I’m a big fan of Too Faced’s eyeshadows. They have some of the most interesting color combinations, and who can resist the tongue-in-cheek names?

I’m excited because they have some new colors coming. You can check them out at Beauty.com. I especially like Hollywood Ho-Down and Mommy Dearest.

In case you’re a fan, Too Faced is also introducing three new shades of Lip Injection, and several new palettes. Cute!!

Since so many beauty bloggers are doing “favorites” posts today, I figured I’d join the party. A smidgen more than a year ago I started working my current job – as a beauty consultant aka sales associate for a large beauty product retailer. I call this store The Beauty Emporium, because I’m not interested in getting dooced by mentioning it specifically…

Needless to say, my job is largely what inspired this blog. I play with so many cool beauty products every day, and I love to talk about them. So, I guess my first favorite thing from 2006 is my job. Happy Job Anniversary to me!

As for the rest… in no particular order…

Philosophy’s The Present rocks my world. It gives me super-soft skin, minimizes my pores, is a kickin’ makeup primer… How did I live without this stuff? Oh, and it’s a steal too. I use so little each day that the ginormous tube lasts forever.

Stila Smudge Pots… somehow I managed to acquire five of these this year. Heh heh.

DuWop Smoke in Black Gold is one of the best new products for 2006, in my opinion. For a smoldering eye, look no further.

I bought a lot of perfume this year, but I think my favorite is Flowerbomb. Donna Karen Gold and Vera Wang Princess run very close seconds, but for most interesting scent AND packaging, it has to be Flowerbomb.

2006 is the year I discovered Urban Decay Primer Potion. How did I live without this product? Creasy eyeshadow is forever banished to the underworld. Yay!

Juice Beauty Blemish Clearing Serum and Caudalie Vinoperfect have both really impressed me this year.

Last of all, a few brands I’ve discovered that have great “favorite” potential for 2007: Earth Science, and Jason Natural Cosmetics.

2006 was a pretty decent year, as these things go. I hope 2007 is even better.

Philosophy always has the best scents. I’ve been a huge fan of Cinnamon Buns and Waffle Cone, and I really like some of the newer fruit scents too.

But it’s some of their newest products that have me really excited. They’ve expanded their hand washes to include Apple and Coconut, a new Power Shower Trio featuring yummy scents, and the best… Body Butter! I’ve never been a fan of their body souffles – too watery, not very emollient. But the new body butters (in Lemonade and Empowermint, they aren’t online yet) ROCK! They are basically the hand cream formula, but in a big jar. The hand cream is amazing. It’s thick, it’s rich, but it’s not too greasy. It has a slew of good butters in in (shea, mango, etc) and is just super nice. I’m really wanting a jar of the body butter now.

The two newest 3-in-1 scents (Red Velvet Cake and Buttercream) are pretty good. I’m especially liking the Buttercream.

Mmmm, Philosophy. They never disappoint.

MOR Cosmetics is an Australian brand that makes super products. I first discovered their products when I ordered a Moroccan Gold Body Butter (described as an exotic and rich mix of Lemon and Mandarin Oils mixed with Dry Fig Fruits, Honey and Neroli, while the scent of Jasmine Blossom and Desert Blooms create an intoxicating middle note on a soft, Orange-Vanilla base for a Spicy-Citrus fragrance). Needless to say, the stuff is freakin’ amazing. I’m dying to try some more from MOR.

So… I found that they offer an online shopping experience for US customers here. The site is a little clunky to navigate, but stick with it. I want to try everything!

The Body Shop has started their semi-annual sale, and Bath & Body Works will start theirs on December 27. Get it while the gettin’ is good!

Also, HardCandy.com is giving away these bracelets with any purchase over $10. They actually are kinda cute in person, and would make a cute little gifty for that pre-teen in your life.

Yay!! New stuff is arriving in the store at work, and is available for drooling over online. Yippee!!

So, what have we got?? Bare Escentuals, despite not being my favorite brand, has some good looking sets out. Park Place Princess has some pretty colors, as does the new Smokey Eye Tutorial.

Stila delights with the On The Go Set, and Too Faced’s Glamour To Go looks amazing too. Lorac has the Maui Wowie that is ADORABLE in person, and so is Benefit’s new 10.

I wasn’t sure I was going to survive Holiday ‘06, but with this stuff to look forward to, I can make it through the last week of December (and all the returns and gift card redeemers…).

I’ve posted before about how interested I’ve become in natural care companies and the products they offer. I figure this might be a good time to rave a little more!

I’ve been using Jason Natural Cosmetics‘ Sea Kelp Shampoo (see the site for a description) for a few weeks now and I’ve been enjoying it immensely – it has plumeria in it, and the scent really comes through. I really want to try the Tall Grass shampoo (it smells so fresh and green!) and the Mint & Rose Moisture Treatment.

DH and I picked out a Nature’s Gate conditioner, the Lavender & Aloe one. I have to admit, we picked it mostly because of the scent, which is SO relaxing and lavender-y. I’m a huge fan of Nature’s Gate’s Herbal Daily Conditioner as well, mostly for the scent. It’s mostly lavender and myrrh and it drives me crazy in the shower.

I’ve also been afflicted with some wicked eczema on my legs lately, mostly I suspect from the stress of buying a house last month. However, my skin is really dry (thanks Winter!) and it isn’t healing up as fast as I’d like. So, I’ve been applying ShiKai’s Borage Dry Skin Therapy body lotion to my legs and it really seems to help. To quote from their website: “Borage oil, extracted from the seeds of the borage plant, is a natural source of gamma-Linolenic Acid (GLA), an important OMEGA-6 fatty acid which the body uses in making skin cells. Without sufficient GLA, cell membranes can’t retain enough moisture and skin becomes dry and rough.” I’m almost out of the trial size tube I bought, so I picked up a tube of Jason’s Hemp hand and body lotion when I noticed it had borage in it too.

I guess I’ve been on a real Jason Natural Cosmetics kick lately, but it’s because I’m so pleased with the products I’ve tried. I’ve also seen ShiKai on the shelf for years, am I’m happy to be “discovering” it now.

I’ve been a fan of Avon’s mark. line since I discovered it two years ago. I started out with four products: a face case, a blush, and two eyeshadows. It was easy to get hooked – the original face case was super-nifty – I loved the idea of being able to pick and choose colors and customize my own palette. I also thought the cosmetics were nice. The eyeshadows were soft but the colors were rich, and the blush was fab.

Fast forward a little more, and I acquired all the brushes when they were launched and on sale. Holy moly! If you are looking for some nice, and nicely priced great brushes, try the ones from mark.

Being the product junkie I am, I’ve also tried the body butters (lovely!), the lip glosses (super!), a face cleanser (nice!), shower gels (excellent!)… The only thing I didn’t like was the mascara, and I’m pretty picky about mascara.

Anyway… the point of all this gushing is to say that I’m really impressed with Avon’s efforts to reach out to a younger audience. I’d say whoever is in charge of the mark. line is doing a bang-up job, since there are always products I want to try. The new larger face case looks like fun, the gift sets this year are adorable, and everything is very reasonably priced.