It’s the moment you’ve waited for. Drum roll please…OP’s mega-list of all her favorite things! You know I’ve tested practically everything on the market. Products work differently on people so you may not be as ecstatic as I am about certain items, but I am confident these products represent the best in their categories…until something new comes along to dethrone them, in which case you can be sure I’ll update you. Without further ado, let’s name names.

BEST:

• Foundation: SK-II Air Touch Foundation – See my previous review.
• Mineral Foundation: La Bella Donna Loose Mineral Foundation – Won’t break you out, has SPF 20 and won’t give you the tin man look unlike many mineral foundations.
• Translucent Powder: Laura Mercier – Great for setting concealer and eliminating shine. Finely milled.
• Concealer: Kanebo Sensai Concealer Pen – It’s a concealer and highlighter in one and it’s great for concealing dark circles, blemishes and scars. It’s also formulated to help hydrate skin (great for wrinkles) and improving skin texture. The brush is made from delicate hair so that it can be used on sensitive eye areas, though I just apply it with my finger. Dermatologists agree that this SPF 15 silky smooth formula is tops. They voted it ‘Healthiest Concealer of 2005′ in Health Magazine. You can also use this concealer to highlight your brow bone and the rim of your lips to make your lipstick pop. Available in three shades: light, medium and dark. It’s not widely available, but they do carry it at Saks and Bergdorf’s.

• Matte Bronzer: Trish McEvoy Matte Bronzer – Finally a bronzer with no shimmer. Good staying power.
• Shimmery Bronzer: Laura Mercier Golden Mosaic – Have I just contradicted myself? Sometimes you need a little shimmer (use sparingly). A versatile product you can use it as a bronzer, highlighter and eyeshadows.
• Pink Blush: Bobbi Brown in Pale Pink – Scary neon looking pink but it looks natural once on.
• Peach Blush: Milani Mineral Blush in Luminous – This is a dupe for Nars Orgasm, but is more pigmented. It has a beautiful golden shimmer which looks especially good against tan summer skin.
• Eye Shadows: Laura Mercier – You can’t go wrong with any of her colors. They are all sophisticated and wearable. My favorites are Burnished Copper and Titanium Metallic Crème Eye Colour, Pewter, Chambord, and Topaz.
• Volumizing Mascara: Cover Girl Volume Exact - Va va va voom lashes.
  
• Natural Looking Mascara: Maybelline Lash Discovery – For those low key days you just want a little definition. The small brush grabs even the tiniest hairs.
• Eyelash Curler: Shu Uemura – The long, reigning king of curlers. No beauty list is complete without it.
• Eyeliner: Laura Mercier Kohl Eye Pencil in Black Turquoise, Black Violet and Antique Jade; MAC Smolder Eye Kohl, Clinique Cream Shaper in Chocolate Lustre.
• Gel Eyeliner: Bobbi Brown – Lots of great colors. Black Ink can be used to create a dramatic cat eye.
• Cake Liner for Tightlining: Laura Mercier in Black Ebony – I’ll explain tightlining in another post.
• Brow Powder: MAC Brow Shader – I like Walnut for brunettes.
• Brow Pencil: Anastasia Perfect Brow Pencil – The spooly brush on the other end is very handy.
• Brow Tamer: Flirt 3-in-1 Mascara Lash Glosser, Primer & Brow Groomer
• Lip Gloss: Chanel Glossimer in Spark (raspberry red); Bobbi Brown in Rosy and Nectarine; Cosmoholic in Promiscuous Pink, Bossy Berry and Rockstar Red.
• Lip Stick: Laura Mercier Stickgloss in Brown Sugar, Purple Haze and Black Orchid, Chanel Russet Moon (deep red).
• Brushes: MAC, Trish McEvoy, Japonesque
• Makeup Remover: Extra Virgin Olive Oil – There’s really no reason to pay for expensive makeup removers that are loaded with chemicals. This a natural, cheap, readily available and effective choice for dissolving your makeup. It works great to clean mu brushes too, but you do need to follow with shampoo to get out the oily residue (the reason to use the EVOO in the first place is it conditions the hair so it doesn’t dry out).
  
• Teeth Whitener: Listerine Whitening Quick Dissolving Strips - 10 minutes for 2 weeks yields noticeably whiter teeth. Trust me people will comment. It is much cheaper than professional whitening. I like these strips better than Crest’s because they do not make my teeth sensitive. Crest’s were actually painful to use. Sharp, shooting pains to the brain are no good.
• Nail Treatment: Nailtique 2 - This is a protein treatment for weak nails that peel and break. You can wear it alone or under polish. It comes in different strengths but personally I like level 2.
  
• Pink Nail Polish: Essie in Sugar Daddy- Streak free, chip resistant formula.
• Red Nail Polish: Essie in Bordeaux (deep red) and Fishnet Stockings (true red).
• Long Lasting Nail Polish: Revlon Colorstay in Sheer Bliss (light pink) – Lasts for 8 days and this from a person who usually sees chips the next day.
• No Time for a Manicure Product: Sally Hansen Natural Shine Instant Nail Finish – Gives a soft sheen to the nails as if they were buffed but without the negative side effects (buffing erodes the top layers and makes your nails thinner and weaker). I like the pink tint formula for a little bit of color. The packaging is terrible, both form and function wise, but the quick drying formula (literally seconds) and subtly polished look it gives compensates for that.
• Skincare Line: Cetaphil – It’s not fancy, but it’s effective. I’m a little embarrassed to recommend something so basic, but I’m in a back-to-basics state of mind. I’m always amused by the thought of people who come to visit expecting $300 creams in my bathroom only to find this boring white and blue packaging. I have tons of the high priced stuff, but still I come back to good ol’ Cetaphil. Their face wash, moisturizer and sun screen all do what they say. It’s great for people with sensitive skin.
• Moisturizing Body Wash: Olay Ultra Moisture with Shea Butter – your skin will feel so soft and plump after using this. Lathers nicely too.
• Hair Treatment: Kerastase Aqua Oleum – Your hair will feel like silk after only 10 min of this in your hair. Plus it smells divine.
• Defrizzer: Extra Virgin Olive Oil – OK I’m really starting to show my Greek roots here by harping on this product, but science bears out that EVOO is one of the few oils (coconut being the other) that can penetrate the hair shaft. A few drops of this after you style your hair and your hair will be soft, shiny and frizz free. Concentrate on the ends first and only dab the tiniest amount on flyaways at your roots (aka “antenna”). You can also use it as a deep conditioner. I’ve actually had people ask me if this will make you smell like a salad and attract flies, to which I have to say “only if you also add vinegar, gorgonzola, candied walnuts, dried cranberries and some crutons.” Stick a fork in it, you’re done.
• Styling Cream: Frederic Fekkai Glossing Cream – Due to the olive oil in it, it softens hair and eliminates frizz without weighing it down. This is my favorite product to use at the beach. Try it instead of gel for a soft, non crunchy look.
• Heat Protectant: Kerastase Ciment Thermique – I even use this when I let my hair air dry just because it makes your hair so soft. It’s designed to work best under heat however.
• Hair Dryer: T3 Evolution – I bought it when it first came out for $300 (the prices have since come down), which sounds insane, but this combined with my flat iron has saved me so many trips to the salon. Plus the time savings alone is worth it. From 30 min to 15 min blow dry time. Yay for tourmaline negative ions! It’s also gentler on your hair than a standard hair dryer.
• Flat Iron: GHD Styler – This is the Rolls Royce of flat irons and at $240 it better be. It can be found cheaper on eBay, just be wary of fakes. It has no heat settings because it has built in technology to sense exactly how much heat your hair needs. Also, it heats up in about 15 seconds (you know how big I am on time being money). It emits infrared heat and negative ions, both of which are less damaging to the hair and reduces static. Universal voltage means you can use it around the world. Best of all, it straightens, curls and adds waves to hair without robbing it of volume. Results are long lasting, so even if it’s humid your hair looks great.
• Web Site for Cosmetics Reviews: MakeupAlley – Consider this the beauty bible which will save you from making many expensive mistakes. Tons of user reviews on practically every product you can think of. And if it’s not there, you can be the first to start one.

There I’ve laid it all out on the line. Let it not be said OP is not a sharer. Now stop bugging me about my favorites.