Best of 2010

Ahhh, 2010 - what a year. For me personally, it's had its fair share of ups and downs (the house falling apart, being hospitalised with stress, starting a new job that I love...) but for Sparkle and Shade it's been a year of joy. When I started this blog in February, I had no idea that it would take off in the way it has, nor did I know how many wonderful people I'd meet (both in the flesh and on the interwebs) or how many fantastic opportunities I'd get!

Anyway, here's my round up of the best products I've used this year - enjoy! Think of it as a sort of mini awards ceremony if you will

♥ Best Skincare - Liz Earle
I'll admit it, I'm a Liz Earle addict. Not only do I use Cleanse and Polish, I also use a toner, moisturiser, serum, eye cream and body lotion by her. Queen Liz is truly excellent, and this range has turned my skin round. Love it.

♥ Best Haircare - Aussie Take the Heat
I'll be honest, this one changes quite a lot, but Aussie Take the Heat has been my hair saviour this winter - it's managed to keep the frizz firmly at bay but also given me shine and volume. Other strong contenders are Liz Earle and Aveda :)

♥ Best Base Makeup - Bobbi Brown
Ahhh Bobbi, how you've captured my heart. I use Super Moisture Rich foundation and also the creamy concealer and powder kit and I utterly love it - flawless finish everytime and finally a perfect match for my skin. Also ranking very highly is the MAC MSFN in Light Medium, ELF Studio Concealer and Highlighter and The Body Shop Nature's Minerals Foundation

♥ Best Eyeshadow - Fyrinnae, Darling Girl Cosmetics, Shiro and Urban Decay
Ok, so I know this is a bit of a cop out but seriously - I have hundreds of eyeshadows. These four companies are the ones who have really stood out for me though - the ones who've either done something with eyeshadows that has made me go *wow* or the ones that I come back to time and time again. It was Fyrinnae who made me come back to creative eyeshadow - I ordered some of their beautiful colours and I was hooked all over again. Since then, I've splurged on 3 Urban Decay palettes that are used pretty much daily, I stumbled across Shiro in pretty much their first week of opening and ordered for the geeky names alone but was them blown away by the colours and then, fairly late on in the year, saw some people chatting about Darling Girl Cosmetics, took the plunge and was extremely impressed with the quality. Other brands who deserve an honourable mention are Sleek and Yaby.

♥ Best Lip Product - Eyeko London Lips
Again, this is tough, but Eyeko London Lips have changed my relationship with glosses - I used to think of them as a slightly pointless, colourless addition of shine to ones face, but the pigmentation on these has taught me that they can add a sheer hint of colour too. Other lip products I've loved are th Dr Organic Pomegranete Lipbalm, the Boots 17 Mirror Shine Lipsticks and The Body Shop Lipsticks.

♥ Best Mascara - Boots 17 Va Va Voom
I seem to have tried a lot of mascaras this year, but the only one that I reperchased and which I used everyday is this. Volume, deep blackness, no clumping, no flaking. Love it. It is truly a perfect mascara. I used to use Lancome Hypnose, but I actually prefer this.

♥ Most worthy of hype - Cloud Nine Straighteners
I have to say, I didn't expect to love these as much as I do. I've never been one for hair things... mainly because I'm really quite rubbish, but I was given these as a PR sample and do you know what? I've never had so much fun with my hair! I've learnt how to straighten to give a professional blow dry effect and, most importantly, I've learnt to curl my hair. A fabulous product which is more than worth the hype it received in the blogsphere. Also worthy of hype was the Urban Decay Naked Palette (and the Alice Palette actually).

♥ Best Budget Company - ELF
I remember hearing about ELF a couple of years ago but I never quite "got it" if you get me. This yeart though, I took the plunge and bought quite a few things from ELF and I have not been disappointed. Every single thing I've bought has been excellent - the brushes are a staple in my kit and there are so many other bits that I reach for on a near daily basis. Fabulous.

So my lovelies, what gets your awards? If you fancy, why not leave me a comment with the products you'd award for each category xx