocked this shiz on the Vail ski slopes over the Christmas holiday in the brilliant berry Nocturnal. Why not? It was moisturising, stayed on, has rich pigment, the tube's refillable, it's got none of the nasties that are found in many lipsticks and, well, I was in the mood for a bit of glamour wherever I could find it as I didn't have the full ski bunny outfit. Instead, I wore my mother-in-law's 1970s ski pants that were almost a foot too short, a second-hand pastel camo coat from my sister and a helmet. If it can withstand the weather and wear of skiing and make anyone dressed as mad as I was feel glamorous, it's a keeper.

L'Occitane Peony Lip and Cheek Water

Has cut down my every day routine by a huge chunk of time. Swipe a bit onto my cheeks after I put on my RMS un-Cover Up in 22, once across the lips before blotting it with a finger, wiggle some mascara into my eyelashes or pile a bit of bright lipstick on the stain that's created a nice base and I'm good to go. It's super light, easy to blend before it sets (unlike many lip and cheek stains), has a natural, lovely peachy-pink colour and -- the real kicker -- makes me actually look like a refreshed, younger version of myself.

Alexa Rudolfo Bois Nu Candle

Just take the lid off and your entire house smells amazing. Light the sucker and it'll last for hours. Clean burning, long burn time, beautiful (and re-usable) glass containers with gorgeously heavy lids. I have two in a small one bedroom place and that's all I need. The scent is slightly musky but not overbearing. It smells expensive.

Oral-B Professional Care SmartSeries 5000 Electric Toothbrush

This one has taken some getting used to. As in, I can't mindlessly run it across my teeth for a few seconds before going to bed. You have to individually brush each tooth with the round, rotating brush head, like the dental hygenist does. The rubbery nubs and bristles are seriously whitening too and there's a timer so you know when you've done two minutes. My smiles loads brighter than it was before and my dentist is so much happier to see me than he was at the end of 2009. 

[Can't find a pick of the brush online. Boo.]

Babyliss Hair Brush

I still have to cut knots out of my hair. True story. It gets so tangled and matted during the winter when I have a scarf or collar rubbing against it all day. Often times I would just tuck it under on itself and leave it, like a giant dreadlock, until warm days. Conditioner was no match for it and even my favourite brush -- the one I've had for EIGHT years, my Marilyn -- couldn't make any but a superficial difference. Enter the Babyliss brush... a combo of boar bristles and spikey plastic ones that massage my scalp and instantly fix my mop. I dragged it through  my hair and had tamed the previously un-tamable mess in less than 30 seconds. My hard has been looking sleek since (also thanks in part to at Vidal Sassoon). I'm still trying to find a voltage converter to use my Root Boost, but I bet it would have made the 2010 list if I could've used it.

Smell this now: Bois d'Alexa candle by Alexa Rodulfo

When I first found the Bois d'Alexa candle waiting in my postbox (way back in early 2009), I was moving house and thus not lighting any candles in the vicinity of my growing newspaper mountain (the best paper with which to wrap kitchenwares). My flat resembled a large tinder box and open flame was the last ingredient I wanted to be responsible for supplying. However, I was curious... I peeked under the weighty pewter lid of the candle sent over by the famed Alexa Rodulfo herself so I could at the very least get a feel for the scent. It weighed heavy in my hand since the candle, made in historic perfume center Grasse, comes encased in opaque black French glass. It feels as luxurious as it smells; this product has a presence. Simply put, it's sensory decadence that won't leave you feeling woozy as is so often the case with pungent products, superbly rich puds and other slightly nefarious implements of decadence. You won't dry heave at the thought of using Bois d'Alexa after overdoing it the night before because, frankly, there's no overdoing it with this candle. 

For those of you who aren't familiar with Alexa, she is the go-to makeup and hair stylist for the social set of this world, making up the likes of fashonistocrat Margherita Missoni and media royalty Wendi Murdoch. 

Description

Bois d'Alexa is a unisex-scented candle that comes in a black French glass container with a lead-free Pewter lid encased in a velvet pouch. The wax is black, the wick is made from 100 per cent cotton and the candle is made in Grasse, France.

The fragrance include notes of orange, nutmeg, clove, cinnamon blossom, cedar, vetiver, guaiac wood, white musk, oak moss, leather and hints of vanilla.

The Good

The musky, wooden scent. It is absolutely pervasive. When it's sitting sans pewter lid on my coffee table, the entire living room is redolent of soft cedar, slightly green and gently musky. It's a candle a man would't be embarassed to have sitting out in his flat (let alone next to his bed). It's not too metro and it doesn't reek of a Little Tree care freshener. It is, in my estimation, one of the best scented candles on the market.

Plus, each candle is handcrafted and comes in a velvet pouch... all made in Grasse. This stuff is good,

The Bad

As with so many things, the price is a bit steep. $68 for a candle is hard to justify for some, but it does burn for 50 hours.

Buy Bois d'Alexa at Aedes de Venustas and Colette.

Update on 10.3.2009 by Jessica Teas (née Gearhart)

I was just pinged with an email about the fact that Alexa is releasing three more candle scents, soon (hopefully) to be followed by other products.

The three scents are: BOIS BLANC, BOIS SAUVAGE, BOIS D’AMOUR.”

Alexa says: “I wanted to create something beautiful. Once you become captivated by a scent, it will remind you of and take you to places that you have been before: you may not quite know where, but you know it’s a place of calm and pleasure.”

About the scents

BOIS BLANC: The base notes are Violet Leaf with Bergamot and Grapefruit; additional spicy accents are added with Nutmeg, Cloves and dry notes of Cedar wood, though the overall affect is anchored with woody facets of Vetiver and Sandalwood. The finishing touch is a note of White Musk.

BOIS SAUVAGE: The perfect blend of acidic citrus fruit and the base perfume of woods, BOIS SAUVAGE is like a walk through the wilderness. Lemon and oranges mingle with rum vapors, moss facets and the warm aroma of crisp trees. Still familiar with its musk powder and hints of old leather, this is an entirely new, unique creation.

BOIS D’AMOUR: Familiar, inspiring and full of love – this scent is built around a mix of red thyme and nutmeg, with a strong overtone of the calming, invigorating green mint. The green tea marries a patchouli bouquet, with the slightest taste of cannabis accord. The endnote is the harvested familiar banquet of gaiac wood, cedar wood and oak. 
   
The three candles are available exclusively from Colette from tonight and then globally from November 2009.