I don’t know if I’ve mentioned this before, but five days a week I go to a class at Portland State University, at 8 am. I’m studying Japanese. It’s a lot of fun, especially since my sister (who’s also our roommate now) is taking it with me. Me being me, of course, a visit to the cosmetics aisle at my local Asian supermarket provides a fun and interesting opportunity to practice my katakana reading skills and an excuse to buy stuff. Hey, we need to practice!

My latest, and so far greatest, find has been Cow Brand Milky Body Soap. This creamy body wash smells clean and fresh, but without any of the nose-tickling scent that “clean and fresh” usually entails. It is super-mega-duper foamy! If it’s lather you like, this will deliver hands down some of the fluffiest lather I’ve experienced. At the same time, however, it is not drying at all to my skin. In fact, my skin feels exceptionally soft after use. I’m totally hooked!

If you live in the greater Portland metro area, you will find Cow Brand Milky Body Soap at Uwajimaya. There are a few stores up in the Seattle area too. If you live anywhere else, it’s possible you might find it at your local Asian grocery. Also, the website is in Japanese. The bottles have a picture of a cow on the front and say Milky Body Soap in English too, so it’s still possible to identify them on a store shelf, even if you don’t read katakana! If you try it, let me know what you think!

Today is the first day of 2010 and 2009 is gone gone gone! How else would a blogger start the New Year than with a Best Of post?

The Raspberry Body Butter from the Body Shop is still my favorite body cream, although Kiehl’s Imperial Body Balm is THISCLOSE to being first in my heart. Speaking of Kiehl’s, their Mascara wins the prize for my most-used mascara this year. I use it almost every day now.

The return of Hard Candy definitely tops my list of Great Makeup News. I’m still in love with the new baked-style eyeshadow duos.

2009 was my year to discover the awesomeness that is loose mineral (and mineral-style) eyeshadows. Aromaleigh, J. Lynne, Meow Cosmetics, Fyrinnae, and even Bare Escentuals all get my vote (and my money!).

Natural and organic beauty really hit the big time in 2009. I use my EcoTools brushes every day, and I’m constantly amazed at the expanded cosmetics aisles in stores like Whole Foods and my local New Seasons Market.

Lonestar Memories, Chanel No. 5 Eau Premiere, and Lisa Hoffman Japanese Agarwood top the list of my favorite new fragrances from 2009.

Favorite beauty moment? Shopping for cosmetics in NYC in September. Second favorite beauty moment? Deciding to cut my hair and wear it short (again).

What are your favorite things from 2009?

I love a good body butter. I like them thick, rich, and preferably smelling good. I get dry, irritated skin on my arms and legs, and a nice thick lotion helps minimize this problem. This is where Kiehl’s new Imperial Body Balm comes in. It’s THICK THICK THICK and the scent? OH. MY. GOD.

Inspired by old-world Russian herbal remedies, Imperial Body Balm smells like vanilla and spices. It’s AMAZING. The first time I spread a little on my arm, I was sniffing it for the next hour, it’s that good. If you like spicy, vanilla-y scents, you need this cream. However, if strong scents aren’t your thing, be warned. Any perfume you wear will be competing with the scent for hours, so either forgo the perfume or pick something that mixes well with it. I usually just skip perfume (gasp!) if I’m slathering this all over. Givenchy Organza Indecence mixes well with the scent, if you go easy on it.

But don’t just buy it for the scent alone. Rich with shea and cocoa butters and sea buckthorn berry oil (a great source of anti-oxidants), this cream will deeply moisturize even the driest skin and protect it from premature aging from dryness, exposure to harsh climates and environmental effects. A little bit goes a long way, as it is super-rich, super-thick, and super-creamy.

It’s a little pricey at $42 for an 8 oz. jar, but it’s still going to take me a while to get through a jar so it’s totally worth it. I almost wish they’d make a perfume with the scent, because I’d be first in line, waving my credit card!

Since I’ve been on something of a mascara kick lately, I thought it would be fun to do a Claire’s Favorites list for mascara. In no particular order, here are my personal picks.

Best Drugstore Mascara: Organic Wear Mascara currently holds the title. I’ve gone from liking it to really loving it!

Best Volumizing Mascara: Bourjois Yes to Volume rocks the volume.

Best Mascara for Short Lashes: Maybelline Lash Discovery, and I love the tiny brush.

Best Colored Mascara: BADGal blue & plum are my two favorite colored mascaras.

Best Mascara for Dramatic Lashes: Maybelline Lash Stiletto is perfect for long, luscious lashes for special occasions.

Best Waterproof Mascara: Maybelline Full ‘N Soft Waterproof has never smeared or run down my face, despite rain and crying jags.

So that’s my list. What are your favorites mascaras?

While doing my makeup yesterday, I realized that there is a product I use every day, but have never really talked about or reviewed. I’m actually on my second jar! The product is Clarins Loose Powder, and I guess you’d say I’m devoted to it.

I discovered the product at Nordstrom a year ago, when I attended a “ladies night” type of event – all the counters were doing demos, there was music, etc. In short, it was a lot of fun. I was in need of a new loose powder, having just about exhausted what I had (and darned if I can even remember what it was!). When the MA put some of the Clarins on my face (and I felt it between my fingers, too) I knew I had found my new loose powder.

So why do I love it so much? First, the texture rocks my socks. It’s so fine and soft, it feels like silk. It’s whisper-light on the skin, and doesn’t accentuate fine lines (okay, I don’t have many, but I have a few!). It sets foundation like a champ, and gives a perfect matte-yet-velvety finish. The container design is pretty decent too – instead of tapping some into a lid, you spin this sifter thingy inside the container well to lift up what you need. Then, you swirl your brush in it, gently tap of any excess, and voila! Perfect application. A jar lasted me about 9 months with daily use.

The potential drawbacks are container size and fragrance. The container is large, and heavy. You won’t want to travel with it! I usually just pack tarte provocateur pressed powder instead, and apply that with a brush. It’s not my beloved Clarins Loose Powder, but it’s fine for a few days. If you dislike fragrance in your cosmetics, you may not like Clarins Loose Powder. It has a definite scent.

I have to admit to being intrigued by Almay Pure Blends Loose Finishing Powder as a budget alternative to Clarins Loose Powder. I think I’m a sucker for the packaging, as much as anything – the box is CUTE! If I do try it, I’ll report back!

With a nod and a wave to Musings of a Muse’s 20 Fabulous Favorites, it seemed like the most appropriate Valentine’s Day post would be to write a love letter to my favorite products. In no particular order, 12 things I’m loving RIGHT NOW (and not all are cosmetics!).

1. Benefit Silky Finish Lipstick in Jing-A-Ling. I “re-discovered” it after forgetting it for a long time after I first reviewed it. I still wear it with a lip liner and I’m willing to ignore the less than steller wear because I adore the pink color.

2. The Body Shop Roseflower Blush in Pink. I’m on a serious pink kick – this is perfect. Pair with another “rediscovered” gem… my #3…

3. GlowFusion Bronzer in Luminous. I personally don’t believe for a moment that this bronzer is going to make my skin wrinkle-free. But I do know that it looks fabulously natural on my skin and I love it!

4. Panic at the Disco’s Pretty. Odd. Happiness packaged in CD form.

5. Skinn Cosmetics Insta-Fill For Eyes makes my undereye concealer go on perfectly, every time. This has become a product I can’t live without.

6. Badger Cuticle Balm makes my fingers happy. Actually, the whole Badger website makes me happy, it’s just so cheerful.

7. Benefit Erase Paste rocks my world. Just because I feel like death warmed over doesn’t mean I have to LOOK like death warmed over…

8. I think I might be regressing, but I really love the orange sherbet vanilla cake scent of Hidden Fantasy. It’s like comfort food in perfume form.

9. J. Lynne Cosmetics Latin Rhythms blushes all look fabulous on me.

10. The Body Shop Raspberry Body Butter smells so good, I want to use it every day.

11. My veggie box from Organics To You. I love having fresh veg delivered to my door every Monday. Eat your veggies for beautiful skin!

12. This Rosebud Ultra Rich Body Cream is one of the best rose scented products around. Love it!

It occurred to me the other morning, as I lathered up with my bath poof, that I have tried almost all the regular (non-Retro) LUSH Cosmetics shower gels offered in stores. Crazy! So I figured it might be time to sum up my thoughts with a good, bad, and ugly post. (Okay, none of them are particularly bad or ugly, but it sounded good…)

The first shower gel I tried was Flying Fox. The main notes are jasmine absolute, cypress essential oil, and ylang ylang essential oil (to my nose). Depending on my mood, I either love it or hate it. When I love it, the scent of jasmine and cypress is heady and intoxicating. When I hate it, it smells like an ashtray to me. Since I’ve read other reviewers who mention the ashtray thing, it’s not just me. When you use it, your whole bathroom will smell like it and it will drift out the bathroom door too – it’s STRONG stuff. When I’m in the mood, I love to wash my hair with it, and then have jasmine-scented hair for the rest of the day. I give it two thumbs up for being unique, at least.

Next up was Tramp. I always love Tramp. It’s a mossy green patchouli-fest, all damp forest and fresh turned earth. It literally is green, so you’ll have green foam. I also love to wash my hair with Tramp, to enjoy that mossy patchouli scent all day long – I can catch whiffs of it throughout the day. Mmmmm Tramp. We’re BFFs.

Due to an irresistable BOGO offer, I scored a small bottle of Happy Hippy. (That’s Buy One Get One in case you don’t know retail-speak.) Happy Hippy is also all love, all the time. It’s grapefruit, grapefruit, grapefruit, and maybe a little more grapefruit with your grapefruit. I ADORE using this stuff in the morning, since it is 100% refreshing in a fresh, juicy, citrusy burst of cheerfulness. Oh yeah, I like to wash my hair with it too (I’m sounding like a broken record here, but these shower gels do make great shampoos). The citrus oils make my hair super-shiny, so I’m tempted to get a full-sized bottle just to wash my hair with.

Thanks to another BOGO, I have two small bottles of The Olive Branch to try out. I like it, but not as much as I like Happy Hippy. It’s citrus-y, but not like Happy Hippy – more mellow, less bright. It’s good for washing my hair though, since it makes it really soft.

On a whim, I bought a full-size bottle of Sonic Death Monkey Shower Gel, which despite the weird name, is quite excellent. Lush describes it as chocolate with coffee and lime (sounds terrible, right?) but the blend works somehow. The brightness of the lime hits your nose first, but then it mellows out to the coffee and chocolate bits. It’s great for waking up in the morning. Two thumbs up.

I’ve also tried Creamed Almond and Coconut Shower Smoothie, which has a vanilla-y scent, and doesn’t lather well. It’s great for shaving your legs, though.

In the Retro section, I’m dying to try 13 Rabbits, Back for Breakfast, and Blue Skies shower gels.

If you are looking for a great shower gel that doesn’t smell like anything you’ll find at other stores, try a Lush shower gel. They are wonderfully herbal and all of them are pretty gentle to the skin.

How on earth does one write about a perfume for which it seems everything has already been said? Chanel No. 5 is one of those perfumes that everyone has heard of, even if they’re not “into” perfume – their mom or grandma or auntie wore it. They may not be able to tell you what it smells like, but they’ve heard of it. It seems pointless to deliver an academic treatise on this perfume – there are plenty of places where you can read that, including Wikipedia. All that is left, I think, is to tell one’s own story about it, since that is the only truly unique way to write about something so many others have experienced.

My mom wore Chanel No. 5 Eau de Toilette when I was a kid. I didn’t really like it, it was too strong to my nose, too grown-up. As an young adult, I still found it too “perfumey,” being firmly stuck first in a soapy-clean phase (best exemplified by Pleasures, the ultimate soapy-clean scent) and then a tutti-fruity phase (in which many Bath & Body Works body sprays were purchased). In the last few years my perfume tastes have expanded and I no longer enjoy either the soapy cleans or the tutti-fruities (thank God!) anymore – but I still didn’t see the charm of No. 5.

Lately, I’ve been on the hunt for something different, something with more complexity than what is found in the usual dreck of mainstream women’s fragrances. I was passing through Macy’s one day and happened to pass the Chanel counter. On a whim, I sprayed my hand with No. 5 Eau Premiere, having read the review in the first Newsletter edition of Perfumes The Guide. It was a revelatory moment.

My first thought was that I didn’t remember ever liking No. 5 this much. The fussy “perfumey” smell I remember from my childhood was gone. This scent was complex, and interesting, and oh so good on my hand! It was, dare I say, really beautiful! I visited it again a few weeks later to see if I was still intrigued. I was.

And then the quandary. Eau Premiere is a “modernization” of No. 5, and generally I’ve always been rather snobbish about such things. What could be better than the original? So I sprayed and sniffed the No. 5 of my childhood. I think it’s beautiful, but larger than life. For me, the Eau Premiere is more wearable because it has that same sense of beauty as the Eau de Toilette but it’s not quite so much of a good thing. I’m definitely in awe though, as though I’ve been searching the world over for my one true love only to find that it’s been right here all along.

I turn thirty in a little more than two months. It seems appropriate that I should finally appreciate the “grown-up” perfume that my mom loves so much.